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The parents seemed nice, but it was obvious they werefeeling her out. She’d hoped they would view her as a passing fancy, but shewas definitely getting vet-the-new-girlfriend vibes off them. “No. I waitressedin Chicago. And I’m not in sales. I’m in marketing. That’s what my degree isin.”
Well, it would be if she’d been allowed to finish her lastyear of college. She’d been dumb and gotten married.
She’d put her last year of college off because he’d said hewanted to spend more time with her. She could go back later, he’d promised.
He’d lied. It was what Micah did best.
“Do you have a place to stay in Austin?” Jack was one of themost intimidating men she’d ever seen. And she’d been in the room with amurderer.
Somehow Nicole thought Jack Barnes would have handled thesituation better than she had. “I’ll stay with a friend until I can find anapartment.”
“Why didn’t your friend come get you when your car brokedown?” Sam asked.
“Because she’s incredibly stubborn and doesn’t like takinghandouts.” Josh seemed to take charge. He was an awful lot like the man who hadto be his biological dad, but maybe he seemed less scary to her because sheknew how cuddly he was. “Kind of like some other people I know.”
“I didn’t take handouts, son,” Jack said with a slightlyshady grin.
“No, you took blackmail payments,” Sam shot back.
“Sam,” Abigail chided. “New friends.”
Olivia leaned over, whispering Nic’s way. “Dad’s sperm donorwas a married politician. When he tracked him down, he got the money to buythis ranch in exchange for him staying quiet about the circumstances of hisbirth.”
“Years later, his father got caught doing all kinds of shadyshit. He died in jail, but we did get a real nice uncle out of it,” Josh saidlike it was a normal thing to confide.
“Yeah, Lucas is awesome,” Grim acknowledged. “But I’m stilltrying to figure out how Abby’s daughter married Jack’s brother and it’s okay.It still feels weird to me. Like how does that tree work?”
“It’s also weird because Lucas is Dad’s halfbrother,” Olivia added. “So he’s our uncle but also our brother-in-law.”
“The branches get real twisty,” Josh agreed.
“It’s perfectly legal,” Abigail said, eyeing her kids. “Andyou know it. There’s not a bit of blood between them.”
“No, but Uncle Aidan sure is,” Josh quipped. “And why do wecall him uncle? Because he is really just our brother-in-law. You want to takethat one, Dad?”
Jack laughed, the sound booming through the room. “Fine.I’ll quit asking questions.” He smiled Nicole’s way, and the man was sobeautiful when he smiled. It made her understand how gorgeous Josh would stillbe thirty years from now. “Nicole, my children are pointing out that maybe weshould ease into getting to know each other. They think I’m being too nosy. Idon’t mean anything by my questions beyond sheer curiosity.”
She could almost believe him. Almost. “It’s all right.”
“I thought they were doing that thing where they hit a newfriend with all the weirdness of our family in one go to see if she or he canhandle it,” Sam said. “More than one newbie has fled in terror.”
She had to smile at the thought. Though she was still tryingto wrap her mind around the stepdaughter marrying halfbrother thing, and apparently someone else had been thrown in, too. Thiswas a complex family. “I’m made of stronger stuff, sir.”
“Just Sam is fine,” Sam Fleetwood said with a sunny smile.“The Sir thing does not work with me.”
“Sam,” Jack said, his name a warning.
“Yes, Jack.” Sam had the sweetest smirk on his face as helooked to Jack like he had a secret. “I’ll behave.”
It hit Nic what he’d meant. “Oh, because I meant polite sirbecause you’re a guy and you meant capital S sir because you’re a…” What thehell was she saying? “I mean. Of course, I’ll call you Sam. It’s a nice name.”
“She blushes frequently, Josh. She’s never going to be ableto play poker,” Jack pointed out with a chuckle. “But she’s also correct.” Jacklooked to Josh and Grim. “Am I going to get in trouble for going down thisroad?”
What road? She didn’t want to be on a road.
She wanted to enjoy this excellent food. She wanted to beexcited about meeting her boyfriends’ parents. She wanted to be able to believeshe had some kind of future with Josh and Grim.
“She’s okay with the lifestyle, Dad. She’s taking to itwell, and that’s all I will say about the subject,” Josh explained.
