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I roll my eyes. “I told you if you don’t want Billy’s tongue down your throat, keep your mouth closed.”
“Because keeping my mouth closed is easier than locking the backdoor to keep the goat out.”
“Wait! Billy’s a goat?” Eden asks.
“A horny goat,” Elder mutters.
I open my mouth to deny Billy’s horniness but the television blares and cuts me off. The sound wakes Robin up and she immediately starts wailing. I jump from my chair to go to her.
“Classic!” Brody claps.
Elder glares at him. “Did you set the television to switch on loudly during dinner?”
“I did.”
“And you didn’t consider how the noise would wake up the baby? The baby who Harmony has a difficult enough time getting to sleep?”
“Um…”
“If you pull another stunt and end up waking Robin again, I will kick your ass so hard you’ll spend the rest of your life terrified of pulling another prank.”
Elder stands and walks over to where I’m bouncing a screaming Robin in my arms. “Let’s go. You’ll never get Robin back to sleep with the racket of my family.”
Clementine jumps to her feet. “I’ll wrap you up some food.”
“We don’t have to go,” I say despite the relief the idea brings me. “We can stay.”
He rubs a finger down Robin’s face. “Baby girl is not happy. Let’s get her home.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“No reason to thank me. Merely doing my job.”
Does he realize what he’s doing? He’s not doing his job of being a fake husband and father. He’s acting the same as a real father. A father Robin would be lucky to have.
Uh-oh. I’m getting attached. I can’t get attached. Everyone I’ve ever gotten attached to in the past dies. I can’t survive another person dying.
Chapter 17
The best way to stop a woman in the middle of a hissy fit is to kiss her. Trust me. I’m an expert. ~ Text from Miller to Elder
The truck does its magic and Robin falls asleep on the short drive to my house.
“I got her,” Elder says before I can climb out of the vehicle.
“I can get her,” I argue. I can’t start to rely on him. Soon enough he’ll leave and I’ll be on my own.
He squeezes my shoulder. “You’re exhausted. Go put your feet up. Maybe have a glass of wine. I’ll put Robin to bed.”
There he goes again – attaching himself to me. I bet he doesn’t even realize what he’s doing.
“Thanks,” I mutter and make a quick escape before I blurt out something stupid such as how good a dad he is.
A glass of wine does sound like heaven. I make my way to the kitchen but freeze when I notice there’s a message on the answering machine. My lungs seize and I have to remind myself to breathe. Breathing’s important.
I’m still standing there – not daring to press the listen button – when Elder enters the room.
“What’s wrong? Is that an answering machine? Who still has an answering machine?”
