“You do realize it’s going to have to come down when I paint the room blue?” she asks, a little out of breath from our work.
I groan. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes—”
The sound of the doorbell cuts me off.
“Who could that be? It’s too early for L.J. They said they were leaving around eleven and would be home by lunch.” She heads for the front door and I follow.
Amber peeks through the side narrow window and lets out a shriek of excitement, unlocking the deadbolt and yanking the door open.
“Baby!” She kneels down and pulls a brown-haired boy into her arms.
He hugs her back but very quickly begins squirming to escape her hold.
“I think you’d better let him go,” a muscular dark-haired man with a scruff of beard says from behind him.
I know immediately from photos I’ve seen this is L.J.’s father’s twin. His Uncle Landon.
Amber releases her hold, but her gaze never leaves her son. “You’d better believe I expect more hugs later.”
“Mooom!” He groans her name. “I have to go to the bathroom!” he says and takes off at a run.
I chuckle, drawing the other man’s attention to me.
“Who are you?”
“Landon, don’t be rude!” Amber holds up a hand against his chest. “Landon Bennett, this is Shane Warden. Shane, this is L.J.’s uncle,” Amber says, eyeing the man warily.
I extend my hand, and Landon takes it, shaking hard.
Okay, I get it. The man is protective of Amber and L.J. Well, he damn well better learn he comes second to me now. “Nice to meet you.”
“It’s early for you to be here,” Landon says pointedly.
“And you’re ridiculous! I’m a grown woman. You have no say in what I do. Although in this case I better warn you, you’re going to be seeing a lot of Shane, so I’d appreciate it if you got to know him and didn’t just act like an ass on first meeting.”
“Mom! Five bucks in the swear jar,” L.J. says, rejoining us.
She sighs. “I unpacked it, and it’s in the kitchen. You can watch me add money later.” She ruffles his hair. “I swear you grew a couple of inches. We need to set up a measuring wall here.”
Landon grins. “He’s certainly eaten enough to have a growth spurt. Which reminds me, we stopped for breakfast on the road.”
Clearly the reprimand has been forgotten. I don’t need Amber fighting my battles for me. I can win L.J.’s uncles over on my own, but I appreciate her coming to my defense.
“Why did you leave so early?” she asks.
“Your boy couldn’t wait to see you.” Landon chuckles.
“L.J., why don’t you take your suitcase into your room?” She gestures to the bag with wheels that Landon placed inside the door.
“Okay.” He pulls the luggage along, and as we watch him go, she meets my gaze with a knowing grin.
“Cool! Mom, you got me the Fathead!”
She laughs. “I’m going to talk to him for a few minutes. Can you behave while I’m gone?” she asks Landon, who is still eyeing me warily.
“Go ahead, we’ll be fine,” I assure her. I want a word with the other man.
I wait until Amber disappears, deliberately not watching her sexy ass, before I turn to Landon. “I get it,” I say before the otherman can speak. “You’re protective. You’re worried. You don’t know me, don’t trust me, and you don’t live nearby.”
