Page 40 of The Grump I Slept With
“I just managed to get that giant mutt to the bottom of the slide when Aisling comes flying down behind us,” Locke said, arms waving as he demonstrated her speed. “Those little feet go straight to the kidneys.”
“And then we all fell on the ground!” Aisling announced as if it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She sneakily slipped Milo a piece of chicken under the table.
“Oooh,” Lena said from the other side of Lochbrae’s massive dining table. When we’d showed up to drop Aisling off at the end of the day, Weston and Lena had insisted I stay for dinner, and Aisling had immediately started recounting the day down to the tiniest detail. “You really put Uncle Locke through it today.”
Aisling tipped her head, fork pressed to her lips. “Ranger wanted to slide.”
“I don’t know that he did,” Locke said. “I think there might have been some miscommunication there.”
I chuckled at the flat look on his face, though I knew that girl had him wrapped around her finger. There was no reality where Lockewasn’tclimbing into that tower today.
Lena’s eyes flickered in my direction. “Please tell me you got pictures of some of that?”
“Every precious moment,” I assured her.
“Eat your beans,” Weston said, turning to Aisling. “Don’t just push them around your plate.”
She pouted and stabbed one. “I don’t like the green ones.”
“You can’t waste good beans,” Locke said to her, eating a forkful of his own. “You never know which ones might be magic.”
Aisling perked up, leaning across her plate to be sure she’d heard him right. “Magic?”
Locke nodded. “Hasn’t anyone told you the story of Jack and the beanstalk?”
Her eyes widened. “No! Who’s Jack?”
“Finish your beans and then we’ll talk,” Weston said, smirking at Locke.
Aisling ate them so quickly Lena had to beg her to slow down so she didn’t choke.
“Speaking of the beans,” I said. “Please tell Agnes everything is delicious.” I’d never once been disappointed by anything that woman had cooked, and after the busy day, I especially appreciated a home-cooked meal.
“I’m all done!” Aisling announced proudly. “Can you tell me about Jack now?”
Weston stood and Aisling darted to his side, staring up at him with so much adoration it made me wish I’d brought my camera. It amazed me how perfectly Weston, Lena, and Aisling fit together as a family. The way Lena watched the two of them, a soft smile on her face, I suspected she thought the same. My stomach dipped, and I thought briefly of the family Locke and I were building.
“Say goodnight to everyone,” Weston was saying, “and I’ll tell you a tale of a beanstalk that stretched far above Lochbrae.”
Aisling gaped at him. “Bigger than the castle?”
“Straight to the clouds.”
Lena opened her arms for a hug as Aisling dove at her. “G’night.”
“Night, sweetheart,” Lena said, kissing the top of her head.
Aisling darted to me next. “Night-night, Auntie Isla. Night, Uncle Locke. Thanks for babysitting me. I had so much fun.” She leveled Locke with her most serious expression. “But next time we need to do our nails, okay?”
“We will absolutely do manicures,” Locke promised. “See you in the morning.”
Weston snagged Aisling around the waist, hiking her into his arms and carrying her off to the stairs. We could hear her giggling all the way to the second-floor landing.
“So, how’d the inspection go?” I asked, picking up my water glass.
“Honestly, as good as we could have hoped,” Lena said, finishing her cod. “A few things got flagged by the inspector, but thankfully nothing unexpected.”
“It’s always nice when there are no surprises,” Locke said.
