“We need to talk,” he demanded. There was no room for arguments in his tone, but I was going to give him one right now.“It’ll have to wait. Milka’s not asleep yet.”“It’s okay. Leah came along. Said she’ll watch her.” He motioned to his truck, and seconds later his sister stepped out.“I don’t . . . I mean . . . She doesn’t really know her,” I finished lamely. That was a pathetic reason.“And whose fault is that, Chloe?” Conor’s eyes hardened, ice edging his voice.I opened my mouth and closed it again. “I know,” I said on a swallow.“The least you can do is let our daughter get to know her aunt while we try and sort out the shitstorm you created.”“Watch your language!” I snapped.“If you want me to watch my language, I suggest you get your ass into my car in the next five seconds.” He pulled his keys from pocket. “You’ve already taken enough of her from us, so cut the crap.”“Conor!” Leah smacked his arm. “You can’t say that!”“No, he can. He’s right.” I sighed, running my fingers

I needed, just a minute, to know if she was still my Chloe.I rubbed my hand down my face. I’d gotta stop thinking that shit—she was right in what she said. This wasn’t about us, not really. This was about our daughter, our baby girl.“I’ll take you home,” I said, nudging her in the direction of the truck. She shuffled towards it with her shoulders hunched and her arms wrapped around herself.It hurt me to see her hurting this badly. It sliced through me. But she fucking should feel it. She should feel the pain I was feeling.I still couldn’t believe she kept my daughter from me. And I didn’t buy her reason—not entirely. There was more to it than just what she was telling me.I got in the truck after her and pulled away from my house. There wasn’t a part of me that gave a shit that my brothers were watching from the porch or that they heard me tell her I was still in love with her. They knew that shit.They knew I loved her when she was seven and fell off the rocks into the sea. They

I nodded and sipped the coffee.“Smart-ass,” he muttered. “Is she going for a nap soon?”I knew where this was going. “Yes, after lunch, and yes, we’ll talk then.”He sipped his drink slowly, his eyes on mine. “Good.”Silence hovered between us for a long moment, and then . . .“Mama? Mama? SARS!”I sat on the sofa to the daily “no nap” chorus being shouted from upstairs and brought my legs up, wrapping my arms around my knees and hugging my thighs to my chest. My chin rested on the top of my knees, and I stared at a spot on the wall over the top of Conor’s head.“She do that often?” he asked, breaking through the silence.Without Milka there, it was tense. Unfortunately his words didn’t snap that tension, just the silence.“Every single day,” I replied. “Give her two minutes, and she’ll give up and go to sleep.”“Stubborn, huh?”“She learned from the best,” I muttered to myself.Conor caught it anyway, and his lips twitched. “You said it.”Before, I would have flicked my foot out and

She ran my order through without a word, and it was only when she placed the bunny into a bag that I noticed her hesitating.“Is something wrong?”“Would you—would you mind signing an autograph for my granddaughter?” she asked shyly. “I don’t like to ask but she’d kill me if I didn’t.”I smiled widely. “Of course, ma’am. Do you have a pen and something to write on?”She beamed at me and handed me a pen and paper. “Her name is Alice.”I winked again and scrawled a quick note to her, scribbling my name at the bottom. “Thanks for your help today, ma’am. I appreciate it.”“No problem!” She waved as I took my purchases and headed toward the door.I carried them out to my truck, where a suspicious-looking group of teen girls had magically appeared.Fantastic.This was why you never send security for a break.I gritted my teeth and headed for the truck, trying not to get annoyed about them touching it. “Excuse me, ladies.”Giggles.Giggles.I fucking hated giggles.I ignored their gasps beca

With one last push, I left the woods and arrived in Conor’s yard. My stomach churned with nervousness, because I had no idea what kind of reception I was going to get when I walked into the Conor household.Conor opened the back door and waved me over. He came down the porch steps. “Get her out. I’ll lift the stroller.”“I’m never doing that again,” I warned him. “That was impossible.”He half-rolled his eyes. “I’ll push her back.”Damn straight you were. “Thanks,” I said once he was picked up the stroller.I lifted Milka up the steps and set her on the top. Conor grabbed her bag and held out his hand. Milka reached out and wrapped her chubby fingers around one of his, and I wrapped my arms around myself.Shit. I wanted to be anywhere but there.I followed him to the door but paused in the doorway. Leah was already there, making Milka giggle, but only his mom, Diana, was in sight.“Chloe!” She took off her oven mitts and turned to me. “How are you, darlin’?”Her arms came around me in