Page 118 of Safe and Sound

Although he still wasn’t convinced, Thomas nodded. Ava went inside for her keys and then she opened the garage door. As Thomas approached her SUV, he eyed it curiously like he was trying to take in all the details. Ava tossed him the keys, and then he got in the front.

After helping Piper into her carseat, she didn’t take a seat in the back. Instead, she moved past me to hop in the passenger seat.

Thomas whirled around to stare at her in surprise. “Is this seat not available for security reasons?” Ava asked.

“No, ma’am. It’s just I expected you to sit with Mr. Kavanaugh.”

“I’m fine here.” She gave him a bright smile. “We have a lot of catching up to do, don’t we?”

He threw a somewhat panicked glance at me in the rearview mirror. I nodded at him to give my permission for him to continue talking to her. “Yes, Ms. Carras. I suppose we do.”

“Ava can give you directions to Bowlerama.”

I snorted at the expression on his face. I’m sure he wondered what the fuck I was doing going to some establishment that involved bowling. Truth be told, I’d always been a fan of it myself. It’s just that my schedule didn’t allow much time for those kinds of pursuits.

“Should I do a sweep upon arrival, sir?” Thomas asked.

“I think we’ll be good.”

As we continued down the road, I tried desperately to think of something to talk to Piper about. I don’t why conversation came so easily between Julianna and me, but I was drawing a fucking blank with my own daughter. Finally, a question hit me.

“Are you in preschool?”

As Piper nodded, Ava turned in her seat. “She goes to the same one I did as a child.”

“That’s nice. Is it academically challenging?”

Ava snorted. “Yes, Dare it is.”

“I just meant–”

“I can imagine what you meant. And no, there’s not a waitlist to get in, nor does it put her on the pipeline to an Ivy League college.” She gave me a pointed look. “That’s not the path I want for her.”

I held my hands up. “I was just curious.” Glancing back at Piper, I said, “Do you like school?”

“Uh-uh,” she replied.

“What’s your favorite part?”

“Art.”

“Really? That’s your cou–” I snapped my lip shut when I realized I was about to call Julianna Piper’s cousin. “I mean, it’s my niece’s favorite part too.”

“Does she dwaw?”

“Yeah, she does. With a laugh, I replied, “At least when her baby brothers don’t get in her way.”

Ava’s brows shot up curiously. “Caterina and Callum have more children?”

I nodded. “Eighteen-month-old twin boys.”

“Oh my. They have their hands full.”

Chuckling, I replied, “Yeah, that’s why Callum just had a vasectomy.”

“What a vaseseame?” Piper asked.

“Oh fuck,” I muttered to which Ava busted out laughing.

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