Page 54 of Kidnapping Their Third

“No prob,” Caleb said before moving his gaze between Kimble and Pike. “I’m the oldest of the siblings.”

“And my greatest disappointment,” Daniel grumbled.

“Go flip your burnt burgers, old man,” Caleb said without any heat. “He’s still holding a grudge because I went to law school instead of trade school. Anyway, let me point everyone out. Don’t worry. There won’t be a quiz later.”

Three children ran past them and jumped into the pool as Caleb gave them a crash course on Cora’s family. Pike tried to remember everyone but there were a lot of people. All the siblings except for Cora and Tim were married and most had children.Caleb proudly pointed out his foster kids jumping into the pool along with his biological daughter.

It seemed the Walsh Clan was ready to include anyone whether they were born into the family or not. It made Pike feel better about Daniel’s disapproval. He was simply protective of his large family.

It might take a little time, but the Walsh family would accept him and Kimble as permanent parts of Cora’s life.

No one sat down to eat, everyone held plates in their hands and chatted as they consumed burgers, chips, and sliced up veggies. Unable to resist, Pike grabbed a plate and loaded it down with the veggies. The bear in him couldn’t pass up fresh bite sized cucumbers, carrots, and broccoli. Oh, there were grapes and melon balls too!

Cora got called over to discuss zoning laws and Kimble followed, leaving Pike alone at the table to graze.

Everything was going great until he found himself alone with Trevor, Cooper, and Ted. The three of them boxed him in against a shed, mostly hidden from the rest of the backyard, and Pike prepared himself to take some hits. He’d let them get a few punches in before putting them on their butts, so it would make them less likely to be angry with him later.

Instead of hitting, the three of them leaned in close and started whispering.

“I’m only saying this to be kind,” Cooper started. “But you should break up with her now before Cora gets a chance to stomp all over you.”

Ted nodded his head, eyes wide and sincere. “She doesn’t do long term, and you seem decent. That Kimble dude, not so much, but you have ‘nice guy’ written all over you.”

“You don’t deserve what she’s going to do to you,” Trevor said. “No guy does.”

“Get out before she destroys you,” Cooper added.

“Let me tell you a story,” Ted said and the other brothers nodded their heads as if they knew what he was going to say. “It starts with a meet-cute between a tiny she-demon named Cora and a helpless, romantic guy named Seb.”

“What the fuck is a meet-cute?” Trevor asked Cooper in a whisper. A glare from Ted had them both shutting up.

“As I was saying, this story starts out sweet, but turns dark and ugly fast. So begins the tragic tale of Seb and Cora.”

Chapter 21

Cora

Cora was so busy keeping an eye on Kimble that she didn’t notice Pike’s disappearance at first. He’d been chowing down at the table and now he was nowhere to be seen.

How long had he been missing and who was responsible?

Undaunted by his monosyllabic responses, Darcy, Trevor’s wife, had been trying to converse with Kimble. She was doing most of the talking but then again, she usually did. She was the sweetest chatterbox Cora ever met.

It left Cora free to talk to Janet and Caleb about all their current challenges. Out of all her siblings, she was closest to Caleb, probably because Dad gave him as much shit as he gave Cora because both of them had refused to join the family business. As the first-born, Caleb should’ve been at Dad’s side building the Walsh & Co. empire. Cora was the only electrician in the family that didn’t work for Daniel.

It was a point of pride for both her and Caleb that Dad called them his biggest disappointments. It had cemented their bond as the oldest and youngest siblings. Daniel didn’t like it when things were out of his control, and Cora and Caleb hadn’t been under his control for a very long time.

It meant Dad was just as likely to run off a boyfriend as one of her brothers.

Far more observant than any of the other Walsh males, Caleb noticed her searching gaze. “Looking for Pike?”

“Yeah,” Cora said, searching the surrounding area. “Dad’s talking to Patrice, so I know Pike’s not in danger of being forced into servitude for Walsh & Co.”

“Dad would never talk him into free labor,” Caleb said. “Not at the first meeting, anyway. He’d wait for at least a second or third meeting, then point out what a loser Pike is and how only Daniel can fix him.” Caleb made air quotes around the word loser so Cora knew he didn’t mean it.

“Daniel’s a sweetheart!” Darcy exclaimed, shaking her head at Caleb as if he was being too cynical. It was amazing that she managed to be married to Trevor for over two years and still saw everyone as wonderful.

“Pike is perfect,” Kimble interjected and bared his teeth in a threatening smile. “Anyone will be dead man if they insult Pike.”

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