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Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m already bordering on the cusp of being one of those dirty old men I regularly arrested in my rookie years. Still, my decision to continue had nothing to do with Henley’s super-tight gym pants and everything to do with her eagerness to learn how to protect herself.
She listened to every bit of advice I gave and kept going until she perfected the move.
“Lucy is just finishing brushing her teeth, and then she’ll be ready for her story.”
I arch a brow when she plops onto the sofa beside me and rubs at her neck. I could offer to read Lucy a hundred stories, but she’d never pick one of mine over Henley’s. She told me not to take it to heart, but “Henley does voices, and you just sound like you.”
When Henley spots my shock, she smiles before saying, “She’s hopeful you might tell a story similar to the one you told last night.” She twists to face me. “She enjoyed hearing about how you and Caroline met, and as much as I want to elaborate on your story, I don’t know enough about your wife to share.” With silence still reigning supreme, my bewilderment more in response to how freely she can talk about Caroline without being jealous, she adds on quickly, “I’m happy to share what Thane’s told me. I just think it would be better coming from you.”
“I agree,” I admit, shocking us both. I nudge my head to her shoulder, eager to change the course of our conversation but also desperate to make sure she’s okay. “Are you all right? You have been rubbing the same side half the night.”
I could punch myself for giving away that I’ve been watching her all night, but I can only smile when she replies, “Thane is as heavy as he looks.”
“Yet you still tossed him around like a ragdoll.”
Her smile matches mine. “I did, didn’t I?” Her twinkling-with-amusement eyes dart around the living room. “Is that why he left?”
“Ah. No.” Honesty is easy when you stop contemplating its effectiveness. “I asked him to give us the weekend.”
“Oh.” She wets her suddenly dry lips. It isn’t from the tension that forever fires between us. Shit stirring is the only thing drying her mouth. “And he went willingly? That’s a surprise.” She rams her elbow into my ribs when I groan. “He’s a bit of a flirt, but he doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s just being playful.”
“I doubt that would be the case if I didn’t ask him to step back,” I blurt out before I can stop myself. Thane has been yanking my chain all day. I was close to punching him during our class, and he wasn’t even grinding against Henley’s backside. He asked her out on the guise that “everyone’s gotta eat.”
Henley blinks three times before asking, “You asked him to step back?” When I nod, she exhales. “From me or in general?”
She doesn’t announce she’s worried about Lucy, but her facial expression does.
“I won’t go down that route again, especially not with Thane.” When she exhales again, I add, “It was never my choice to go down that route to begin with.”
“I know,” Henley admits. “Thane gave me a bit of an update today.” After sinking back, she folds her feet under her bottom and tilts her torso to me. “Chelsea is his big sis, but he’s still mad at her.” Her next admission isn’t expected but much appreciated. “I stepped over the mark when I invited her to give Lucy dance lessons. I’ll call and cancel them tomorrow.”
“There’s no need.” Once again, I’m shocked. What Chelsea did was wrong, but she was young, and I was drowning in grief, so she did what she thought was best for Lucy. I can’t fault her for that. “But since I’m paranoid as fuck, I’d rather they be scheduled for when I’m home.”
“That’s understandable. I’ll add that to Lucy’s schedule.” She coughs to clear her throat before dropping her eyes to her hands. They’re fiddling with the hem of her shirt as Thane would have anticipated. “Talking about schedules, I need to tell you—”
“Daddy, I finished brushing my teeth,” Lucy interrupts, her voice bellowing down the stairwell. “Can we do a story now?”
When my eyes shoot back to Henley, she gestures for me to go. “We’ll talk later. It’s late, and we don’t want to risk another rerun of this morning with another late night.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods. “One hundred percent.”
“All right.”
I ruffle her hair, cuss at my stupidity, then climb the stairs two at a time.
Lucy’s giggles lift the weight off my chest in an instant. “You’re silly, Daddy.”
“What are you talking about?” I scoop her into my arms and hang her upside down by her feet. “I’m the smartest man you know.”
