Page 21 of Cinder & Secrets (Ink & Ashes #2)

“The girls’ cups are in the fridge. No drinks without lids.

They’ve already had a snack, but if they get hungry before Avery and Dalton get here, there is a package of goldfish crackers in the pantry they can have.

If Lacy has an accident, there is a change of clothes in the diaper bag on the kitchen table.

Make sure you put her on the potty every thirty minutes, otherwise she will have an accident. ”

“Every thirty minutes, got it.”

“And, River, under no circumstances are you to give them candy.”

“No candy, understood. Anything else?”

“Call me if you have any questions about anything at all.”

“I’ve got this. You can go.”

I’m starting to think they find me as incapable at this job as Lyric does.

“Okay.” My mom moves farther into the room and drops kisses to the top of both girls’ heads. “Memaw will see you babies later. Love you.”

“Love you.”

“Wove woo.”

“Say bye, Memaw.” I take Lacy’s hand, waving it for her.

“Bye. Bye.” Lacy bounces in my lap.

My dad appears moments later, following my mom out the front door with nothing more than a backward wave. A man of many words, that one.

“Finally,” I murmur under my breath.

“Finally,” Lyla mirrors my word, giving me a toothy grin.

“What do you girls want to do this afternoon?”

“Trampoline!” Lyla stands abruptly, forgetting all about her coloring page as she bounds toward the back door.

“Well, Wacy. What do you say? You wanna go jump on the trampoline?”

She nods enthusiastically, climbing out of my lap to chase after her sister.

I’ve just stood to follow them when my phone rings.

“Seriously, you just left,” I grumble, expecting it to be my mom, only when I look at the screen, I see that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Charlotte O’Malley,” I answer, grinning when her face appears on the screen.

It’s only recently that we started to FaceTime, and I have to say, I rather like being able to hear her and see her. Certainly gives a whole new meaning to phone sex. Makes me wonder why we waited so long to do it.

“River Parker.” She graces me with that beautiful smile of hers. “What are you doing?”

“At the moment, I’m getting ready to take the girls outside to jump on the trampoline.”

“You’re at your parents’?”

“Don’t worry, no one is here.”

“Wait. You’re babysitting?” She crinkles her nose, accentuating the freckles that pepper her perfect ivory skin.

“Why is everyone so surprised by this? I am capable of taking care of my nieces.”

“I have no doubt. Just surprised you didn’t mention it.”

“It was a last-minute thing. Avery and Dalton decided they didn’t want to have to take the girls to Lyla’s parent-teacher conference, but my parents already had dinner plans.”

“I see. So is Uncle Wiver going to jump on the trampoline with them?”

I laugh at her pronunciation of my name.

“I would, but I’d probably bounce them right out of the damn thing if I did. You want to say hi?” I ask, following after the girls, who are not so patiently waiting at the back door. “Girls, do you want to say hi to Charlotte?” I flip the phone around so they can see her.

“Hi,” they say in unison before Lyla takes over.

“We’re going to jump on the trampoline.”

“So I heard.” Charlotte’s voice is sweet as silk. “Do you like jumping on the trampoline?”

Lyla nods enthusiastically.

“What about you, Lacy?”

“Yep.” She pops the P, rocking back on her heels.

“Can we go now?” Lyla whines.

“Say bye to Charlotte.”

“Bye.” Both girls wave into the phone and when I flip it back around, I find Charlotte smiling widely.

“They are too cute.”

“I know, right. Too cute for their own good.”

“Come on, Uncle Wiver.” Lacy tugs at my shirt. My parents have taught them they don’t step foot outside without an adult, so neither tries to open the door, but they definitely aren’t happy that I’m making them wait.

“Okay. Okay.” I chuckle, opening the back door before ushering them both out. After helping Lacy onto the trampoline with her sister, I zip them inside and then move toward the back porch to sit on the bottom step where I have the perfect view of them.

“Sorry about that.” I turn my attention back to Char.

“No worries. How has your day been?”

“Stressful but good.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Not really. I’d rather you tell me about your day.”

“Not much to tell. I had class all morning and then I met Lyric for coffee earlier. She mentioned something about family weekend.”

“Yeah, she called me earlier.” I nod.

“Are you going to come?”

“Not sure it’s the best idea,” I admit. “I think I’d much rather skip it and spend the weekend just you and me.”

“I wish. Unfortunately, that’s not really possible given that my parents will be in town.”

“They’re coming?”

“Yeah. They did last year too. They usually just come up for a day. Because they live relatively close, they opted not to stay in a hotel, so they’ll only be here for a few hours.” She pauses for a brief moment. “Aren’t your parents coming this year?”

“They are.”

“See, even more reason for you to come.”

“I wouldn’t say that’s more reason.” I chuckle. “I see my parents all the time.”

“I guess that’s true. I forget that you live so close to them.”

“Lyla, get off your sister.” I shake my head, returning my attention to Charlotte. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you think I should come?”

“You already know the answer to that.”

“You don’t think it’s risky?”

“No more risky than what we’re already doing. At least this way, it’ll give me a chance to see you.”

“See me but not touch me.”

“Says who?” Her smile turns sheepish. “If you get a hotel room...”

