sounds shady,” Barbie tells Bambi who nods. “Did she happen to mention she was his sister-in-law when you met? Let me answer for you. No, she didn’t.”
“Daddy, what lady?” Sidonie asks.
“Her name is Lana Maude, and she lives in Kentucky.”
“Is the baby going to live with us?”
Squeezing my agitated daughter’s hand, I explain, “Carina will live with her mom, but they’re visiting this weekend.”
“Is she mean?”
“She’s just a baby, Sidonie. We won’t know if your sister is mean for at least a year or two.”
Grinning, Sidonie pulls at my hand. “Do you love her?”
“I felt the same way I did when I saw you for the first time.”
Smiling bigger, she knows that was love at first sight. Just like I told her a million times.
“Three daughters,” Bambi says and starts laughing. “Your balls sure like girls.”
“Wait, you had another kid?” Summer asks suddenly aware of something beyond her phone.
“Looks that way. A little girl named Carina.”
“How old?”
“A month.”
“I’m not babysitting.”
“She has Barbie’s nose.”
Summer’s teenage annoyance softens as she grins at her aunt. “I do too.”
“I got it from my ma,” Barbie says and runs her finger down the bridge of her nose. “It’s the Parrish family nose.”
Sidonie tugs at my hand. “Is Lana Maude nice?”
“She seems that way.”
“What if she doesn’t like me?”
“Then she better pretend she does. I can’t have anyone giving my girl shade.”
Sidonie immediately goes to her next worry. “Will she let me hold the baby?”
“Yes.”
“Is she a bad mom? Will she hurt the baby if we’re not around?”
“She has another daughter, and she seems real protective of Carina.”
“How old is her other daughter?”
“Nine.”
Now worried about competition, Sidonie pouts. “Is she nice?”
“I didn’t meet her. She was at school.”
“Will she come with Lana Maude and Carina?”
“Probably.”
Pouting harder, Sidonie is getting all riled up. Her tender heart is always on the verge of suffering a new wound.
“Want to look at pictures of your little sister?”
Sidonie gives me a beautiful smile. “Is she tiny?”
“Maybe you ought to hold up?” Bambi says, standing and crossing her arms. I do fucking love when she tries to intimidate me. “You don’t even know for sure.”
“But she has Barbie’s nose,” Sidonie says immediately.
“We can’t be sure until the blood test comes back. People lie, Bronco.”
“I got a feeling about this woman.”
Bambi is ready to give me shit about how I’ve never been right about any woman. I can’t deny I’ve gotten unlucky with the ladies I’ve knocked up over the years. Summer’s mom was trash. Sidonie’s mom ain’t much better. Lana Maude, though, is beautiful enough for me to believe I’ve finally made a kid with someone who won’t abandon it in a dumpster.
Admittedly, my expectations for a baby mama aren’t particularly high.
LANA
My heart hurts when Bronco leaves the house. The sound of his motorcycle fading in the day sets off my tears. River frowns real hard while Max looks worried. They’re only making me feel more on the spot.
I know my one-night stand with Bronco put River in a bad position. The Reapers and the Executioners aren’t friendly. His expression when he found out about Carina’s dad scared the shit out of me. River’s face went blank as if the news broke him. Fortunately, Shelby Campbell was there to recharge his batteries.
The tall, busty brunette’s big personality helps me today too. Shelby appears from the basement, where her office is located. Strapped to her chest is her week-old daughter, Kirby. Shelby and I were preggo pals, delivering a month apart.
“Stand back,” she tells River and my sister. “Allow me to take over here. I have all the skills.”
“You were crying for an hour earlier today,” River mutters.
“Those were tears of joy, dingus.”
Shelby gestures for me to bring Carina into the TV room, where she shuts the door and sits next to me on the couch.
“Was he as handsome as you remember?” she asks, handing me a tissue.
“Even more so.”
“I saw him on the security cameras. I can see why you’re hung up on him.”
“It’s just so Carina has a father.”
“Oh, I know,” Shelby lies badly. “I would never assume otherwise.”
“Bronco was really nice when he found out. I thought he might yell or call me names or just not believe it. Instead, he was sweet and wanted to hold Carina.”
I tear up again at the memory of Bronco cradling his daughter. He took pictures too. Never gave me a moment of shame over dropping the news on him.
“I need to keep my head on straight,” I say, wiping my eyes again. “I’m