Joke’s on You by Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,54

life. I know why I can’t keep him. I’m not quite crazy enough to think that I can control a dog,” she murmured against my skin.

Knowing that she didn’t want to talk anymore about this, I changed the subject.

“Hey, Dillan?” I asked softly.

Dillan moved until her back was facing the window and her front was facing me. “Yeah?”

I swallowed. “I want you to move in with me.”

“That might leave Delanie in a bind if she ever has to leave like she’s doing now,” I admitted. “Not necessarily with Asa, but with the dogs and the kennel.”

I debated whether or not to say the next thing on my mind, but then chose to go ahead and give it all to her.

“How about you worry about us,” I said softly. “We can help your sister out when she needs it, but I’m…” I blew out a frustrated breath. “I think we’ve done enough living for other people. Now it’s our turn.”

She moved until her lips could press against my chest.

“You don’t think it’s too soon?” she wondered.

I moved until she was splayed fully on top of me, her head resting against my heart.

“Do you think it’s too soon?” I asked. “Because I wouldn’t have asked you if I thought it was.”

She snorted. “Does this not hurt?”

She pressed her hands to my still sore chest.

“No,” I lied. “Answer the question.”

She snickered. “You’re being quite pushy.”

“You’re evading answering the question,” I countered.

She sighed. “I don’t think it’s too soon. But I’m fearful that you’ll realize it’s too soon after I’ve already moved in. Or realize that I’m not nearly as cool to be around when it’s my time of the month. Or when I get up Saturday and Sunday mornings at the ass crack of dawn to make donuts.” She paused. “I go to bed at eight o’clock.”

I grinned and ran my hand up and down the length of her back.

“There are some nights that I get a call out at one in the morning,” I said. “And there are others where I’ve been up on my feet from the time the sun rises to the moment that it sets. And all I want to do is fall asleep in my recliner at six o’clock.” I paused. “I snore. I drink too much sometimes on the weekends. I cook a mean steak, but I can’t cook anything else. And, a lot of the times, I leave the toilet lid up.”

She snickered. “That’s a deal-breaker for me. You’re going to have to get that under control or this deal is off.”

I felt my chest lighten at her words, as if a huge weight had been lifted off of my chest.

“So if I promise to kick that habit, you’ll give me what I want?” I asked, confirming her words.

“Do you promise to never say a word about how much ice cream I eat on a daily basis?” she asked.

“Promise,” I teased. “I’ll never comment.”

“One more thing,” she said.

“Okay…” I waited for her to ask.

“Is your family the type of family that runs races on holiday mornings, or is it the type of family that drinks mimosas?”

Chapter 12

Skaweeeeeee reweeeerrt bedong beedong tschchchchchc.

-Dial up internet.

Dillan

“It’ll be okay, Delanie,” I said into my phone. “I promise. The doctor didn’t seem at all worried about it. The appointment is set with the specialist, and we did it for Thursday, so you should be able to get there in time.”

She made a non-committal sound in the back of her throat.

“Shit,” she said. “I’m just… terrified. Migraines aren’t that bad, right?”

I wouldn’t know. I’d never had them.

I’d been blessed, because I’d heard that they were god-awful.

Not that I would be telling Delanie that.

“Ummm,” I hesitated, not wanting to lie to my sister, but not wanting for her to worry while she was all the way in Austin. “I don’t know.”

She sighed. “I love you, Dill Pickle.”

“I love you, too, Delanie Weenie.”

She laughed. “One day you’ll come up with a good one.”

One day I would.

Delanie had nothing that rhymed with her name, and nothing that went cutely with it like ‘Dill Pickle’ did.

One day she would be right, and I’d find the perfect one.

Until then, I would just keep making up random ones that didn’t.

“I gotta go. Bourne needs to use the bathroom,” she whispered. “Bye.”

I frowned.

Hadn’t they gotten two hotel rooms?

Just as I was about to call her ass back and demand answers, my phone buzzed.

Thinking it would be Delanie, I immediately tapped through to the message.

I looked down at the text,