Overruled(102)

“I do.”

Her smile is slow, and full of promise. “Good. Use it.”

I stand up and walk toward the door. “I’ll do that.”

“And I’ll get started on the paperwork.”


A FEW HOURS later, after approval from child services and a quick compulsory appearance before an indifferent judge, Rory walks out of the courthouse with us. We head back to my office to gather his many siblings. They all seem happy to see him—if the affectionate “stupid idiot” and eager questions about his stay in “jail” are any indication. The sky is dark by the time I escort Chelsea and her charges back out to her car. I wait next to the driver’s-side door as she gets them loaded and buckled in.

Then she comes around and stands in front of me, all warm eyes and soft gratitude. And I’m struck again by the smooth flawlessness of her skin beneath the glow of the streetlight.

Fucking gorgeous.

This close, I notice the adorable dusting of freckles across the bridge of that pert nose and wonder if she has them anywhere else. It’ll take a slow, exhaustive search to find out. And I’m just the guy for the job.

She pushes her hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Jake, so much. I don’t know what I would’ve—”

“Aunt Chelsea, I’m starving!”

“Can we get McDonald’s?”

“Do you know what they put in McDonald’s? Insects won’t even eat it.”

“Shut up, Raymond! Don’t ruin fast food for me!”

“You shut up!”

“No, you shut up!”

“Aunt Chelsea!”

“Hiiiiiii!”

I can’t help but laugh. And wonder if she owns earplugs.

Chelsea blows out a breath through her perfect, smiling lips. “I should go before they start eating each other.”

“That may not be a bad thing. There’s enough of them to spare.”

She shakes her head and climbs into the truck, then rolls down the window. “Thank you again. I owe you, Jake.”

I tap the side of the truck as she slowly pulls away. “Yes, you do.”

And that is a debt I can’t wait to collect.