Page 107 of Reckless

“Something like that. There is an event they want to attend.”

That was the end of our conversation. We sat in the waiting room and I was doing my best stoic expression. I didn’t dare to look to see what Tyler was doing because I was afraid he would be looking at me with that infuriating smirk of his, theI-know-you-can’t-resist-my-charmone.

Lucas was pacing back and forth. He was so nervous I couldn’t stand it.

“Why aren’t you in there, if you can’t stand stay still here?”

“I wanted to go in,” he replied like he was defending himself. “Clem said no.”

Tyler snorted and I turned to him.

“What? Are you going to mock him now? Just because he respected his wife’s wish?”

“No,” he looked at me with genuine surprise. “I think Clem is being an asshole about it.”

“Oh,” I took a deep breath. “Sorry. I am cranky when I’m sleepy.”

Tyler leaned over the empty seat between us and whispered in my ear. “I remember.”

I pretended I didn’t hear him, somehow resisting the urge to slap him in the face, leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I didn’t think I could fall asleep, but apparently I had, because I suffered a very loud and unpleasant awakening.

“Mr. Cole,” a woman shouted cheerfully. “You have a healthy daughter. The mother is tired but wants to see you. You two, give them a few minutes. Someone will get you soon.” She pointed at me and Tyler, who now sat right next to me.

Creep.

“We will,” I said with a husky voice and stood up to stretch a little and congratulate Lucas, but he was already walking away. I chuckled.

“So? What are we going to do while we wait for our audience with the little princess?”

“Don’t talk like that about your sister.”

“I was referring to the baby,” he said, not at all irritated by my tone or the lack of an apology for it. “Let’s go get some coffee. You can tell me what you’ve been up to lately.”

“Don’t do that,” I narrowed my eyes and he smiled innocently.

“Do what?”

“Pretend we are on good terms. Or that we are friends.”

Tyler kept his mouth shut for not more than three minutes, then continued the conversation from right where it ended.

“Fine,” he said, all business. “We are not friends. We are on bad terms. You hate me. You don’t want to hear my name,” He said, obviously aware of my request to Clem not to mention him in front of me. “And all of that with good reason. Happy now?”

“I will be happy if I never see your face again.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “Sorry, little Spencer, I can’t help you with that. You are going to be seeing a lot of me from now on.”

“And why is that?”

“I intend to be an involved uncle.”

“The poor child.”

His entire body shook with silent laughter, but before he could answer me, another nurse appeared and asked us to follow her.

We found Clem in the hospital bed, laying on her back with a cute little human curled up on her chest. Tears flooded my eyes, and I couldn’t stop them from rolling down my cheeks.

“She’s so tiny,” I whispered.

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