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I take a step back but his hand catches mine, towing me back.
“You only spoke my thoughts, Miss Thompson. Don’t be shy.” His chocolate eyes darken and his lids hood, tongue dragging across his lower lip. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Oh, shit. No. No, I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t, right?
His lips descend in slow motion and I have every single intention of saying no, stepping aside, but when his full lips part, my tongue darts out to sweep across mine, wetting them in anticipation of what I know is going to be one hell of a kiss.
But that’s when I hear it. A shrill giggle and a scream, followed by the gentle slam of a little body into the outside of my door. I startle with a jump and Avery’s head snaps up, his forehead creasing with confusion. The handle jiggles.
“Daddyyy!” a tiny voice shrieks. “Help! Open! Puh-lease!”
Saved, saved, saved! No bad decisions for Claire Thompson today!
I shove away from a very perplexed Avery and make a mad dash for the door, whipping it open after hitting the lock. A tiny copper-haired beauty comes stumbling in on her chunky, roly-poly little legs. She shrieks when she sees me, her bright green eyes and wide smile lighting up her entire face and mine, because sweet Lord, I love this little chick.
I scoop her up in my arms and spin her around, showering her face in loud, smacking kisses. “My baby,” I cry, never letting up on those kisses. She bubbles over with laughter, her pudgy hands pressing against my cheeks as she tips her head backwards in an attempt to escape me, even though I know she doesn’t really want to go anywhere.
My eyes land on a terrified Avery, cowering in the corner. I fight the urge to bark out a laugh. He doesn’t do kids, clearly, and this whole scene before him is frightening. So now I kinda wanna mess with him.
I tip Vivi back up to me and smile, rubbing the tip of my nose across hers before I plant a soft kiss on her pink pout. “I missed you.”
“Oh, fuck—I mean, shit. I mean, fuck.” My brother—my very exhausted looking brother—pauses in the doorway, his shoulders sagging with a dramatic huff when he sees Vivi. “Fuck it, I can’t think of another word.” His eyes bounce between Vivi and me. “She won’t remember, right?”
And because Vivi is Vivi and she’s related to us, she looks her dad square in the face and says, “Oh, fuck, Daddy!”
We explode with laughter, even Avery’s quiet chuckle filling the room. I look up to find him still looking a little uncertain, but also slightly amused. He’s also no longer cowering in the corner. There’s a major crease marring that forehead as his eyes bounce between me and Vivi, likely noting the similarities. Part of me wants to see how long I can drag this out for. If he thinks I have a kid, I bet it would send him running for the hills and this whole teasing gig would be over quick.
Casey pushes the stroller through the door and slings the bag off his shoulder and into the seat. He wraps his arms around me and his daughter, planting a kiss on my cheek. “Thanks so much for doing this so last minute, Claire.”
He pulls away and drags his curious gaze over Avery. I shift a little awkwardly on my feet as I watch the two of them size each other up.
Casey thumbs at Avery. “Who’s that?”
Ugh, I guess the charade is up.
“Casey, this is Avery,” I tell him, tipping my head toward Avery. To my surprise, Avery steps forward, hand outstretched. “Avery, Casey.” Avery’s eyes flit back and forth between me and Casey and I fight the urge to roll my eyes, because I know what he’s wondering. “My brother.”
I don’t miss the way his entire expression softens, and I think he even breathes a sigh of relief, all his suspicions firmly squashed.
I watch the two of them exchange a firm handshake before Casey slaps Avery on the back. “Sorry about my swearing daughter. I guess it’s unavoidable between me and Claire.”
Avery chuckles, twinkling eyes set on me. “Yeah, your sister swears like a trucker.”
Casey grins and winks, placing a palm over his proud chest. “Learned from the best.” He turns back to me and plants another kiss on my cheek. “Hey, I really gotta go, sorry.” He takes his daughter out of my arms and throws her in the air before pulling her shirt up and blowing on her belly. “Bye, baby. Be good for Auntie Claire. I’ll pick you up tomorrow, ’kay?”
Vivi always does this adorable thing where she scrunches her nose up and pretends she’s a pig. She chooses this moment to do that, oinking so hard I worry she might choke. Avery’s face lights up and my heart does this weird flippy thing that I hate.
Casey tickles Vivi’s belly. “Love you, little Miss Piggy.” He plops her back in my arms and runs a hand through his messy hair. “Oh, hey, is Charlee around?”
My eyes narrow. “Thought you really had to go.”
He hits me with a guilty grin. “Just wanted to say hi; fucking shoot me.” He glances at Vivi and covers her ears.
“Casey, it doesn’t work when you cover her ears after you fucking swear.”
Avery’s hearty laugh coaxes my gaze to his. “And chastising your brother for swearing by swearing back at him doesn’t really work either, Claire.”
“Yeah, Claire,” Casey teases, tugging on the tip of my pony. He shakes Avery’s hand again and I’m annoyed by how chummy they already are. “Nice to meet you, Avery. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.”
