Stop that shit. I’d made my decision. I’d chosen to follow my own path. And that path didn’t include children, so there was no point in getting soft at the sight of a proud father.
“Okay, you guys know how this works.” Koko shifted on the bed, sitting up higher and straightening the red robe around her shoulders. “We’ll pass the baby around and you have to introduce yourself to her.”
“I’ll go grab a coffee from the cafeteria.” Petah took a step for the door, but Koko shot out an arm.
“No! You should stay.”
“Oh, no. I don’t want to intrude.”
“Please? I’d like you to stay.” Koko’s eyes pleaded with Petah. “You’re like her aunt.”
Fuck my life. I clenched my jaw, trying to keep cool. The room was packed with people and even though I refused to look around, I knew they were all sending their thoughts my way.
Marry Petah. That came from Mom, Rozene and Koko.
Come home and take responsibility for who you are. That was from Dad.
Who is that guy again? That came from the kids.
“Koko and I flipped a coin and she lost. So I get to tell you guys this precious one’s name.” Ty came to my rescue, not for the first time, and brought the attention back to his new daughter. “Kimi. It means secret.”
“I love it.” Rozene clutched her heart then looked to her husband. “Let’s try for a girl.”
He just smiled at her—a smile that said I’d be here again in about nine months.
My father stepped up first, taking the baby in his arms and rocking her back and forth until her momentary fussing stopped. “Kimi. I am your grandfather, Joseph. Burn bright, little star.”
It was something Dad always added. I wasn’t sure if the rest of my family wished the babies anything. If they did, they didn’t say it out loud.
“Kimi.” Mom was next to take the baby. “I am your grandmother, Lyndie.”
She turned to me, bringing the child over. I took her in my arms, careful not to bounce her too much as I cradled her.
I wasn’t like other single men who were nervous around babies. We’d always had kids in and out of our house growing up. My mother or sisters were always babysitting for a relative or neighbor and I’d pitch in.
I liked kids. I liked this kid.
Her eyes were open and dark, staring at me without blinking.
“Kimi, I am your uncle, Dakota.” Be free.
It was the same thing I’d wished for all of them after they were born.
If they ever needed some help finding that freedom, I’d be the guy they could call. Even if I didn’t live down the block or attend every holiday, I’d be there.
Like Xavier had been for me.
“My turn.” Rozene swept the baby from my arms, cooing as she rocked her side to side. “Kimi, I am your aunt, Rozene. And this is your other aunt.” Rozene handed the baby to Petah.
She hesitated a moment after the baby was in her arms, then she introduced herself. “Hi, Kimi, I’m Petah.”
At least she hadn’t added the aunt.
Petah rocked the baby back and forth, smiling at Kimi’s round face. Then she looked to me with the words I want one written all over her face.
I took a step away from Petah, nearly knocking over one of my nephews who’d come over to stand close.
My family had all but convinced her I’d come home eventually. No matter how many times I stressed that I wasn’t coming back, that Petah and I would never be together again, they’d fooled her into thinking there was still a chance.
Petah handed the baby to Rozene’s husband next. When he was done with his introduction, Kimi went back to Koko. Each of the kids climbed up on the hospital bed for their introductions. As I waited for each to say their name to the baby, I maintained the foot of space between me and Petah.
When was she going to get the hint? The shoulder I’d always tried to keep lukewarm needed to turn icy cold.
The moment the naming was done, I walked to Koko’s side and dropped another kiss on her cheek. “Congratulations. Get some rest, okay?”
“You’re leaving?”
“The roads are icy,” I lied. “Don’t want to drive on them in the dark.”
Koko frowned. “Fine. I guess we’ll see you when we see you.”
“Yep.”
I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t point out for the tenth time they could always come and visit me. I’d lived in Lark Cove for five years and not once had a family member made the two-hour drive to see where I lived or where I worked.
I hugged Mom and Rozene good-bye. The embraces weren’t returned since they were just as pissed as Koko. Then with a nod and wave to the guys, I strode out the door.
“Dakota.” Dad followed me into the hallway.
I stopped walking and turned, fisting my hands on my hips. “Dad.”
“They’re looking for a new director at the economic development office.”
“Great. Hope they find someone.” Because I had a job.
Dad didn’t seem to remember that little fact. Each time I came home, he’d list off all the available jobs in the area.
“It’s time you came home,” he said. “Hasn’t it been long enough? You belong here.”
“I have a home. I belong there.”
“With your uncle,” he grumbled.
“He supports me.”
Dad didn’t have a response.
So I spun around, striding down the hallway and leaving him behind.
Every time this happened. I’d come here, and all I’d get was pressure. Not a single person asked me how I was doing. Not a single family member asked me if I was happy.
“Dakota, wait,” Petah called after me.
“Christ,” I groaned, looking at the ceiling as I stopped once again. The waiting room was only three feet away and around the corner. So close. But my escape was stopped again.
Petah caught up, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d be here. Koko called and said she’d had the baby, and I asked if it was an okay time to bring flowers. Please don’t leave because of me. I can go.”
