Page 50 of Perfect Bragg

I take deep breaths to steady myself as he leads me into the house behind the rest of his brothers. Except Damon. He’s apparently gone back home to San Diego. He didn’t stay long in town.

“She’s my granddaughter,” Daisy is arguing as we enter. “You can’t have her.”

“I adopted Elder. Therefore, she’s my granddaughter, too,” Clementine claims.

“Do I need to save Robin?” I ask Elder.

“Save her from two women who love her and want to claim her as their granddaughter? She’s fine.”

Claim Robin as their granddaughter? Robin doesn’t have any parents, let alone grandparents. All she has is me. All she will ever have is me. I can’t let her get used to having other people around. No one will stick around when they find out what I’ve done.

I start toward Daisy to steal Robin back, but the look of adoration on Daisy’s face has me stopping in my tracks. I guess it won’t do Robin any harm to spend some time with Elder’s mom.

Elder holds a chair for me. “For my lovely wife.”

Peace’s girlfriend, Olivia, giggles. “And you call me a troublemaker.”

“Because you are,” Peace says.

“What happens when your dinner table catches the coronavirus?” Elder asks and his brothers groan. “It turns into a coughy table.” He elbows me. “Get it? Coughy? As in coffee?”

“Does anyone have a button to switch him off?” I ask the table.

Riley winks. “I think you’re the one who’s supposed to know where his buttons are.”

“Those buttons are for turning him on. She’s searching for one to turn him off,” Moon explains.

I hold up my hands. “I don’t want to know where any of Elder’s buttons are.”

Clementine’s husband, Eagle, arrives with a platter of hamburgers. “Who’s hungry?”

Miller grunts and reaches for the platter. Eden slaps his hand away. “You can wait for him to set it down at least.”

“I’m hungry,” he grumbles.

“You had a bowl of cereal before we left the house.”

“What’s your point?”

She sighs. “He’s going to eat me out of house and home.”

“I guess it’s a good thing you’re not living together,” I say and Miller scowls at me.

Elder wraps an arm around my shoulders. “I don’t know. Living together isn’t so bad.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Really? I guess you won’t mind if Billy French kisses you again in the morning.”

“Whoa! Who’s Billy? And why is Elder French kissing him?” Riley leans forward. “I want to hear everything.”

Elder sighs. “There’s nothing to tell.”

“Sure sounded like there was lots to tell when you screamed like a little girl this morning about Billy sticking his tongue in your mouth.”

“Billy’s tongue was not invited?” Olivia asks.

Peace frowns at her. “Don’t you start, troublemaker.”

“Billy is a goat and I certainly did not invite him to stick his tongue in my mouth,” Elder growls.

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