Terms of Surrender (16 page)

“Laura, right?” At Harley’s nod, he stepped around her so there was nothing between him and the girl. “Who says spankings aren’t allowed?”

Harley touched his shoulder, worry evident in her soft voice. “Gage, don’t do something you’ll regret.”

He drew in a deep steadying breath, let it out, and crouched in front of the young girl so they were at eye level. “This razor isn’t a toy, Laura.”

She nodded, serious now, her gaze turning wary.

He pulled pieces of fabric from the head of the razor and let them flutter to the floor. “Want to show me what you shaved?”

She sent a brief glance toward her sister, shouldered her way past him, and marched into the living room with a determination that made Gage admire her bravery.

The kid knew she wasn’t out of the woods and yet, she was willing to step into the fray and take responsibility for what she’d done. She stopped in front of the couch, checked over her shoulder to see if he was still behind her, then flipped over one of the cushions to reveal a three-inch long tear in the material.

Gage sank down on one knee beside her.

“Aunt Harley said we best hide it till you had your ’jection of coffee.”

He grunted. “She did, did she?”

Laura nodded. “Guess next time you won’t sleep so long, right?”

He glanced at her face and raised one eyebrow. “Next time?”

“Uh huh. We’re little kids, Unca Gage. There’s always gonna be a next time.”

Gage stared at her, noting the innocent, forthright way she met his gaze. And the anger inside of him melted away like snow under the hot spring sun.

He wished his father had seen it this way. Life in his house would have been a lot easier if the old man had remembered that kids sometimes learned only by their mistakes.

Damn it, he liked this kid.

He looked up to see Harley fidgeting in the entryway.

He liked her aunt, too.

Laura crossed her arms over her chest and leaned into him. Shoulder to shoulder, they studied the tear, the silence broken only by the steady clink of Lisa’s fork against the stoneware breakfast plate as she wolfed down her food.

What was he supposed to do now? Pull her onto his lap and tell her it was okay? No harm done? Just a wee bit of damage that could be fixed with a handy needle and thread?

What would be next? The rug at the front door? The duvet on his bed?

“Spanking’s don’t hurt, Unca Gage.”

He glanced down at the top of her head.

“If you’re gonna spank me, do it.” She turned over the cushion so the torn edge was once again hidden, leaned across it, and thrust her back end out. “I’m ready.”

Gage stared down at her backside, at the frilly panty edges that stuck out from under the pink sundress she wore, and held back the grin threatening to break free. “What’s the rush, kid?”

“I got plans.” Supporting her weight on her elbows, she raised one hand and ticked off the items on her short, chubby fingers. “Breakfast. Dishes. Shoppin’ with Aunt Harley. Nap time with Lisa.” She glanced over her shoulder at him, her face earnest. “If Lisa don’t get her nap, she falls asleep right in her supper plate.”

“And you don’t?”

She blew a lock of stray hair away from her face. “I’m older so I have to be more ’sponsible.”

While she wound her fingers together like spaghetti on a plate and waited for him to make his move, her patience far beyond her years, Gage debated his choices.

He could give her the spanking she expected and hope she learned her lesson.

Or he could pull her onto his lap like he’d seen Mike and Hannah do a dozen times before.

The front door swung open and drew his attention. His old man shuffled in and before he looked around, shouted, “Anybody home?”

In an instant, Gage made his decision. He shoved to his feet, reached down, swung Laura up into his arms, and tickled her in the ribs. She giggled, and with a trust that grabbed at his heart, wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her cheek against his. Feeling strangely united with this kid, Gage turned toward the old man. “Morning, Dad. Is Mom still sick?”

“Looks to be another scorcher, so I told her to stay inside for the day.” The old man shut the door and when he looked directly at Gage, stopped. “Son, your face is bleeding.”

“Accident,” he answered at the same time Laura said, “I did it.”

Harley stepped forward and handed Gage another napkin. Laura pried it from his fingers and dabbed at the injury. Beside him, Harley fidgeted under the old man’s observation.

“You back again, Harley girl?”

“Yes, sir.” She partially turned away from his dad and reached for Laura. “Let me take her off your hands.”

Gage shifted the child into his other arm, out of her reach. “Harley and the girls are staying with me for a while, Dad.”

