Page 12 of Hearts of Fairlake

"Impromptu," I told him, raising a brow and ensuring my back was to my father as I signed that his mother had shown up and kicked the hornet's nest. My dad had decided at some point to start learning ASL as well, so if I wanted to gossip, then I needed to make sure he didn't see my hand gestures. Even if he had seen it, he wouldn't have said anything, knowing when to mind his own business most of the time, but it was the principle of the matter.

Ian brought the smile back to his face. "Well, just so long as everyone is comfortable. Morning Ben, morning Mother."

I didn't have to turn around to know Beatrice wasn't fond of being addressedaftermy dad, but the nice people got more attention in this house. Ian walked in to drop off the few groceries he'd gone out to get and handed something to me as his mother immediately began nosing through the bags. Looking down, I snorted when I saw the bottle of lube he’d picked up while he was out. Ian had known his mother would go rooting through the bags to be nosy like she always was.

I, however, was still feeling a little miffed, and despite behaving myself just seconds before, I waited until Ian was distracted, putting some of the bags away before slipping the small bag into a larger one. Refilling my coffee, I listened to Ian's familiar ebb and flow as he and my dad talked up a storm. It wasn't exactly a mystery why my husband got along better with his father-in-law than his mother, and I loved watching the two of them.

Ian had never really had much in the way of a family, and mine was small, but now it was a lot bigger, not just because of my father and Ayla but also the people in the town. Fairlake had always been good at putting together close-knit groups and letting them flourish. Still, it was only after Ian's shocking appearance in Fairlake five years ago that I discovered I'd always had much more than just my father to back me up.

Even with time, I would be forever grateful to the men and women who had come together after Ayla had been taken to fight to bring her back. Everyone had done so much for us, and I'd never forgotten that. I still made sure to take time to visit Devin and Chase for their part in helping hunt down information on Isabelle's location. Along with them was Ethan, whose investigation skills had been just as handy.His boyfriend, the chief of police in Fairlake, Trevor, had held down the fort and ensured everything was organized and done by the book, so Ian got his daughter back for good.

Bennett had been good for morale...and cooking. Adam, Isaiah, and Julian had helped, even fixing Ian's front door. And, of course, Annie had been there, refusing to hide even though she'd taken quite a beating trying to keep Ayla away from her attackers. All of them had a special place in our lives.

"Oh, for the love of all that is good and pure in the world," Beatrice exclaimed in outrage, interrupting my thoughts as she dropped the small bag aside. "Can you not have a single shred of decency like I taught you?"

"Mmm, there's a reason the second mouse gets the cheese," I said as Ian looked at the bag in confusion and then over at me. "Because the first and nosiest gets caught in the trap."

Beatrice let out a huff, setting her cup in the sink. "Honestly, I would think you’d learn how to behave after trying to raise a child."

Ian sighed, giving me a sidelong glance before taking the bag. "I've told you to stop going through our stuff."

Beatrice glared at her son. "You know he did that on purpose."

"Yes, he did, and I'll talk to him later," Ian said as he walked toward the hallway.

"I'll be punished for being a bad boy," I said in a fake sultry voice that made her go red in the face and forced a noise out of Ian that might have been a barely suppressed laugh or exasperation.

"I think I'll take my leave," Beatrice said, adjusting her cane in her hand. "Please do not ruin anyone else's morning with your ridiculous behavior."

"The only easily offended person I know is shaping up toleave my home," I told her with a wink. "And I'll be over later today to give you your injections. Maybe look at that leaky pipe and see if we can handle it or call Adam."

Beatrice opened her mouth before turning and letting herself out of the house, though not without a lot of muttering that was probably aimed at the lack of help she wasn't receiving. When the door closed, I waited until she had left our yard and entered her house before I let go of the bundle of nerves in my chest. She was admittedly easier to deal with now I had learned how, but that didn't mean I enjoyed having her around.

Ian came back, shaking his head. "Really, Kyle?"

I smiled sweetly. "Good morning, handsome. Thank you for running the errands so I could have a free day off without worries. That was incredibly sweet of you, and I love you very much."

He stopped, staring at me with his beautifully mismatched eyes before turning back to the groceries. "That shouldn't work. We've been together for too long, and…that shouldn't work."

"Ah, but it does," I said, winking at my dad, who was chuckling in the kitchen corner.

"Moments like these, I wish your mother was here to see everything," he said with a wistful sigh. "She'd be so proud of you, and I know she'd love Ayla and Ian to pieces...especially Ayla."

It was ironic how frustrated and angry I had been with my parents in adulthood. It had always felt like they were giving me next to no direction or guidance in life, while in their heads, they were letting me have the freedom to make my own choices. I'd always sworn I would never do that if I ever found myself responsible for a kid, and yet here I was, having willingly given Ayla plenty of freedom to live life on her terms but always making sure to keep the safety netstretched out. My parents had meant well, but the execution had been messy. All I could do was hope my compromise was the better option.

"Are you staying for breakfast, Ben?" Ian asked once everything was put away.

"Oh, I might just do that, but I think I want to go say hi to the girls," he said, setting his empty mug aside and heading for the hallway.“Shout if you need help!"

"That man would burn down our kitchen if we let him," I snorted as I got up to make another cup I definitely didn't need. I got as far as putting my cup down before I felt strong hands grab me by the waist and spin me around, pinning my back against the counter.

"You," Ian growled, giving my bottom lip a nip, "are the worst, you know that? Taunting my dear, sweet mother like that."

I smirked, letting my hand slide between us to grab hold of his groin and raising a brow when I felt something coming to life quickly. "From the feel of things, what I horrified your mother with is something you're in the mood to make use of."

"As soon as we get your dad out of here, I might just do that."

"We could literally tell him we want to have sex, and he’d leave with a smile on his face and a good luck to both of us."

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