Page 47 of Renewal After Dark

“So I shouldn’t feed it to baby Violet?”

“No!”

They hugged Quinn and shook hands with Mallory and Lizzie, telling them it was nice to meet Mallory and to see Lizzie again.

“Meet your cousin, boys,” Jared said. “Violet, this is Henry and Elias.”

Quinn bent at the waist to give the boys a better view of the baby as Kendall caught up to them.

“She’s wicked small,” Elias declared, seeming disappointed that his new cousin wouldn’t be able to play with him. Not yet, anyway.

“She won’t be for long,” Jared said.

“Thanks for the help with the suitcases, boys,” Kendall said, sounding exasperated as she rolled two suitcases in each hand.

“Whoops,” Henry said, grinning.

Kendall hugged her brothers and sisters-in-law. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person, Mallory.”

“You, too.”

“We were all relieved that someone finally took Quinn off our hands.”

While Quinn sputtered with outrage, everyone else laughed. “You’re not allowed to think any of my siblings are funny, Mallory.”

“Whoops, sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I like her,” Kendall said. “I think we’ll be best friends.”

“Oh God.” Quinn moaned as he gathered Kendall’s luggage to roll it toward Jared’s SUV. “That’s just what I need.”

“My little brothers would try the patience of a saint, so you ladies must be saints.”

“How long do we have the pleasure of your company?” Jared asked with a fake smile that made Kendall laugh.

“I’m not sure yet. Things are up in the air at the moment.”

“You’re welcome for as long as you want to stay,” Jared said, all kidding aside. “David and Daisy moved out of the apartment over the garage, so that’s all yours. We thought it would be better to put you there, so you don’t have to listen to a screaming baby all night long.”

Kendall reached out a hand to her baby niece. “I’m sure she doesn’t scream all night, do you, princess?”

“Sometimes it’s all night,” Lizzie said, smiling.

Kendall and her kids had been through a lot with her husband and their father’s addiction battle. If they needed a fresh start, Gansett Island was a great place to be.

“We can’t wait to get to know Violet, right, boys?” Kendall said.

“Yes!” Henry gave a fist bump. “We love cousins.”

Jared had a lot of questions, such as what her plan was for the boys and school, but he’d never seen Kendall look so fragile. Though she was her usual wisecracking self, she had deep dark circles under her hazel eyes and a pinched, stressed set to her mouth. If his sister and nephews needed a reset, that’s exactly what they’d get on Gansett Island.

After seven straight nights together,Piper still couldn’t believe she was waking up naked in bed with Jack Downing.

The brush of his hairy arm over her stomach gave her goose bumps.

He was the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on, and he seemed positively smitten with her—and she was smitten right back. Ever since the night she’d gone after him and realized he was upset because he’d forgotten his late wife’s birthday, they’d been all in with each other. She’d never enjoyed anything more than being all in with him.

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