Chapter 3

Later that evening, I follow Cat into her parents' house. The door is barely closed before little patters of feet come running across the hardwood floor, and Cat's bombarded by two dark-haired boys.

"Aunt Cat!" they both screech before they launch themselves at her legs.

Laughing, Cat squats to give them both a hug. Their embraces are so forceful, she's pushed back until she lands on her ass.

"Wow!" Her eyes sparkle as she grins at her nephews. "You act like I haven't seen you in ages."

"But it feels like forever," Aiden, the more outspoken of the two, replies.

"Well, we'll have to make sure we see each other more often then, huh?"

Josh, who's always been quieter than his twin, nods his head with a shy smile.

After Cat kisses both boys on their cheeks, I chuckle and help her to her feet. Ginger stands just inside the living room doorway, smiling softly. Cat walks to her and they hug.

"What have you been feeding those boys? I swear they've grown half a foot since we last saw them," Cat remarks.

Ginger replies with an easy laugh. "They take after their father too much. They're already towering over all the other kids in kindergarten. I wouldn't be surprised if they're taller than me before they hit their teens."

"What am I being accused of now?" a deep voice asks seconds before Mason appears. He walks to Ginger and stops behind her with a hand on her waist.

She looks over her shoulder at him, her eyes glinting with laughter. "Just that our boys are going to be giants like you."

Considering Ginger's short stature, the giant comment is accurate. Mason towers over his petite wife by well over a foot.

"You know what they say about tall men, right?" He wiggles his brows.

Ginger gives him a disgruntled look while jabbing her elbow in his ribs. "Behave."

We all laugh and follow Ginger and Mason to the large open kitchen. Peggy and Emily are looking into one of the steaming pots on the stove. Jacob, Peggy's husband, and Max are sitting at the table playing what looks like Go Fish with Skylar.

Max spots us first and gets up from his seat, moving to Cat with a tender expression.

"Hey, sis." He pulls her into his arms for a tight hug.

Cat and her family have always been close. Max moved to Montana several years ago, so we don't see him as often as we used to. The last time was almost a year ago. His first wife died during childbirth. Skylar was a year old when Max hired Emily as a nanny. They danced around each other for two years, pretending they didn't care about each other. Emily became her stepmother four years ago. Emily and Skylar adore each other, and Max fiercely loves them both.

Cat moves to Skylar next and the little girl gets up from the table, already expecting the hug and cheek kiss she gets from her aunt.

Cat cups Skylar's cheeks and stares down at her. "Oh my, you are simply gorgeous."

Skylar blushes as her cheeks puff out with her grin. "Thanks, Aunt Cat."

After dropping a kiss on her forehead, she steps up to Emily next. I hold my hand out to Jacob, then do the same with Max.

"How long are you guys here for?" I ask Max.

"A week. Pretty sure anything less than that and Mom would have my hide."

"I heard that," Peggy calls over her shoulder.

"Wasn't trying to hide it," he retorts, his lips twitching.

As Cat helps Peggy, Emily, and Ginger finish dinner, I join the kids at the large table for a game of Go Fish. Aiden sits in the chair beside me, and I help him with his cards. Josh is by Jacob and he does the same.

With the exception of Max, Cat's family is clueless to the more sinister side of my life, which is the way I prefer it. Max only knows because he caught me beating the shit out of a guy when I was trying to get answers from him. Max knew who the guy was, what he did, and the answers I was looking for. He didn't say a word, and even watched with a blank expression, as the guy begged and pleaded for his life. A plea that was ignored.

My attention is drawn back to the room by peals of laughter and giggles. When I've lost all my cards, to the kids' delight, I glance over at Cat. She's leaning against the counter, facing the table, her gaze unfocused. Her furrowed brows and the lost look fill me with dread. This is because I know her thoughts are moving to places that lead to bad things.

Before I can get up from the table and go to her, her gaze moves to me and the look fades with her smile, like the disturbing expression was never there. As the knot in my chest loosens, I smile back. She turns to the stove, but I keep a watchful eye on her in case she has another moment like she did seconds ago.

Once the food is done and the cards are put away, dinner is set out on the table in the dining room. Despite the abundance of food, everyone attacks the dishes like they're starving and may miss out on something. Peggy is a damn good cook, a result of the many years she spent working at the restaurant she and Jacob owned before they retired.

Small talk is made as we all catch up on each other's lives. It's rare that we're all together like this anymore, so there's a lot to go over. Max, who owns a ranch with Emily, talks about the extra help he had to hire because the corn production did so well this year. Emily gives horseback riding lessons, and she talks about the foal that was born a few weeks ago. The kids are mesmerized by the pictures on her phone.

Skylar grins proudly as she tells everyone that her mother let her watch from outside the stall. "The foal came out with a lot of yucky stuff, but after she was cleaned, she was beautiful. She has a cute little star-shaped spot on her forehead. Mama said I could name her, and Daddy said she'll be my new pony."

"I wanna ride a horse, Mama," Aiden says, looking imploringly up at Ginger.

She ruffles the top of his head. "We'll see about it the next time we visit Uncle Max and Aunt Emily."

