Page 23 of Tortured Tones

“Okay.”

We packed her toys into her bag, then I slung it over my shoulder. Taking Charlotte’s hand, we headed for the door.

Hannah wiped a tear from her cheek. “Oh Cole, that was wonderful.”

I was still shaking all over. Charlotte hadn’t cried or screamed or cringed in the corner screaming bloody murder, so that was a bonus. But I’d wanted to do those things.

I knelt beside Charlotte and pointed to my sister, who’d returned. “Charlotte, this is Auntie Tia. She’s gonna be like a big sister.”

Tia bent down. “Hi Charlotte. Nice to meet you.”

Charlotte tucked in beside my arm and clutched Barney tight under her elbow as if she were shy and unsure of Tia.

“Geez, Tee.” I packed on the sarcasm. “Maybe I’m better with kids than you are.”

“Fuck you.” She sneered at me, then smiled sweetly at Charlotte. “We’ll become best of friends. I guarantee it.”

“Hey!” I shook a finger at Tia. “No swearing around my daughter.” But then I winked at her. I was sure my kid would be the first one in her class at kindergarten who taught others to swear. God. This parenting thing was already daunting. Then I swiveled on my knee toward Ava. “And Charlotte, this is Ava. She’s my bodyguard. She’s like a cop who has to make sure everyone around us is being good.”

Charlotte whispered in my ear, “She’s pretty but looks mean.”

I brushed my fingertip down the length of Charlotte’s cute little nose. “Yeah, so we better not upset her.”

Ava raised a questioning eyebrow, no doubt wondering what Charlotte had said. But then she stepped forward, bent down on one knee, and held out her hand. She smiled a soft, stunning, warm smile, and her eyes sparkled. Fuck! Where did that come from?

“Hi Charlotte. I’m honored to meet you. Are you going to help me look after this guy? He’s so tall, we have to make sure he doesn’t hit his head on doorways”—her eyes sparkled as she scrunched her nose and patted her head—“or trip over his big feet.” She pointed at my Nikes.

Charlotte giggled as she clutched the front of her dress and twisted from side to side. “Yeah. He’s like a giraffe with big shoes.”

“Watch it, kid.” I ruffled the top of Charlotte’s head, then stood, as did Ava. I threw Ava a saucy grin. “You know what big feet mean.”

“I don’t ever want to find out what’s in your pants.”

“That wasn’t an invitation.”

But Ava’s gaze dropped to my crotch, then she raked it upward over my chest and met my eyes. The outer edge of her eyebrow arched upward. “Good.”

Heat rippled across my skin. My pulse jumped a notch. What was wrong with me? Fool.

“Ahem.” Arilla drew her shoulders back. “Excellent work, Cole. You seem to have a connection with Charlotte already. From here on in, it’s up to you and Hannah to follow the plan and get support in place for your tour. Enjoy your first afternoon together, and I pray you’ll have many more. Call me if you have any concerns. Otherwise, I’ll talk to you and Hannah in a month.”

“Thank you.” I shook Arilla’s hand. “Catch up with you soon.”

Charlotte’s arm curled around my leg and she tugged on my jeans. “Ice cream.”

I cradled and rubbed the back of her head. “Okay.” I turned to Hannah and Paul. “You cool to head off?”

“Yes. Charlotte will need a nap.” Hannah smoothed her hands over the front of her cardigan. “She’ll probably fall asleep in the car on the way home.”

“A nap?”

“Yes. I’ll run through her routine with you later.”

“Routine?” I couldn’t do routine. I had no regularity in my days.

“Yes. Meals. Naps. Playtime. Bath. Bedtime. Children need routine.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Oh, Hannah. Whatever routine you had, that’s all about to change. But we’ll find a way to make it work.”

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