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“Take the stroller, hot stuff,” I laughed at his rolled eyes. I spread my arms wide and roared, becoming a monster for Brayleigh.
For the next hour, three of us chased Brayleigh while Minty cuddled a thickly wrapped Inky in her arms, swaying gently on a swing.
Ares
I could see Lucky wanted to talk to me. Warn me? Every time I turned around, his eyes were on me, and they weren’t altogether friendly. I knew that look. Suspicion. I’d been the recipient of that look for most of my life.
Finally, I bit the bullet and walked over to him while Minty and Hope hit the swings with the girls. This time, Minty pushed Brayleigh while Hope snuggled with Sia.
There was no point in beating around the bush. I jerked my chin at him. “What’s up?”
He swiveled to face me, his hands on his hips. “She’s guarded. On edge.”
I huffed out a breath. Guarded, my ass. “She’s so fucking bubbly she’s practically effervescent.”
His eyes sharpened on my face as he nodded slowly. “She is.” Holding his hands out to the sides he took a breath, his chest expanding as his brows rose. “I don’t know if you’re worth it, honestly. I don’t know if you’re worthy of her but I’m going to give you this. She is bubbly. But if that’s all you’re getting from her, you’re not getting much of her at all. Because that’s also her armor.”
“Armor for what?” From what I could see she had a picture-perfect childhood. Only child. Parents still together and according to Hope, still very much in love.
“Have you met any of her friends? Her family?”
“I haven’t met her friends or her parents. Brayleigh is getting comfortable with me. I’ve met you, obviously, Minty. Your sister.”
“Ava?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ve met her friends.”
My eyebrows rose. “That can’t be possible.”
Hope was friends with everyone, and everyone had a good word to say about her. I searched my memory for evidence that those work relationships extended outside of working hours but found none.
Lucky laughed but there was no humor in it. “She has no female friends other than Ava who’s more like a younger sister. No men in her life because none of them could see past her D-cups, and the women in their lives wouldn’t tolerate her. She’s too genuine and forthright to hang with the catty bitches who match her in the looks department, and after the number of times she’s been burned she’s no longer interested in trying.”
D-cups? Knowing he had her D-cups in his hands, in his mouth, made me want to plow my fist into his face.
“If she’s so great, why aren’t you with her?”
He rolled his eyes before closing them momentarily. “It’s not like that with us. It’s never been like that with us.” The muscle in his jaw ticked as he narrowed his gaze on me. “One night, asshole. Don’t make her pay for it.”
Shaking his head, he twirled his keys around his finger. “She watches you. Tracks your reactions. Monitors your expressions. She’s not at ease.”
Hope’s wild laugh reached me, and I moved to give myself a clear view. Just then, I saw her look up and meet my eyes.
Her eyebrows rose and she made the O.K. sign with her fingers in question.
“Fuck,” I growled, noting the alarm on her face. Quickly, I smiled and raised my hand in a wave before turning back to Lucky, giving him a begrudging “Thank you.”
Nodding, he trotted off ahead of me to lead the girls to the parking lot. He spoke animatedly, his face splitting in an enormous grin as he scooped Brayleigh up and lay a smacking kiss on her soft, baby cheek before setting here back on her feet beside Hope.
He gave Hope a brief hug, his happy expression dropping for the moment he was out of her sight. He whispered something in her ear, and she stiffened before visibly softening. I wished I could see her face to see the full effect of his words because I’d be damned if I was going to ask her.
Lucky turned abruptly, Hope laughed, and the ice queen’s posture went ramrod straight. Her high heel boots clacked quickly along the asphalt path as she moved away from Lucky, but she was no match for his speed.
Grabbing her hips, he hauled her up over his shoulder and paddled her ass twice while he stalked around to the passenger side of the car. Once there, he lowered her to her feet, and I caught a glimpse of her face.
Where I’d expected to see anger or embarrassment, there was heat and affection. She murmured something, his face changed again, and I wondered at the connection between them. Wondered how it was possible.
