“I know that look,” Atlas said, his head tilting to one side as he studied me. “What the fuck’s goin’ on in that mind of yours?”
“You’re right, Dan. Evan will fight dirty because that’s all he knows, except he can’t get anything on us because there’snothing to get. On the other hand, a leopard doesn’t change its spots, and if I know my ex, he plays in the mud regularly.”
“Want me to call Colt?” He grinned
“Yeah, because if Evanisup to his old tricks like I suspect he is, he’s gonna go down, and this time, it’ll be onmyterms.”
CHAPTER 14
DONOVAN
Smiling down at Imogen, I hitched her securely onto my hip. “You okay, baby girl?” I crooned.
She looked up at me with big eyes and babbled, “Nana.”
“Nanna’s gone to pick Uncle Callum and Aunt Maeve up from the airport,” I told her.
“Caca. Vava,” she replied.
“No, baby,” I corrected gently. “You mean Dada. Say, Dada... Dada.”
“Nana,” she repeated, then finished her sentence off with, “Rara.”
I suspected my daughter was on a mission to yank my chain until I lost my goddamned mind because she attempted to say everybody’s name except her old man’s.
Nana was, of course, Nanna. Rara was Rosie. Caca and Vava were Callum and Maeve. Tata and Shasha were Tadhg and Ash, even DJ and Gabby got a Gaga and a Jaja.
Dada didn’t get shit unless Imogen was filling her diaper.
“Imogen,” a deep voice called over. “Say Karma.”
She swiveled her little neck like a baby owl toward the guy, clapped her hands, and screeched, “Kaka.”
“Good girl,” he praised, shooting me a cocky grin. “See. She loves her uncle Karma.”
My lip curled at him, then I bent down and whispered, “Please, baby. Say Dada for me. Dada. Dada.”
She swiveled her head back toward me, gave me a bright, big-eyed, toothy smile, and gleefully shouted, “Nana!”
“Fuck!” I muttered.
“Faka! Faka!” she squealed, clapping her hands together.
I winced.
Oops.
Karma busted out a laugh.
I sighed, my gaze holding Imogen’s all too knowing devil-may-care expression. “Are you ever gonna say Dada?”
She giggled, placing her hands on my cheeks, her blue eyes—just like mine—staring into a place inside that was filled with joy just because she was in my arms, “Lavva.”
I smiled smugly, because who the fuck cared about a Dada when I got a lavva? I kissed the top of her downy little head and murmured, “Love you, too,bábóg.”
The top of her skull hit her nook between my neck and my chin, and she sighed contentedly.
Karma’s eyes softened, and his mouth tipped up. “You’re a good dad.”
