Page 14 of Totally Off Limits

It drove her thoughts straight to Mickey.

CHAPTER5

“How have you been feeling, Grandma?” Sierra asked the elderly woman. This environment couldn’t be good for the elderly woman, what with all the toxicity and underlying negativity, but she smiled at Sierra just the same.

“A little tired, child, but no worse for the wear. I miss having you around.”

“I know, Grandma,” Sierra said, looking off the deck where Mia played with Jasper and her Uncle Layne, far past the yard into the field-like area that blended with the trees in the background. Despite how she despised her brother, Sierra had to give him credit—he was a hell of an uncle to her daughter. “But I needed my own place.”

“I understand that too, child. I was young once myself.” Her grandmother’s eyes sparkled but her lips barely hinted that she was smiling. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I know how the heart yearns and the loins burn.”

“Grandma!” Sierra started laughing, despite the slight shock she felt. “That’snotwhy I wanted my own place.”

“It’snot?”

Sierra sucked in a small breath through her nose. “No. But I suppose that might change in the near future.”

“Have you set your cap for some fella?” While Grandma shifted her eyes to watch the activity on the expansive grounds, Sierra considered lying for a moment. After all, Grandma was probably wanting her to hook up with Austin just as much as everyone else.

“Maybe.”

Grandma nodded but didn’t say another thing. Layne, far off, said, “Come here, Mia,” walking behind the little girl. When Mia took a few steps toward her uncle, she started giggling and even farther away, Sierra could hear it like music. “See? I told you it was right here.” He handed her the ball and she turned and tossed it a few feet while Jasper stood next to her, wagging his tail.

“You don’t have to always do what’s expected of you.”

Sierra prepared to argue with her grandmother when Mia fell and started crying. “Hold on, Grandma,” she said, running down the steps and toward her daughter. By the time she got there, her uncle was already blowing kisses to her scuffed-up knee, both seated on the ground. “You okay, baby?”

“Mama,” Mia said, her dark eyes flooded with huge tears.

Her knee had a small scrape on it, nothing that a little hydrogen peroxide wouldn’t take care of—but Sierra was pissed at her brother for letting it happen in the first place. Holding herself back instead of spitting vile words at him, she said, “I don’t know why your uncle couldn’t keep you on the lawn where it would hurt less.”

“We just wound up over here when she threw the ball. I’m—”

“Save it. Just try to keep her on the lawn next time.” Standing, Sierra took Mia’s hand in hers. “Please. Let’s go get you cleaned up, baby girl.”

Besides, she’d had all the fun she could stand with the Hayden family…and she had studying to do besides. There would be plenty of Sundays just like this one in the future…

* * *

Jesus.Sierra might not have hated cooking if she’d been better at it. After fucking up an attempt at Chicken Kiev (having burned every last breast on one side), she gave up. Once Mickey arrived, she’d fry some burgers or microwave some chicken patties.

She suspected he was coming more for the company than the meal.

After all that talk of Austin and marriage and the underlying threat of matrimony without love, Sierra had been unable to stop thinking of the man she truly burned for. After she’d tucked Mia in bed Sunday night, she’d shot Mickey a simple text:How long did you say you were going to be in town?

She’d remembered he said something about a week or so…but she needed a way to break the ice. After a few back-and-forths, they’d agreed that they needed to spend a little time together—and Sierra had impulsively invited him over to her place for dinner.

Bad idea.

Not only was cooking not her forte by any stretch of the imagination, but she’d wound up having to work late that particular evening. Then, when she’d gone to her parents’ house to pick up Mia, her mother had tried hard to get them to stay for dinner, citing as a reason Sierra’s long work day.

She couldn’t tell the truth about why that was a no go.

So she’d sworn off, telling her mother she had a hell of a headache, to which Rebecca had replied, “You get a lot of headaches. You should see a doctor about that.”

“I’m a nurse, mother. My headaches are caused by stress.”

“You don’t know that for certain.”

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