Taking another step backward, then another, I glanced to where I thought Gram would be.
Then two things happened at once.
The man stepped into the kitchen, and a gunshot rang out.
Chapter 13
Sebastian
Istood inthe living room staring at the front door for far too long. Harper had taken off with Nova and Rumi, and Myla had disappeared after she’d firebombed my relationship. I was finally knocked out of my stupor when a little hand grabbed mine.
“Whatcha doing, Uncle Bas?” Titus’s little girl, Diana, asked.
“Hey, pumpkin,” I greeted, lifting her into my arms. “Did you have fun tonight?”
“I can’t wait until it’s my birthday,” she replied with a little pout.
“I bet Ariel will let you share her new toys if you ask nicely.”
“It’s not the same.” Her little bottom lip poked out, and I had a hard time keeping a straight face.
“Yeah, I know.” I rubbed her back. “What do you want for your birthday?”
“A race car.”
“A race car?”
“Yeah.”
“Like an RC?” I asked as Noel called for her from upstairs.
Turning, I moved to the stairs to carry her up.
“No, I wanna drive it,” Diana clarified. “Real fast.”
I couldn’t wait to tell Titus.
“That sounds like a good present,” I told Diana. “Anything else you want?”
“Barbies.”
“What kind of Barbies?”
“The one with the puppy.”
I had no idea what Barbie came with a puppy, so I just nodded.
“There you are,” Noel said, poking her head out of the bathroom door. “It’s bathtime, honey. Tell Uncle Bas good night.”
Diana’s arms tightened around my neck. “You’re gonna come back tomorrow, right?” she asked, her nose about a centimeter from mine.
“Maybe not tomorrow, but definitely this week.”
“He’s going to come have dinner with us,” Noel said as I sat Diana on her feet. “Won’t that be fun?”
“I guess,” Diana grumbled as she slowly walked toward her mom.
“Escape while you can,” Noel teased as soon as Diana had disappeared into the bathroom. “Thanks for coming.”
