forge. He keeps her perfectly safe with nothing more than a word. Believe me, once Lulu has a chance to run off the trip, he’ll have her behaving perfectly.”
Her smile was meant to soften her words, he knew, but his mouth wasn’t the only one left hanging slightly open at the way she’d rushed to his defense. It was almost enough to make him hope she lost to Moxie when it came time to confess and find another place to stay.
Almost.
But as unexpectedly comforting as it was to have Darcy running interference between him and everyone else, she was right. They couldn’t share a room. He couldn’t even think about sharing the big king bed that he knew was in Hank’s suite. That thought made him even dizzier than he’d felt when Cady’s teeth had sunk into his nose.
“Now,” Darcy continued, bright and sunny as always despite the child crying in her arms, “if someone could direct me to the kitchen, I think we’ll all be safer from Hannibal Lecter here if I get some food into her.”
“It’s this way,” said Taylor, pointing down the hall. “Do you need any of these bags?”
“The pink diaper bag, please. Ian, are you and Carter okay with everything else?”
Wait a minute. Darcy had had her claws pointed in Carter’s direction since last night’s confession. And now she was suggesting that they do this together, just the two of them? His arms tensed. Sure, things were easier than he’d expected, but that didn’t mean he was ready to be alone with Carter. Maybe Darcy had meant...
But no. This would have to happen sooner or later. If he moved back and took the job, he would have to work with Carter regularly. Might as well start off the way he intended to go, as the saying went.
“We’re fine,” he said at last. “You go ahead and take care of the Bug. I’ve got this covered.”
He grabbed Darcy’s bag. Carter hefted the crib.
“Correction. We’ve got this covered.”
Oh, crap.
With a last glance at Darcy—who seemed far too willing to be swept into the kitchen on a wave of estrogen—he whistled for the dog.
“Upstairs, Lulu,” he said to the panting bundle of fur. She immediately trotted ahead of him.
“Whoa. Darcy wasn’t lying. She really does listen to you.”
“You don’t have to sound quite so amazed.” Ian kept the words light but refrained from adding the dumbass that he would have tacked on without thought in the old days. Not yet.
“Still can’t believe Moxie unbent enough to put you both in here,” Carter said as he set down the crib at the entrance to the room.
“Yeah, well, you never can predict what people are going to do, can you?”
He’d meant it to be innocent. Truly. But the way Carter grimaced was proof that he hadn’t interpreted the words that way.
“Ian,” he said, his gaze fixed on the patch of sunlight streaming through the stained glass window on the landing. “I-it’s good to have you back. It’s been killing Mom, having you gone, especially the way things, you know, shook out. Dad doesn’t say much. Sometimes, though, I know he’s thinking... Anyway, I know it had to be hard for you to come back, and I just want to say, you know, if you need us to stay away, or lay low, whatever, say the word. Whatever we can do to make this easier for you.”
Well, that wasn’t a speech Ian had expected to hear. And even though he knew he should do the big and generous thing and assure Carter that all was well, he found he wasn’t quite ready to say those words. Maybe because it was too early in his trip. Maybe because hearing Darcy rush to his defense had felt so good that he wanted to see if it would happen a few more times before he did the Mr. Forgiving thing.
“Thanks,” he said after a second. “I’m okay. You don’t need to do anything different because I’m around.”
“If that changes—”
“Right. I’ll let you know.”
Carter’s grin was more like his usual one. “’Course, I have a feeling that if I step out of line,
Her smile was meant to soften her words, he knew, but his mouth wasn’t the only one left hanging slightly open at the way she’d rushed to his defense. It was almost enough to make him hope she lost to Moxie when it came time to confess and find another place to stay.
Almost.
But as unexpectedly comforting as it was to have Darcy running interference between him and everyone else, she was right. They couldn’t share a room. He couldn’t even think about sharing the big king bed that he knew was in Hank’s suite. That thought made him even dizzier than he’d felt when Cady’s teeth had sunk into his nose.
“Now,” Darcy continued, bright and sunny as always despite the child crying in her arms, “if someone could direct me to the kitchen, I think we’ll all be safer from Hannibal Lecter here if I get some food into her.”
“It’s this way,” said Taylor, pointing down the hall. “Do you need any of these bags?”
“The pink diaper bag, please. Ian, are you and Carter okay with everything else?”
Wait a minute. Darcy had had her claws pointed in Carter’s direction since last night’s confession. And now she was suggesting that they do this together, just the two of them? His arms tensed. Sure, things were easier than he’d expected, but that didn’t mean he was ready to be alone with Carter. Maybe Darcy had meant...
But no. This would have to happen sooner or later. If he moved back and took the job, he would have to work with Carter regularly. Might as well start off the way he intended to go, as the saying went.
“We’re fine,” he said at last. “You go ahead and take care of the Bug. I’ve got this covered.”
He grabbed Darcy’s bag. Carter hefted the crib.
“Correction. We’ve got this covered.”
Oh, crap.
With a last glance at Darcy—who seemed far too willing to be swept into the kitchen on a wave of estrogen—he whistled for the dog.
“Upstairs, Lulu,” he said to the panting bundle of fur. She immediately trotted ahead of him.
“Whoa. Darcy wasn’t lying. She really does listen to you.”
“You don’t have to sound quite so amazed.” Ian kept the words light but refrained from adding the dumbass that he would have tacked on without thought in the old days. Not yet.
“Still can’t believe Moxie unbent enough to put you both in here,” Carter said as he set down the crib at the entrance to the room.
“Yeah, well, you never can predict what people are going to do, can you?”
He’d meant it to be innocent. Truly. But the way Carter grimaced was proof that he hadn’t interpreted the words that way.
“Ian,” he said, his gaze fixed on the patch of sunlight streaming through the stained glass window on the landing. “I-it’s good to have you back. It’s been killing Mom, having you gone, especially the way things, you know, shook out. Dad doesn’t say much. Sometimes, though, I know he’s thinking... Anyway, I know it had to be hard for you to come back, and I just want to say, you know, if you need us to stay away, or lay low, whatever, say the word. Whatever we can do to make this easier for you.”
Well, that wasn’t a speech Ian had expected to hear. And even though he knew he should do the big and generous thing and assure Carter that all was well, he found he wasn’t quite ready to say those words. Maybe because it was too early in his trip. Maybe because hearing Darcy rush to his defense had felt so good that he wanted to see if it would happen a few more times before he did the Mr. Forgiving thing.
“Thanks,” he said after a second. “I’m okay. You don’t need to do anything different because I’m around.”
“If that changes—”
“Right. I’ll let you know.”
Carter’s grin was more like his usual one. “’Course, I have a feeling that if I step out of line,
Similar Books
