“I know. Have you counted the money you saved before living with Darian?”
Larkin nodded. “I have about seventeen hundred. How about you?”
“I have only a little over a thousand.”
“That will be enough to get us there,” Larkin advised her.
“But what if we don’t find jobs right away?” Brylee asked.
Larkin sighed. “Maybe we can get part-time jobs now and save up. I won’t take any money from Darian.”
“I agree. I don’t use the money Gage gives me to shop. But Gage doesn’t want me to work.”
Larkin seemed to deflate. “Darian doesn’t want me to either.”
“I could sell my bike,” Brylee said.
Larkin shook her head. “No, you saved up for a few years for that. We’ll figure it out. If we have to, we can get jobs here after … you know … they get tired of us, and we can save money and then go. No one says we have to go right away.”
Brylee smiled. “That’s a good plan.”
Larkin grinned. “Thank you.”
“What the fuck is that about?” Darian barked as he sat back on the sofa.
Gage ran his hand down his face in frustration. “I’ve no idea. I don’t know where they got it into their heads that we would get tired of them.”
Darian glanced over at Gage. “She’s right. I haven’t talked about my feelings at all. She tells me all the time she loves me, but I’ve never said it back.”
Gage was quiet for a long moment and then rested his elbows on his knees and hung his head. “I haven’t either. Dammit, we fucked up.”
Darian nodded. “But it can be fixed.” He took one last look as the girls wiped their eyes and then hugged each other.
“Let’s go get them,” Gage said and stood. “I want to take Brylee home.”
Darian stood and walked to the door. “My little and I are going to have a talk. That’s for sure.”
Gage grabbed his arm as he passed. “Wait. They’ll know we’ve been spying on them. We’re already in rocky water here.”
Darian growled. “You’re right. I won’t say anything tonight.”
“Me either, but I still want Brylee at home in our bed.”
The men walked up the steps and stood at the door to the playroom. Both girls were oblivious to them and talked about the dreams they’ve had. Some of them were pretty funny. Brylee commented on always wanting a pink pony.
Gage grinned at that. He’d heard her talk about that before.
“Girls,” Darian said, and they watched both jerked toward them. He hid his smile when both blushed and looked guilty. “Everything okay?”
Both girls nodded vigorously.
Gage held out his hand. “Come on, princess. I want to be in our bed.”
Brylee stood, hugged Larkin, and then skipped to her daddy.
“What do you say?” Gage asked her.
“Oh.” She turned to Darian. “Thank you for a lovely evening.”