6.
Marry a cranky man because he’ll have no room to complain when you get a little cranky too.
Lake Foster
LARA
I slept later than usual, probably because the emergency room had held us until after midnight.
Although the reason for our visit was mortifying, it gave me even more time alone to get to know Shiloh.
During the hours we sat in that chilly room, we talked about everything and nothing from our favorite carbs and most hated food items to the make and model of our first cars and our favorite subjects in high school.
I learned that he hadn’t dated much since his release, mostly because he didn’t trust his judgment after the roller coaster of his relationship with Raylee’s mom.
I told him about Jeremy and how I’d stayed far too long because of my desperation to have a family of my own.
Shiloh stunned me when he admitted he wanted the same thing.
He explained that as an only child, he’d always wanted siblings and wanted to give Raylee that kind of life. But prison had put that dream on hold, and now he wasn’t sure he’d ever see it happen. Most women his age already had children and didn’t want more . . . or didn’t want them at all.
Even though we’d both expressed a desire to start a family, we avoided the fact that we had that in common.
Talking about it felt too presumptive for a first date.
Shiloh asked about my siblings, and I explained how we all became a family.
I even told him about my birth mother, explaining that Lake, Lana, and I all had a strong relationship with her and the family she’d created with her husband.
Shiloh seemed intrigued and asked plenty of questions.
I laughed at his horrified expression when he learned that Lori had been Raylee’s age when she gave birth to triplets.
Shiloh told me about his parents and the love he felt as a child, then described the heartache and helplessness that consumed him when they died while he served his time.
He explained that by the time he left prison, he’d lost all of his parents’ belongings, but a healthy inheritance from their life insurance had been sitting in the bank ever since.
When I asked why he lived in Dante’s rental rather than buying a home, he told me he wanted to save for Raylee’s college education and would use whatever was left to buy a house then.
His forethought and dedication to his daughter’s future was impressive.
I told him about my cousin who had several degrees and just so happened to be the family accountant.
When I explained that he was very good at investing and all of us trusted him with our money, including Dante, who didn’t trust very many people, Shiloh asked for his number and assured me he would call Monday.
Shiloh learned quite a bit about me during our time in that exam room. He asked pointed questions that initially seemed unrelated, but after a while I realized there was a theme to them.
Shiloh Duvall was looking for a future, not just a good time. The man yearned for a family, and I realized I wanted to make sure he got one.
And no, I wasn’t crazy . . . or at least not that crazy.
Thoughts of bearing his children weren’t bouncing around my head yet, but another idea was.
I wanted to introduce Shiloh to my brothers and brothers-in-law so he could integrate into our family alongside Raylee, who I knew could use the support they’d naturally give.
When I finished my shower, I left my hair down to air-dry and dressed in comfy clothes.
I loved fashion enough to make it my profession, but I still preferred comfort on my days off.
Once I had on my sweats, I chose a pair of wildly colored socks and made my way down to Jolie’s house for fresh coffee and a breakfast I didn’t have to cook.
Not all of the doors were open this morning, but the scooters and toys strewn about were evidence that the younger kids had been playing earlier.
I didn’t mind the mess. If anything, I loved it.
More than anything, I wanted to see my own children playing with their cousins, but I wasn’t going to think about that today.
No, I was going to sit down with my sisters and try to remember why dating Shiloh, or any man, was a bad idea.
Since the door was open, I walked into Jolie and Dante’s apartment and headed straight for the coffee pot.
I pulled my favorite mug, one I’d thought I’d lost, out of the cabinet and filled it before adding just the right amount of cream and sugar.
I turned around to lean against the counter and take a sip.
As I blew across the top of the mug, I realized I had an audience watching me intently.
“I don’t see a hickey,” Lake announced.
“She doesn’t have the glow,” Lana said, her expression forlorn.
Jolie’s voice was just as sad. “I really thought he’d be brave enough to sweep the cobwebs away and give it a try.”
“By now she’s probably got forest animals scampering around in the dense bush that used to be a playground,” Lana said with a resigned sigh. “She’s let herself go for so long she’s afraid she can’t take it.”
“That’s so sad,” Jolie chimed in. “It’s probably an untamed wild land. No mere mortal will ever be able to make it to the cave of wonders.”
“Damn!” Dante exclaimed. “You ladies are fucking ruthless!”
