Page 115 of Driven Daddy

“Hey!”

I whipped around at the whisper shout.

“You hurting for cash, man? Need some stuff to resell so now you’re lurking around other people’s storage sheds?”

When I recognized Travis coming out of the dark foliage, I relaxed. “Ha, funny. Why are you back here?”

“I asked you first.”

I cleared my throat, feeling stupid with my flamingo in tow now that I was caught. “I know the property owner.”

“Oh, do you now?” He scratched his chin. “Hmm.”

“No ‘hmm.’ No story here. You had like half a dozen flamingos with witch hats. I didn’t think you’d miss one. I’ll pay you back.”

He waved me off. “You can keep it for her. I assume it’s a her?”

Things were good with me and Rita, but I knew things could turn on a dime. I wasn’t sure I was ready to share everything with my not-so-chill family. She’d done pretty well with my parents, but that was a bit different than getting pulled into four other couples’ lives.

He shifted his feet. “Look, your life is your business.”

“Thank you. I just said same to your…Bridget.”

Hell, I wasn’t sure what they were to one another just yet. Bridget seemed cautiously optimistic from the way she’d reacted to him the past few times I’d been around them.

“Why? What did she say to you?”

I shrugged.

“Are you keeping secrets for her now?”

What the hell?“No, I tried to be a friend to her. Something I suspect she sorely needs. She loves you, you idiot.”

At his dumb smile, I relaxed a little. Guess my brother was on the same wavelength.

“I want to marry her and possibly have a half dozen more kids with her, if she’s on board. Do you have any thoughts on that you’d like to share? Maybe you’d like to warn me away and suggest I get my head examined?”

“Who said that to you?” Honestly puzzled, I staked the flamingo next to me. Had he picked up something from my brothers?

“No one yet. But just thinking ahead. I know everyone worries. And I get that.” He raked his fingers through his hair restlessly. My brother always had a hard time keeping still. “I’d worry too if I was on the outside looking in. But she makes me so fucking happy, man.”

Surprised, I jammed my hands in my pockets. Bridget had been proven to be a runner. I didn’t know the specifics of it, but she wasn’t exactly known for sticking around the last few years. “Even with the risk you have to take?”

“Loving someone is the only risk worth taking.”

I rocked back on my heels. “When did you get so wise?”

“Oh, I’m just faking it. Trying to keep up with my super smart kid.” He glanced over his shoulder, then lowered his voice a touch. “Who’s scaring the hell out of me by inferring things about sex she shouldn’t know yet. She’s not even eleven yet, man.”

I winced and shoved a hand through my hair before retying it back with the band on my wrist. “Not my department, dude.”

“Yeah, I know. How old were we, man? We couldn’t have known much at her age, right?”

I smirked. “Males are born knowing about sex.”

“That is true, kinda. But kids her age know so damn much, it’s boggling. Freaking social media is a gateway drug to all knowledge.”

“Yet you want more of them?” I hunched and looked over my shoulder, hoping no one heard me. The baby gods were very generous in this damn town.

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