Page 74 of Insta-Family (Forbidden Descendants 3)

It reminded me of how she’d looked on that picnic table the first time I’d seen her, which further reminded me how much change she’d gone through in the past year, all because of me. It had taken a toll on her, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty about that. She wouldn’t have had to go through any of these trials and tribulations if I hadn’t unknowingly sicced my brother on her with my one stupid glance.

But I was going to make it right again.

I’d be the best tenant a person ever housed in their garage, and I’d find a way to help her with whatever she needed.

“Uh, yeah,” I fumbled out lamely, clearing my throat and unable to take my eyes off her as she walked closer. Then I looked down at Ava, hoping I hadn’t stared at her mother for too long. “When did she start that?”

“Well…” Lucy sounded amused. “Right now, I guess. I’ve honestly never heard her laugh before.”

That had me looking up again in surprise. “Really?”

“She must’ve been saving it for you,” Lucy answered, sucking the air from my lungs all over again with her beauty as she touched my shoulder, then sat down beside me on the couch so she could reach out and touch Ava’s face next. Her daughter grinned at her in recognition and merrily flailed her arms and legs.

Glancing at me with a quick furrow of the brows, Lucy announced, “She has your eyes.”

I flushed. “That’s, uh, that’s from the Merrill side of the family. They all had dark brown eyes. My mom had light eyes, though, like a yellowish, golden brown. And that’s where Duke got his.”

Lucy nodded and studied me solemnly a moment before saying, “I saw a picture of them. Your parents. My cousin Teagan was packing away the pictures when I showed up. There was only one family portrait you had tagged to go with you.”

“Yeah.” My voice went hoarse as I spoke, so I paused to clear it before nodding and explaining, “That was the most recent one I had with all four of us together.”

And still, it was probably a dozen years old.

Lucy silently nodded again before transferring her gaze to the couch we were sitting on. When she smoothed her hand over the cushion, she glanced around at the rest of the furniture left in the sparse room. The television and entertainment center had already been taken out, the walls were stripped bare, and all that remained were a few stacks of boxes that needed to be moved, plus the couch, a loveseat, and an easy chair.

“I can’t believe you’re putting this thing in storage,” she finally said, patting the couch. “It’s so nice.”

I sighed. “Your brother said I probably only had room to keep one piece of furniture from this room, so I chose the easy chair.”

Lucy shook her head slowly. “You chose the easy chair,” she repeated softly and then looked up at me. “You know, you could’ve just chosen to stay here in your comfortable, full house. I mean, my God, Vaughn, you haven’t even seen the inside of my garage to know what you just signed up for.”

“I’ve seen it from the outside,” I argued. “I roughly know how much space I have to work with.”

“Well, I’m still trying to wrap my head around this whole, crazy idea that you and Beau came up with, in the first place. I mean, it makes absolutely no sense to me. It did occur to you that you could say no to him, right? Because, seriously, who in their right mind would give up a home like this to move into a miniature little apartment with pretty much no amenities?”

I shrugged and sent her a rueful smile, while Ava grabbed my finger and yanked it to her mouth for some serious chewing.

Lucy dropped her gaze to her daughter, then looked back up to me. “It’s not too late to back out, you know. You say the word, and I will have all these people bring your stuff right back.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that.”

I tipped my head to the side. “Sounds like you don’t want me living in your garage.”

And all of a sudden, I remembered how it had felt to cup her bottom in my hand and lift her against me while her sweet mouth slayed mine.

Heat suffused me.

All the while, Lucy huffed out an incredulous laugh and lifted her hands. “It’s not about you living there as much as it’s about your reasoning,” she argued. “Because nothing you say is going to convince me that this is what’s best for you. For me and Ava? Yes, definitely. But I will not let you throw so much away just for us. We’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Nothing I say, hmm?” I asked, lifting my brows over her challenge.

She nodded, answering, “It’s time to think about yourself, remember?”

“Well,” I murmured, gathering Ava close before I kissed her head. “Wo

uld you say that I was thinking about myself when I realized that today was the first time I felt in any way comfortable in my own home in over ten years?”

Lucy’s lips parted in concern. “Oh, Vaughn.” She touched my knee as I glanced around the empty room.

“It no longer felt like a house anymore,” I admitted, swallowing thickly. “Felt more like a coffin, actually. And the walls were beginning to close in around me, smothering me from the inside of my soul, out.” Glancing at her, I shook my head. “If I stay here much longer, all the sad memories are going to swallow every good memory I ever had in this place, and I can’t let that happen. You wanted me to discover myself? Well, I’ll never do that if I stay. It’s time for me to go elsewhere, and your garage might just be the perfect place for me to stay until I figure out where that elsewhere is. So I promise you, I’m not doing this just for you and Ava, okay? I have a lot of stake in it as well.”

---