Chapter 234

“Oh, honey, you scared me to death,” Uncle Scooter said. He was petting her, like she was Muffin. Touching her hair, her face, hugging her again. “I was so worried.” A moment later, Uncle Andy practically threw the door open, not even knocking. “Is she okay?” He sounded sort of wheezy and out of breath. When Billie looked up, his eyes were sort of red. “Oh, God, Billie,” he gasped. He came and hugged her and Uncle Scooter together. “You okay, buttercup?”

She nodded, though all the hugging was making her want to cry some more. “I don’t wanna dad,” she said, and her voice sounded funny. “I don’t wanna leave.”

“Oh, honey,” Uncle Scooter said again. He sounded like he might cry. “Uncle Andy and I are gonna do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen. Okay? We’re not giving you up without a fight. I promise.”

Billie clung tighter. “But you said,” she sobbed. “You saidit wasn’t right.”

“No, baby, that’s not what I said,” Uncle Scooter said. “I asked if it was. ‘Cause this is what I want, you and me and Uncle Andy, as family. But here’s the thing. Your dad knows who you are. He knows. And you’re part of him, and part of your mom. That…that gives him claim on you. Remember when we got your cheek swabbed? That was to check to see if he really is your dad. And he is.”

Billie shook her head. “I don’ want a dad. Mom said I didn’t need a dad!”

“I know she did,” Uncle Scooter said. “And if it comes down to that, we’re going to tell a judge that exact same thing. But first, we gotta talk to your dad. Okay? He will have gotten that same letter today that we did. We’ll figure it out, honey. We love you, you know that, right? Love you so much. We don’t want you to go.”

“Promise?”

“God, yes. Right, Andy?”

“Cross my heart,” Uncle Andy swore, and kissed the top of her head. “We’re going to try our very hardest to keep you with us.”

Billie sighed and felt kind of loose and floppy all of a sudden. The hug was nice and warm and it felt really good. Right up until her tummy made another noise. “Can I have dinner now?”

“Yes, yes you may,” Uncle Scooter said. “One cheesy with no mustard relish, because you are a freak and you don’t know good food when you eat it.” He scooped her up and hugged her again, really tight. “How about I carry you? Your feet look like they hurt.”

Mr. D’ante laughed. “Found her in Elaine’s koi pond, soakin’ her feet, as a matter of fact.”

Uncle Andy snorted. “Well, there you go.” He squinted at her feet, and then looked around the room. “Any chance you found—Oh, good. She didn’t actually sacrifice the shoes to the koi.” He picked up her shoes and socks from where Mr. D’ante had left them by the door. “Right. Well. If we get back soon, there’s a chance Kat won’t even completely murder us for making her do the whole dinner rush by herself.” He shook D’ante’s hand. “Thanks.”

Uncle Scooter carried her the whole way back to Dockside, with Uncle Andy walking beside them. He kept petting her arm, or sometimes Uncle Scooter’s arm. Billie put her head on Uncle Scooter’s shoulder. “Sorry,” she said, very quiet. 18

The sound of knocking took a while to penetrate Andy’s sleeping brain. He considered ignoring it, but anyone who took the time to climb up the stairs to their front door and knock probably had some sort of reason for it. He checked the time—barely past eight A.M. Trick would want to be walked soon anyway. He groaned and rolled upright, wincing a little at the stinging ache in his ass. After two days of keeping Billie close at hand, they’d caved to her begging and let her have a sleepover at Kendra’s. Without her inhibiting presence, their lovemaking the previous night had been…vigorous.

Andy grinned at the memory and grabbed his sweats.

“Mmf?” Scooter mumbled.

“Someone at the door,” Andy told him.

One storm-gray eye opened. “Billie?”

“Still at Kendra’s. If anything was wrong, Ms. Casper would’ve called.”

Scooter considered that, his eye slitted, then nodded agreement. “Simon?” he suggested. They’d been walking on eggshells the last few days, certain any moment that Johannson would make his demands, but so far they’d heard nothing. “More time to prepare,” Jess had told them cheerfully.

“Maybe,” Andy allowed. “I’ll let you know.”

“Mkay,” Scooter said, but he rolled toward his side of the bed and reached for his own pants. Scooter never went back to sleep once he’d woken up.