Page 16 of Tempt Me Forever

“All of it. The move, the mortgage, making that asshole disappear and having it look like an accident.”

She chuckled again, but there was no humor in it. "As much as I'd like to take you up on the last part, this little one will need to meet his dad one way or the other. I want us to be on good terms."

I stilled. She was holding on to the hope that the bastard would be decent to her? That was not the impression I got when I tracked him down after he left my sister. He told me he couldn’t stand being married anymore. That marriage felt like shackles. He wanted to say more but didn’t get a chance before my fist connected with his face.

"Then the mortgage. I'll pay the mortgage," I insisted.

Money wasn’t an issue. I started working when I was twenty-two and saved a lot. I’d had extremely high-paying jobs since I turned twenty-seven and also made smart investments that really paid off.

She sighed. "I can't let you do that."

"Suze, come on. I'm your brother. Let me dosomething."

She winked. "You can come around and keep Michael company so I can at least go outside by myself for half an hour."

Fuck me. I was good at throwing money at problems. Taking care of the mortgage was easy. Taking care of the baby was rocket science in my book, but for my sister, I'd try.

"Anything that helps. I mean it."

Our food was delivered a few minutes later. I put everything on a plate, threw away the empty containers, and brought the food to the table. It became obvious that my sister couldn't eat while holding Michael.

"I can take him," I said.

A smile played on her lips as she got off the couch and deposited him in my arms. Damn, he was small. He seemed like he would break if I as much as breathed the wrong way.

How did people care for infants? It seemed like an impossible task, and my sister was doing it all on her own.

I startled when she snapped a picture of me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Immortalizing this moment. You look good with him in your arms. And you can breathe. I promise he won't break. Just take care of his head.” She adjusted my arm to support Michael better, then said, “I'll eat quickly."

"Take your time. I can do this."

She smiled, sitting on the couch again, placing her dinner in her lap.

I couldn't believe things had turned to shit for my sister. For the longest time, she seemed to have everything: a good marriage, a great job. Only two Christmases ago, she'd confided in me that she never thought life could be so good, and now it had all been taken away from her. I couldn't imagine how that felt. Lulu and I hadn’t even been that close, and the betrayal still hurt. I hadn’t had a serious relationship since after college. I’d invested so much in my career that there hadn’t been time for anything else.

"Okay, I can take him now," she said. "You eat."

I only realized how hungry I was after the first bite. I ate the noodles in no time while my sister patted Michael on the back.

Once we both finished dinner, I tackled another difficult subject. "Have you spoken with Mom and Dad recently?"

She snorted. "Yeah. They're still lecturing me about not being able to keep my husband."

Fucking hell. I'm going to have a word with them.They still lived in Oregon, in the house where Suze and I grew up. We didn’t have a close relationship, but this was a low blow, even for them.

"Don't believe it for one second."

"Don't worry, I don't. But it does hurt to hear my parents blaming me.”

I wished there was more I could do to help her on that front.

She glanced around and sighed. “God, I miss just going out and stretching my legs."

"Want me to hold him while you go for a stroll?” I had no clue if I could keep him alive for half an hour, but I was going to do my best.

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