Dan returned home to find me sitting in the girls’ closet. He squatted while Lyric and Ramen cuddled up with me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as his dark eyes searched my face for the answer.
“I don’t know. I’m afraid.”
“Did he do something?”
“Do you think he’s okay?” I asked, panicking. “What if someone tries to hurt him? Or he gets locked up again?”
Dan blinked rapidly. His expression changed a few times before he scowled deeply.
“Do you want him to come here so you can see he’s okay?”
The pressure on my chest lifted slightly, and I nodded. “I’m worried he’s hurt.”
“Why?”
“People get hurt,” I said and stroked Lyric’s head as she hugged me. “People go away.”
Dan’s expression froze in that overly worried frown he had too often with me. I knew he viewed me as weak and in need of saving. I got pushed around by our stepfathers’ families and then by Chris. In Dan’s eyes, I was as much of a child as Lyric or Skylar. He seemed to trust Dillon’s opinion more than mine.
“I’ll text Boone to come over.”
“He’s not retired,” Lyric explained to her uncle and rested her head on my thigh. “He knows how to make the boogeyman go away.”
“He’s perfect,” I mumbled.
Dan’s irritated expression made me look down and hide behind my hair. Lyric stared up at me. She was such a beautiful child. I wanted her to have everything, but the world would tear away parts of her until I wasn’t sure what would remain.
That thought turned my sniffles into sobs as my panic came crashing down on me.
BOONE
Goldie showed up early at my condo with coffee. My sister only woke up before ten when she had an appointment or something was bothering her. I figured it was the latter. She sat on the couch and studied me while I blew on my coffee.
“What happens now?” Goldie asked. “Do you move those little girls into your place and hope they can’t hear you plowing their mom in your loft bedroom?”
“I do wish I had gotten one of the units with a closed bedroom. Plowing Nova would definitely be quieter that way.”
Goldie grinned. “If you knock her up, you’ll know she’ll raise the kid well. It’ll be cute, too. I get why you want this, but I’m not sure what happens next.”
“I don’t know. Nova and I plan to hang out tonight. Her brother and Lula will be around. It’ll be chill, I guess.”
“So you’re just dating then? I only ask because it seems like everyone is jumping right into living together and getting married.”
“Well, that was only a few of our friends. Most people date for a while before they commit. Longer still before they move in together or discuss marriage.”
“Is that how you see this thing with Nova playing out?”
“Oh, no,” I said and chuckled. “I’ll be looking for a better place to live soon. The girls won’t like living in this condo.”
“We grew up in the townhomes.”
“Yeah, but we had the backyard and the pool. Plus, we could hang out at different units in the complex. Can you imagine the girls feeling that way in this building?”
“No, especially not with Jokers in this place.”
“Exactly, so I won’t be living here much longer.”