With a pointed look toward Gage’s bleeding chin, his dad said, “You’re asking for a boat load of trouble, son. Are you sure that’s wise?”

He’d been awake for approximately fifteen minutes and already knew it wasn’t, but what the heck. Hadn’t he chosen to live life on the edge when he’d become a cop? How could this be any more dangerous, at least to him? Deliberately, he ignored the question. “Want some coffee?”

“Sure would. Smells mighty fine.”

Harley led the way into the kitchen. Gage brought up the rear, tickling Laura in the ribs, enjoying the sound of her childish giggles.

Life had never been so good when he was growing up. “Do you think Mom’s up for a visit today? Maybe the twins would cheer her up.”

“It’s too early. She still thinks she’s contagious.”

Gage set the twin down on her chair and was about to ask her if she wanted her eggs reheated. However, after exchanging a happy smile with her sister, she dug into the food with gusto.

Sitting down at the table, he held the napkin against the cut.

The old man dropped onto the chair across from him, his sharp gaze following Harley’s every move as she collected mugs and approached the table with the coffee pot in hand. She set down the mugs, splashed coffee into them, and gave Gage a concerned smile. “Anything else? Cream? Sugar?”

Gage gave her a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to wait on us.”

She glanced toward the girls. “It’s the least I can do.”

Gage wondered what would have happened if his dad hadn’t shown up.

Likely, she’d be throwing her arms around his neck right now, so grateful that he did the right thing by Laura. Making another payment on that debt she thought she owed him.

Well, he could think of a few ways for her to pay up. Most of them would be behind closed doors.

She turned to his dad. “Mr. Toryn, I’m a nurse. Would you like me to take a look at your wife? Maybe she needs to go to the doctor.”

“She’s fine, just needs time and quiet.” His dad leaned forward and squinted at the twins. “Why are Mike’s girls here? What’s the boy doing?”

As Harley returned to the counter, Gage leaned back in his chair. “Mike’s going through a rough time, so Harley and the twins are staying with me until he works things through.”

“For how long?”

“As long as it takes.”

Something passed over his dad’s face, some indefinable emotion that made his shoulders stiffen and his mouth flatten into a thin line. “It could take a lifetime. Are you prepared for that?”

Dragging his attention back to the girls, Gage set down his mug of coffee and reached for Lisa’s plate. “All done, sugarplum?”

“Yes, Unca Gage. T’ank you.” Daintily, she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, her satiation emphasized by the small girlish burp she let out. When she gave him an angelic smile, he noticed her body jerk as she fluttered her eyelashes up at him.

“Ouch,” Laura complained. “Lisa, don’t kick me.”

Gage blinked.

“So you got yourself a ready made family, eh, son?” The old man pushed to his feet, grabbed the coffee mug and headed for the back door. “If you don’t show em who’s boss right away, they’ll rule the roost.”

Laura kicked Lisa back.

A big crocodile tear slipped from the edge of the younger girl’s left eye.

Harley grabbed the plate from his hand and nudged Gage toward the hallway. “Go finish shaving or something. I’ll take care of the girls and this mess.”

His dad laughed as he exited the house, one of those diabolical sounds that made the hairs on the back of Gage’s neck stand up.

As he scooped up the razor and headed for the bathroom, his cell phone rang. He flipped it open, saw the identity of the caller on the display, and closed the bathroom door so he could speak privately. “Morning, bro. Where did you disappear to last night?”

Mike’s angry voice came through the line. “I want my girls back. I need them.”

He could hear the slur in his brother’s words. “And they need you, but not falling down drunk with your temper out of control.”

On the other end, his brother’s voice cracked. “You can’t take them away from me.”

“You need help.”

“I don’t want your help. I want my family.”

“Let’s get together and talk.”

Silence met his statement. Mike had hung up.

Gage eyed the bloody stubble on his chin and listened to the childish laughter coming from the kitchen.

Maybe his dad was right. If Mike couldn’t control himself around the twins, what made Gage think he could do better?

He was stuck with his decision.

And Harley and the girls were stuck with him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“So what’s next on your list?”

Harley dragged her gaze from the sad sack expressions on the girls’ faces to the shopping list in her hand, then up to Gage’s somber face. “You didn’t have to come with us.”

