Until Talon (Until Him 4)

“Really?” Mia asks, raising a brow. “I hope you don’t have plans after dinner, because I’ll need your help. Three kids and FroYo is a process.”

“I’ll be there to help,” I assure her.

“You look like you’ve got this handled,” Uncle Cash states, gaining my attention. I meet his gaze as he stands, not really understanding the look in his eyes. All I know is it makes my chest feel warm. “See you at the house tomorrow.”

“See you then.” I touch my fist to his then feel a hand on my shoulder and tip my head back to peer at Uncle Asher. He doesn’t say a word, but the look he gives me only makes that warm feeling in my chest expand. Then it grows warmer still when I lift my chin to Uncle Trevor and Bax before they walk away. Fuck, I have good men in my life.

“Done!” Ruby shouts around a mouthful right before she starts to cough. I laugh while I pat her back then hand over her drink. Once she chews and swallows, she grins at me. “Thanks.”

“It’s not a race.” Mia shakes her head, picking up her burger and taking a bite.

“But I want ice cream.”

“Sweetheart, we all have to eat before we get dessert,” I tell her, and she sighs.

With a smile, I pick up my burger and take a bite. Even cold, it’s still good.

“Are you guys okay?” Cece asks, and she must surprise even Mia with her presence, judging by the way she jumps. When I look at her, I can tell she’s been crying but has taken time to fix her makeup, which is a good thing, because her girls are already on edge.

“We’re going to get ice cream!” Ruby tells her mom.

“You are?” Cece looks at Mia.

“Talon bribed the girls so they would eat,” Mia admits.

Cece looks at me, and her eyes soften. “That sounds like fun.” She smooths her hand over the crown of Ruby’s head before leaning down and kissing her hair. “I gotta work, but I’ll see you girls in the morning for breakfast.” She walks around the table to Kate and Lola, giving them each a kiss.

“See you when you get home,” Mia states, the warning clear in her tone. The two of them hold a silent conversation as they stare at each other before Cece glances around the table, ordering softly to her girls that they be good, before she disappears.

After the girls finish eating, I follow Mia to one of the frozen yogurt places in town, and we eat outside. The mood is light, even with the events of tonight fresh on the girls’ minds. When we finish our ice cream, I leave Mia at the door to her car with a promise from her to call me after she gets the girls tucked into bed, and I kiss her cheek.

I get in my truck and start the engine, my brother’s words from earlier tonight ringing in my ears. I’m not looking forward to whatever drama is about to unfold, but I know without a doubt that I’d deal with anything if at the end I have Mia at my side.

CHAPTER 7

Mia

WITH A TIRED sigh, I close the door to Lola and Kate’s room. Getting them to bed tonight was a little harder than it’s been, and the call they had with their dad didn’t seem to help things. I didn’t listen to their conversation, because I was getting Ruby to sleep, but by the time I got to their room to tuck them in, both girls had questions about their parents’ marriage that made me uncomfortable. I’m not sure what their father told them, but I could tell by their questions that it had something to do with their parents divorcing and the house they grew up in.

I grab my cell from my room where I had it charging and take it with me downstairs, where I plan on waiting for Cece to get home. It’s obvious to me that something has happened and she has once again left me in the dark. I don’t want to be mad at her, but I am so over her not being honest until it’s too late. When I reach the kitchen, I go to the fridge and grab a Diet Coke then take a seat at the island. I crack it open and take a sip then tap the screen of my phone, finding a text from Talon waiting for me. I don’t read it; instead, I dial his number and put my phone to my ear.

“Hey,” he answers on the first ring.

“Hey.”

“Did you get the girls to bed?” he asks quietly, and I soak in the way just the sound of his voice makes me feel.

“I did.”

“That bad, huh?” he prompts, and I wonder how he knows. “What time does your sister get off?”