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“I’m twenty-three. I don’t need Dad’s permission to walk a runway if I want to.”
Carys is Dad’s stepsister, and she’s married to Dad’s younger brother, Cooper. But that’s a whole other story... Her mom married Grandpa after Uncle Cooper graduated and joined the Navy. That’s why, even though Callen is only a week older than Grace and me, he’s our uncle. Definitely an oopsie baby. And we never let him forget it.
Carys glares at me with eyes the same color as Callen’s. They turn a darker shade of green when either of them is mad, and hers are shining like the darkest emerald I’ve seen in a long time at the moment. “You might be old enough to vote and drink, kiddo, but I’m still young enough for your father to kill me.”
“Mom won’t let him.” I close my sketchbook and place it under the counter when Maddox’s little sister, Caitlin, and another girl walk into the shop. “Hey, Kit Cat.”
Carys nods toward the back of the store, where she keeps an office, then walks away.
“Hey.” Caitlin runs her hand along a sheer black-and-white polka-dot babydoll set hanging in the front of the store as her friend stays quietly at her side.
“You’re going to get me killed if you buy that, kid,” I warn.
“Everly...” she pouts, and her friend’s head snaps up.
“Don’tEverlyme. I’m not saying I won’t sell it to you, I’m just saying don’t mention my name if your mom sees it.”
“Don’t you mean my dad?” Cait asks.
“Hell no,” I laugh. “The entire city might fear your dad, but Aunt Amelia scares the shit out of me. Uncle Sam freezes the second we saygirl problems. Did you see him when I asked ifyour mom had a tampon after dinner last month? I thought he was going to die.”
She laughs, but her friend is still staring, so I walk over and introduce myself. “Hi. I’m Everly. Can I help you find something?”
The young woman with long, dark hair and tiny, delicate features, looks up at me, unsure. “Umm. You have a pretty name.” She smiles and adds, “It’s unusual.”
“Thank you,” I answer, a little caught off guard.
“I’m Bellamy,” she says hesitantly. “Wilder.”
Well shit.
I’m soaking in the tub when my phone rings later that night, and not gonna lie, I’m more than a little surprised to see Cross’s name flash across the screen. “Hey, big man,” I answer as the FaceTime connects.
Oh my... Cross is lying down on what I guess is a hammock outside, judging by the dusky sunlight and the gentle sway of the phone. A chubby ball of baby is tucked under his chin, wrapped in a red, navy-blue muslin blanket. I can’t quite explain the way my heart sinks over the exquisite sight.
“Hey, Cinderella,” his tired voice drawls.
“Who do you have there?” I ask as I balance the phone, making sure he’s only seeing my face instead of a bubble-bath peep show.
“Are you in a bathtub, Everly?” His lips tip up in a sexy smile that makes me wonder if my vibrator is waterproof.
“Maybe. Are you on a swing? The phone is moving.”
“Jax is teething, and it’s making the little man miserable tonight. The movement of the hammock always knocks him right out. Pretty sure I’m gonna end up sleeping out here one of these nights.” He presses his lips to the fine hair on Jax’s head. “How are you doing? How was work and practice?”
“Practice was easy. The team’s away this weekend, so it’s a lighter week. Work was...” I think about my surprise customer. “Well it was a little more interesting.”
“Oh yeah?” There’s something about his voice tonight.
He sounds tired.
Why does tired sound sexy?
My white swan yawns, stretching her arms above her head.Because he’s tired from taking care of his family. It doesn’t get sexier than a man taking care of the people he loves.
My black swan rolls her eyes before she leaps away.Orgasms are sexier.
But right now, I’m not thinking about orgasms.
