Page 20 of Between Love and Honor

Ben heaved a sigh at his crazy aunt and her little coconspirators. His four-year-old niece, Brianna, took pity on him. She gently wrapped his hand in both of hers.

“Uncle Ben,” she whispered loudly. “She was only paying us a dollar.”

He couldn’t hold back the indulgent smile the little girl always seemed to innocently coax from him. Ben scooped her up so they were eye-to-eye. She had the caramel skin of her father’s African-American family but the moss-green eyes of Ben’s sister. It was a good thing his brother-in-law was a former military policeman turned sheriff. Rich would likely need all his training to keep the boys at bay in a few years.

“You’re worth much more than that amount, little Bri.” He touched his nose to hers. “And if you’re going to commit a crime, always make sure it’s worth the money.”

“Did we commit a crime?” Bri’s face fell. “Daddy is going to be so mad at us.”

“Here come the water works,” Liam announced to the rest of the diners on the deck.

Aunt Marnie grabbed the boy by the forearm. “Abort the mission, rug rat. Abort!” The two of them scurried around the tables and back toward the kitchen.

True to Liam’s prediction, Bri was crying in earnest, her entire body shaking with sobs.

“Shh.” Ben pulled her in for a hug. “That was a bad choice of words on my part.”

When he glanced over the little girl’s shoulder at Quinn, he was taken aback by the look of astonishment on her face. She seemed transfixed by his interactions with his niece.

“My mother usually watches them at night, but she’s out of town,” he explained. “It’s probably child endangerment to have Aunt Marnie watch after them, but we do what we can for each other.”

“I love Aunt Marnie,” Bri blubbered, soaking his shirt in the process.

“That’s because she’s a big kid herself. That’s her favorite prank, by the way,” he said to Quinn.

“It usually ends with Ben’s date in tears, though,” Adam joked.

A slow smile formed on Quinn’s lips. She reached into her big bag and pulled out a bright yellow piece of paper. In less than a minute, she’d transformed it into a bird.

“Will this make things a little better?” she asked as she slid the origami figure across the table. Ben swallowed roughly at the sweet gesture.

“That’s beautiful,” Josslyn exclaimed.

“A woman of many talents,” Adam added with a cheeky grin.

Bri gulped a sob before shyly glancing side-eyed at Quinn. One look at the bird and the child’s tears ended almost as abruptly as they’d begun. She clamored out of Ben’s arms to carefully wrap her tiny fingers around the origami artwork.

“Look, Uncle Ben, he’s just like the one you have.” She held it up for Ben’s inspection.

Shit. He sucked in a panicked breath. Quinn once made him a similar bird that now occupied a place of honor aboard the Seas the Day. Frantically trying to distract the child before she said more, he waved at the waitress.

“How about some chicken tenders, Bri?”

His niece climbed into Josslyn’s lap, carefully cradling the paper bird in her hands. “I already had mac and cheese for dinner.”

The waitress indicated she’d be a minute. Ben bit back a curse.

“Uncle Ben has a bird just like this on his boat,” Bri told Quinn. “But we’re not supposed to touch it.”

Defeated, Ben slid into his chair.

Josslyn leaned toward Bri conspiratorially. “He won’t let you play with it? That’s not nice of him.” She shot Ben a sly smile.

Ben glared at the waitress, willing her to hurry up. It didn’t work.

“It’s ’cause his bird is special,” Bri explained, her little voice earnest. “He’s keeping it safe for someone important. She lost it and Uncle Ben is looking everywhere for her so he can give it back.”

Quinn’s face was solemn as her glance shifted from Bri to Ben. “That’s very sweet of him.”

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