“No, Twevo!” Etta yelled, but she was laughing so hard that she could barely catch her breath.
I let her move away from me and watched as she realized that she could no longer see her mom where she’d left her before. Her eyes grew wide as she searched the pool, then slammed shut when she squealed as Morgan popped up next to her.
We took turns following Etta around the pool for over an hour, letting her wear herself out as she tried to swim away from us over and over. Morgan and I weren’t even breathing heavily, but by the time we decided to get out of the pool, Etta was completely worn out. She didn’t even fuss when Morgan told her it was time to go.
“Twevo,” Etta called out as she approached the steps and clumsily reached for me. “Up.”
I glanced at Morgan, who seemed unconcerned, then lifted Etta into my arms. She was so light it was kind of unbelievable. Like I’d told Morgan, I had a lot of nieces and nephews, but Etta was built far smaller than any of them, and it was really noticeable once I held her. I smiled as Etta’s eyes met mine. It was kind of amazing how someone so light could also feel so incredibly heavy. Jesus, I missed my brother.
Etta dropped her head to my shoulder as I carried her toward the chairs where we’d left our stuff, and instinctively I raised my hand to rub her back softly. The girl was a character, there was no doubt about that. She was sassy and demanding and a little bit spoiled, but, God, was she sweet.
I unclipped the floaty and pulled it off of her as Morgan followed us from the pool. The floaty thing was dripping wet and heavy, and I wasn’t sure where to put it.
“Just drop it on the floor,” Morgan said, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself. “I brought a garbage bag to put it in until we get home.”
I nodded, then let Morgan wrap a towel around Etta and tuck it in between us.
“I’d just leave her in the swimsuit until we got home, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to pass out in the car,” Morgan said, looking around the room. “Do you know where the bathrooms are?”
“You can change her in my room if you want.” I met her eyes as her brows rose in surprise.
Shit. Inviting her to my room was weird, wasn’t it? She barely knew me. I held back a grimace as I waited for her answer.
Chapter 6
Morgan
Being with Trevor was easy. I hadn’t expected that.
While I’d already realized that he was a nice guy, I hadn’t yet figured out that he was going to be someone I felt comfortable with right off the bat. It was true, though. The longer we hung out, the more comfortable I felt, and it wasn’t even because of any specific thing he did. He was just—there. Quick with a comeback, funny, easygoing.
I followed him and Etta up to his hotel room while she sleepily mumbled nonsense against his shoulder, and I knew that I wasn’t making the smartest decision of my life. I mean, sure, I wasn’t getting any weird vibes from him, but he was still someone I’d just met. Knowing each other as kids wasn’t really an endorsement. I’d once known a guy during my childhood; we’d played together because our dads were friends, and I would have considered him someone I “knew” relatively well—until I’d heard that he’d been arrested for drugging and raping a girl.
People were funny that way. You never really knew them until they were comfortable enough to show their true colors. Sometimes if you were lucky someone opened up right off the bat; other times you never saw the real person beyond the façade.
My sister is going to lose her mind, I thought as I followed Trevor into his room. It gave me enough pause that I discreetly pressed the slide lock between the door and the frame so that it didn’t close all the way and there was an inch of hallway visible through the gap. Trevor glanced over his shoulder at me and clearly noticed what I’d done but just gave a little smile, like it didn’t bother him in the least.
“Down,” Etta demanded, lifting her head. As soon as her feet hit the floor she was off exploring the room.
I pulled out a diaper and some clothes as she opened drawers and checked out the mini fridge under the counter, fascinated.
“I’m gonna change in the bathroom,” Trevor said, lifting a duffel off the counter. “Give you ladies some privacy. Just knock when it’s safe to come out.”
“Thanks,” I said as he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Vaguely, I wondered how long he’d stay in there if I didn’t knock. The bed I’d dropped our bag onto seemed way softer than the one I had at home, and it was looking pretty inviting after our long day.