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“Stop swearing in front of the baby, numbnuts,” Duke says from Audra’s left.
“She can’t understand us, mister priss,” Jedd singsongs while smiling at my daughter.
Audra’s gaze goes to Harlan, and she scoots herself to face him before coming back up on her knees.
“There you go, baby girl. Just like that. You’ve almost got it down. Move your hands first and then your knees.” Harlan demonstrates. His backside is to me, and it’s a really nice backside. His jeans are pulled taut against the globes of his ass, and I get the inexplicable urge to sink my teeth into his butt before a mortifying blush streaks across my face.
Audra rocks forward before dropping back down to her tummy and giving the guys a gummy smile.
Before I get too distracted, or they notice that I’m here, I pull my phone out and snap a quick picture.
“Okay, pipsqueak. Milk break and then we try again?” Jedd asks her, like he expects her to answer. Audra rolls over to her back and catches her feet with her hands before chewing on her toes.
Well, at least I gave her a bath before leaving for the evening.
“Hey, Maisie,” Duke calls and they all whip my direction before standing quickly.
I can’t stop the burst of laughter that erupts any more than I can stop the squeezing sensation in my chest at Harlan and his family trying to teach my baby girl how to crawl — though god help me when she gets more mobile.
“We uh. We were just...” Harlan drags a hand through his hair.
“You were just what?” I ask with a smirk.
“We were trying to teach her to crawl. She’s almost got it,” Jedd says through a mouthful of rice puffs — his hand halfway in the jar for more.
“Dude. Really?” Rhett asks him with a shake of his head.
“What? They’re good. They taste like strawberries. Don’t judge me, asshole.”
“Well with that, I’m headed out,” Boone says before tugging his ball cap lower on his head and skirting around me to go out the front door.
“Me too. Early morning in the shop,” Duke says.
Slowly, the guys filter out until it’s just me and Harlan.
“That was adorable,” I say smiling at the big bearded softie.
My eyes meet Harlan’s and the grin he gives me is full of things that make my gut clench. Things like family, friends, community, support, and love.
Things I can’t have. Not until I deal with my past.
Chapter 19
Harlan
Audra’s sleeping in Maisie’s arms while her mama tells me about the meeting, and I don’t want the night to end.
After being caught off guard in the act of teaching Audra how to crawl, my brothers lit out of here like their asses were on fire.
Traitors. The whole lot of them.
Maisie’s eyes are lit up like beacons, and she waves the one arm not holding Audra as she tells me about meeting the ladies at business night and how they all loved her website ideas and suggestions. The high of triumph putting joy into her gaze for the first time since she woke up in that hospital bed.
And I live for it.
Each smile, each light laugh, every single expression of happiness on her face engraves itself into my head and heart until both are so fucking full, I don’t know what to do with them.
“I sold four websites tonight, Har. Do you know what a fricken relief that is? Not only will the money help — and that’s a huge thing all by itself, but they were all so nice and they didn’t pity me for being in a bad spot or look down their noses at me for traveling across the country with my daughter.”
