“When did you become a glass half full kind of guy?” Lane had a lot of great qualities but seeing the positive in the world around him had never been one of them.
His expression turned somber. “I don’t know. Maybe when I came home expecting to find the worst and stumbled into the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Her stomach muscles quivered. He meant Parker, not her. She had to remember that. Because if she didn’t, she was in for a world of pain.
Not wantingto keep Celine out in the public eye for longer than necessary, Lane picked up a quick lunch before returning to the house. He’d send Duke out for groceries after they ate. With the takeout in hand, he quickened his steps to the front door, throwing it wide and allowing Celine to enter before stepping inside. His heart rate accelerated at the thought of spending time with Parker. How was it possible that his entire perspective of life had changed so drastically in such a short time?
Fear still lingered about becoming his father, but that’d be a fight he’d meet head on every day.
Suzy’s laugh trilled from the living room, and he followed the sound with Celine right behind him.
Parker laid on a blanket on the floor. He kicked his legs and pumped his fists as if he was in the middle of a rave.
Duke and Suzy sat cross legged with their gazes and matching grins locked on the baby. A certain energy crackled in the air, making Lane uneasy. Something was brewing between his sister and Duke, and it didn’t sit well with him. Especially with the mystery of what had brought Duke to Hillmore still unsolved.
“Hey little man,” Celine cooed and rushed to the center of the room and dropped to her knees by the blanket. She leaned forward pressed kisses to his cheeks.
Suzy beamed up at him. “Welcome home, Dad.”
The name continued to melt his heart into a giant puddle of mush. “I brought food. You guys hungry?”
Standing, Duke held out a hand for Suzy then pulled her to her feet. “Starving.”
“Is that pizza?” Suzy asked.
“Yep, plus a salad and cheesy bread. I hoped after we ate one of you two would run to the store and pick up some staples,” Lane said. “I didn’t want to keep Celine out longer than necessary.”
Suzy furrowed her brow. “It’s none of my business, but you guys are starting to scare me. First with Celine staying here and now you don’t want her to go to the store? I don’t want to be nosy, but is something happening I should know about?”
Celine glanced over her shoulder. “I’m going to feed Parker before I grab a slice of pizza. You can fill her in.”
He waited for Celine and Parker to leave the room before addressing his sister. “Let’s take this into the kitchen,” Lane said. “I’ll tell you everything while we set out lunch.” He didn’t wait for a response but headed for the other room. Th scent of pepperoni and garlic made his stomach growl despite the turmoil stirring in his system.
Suzy gathered plates while Duke opened the cartons of food and popped the top of the pizza box.
“Learn anything?” Duke asked as he slid a slice onto his plate.
“Nothing concrete, but Kevin Koffman’s looking more and more suspicious.”
“Celine’s ex-husband?” Suzy’s mouth dropped. “Seriously, what the hell is going on?”
A dull pain pulsed at Lane’s temples. He pressed the tips of his fingers to the tender spots and rubbed. “You better sit for this.”
He filled Suzy in on everything that had transpired from the time he saw Celine and Parker at the restaurant until the talk with Kevin’s boss. He ignored his sister’s sharp intakes of breath and widened eyes as he glossed over the details Celine might want kept under wraps. By the time he was done, he’d eaten two slices of pizza and the throbbing in his head had quieted.
Suzy sat back in her chair at the kitchen table and shook her head. “I can’t believe this. I mean, finding out you’re a dad is big enough deal. Add in all of Celine’s troubles and my head’s spinning.”
“Tell me about it,” he said.
“I hate what Celine’s going through, but the rest of its pretty good news.” A slow smile spread on Suzy’s mouth, her blue eyes glancing quickly over at Duke who leaned against the counter with his own lunch before focusing back on Lane. “I’ve always wanted you to move home to Hillmore. I’m glad you’ll be back, and ecstatic about that little baby. You’ll be the best dad.”
Her confidence brought tears to his eyes. He blinked them back before they could fall. “I hope so. We didn’t have the best role model in that department.”
She shrugged. “Instead of looking at it like you didn’t have anyone to show you what to do, you were given an instruction manual about what not to do.”
“I like that.”
“Besides, we had Grandpa. He taught us as much as he could while he was here. You’ve always tried to live your life like him. Heck, that’s one of the reasons you wanted to ride those darn bulls. But rodeo hopping aside, if you give Parker the love and support Gramps gave us, he’ll be the luckiest little boy alive.”
