Tinsel (Lark Cove #4)(42)

“What?” I shot off the bed. Koko wasn’t due for another six weeks. “Is everything okay?”

“Ten fingers. Ten toes. You’ve got a new niece.”

“And Koko?”

“Just fine.”

I sighed, sinking back to the edge of the bed. Behind me, Sofia was sitting up with the sheet clutched to her breasts. “That’s good.”

Koko had four other kids so it wasn’t like this was her first experience with childbirth. But you never knew what could happen.

“I’ll call her later,” I told Dad. “And I’ll send some flowers to the hospital.”

“Just bring them.”

“Bring them?”

“Koko wants you to be here for the naming today.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Dad, I, uh, I can’t come over there today.”

“Are you working or something?” he asked, his tone bitter.

Dad was one of the hardest workers I knew and had taught his kids how to hustle. But since I wasn’t working on the reservation, I could put in hundred-hour weeks and I’d still be slacking.

“No, I’m not.”

“Then drive safe.” Dad hung up the phone.

I hung my head, my shoulders hunched forward, heavy with guilt.

Koko had been the one to start this tradition. Ever since her first son was born, she wanted all of us around when she and her husband announced a baby’s name. Then we’d pass the newborn around, introduce ourselves so he or she would know we were family.

I hadn’t missed a naming ceremony for any of my sisters’ kids. Something Dad knew.

“Fuck.” I tossed the phone on the mattress. I hated wasting a day with Sofia with her leaving so soon.

“What?” Sofia walked across the bed on her knees, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Is everything all right?”

“I need to go home. My sister had a baby today, and we do this thing where we all have to be there when she announces the name.”

“Oh, okay.” Her hands fell away and she climbed off the bed. Then she dug through the sheets to find her pajama shorts. “I’ll toss on some pants and pack up some stuff, and you can drop me at Logan’s on your way out of town.”

I didn’t want her to pack up her stuff. I’d told her that she was staying here for the rest of her trip, and her suitcases belonged in the corner of my bedroom, right where they were until our time was up.

“Wait.” I snagged her hand before she could walk away, pulling her between my knees. Her floral scent hit my nose, chasing away good reason. “Do you want to come along?”

She side-eyed me. “To the reservation?”

“Yes.” What the hell am I thinking? This had disaster written all over it in Sharpie. But I wasn’t spending the day without her.

“Is that okay? Isn’t it a family affair?”

I nodded. “It is. But it won’t take long. We’ll go to Browning. Say congrats. Deliver some flowers and do the naming. Then we’ll come back.”

“Are you sure?”

No. “Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll hop in the shower.” She bent, planted a kiss on my lips, then sauntered to the bathroom, stripping off her tank top as she walked and tossing it into the pile of dirty clothes she’d been making next to one suitcase.

As the water turned on in the bathroom, I rubbed my face in my hands, wondering if I should take back the invitation.

My family would take one look at Sofia and instantly be on alert. Not because she was a white girl on the reservation. But because she was a white girl on the reservation who’d arrived in the passenger seat of my truck.

I stood and took one step toward the bathroom. Dread churned in my gut. No way this day ended in happy smiles.

I didn’t want to go home, but I didn’t have a choice. And since I had to go, I didn’t want to go alone.

It probably wasn’t fair to let Sofia walk into this situation. It really wasn’t fair to let her go without a warning.

I walked down to the bathroom, watching her blurry form from behind the frosted glass of the shower’s door. “I think you need to know what you’re getting into here.”

“What’s that?” she called.

“You know I’ve got a beef with my family. They probably won’t be too happy to see me.”

She laughed. “You mean, they won’t be too happy to see me.”

“Well, yeah.”

The door slid open and she peeked her wet head outside. “Do you want me to stay here?”

“No,” I admitted.

“Then consider me warned. Your family is going to be surprised I’m there. My family would be surprised if I brought you home too.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way. It was a nice fantasy to think social barriers didn’t exist, that rich people weren’t wary of poor people and vice versa.

Though I think of our two families, hers was the one we were selling short. From what Thea had told me, they were fairly down-to-earth, considering their wealth.

The only one she’d ever been wary of was Sofia.

No worries there.

“They’ll be civil,” I promised.

“Even if they’re not, I’m fine. I’d like to see where you’re from.”