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“Relax.” Tierney’s voice was calm and bubbly like it always was, but it grated on Miranda’s nerves. She always sounded like she was talking to a baby. She’d never grown up. “I’ll be home soon.”

“When is soon?” Miranda wanted an answer. The call that evening to pick Rebel up from daycare had been unexpected, and she’d had to leave work early just to get to the daycare on time—which she hadn’t quite managed. It had been a mess. But everything with Tierney was.

“I don’t know.” Tierney giggled. “He’s picking me up at the airport in an hour.”

“Picking you up?” Miranda shook her head wildly. “Where are you?”

“Dallas!”

“What?” Miranda clenched her fist tightly, her nails digging into her palm. “You didn’t tell me you were leaving the state when you called. You said you had a date.”

“I do have a date! He’s picking me up in an hour.”

“In a different state! Halfway across the country!” Miranda knew she was reaching screech levels, but did she really have another option? What mother would leave their two-year-old to go on a date with a man she’d never met halfway across the country? It was irresponsible. Though Tierney had never been responsible.

“But he could be the love of my life.”

“You said that about Mike—Mark—Nick?” She could never keep up with them.

Rebel screamed from the backseat, letting Miranda know just how pleased she was with being strapped into the car seat. At least she had one of them in the car since Tierney had far too often not been reachable to pick up Rebel after hours.

“Nick.” Tierney corrected. “And he wasn’t the one. But Jason might be.”

“Oh god.” Miranda pinched the bridge of her nose. “You have to come home, Tierney.”

“I’m going on my date.”

Miranda groaned. “I’m not Rebel’s mother. I can’t be her mother. She needs you, not me. I have a job I work long and weird hours at. I can’t possibly play parent to a toddler who runs wild through stores.”

“What?” Tierney laughed, and Miranda could clearly hear the PA system in the airport through the phone. “What happened?”

“She ran away in the grocery store.”

“Didn’t you put her in the cart? Strap her in?”

“She screamed at me.”

“She’s two, Miranda! You can pick her up and put her wherever you want!”

Maybe you can. Miranda clenched her jaw tightly. How was she supposed to explain to her entitled, flakey sister that she didn’t want to do that? That no matter how many times she picked Rebel up, Rebel tried to escape and pull away because Miranda wasn’t Rebel’s mother. Nor did she want to be. Parenting was something she never had a desire to do.

“I need you to come home.”

“I can’t do that.”

Growling, Miranda shoved the gear shift harder than necessary and put the car into reverse. She really shouldn’t be driving when she was so ticked off, but she had to get home and feed the monster in the back seat. That was the problem, right? They were both hangry. Well, Rebel might be. Miranda was just pissed.

“You can’t abandon your child!” Miranda stepped a little too hard on the gas, jerking out of the parking spot. She gasped when she saw the front of a cart and came to a sharp stop. Blowing out a breath, she eased her way out of the spot this time. “She’s yours. You deal with her.”

“But this is real this time. I promise you,” Tierney pleaded.

“You haven’t even met Nick…or whatever his name is.”

“Jason.” Tierney sounded annoyed now.

Good. She could be in the same boat Miranda was, finally. “Yeah, sure. Jason.” Miranda rolled her eyes, coming to the edge of the parking lot and waiting for a bright red SUV to go past her.

She jerked her chin up when she eyed who was in the car—the pretty brunette from the store. The one who had caught Rebel on her last escape. Miranda swore the glare could be seen through the windows, the deep glare and disappointment of being a shit parent. Well, she wasn’t the parent. She wasn’t even supposed to be in charge of a toddler—ever. She hadn’t wanted that. She’d done enough when trying to raise her kid sister growing up because her parents had all but washed their hands of her.