The Slow Burn (Moonlight and Motor Oil #2)(90)

He licked my hand.

And of course, followed me out of the room.

At that point, I wondered where my purse was.

And when I did, I was desperate to find it.

I looked right after I left the family room and saw I’d dropped it unnoticed on the floor by the door.

Dapper Dan and I retrieved it.

We walked upstairs to my room.

I closed us in.

I set my wineglass on the nightstand, and still wearing my coat and grocery store smock, I sat on the side of my bed, dug out my phone, and my dog sat beside me, leaning against my leg.

I rubbed his neck and called Margot.

She answered.

“Adeline, my beautiful girl—”

I cut her off and whispered fiercely, “I love you. And once I wrap my head around what’s happening to you, I’m going to take care of your boy. He’ll be able to lean on me. I’ll look after him, Margot. I swear. I’ll take good care of him. You don’t have to worry. I’ve got him.”

“All right, Adeline,” she whispered back.

“He hasn’t asked me yet, but he will, and I want to start planning my wedding right now. I want it sorted. I want it to be exactly what you’d want for Toby. Can we work on that after Christmas?”

“Yes, child, absolutely.”

“God had a hand, Margot, you were right. He gave them to you to raise for us and He gave us to Mom to raise for them. And He gave you to us so we could have you after she was gone.”

She said nothing but I heard her breath hitch.

“Let you go. Love you and try to enjoy tonight. See you tomorrow.”

Her voice was husky when she replied, “Yes. Tomorrow, Adeline. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Margot.”

I let her go immediately because she’d want it that way.

And I really wanted to dissolve into tears.

But this was not about me.

This was about Margot. Dave. Toby. Johnny.

So I got off my ass, pulled off that fucking smock and went into the bathroom to take a shower.



Johnny

“Addie, what?”

Feeling Izzy stir against him, hearing her, Johnny opened his eyes.

“Get Johnny up, I’m getting Toby. Come out back,” Addie whispered.

He saw her shadow by the side of the bed.

That was all Addie said before she moved to the door.

His woman turned to him. “You awake?”

“Yeah, what time is it?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Come on. Get up. Put on a sweater and socks. I think we probably need to be warm.”

“Baby—”

“Just, please.”

Johnny did as she asked, rolling over her to do it so he could pull her out of bed with him.

They were in the guest room. The bed that Iz left was still in there. That night, Brooks was in a portable crib with Toby and Addie. With Brooklyn’s furniture in there as well, it was a tight squeeze.

He maneuvered around the furniture. Put on a sweater. Some thick socks Iz had packed for him to wear Christmas morning since Addie kept her furnace low.

She took his hand and he walked with her to the linen closet in the hall where she grabbed a blanket.

He took the blanket from her, and holding hands they moved downstairs, through the hall, the kitchen, the back porch, but he tugged on her hand when they got outside to stop her.

All was dark.

Except two blankets were laid on the snow side by side over a tarp, all of this surrounded by glowing candles.

Toby was standing in the middle of one, dressed just like Johnny, also holding a blanket over his arm, scrubbing his hand over the top of his head.

“We did this,” Izzy whispered. “With Mom. Before it got too bad. We did this all the time.”

He knew what they did.

They stared at the stars.

And tried to find peace.

He guided his woman toward the blankets.

Halfway there, the porch door banged behind them.

Johnny turned and saw Addie coming toward them wearing one of Toby’s hoodies over a nightgown, green Wellingtons on her feet.

Like what Izzy was wearing, except Johnny’s contribution was a sweatshirt and she didn’t have wellies.

Addie was carrying two bottles in her hand.

One was bourbon.

One was tequila.

“We bought into shit like this, we lassoed two Forrester Girls,” Tobe muttered when Johnny and Izzy made the blankets.

There were worse things.

Like one mother showing out of the blue to fuck with them for her own selfish reasons.

And their real mother dying of cancer.

Johnny shot his brother a grin.

It was fake.

Toby grinned back.

It was fake too.

After he got that, Johnny didn’t hesitate.

When he claimed the blanket Toby wasn’t on, he pulled Iz down, arranged her at his side, then threw the blanket over them, tucked it around as best he could, and fell to his back.

Iz snuggled into his body, her head on his chest, neck twisted so she could look at the sky.

Johnny turned his head and saw Toby not far away, Addie on his other side, arranged the same way.

Tobe felt his gaze and returned it.

His smile was slight.

But this one was real.

“Who wants booze?” Addie called.