“If you say that one more time, I’ll—never mind. I had to come buy new razor blades and screen anyway.”

“Okay, okay.” She wiped a dribble of ice cream from the side of Lisa’s mouth and sent a surreptitious glance towards Gage. He was sitting at the courtyard café, drinking coffee, looking as relaxed as any other father with four-year-old twins.

Which meant he looked ready to bolt.

All things considered, if he did, it would be the least of her worries.

Neither the trip to the mall nor the ice cream cones had cheered up the girls. The mood since breakfast had been in a steady decline and the girls were missing their daddy so much, it was breaking Harley’s heart.

But not enough to go back to the ranch house and risk another round with Mike.

Under the table, Gage nudged her foot with his. “So what’s next?”

She refocused on the list. There were still a few items, although she could return later with the girls once he went to work. “I think that’s it.”

“Great. I’ll haul these packages out to the truck while you get the girls washed up.”

She glanced at the sticky hands and sticky mouths and glum faces, and forced a cheeky smile. “Did you hear him, girls? Unca Gage is in luv with his pretty truck and doesn’t want to get it dirty.”

“Ha ha,” he said. “If you’re not careful, lady, you’ll be washing my truck after all.”

Nothing. Laura heaved a dramatic sigh and slouched on the hard plastic chair. Lisa swung her foot back and forth, the steady rhythm seemingly hypnotizing her.

Harley sent Gage a what-should-we-do look.

He shrugged back at her, pushed to his feet, and gathered up the bags. “I’ll pick you three up at the mall entrance.”

The girls weren’t his responsibility. Even so, as she watched him stroll casually through the mall, she totally understood how the girls felt. Abandoned, depressed, lethargic.

Digging deep for her maternal instincts, she urged the girls toward the bathroom and scrubbed every last sticky bit of ice cream from their faces, their hands…their legs?

“How did you get it here, sweetie?” she asked Laura as she scrubbed behind the girl’s knee.

Laura sent Lisa a dark look and didn’t say anything.

“Alrighty, it’ll be your secret.” She scrubbed another spot, checked the girls again, and gave a satisfied nod. “All clean. We better not keep Uncle Gage waiting any longer.”

Harley found him in front of a department store, arms crossed over his chest, concentration fierce as he stared at a plastic pool in the display window. Laura and Lisa went to stand beside him, the dullness in their eyes brightening with the first signs of enjoyment since they’d left the house two hours ago.

“Ohhhh, it’s lovely,” Laura breathed.

Lisa matched her enthusiasm and tugged at Harley’s hand. “Can we get one, Aunt Harley? Huh? P’ease? Can we? P’ease, p’ease, p’ease?”

Before she could say a word, Gage turned to face her and the girls. “Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. You three girls could laze away the afternoons around the pool.”

“We don’t have any bathing suits,” Harley pointed out. It was like taking the
f
out of fun. The girls deflated in an instant.

Gage stroked his chin, fingered the Band-Aid covering the cut from his razor, and smiled down at the girls. “We’ll have to buy some, won’t we, girls?”

“Oh, Unca Gage, you’re the best,” Laura gushed.

Flirt
, Harley thought and scowled as the girls threw their arms around his hips, sandwiching him between them.

Gage untangled them, captured their hands in his, and smiled. “First things first. Let’s get the suits. We’ll pick up the pool on our way out of the mall.”

“I really don’t know if this is a good idea,” she said to his back as he strolled away from her, the girls on either side of him, grinning up at him like he was their hero. When he ignored her, she started after him. “They might get burned in the sun. What about sunstroke?”

“We’ll buy them hats and suntan lotion.” Over his shoulder, he grinned at her. “Come on, Aunt Harley. Don’t be a spoilsport.”

“Yeah, don’t be a ’poilport,” Lisa said, mimicking Gage’s tone.

“The girls need something to do,” he coaxed softly. “It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”

Fun, which they seriously needed right now. With a girl clinging to each hand, hope shining in their dark eyes, and Gage begging so nicely, Harley could hardly say no.

“All right.” She held out one hand to Laura, who shook her head and sidled closer to Gage. Lisa, her head thrown back so she could stare up at her idol, ignored her, too.