Page 40 of Wrecked By You

“I can understand if you miss her,” Isla said softly. “It’s okay to miss her.”

I was so grateful for her and realized that my kids probably needed some therapy. Who didn’t? I hadn’t really taken time to deal with it.

Isla brightened. “Do you guys want to hear about one of the calls we had today?”

I wasn’t sure if I should intercede and remind her that everything was confidential.

She smiled at them. “We had a lost cat and a lost dog.”

My mind quickly turned to Sonya. I cocked an eyebrow at Isla, and she nodded as if she could read my mind.

“We had to send two officers out,” she went on, “and one officer stepped in some paint that someone had left out, and it went all over him.”

I laughed hard, because I knew she was talking about my brother.

The boys laughed too. Jason asked, “Was it Uncle McCrae?”

She paused. “I’m not allowed to say.” But she couldn’t stop herself from giggling.

That made me and the boys laugh harder.

“The officer came in, and he was really grouchy. He had to go home and get some new clothes, but when he came back, he didn’t even have all the paint out of his hair.”

Another round of laughter went around the table. The weird thing was that it felt like we were already a family.

Nineteen

Isla

The rest of the meal was wonderful with Damon and his two gorgeous kids for company. Having them gathered around my dinner table was the best feeling in the world.

We were just finishing eating the chocolate chip cookies his mother had sent when Jason asked, “Could we explore your barn?”

I shrugged and looked at their father. “If it’s okay with your dad.”

Damon cocked an eyebrow and started. “Let’s go look in this barn. Then we’ll come back and do dishes.”

I grinned at him. “After we throw everything away, there’s not much to do. Let’s just go look.”

The kids got up from the table and ran out into the backyard.

I laughed. “They are so excited.”

Damon walked with me outside and shut the door behind me. “That’s because they are rascals, and they find ways to get into trouble. We’ll just make sure the barn is an okay stomping ground for them.”

He took my hand, and my heart skipped a beat. “Are you sure you’re okay with taking my hand like this in front of your kids?”

A lopsided grin crossed his face. “I’m okay. Which surprises me, because for a long time I have sheltered my kids from anyone I’ve dated. Not that I have dated that many people. Though I have never met anyone I wanted them to get to know.”

My heart felt all warm and gooey. “Are you sure you want them to get to know me? I’m not exactly a person that has an unspotted reputation in town.”

He stopped walking and squeezed my hand a little bit. “None of that.”

I wanted to push it because I didn’t want his kids to get hurt. “Look, I know it’s not my fault, but if they start telling people about me, you know someone is going to let them know my whole story. I don’t want to cause trauma for them.”

He frowned at that. “What about the trauma to you?”

I wasn’t prepared for that question. “You know what I mean. They are children, and they don’t need their dad, who is the police chief, to be dating someone whose father went to prison.”