Page 50 of A Package Deal

Em rushed down the porch stairs the second I pulled my truck into the driveway. I could hear Pip and Savannah banging away on the house to a raucous German techno song, but Em’s angry expression held my attention.

“Ah, here we go again,” I muttered to myself, climbing out of the truck.

Em stopped toe to toe with me. Her hands went straight to her hips. “Did you say the lawyers think we have a solid case?”

My head hung for a moment. Fuck. I was wondering when she was going to remember that part of the conversation I had with Anton yesterday. I lifted my head and stood straighter. By her own terms, I hadn’t stomped all over our agreement, so I wouldn’t act like it.

“I called in a lawyer. It’s being taken care of. They’ll schedule a court date and he’ll represent you, but he’s very certain there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of Cayden getting any kind of custody of Georgia.”

Em stared at me, the frown not breaking even for a second. Then she nodded. “Okay.”

I leaned down to read her expression, a little stunned she wasn’t trying to hand me my ass right now and not trusting the peaceful reply. “Okay?”

She nodded again, expression softening. “Yeah. More than okay. Thank you for handling it.”

I put my hands on her arms, wanting to hold her but knowing she was probably itching to get back to work. “You’re welcome.” I couldn’t help an impish grin. “Shit, we almost sound like mature adults in a normal relationship.”

Her returning grin made me feel hopeful. Like maybe we could find some common ground after all. Maybe I wouldn’t overstep and maybe she’d let me handle some of the stress that weighed on her shoulders. Maybe none of this had to be temporary.

“I do have a confession though.”

Em’s shoulders sagged. “What now?”

“I tried milking Bitchy Bessie again this morning and she almost took out my kneecap.”

Em sputtered out a laugh. “Just let Pip do it or you’ll end up on crutches.”

“Yeah, but Pip’s only here a little bit longer. I gotta learn how to do it myself.”

Em put her hands on my chest. “Then I’ll help you. Or your mom will be back. Don’t injure yourself.”

I put my hands over hers and squeezed. “Are you worried about me, Slaywright?”

She rolled her eyes, but our attention was drawn to a large gray truck pulling into the driveway. Em snatched her hands away and faced the truck.

“And that would be Anton.”

The truck came to a stop and a tall man with light brown hair and a lean, muscular build hopped out. He wore work boots and jeans, pretty similar to Em’s work outfit.

“Emmerleigh Jane, you have some explaining to do!” he said immediately.

“Jane?” I mused out loud. Em backhanded my chest and went to hug her brother. With such an interesting name like Emmerleigh Slaywright, I was expecting more than Jane for a middle name.

The two hugged and Anton kept his arm around Em as he turned to me. He held out his hand and we shook, both of us with strong grips.

“Anton, this is Warrick Wolfe. Warrick, this is my brother Anton Slaywright.”

“You forgot the part about him being your husband.” Anton looked down at Em, whose cheeks went pink.

“Uh, I hear Pip calling me. Have to get back to work if we’re going to finish on time. You two have fun.” And then she slipped out from under Anton’s arm and rushed into the house.

We watched her go and then eyed each other wearily. I gestured to his T-shirt and the logo on it.

“That from Bark Barbecue in Nashville?” I recognized the logo. The restaurant was a fun place that allowed dogs in the extensive outdoor seating area. And the food was top-notch.

“Yeah. Attended a bachelor party there last year. Great spot. You been there?”

I nodded. “I opened it ten years ago. Sold it last year to Hank.”

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