Page 248 of Back in the Saddle

“Why not?” Luke asked.

Oh yeah.

Totally loved this guy.

I could tell Ava was getting heated when she responded, “If you, and all the Hot Bunch, don’t stop spoiling them, they’ll be impossible when they grow up.”

Luke nabbed a shrimp, popped it in his mouth, chewed, swallowed and only then replied, “She’ll be impossible to everyone but us. Works for me.”

“Are you…are you…?” Ava spluttered while blinking feverishly at her husband. “Are you spoiling our daughters to make them unbearable to be around so no man will touch them with a ten-foot pole?”

Luke didn’t respond, outside of one side of his mouth hitching up in a half-smile.

“Oh my fucking God,” Ava whispered scarily. “They’re not even close to dating age, and you’re already making them undateable.”

“Start early, make sure the job gets done right,” Luke drawled.

Ava seemed fit to blow, but even as hilarious as this conversation was, I had some things to say about the situation.

“Although this is clearly something you two need to work out,” I began, and they both looked to me. “But did I just watch a little girl say she needed purple ribbon, and without even blinking, even though we’re about to start trimming, we’ve been cooking for the last two hours, and everything is ready to create the spread so we can eat and decorate, he put her in his car with her sister to go get said ribbon?”

“That is precisely what happened,” Ava confirmed irately.

My eyes wandered to the door as my lips tipped up, and I didn’t even care they were standing there when I whispered, “I’m so freaking in love with that guy.”

I felt something coming from Luke, it felt nice, but I didn’t have the opportunity to bask in it because Ava’s hand was on my arm.

I focused on her.

Her expression was deadly serious.

“Listen to me, Jess,” she stated in full Rock Chick Advisory Mode. “Do not let them boggle your mind with their good looks and healthy rationing of orgasms. It doesn’tseemthose orgasms will wear off when they’re happening.”

Luke chuckled.

Ava shot him a death glare and came back to me.

“But they do. The haze clears. And then suddenly you realize you let them get away with a whole bunch of shit they never should have attempted in the first place.” The death glare went back to Luke. “Like spoiling your daughters, allowing all your buds to spoil them too, and as such, ruining their plans for future happiness.”

“Ava,” I called, and she returned her attention to me. “I think you know this, but just to say, first, they’re giving your girls indication they shouldn’t settle for anyone who doesn’t listen, doesn’t take their wishes into account, and doesn’t move mountains, when it’s within their power, to see to them. And second, when they find that guy, he’s not gonna give that first shit she’s got an overbearing father and a dozen uncles who are the same. He’ll win her heart and Luke and the Hot Bunch will just have to find it in them to deal.”

Luke grunted unhappily.

Ava shot me a winning smile.

As for me, with two parents who treated me and my brother like heirlooms they didn’t want, but couldn’t give away, and Eric, who’d had his family disintegrate one hideous Christmas Eve, what I just watched boded beautiful things for our future.

A man who considered a child’s opinion was not only worthwhile to listen to, but act on immediately, was going to be a great dad.

Obviously, I didn’t want to be around spoiled brats, and definitely not raise any, but there’d come a time at Michael’s where Ava was done, and she’d said a quiet, “Enough, Maisie,” and Maisie let it go.

Clearly, she was a kid who had been taught she was free to be herself, but when she pushed it too far, all Mom had to do was say two words, and she’d also been taught to mind.

I believed every kid should be spoiled a little bit, they should feel safe to express themselves at all times, and in a matter as unimportant as purple ribbon, a good man in their lives they loved and trusted taking them to the store to buy it was a precious thing.

Luke moved back to finish positioning the boughs around the television and Ava edged closer to me.

“The guys and girls are pretty excited about what’s happening with you and Eric,” she whispered.

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