Must Be Wright (The Wrights 3)

“I don’t know about that. I’m not a constant in any world but my own.” He looked at Belle and shook his head. “Francie knew my parents were leaving on a cruise for three weeks. And she knew I was only in town for Belle’s birthday. Belle could have ended up in foster care.”

Gypsy huffed a laugh and gave him a tired smile. “You may have a crazy lifestyle, but everyone knows you’re a good guy deep down. If she really did leave town, it sounds like she planned it well, leaving when she knew Belle was surrounded by her family. Your parents would cancel their cruise if they knew, wouldn’t they?”

“In a heartbeat,” he said. “They already offered.”

“And here you are, doing what you have to do to take care of her. Maybe your mom’s right and she’ll be back tomorrow or the day after. It falls within the window of your visit. Maybe she saw this as a way to get a couple of days to herself. I’m not saying it’s right or okay, but I do understand the crushing responsibility of single parenthood.”

Gypsy sighed and gingerly pulled her arm from around Belle’s shoulders.

When his niece didn’t wake, Wyatt gave Gypsy’s knee a squeeze. “Why don’t you stay here with Belle? I’ll take your spot at the bar.”

“Thanks, but that would only encourage people to stay. If you leave, customers will leave, and I may be able to close a little early. Besides, you need to get Belle home.”

Wyatt felt the stress of the day on his shoulders like a heavy blanket, so he didn’t argue. He slid his hands under Bell’s arms and pulled her toward him. Belle didn’t even stir. She melted against him like a rag doll, head on his shoulder, arms hanging down.

“You and me both, Belle,” Gypsy said with a smile. “You and me both.”

Gypsy untied the apron and let it slide from Bell’s waist, then followed Wyatt through the bar and into the parking lot. When he reached his truck, Wyatt realized his keys were in his pocket, and he couldn’t get them while holding Belle.

“Hey, sugar.” He gave Gypsy the kind of smile that usually made women drop their panties. “Can you get the keys from my pocket?”

She planted one hand at her hip and scowled. “Does that really work?”

“Every time.”

Gypsy sputtered a disgust

ed sound and crossed her arms.

“Actually, I’m serious. They’re in my right pocket. I can’t get them.”

“You are a royal pain in my ass, Jackson.” Gypsy stepped close and slid her hand into his pocket.

Her soft floral scent drifted to him on the warmth of her body heat, and Wyatt was instantly high. “Little lower,” he murmured, mere inches away from her ear. “Ah, yeah, that’s it. Little to the left.”

She dragged his keys from his pocket and planted her fist in his side, pulling an umph from him, followed by a laugh. She tapped the fob, and the door locks clicked. Pulling open the door, she leaned in and looked in the back, before turning to him with a frown. “No car seat?”

“Car seat? She’s five.” He leaned into the truck, trying to figure out how to set her down without waking her. “Her mother vanished without telling anyone. If her daughter’s feelings didn’t come to mind, I doubt a car seat was very high on her list.”

Gypsy pulled on his arm. “You can’t put her in the front seat unless you disable the passenger-side airbag. Airbags can kill kids.”

He gave her a blank stare. “Well, shit.”

Everything he didn’t know about children rushed at him, and the sliver of panic he’d smothered by performing floated to the surface again. What in the hell was he going to do with a five-year-old girl? He could barely keep track of himself. In fact, he had a hired village to take care of him. How could anyone expect him to take care of a child?

Gypsy reached past Wyatt and pulled the lever to angle the passenger seat forward. “At least strap her into the backseat. Any kid sixty pounds or under needs a car seat. And they need to stay in the back.”

“Who knew there were so many details in keeping a kid alive?” To lighten the moment and keep himself from having a panic attack, he transferred the strap of his guitar to Belle’s shoulder. “There. Sixty pounds.”

Gypsy smirked. “Hardly. If her mom doesn’t come back tomorrow, the first thing you need to do is pick up a car seat.”

“Don’t talk like that, sugar. I’m already one beat away from a heart attack.”

He eased Belle into the backseat, then traded the guitar strap for the seat belt and stood back. As if seeing Belle for the first time, he marveled at her innocence, just an angel depending on Wyatt to keep her safe and happy. He’d never imagined how much weight that could create on a person’s shoulders.

He eased the front passenger’s seat back until it clicked into place, then closed the door quietly and peered through the window to make sure Belle hadn’t woken. When she remained asleep, Wyatt let out a long exhale and faced Gypsy again.

His distress must have shown on his face, because she reached out and gave his arm a squeeze. “You can do this. You and Belle are both going to be fine.”