Page 81 of Insta-Family (Forbidden Descendants 3)

If my bladder wasn’t being so persistent, I would’ve waited until later to bother her, but honestly, I couldn’t hold it much longer.

After knocking on the back door, I glanced toward the garage, deciding tomorrow I could probably just whizz behind that, where no one could see me. I was actually about to do that, deciding not to bug Lucy, when the door opened.

“You don’t have to knock, you know.”

I turned, and the breath was sucked from my lungs all over again, just like it typically was in her presence.

But dammit, I was doomed, wasn’t I?

“Sorry, I, uh...yeah...” I sent her a nervous laugh. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“Well, I hope you don’t expect me to get out of bed to answer the door on the mornings that Ava actually lets me sleep in,” she said as she stepped back to let me in. “Because I can assure you, I will not be a happy camper if you do.”

I smiled as I entered what looked to be a mudroom with a washer and dryer. “Okay, good point. I’ll work on that.”

She winked. “Great. Come to the kitchen when you’re ready. I’ve got all your paperwork and agreements ready to sign.”

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“Yes, ma’am,” I called when she turned away and strolled off, leaving me there to find my way to the back bathroom by myself, which wasn’t hard to do at all, it turned out. Three doors led from the utility room. The one behind me took me back outside where I’d just come from. The one she’d walked through seemed to lead into the kitchen, and I could see a toilet through the open doorway of the last entrance on the opposite side of the room.

Hurrying that way, I took care of the morning’s first order of business, and after my shower, I changed back into the clothes I’d worn to the house. When I looked into the mirror, I frowned and ran my hand over my jaw, realizing it had been way too long since I had last shaved.

But strangely, I hadn’t been able to spot my razor in my box of bathroom supplies this morning.

Opening the medicine cabinet on the off chance there was a disposable razor up there, I frowned when I found it empty. The good news was that this meant I could store my own stuff in here and didn’t have to haul everything back and forth each morning when I used the bathroom.

But I was still missing a razor.

I stepped from the bathroom and crossed the mudroom to grab on to the door jamb and lean into the kitchen. “Hey...Lucy?” I called when I spotted her at the stove with her back to me. “You don’t happen to have a spare disposable razor I could borrow, do you? I think I lost mine in the move.”

She turned, spatula in hand, and widened her eyes at me. Then she cleared her throat, spun away again, and quickly answered, “Uh, nope, sorry. Fresh out.”

“Okay, no worries.” I’d just get one on my next grocery run.

I was about to head back to the bathroom and pick up my stuff when I spotted Ava sitting on a bouncer on the floor near the kitchen table.

Brightening, I said, “Well, look who’s awake over here.”

Needing me some Ava love, I crossed the room to her and knelt in front of the bouncer to tickle her toes that she was kicking around.

When she saw me, she burst out grinning.

“Man, I love that smile.”

“I know,” Lucy murmured from behind me. “The first time she did it, I think I melted on the spot.”

I glanced over at her. “I’m guessing she’s been treating you better lately. Is the purple crying at night finally over?”

“Mostly,” she said. “It’s a lot better, anyway. And I’ve gotten better, too, about dealing with her on those nights that she resists sleep. Mom doesn’t even come over to help anymore.”

“Good. That’s great.”

“It’s definitely a relief for me.” Lucy finished what she was cooking, and carried her pan to the table, adding, “I made some scrambled eggs and toast, if you want any.”

I glanced up as she seated herself. When I noticed the table was set for two, a deep longing unfurled inside me. It could be like this every morning, something dark and tempting whispered inside me. The three of us together. The perfect instant family.

And then I felt like immediate shit for thinking that. The only reason we were here together like this now was because of Duke, or more importantly because Duke had died. I should in no way gain anything from his death.

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