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She looked up at me, emerald green eyes dancing, and hit me with a smile that burned and soothed at the same time. It hurt worse than a physical punch, however I couldn’t help but smile back. Her happiness was that infectious.
“Hmm. I don’t know.” I narrowed my eyes and tapped my chin in mock thought. “What do I have to give you for them?”
She giggled again and shook her head. “Nothing. You can have it for free.”
“Hey,” Owen said with mock offense. “Okay, I see how it is. Now go eat your burger. And don’t forget your side of the deal.”
She took off with another laugh.
“Cute kid,” I said as I watched her round the corner and slip down the side of the house to enjoy her burger. Sure enough, no one saw. She really was stealthy after all.
“Kid’s the light of my life. Makes me excited at the thought of having my own one day.”
The beer I just drank soured in the pit of my stomach, because I knew what was coming next.
“What about you?”
And there it was.
The only thing I could think to do when situations such as this arose was to play dumb. This wasn’t the first time, and it sure as hell wouldn’t be the last. I was a single guy less than a year away from forty. People were curious. “What about me what?”
“You ever think of having kids of your own?”
Sure do. To the point I actually did it in the past once before. The thought popped up in my head before I could stop it, and it took serious effort to reel myself back from the vortex that wanted to suck me into the abyss.
Before I could formulate a lie, I spotted Hardin and Asher moving across the lawn. A guy I’d never seen before walked up to them, and it looked like Asher was making introductions.
My brows pinched together when Hardin extended her hand and the guy took it in his, giving it a shake, and that pinch grew more pronounced when they didn’t quickly break contact. Instead, the guy leaned in and said something that had her tossing her head back and laughing like he was the funniest fucker on the planet.
“Who is that?”
I saw Owen look at me from the corner of my eye, but I couldn’t seem to pull my focus off Hardin. The ass clownstillhadn’t let go of her hand.
“Who’s who?” Owen asked, eyes to the grill as he flipped the rows of burgers. Damn it, if Owen had listened to Asher, he wouldn’t be so distracted with the fucking food and could have done something about the man all over his little sister.
I swallowed down my desire to yell exactly that, and answered with what I hoped was a much calmer tone. “The guy with Asher and Hardin.”
He finally lifted his head from that stupid grill. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem at all bothered by the shithead getting fresh with Hardin in the middle of a family event, for Christ’s sake!
“Oh, that’s Silas. Good guy. He works at the club with Asher. I think she’s trying to set them up or something.”
I ground my molars together so hard it was a wonder they didn’t turn to dust. I forced myself to rip my gaze off the trio at the other end of the backyard. “He works at Whiskey Dolls?” It was a popular club, I knew that from hearing people talk. I hadn’t been there myself, because there wasn’t any reason for a single guy to go alone to a burlesque club, but word was, the dancers put on one hell of a show every night, and the club never failed to fill every table. “What’s he do, bus the tables or some shit? Doesn’t seem like someone you’d want to set Hardin up with. I mean, she’s already dated one loser, right?”
“No, I think Asher told me the guy’s head of security. Former Ranger or something like that. A real badass. Bruce and McKenna brought him on after that shit went down with the bouncer who had been stalking Asher. He keeps the rest of the guys in check. Ensures something like that will never happen again.”
Well shit. There went my hope putting into Owen’s head that his sister could do better.Damn it.
“Dishonorably discharged?” I hedged. I wasn’t willing to give up just yet. Apparently, temporary insanity had gotten the best of me.
“Nope. Retired after his last tour. He served for more than a decade and a half, I believe.”
I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from snarking, “Then why don’t you give the asshole a gold star, for fuck’s sake?” Something told me that wouldn’t go over very well.
I needed to get my shit together. It shouldn’t have bothered me that Hardin was talking to another guy. Another guy she’d most likely end up going out with. And if they hit it off, they’d continue dating, then...shit. I had to shut that line of thinking down, and fast. I was already white-knuckling my beer bottle. Any tighter and the glass would shatter.
Just then, Hardin’s mini-me popped back up like the little ninja she was, giving me a much-needed distraction from her mom. “Here you go.” She extended her hands, two blondies in each. “They’re really yummy,” she said directly to me. “My mommy made them, and she’s the best cook in the whole world.”
It was impossible not to engage with Hazel when she had all her attention focused right on you. She was just so full of spunk, so damn happy. For a kid with one loser parent to the level Owen had described, you’d have thought she’d have a chip on her shoulder. But Hardin was raising an incredible girl. I took one of the blondies. “Thanks, Hazelnut.”