As frustrated as I was with the entire situation, I didn’t blame Petah. I knew her well enough to know she wasn’t into games or manipulations. She didn’t realize that she was part of one. My sisters were using her as bait, a beautiful woman who might entice me to come home.
“No. It’s fine. It’s not you.”
“My offer for dinner is still on the table. You could bring your friend.”
At that exact moment, Sofia rounded the corner from the waiting room. “Oh, hey. Are you done? I was just going to find a vending machine for a soda.” She smiled at me then noticed Petah. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s fine.” Fuck. I waved Sofia over. “Sofia Kendrick, this is Petah Tatsey.”
“Hi.” Sofia stepped up and held out her hand. She stood so close to me that our elbows were touching.
Petah was sweet and soft-spoken, but she wasn’t oblivious. She noticed how easily Sofia had merged our personal bubbles. Her face fell as she shook Sofia’s hand. Then she looked up to me, her hopes shattering before my eyes. “Your coworker?”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “Yes, we work together.”
The pain on her face was heartbreaking. I’d never brought another woman home. It had only ever been her. I hated what I was about to do, but I sucked it up, hoping it would hurt Petah in the now so she could heal in the long run.
So she’d stop waiting around for me.
I wrapped my arm around Sofia’s shoulder and pinned her to my side. Then I kissed her temple.
Sofia stiffened, not missing Petah’s sharp breath.
I swallowed down the disgust, holding tight to Sofia as Petah stared at us both for a long moment.
Then she did something that surprised me. She straightened her spine and forced a polite smile. “Nice to meet you, Sofia. Travel safely home.”
> “Shit.” I let Sofia go as Petah turned on a heel and hurried down the hallway. “I need to get out of here.”
Sofia crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at my profile.
“Look, I—”
She didn’t wait for my explanation. She walked away from me too, right through the sliding doors and outside into the cold.
I caught up to her quickly, keeping pace as she marched through the parking lot to my truck.
Her arms were still crossed as she waited for me to unlock and open her door. She didn’t take my hand when I offered it to help her inside the cab.
Shutting the door on her side, I jogged around to the other and climbed in. The truck roared to life, the heat quickly chasing away the winter cold as we sat in the parking lot.
It didn’t do much to thaw out my passenger.
“Is that why you invited me along?” she asked. “Am I just the someone you needed to piss off your family?”
“No.”
“Then why did you shove me in that woman’s face? So I could break her heart?”
“I’m sorry.” I sighed. “That was my ex-girlfriend.”
“I figured that one out.”
“She needs to move on.”
“Then be a man and tell her to move on,” she snapped. “I’ve played every game in the book, Dakota. Every. Single. One. I’m done with that. If you need a pretty face at your side to send a message, find a different one.”
“I didn’t know she was going to be here.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she fired back.
“You’re right.”
She huffed and stared out her window. The air vents in the dash blew a loose strand of hair around her cheek.
“Sofia.” I reached for her hand, taking it off her lap. “I didn’t mean to use you. That’s not why I brought you today. I just wanted someone here who was on my side. But you’re right, I played a game with Petah. The end game. She’s gotta move on. Maybe now she will.”
Sofia blew out a long breath and laced her fingers with mine. “I guess . . . I guess it just surprised me. Besides, it’s probably better to make me the bad guy since I’m never coming back.”
“Right.”
The one woman I’d brought along to meet my family was leaving.
My family would probably be glad to know she’d be gone in three days.
But me? I wasn’t sure how I’d go back home and not wish she were by my side.
“This is it.” Dakota parked his truck on the street in front of the rental property.
“It’s nice.”
The duplex was older, but Dakota had updated it recently. The siding had been freshly painted a mushroom beige, the trim a clean white. And the black shutters matched the front door, giving it a dash of character.
One side of the property had a quiet, snow-covered lawn and a sidewalk that hadn’t been shoveled. The other side hadn’t been shoveled either, but a path had been worn into the snow with lots of footprints.
“Hang tight.” Dakota left the truck running as he opened the door. “Let me shovel.”
He hopped out, shutting the door quickly to keep in the heat, grabbed the snow shovel from the back and went to work clearing the walkway.
It had been three days since our trip to Dakota’s hometown. We’d worked those days at the bar and were going in late this afternoon to relieve Jackson for the night. For my last shift at the Lark Cove Bar. But first, we’d come up to Kalispell to check on one of his tenants.
Things had gone back to normal after we’d gotten home from the reservation. After the two-hour drive back to Lark Cove, I’d shrugged off my mood, determined to enjoy my time with Dakota, since it was about to come to an end.
Dakota hadn’t been kidding about the welcome I’d receive from his family—or the lack thereof. One death glare from his dad, and I’d regretted getting out of bed and making the trip.
But it hadn’t been the first time I’d been on the receiving end of disgusted frowns and harsh glares. I’d weathered them with a well-practiced smile then gone to the waiting room, where I’d caught up on social media.
My so-called friends had been busy over the last week, sharing the magazine’s article on every platform possible. When Dakota had pulled that stunt with Petah, I’d already been irritated. His play had sent me over the edge.
