A Family Come True by Kris Fletcher Page A

would understand.”
    If they didn’t, she would happily remind them that they were the ones who had turned the family into Awkward Central in the first place.
    And maybe she could find a way to get Ian and Carter alone together, if only for a few minutes. Because as furious as she was with Carter, Ian was the one who needed to talk to him, to put things on the table and find some new ground.
    No matter what, Carter still was a member of the family. If he hadn’t been drummed out by now, it wasn’t going to happen—especially with a baby on the way. The only way Ian could resume his rightful place with the Norths would be to make it clear to everyone that he was not only over Taylor, he was over Carter.
    Ian slapped his thigh for Lulu. “Okay. If you’re okay with this, it works for me.”
    “Then let’s do it. Go along with the line for now, tell the truth once they’re gone, find a place for me and Cady.”
    His usual grin tugged at his lips. “I’m still selling tickets for that one. Especially now that Moxie can play the ‘you lied to me’ card.”
    “Excuse me? Weren’t you listening when I told her that I wasn’t going to promise to come back here before winter?”
    “That was good, I agree. But she wasn’t even trying then. She was just taking your measure, seeing what she had to work with.”
    “Well, she had better measure high, because much as I like you, Ian, there’s no way I’m staying here tonight.” Tingling lips be damned.
    “Not that I’m on Moxie’s side, Darce, but seriously?” He grinned and grabbed a bag. “This, I’ve got to see.”
    * * *
    I AN HAD SPENT a good deal of time over the past months wondering how it would feel to walk back into the family homestead. He never had expected to do it while dodging a fur ball, lugging a portable crib and jiggling a baby who had decided that his nose made a great teething toy.
    “Ow!” His howl of pain was muffled by Cady’s chin in his mouth. “Cady, no!”
    He came to a dead stop in the hall. He didn’t dare go farther, not with Lulu doing laps around his legs and his vision blocked by a tiny face. Darcy was behind him. Her laughter pealed around him.
    “Hang on,” she gasped. “I’ll be right—”
    A few maneuvers and an unsettling amount of giggles later, he was free—not that Cady seemed too happy about it.
    “Shh, killer,” Darcy said. “Mommy will find you something else to bite on.”
    “Don’t mind me. I’ll just stand here and bleed.” He was pretty sure he was speaking to the walls at this point—hard to tell, what with the way his eyes were watering—but apart from wondering if his nose was still intact, he was surprisingly cheerful. He was in the house. He’d survived the first reunion with Carter and Taylor. He hadn’t even been thrown by the probably pregnant thing.
    Maybe he could do this after all.
    “Hey, Ian. You need some ice for where that mean old baby bit you?’
    That was Carter, and the son of a bitch seemed to be laughing as he walked down the stairs.
    “Very funny.” Ian blinked to clear his vision—damn, those little teeth were sharp—and focused on the dog. “Lulu, sit.”
    She did, for about a half second before popping back up to sniff Moxie’s feet.
    “That dog is going to have to learn some manners if you expect her to stay in this house, Ian.”
    God help Lulu if Moxie decided to reform her.
    “Lulu will be fine once she gets the feel of the place.”
    “Well, we’ll give her a little longer.” Moxie gave him a sideways look. “’Course, training a dog is a lot like teaching a baby, and it doesn’t look like you’re earning any gold stars for that right now, either.”
    “Hey,” he began, but Darcy cut him off.
    “Ian is amazing with both Lulu and Cady. They hang on everything he says. He can make Cady stop crying just by walking into the room, and as for Lulu, well, you should see how he’s trained her to follow his instructions when he’s working around the