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She poked his side. “Want to talk about it?”
“Nope.” He pinched above her hip. “If I wanted to talk about it, we’d be talking about it.”
“You are such a jackass sometimes.” Affection lightened her tone.
He popped her ass on his way to pull his water bottle from the refrigerator. “Knew that when you married me.”
“What was I thinking?”
He grinned at the whimsy. “We both know what you were thinking.”
Behind them, Eva folded her arms on the island, a speculative set to her brows. “So Eleanor got to leave school early when she hurt her knee?”
Tick folded his hands under her arms and lifted her into a couple of overhead presses. He lowered her so they were nose to nose, assuming his best stern look.
“Don’t even think about it.” She giggled, and he swung her to her feet, ruffling her hair. “Take Zeb outside and run around with him for a little while.”
The glass door whispered open and slid shut behind her. Tick pulled down a stack of bowls and set out spoons and napkins. Jamarion’s deep chuckle blended with Eleanor’s light laugh. “Wait, go back.”
Tick propped on the counter next to the sink, one ankle crossed over the other. Caitlin nudged his side once more as she shifted a cutting board and knife to the sink. “They’re fine.”
He darted a look at her. “I didn’t say they weren’t.”
“It’s still very innocent.” Water running, she murmured the words for his ears only.
“She talk to you?”
“She does.” A smile tipped the corners of her lips. “But wait . . . it will be your turn with Eva.”
“You think?”
She fixed him with a pointed look. “Yes.”
He shrugged. Tori had talked to him in lieu of Mama, so how different could it be?
“I get what teenagers do.” He turned his head so his mouth was near her ear. “I just don’t want her making decisions she’s not ready for. A lot of what Daddy and Gene had to say makes sense now.”
“Then you understand that teenagers are going to do what teenagers do, and our best path is to keep our lines of communication open and help her make wiser decisions than we did.” Her lashes swept down in that wry expression he loved.
He folded his hands around the countertop. “Hard to regret those decisions of mine though. Without those mistakes, I wouldn’t have you.”
Her expression closed, and she took a full step back, away from him. He blinked, reaching for her wrist before fully forming any intent.
“Hey.” He frowned, rubbing his thumb over her pulse. “What did I say?”
“Nothing.” Lifting a shoulder in a dismissive shrug, she eased free of his hold and returned to the stove, stirring once more.
“Caitlin.”
“It’s fine.” Her quick smile came too close to her polished finishing school one for his liking. He always got the real one, so the fake ones put him on high alert. She turned her attention back to the stock pot. “This is almost ready.”
Frustration vibrated along his nerve endings. As a rule, they called each other out, and he couldn’t make right what he didn’t know he’d done. Later, though, when they were alone.
Privacy didn’t arrive for them until much later, Jamarion lingering an hour after dinner, entertaining Eleanor, then Eva’s bedtime routine unfolding. Tick found himself in their home office for nearly an hour as well, catching up on communications he’d missed while taking care of Eleanor.
Finally, both girls asleep and Zeb walked for the last time, he eased down the hall to their bedroom. He found her in their dressing room, wrapped in her short robe, hair damp at the edges from a recent shower.
“So, the kitchen earlier.” He unfastened his watch and laid it aside. “Want to talk about it?”
