Slanting her head, she stared at me for a second and then said, “Don’t forget to wear something pretty. If you do, maybe he will marry you.”
An absurd burst of laughter flew from my mouth.
I glanced at my daughter who stood back, watching all of this and tried to gauge her expression. Amusement played at the tips of a small smile; I was sure due to her cousin’s antics. And with it, something maybe like a blip of hope hung in the balance too.
Knowing she liked Huntley and almost wishing he was part of the family seemed to be two extremely different things when you were talking about Breland. She came from a dark place like me and even the thought of putting that much trust in a man seemed absurd.
Yet I’d been doing it.
And I didn’t want to stop.
Maybe it was time to have a big talk with my kids.
Because no matter what, they came first.
With that comment hanging in the air, Stormi turned and ran back to Bre. Grabbing my daughter’s hand, she pulled her from the room, leaving Lake and I alone.
“Spill, sis,” she said, wasting no time.
I thought about the night before and the kiss. My cheeks heated and my body quivered slightly. And of course my sister didn’t miss the reaction to my thoughts at all.
“Oh, this might be better than I thought from the look on your face,” she chanted.
“Hey, looks like we are…” Bronson stopped abruptly, looking from his wife to me. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Yup,” Lake told her husband, popping the P for emphasis. “I was just about to get some dirt on her and Huntley’s sleepover last night.”
First my brother-in-law looked at his wife, flashing her a look of amusement. He and the other guys knew exactly what a bunch of big gossips the ladies in their lives could be. Then his face turned serious when he set his gaze on mine.
“He better have behaved. I’d hate to have to kick my friend's ass.”
I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. I’d been the one to crawl on his lap even if it was only for comfort. But I’d also been the one to ask for a kiss. Thinking about Huntley’s lips touching mine had a tingle shooting through me and my body physically did a little shudder.
Bronson’s eyes narrowed and that only made me laugh harder.
“He was the perfect gentleman,” I told him.
My brother-in-law pointed at me and then at his wife. “Something’s going on here you girls are not telling me.”
Lake raised her hands in surrender. “All I got so far, and it came from your daughter, was that our sister has a date with the hunky fireman next weekend.”
“What’s this about a hunky fireman?” Lyric asked as he and Gyth walked into the kitchen.
With all three men in the space, it suddenly felt a whole lot smaller.
Normally, I would be hyperventilating in seconds, but the panic never came. Maybe because I knew these men and also quite possibly because they were funny as hell sometimes. Their banter was a good distraction.
Bronson shot Lyric a glare. “Don’t get them started, my wife is already in trouble for saying another man is a hunk.”
Gyth walked over and smacked Bronson on the back. “Don’t sweat it, man. It’s clear to see that the hunky fireman only has eyes for one woman.” The big guy shot me a smile, instantly causing me to blush.
Then he winked at me. “And from the way her cheeks just turned that pretty shade of pink, I’d say she only has eyes for our guy Huntley too.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Now that I’d let my guard down a little with these men who were slowly becoming friends, I could admit they were a good-looking group of guys. But nobody held a candle to Huntley in my mind.
And I hadn’t even seen him naked.