Years ago I would have volunteered to help Dakota send a message to his ex-girlfriend. Games and tricks had been my forte. But those days were over, and I was done being used by people.
I felt awful for Petah. And Dakota too. He was a good man. I believed his actions had been spur-of-the-moment and made with her best interests at heart.
But I’d felt her pain in that hallway. She was in love with him, and he’d slashed those feelings apart.
On the drive home, I hadn’t had the courage to ask him about their relationship and why they hadn’t worked. I’d been too busy dealing with some insecurities on the trip. Petah was beautiful, stunningly so, with a face that photographers like Malcom would salivate over. And she was from the right heritage. If she wasn’t his one, who was? Who would eventually win Dakota’s heart?
It wasn’t me. We were just a casual and fun affair.
I’d been reminding myself of that ever since he’d pulled out of the hospital’s parking lot.
I was not getting into a relationship, a long-distance one at that. Despite my growing feelings for Dakota, despite the fact that he’d slipped past my flimsy barriers faster than any man in the past, I was not getting into another relationship.
The trip had been a good reminder.
It had been interesting to see where Dakota had grown up. The town itself had been more rundown than I’d imagined. I’d never visited a reservation before, but according to Dakota, his was one of the poorest in the country. Over half of the buildings and homes along the highway were falling apart. Broken down and beat-up cars crowded driveways. More than a few businesses had boarded up doors spray painted with CLOSED on the face.
The neighborhoods had gotten nicer as we’d driven off the main highway and into town. The hospital itself was nice though small, and the homes in the surrounding area reminded me of Dakota’s Lark Cove neighborhood.
But there were no wealthy parts of town. There were no booming businesses. It made sense why he’d left to find a better-paying job.
And why he’d chosen to invest in properties here, where he could charge a higher rent.
Dakota finished shoveling and came back to the truck, stowing the shovel before opening my door. The icy air blasted me in the face.
“Will you reach over and shut it off?”
“Got it.” I leaned across the console, turning the keys and taking them out of the ignition. Then I plopped them into his gloved hand.
As I hopped out, he opened the back door to start loading up grocery bags. We’d filled seven at the store this morning. Dakota handed me three and kept the others for himself along with a case of Mountain Dew.
With our arms loaded, we walked up the narrow path to the front door. We didn’t need to knock before the door swung open and an elderly man waved us straight inside.
“Arthur.” Dakota clapped the shorter, elderly man on the shoulder. “Good to see you. I’ve got a guest with me today. Meet Sofia.”
“Hello.”
He smiled, tilting his black-rimmed sunglasses toward me. “Welcome.”
I stepped inside as Dakota elbowed the door closed. Then I followed him past the living room off the front door and into the square kitchen at the rear of the house.
As I put the grocery bags on the counter, I inspected the place. The interior had been painted a soft white, and the cabinets in the kitchen were deep gray. Dakota had an eye for clean lines with a farmhouse style, something that went perfectly in a place like this. My interior designer heart loved him for his taste.
I thought we’d just leave the groceries, but Dakota began to unpack, quickly putting things in their place. He’d clearly done this
many times before.
“Thank you both.” Arthur stood at the entrance to the kitchen. “Can you sit and visit for a minute?”
“We’d love to. You guys sit. I’ll be right in.”
I followed Arthur to the living room, my tennis shoes sinking into the shag carpet as I walked to the couch.
Arthur went right for his recliner in the corner, sitting down and shifting until he was comfortable.
Dakota didn’t waste any time in the kitchen. I was just settling into the seat when he came in and sank down next to me.
“Thanks for shoveling the walk,” Arthur told him. “I couldn’t keep up with the snow last week.”
“Sorry I didn’t get up sooner to take care of it for you.”
“You’re busy. Don’t worry about me.” Arthur relaxed in his chair. He was a small man, about as tall as my five foot six. He wore a plaid shirt and loose, brown polyester slacks with black suspenders holding them up.
His hair had long since fallen out and his bald scalp was dotted with freckles. I’d expected now that we were inside, he’d lose the sunglasses. But he kept them on, maybe because the room was so bright due to the picture window between us.
“So what’s new?” Dakota asked him, relaxing deeper into the couch and tossing an arm around the back.
“Oh, not much.” Arthur sighed. “New Year’s Eve was interesting.”
Dakota stiffened. “What happened?”
Arthur hooked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the shared wall between the two units in the property. “He had a party.”
“Shit,” Dakota grumbled. “Sorry. I’ll go over and give him a warning. I know this sounds bad, but I hope he does it again. Then I can kick him out.”
“I wouldn’t complain. Especially if you found a nice old gal who needed a man around to keep her company.” Arthur snapped one of the straps on his suspenders, wagging his eyebrows.
Dakota and I both laughed. “I’ll make sure to include it in the ad.”
“Good.” Arthur reached into the drawer on the side table next to the recliner and pulled out a checkbook and pen. Then with careful precision, he wrote Dakota a check. “I can mail these. Save you a trip. I know you’re busy.”
Tinsel Page 14
