Page 51 of Bountiful
“Until the second week of August. Then I go to training camp withmyteam.”
“Oh. Okay.” Six whole weeks. His offer of child support was something I would have to consider. I shouldn’t turn down the money. Even I wasn’t stubborn enough to refuse a college fund forNicole.
Yet I wondered why he was so eager to pay, even without being asked. Maybe it was his way of soothing his conscience. If he sent us a check every month, he could tell himself he was a good dad. He could put some distance between us and still hold his headuphigh.
If that was his plan, I’d just have to be okaywithit.
ChapterSixteen
Dave
Ihadn’t meantto get into a big discussion with Zara about money. But I hadn’t known how else to bring it up. She’d pushed back at me as if on instinct. And when I saw the fiery look she gave me, it took merightback.
If we had ever been a couple—a real one—we would probably have been the sort that fights like crazy. If we’d even tried to have a relationship it probably would have flamed out and burnt up within months. Maybe that was a Beringer family trait. All I could remember of my parents together was the yelling, and my mothercrying.
Zara fell silent as we grew nearer to her brother and my sister. The baby wandered a few feet away from them. She toddled through the grass, back toward us, her bare feet occasionally tripping her up. But she didn’t seem to mind the occasional stumble. She steadied herself with her hands on the ground, then continued onherway.
Nicole stopped at my feet and put a hand out, steadying herself on my bare knee. I cleared my throat. “Well,hello.”
She didn’t look up, though. I was just a handy balancing place. Her gaze was in thedistance.
A moment later, I saw why. A big, muscular dog was sniffing the grass some yards off. Nicole made a squeak of interest. And the dog looked up, lifting its gaze andspottingher.
And then I saw it happen as if in slow motion. The dog stiffened. Then he leaned forward in a burst of speed, running towardthebaby.
I didn’t even think. It was just a game-time decision. I bent over and plucked her off the ground. A moment later, I was holding a baby awkwardly by the armpits while an enthusiastic dog stood on his hind legs in front of me, trying toreachher.
Nicole squawked. She was heavier than I’d expected her to be. I lowered her a little ways, tucking her against my body, folding her legs against my chest so they weren’t dangling. My arm shielded her from thedamndog.
At close range, her brown eyes blinked at me, surprised. My own heart sped up as I met my baby’strustinggaze.
She let out another squeak. It surprised me, and Ismiled.
“Rexie, sit!” Zara ordered. “Dave, it’s okay. He won’thurther.”
“Seriously?” I looked down at the slobbering beast on the ground. He was alternately sitting down and then popping uptobark.
“He’s my friend Kieran’s dog. He onlylookslike abeast.”
I hesitated. “He’s not very well-behaved.” What the hell did people want with dogs,anyway?
Bess laughed, and Zara reached for her daughter, lifting the baby out of my arms and then lowering her to the grass. The dog stopped barking immediately. He knocked Nicole right off her feet and then licked her face. The baby retaliated by grabbing his floppy ears with both hands andlaughing.
I was still experiencing a fight-or-flight reaction. Dogs bugged the shit outofme.
My sister made a clicking noise with her tongue. “Oh, Davey. Still not over your fear ofdogs,huh?”
“They don’t haunt my dreams, Bess,” I grunted. “I just don’ttrustthem.”
She sighed, patting the spot between my collarbone and my shoulder. “A dog bit him when he was in sixth grade. He hasascar.”
Zara and I locked eyes. And for a second or two we shared a glance of amusement, as we undoubtedly had the same thought—that Zara was acquainted with that scar. I distinctly remembered her kissing her way across that shoulder on more than oneoccasion.
“Oh, Jesus,” Benito said slowly. “The, uh, dog isn’t the real threat right now. Headsup,Z.”
Zara turned to look, and then made an exasperated sound under herbreath.
“You want me to head her off?” Benito didn’t wait for an answer. He began jogging toward the parking lot, where a car had justpulledin.