His grin takes up his whole face.

"Mama, I need to go to the restroom," Skylar says, tugging on her mother's shirt sleeve.

"Go ahead, sweetie. Just make sure you wash your hands afterward."

Hopping from her chair, she takes off down the hallway.

"So, Cat," Ginger says, drawing everyone's attention. "When can I expect to get my hands on your next book?" She rubs her palms together, a gleeful expression filling her face.

Cat laughs. "It's going to be a while. It's not due to my agent for another month, and it's usually nine months or more after that before it releases."

Ginger gives her a sly look. "You could always give me what you have so far, and I could be a beta reader, or whatever it's called."

Cat's eyes shine with mirth. "Nice try, but you know I don't let anyone read my manuscripts before they're finished. But you'll be the first to get it before I send it to Darren. Well, the second." Her eyes slide to me, and I toss her a wink.

I'm proud to call myself Cat's number one fan. Ginger is a close second. We're both proud as fuck of Cat's accomplishments and success in her career. Her whole family is.

Ginger wrinkles her nose in disappointment. "Fine. I suppose I can wait until then."

Cat never lets anyone near her manuscript while she's writing. She much prefers to finish the story before anyone reads it.

"Hey, Mama, who are these kids?"

Everyone at the table turns quiet, and we jerk our gazes at Skylar as she walks back into the room. Her eyes are fixed on the framed picture she holds in her hand. My stomach drops just as everyone in the room, except for Cat, stiffens. All of us know what that picture represents, and we know what it might do to Cat.

Skylar, unaware of the turmoil her innocent act could cause, wedges herself between Emily and Cat's chair and holds the frame up for her mother to see. Unfortunately, it's at an angle where Cat can see it too.

Watching Cat's expression, I tense, prepared to intervene if necessary. Leaning closer, she seems unfazed by the image, but that could change at any moment.

Emily looks at the picture then quickly darts her gaze around the room to each person before she takes it from Skylar. Taking care not to alert Cat, she looks at her daughter while turning the frame away from her.

"Where did you get this?"

"The closet in the hallway."

Emily's voice is gentle. "You know you're not supposed to go through people's things."

Worry creases Skylar's forehead. "I didn't, Mama, I swear. I dropped my ring," she holds up her hand, showing off the pink plastic ring on her finger, "and it slid under the door. When I opened it to grab it, I saw the picture."

"Can I see it, Emily?" Cat asks, her voice low and filled with something that sends a ball of lead to my stomach.

Such an innocent question about something that should be a harmless act. One eight-by-ten image set in an elegant metal frame. The people in the image are just as innocent and so very precious. They should never be hidden away, but for now, it's for the best.

Before I can come up with an excuse to keep the picture out of Cat's hands, Peggy lets out a loud gasp and jumps from her chair. The front of her white blouse is soaked with tea.

"Well, shoot," she grumbles as she pulls her shirt away from her chest. "I'm so clumsy." She lifts her gaze to Cat. "Can you help me, honey? I don't want this to stain, and I know you have that special recipe you use. I can never get it right."

"Sure, Mom."

Cat tosses her napkin on the table and stands, unaware her mother just played the situation to distract her from the picture. She only got away with it because Cat allowed it. Or rather, her subconscious did.

My eyes meet Peggy's before she leaves the room, silently thanking her for her quick thinking.

As soon as they leave the room, Emily hands me the picture with an apologetic look, and I get up from the table. As a rule, I don't invade people's privacy—their bedrooms are theirs alone—but I do go into Jacob and Peggy's room and straight to their closets. There are a few more picture frames on a shelf at the top. Looking at the picture in my hand, I let my eyes linger on the two children. A beautiful young girl, not quite a teenager, with curly brown hair, is sitting in a wicker chair holding a toddler. She has her head down so her cheek is pressed against her little brother's. Both of them are smiling into the camera, their eyes filled with joy.

My throat tightens and the ache in my chest that never goes away, doubles in pain. Lifting the picture, I bring it to my lips and kiss it before placing it on top of the others.

* * *

The rideback to the house is quiet. Too quiet. It makes me worry. With a sideways glance, I see Cat staring out the passenger window. I don't know where her thoughts are, and not knowing is making me twitchy.

When they returned to the table after taking care of Peggy's shirt, she acted as if nothing had happened. Maybe I was wrong though. Perhaps that's why she looks so pensive.

Reaching over the console, I lace my fingers through hers.

"Hey," I call, grabbing her attention from the window. "You okay?"

From the streetlights we drive past, I see the small smile that curls her lips. "I'm fine. Just a little tired, and I feel a headache coming on."

"How about you take a pain pill while I draw you a bath when we get home?"

I take my eyes off the road long enough to see her shifting in her seat so she's facing me more.

"That sounds heavenly."

I bring the back of her hand to my lips. "Done."

Some of the stiffness in my shoulders loosens as I continue to navigate the streets. Over the years, I've perfected reading Cat's emotions pretty well, and I don't get the sense from her that she's not feeling more than what she claims.

But something tells me I'm wrong.