Page 66 of Treat

“I don’t know,” he admitted, and the hint of vulnerability in his eyes when they met hers made her heart skip a beat. “But I know I want to be with you.”

The sting of tears pricked her eyes, blurring her vision. “I want to be with you, too.”

He reached out, catching an escaping tear with his thumb. “So these are happy tears?”

“They must be.” She tried to sniff them back. “I’m not usually this drippy. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

“It’s all the romance,” he said soberly and startled a watery laugh out of her.

“That must be it,” she said and wiped her eyes.

“Don’t worry about Grant,” he said, his hand cradling her cheek. “He’s going to piss and whine because that’s his job, but he doesn’t run my life.”

“Does he know that?” she asked drily.

“I’ll remind him,” Jude promised.

The sudden urge to smile took her by surprise. “I kind of wish I could see that.”

“You’re welcome to join me.”

“I don’t want to see it that much.”

He laughed and, with a last stroke of his thumb across her cheekbone, dropped his hand. “Okay, new topic. I also had a message from Tommy.”

Happy to shift gears, Brynn reached for her water. “How’s the baby doing?”

“She’s the most beautiful baby in the universe,” Jude said. “That’s a direct quote.”

“Aw, that’s sweet.”

“He wanted to know if we want to come see her.”

She frowned. “Isn’t it kind of soon?”

“You know Tommy. He’s never happier than in a crowd.”

“Yeah, but will Kara want us there? She’s the one who just gave birth.”

“I asked him that.” Jude reached for the bottle of Italian dressing and gave it a shake. “He said she’s happy to have visitors as long as we wash our hands, don’t kiss the baby, and when she says get out, we get out.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

“Why aren’t we supposed to kiss the baby?” Jude wondered.

“So we don’t get her sick,” Brynn said and picked up her knife and fork. Her appetite was back now that they weren’t talking about Grant, and her steak had rested long enough.

“But we’re not sick,” he pointed out and dumped dressing over his greens.

“Newborns don’t have much of an immune system,” she pointed out, cutting into her steak. It was the perfect shade of pink inside, pleasing her. “She hasn’t had all her vaccinations yet, and she’s fragile. It’s a precaution.”

Jude picked up his fork. “Like how you’re not supposed to take a puppy to a dog park until it’s had all its shots?”

She paused, her fork halfway to her mouth, to gape at him. “Yes, Jude,” she finally said. “It’s like that. Only maybe don’t phrase it that way if you’re talking to Kara.”

He just grinned. “Believe me, I would never. That woman is scary.”

“She gave birth in the back of a car with no medical help and zero pain relief,” Brynn reminded him. “She’s a fucking badass.”

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