Page 73 of Broken Daddy

A shrug. “Closer to one fifty, I think.”

We head back down the hallway and find Eva in the living room with Brutus on the couch. She’s telling him all about a show that’s on, explaining the plot and characters as his ears perk in interest.

“Alright,” I agree begrudgingly. “Justthe week, and I’m not promising we’ll keep him.”

But from Chris’s triumphant laugh, Gen hiding a smile, and Eva babbling away, I already know he’s here to stay.

Oh, well. Why not just pile more on top of this mess?

Yet somehow, I find myself smiling, too.

Chapter29

Genevieve

Someone is trying to get into the house.

I know it’s not Eva or Nathan…the door handle is jiggling. Which means they’re having a hard time.

I hold my breath and tuck up against the wall dividing the kitchen from the hallway that leads to the foyer. A metallic jingle sounds from outside. Do they have keys? Or tools to break in?

Glancing at the newly installed alarm system, I pray it’ll work and scare off whoever this is immediately.

The door opens.

A figure steps in, looking down. Keys in hand.

The alarm beeps and Chris Sharpe finally turns toward me, relief flooding through my body as he types in the six-digit code.

“Oh Gen—hi. Sorry, I wanted to bring this over.” Turning around, he hefts a giant bag of dog food into the house, then closes the door behind him. With a smile, he adds, “Peace offering.”

“You scared me,” I breathe, hand to my chest as I step into the hallway.

Realization flashes across Chris’s face. “I’m an idiot. I’m so sorry, I should’ve called.” He glances around the quiet house. “Where’s Nate?”

“He and Eva took Brutus for a checkup with the vet. First one now that he’s ours.”

I catch the slip and almost bite my tongue.

Ours.

From the way Chris’s eyes flick to me and away, he caught it, too. He keeps his expression neutral as he hefts the bag and follows me into the kitchen.

“So Eva and Brutus convinced him, hmm?”

“Oh, yeah. It wasn’t much of a battle. As soon as he saw Eva dress Brutus up in one of her old Disney princess costumes, that was it.”

Chris grins, settling in at the kitchen island. “Good. I think it’ll be good for her to have a companion. Probably good for Nate, too.”

I give him a wicked grin back. “Pets lower blood pressure. If anyone needs it…”

We share a laugh at Nate’s expense for a moment. Chris asks what I’m up to, and I show him my write-up of this week’s meal plan. It doubles as a shopping list. Scanning it, he asks, “Nate’s still going with you to the store, right?”

“Yup. Won’t let me out of his sight if I’m not in the house.”

Chris nods approvingly. “If I had a woman like you around, Gen, I’d do the same.”

It seems like a compliment hidden within a compliment, but I can’t tell quite how, exactly.

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