Running Wild (Wild 3)

But before I can even set down my cutlery, Tyler is on his feet, his palm resting on my shoulder to keep me in place. “I’ve got it. I’ll get you one, too. Can I grab anyone else anything?”

My dad waves his drained bottle in the air.

With a quick stroke of his thumb against my collarbone, Tyler collects the empties from the table and heads for the fridge.

I track his sleek, easy movements the entire way.

“Take notes, Jim,” Vicki murmurs under her breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

I snort, and the simple act helps alleviate some of my anger. Tyler’s lingering touch is also working its magic, a pleasant warmth that’s spreading through my chest and down into my lower belly. He may have meant it as an innocent move, for reassurance, for comfort. But to me, it’s also a promise of how good his hands would feel all over my body.

Liz’s gaze narrows as she cuts off the rest of Nicole’s meat for her. She knows her husband’s a lazy sack, but she always acts offended when anyone else points it out. “So, Vicki, are you actually going to finish your school hours this time?”

Vicki takes a deep breath, but I can almost hear her teeth grinding. “I’ve already spoken to my instructors about coming back.”

“Good. Because you won’t have time once the baby’s born. You think Molly is hard? Just wait until you have two.” Her laugh drips with a patronizing tone, her words a careless dismissal of our youngest sister’s struggles.

Vicki smiles sweetly. “But just imagine how hard it’ll be with three.”

I would be ecstatic with one, I acknowledge silently as Tyler returns with the beers and takes his seat next to me again, his thigh bumping against mine when he shifts in. “What are you going to school for, Vicki?” If the undercurrent of tension flowing through our dining room bothers him, he doesn’t let on.

“Hair design. I want to run my own place at home, in a garage or a back room. Somewhere I can take clients at my own pace while being able to raise my kids.”

I nudge Tyler’s side with my elbow. “I was thinking Vicki should come out to your place and cut Reed’s hair.”

He chuckles. “If she can pin him down long enough.”

“You know”—Jim taps the air with his fork, his attention on my dad—“you could convert that cabin into a salon for Vicki, and she can work out of there.”

The cabin. But … “I live in that cabin.” I stare at Jim with disbelief.

“Well, yeah, but how much longer are you gonna do that for?” He shrugs, as if he’s not suggesting evicting me from my home for the past decade. To my father, he says, “Vicki can pay you rent. That way you have two business income streams on the property.”

Jim’s always looking for ways to save or make money.

“I live there,” I repeat, the edge of my fork digging into my thumb as I squeeze it.

“Realistically, it’s the only way Vicki’ll ever be able to afford her own place on the kind of money those two make.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Liz announces.

“Of course, you do.”

She purses her lips. “Vicki has kids to think about. Remember? That’s why you convinced her to move back in here?”

She’s still angry about that.

I brace myself. When Liz is angry, she gets mean.

“Dad already gave you the clinic. Just because you’re the oldest doesn’t mean you can claim everything on this property.”

“Nobody’s claimed anything!” Dad sets his fork and knife on the table, his voice rising a notch. “What is going on under this roof? Can we not just have a normal dinner anymore?” He glares at Jim, who stirred the pot. Again.

Tyler’s hand slips under the table to give my thigh a gentle rub. “Hey, girls, why don’t you two show me that game you were playing in the living room before dinner.”

Nicole and Tillie scramble out of their seats and run toward the doorway before their mother can check their plates and hold them back.

Tyler is up quickly after them, aiming for the high chair. “Why don’t I take this one off your hands, too? She looks finished.”

“Oh, I don’t know if she’ll go with you …” Mom’s voice fades as Tyler deftly unbuckles the belt keeping Molly in place and hoists her out with two strong hands around her waist, as if he’s done this a thousand times before.

He lifts her little body high in the air above him before tucking her against his side. “Molly and me will be just fine, won’t we?”

The dimpled smile he treats her to seems to disarm any wariness she might have over the stranger. Her puree-covered hand reaches for his nose to test it with a gurgle of interest, earning his laughter.