“Aiden, this is Annabelle. She’s a senior at Beaucoeur High,” Thea said, and the teenager’s eyes flicked up from her phone in acknowledgment. “And that’s Peter passing judgment on the house. He’ll be along in a second to tell me everything that’s wrong with it.”
“Oh, honey, that’s not fair,” Carly said softly. “He just wants to help. You know insurance is his thing.”
“Health insurance, not home insurance,” Thea grumbled. Her brown eyes found his through the foliage bursting from the terra-cotta pot, and he wondered what the hell family dynamic he’d just walked into.
At that moment, Peter came stalking back into the entryway. “I wish you’d called me to come check this place out before you put any money down. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking it’s the house I’ve always wanted to own.” She spoke evenly and without an ounce of her usual enthusiasm.
“In this neighborhood?” He waved his stubby arms. “With these property taxes?”
For a moment Aiden worried that Thea was going to chuck the plant at ol’ Pete’s head, but Carly stepped up and put a hand on her husband’s back. “You know Thea, hon. She’s always got things figured out. Our little Miss Independent.”
If anything, Thea’s fingers clenched even tighter around the plant pot, but when she spoke, her tone was amiable. “I handled it. Your buddy Gil got me a good homeowner’s policy, and I used Dad’s life insurance money for the down payment.”
She lifted her chin as she said it while everybody else in the hallway stiffened, including Aiden. His fake girlfriend had just tossed Lee Blackwell’s name into the middle of the group as if it were a grenade.
“Oh, sweetie, that’s…” Carly’s voice trailed off.
“Smart,” Peter said decisively before extending his elbow to his wife. “Come on, dear. You’ve got to check out this view.”
The two of them walked away, leaving Thea holding the plant and gritting her teeth.
“I wanna be you when I grow up.”
They both looked at Annabelle in surprise, and Thea laughed weakly. “God, don’t say that.” Then she brightened. “Want to check out the master bedroom? It has the grossest shag carpet you’ve ever seen.”
“Sure.” The girl pocketed her phone and headed down the hall as Thea grilled her about a recent varsity volleyball game, which explained what Annabelle did with all that height.
When Peter and Carly followed them up to the second floor, Aiden melted into the background to give them privacy, although he couldn’t stop himself from calling after them, “Everybody stay off the balcony!”
He wandered into the living room while Thea did the tour guide thing, and when he heard their feet on the stairs heading back down, he joined them in the front hallway, still not sure if he was a friend, a boyfriend, or the contractor in this scenario.
“Sorry, did you say why Aiden’s here?” Carly asked as she buttoned up her coat.
“Oh, um.” Thea tangled her fingers together, clearly feeling the same level of uncertainty he did about what story to tell her family.
Fuck that.Acting on a protective instinct that he didn’t know he had in him, he wrapped his arms around her sternum and hauled her against his chest. Her small frame relaxed against him, and he tightened his arms even more. “Just helping my girlfriend celebrate her first night in her new house.”
Nowthey had Annabelle’s full attention. “You landed the hottest Moo Daddy. Nice.”
“Ha!” Thea’s short, sharp laugh vibrated through her chest, and he dropped a kiss on top of her head, partly to keep up their story and partly to reward her for her bravery tonight.
He looked up to find Peter studying them with amused condescension. “New bet: the plant outlasts the boyfriend.”
Several things happened at once. Annabelle shouted, “God, Dad!” while Carly’s lips pressed together so hard they disappeared and Thea went absolutely rigid in his arms. That last fact was what led Aiden to lose his easygoing smile and let go of Thea so he could step forward to tell the older man exactly where he could stick his fucking bets. He’d gotten into this bargain in part to help out the sad little girl who’d cried silent tears on her swing set the day they buried her father. She deserved kindness, and if he needed to be the one to send that message, so fucking be it.
But Thea grabbed him and tugged him back before addressing Peter in the iciest tone he’d ever heard her use. “Unlike the plant, Aiden can feed and water himself, so I give him good odds for surviving my company.” She squeezed his fingers and glared at her stepdad until he ducked his head and looked away with a muttered, “Of course. Sorry.” Then she lifted her chin at her half sister. “Let’s do a ladies’ night soon, Belly.”
“Cool.” Sincerity warred with teenage boredom, but in the end it sounded like an invitation she’d be accepting.
“I’d love it if you could come too,” she said, pivoting to Carly.
“That would be lovely.” Carly folded her daughter into one more hug. “I’m so happy for you.”
Approximately two seconds into their hug, Peter clapped his hands. “Time to go, Johnsons. Belly has school in the morning.”
He placed a beefy paw on Carly’s shoulder, and she pulled away from Thea to rest her smaller hand on her husband’s before following Annabelle out the door.
