Mina shot him a withering glare.
He held up his hands in surrender. “I thought you said you wanted me to remind you of your promise to lose weight…”
She hissed at him. “I told you this when it came to me eating out. This isn’t eating out. This is eating in.”
Her logic was strong. I agreed with her there.
The execution…well, that could use some work.
“If that’s what you want to tell yourself…” he grunted, then closed his eyes, moving his daughter up until she was tucked just beneath his chin.
His daughter didn’t even make a peep, and I found myself grinning.
My newest niece was a doll, and she was one of the best babies I’d ever had the pleasure of being in the presence of.
I turned to find Fender standing in the middle of the living room. He was looking at Mina with amusement as she handed over forty dollars. “Give me the Thin Mints.”
“She just bought all the boxes that I have,” the girl said weakly.
Mina’s head whipped around. “You bitch!”
“Language!” I pointed at the little girl.
Mina’s face colored. “I’m sorry, Fender.”
He shrugged. “Her dad’s an oil hand. Trust me, she’s heard worse.”
The girl started nodding.
“I bought them for you, anyway,” I said, pulling out my wallet and fishing out the cash that I had. “You can help me pay for them, though. I only have twenty-five.”
After learning what else was owed, Mina handed over the cash, and then took the boxes of cookies from the girl, who’d pulled her little red wagon into the living room behind her.
“You need to have her carrying way more than that,” I said. “Where are the extras?”
Tobias looked down at the girl.
“Are they at your dad’s, or your mom’s, Leida?”
Leida shrugged. “I think that they’re at Mom’s. But she was supposed to take them over to Dad’s today while I was at school.”
“Hmm,” Tobias hummed. “Let’s try your dad’s, then. Then we’ll try your mom’s if they’re not there.”
I wondered what the little girl’s situation was, but that was none of my business. I’d also be damned if I acted interested in Tobias’ life.
There was nothing good to come of that.
No way, no how.
But did those thoughts keep me from spending time with them? No.
He’d been at my house two days in a row, and both times I hadn’t hesitated to go with him.
What was wrong with me?
I walked out the door with them thirty minutes later—after Tobias adorably held baby Gianna like she was the most precious thing in the world—but we won’t talk about what that did to my ovaries.
“So where to?” I asked once I buckled myself into the front of Tobias’ truck.
He slammed the door shut and started the truck then turned and watched as Leida buckled herself into her booster seat. Once she was in, he put the truck into drive and then started down the street. Only to stop less than four houses later and pull into a driveway.
“This is it?” I asked.
He nodded. “Then why did you make us buckle up?”
“Because Uncle Tobias is an officer with the Highway Patrol, and Daddy says he has a stick up his butt when it comes to traffic laws,” Leida ever so helpfully supplied.
My lips twitched when ‘Uncle Tobias’ growled.
“Is that so?” I asked. “Imagine that.”
I hadn’t known he was a police officer. I’d, of course, suspected. My brother was a police officer for three years. There was just something about his demeanor and appearance that screamed ‘officer.’
I’d only allowed myself to know that he was a member of the Dixie Wardens. I hadn’t actually spent the time while we were together gathering information about him.
The more information I knew, the more I liked him. And that was a huge problem.
After a cursory search through the house for the extra boxes, and a very good discussion on where would be best to sell said cookies, Tobias came out empty-handed.
“They’re at my mom’s, I guess,” Leida said softly.
Then she sighed, as if her entire world was now ruined.
“It’ll be okay, baby doll,” Tobias put the truck into gear. “Promise.”
I wanted to ask more questions. In fact, the words were right on the tip of my tongue, burning me with their intensity as I held them back.
But I held strong and true, and didn’t say a thing for the entire five-and-a-half-minute drive—yes, I counted the minutes instead of talking—to the mom’s house.
I blinked when I saw a woman standing in the yard, staring at us as we pulled up.
“Stay in the car, darlin’,” Tobias ordered as he got out. Then he looked directly at me. “Don’t get out of this car, okay?”
My brows rose.
Then I nodded.
He blew out a breath and then headed in the direction of the woman.
“My mommy doesn’t like Uncle Toby.”
That was a cute name.
It was even cuter that Tobias could be an ‘Uncle Toby’ to this little girl, who looked like she was scared of her own freakin’ shadow.
I gave the girl a smile, one that I hoped reassured her, and turned to face the window where I could see the two people that were standing out in the front yard.
Tobias said something, and then the woman gestured at him with a flick of her cigarette.
I bit my lip when the ashes flew onto Tobias’ clothes.
He didn’t even bother to flick them off, only stared at her.
She said something, and then flicked her cigarette again.
This time, Tobias calmly lifted his hand, extracted the cigarette out of the woman’s hands, and dropped it to the ground where he promptly dug his booted toe into the ground, extinguishing it.
I barely contained the urge to laugh.
The woman’s expression was comical.
Though she was pretty enough— thick, blonde hair that was braided into a tight tail down her back. Long legs topped with a pair of shorts that were so worn and old looking that I wasn’t sure if they were actually old, or just made to look that way.
Her tank top said “CHEER” on it, and her eyes were a dull shade of green that would make her blend in if she didn’t have the most perfect body this side of the Alabama line.
The woman even had a kid, and she had the body that I’d kill for.
I looked down at myself.
My thighs were large. I’d never be the type of woman that had a thigh gap.
My hair was long and brown, but I had to work at it to make it look halfway decent. If I didn’t straighten it, it would be this wavy, scraggly mess.
My eyes were a warm, rich green.
Then there were my boobs.
Those were just weird.
One had always been bigger than the other. Always.
And if it was that time of the month, it was almost perceptible by people other than me.
I mean, if I noticed it, then other people could, too, right?
None of the men I’d been friends with had though, and I intended to keep it that way.
Though, for a man to notice, he’d have to get close enough, and I was damn good at keeping them at arm’s length. At least in the last seven years, that was.
Or that had been the case until Tobias.