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“Mia, would you be a saint and bring Catrina back to our house? She’ll be happier there. Pretty please? I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” At my not-so-subtle attempt to flutter my lashes, Mia sighs and nods.
“Sure.”
With that settled, Suds grabs the back of my head and kisses my breath away. “We’ll be waiting outside for you.”
In my bedroom, I dig through the suitcase and find black jeans. For fun, I duck into a matching long-sleeved cotton shirt with the words Danger Magnet written on the front.
Contemplating whether I need my gun, I decide to leave it in the safe and when finished dressing, dash down the stairs.
At the bottom, Joey looks up from his phone. “Let me know if they’re any good. My kid wants one, too.”
I wave at his second grader. “Hey Kimmy.”
Dressed for school in her St. Thomas’ plaid jumper, she jumps up and down. “HiyaAunt Sammy. Don’t take the best. Daddy promised that one to me.”
“No worries, Kimmy. It’s all yours.” Outside, I sigh as we take to the sidewalk. “Are you sure you can carry a tree with one wing?”
He gives me a lopsided grin. “Sugar, if I can’t, it might be time to put me in the ground.”
We stroll along the blocks of similar three-story homes divided by a foot of land, then turn onto the main drag.
When the wind whips past a brick building, I shiver. “I hope the trees are still there, otherwise, we’re taking a drive to Jersey.”
“I can keep youwarm, babe.” Suds puts his arm around me.
“Out here?” Laughing, I pull him toward Mrs. Murphy’s bakery where we grab cookies for later and some hot joe to go.
The fragrantsmell, which I usually love, brings up bile. The last time it happened, I was preggo withMikey.
As I tear off the coffee lid and add cream, I broach the subject of a second child. “If you decide to stay home for a few weeks, maybe we could, you know… practice what we talked about?”
The adept dad slips a harness around our non-stop kid, sets him on his feet, and he takes off. Walking to where our tethered son jumps up and down at the corner, Suds lifts one brow.
“Sorry sugar, not following you.”
“You know… try for a girl?” I bite my lower lip and am pleasantly surprised when a smile brightens his whole face.
“I do love tryin’.”
“Me, too.” My chest, which I didn’t even realize was tight, loosens and I breathe easier.
“This time, no taking chances. You work from the office for those nine months. Agreed?”
“Yeah,yeah… sure.”His stipulation throws a monkey wrench into my plans.
“And not until we pay off the plumber. I suspect we may need to take out a loan.”
“Yup. Absolutely. We shouldwait.”Shit.This isprobably not the best time to let him know how Ineglected to take a fewpills and am likely in my sixth week or so.
Damn cat.I picture the pink plastic case by the sink and the day I noticed it missing. My conniving feline must’ve pawed it into the garbage, and we would’ve been fine if I’d used backup protection. But I totally forgot, which is why I always keep the birth control where I can see it.
Biting my right glove, I free my fingertips, call, and leave the plumber a message. “Hey. It’s Sam Sutcliff, Vincent Vitale’s niece? Have you had a chance to investigate our little, tiny, smell issue?”
“You think those tactics gonna help?” Suds shakes his head as I nod mine up and down.
“We need our house back by Christmas. Besides, my uncle is the one who recommended him. He needs to step up. He’s a crime boss, for fuc-fudge sake.” I glance down at Mikey trotting alongside us, but I don’t think he heard.
“I keep telling you babe, don’t use his references.” My husband tweaks my nose with the one hand not in a sling.
