Page 59 of Brokered Betrayals
Once upon a time, those words would’ve triggered a host of negative reactions for Royce, but now they only made him smile. “A sexy silver fox with lethal charm? I’ll take my chances.”
Eddie guffawed and moved down the line.
Andrew, Kelsey, and Ella stepped up to make their sundaes next. Ella pointed at the goodies she wanted and clapped when her parents obeyed her commands. Father and daughter moved on down the line, but Kelsey joined them instead of making a sundae for herself.
“Your little miss will probably need a diaper change now that her formula has settled.” She moved closer and lowered her voice. “Pretty sure one of those farts wasn’t dry.”
Sawyer cackled, kissed her cheek, and headed into the living room to get Darla from her bouncy chair.
“How’s he really doing with the adoption delay?” Kelsey asked Royce once they were alone. “This must be especially hard for him. You and I know this is going to work out, but our rights aren’t in question.”
“I think the anticipation of the delay was almost harder than finally receiving the news. The buildup got to him, and he had some really dark moments where he wondered if he’d ever get to claim Darla as his legal daughter. We’ve had some heartfelt conversations over the past few days, and we’re both in a good place. Having you here tonight helped, and I’m so glad you came. You should’ve brought your mom too.”
Kelsey laughed. “She needed a break from us. She mentioned something about a bubble bath and excellent wine.”
“How much longer is she staying?”
“Just one more week,” Kelsey replied. “You can see I’m getting around well. I still have three more weeks before I can drive, but that’s not really an issue. I don’t have anywhere to be, and Andrew has plenty of saved personal time if I need him.”
“Sawyer or I would happily chauffeur you around.”
“Appreciate it.” Ella called for her across the room, so she patted Royce’s shoulder and headed that way.
He saw an opening at the brookie sundae and took it. He sliced a modest piece of the dessert and placed it at the bottom of the bowl. Royce topped it with a single scoop of peanut butter chip ice cream, chocolate sauce, a generous swirl of whipped cream, and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts. He stood off to the side of the room to eat his treat while watching Sawyer’s interactions with Darla as he placed her back in her bouncy chairafter her diaper change. Eddie tossed his bowl in the trash and joined him.
“I brought the letters from your Aunt Tipsy,” he said. “I’ll get them out of the car before we leave.”
“Thank you.” Royce had always loved Aunt Tipsy’s handwriting. His favorite recipe cards were the ones she filled with her looping cursive. Royce had laminated them years ago to preserve those cherished pieces of the woman he loved so much. He chuckled when he imagined the gruff and gritty words she’d written to Eddie in her feminine script. Maybe Royce’s expression gave the direction of his thoughts away because Eddie snorted.
“Yep. Some of those letters are as raucous as you’re thinking. They practically singed my fingers when I held them.”
“I bet. Aunt Tipsy was never one to hold back her opinion.”
“The world had better look out if her namesake is half as feisty,” Eddie said.
“So, I noticed something sparkly on Jo’s ring finger. Why didn’t you tell me you got engaged?”
Eddie’s cheeks turned pink. “Tonight is about celebrating your new family, and we didn’t want to pull focus. I’ll shout it from the rooftops soon.”
“Forget that,” Royce said and cleared his throat obnoxiously loud. “There’s more to celebrate tonight than our little angel.” He looked at his dad with a raised brow.
Eddie grinned like an idiot as he sought Jo in the crowd. “My lady has agreed to marry me.”
The room erupted in cheers as everyone moved to congratulate the engaged couple. Royce saluted Eddie with a spoonful of sundae and stepped out of the fray.
The gathering wound down after dessert. Dane didn’t put up a fuss when Sawyer suggested he take the leftover brookie home, but he got really stubborn when Royce offered to helpwith upcoming expenses so he wouldn’t have to work so much overtime.
“I admire your determination and independence,” Royce said, “but don’t let your positive traits become detrimental out of misguided stubbornness.”
“I won’t,” Dane promised. “I have this under control.”
“And if you discover otherwise?” Sawyer asked.
“I will call you. I promise.” Dane hugged them both and headed outside to where Cayden waited in the car. The teenager had talked nonstop about his driver’s education classes and the practice driving they’d been doing. Cayden waved from behind the steering wheel, and the dashboard illuminated his excited face. Dane stopped and faced them. “If you want to help, you could ride shotgun with Cayden a few times a week to help him get more driving experience.”
Royce sensed a potential trap, but he stepped into it anyway. “Of course. Just let me know when.”
“You got it.”