“Are you saying you’ll spend the weekend with me?”

“Like you even have to ask.” She rolls her pretty green eyes with a smile.

“Okay, I’ll come.”

“You will?”

“Took a lot to convince me, didn’t it?” I snort out a laugh. “Seems I have trouble telling you no, Miss O’Malley.”

“Some would argue it’s the other way around, Mr. Parker.” She draws her bottom lip between her teeth in a way that makes me desperate to do the same.

Crying tugs my attention back to the girls and I see Lacy lying in a heap, holding her head as she wails.

“Shit. I gotta go. Niece down.”

“She okay?” Worry laces her voice.

“She will be. As soon as her sister stops using her as a body slam bag.” I stand, quickly closing the distance between me and the girls.

“Call me later once you’re home.”

“I will.”

“Talk soon.” With that, she disconnects the call.

An hour later, Avery and Dalton arrive. I’m happy to report that other than Lyla trying to smash her sister’s head in on the trampoline, there were no other incidents to speak of. It did, however, reinforce my indecision over having children one day.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my nieces dearly. But spending less than two hours as their sole caretaker and I am more than happy to pass them back off to their parents.

“Did you have fun with your uncle?” Avery asks as she swoops Lacy up, kissing all over her face.

“Yes!” My youngest niece is quick to answer.

“What did you girls do?” Dalton asks, taking the seat next to his oldest daughter, who has resumed coloring her butterflies.

“We colored. Jumped on the trampoline. Talked to Uncle River’s girlfriend. And then watched some cartoons.”

My stomach tightens at something she glazed over so casually. Something my brother and his wife certainly did not miss.

“Girlfriend?” Dalton’s gaze finds mine, a thick brow arching in question.

“She’s just a friend.”

“And what is her name? This friend of yours?” Avery asks with a smile on her face.

“Charlotte,” Lyla answers before I can, never looking up from the picture she’s coloring. “She was here with Auntie Lyric before. She has red hair and pretty freckles and she and Uncle River are going to spend the weekend in a hotel.” She glances over at her dad. “What’s a hotel?”

I gape at my oldest niece, way more perceptive than I gave her credit for.

“It’s a place where people stay when they’re on vacation, remember? We stayed there when we went to meet the princesses at Disney.”

“Oh yeah.” She smiles, resuming coloring.

“Can I, uh, talk to you outside?” Dalton’s eyes narrow in on me.

“I’ll get the girls ready,” Avery tells him. I feel her eyes on my back as I follow her husband out onto the front porch.

“Charlotte?” Dalton turns on me the second the door closes between us and the girls.

“She’s just a friend.” The lie comes out too quickly.

“Just a friend...” He lets out a disbelieving snort. “I saw you, you know. The night we were all here for family dinner. The night Charlotte was here visiting our sister.” He gives me a pointed look.

“Saw me do what?” My chest restricts, limiting the amount of air I can pull into my lungs.

“She came out from down the hallway all flushed and distracted. I thought little of it until less than a minute later, you appeared from the same area, also looking flustered and dazed.”

“You never said anything.” I work my jaw in irritation at my carelessness.

“Because I wasn’t sure.” He shakes his head slowly. “River, tell me you aren’t sleeping with one of our little sister’s best friends.”

“I’m not.”

“You’ve always been a shit liar.” He runs his hand through his hair, exhaling a deep breath.

“It’s not what you think.”

“Does Lyric know?” He cuts me off before I can complete the lie.

I deflate, realizing I’ve been caught and no matter how much I lie, Dalton is going to see right through it. He’s always been good at snuffing out my bullshit.

“No,” I finally admit.

“But you are sleeping with her?”

“Yes.” It’s my turn to blow out a hard breath.

“And you think that’s not going to blow up in your face at some point?”

“It’s just sex. We’re two consenting adults who happen to be attracted to one another. It’s nothing serious.”

“Nothing serious.” He grimaces like the words taste bitter on his tongue. “You let the girls talk to her, Riv. That doesn’t sound like just sex to me.”

“Because you can’t talk on the phone with a person you’re having casual sex with?”

“Because if it were just sex, you wouldn’t care enough to.”

He has a point, not that I would ever admit that to him.

“You can’t tell Lyric.”

“Do I have idiot written on my forehead?” He gestures to his face. “I’m not telling her shit. You are.”

“Dalton...”

“I’m serious, River. After everything that girl has been through. After all the lies and deception she endured last year, you’d think you’d understand more than most how hurt she’ll be by yet another person she loves lying to her.”

“What would you have me do?”

“Come clean. Tell her the truth. And then grovel like hell and hope she can forgive her own brother for lying to her.”

“You say that like it’s so simple.”

“It is.” He clasps me on the shoulder. “It really is.” He turns to go back inside. “And, Riv... Do us both a favor and do it sooner rather than later. You know firsthand the longer the lie, the more deeply the deception cuts.”

He doesn’t have to say he’s talking about Annie. I already know he is. And fuck him for even bringing that shit up.

“I will tell her,” I say to his back. “When the time is right.”

“There won’t be a right time, Riv. You and I both know that. Tell her, and tell her soon, before it ruins your relationship with her entirely.” With that, he disappears inside.