Diesel, who’d just relaxed enough to take a sip of his coffee, choked and his coffee went spewing. His eyes flew to me, and I smiled as I sat next to him and thumped him on the back to help get his breathing under control.
“Thank you, sir,” he said gruffly, his eyes full of gratitude and maybe just a little bit of shame.
Uncle Beau waved this away. “No thanks necessary. You have no idea how it warms my heart to see Parrish with a baby in his arms again.”
Diesel frowned a little in confusion and looked at me, but I looked away. At some point, I was gonna have to tell Diesel about Payne and the boys. Probably. Maybe. Or not. Honestly, with so many lies floating around, this lie by omission was small potatoes, and I didn’t want Diesel to pity me for all the months my idiot self had been deluded into thinking Payne loved me.
I also very much didn’t want him to see how close I was to letting history repeat itself.
“Alrighty, then, what we need is a plan.” Beau brought his hands down to slap his knees. “Because there’s no way am I gonna sit by and watch you three take your chances when I’ve got the means to make things happen. Isn’t that right, Miss Marigold?”
Marigold, who was sitting on my lap blissfully unaware that adults were deciding her future, slapped her own chubby knees in response, and Diesel and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Would you look at that? She’s taking after her uncle Beau already!” Beau crowed delightedly. “So, what’s the deal with her grandparents?”
“The Kensingtons,” Diesel volunteered. “They took my sister in after our parents died. They live in Nashville now, and they’re big in horse breeding, I guess—”
“Brenda and Hunt Kensington?” Uncle Beau snorted. “Oh, I’m familiar. Your aunt Marnie’s had run-ins with Brenda in the past. You got a lawyer?”
Diesel and I exchanged a glance.
“Sort of,” I said. “Stewie is…” I couldn’t think of a word that meant generally harmless, but completely unmotivated and not quite competent. “He’s Stewie.”
“He’s fine,” Diesel cut in. “He’s qualified. And affordable. Which is exactly what I need.”
“No, sir.” Uncle Beau shook his head. “No, sir, it is not. I’ve been where you are, son. I grew up so poor, if a trip around the world cost a dollar I wouldn’t’ve made it to Virginia. I know what it’s like to have your pride be the only thing you haven’t sold or bartered. But there comes a time when a man realizes he can’t do it alone, and if you can’t trust family to help you out, then you’ve got bigger problems than a lack of money.” He nodded his head once, like this decided things.
Diesel hesitated, but he looked at Marigold, then at me, and said nothing. Beau took this silence for assent.
“So, as I was saying, this Stewie character can watch and learn, because I’m gonna get my attorneys involved. Deadliest buncha sharks Nashville’s got to offer. Only the best for my Parrish’s little girl.”
I shook my head instinctively. “You mean Diesel’s girl.”
Beau lifted an eyebrow. “But Parrish, honey, if you two are getting married, she’ll be yours too, won’t she?”
“Oh.” I swallowed hard. “Well, in a manner of speaking, yes. But—”
“Baby doll, tell your Papa Parrish he’s nuttier’n a squirrel,” Beau instructed Marigold in a singsong voice. “Tell your Papa he’s all sauce and no wings. That’s right,” he approved as she burbled and cooed along with him. To me, he added, “I’m gonna get you in to see Merchant, Greene, and Chandler next week, and they’re gonna send all three partners to meet you if they know what’s good for ’em. We gotta jump on this like grease on a hot skillet, son. No time to mess around. Trust me, I’m gonna get everything locked up right and tight.”
I nodded mutely, but my mind was still stuck on “Papa.”
Good Lord. Good Lord, I wanted that. Almost, but not quite, as much as I wanted to make sure Diesel got Marigold forever.
“Well, I expect you two need to get on with your day.” Beau pushed himself to his feet with the help of his cane. “You can expect to hear from your aunt Marnie about thirty seconds after I remember how to make a phone call on the car speakers. She’s gonna wanna send out a press release to all your cousins, so you’ll probably wanna call your parents, if you haven’t already. Marnie’ll know better’n to try to throw y’all a party, not while there’s all this uncertainty, but she’ll wanna plan the gala to end all galas when the custody verdict comes through.” He slapped Diesel on the arm. “All the wings you can eat, eh?”
Diesel nodded halfheartedly. He looked a trifle nauseous, and I understood why. Beauregard Partridge was a force of nature even when you were used to him like I was.