“We are, baby.”
“But we didn’t buyed a turkey. Can we not afford a turkey?”
Oh, lord. “We’re going to Miz Halley’s this year, baby girl. We’re taking some stuff, but Cam says they bought five turkeys.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh! Granny and Grandpa Halley. Oh, okay. I want to make something.”
He nodded, tickled she wasn’t having a meltdown. “Sure, baby, we can make something together.”
She pursed her lips, her button nose wrinkling. “Bekka says that you’re boyfriends together.”
He blinked at his baby girl, the change of subject so fast it liked to give him whiplash.
He’d been waiting for this conversation, but not with Rachel.
He wasn’t going to be ashamed, though. Why would he be? “Yep. We are boyfriends. How does that make you feel?”
Sometimes he felt weird and fake saying things like that, but he wanted to know. He wanted to know about his babies, about their minds and hearts and souls.
He guessed the easiest way to find out was to ask.
“I like that. I like him. So do Sarah and Bekka. We talked about it. He can stay if he wants to.”
God, to be a fly onthatwall…
“Well, thank you. I appreciate it.” He gave her a smile. “I like him too.”
“Are you going to marry him?”
Married? Christ. He didn’t know. That was a big statement for Campbell Halley, although his oldest sister had sure done it. “I don’t know.”
“If he asked you, would you say yes?”
In a heartbeat. He smiled at Rachel. “Oh, honey, I don’t think we have to worry about that right now. There’s so much to worry about—Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, your sister’s birthday.”
Her eyes lit up. “Are we gonna have a bouncy castle?”
“I don’t think so.” He chuckled softly. “I think she wants to have a slumber party.”
Now Rachel’s eyes went wide, and she blew out a hard breath. “Wow.”
“I know right? It’s nice to see Sister have all these friends.”
She nodded. “I have friends at school and Girl Scouts, and Cam says I can have gymnastics class next year.”
“Did he?” He didn’t know what to say about that. It wasn’t Cam’s place to say what his kids could or couldn’t do, but then maybe itwasnow.
A little bit.
He couldn’t have all the good and not have the bad stuff too. Hell, maybe it wasn’t bad.
Maybe it was just different.
Maybe Mitch protected his place with his girls like Rosie dog with a bone. It might feel good to let go some.
He wasn’t sure yet.
“We’ll see on that, huh? Maybe if Cam isn’t riding as much, and he can take you.”
