Page 127 of Trouble Comes in Threes

He hung up without saying goodbye, and I wondered if I was on the verge of alienating him. I’d never challenged him like this before, but I refused to be a pushover.

Despite where we stood—or maybe because of it—I took a photo of Harvey’s paper and texted it to him.

It had been at least ten minutes since we’d gotten home, and Neely Kate still hadn’t shown up despite her lengthy head start. Worry kept winding more tightly around me. What if something happened to her, Liam, and Daisy? I decided to call her and relieve my anxiety.

Neely Kate answered, sounding breathless. “We’re on our way! We had a few mishaps that delayed us, but we’re about five minutes from the farmhouse.”

“What kind of mishaps?” Was she trying to ease me into something big?

“Liam woke up and had a huge blowout in his diaper. He soaked the car seat cover and, of course, his clothes. So I gave him a bath and tossed the car seat cover into the washer. He’s wearing the change of clothes you had in the car.”

“Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry!”

“No worries. Witt helped. In fact, he’s coming over too. Jed insisted.”

“Have you heard whether Jed’s found anything yet?”

“No, but I know he planned on talking to Noah’s family and coworkers.”

Dermot had already done that, but then again, Dermot may have gotten his information from Jed. “I have some new information, but I’ll tell you when you get here.”

“Have you been investigating without me?” she asked, sounding irritated.

“It kind of fell into my lap.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll tell you all about it when you get here,” I repeated.

Several minutes later, Neely Kate pulled my car into our driveway, with Witt’s pickup truck following behind her.

While they parked, I got up and started down the steps to get Liam. But by the time I got down there, Witt was already out and at the back door of my Suburban.

“Uncle Witt!” my kids cried out, running for him, then hugged his legs.

“You’re gonna knock me and your baby brother down,” he said through his laughter. “I’ll play with you, but let me get Liam out first.”

They let go of his legs but only backed up a few feet.

The kids all loved “Uncle” Witt. They called him uncle despite the fact he was Neely Kate’s cousin. Daisy called him Uncle Witt too. Witt reveled in his role. He still hadn’t found someone to settle down with, but once he did, I knew he was going to make an amazing husband and father.

He got Liam out of his seat, saying something to make him laugh, then set my giggling son down on the ground. “Okay. What are we playing today?”

“Soccer!” Mikey shouted. “I’m on a real team, Uncle Witt!”

“So I heard,” Witt said good-naturedly. “I heard you scored some goals too. You must have learned those mad skills from me. I’m gonna have to come to a game to watch my prodigy. I’ll make your mom tell me when you’re playing your next one.”

I froze, realizing Witt had called me Mikey’s mom, but no one seemed to notice other than me. I pushed out a sigh of relief. Mikey likely wouldn’t care, but I worried about Ashley’s reaction. I tried my best not to take her mother’s place, even though I was their mother in every way but title. But judging by the neutral look on her face, she’d let it slide by too.

Daisy came running around the car to join the group, and Witt started dividing the kids into teams.

Neely Kate carried a paper grocery bag as she walked around the front of the car. “Here’s the groceries you left in the cart.”

“Thanks. I’ll pay you back however much it cost,” I said.

Hope jumped up and down, Muffy dancing at her feet. “Can Muffy play, Uncle Witt?”

“Of course she can. I already decided she’s on your team,” Witt said. “You two are a pair.”

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