Page 37 of Stand

The swinging door from the kitchen opened. Ty was still on the phone, and he stared at Sam as he said, “Has she served papers yet? Okay. Then I still have full custody. Right? Right. I’ll call you.”

And he took the phone away from his ear. Sam heard a voice cut off as he hit the off button.

The three of them were silent for a moment. Finally, Sam said, “I made it worse, didn’t I?”

Ty’s shoulders dropped. “No.”

“Why would dating Sam be such a bad thing?” Cat said. “Children-wise, I mean.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “My reputation. Women like Janine who could produce dozens of stories of what I did in high school.”

Cat put her hands to her ears. “I don’t want to know!”

“Believe me, I’m not going to tell you,” Sam assured her. “But look, Ty. One instance with me on a porch can’tpossiblybe grounds to take the kids from you. Can it?”

“Whatinstance?” Cat demanded. Thankfully, Ty didn’t enlighten her.

“She only has to file the papers and I’ll have to stay to fight them. Where they can continue to photograph me until it gets sorted out in court.” His eyes flickered to her.

“I’m going home tomorrow,” she told him. Without her around, he couldn’t be seen as an irresponsible dad who was thinking with his… mouth. Could he?

Something flickered across his eyes. “Tomorrow? Alyssa won’t like that,” he said simply.

“I’ll miss her too,” she said, looking him full in the face so he’d know she meant it.

He pulled his hand down his face. His hair was sticking straight up—from her hands in it?—and as she looked up at it, his cheeks went pink, despite the situation.

“I have to figure something out,” he said. “Like now.”

“Absolutely,” Cat said. Sam had forgotten she was there. “And Sam’s right. We’re involved now. If they took a picture of Sam, too, we have every right to call our lawyer. I’ll talk to Kane. If you agree, of course.”

Ty’s ocean-blue eyes looked not at Cat, but at Sam. Could he be thinking of whatshewould prefer in this situation? All she wanted was his and his children’s safety. “Let us help,” she said.

Cat cut her a sharp look. Had her voice been too intimate? Too breathy? Whatever. Ty shrugged and nodded, and that was what was important.

“I gotta give Matt his pills,” he said. “And think.”

“Sure.” Sam and Cat moved toward the kitchen as one, giving Ty free access to the staircase.

“Just remember,” Cat said when he was on the first step. “You’re family now. All of you.”

Fuck, Sam hoped not. She didn’t want to kiss family. Not that she wanted to kiss him again. And again and again.

“Thanks,” he said. “That means a lot.” He looked at the huge carved stair rail under his hand, shook his head once, and walked upstairs and out of sight.

Cat put her hands on her hips. “Whatinstance?”

“I have to go pack.”

“Sam.”

“Look.” But Cat was looking. In that Mother Cat way that meant she was going to get the truth. “It was just a little kiss, okay?”

“Samantha!”

“Jesus, keep your voice down! And quit calling me that.”

“Why? It’s your name.”

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