Emilia’s voice makes me jump a little bit.
I turn around to find her on a bench. “Hello.”
“Don’t hello me. Hand me that cute little bundle and sit down. We need to have a conversation.”
My first impulse is to run. It feels like I’m about to get in trouble. I lift Dash out of the carrier and hand her to him.
She cuddles and coos at him for a few minutes and then turns to me. “I heard you have some boyfriend trouble.”
Um… “Canyon isn’t trouble—”
Emilia lifts a brow and interrupts, “You’ve known that boy for years. He’s a wonderful man, but not your man.”
What? “Why would you say that?”
“First, because you didn’t deny it. Second, you didn’t tell me you love him. Third, you didn’t smile when you said his name. So, what’s with this silly charade?”
How does she know? She can’t—
“Have you even thought about who this might hurt?”
Her sharp gaze pins me to the bench. “Canyon—”
“Don’t even.” She lifts her hand, and Dash grabs a finger with his little fist. “You need to think about the people who are being hurt by whatever—” She waves that hand around, and Dash lets out a giggle. “I’m not a patient woman. You have a very short time to figure this out. I want my great-grandson home where he belongs.”
Great-grandson? Maybe Emilia has lost her mind. “I would never hurt anyone.”
She lifts Dash’s little fist up for a kiss, separates their hands, and reaches to take mine in hers. “I know that. If I believed any of this was malicious, this discussion would be going a whole different way. But I know who you are, so I’m just giving you this warning to fix your life. Now, if I see Max’s fists like that again, you and I will have words.” She hands the baby to me and walks away.
What do Max’s fists have to do with me?
“Did any of that make sense to you, Dash?”
He reaches out and pats my face.
“Me neither.”
Someone’s Going To Die
Fiona
Maybe Max won’t show up today.
Maybe he won’t stare at me with those intense eyes.
Maybe my mind won’t go in circles every time I look at him. And maybe that conversation with Emilia will make some sense.
A gurgle comes from behind me. “What do you think, Dash?”
He kicks his little feet as I turn towards where he’s lying on a blanket. Tummy time is one of his favorite things. That drool-covered smile says it all.
“Oh, is that so?” My heart melts. I sink down onto the floor next to him and start tickling.
Giggles put everything into perspective. “How can I have a bad day with you in my arms?” I lift him up.
Dash loves cuddles the most, and I do too. He’s only been with me for a short time, and I’m already attached.
Today, you will focus on the little man in your arms, not the broody man who will be sitting at one of your tables soon.
