Page 56 of More Than a Helping Hand

“Will do.” A door closes; then Paisley adds. “Whatever you do with the extra time, I hope you have fun.”

Primrose rolls her eyes. “Bye, Paisley.”

Laughter comes through the line as she ends the call.

“My sister is subtle. So subtle.” She sets the phone aside. “What time is check out?”

“I didn’t want an early checkout to limit our time together, so I booked two nights.”

She picks up her mug and cuddles close. “Did you arrange this extra night with my mom?”

“Nope. I didn’t tell anyone that I’d booked two nights.”

“Well, whatever the case, I think they’ve pieced together that I’m spending time with you.” She sips her cocoa and moans. “This is incredible.”

“Another of my many talents.”

“You’re just a regular treasure trove, aren’t you?” She picks up my arm and pulls it around her shoulders. “Where did I leave off?”

I kiss her head. “Happy little family, which, for the record, I think you’ve achieved.”

“Mary moved out while I was still dating Derek, and she pulled away. Or maybe I did. It bothered me that they didn’t like him. Then four months after he met Bailey, he proposed. And I said yes. Dani was still being a big help with Bailey, but after I married Derek and Dani and I weren’t living in the same house, we just stopped talking.” She wipes her eyes. “Of all the things I regret, losing those two friends is near the top of the list.”

“Have you reached out?”

“I’m not sure they’d want to hear from me. Last I heard, Mary moved to Louisiana for a job in a gallery, and Dani married some lawyer.” She blows out a breath and takes another sip of her drink. “Back to Derek. It was obvious pretty quickly that my dream of a happy little family hadn’t come true. A month after the wedding, he asked me when Bailey was going to her dad’s. Then the following month he suggested we send her away for school.”

I can feel my anger rising, but I maintain a calm exterior.

“She was only six. I should’ve ended things then, but I was still hoping.” Her chin quivers, and she pinches her lips. “One night after Bailey went to bed, he was being… amorous. Well, as kids do, she came down the hall and asked for water. Derek lost it. He called her annoying and said if he’d known she was such a time suck, he never would’ve married me.” Primrose blinks, holding back tears. “And then he packed a bag and left. I was mad and heartbroken, but mostly ashamed. Mom and Dad were polite about it, but they didn’t like him either. I chalked it up to the fact that they’d only met him a couple of times. But no. They were right. So I didn’t tell anyone that he left me. Left us.”

I draw circles on her shoulder while she uses my sleeve to wipe her eyes. My mind is racing because Parker said that her ex died, and if Primrose has been lying to her family about Derek being dead, that’s the kind of secret that’ll come back to bite. Divorces are public record, I think. Or is she not divorced? Thoughts swimming, I force myself to be patient.

Primrose drinks the rest of her chocolate. “He called me one day about two weeks after he’d stormed out. It was a Friday. He wanted a divorce and planned to find an attorney the following week. The courtesy heads-up was so that I could find one too.”

“So kind of him.”

“Yeah. Well, the following night, police showed up at my door to inform me that my husband had been killed in an automobile accident. On paper, we were still married.”

“Bailey didn’t change because he died.”

Her head shook back and forth. “I felt so guilty for not protecting her. It was like he doused her spark. And I didn’t know how to bring it back. Then you sat on her cactus.” She smiles, and gratitude sparkles in her eyes. “And I had my girl back, which is the only reason I said yes to dinner that first night.”

“My pain was worth it.” I lean my head on hers, tempering what I want to say and choosing what I need to say. “I’m not a violent man, and I don’t wish death on anyone. That said, I’m not really torn up about what happened. Now, I don’t have to worry about accidentally meeting him. As far as Bailey’s reaction to me, I can’t really take credit. I just made the mistake of calling her doodlebug, and she corrected me. It broke the ice.”

“Can’t take credit, my foot. If you walked onto a playground during a game of tag, you’d be base, the safe spot. Everything about you feels safe.”

I take the empty mug out of her hand and pull her into my lap so that she’s facing me. “But my superpowers don’t work on you, do they?”

Avoiding eye contact, she runs her hands down the front of my shirt. “I don’t worry that you’d treat her like Derek. That’s not what I’m afraid of. She would probably be crazy happy if she thought we were dating.” She meets my gaze. “But this needs to work between you and me, and if this doesn’t… if we end things, she’d be heartbroken. I’ve given up hoping for a traditional little family. What Bailey and I have is enough for me. But she’s a little girl growing up without a dad. And occasionally, I see that hope sparkle in her eyes when she’s watching her Uncle Chris play with his kids. I don’t feel safe because I don’t trust myself. Not sure if I ever will again.”

“I worried about Brooke growing up without a mom. But she turned out okay. Funny enough, she does little makeup tutorials online, and I didn’t teach her that. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Bailey will be okay. We love having her at the ranch, and no matter what happens with you and me, Bailey can always reach out. Whatever she needs, I’m there.”

Primrose drops kisses on my neck. “Okay, sexy man, I have one question.”

I tip my head back, enjoying the brush of her lips on my skin. “Yeah?”

“Did you ever let Brooke put makeup on you?”

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