Page 2 of Havoc's Fox

“Yep,” Havoc said, heading toward the door.

They watched as he walked over to the side of the building, and realized that he planned to just drop her to the ground.

Analise quickly turned Harley toward Bailey. “So, what did you ask Santa for this year?” Analise asked.

“I want a baby doll, and a bicycle, and I want some new shit-kickers like my daddy has, and I want a new BB Gun, and I want one of those doll heads that you can put makeup on…” she stopped talking when she realized that both Bailey and Analise were laughing.

“What’s funny?” Harley asked.

Analise shook her head as she tried to get her laughter under control, Bailey did the same as she slapped her hand over her mouth to try to stop her own.

“Does your daddy know you call boots that?” Bailey finally asked.

“It means the black ones that you wear when you ride your motorcycle,” Harley said. “You know what ones I mean, don’t you?”

Analise nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I sure do. But I don’t think you should be calling them that. You’re too little, and too pretty to be calling them that.”

“Why? Daddy calls them that.”

“What does Aunt Maia call them?” Analise asked.

Harley sighed. “She says that young ladies don’t talk like that, and I’m a young lady.”

“I think Aunt Maia’s right,” Analise said.

Harley canted her head a bit and fluttered her eyes at Analise and Bailey. “But it made you laugh,” she singsonged.

“Oh, dear God, that’s Havoc right there,” Bailey said.

“Flashbacks for sure,” Analise agreed.

Havoc pushed the front door open and stepped inside. “Alright. All set. She’ll be out for a little while. I think she might have hit her head again.”

“You think?” Bailey asked.

Havoc grinned.

“Here you go,” Analise said, as she leaned Harley back toward Havoc.

“Thanks, ‘Lise.”

Analise looked up sharply at his use of her nickname. “It’s Analise.”

Havoc hesitated for only a second, then gave her a single nod. “Analise.”

“Hey, how do you know my Aunt Maia?” Harley asked, realizing that Analise had used Maia’s name and nobody had told her about Aunt Maia.

“Do you remember me telling you all about where I grew up and all our family and my friends? Well, Analise is one of those friends.”

“You are?!” Harley asked animatedly. “Then that means we can be friends!”

“It sure does,” Analise said, with not quite as much excitement. She smiled at Harley who was clapping her hands excitedly as she grinned at her daddy, before she forced herself to pull her attention from Havoc and his far too cute daughter to deal with the situation at hand. “Can I help you clean up this mess?”

“Course, not. Customers don’t clean up spills. Besides, I got this. You have a family gathering to get to.”

“I’m guessing you do, too,” Analise said.

“Yeah, but mine’s just a five-minute drive. Yours is more like twenty.”

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