I continue nodding. “Are you gonna steal your mom’s car to go get it?”
“No, I was hopingyouwould give me a ride.”
“You want me to be an accomplice to Puppygate?” I shake my head. “I don’t think I can do that, baby bird. Your mama would be mad at me, and I do my best to keep the women in my life happy.”
“I’ma woman in your life,” she says, so perfectly calmly, you’d think we were negotiating the price of a used car. “And it would make me happy to help me get my puppy. Her name is Tabitha.”
Jesus, she’s too smart for her own good.
“You’ve already named her?”
“Of course. She’s a rottweiler.”
I blink down at her. “Baby, you know those dogs arehuge, right? There’s no hiding that from anyone.”
“She’ll be quiet.”
I chuckle and kiss the top of her head. “I love you.”
“Is that a yes?”
“That’s a heck no.”
“Aw, come on! I bet Uncle Blake would do it.”
“Then you should go charm Uncle Blake.”
She narrows her pretty eyes at me, then hops off my lap and goes in search of a different uncle she can manipulate. Bridger said he was throwing a couple of steaks on the grill the other day, but it turned into a full family dinner, and I’m not complaining.
I love my family.
“She try to get you to help her with the dog?” Bridger asks as he sits next to me.
“Oh, so it’snotthe secret she thinks it is.”
“She’s already tried with Dad and Beckett.” He shakes his head, and I snort out a laugh.
“Here I thought I was special. Are you going to get her the puppy?”
My brother’s eyes sober, and he looks over at his wife, who’s rocking the baby back and forth while she chats with the other girls. “No. Dani’s finally okay with the cat that adopted us. I don’t think I could get her comfortable with a dog. Especially not the big one that Birdie wants.”
I fucking hate the asshole father of Dani and her siblings that abused them to the point where they’re afraid of common household pets. He deserved a far worse death than what he got.
“I think Mom and Dad might get a mid-sized dog this winter, and they’ll call it Birdie’s dog. That might pacify her.” Bridger takes a drink of his water. “How are you?”
“Never better.”
His eyes narrow. “We don’t lie to each other around here.”
Shaking my head, I push my empty plate away and sit back in the chair, watching my brother across the table.
“I’m fine.”
“Oh my God, I forgot to tell you,” Billie says, catching my attention, although she’s not talking to me. She’s with Dani, Skyla, and Harper. “Jules is coming to book club on Friday! I finally talked her into it.”
I feel my jaw tighten and Bridger’s eyes on me.
“Still fine?” he asks.
