I grabbed her hand and pulled her into me. “Baby, what’s the worst that can happen? He sees us happy and the kids doing well? Come on, what bad shit will he uncover? I may have mobsters in the family, but I’m not one. All I do is look after Imogen, see you and the kids, and work.”
“That’s not the point,” she shot back. “It’s the fucking nerve of him. Evan’s the one who fucked me over, but he acts like he’s the one who got the raw deal. It boils my piss.”
I slid my hands onto her shoulders. “He can’t hurt us, Posy.”
She gazed up at me, her eyes wounded. “I just want the asshole to leave us alone, honey. Finally, I’m happy. Everything’s going great with the kids and us, but I’m terrified he’ll do something to ruin it.”
I lowered my forehead until it rested on hers. “We’ll be okay, baby. We just gotta ride it out. Let’s get our asses over to Cash and Cara’s cookout and speak to Atlas; see if Colt’s checked in with any info yet?”
Her shoulders slumped defeatedly.
“Call me honey again,” I ordered softly.
Her eyes lifted to mine.
“I liked it,” I murmured. “I’ve looked into a lot of eyes, Ro, and a lot of them belonged to other women, but yours are the only ones who ever made me warm inside. Then you go and call me honey, and my heart settles. Never experienced anything like it.”
“Donovan,” she whispered, then her eyes glinted and she added, “Honey.”
I grinned. “We’re gonna be cool. He won’t win. I won’t let him, okay?”
“Okay.” Her fingers squeezed mine, and she blurted, “Tell me, how do you do that?”
My forehead furrowed. “Do what?”
“Stop me from freaking the hell out. One minute I feel like I’m about to melt down, then you go and say something sweet, and I forget about it.”
“It’s what we do, baby,” I reminded her. “You’ve got my back, and I’ve got yours.” My hand went to her throat, and I gently cuffed it, making sure my fingers rested on her fluttering pulse. “Thank you for being my best friend. It’s a questionable life choice, but I’m happy you took the leap.”
“Don’t do that,” she murmured. “I’m not your dad. I see everything you are and everything you’re striving to be, and it’s beautiful.”
Fuck me if heat didn’t hit the back of my throat.
Rosie smiled. “We’d better go. The kids are sitting in sweltering heat, and I need an Immie hug.”
My arm slid across her shoulders, and we made for my truck. “Don’t stress about your ex-asshole. It’s under control. I’ll speak to Kennedy today and get some advice, but I’m certain all this cloak-and-dagger shit won’t make him look good in the family court.”
“What do we tell the kids?” she asked. “It’s not something I want to bother them with, but they’ve got to be aware of their surroundings, especially if some asshole’s out there taking photographs of them. I wouldn’t put it past Evan to try to catch DJ and Gabby up to no good, just to make me look like a bad mom who hasn’t got a handle on their behavior.”
“All we can be is honest, Posy. They’re not babies.”
“They’re not,” she agreed. “I’ll do it tonight after the cookout.”
“We’lldo it after the cookout,” I corrected. “United front and all that.”
She glanced up at me and sighed wistfully. “God, I need to suck your cock, and soon.”
Jesus help me.
My dick thickened at the mere mention of a little mouth action. It had been a while. “Yeah, baby. I agree.”
“We need to set a date and time for that,” she told me. “I’m thinking you’ve more than worked for it by now. It’s time, honey. I lie in bed some nights thinking how much better it would be if you were in it.”
“I could ask Ma to have Imogen overnight this weekend,” I suggested.
Rosie waggled her eyebrows. “And I’ll see if Kennedy and Breaker will take DJ and Gabby for a sleepover.”
“Game fucking on.” I grinned.
