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Tomorrow I’d give both Quinton and Tyson a piece of my mind about it.

Tonight, I would let them live it up and handle that little baby Alexander my own damn self.

28

Rain Kimber

“I’m so drunk,” Isobel sang in a happy voice that was very different from her usual voice. It was lighter and probably what she’d sounded like before the Council had gotten hold of her and did their damage.

I was happy she was happy, but I wasn’t interested in being around her while she was drunk anymore. The girl was handsy, and I’d had to pry her grabby hands off my ass twice now just in the last fifteen minutes. It wasn’t my idea of a good time.

I was too old for her. Too fucked up and emotionally unavailable. Still too devoted to the memory of a dead woman.

And no matter how much I told the girl in front of me no, she didn’t seem to care. In fact, it just seemed to spur her on more.

I admired her dedication, really I did, but enough was e-fucking-nough.

With Romero’s eyes finally off my ass for once and on Isobel, I had hope that maybe he’d take her crazy ass off my hands. If they started fucking each other, maybe they’d leave me alone and I could be in peace by my fuckin’ self again.

“You’re drunk too,” she slurred. “And as much as you won’t admit it, I know you want me. A girl has needs, Rainy. We should fuck.”

Kill me now.

She was wrong but right at the same time. I wasn’t drunk. I’d been drinking water over ice and passing it off as booze. This wasn’t the setting for me to drink and let my inhibitions go in. My daughter needed me to keep a clear head for her tonight so thatshecould let loose and enjoy herself.

But my dick definitely got hard for Isobel sometimes, as much as I hated it.

I needed to get herthefuckaway from me. And right goddamn now.

I grabbed her arm, probably too roughly, and dragged her ass off the makeshift dance floor.

And that was another thing. I danced with her. I didn’t dance. I didn’t have a good time, that wasn’t me.

I was afraid I was giving her the wrong message in a really big way.

And now I was just fucking done.

“Rain, what are you—”

“Take this,” I growled as I shoved her down onto Romero’s lap.

“What am I supposed to do with her?” he asked in surprise.

If he had to ask me that, then I was in more trouble with these two assholes than I had originally thought.

I walked away from that hot mess, and I didn’t bother looking back.

They both wanted to chain me down, but after a long time of roaming on my own, the only person I wanted to be chained to was my daughter.

My daughter who currently had her finger in Brighton’s face, that kid’s beer in her hand, and her mouth was running. The kid looked bored, but he didn’t fool me for a second. He did this shit for attention, and Ariel was just the person to give it to him.

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I tried.

She was happy, truly happy today, and my heart hadn’t felt this light in years.

I sat my ass on the ground at a lonely fire with my back to the woods so I could watch the action happening all around me.

Baxter was making friends with boys for the first time in his life. My boy had a hard go at life so far, and I worried him living with me wasn’t always the best thing for him, but I was far too selfish to give him up.