I give her a big smile. “That’s right. He’s your brother.”
“Oh, no,” Cole teases her. “That’s my brother.”
She giggles and they go back and forth, fighting over Rage. He stands there with a scowl on his face, but he’s not fooling me. I see the lines ease on his forehead.
He takes a step toward us, ending the game between Cole and his baby sister. She tucks her face against my neck.
I rub her back, watching his normal scowl turn into a frown. “She just needs time,” I say, encouraging him not to give up.
He takes a deep breath and then nods for Cole to follow him down the hall toward the back of the house.
“Mila and I were just going to try to find a movie to watch while I work on detangling her hair. Do you know how to turn on the television?” I ask Carson.
Carson begins pushing buttons on the remote. I sit down beside him and place Mila on my lap so I can comb through her hair.
“That one,” Mila says, pointing at the television.
“Fu … dge yeah,” Carson says, catching his bad language. “All this talking about mermaids makes me want to watch one,” he tells her.
She looks at the doll and then back at the television, comparing the image on the screen to the one in her hands. It makes me wonder if Mila’s had many toys. I didn’t really notice when I grabbed her; I was so focused on making sure she was alive and then safe.
“What are they doing back there?” I ask Carson.
He shrugs. “I think Rage is rearranging his bedroom.”
Mila falls asleep five minutes into the movie. It gives me ample time to pick through the knots in her hair.
After Cole and Carson leave, Rage begins to putter around, cleaning his already spotless house.
“Are you nervous about the visit this afternoon?” I ask, shifting Mila on my lap to a more comfortable position.
He walks over and lowers himself beside me to help.
“You got all the knots out,” he says, running his fingers over her soft hair.
“All it took was a little patience and a bottle of detangler.” I shake my hand out in front of me. “Gosh, I'm cramping up from holding the comb for so long.”
Rage places his rough hand over mine and begins to massage it. “I’m glad we didn’t have to cut it. Thank you.”
“My mom neglected brushing my hair, and when it would get too bad, she would cut it herself. Let me tell you, she was no hairdresser,” I joke. “She was worse than Tiffany, if you can believe that.”
“Was she better than me?” he asks. “I thought I did a bang-up job on Tiff.”
It makes me chuckle. “I didn’t mind when I didn’t understand, but the first time someone teased me …” I look away from him.“My … my first grade teacher taught me how to brush it so my mom wouldn’t cut it anymore.”
He continues to rub my hand. It’s warm and comforting. “She really likes you,” he tells me after checking his watch.
“I really like her too.”
Peanut’s ears perk up at the sound of a car in the driveway. “I’m going to go kennel him while they’re here. Stay where you’re at. I’ll answer the door.”
Rage makes quick work of it, coming back before they even get to the steps. He pauses in front of me. “Would you do anything for her?” he asks.
I drop a kiss to the top of Mila’s head. “Of course I would. She’s the sweetest baby.”
The knock on the door wakes Mila, and she curls into me as if I’ll protect her from whatever is coming … and I will.
Chapter Thirteen