Chapter 5

"How about you tell me what's going on with Jack Little, Ally, and why you haven't said anything about him before now. Being called into the principal's office is a big deal. You know that, right?"

Brody had picked her up from school, and she now sat beside him as he drove down the lane where he and his family all lived. The locals had named it Duke Drive. The first house they came to was his uncle Asher's.

"Whose car is that?" Ally asked, rising in her seat to get a better look at the silver four-wheel drive parked beside his uncle's police department cruiser.

"That belongs to Ms. Jonas, the vet, I think," Brody said.

"Uncle Asher doesn't have pets. Why is she there?"

"Maybe she's just paying him a call about something?"

"Maybe. But?—"

"We're not discussing Uncle Asher. We're talking about you, Ally, so stop trying to change the subject."

He'd spent the rest of the day thinking about that entire incident at the school and Phoebe Stanway, but right now, he had to focus on his kid. Brody was sure Leroy Little was throwing around money to get his way and make sure his kid could do whatever the hell he wanted.

It didn't sit well with Brody. The Dukes had money, but few people knew about it, unlike the Littles, who made sure everyone did. He needed to get to the bottom of this, because he wasn't having Ally defending other kids from bullies and getting into trouble for it.

Of course, there was also the possibility she was causing trouble, and he needed to be open-minded about that too, much as he hated to admit it.

"I need to see Nana. She has a new shirt for me for the dance."

"Do you really think you should go to a dance, considering what happened today?" He watched his daughter's shoulders slump. "There have to be consequences for your actions, kiddo."

"He started it."

"I know you say he did, but your retaliation comes with ramifications."

"He deserved it," she muttered.

God, he loved this kid's spunk. She wasn't what you would call "easy to parent" now, but he'd read the books and known this attitude was coming. He pulled over slightly as a black sedan passed him. The tinted windows didn't tell him who was driving, but Brody guessed it was someone visiting Sawyer, as his was the only house past Brody's and his mother's. Seconds later, they turned into his mom's drive.

"We're going home to discuss this, Ally," he said, parking. "So go on in and get your shirt, and we'll say hi to Nana and then go."

"Dad," she said in that whiny voice he hated. She then got out and sprinted inside the house. Brody followed slowly, studying the home he and his siblings had repainted last year. His mother had insisted on the same color their dad had painted it years ago, because their father had loved it, and it was important to her to keep him close this way.

Brody couldn't imagine having a love that strong that years after the person had died, you were still honoring their memory. Had never found another to replace the one you'd loved so much. He'd thought Phoebe could be that for him… turned out he'd been wrong.

Big, homey, and filled with love, noise, and plenty of arguments, this place had been a haven for the Dukes over the years. First, after losing their father, and then for the multitude of reasons each sibling had endured growing up, from their first zit to their first breakup.

Following his daughter inside, Brody closed the door behind him. Voices told him his mother wasn't alone like he'd hoped. He'd wanted to get in and out. He and his kid had to talk this stuff through, and then she was doing extra chores tonight. That, plus he needed to cook their meal, help Ally with her homework, and then he had a few hours in his office before he got some sleep.

Pushing open the kitchen door, he stepped into the hub of the Dukes' home. He entered to the scent of baking. Large, with the sun streaming in the windows, it was Brody's favorite place. He'd sat here and laughed, eaten, and annoyed his siblings over the years. It was also in here he'd told his family he was going to be a dad. They'd dealt with the shock and rallied around him, and the woman he'd thought wanted to make a go of things with him, for the kid's sake.

And you know how that turned out too. Brody wasn't good at keeping women close and knew the fault was his but also wasn't sure he wanted to rectify it. He was happy with his life as it was right now. Adding a serious relationship into the mix would complicate things.

"What's that face for?" the brother below him in the Duke lineup asked. Ryder was seated at the table with Ally at his side, who was now eating cookies.

Brody gave his kid a hard look, which she ignored and wriggled closer to her big uncle. Ryder lifted an arm and lowered it around her shoulders as if sensing he was about to haul her out of there.

His family loved Ally and would do just about anything for her, including defending her against him.

"Do not pander to that kid," he said, pointing at his brother and then Ally. "She's in my bad books."

"Coffee, honey?" his mother said. "You look like you need it."

Resigned that he wasn't getting out of here anytime soon, he said yes. Then, after kissing his mother's soft, sweet-smelling cheek, he sat across the table from Ryder and Ally.

"I can't believe my sweet niece could do anything wrong," Ryder said, dropping a kiss on her head.

"I love you, Uncle Ryder."

"Cut that out. No one's buying that BS," Brody said, pointing at Ally this time. "You're just saying that to get him on your side."

"Why does she need me on her side?" Ryder asked.

This brother was the easygoing Duke, which didn't mean he was actually easygoing in normal-people terms, but when you related it to the rest of the siblings, it meant he took more crap before he fired up. Plus, he could be rational when everything around him was going to hell. Ryder was also the brother women loved most. Apparently there had been a poll once.

"Tell your nana and uncle exactly what you did. "

His daughter took a large bite of cookie. Brody simply sat back and looked at her. She'd break first; it was always the way.

"Hey."

"Uncle Ya Ya!" Ally said loudly, using the nickname she'd given him when she couldn't pronounce Sawyer.

"Hey, sweetheart." Sawyer leaned down to kiss the top of her head. He then cuffed Brody and Ryder on the top of theirs before moving to kiss their mom.

He was the oldest Duke. Big, and some would say mean, but that was just a facade for the teddy bear he really was. For a while there, they thought he'd lost any hope of functioning in society long enough to find a mate, and then Birdie McAllister had fallen into his lap. Sawyer was now happy and deeply in love.

