Page 114 of Wild Rose
“Look at that. It’s not just me you smile at,” Rose says, her tiny frame leaning against the hallway wall.
I perk a brow and set my phone down. “How’d you know I’m not looking at you?”
“You got a picture of me on your phone?”
“What’s a guy to do when the hottest thing he’s ever laid eyes on is on her knees in the dirt because you ordered her to.”
“You do not have a picture of me picking rocks out there.”
I chuckle. “No. It’s Dallas. He’s, uh .?.?.” I look down at my phone. “He doesn’t ask for help much, so .?.?.”
She steps closer, touching my arm. “Does he need more time? I can stay longer if you need me to.”
I do a double-take. “You’d do that?”
She shrugs. “It’s not like I’ve got anything else going on.”
I push the thought of Rosestayingout of my mind. “No, it’s .?.?.” I run a hand down my face, no point in keeping it a secret. “Someone showed up at the house the other day. He had a little girl with him. About six. Said she’s Dallas’s from .?.?. an old girlfriend.”
“Oh my God. That’s .?.?.” She narrows her eyes. “Wait .?.?. a man, not the mother?”
I give her the short version of the history Cole shared.
“So, where do we go from here?” The way she says “we” tugs at my heart. Like Dallas said, she already feels like part of us.
“I don’t know,” I rasp. “Right now, we’re just trying to find out if she’s his. Take it from there. And I just—I know if she is,he won’t let her go. Which means I need to count on him getting better. That little girl is too young and innocent to not have it all.”
She nods, watching me. “Are you worried she’ll be your burden too?”
Damn, she’s sharp. “Maybe a little. Can you blame me?”
“I think you don’t give him enough credit. This is a human being. And it explains Dallas on the field today. What’s making you doubt him?”
That’sright.Rose was studying to be a therapist. I pull open the fridge, avoiding her question. “We skipped dessert earlier. Cheesecake?”
She glances at it like I’m giving her a newspaper. “Do you have a preference?”
“What?”
“The little girl. Do you have a preference if it turns out to be his or not?”
“Sounds like a question for my brother, not me.”
“It’s only natural for you to have a preference. I’m curious.”
“Of course you are.” I set the plate down and release a breath. “I’d have told you my preference is that she isn’t and it’s a whole mix-up, but .?.?.”
“But?”
“But I saw her. And she’s got his eyes. And the couple, her grandparents .?.?. they can’t take care of her anymore. It’s not like any of us need a kid around right now, but .?.?. if it turns out she isn’t .?.?. well, something just wouldn’t sit right with me for a while.”
She watches me for a moment, her face unreadable.
There’s no judgement or question. Just understanding.
Rose pulls two forks from the drawer and hands me one. “Cheesecake’s my favorite.” She dips hers in.
I nudge her with my hip, digging my fork in beside her. “I’lladd it to the list.”
