Page 121 of My Ex's Brothers

“Thank you,” he says.

“What did I do?” I ask. “I should be the one thanking you. I wouldn’t be here without you.”

Dane pulls me and Lyla close. “For everything, sweetheart. I know this isn’t easy, and things are going to get?—”

“Complicated?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

He smirks. “Yeah. But we’ll figure it out. We can handle anything. Because we have each other.”

I smile. “We can, can’t we?”

He kisses me softly, and I relish in the taste of his answer.

For the first time in my life, I feel like things are only going to get better.

25

RICHARD

“Alrighty, give her whirl, baby girl.”I cross my arms, waiting for Amelia to turn the car on. It jolts to life, purring like a kitten, and she squeals in delight.

“You did it! You fixed my car!” She’s practically jumping up and down in the car and I smile.

“I told you I’d take care of it,” I say as I head to her driver’s side. She looks at me from her seat, her blue eyes sparkling with interest.

“Thank you,” she says as she kisses me through the open window.

“Anytime,” I say.

“You want to go for a test ride?” she asks.

After spending all day yesterday talking to my lawyer and whatnot, I know she could use a break, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t need one too. I know divorce and custody aren’t the same thing, but it’s still a bit too close to home.

Apparently, Dex wasn’t lying to Amelia. He is getting a divorce from his wife. I’m not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I’m glad he’s taking ownership for his actions, but I also know it sucks to get divorced. And I don’t want his other kids to suffer the repercussions of his stupidity. I don’t want Lyla to suffer, either.

I know there’s nothing left in Amelia’s heart for my brother. She’s made that abundantly clear. But I also know this fight isn’t going to be easy and she’s going to need as much support as she can get. With the new job, the newboyfriends, and the new car…we need to do all we can to keep Amelia on the positive side of things.

I’ll be damned if I let Dexter destroy her again.

“Sure,” I say as I head to the passenger side. She pushes the door open for me. I hop in and the Jeep shifts from my weight. “Where to, baby girl?” I ask.

She grins. “You owe me a walk in the park.”

I nod. “That I do.”

It’s a crisp, chilly day, and so we walk arm in arm, bundled up in our coats. The snow on the ground only adds to the ambiance. We make our way to the hot chocolate stand and each down a cup before deciding to go ice skating.

“I’m not the most coordinated on the ice, you know,” she says.

“You’re dating three hockey players and you’re going to tell me you can’t skate?” I tease her.

She blushes. “Yes.”

I can’t with this woman. She is too much, sometimes.

“That’s okay,” I whisper to her. “Daddy will teach you.” I kiss her softly below her ear.

I’ve never been much for PDA. Even when I was with my former partners and my ex-wife, I mostly kept that sort of thing private. I didn’t feel like the world needed to see or know my business.

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