With one last push, I leave the woods and arrive in Conner’s yard. My stomach churns with nervousness, because I have no idea what kind of reception I’m going to get when I walk into the Burke household.
Conner opens the back door and waves me over. He comes down the porch steps. “Get her out. I’ll lift the stroller.”
“I’m never doing that again,” I warn him. “That was impossible.”
He half-rolls his eyes. “I’ll push her back.”
Damn straight you are. “Thanks,” I say once he’s picked up the stroller.
I lift Mila up the steps and set her on the top. Conner grabs her bag and holds out his hand. Mila reaches out and wraps her chubby fingers around one of his, and I wrap my arms around myself.
Shit. I want to be anywhere but here.
I follow him to the door but pause in the doorway. Leila is already there, making Mila giggle, but only his mom, Diane, is in sight.
“Sofie!” She takes off her oven mitts and turns to me. “How are you, darlin’?”
Her arms come around me in a big hug, and I relax into it. Her touch has always been a comfort to me. When I needed a woman’s touch after Mom’s death, Diane was the woman waiting with open arms.
“I’m okay,” I say softly. “How are you?”
“I hear there’s a Sofie back in town!” Phil, Conner’s dad, comes strolling through the kitchen and grabs me in a tight hug.
“That’s the newest rumor, huh?” I quip, hugging him back.
“So they say.” He waggles his eyebrows and steps back. “Now where’s my grandbaby?”
Conner picks Mila up and grins widely.
A grin I always imagined gracing his face. Wide, happy . . . proud. He barely knows her, but he’s proud anyway.
“Well, hello, gorgeous! You definitely got your mama’s looks, you lucky thing!” Phil says, taking her from him. “I’m your pops, and I’m the fun one,” he stage-whispers.
Mila giggles into Bunna. “Poh. Poh.”
“Pops,” he repeats.
“Poh. Poh.”
“Looks like you’re stuck with Poh for now,” Diane says with a quiet chuckle. “Hello, sugar.” She bends down to Mila. “I’m your nana, and I really am the fun one!”
“Nana! Nana!”
“There we go.” Diane winks at me. “Give your nana a cuddle!”
Mila reaches for her excitedly, her eyes bright with the abundance of attention she’s receiving. It’s toddler heaven for her right now, but for me it’s guilt-ridden hell.
How could I have ever kept her from this?
Stupidity and naïveté, that’s how.
If I could, I’d kick myself.
A feeling that soon disappears when Tate strolls into the room and smiles cockily at me. “Sofie.”
“Tate.” I give him a cursory glance.
“Here, honey,” Diane says, turning Mila toward him. “This is Mila. Mila, this is your uncle Tate.”
Mila looks at him for a moment, then her lip quivers and she starts to cry.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry myself.
“What did I do?” Tate asks, bewilderment written all over his face. It’s a look I’ve never seen on him but it’s freakin’ hilarious.
“You were you,” Conner mutters. “Thankfully, it appears my daughter is exactly like her mama and has more than two brain cells, meaning your arrogant ass will have to work to get her to like you.”
“Don’t hold out much hope, though,” Leila adds.
“Yeah, I’m still at the tolerating stage.” I shrug a shoulder.
Tate scoffs. “Whatever. If this jerk wasn’t around to seduce you with that voice of his, you’d be mine.”
I rest my hand on Conner’s upper arm. “Then thank you for being around. I don’t want to think about what my life would be like if I’d fallen for him.”
Amusement tugs at his mouth and he looks down at me. “You’re welcome.”
My own lips curve before I realize I’m touching him and he’s mad at me and, oh hell. This arm is solid. Rock solid.
I drop my hand just as Kye and Aidan walk in. Kye immediately crosses to Mila and pulls funny faces, making her laugh loudly. He winks at me across the room before Aidan shoves him out of the way.
Conner steps away, presumably to take over throwing Mila in the air, and Kye slips in beside me.
“Bit of a bombshell, Sof.”
“That’s what he gets for dating a blonde,” I retort.
Kye laughs and squeezes my shoulders. “Damn. I missed your sass.”
“No, you missed my ass.”
He leans back for a look and shrugs. “Got me.”
I smack his chest. Aside from Conner, I always did get on with Kye best. Apparently that hasn’t changed. I don’t expect Aidan to come around tonight, and Tate, well, maybe never.
“Come on. Sit down.” Kye pulls me out of the kitchen into the dining room and sits me in a seat next to a high chair.
“How?” I point at it.
“Mom got excited.”
I smile.
Everyone else files in, chattering, and Conner puts Mila in the high chair before sitting on her other side. I squeeze Mila’s chubby lower leg, more for myself than anything else, and take a deep breath as everyone sits down.
Diane sets several of her chicken pies in the middle of the table. No sooner have the pots touched the cloth than all four boys are grabbing one and slicing into it.
Animals.
Yet it’s oddly comforting. It’s proof that some things don’t have to change.
Conner puts some of the pie he’s holding on to a plate for Mila, while Kye gives me the other half of his. I look down at my plate as he scoops some mashed potato and sweet corn on it.
“Hell, Kye. How much do you think I can eat?” My eyes bug at the piles on my plate.
Conner’s eyes flit to us angrily as Kye retorts, “If I didn’t give you much, you’d assume I think you’re fat. Which you’re not. At least I don’t think so.”
“Um, thanks, I think?” I try not to laugh and grab my fork.
“Kye?” Phil says across the table. “Shut up before you start a riot.”
All eyes immediately go to Conner. He freezes and looks around the table. In fact, he looks anywhere but at me.
“Chill out, Dad. Kye can say whatever the hell he wants. She’s not my girlfriend anymore,” he mumbles.
Well, shit, this is awkward. I also can’t pretend those words don’t sting, because they do.