"Hey, Mom. I'll take one of those coffees," Sawyer said, dropping into the seat next to Brody.

Robyn Duke was happiest surrounded by her family. To Brody's mind, she was still as beautiful as she'd always been. Age had given her a few more gray hairs and facial lines, but little else had changed.

"Two coffees coming right up," she said. "And, Ally, you begin with why you're in the doghouse with your father now."

"What did you do, squirt?"

"Nothing, Uncle Sawyer," Ally said quickly.

"Something," Brody added.

"Your dad's look tells me it's something bigger than you just stealing his shirts to sleep in or cutting off the sleeve of his sweater for Huffin to keep warm," Sawyer said.

Brody refused to smile at the image of finding his kid cuddled up with her fluff-ball pup this morning, with the dog wearing the jacket she'd made him.

"I got called into the principal's office today, and then he called Dad," Ally said solemnly. She then gave her uncles a look that would melt their hearts.

"Yeah? Must have felt uncomfortable for you, bud, seeing as you spent some time there in your youth," Sawyer said to Brody.

"We are not discussing me."

"Jack Little was being mean to Bobby and some others again," Ally added. She was looking at Sawyer, a defiant expression back in place now.

"Jack, the little sneak who I dealt with before?"

"What?" Brody shot Sawyer a look.

"Nothing," Sawyer said quickly.

"Definitely something," Brody snapped. "Spill now."

Ally looked panicked but said, "Bobby was being bullied by him ages ago, and Uncle Sawyer helped."

"Helped how, exactly?" Brody demanded. "And why didn't you come to me?"

"Settle down. It was between me and Ally. Don't go all wounded daddy on us," Sawyer said in that tone of voice that in no way had him settling down, which his eldest brother knew.

"Cut out the teasing, Sawyer," Ryder cautioned, always the peacemaker.

"Do not yell in my kitchen," Robyn Duke said, lowering mugs of steaming black coffee in front of Sawyer and Brody. "Hear everyone out, and then we'll work through the issues."

"This is not a forum, Mom. That kid is mine, and I make decisions regarding her welfare," Brody said. "Now someone better talk or?—"

"All right, already, calm the f—hell down," Sawyer said. "Games up, squirt," he then said to Ally. "Come clean with your dad."

"She should have come clean when it happened, or you should have," Brody muttered. "Who else is keeping her secrets? What else don't I know?"

His mother's hand settled on his shoulder and squeezed.

"Don't be angry with Uncle Sawyer, Dad."

"I don't know if I'm angry with him yet."

"I can handle him. Don't worry about it," Sawyer said. Brody elbowed him hard in the side, making him wheeze.

"One day I looked after her—not sure how long ago, but I think a couple of years," Sawyer said. "She was lying to you about being sick."

"Uncle Sawyer!"

"The truth needs to be told now, Ally," Sawyer said. "Your daddy is right. It was wrong of us to keep secrets. Tell him what happened."

Ally wrinkled her nose, which Brody usually thought cute but didn't right then.

"Bobby was being picked on by Jack Little and his friends. Some of the other kids too," Ally said. "So, I did Jack's homework so he would leave Bobby alone."

Brody pinched the bridge of his nose as Sawyer circled his finger for Ally to continue.

"Get it all out, kid, because you and I both know that's not the whole truth."

"Okay, so originally, like ages ago," she said as if it had been a lifetime, which it probably was to her, "I was getting paid to do assignments."

"What?" The word came out of his mouth in a growl.

"No way," Ryder said, smiling. "Your daddy used to do that."

"Shut up," Brody snapped.

"But Uncle Sawyer told me it was wrong, so I stopped," Ally added quickly. "Jack stopped picking on Bobby and the others because Uncle Sawyer talked to him, and everything was good. But he's started up again lately."

"I thought I'd taught that kid a lesson that would last longer," Sawyer said.

"You"—Brody pointed to his kid—"so much trouble. You"—he glared at Sawyer— "explain."

"I caught this Jack being mean outside Calloway's and told him to stop, politely," he added. "Ask Birdie. She was there and can vouch for me."

"It worked!" Ally beamed at her uncle.

"But now it's not, because today I was called into the principal's office—words I thought I'd never speak as an adult—because Ally booby-trapped this Jack Little's locker to spray blue dye everywhere when he opened it. He grabbed her, and she kneed him in the balls and then punched him."

Ryder held out a hand, and his niece high-fived him.

"Stop that," Brody hissed.

"Dad's friend Ms. Stanway is my substitute teacher," Ally said quickly, almost like she knew it would draw the attention away from her. How she knew, Brody wasn't sure, but his kid was sneaky.

"Ms. Stanway, as in?—"

"Yes," Brody cut Ryder off.

"I saw Phoebe outside Calloway's," Sawyer said. "She sure looks good."

"Returning to my kid and the fact she was running some kind of homework con?—"

"Mom, you must have known Phoebe was back in Lyntacky because you play bridge with her dad. How come you didn't tell Brody?"

Brody looked at his mother as Sawyer spoke. She was suddenly real busy wiping down the already gleaming appliances .

"Pardon?"

"You heard, Mom," Brody said.

She put down her cloth and looked at them. "I knew you'd run into each other when the time was right. She looks great. Sawyer's right."

Which means what, exactly? Brody wondered. He wasn't sure the time to run into the girl who he'd thought would one day be the mother of his kids would ever be right. But he could have done with an advance warning from the people who loved him.

He was tempted to go home and just call it a day. Pull the covers over his head and declare this one officially done.

"Why is Dad freaked out about seeing Ms. Stanway?" Ally asked.

Every adult in the room avoided meeting her eyes.