They hugged.
And didn’t let go.
He heard Georgie whisper, “Dad’sgonnatake you in.”
“I know, butbluh, hewatches so much football and Michelle fusses.”
“She wants us to like her.”
“She’s been around two decades, we like her already, geez.”
“Just be cool.”
“Yoube cool.”
“I’m always cool.”
“Annoying.”
Fortunately, this sister shit didn’t go on a lot longer, andafter Carolyn apologized again for the day before, and interrupting them thatmorning, Georgiana got her out the door.
And as Dutch watched this, he thanked fuck he had twobrothers.
When Georgiana shut the door on her sister and turned tohim, he asked, “You all right?”
She took one skipping-running step to him, another, then shebody-slammed him and curved her arms around.
He did the same with his arms around her.
“She’sgonnabe okay,” she said,smiling brightly up at him.
“Yeah,” he murmured, taking that in, feeling it filling hischest, knowing that was all he needed to get through this day.
Hell, probably the next week.
“It’sgonnasuck for her huge,though, because Dad is the consummate NFL junkie and Michelletotallyfusses.”
“You’re gorgeous, you know,” he decreed.
She blinked, her chin jerking back, before she asked,“What?”
“You’re gorgeous.Beautiful.Great face.Great hair.Greatbody.Perfect skin.You know that, don’t you?”
She melted into him and said, “I feel I must inform you,Dutch Black, that although you have a body carved by God himself, so beautifulit makes me salivate, my down-with-the-patriarchy days, which, mind you, arenot over, include me beingnotdown with the patriarchy-ledgazillion-dollar diet and workout industry.Which I will allow, some of themactually strive toward offering humans an avenue to a healthy lifestyle.Butespecially with the diet industry, it feeds on insecurity and the media’sutterly impossible-to-achieve version of beauty, making fat white cats bigbucks.So since I was about twelve, I considered my curves a badge of honor.”
“Good.”
“Though, it’s sweet of you to say.”
“Pointing out, God carved your body too.”
Another blink and chin jerk and then a smile and a soft,“Yeah.”
“Do you need coffee?”
“I’m only about to die without it.”
Shit.
