Page 112 of One and Only

“Good,” I told him, very much not thinking about how his daughter slid her hands between her legs for me with a room full of people on the other side of the wall. “Josie deserves to be happy. She and Micah just took last night by way of a honeymoon, but they’ll be picking up Olive tonight so they can spend their last week with her before they leave for London.”

He hummed. “Makes sense. Well, I’m glad Greer dragged you back here for the day. I’m sure y’all have had a lot on your plates getting ready for this.”

“Yeah, we’ve been … busy,” I answered.

Cameron wandered out of the kitchen with a huge slice of bread in his hand. He cocked a brow at my answer, and I fought an uncomfortable roiling sensation in my stomach.

“He’s good at the guilt trips,” Cameron said easily. “If it were up to Mom and Dad, we’d all still live under their roof.”

Sheila snorted. “You wish. I’m down to one adult child, which is plenty. And I still somehow have to feed you half the time.”

The conversation stayed easy and warm while we ate some lunch. Poppy sent Greer a picture from the barn, and she slid her phone over to me on the table.

Olive had a small orange-and-white kitten cuddled up on her chest. Her smile was as big as I’d ever seen it, and I got that same feeling in my chest whenever I saw her happy—like I’d burn down the whole world just to keep that smile on her face.

“She’s gonna want that cat, isn’t she?” I asked.

Greer laughed.

Sheila nodded sagely. “Might as well give up now, Beckett. I have a feeling Tim and I could part with her for a pretty fair price of some more time with that darling girl of yours.”

Greer’s eyes caught mine, and I swallowed past a knot of emotion lodged in my chest.

“I’ll think about it,” I promised.

She patted my hand. “They’ll be ready to leave momma in about three weeks.”

Another car rolled in front of the house, and Greer popped up out of her seat with a gasp. “Is that Erik and Lydia?”

Tim nodded. “Lydia had to be in Portland for an event, so they tacked a couple of extra nights on so we could see the baby.”

Greer shoved Cameron out of her way as she sped toward the door. He braced his feet on the floor and blocked her path.

“Move,” she said, grunting from the effort of pushing him out of the way. “I want to get the baby before Poppy gets back.”

Sheila laughed. “Oh, I have a feeling she and Olive will be playing with those kittens for a while. They’re still slow to run around.”

Erik, tall and dark-haired, with the same eyes as Greer, was the first in the house. In his grip was an expensive-looking diaper bag. He opened his arm to get a hug from Greer, and she ducked underneath to race out of the front door.

He blinked. “Okay then.”

Sheila patted him on the shoulder. “This is what happens when you have a baby. Get used to it.”

He gave me a nod in greeting. “Beckett. Did Tim rope you into some manual labor yet?”

“No?” I glanced back at the man in question, who was helping himself to some of the bread.

He merely smiled at his eldest son.

Cameron smacked me on the back. “There’s time yet. You’ll learn that he has a list for us every time you step foot on this property.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Tim said. “Just a few of those dead trees need clearing out by the gym. You boys are strong enough to move them.”

Erik nodded. “I knew it. Should I change now, or do I have time to eat?”

Tim paused, Cameron and I trading a look. “Might want to change now.”

I exhaled a laugh when Cameron rolled his eyes. Erik shook his head, elbowing his brother as he passed through the kitchen.

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