Page 93 of Family Bonds: Alana & Brennan
His fingers curled into his palms. “You never said it wouldn’t work. You’re the one who kept telling me to give her time. That her body was changing with hormones.”
His mother sighed. “Brennan. If I’d told you I didn’t like her or that I didn’t trust her, that she wasn’t mother material and was going to go back to her life as if she hadn’t had a child, you wouldn’t have believed me. We would have fought and the last thing you needed was more strife to deal with.”
He processed that information. “True.”
“But I will not be quiet this time. I refuse to watch you get hurt again because too much is at stake.”
The fresh round of giggles and chattering in the other room penetrated his brain.
“Alana would never hurt Becca. I’m almost more worried she’d rather spend time with my daughter than me.”
His mother laughed. “And that’s another burden you’re carrying as well. Just make sure your eyes are always open.”
28
GET AHEAD OF HERSELF
“Igot a dollhouse!” Becca screamed on Friday the minute Alana came in the door. “Santa brought it. It was right under the tree for me to see.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said, picking Becca up and giving her a hug.
She set the wiggling little girl down and turned to wink at Brennan. She knew he’d stayed up late putting the dollhouse together and cursing over it before he could get some sleep.
All those fun things she’d fantasized she’d be living with kids at her age.
Stuff that hadn’t come true.
Would she always be wishing for it or could she see it coming to light in her future now?
She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but it was hard not to when every time she walked in the front door Becca greeted her as if she might be her new best friend.
Even Brennan was sending her a sweet smile, making her want to lean in for a kiss she was craving.
Too much of watching her cousins and what they had a few days ago was swirling in her brain and making her covet the happily ever after.
“Santa was a busy man on Christmas Eve. He ate five cookies,” he said.
“Wow. Santa might have to watch it or he could start expanding his belly more.”
“Santa is supposed to have a big belly,” Becca said. “Because it’s cold out when he delivers toys and that helps him stay warm.”
“I hadn’t known that,” she said, nodding her head.
Brennan shrugged and held his hands open. “It was news to me too.” He reached for her jacket and hung it up. She toed her boots off, set her bag down and pulled out the knit slippers she’d snuck in there. It was chilly out today and his wood floors were cold.
Maybe she was moving ahead of herself by getting comfortable, but Brennan only looked down and grinned.
“Daddy is making dinner,” Becca said. “He said you were having dinner with us.”
“I am,” she said. “And we’ve got the makings for hot fudge sundaes just like requested.”
Becca’s jaw opened and she jumped up and down, her blonde ponytail swishing around in circles. “I wanted hot fudge sundaes. Daddy said we didn’t have ice cream.”
“He told me,” she said. “I get to be the hero.”
“Like Skye?” Becca asked.
“Skye?” she asked, looking at Brennan.
