Shit. “Millie,” I say, not sure what else I’m going to say.
She spins on her heel and hurries out of sight.
“Shit, Cash,” I say. “I’m sorry. I’ll make up a story about why I was saying that and—”
“Leave it. It’s better for both of us if she thinks I hate her. She should avoid me.”
“Cash,” I say. “Would it really be so bad if you let her know how you feel?”
“Fuck no. There’s no good that’ll come of it. You know how my relationships go.”
“Passionless arrangements that service both your needs until she decides she wants something more and moves on to someone else.”
He purses his lips. “Not how I’d put it, but yes. I don’t like messy, and there’s no way dating our awesome assistant won’t get messy.”
“It could be amazing,” I say. “You two could fall in love and get married and—”
“See my wife at work every day? No, thank you. That’s a recipe for divorce.”
“Fine. I’ll let Millie believe you hate her. We need to get Harper to bed. See you tomorrow for the Galahad job?”
“I’ll be there,” he says, looking more miserable than I’ve seen him maybe ever.
In the dining room, everyone’s involved in their own conversations, and I nod to Amelia to let her know I’ve got the dessert. I don’t need my brothers hassling me about leaving early on family dinner night. They’ll let Amelia and Harper go. They’ll just give me shit because they live for it.
I spin back into the kitchen, grab the dessert, and hurry out the back door to meet Amelia at my truck. We strap Harper intothe car seat I bought two weeks after Amelia and I got back together and shut our doors quietly as we get in.
I hand the dessert to Amelia, and she holds it on her lap while I make the short drive to her place. More and more, it’s starting to feel like my place. I don’t spend much time at Levi’s house anymore. Levi’s almost never there himself, and I don’t think it’ll be long before he announces he’s going to sell his house and move in with Gentry.
I need to get my living situation in order before that happens, but my new house needs a ton of work.
“I’ll get Harper,” I whisper to Amelia as soon as I’ve parked in her driveway and shut off the engine.
Amelia smiles at me sweetly as she gets out of the truck, and my heart flips like it does every time I remember how lucky I am to get to love her.
Harper doesn’t wake up when I pull her from her car seat. She’ll be five this summer, and she’s gotten taller just in the couple of months I’ve known her. Right now, she’s deadweight in my arms.
Luckily, I lift heavy things all day long. She’s feather-light compared to a panel of drywall.
She lets out an adorable little snort as she settles in my arms, and I bite back laughter.
Amelia holds the front door open for me and follows me to Harper’s room. Marmalade is curled up in a nest near the ceiling, but I’m not going to risk waking Harper to get him out of here.
Harper snuggles into her pillow and lets out a little sigh as I lay her down in her bed. Amelia pulls off her shoes, but we leave her in her clothes. They’re soft and comfy and fine to sleep in.
I cover her with her pink princess comforter, and we each kiss her soft forehead before we creep out of her room.
“Want pie?” Amelia asks.
I grab her waist and pull her against me. “I’m good. You?”
She shakes her head. “I’m not in the mood for pie.”
I grin down at her. I’m so in love with this woman and feeling so damn lucky. “What are you in the mood for?”
She wiggles free of my arms and pulls her shirt over her head, tossing it down the hall behind her. “Something that involves a lot fewer clothes.”
She shrieks when I throw her over my shoulder, and we both freeze, listening for sounds that’ll indicate we just woke up Harper.
