That’s what I’d done.
A fucking train I couldn’t stop that ushered my destruction.
Sought it.
And I refused to let Maggie stand in its path.
Royce’s voice cracked with the care he had for his sister. “She’s been hurt, man.”
“Know that.”
Before he could respond, my door banged open and a burst of wild energy came bounding in ahead of a clatter of excited footsteps. “Oh, Uncle Rhys, Uncle Rhys! Did you hears it? My baby cousin Amelia is here, and she’s soooooooo cute.”
Royce and I separated to find Daisy standing there with her hands pressed together like they were issuing a prayer, the child giggling and sighing and clearly enamored.
Daisy was nothin’ but adorable pigtails and earthshattering smiles, this wee little girl who’d gone and obliterated my heart.
She was the daughter of my oldest, closest friend, Richard Ramsey, lead guitarist of our band, and his wife, Violet.
Immediately, I knelt in front of her, brought to my knees.
Thing was, looking at her was pure pain and outright joy. My chest in knots every time her tinkling voice filled my ears.
“She is precious, isn’t she? Just like my Daisy Mae.” No fakin’ the smile that spread across my face.
Redness splashed her chubby cheeks. “You really thinks so or are you just givin’ me the teases?”
“Think so? Heck no,” I said, acting as offended as I could. “Scout’s honest truth.”
She beamed at me and then turned course, scampering over to Royce and throwing her arms around his knees. “Uncle Royce! I missed you. Your baby is the cutest, cutest. I hope you want to stay forever in South Carolina at our new house. Maybe you could build a house right next door. What do you thinks of that? I thinks it is a really smart idea. And I am the smartest. Just ask my papa.”
She rambled the words so fast she could make a man’s head spin.
But apparently, she had the exact same effect on Royce as she did me because he scooped her up into his arms and squeezed her tight. “Wow…that’s quite the plan. Who have you been scheming with?”
“Anna, of course.” Daisy shrugged like it should have been obvious. “She is my bestest friend in the whole wilds world and my cousin. Did you know Anna is my cousin? And now I get to have a baby brover so soon. I got so’s much family and all the amor, amor, amor.”
She lifted her arms out wide.
Affection pulsed.
Dense and thick.
My lungs squeezed.
Anna was Royce’s little girl from a previous marriage. Child shy and quiet. Basically, Daisy’s polar opposite.
Royce chuckled as he dropped a kiss to her temple. “Well, since she’s my daughter and you’re my niece, I think I might have had a suspicion she might be your cousin.”
Daisy frowned. “A suspicion? Suspicions are bad, bad things. Papa had a suspicions I ates all the oatmeal cookies.” She dropped her voice to a quieted confession. “And I did.”
I couldn’t cover my laugh as I pushed to standing. “Yeah, your uncle Royce is nothin’ but suspicions, isn’t he?”
I let it drop like the ones he was having about me were outrageous.
He shot me a glare as he set her onto her feet.
“Come on, Uncle Royce…we gotta go see your baby. Auntie Ems said I can even holds her!” She grabbed his hand and tried to tug him toward the door.
Royce started behind her only to pause to look back at me in the doorway. “Just…keep your distance from my sister and we won’t have a problem, yeah?”
I gave him a salute and a wild, unhinged smile. Nothin’ but the dull, thickheaded fuckwit. “Yes, sir.”
Like it didn’t matter a bit.
When in reality, the man was speaking wisdom, and I was giving him what I prayed to God was the utmost truth.
Three
Rhys
It was just after eight-thirty when I slipped out my bedroom door and into the hall. It was lit in a dim, golden glow by the sconces that hung on the wall between each room.
Conversations and laughter carried over the dull hum of music that played from below, echoing against the sleek marble floors and pulsing a little charge of excitement into my veins.
The kick-off party was in full swing.
I was chalking my lateness up to the fact that I was sharin’ a bathroom and had made sure to let Maggie go first.
You know, ever the upstanding gentleman.
If only that wasn’t a complete and utter fallacy.
What had really gone down was I’d spent the entire thirty minutes Maggie had been in the shower tryin’ not to imagine her on the other side of the door. Clothes discarded on the floor. Shower pounding over her sweet, tight body. Rivulets running her curves and splashing to the ground.
Once she’d gotten out and the lock had clicked, giving me the green light that it was my turn, I’d spent an inordinate amount of time in that exact spot trying to rein the need that was burning far too hot.