“Please. Don’t tell Lace,” Vince gruffed out.
That’s when Kyle’s hundred-megawatt smile broke through.
“Sorry bro. Already done.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
It had been two weeks since Vince had been shot while infiltrating the black-market ship, but after the initial night when he’d had emergency surgery—the bolt removed, the damage to his shoulder repaired, and after that, hours spent in the recovery room—Lace had finally been able to take a deep breath.
She shouldn’t have let her guard down.
She knew better now.
Vince was proving to be a terrible patient.
He was in a sling that he was supposed to wear during all his waking hours,andhe’d been ordered not to do any physical activity.
Right.
Apparently, the surgeon and attending doctor hadn’t known they were dealing with a stubborn Sothard.
Within hours of his release from the hospital on day two, Vince had already been flirting with removing the supporting harness, and insisting he was well enough to help Statler complete the bathroom.
Statler, luckily, was on his game, and refused to let Vince get anywhere near the project, but that didn’t mean Lace wasn’tsubject to having her ear bent about it. She’d also had to watch him like a hawk after Stat and the crew left each day. More than once, she’d found him caulking baseboard or priming trim, unauthorized.
Luckily, in the two weeks alotted, the bathroom was complete without his interference. Mostly.
Now, she and Vince they were both wildly ecstatic over where today was headed.
Today was the day they picked up Inez.
And she didn’t know about it yet.
They, as well as the social worker who’d come to inspect them,andthe one who normally transported Inez to and from the hospital, had agreed to keep it a secret.
The gossipy transport lady was even being helpful for once, promising to head back to Inez’s soon-to-beex-foster home to pack up her things while treatments were underway.
Vince and Lace alone would be springing the news on the girl, hoping for a positive reaction similar to theirs when they’d been given the go-ahead by the agency.
Time would tell.
In celebration, this morning, Lace, along with Vince’s entire family; parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters-in-law, as well as baby nieces and nephews, were having breakfast at the Sothard compound. The food, of course, was compliments of Ellen Sothard.
The family hadn’t wanted to overwhelm Inez with their entire, enormous group right away, so they had a welcome home party scheduled for her in two weeks, after she’d been introduced to the fam, one by one.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat,” Lace said, twisting her hands nervously in her lap as they drove to the Sothard compound.
Thiswasher infusion day, but Vince had to know her roiling tummy had nothing to do with that. She was edgy with anticipation for when and how they’d break the news to Inez.
Vince couldn’t reach over and touch her for reassurance, because he was driving one-handed. And yes, he’dinsistedon being the chauffer.
Instead, he sent her a warm, commiserating look.
“I know how you feel. This is like Christmas and birthdays all rolled into one. I just want to get to the hospital and get it over with.” He turned a suddenly concerned face to hers. “What if Inez doesn’t want to come live with us?”
Lace snorted. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. She already adores you.” Lace shed more light on her personal agitation. “It’s me Inez might see as someone who’s superfluous.” She chewed on her lip. “I’m hoping, though, that once she mulls things over, she’s going to realize that being with us is a hell of a lot better than where she’s been staying.”
“That’sa no-brainer,” Vince concurred. “And of course she already loves you, too.Myconcern is that the change will send her into some kind of an anxiety-ridden spiral, fomented by what she’s experienced in the past.”