I stroked her hair and explained, “Sometimes we have to leave places, but it’s okay because he finds new friends who love him just as much. See? He’s going to be fine.”
Mike shifted a little. “Do you think he’s scared?”
“Maybe a little.” I ran my fingers through his hair too. “But he’s brave, just like you two were today at the park. And he has people who care about him, so he’s never really alone.”
I smiled softly as the movie played on. When it was nearing the end, my phone vibrated on the coffee table. Jenny and Mike were both engrossed in the screen, so I carefully slipped out from between them.
“I’ll be right back,” I whispered, padding into the kitchen.
When I glanced at the screen, a big smile spread across my face because “Big Brother” flashed there. I answered quickly. “Tripp! Hi!”
“Hey, baby sis. How’re you doing?”
I leaned against the counter, grinning. “I’m good. Just watching a movie with the kids I’m nannying for tonight. What about you? Shouldn’t you be doing something super important and top secret instead of calling me?”
“Can’t I check on you?” He chuckled. “How are classes going? Finals coming up soon, right?”
“Yep, and I’m actually on top of things for once. You’d be proud,” I teased. “But enough about me. Catch any bad guys today, Agent Cullen?”
I wasn’t expecting an answer since that wasn’t how it worked when he was on a big case. Not knowing where the most important person in my life was or how much danger he was in was hard, but I didn’t begrudge Tripp the opportunities he’d been given lately. Not after he’d turned so many down to make sure he stayed involved in my life growing up.
He’d been twenty-two to my ten when our parents died, but he had never once made me feel like I was on my own. Our aunt had taken me in, but Tripp was the one who showed up for every milestone. He’d been my rock when everything fell apart, and he still was.
“Same old, same old. You know how it is.”
There was a loud noise in the background as he replied, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Maybe the roar of engines. “Are you at a car show or something? It sounds really loud there.”
Before he could answer, a deep voice spoke near him, the words muffled but the timbre unmistakably masculine and commanding.
Tripp sounded distracted when he murmured, “Listen, I’ve gotta go, baby sis. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
After the call ended, I stood there for a moment, a small furrow forming between my brows. The way he’d cut the call short wasn’t normal for my brother, and I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of assignment he was on. Unfortunately, I’d probably never know. And now wasn’t the right time to wonder since I had two adorable kids waiting for me.
I slipped my phone into my pocket, pushing the unsettled feeling aside for now, completely unaware of how my personal life was about to collide with his professional one.
4
BLITZ
The ride to the beach park with Kylan and Mylo was filled with the usual chaos of having two energetic toddlers in the back seat. Kylan was singing something that vaguely resembled the alphabet but contained at least three dinosaur noises and what sounded suspiciously like a race-car engine. Beside him, Mylo kept interrupting every few seconds to loudly insist that his version was better.
It was complete nonsense, and I chuckled as I glanced in the rearview mirror. “That’s not how the alphabet goes, buddy.”
Kylan immediately pointed an accusing finger at Mylo. “He did it.”
Mylo gasped like he’d just been framed for murder. “Did not!”
“Did too.”
“Did not!”
“Did too.”
“Okay, boys. It doesn’t matter who started it. Let’s just talk about something else.”
Kylan launched into trying his best to explain why dinosaurs absolutely could drive race cars, while Mylo passionatelydisagreed, insisting that trucks were the only logical vehicles for prehistoric creatures. They went back and forth with impressive tenacity, each one determined to out-talk the other, as though the fate of the world hinged on the outcome of their debate.