“Why are we discussing my baby sister’s downstairs garden?” Quinn asked with a shudder. “Are all of you mental?”
Lake’s husband, Mark, who was Quinn’s best friend, simply said, “Yep.”
“Don’t make eye contact! She’s only on her second sip,” my brother Wes warned. “You know how she gets.”
“Hold on! Let me get my notebook so I can start planning her defense,” Damaris announced.
As the family attorney, who had successfully represented Wes in court and helped Jolie and Quinn when they needed her for custody issues, she always had her eye on the legal aspect of things, even when her ideas weren’t exactly legal.
“The poor woman doesn’t have the glow or even the expected hickey.
She hasn’t finished her first cup of coffee yet, and the peanut gallery is tossing around bullshit that would make a pacifist go on a killing spree. ”
“When I do, you’ll be the only one left standing,” I assured her. “It’s times like this I wonder why we thought it would be a good idea to live together.” When no one offered up a reason, I asked Jolie, “Is Raylee still here?”
“She and the other girls are still sleeping. Your mom and dad picked up the rest of the kids for an impromptu trip to the cabin.”
“They took all of them? Are they nuts?”
“Obviously,” Max agreed. He was the third in the throuple that included Wes and Damaris and much like a brother to me. “I knew they were nuts when they bought a van big enough to hold almost all of them at once.”
“We should probably see about getting them checked for dementia,” Clay, Lana’s husband, said. “There’s no other explanation for why they’d volunteer for that.”
“If the older ones are the only kids around, then why are all of you sitting here together instead of having wild monkey sex on every flat surface of your apartments before catching up on years of missed sleep?”
“We were waiting to see how last night went,” Lana replied.
“No hickey. No nookie. No luck,” Lake said with a dramatic sigh of pity. “Poor girl.”
I took a sip of coffee and glanced at Damaris. “Why aren’t you taking notes? I’m gonna need a good defense.”
“Details!” Lake demanded. “Tell us everything.”
“This is where we disappear,” Quinn said, standing up from the couch where he’d been sitting next to Kyla, who had been relatively quiet so far. “I don’t want to know any details. Ever.”
“Same,” Wes said before leaning over to kiss Damaris on the cheek. “We’ll be at home, babe. Come get the guys when you . . .”
The buzzer sounded, announcing there was someone at the door downstairs. Since Quinn was closest to the panel, he pushed the button. “Can I help you?”
“I’m here to pick up Raylee,” Shiloh’s voice said through the speaker.
Quinn pushed the button to unlock the door. “Come on up.” He pushed another button to open the upstairs hall door and smiled. “Now, this I’ve gotta see.”
“All of you will be on your best behavior, or you’ll answer to me!”
“Oooh, look at her trying to be menacing!” Wes teased.
“Mom thinks the three of you go to art classes every Thursday, but I know you come back here and do nasty things to each other while she’s watching your kid. How upset do you think she’d be to know you’ve been lying to her for a freaking year?”
“She had half a million kids,” Max scoffed. “If anyone would understand, it’s Patrice.”
“Would she be so understanding if she knew the three paintings you gave her for Christmas weren’t done in class, but bought from Etsy?”
Damaris’s mouth dropped open. Wes stared at me, his eyes wide. “How did you find that out?”
“I didn’t know for sure until now,” I said with a triumphant grin. “But I’ll tell her if I have to!”
I pointed at Quinn and then Kyla, but before I could say anything, my brother put his hands up in defeat. “Not it! I’ll be on my best behavior!”
“You don’t have shit on me,” Lake boasted.
“Bring it!” Lana taunted.
I glanced over at Clay, and he frantically shook his head. “I’m not willing to risk it.”
“Anyone else want to step up to the plate?” I asked threateningly.
“What do you got?” James asked casually. He snorted and said, “That’s what I thought. Nothing!”
“Does Mom know you were banging Mrs. McPherson until she moved?”
James sucked in a sharp breath.
“Do you think she’d still be sending her Christmas cards and inviting her over for dinner when she comes to town if she knew?” I asked.
“You slept with our next-door neighbor?” Jolie asked in horror. “She’s Mom’s age!”
Max laughed before he said, “Rawr. Go James! That cougar was hot!”
“Shit! I had no idea that you were so mean, Lara. I’m impressed,” Dante announced as he stood up to greet his friend at the door.