Page 105 of Rent Free

I grinned. “You’ll have to thank my dad for giving me that particular gene.” I turned to the men and offered my hand.

They all took it.

The woman attached to Tarrant’s arm introduced herself as Ida. The one on Everest’s was Wendy.

“Coke Solomon,” the older gentleman offered me his name.

I shook his hand and dropped it. “I hate to say this, but I realize you’re related by your last name, but I can’t say she’s said a single word about you.”

Coke chuckled, obviously unoffended. “Cousins, technically.”

“Ahh,” I said. “Got it.”

His eyes moved from my face to Forest’s.

“You know, I have a father-in-law,” he mused, returning his gaze back to me.

I tilted my head curiously. “I would have assumed since you are married.”

His lips twitched. “If you ever get the chance to talk to him, I think that you’d find you have a whole lot in common with him.”

“Oh, yeah?” I asked.

My girl interrupted then, tired of the evasiveness.

“Cora, Coke’s wife, is the first-born child of Gabe Maldonado. He lives here, too,” Pepper said. “He’s a great guy. Wonderful father to his children. However, there was a time when he didn’t know he had a child either.”

I jolted. “What?”

“And he found out he had a kid a whole lot like you did,” Coke finished.

My stomach twisted for this man.

There were some terrible people in this world.

“They were at court, deciding who would get custody of Cora, when Gabe’s woman found out that Cora was left in the car. It was a nightmare.”

I closed my eyes, then reopened them to focus on the man. “Is she okay now?”

“She’s more than,” he assured me. “Had a great childhood after they got rid of the cesspool that was her mother. She’s… perfect.”

I looked at my own perfect girl, and watched her kiss my son on the head, then place her cheek on top of his, as if she was happy that my son wouldn’t be going through that anymore, either.

As if she could feel me looking, she looked up and smiled.

“Are you hungry? We can go back inside,” Pepper offered.

I patted my belly. “I might or might not have hoarded a few pastries from this morning. I’m full.”

“Jealous,” Tarrant grumbled, tightening his hold on his wife. “She could’ve brought us some.”

“I didn’t know I was coming before I gave them all to him,” Pepper pointed out.

“Great excuse,” Tarrant teased. “So who is going to be housing you tonight?”

“I’ll stay at Everest’s,” she answered. “There’s more room in the spare bedroom for Forest.”

It warmed my heart that she was thinking of my boy.

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