Page 64 of Claim Me

“I’ll call him Star Child and her Glad Tidings.”

Caveman scowled hard at me. “If you’re making fun of my naming choices, so be it. But I gave them names they could spell.”

“Do the teachers call them those names?”

“Yep.”

“Good Lord.”

“Yep,” he said, likely chuckling at how I’d talked myself into considering adding two children to my family.

“What if their parents want them back?”

“We’ll tell them the same thing I’d tell them if they wanted to take the kids from me. Basically, they can visit Vanilla and Chef on weekends, but the kids will remain where they’re safe.”

“What if their parents go the legal route?”

Caveman smirked. “Well, then, Vanilla and Chef will become orphans and you can adopt them.”

“I don’t want you killing their parents.”

“Don’t boss me around, niece,” Caveman sneered before instantly bossing me around. “And name this one,” he said and pointed at my stomach, “Lorcan. It’s a good Irish name, and it’ll remind Indigo of his mom.”

“Quit poking at me, bitch,” I snarled, but he only smiled at my rage.

“Gotta do better than that if you want me to shake in my sizable boots. I had Dot screaming at me yesterday.”

“Whatever. Just let me figure out my shit, okay?”

“Sure, but I’m not sending those kids back to their shitty parents. Vanilla and Chef have potential. I’ll kill whoever gets in the way of me giving them a second shot.”

Though my uncle’s view of the world tended to cut down on bullshit, I refused to agree to take the siblings full time yet.

I’m still uncertain where I stand on the issue when we arrive at Thibeaux Mansion. Vanilla wears a blue sweater and black jeans. He looks spiffy next to Indigo wearing all black as we walk toward the backyard.

Chef is wearing a sweatsuit with a matching top and pants. I picked a green one for her since it’s her favorite color. Deirdre wears a red version while Kiera is in pink. I figured they’d be easier to pick out of the crowd if they matched.

“You’ll be out here,” I tell the four of them. “I will be inside with the grownups.”

“I want to go with you,” Deirdre says immediately.

“You’re not shy, baby. Look at the fun stuff to do.”

Gripping her sister’s hand, Deirdre insists, “I’m scared.”

“I’ll make sure no one bothers you,” Vanilla says.

Deirdre looks at Kiera who shrugs. Drama over, the four of them walk together toward the play area with their assigned babysitters.

“I can stay out here and watch them,” Indigo suggests.

“No, you should go inside and entertain Bear. He’s likely surrounded by Kovak men and strangers.”

Indigo and I nod at my words, yet we don’t go inside. I finally walk over to one of the babysitters to request she send me updates every twenty minutes. Even after she agrees, I don’t want to leave.

“Don’t be clingy,” Carys says after arriving and sending her boys Hicks and Hudson with their assigned babysitter. “Let’s go inside and pamper Natasha.”

“Are you leaving Ripley with a sitter?” I ask.

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