“Tough day?”
“No, it’s fu—Freaking hot standing here.” He sent a glance to the kids below, but they were too wound up with excitement to hear his almost curse.
“Where’s Em?” Logan looked toward the kitchen.
“Changing Storm.”
“She calmed down yet?”
“Still pretty clingy.”
“Which one are we talking about?”
“Yup.” The corner of Reid’s mouth kicked up in affection as he took another gulp of beer.
It was hard to tell who had missed whom the most. Storm had been cranky the last few days, fully aware that her favorite human was absent. Reid had been, too.
Logan had brought the baby down to the wharf when the seabus from Bella Bella had come into the cove a couple of hours ago, joining Reid who had poorly disguised his eagerness to see his wife and meet her family.
Reid had restrained himself to a kiss, but the moment Storm saw Emma, she had burst into tears. Emma had done the same as she gathered up her defacto daughter and kissed her cheeks as though she planned to eat her for lunch.
“Oh, moppet, I missed you, too,” Emma had sniffled as she rubbed the baby’s back. “I’m sorry I left. Meet your nana and cousins.”
Storm had clung to Emma’s neck, refusing to look at new people. She had only picked up her head once to give Emma the most hilarious scold of a sad face before hugging her again.
Since Reid was busy trying to make a good impression on his new mother-in-law, Logan took control of the luggage, getting everything into the company vehicle. He let Reid drive Emma and her mother up to the house with Storm while he walked the two kids up the drive. They were a riot, speaking in their broad Kiwi accents.
“You guys sound just like your Auntie Em, you know that?”
“Auntie Em sounds funny,” Imogen assured him. “More like you.”
Delta seemed pleasant enough, if given to tensing her upper lip in judgment while she took in the home her daughter had chosen over returning to New Zealand.
It was a hell of a lot nicer than it had been when Logan and his brothers had arrived in April, Logan wanted to tell her. Between them, they’d put in a new kitchen, refinished, refloored, repainted, and repaired everything that needed it, not necessarily in that order. They’d knocked out the trees impeding the view and got the moss off the roof and out of the cracks between the tiles on the patio where Delta currently sat.
They’d done all of that believing they would sell this house along with the resort. Then, for Storm’s sake, Reid and Emma had decided to marry and stay here until the adoption went through. Since they all considered it Storm’s home, Logan and Trystan endorsed their living here.
It would have eventually worked out, providing Storm exactly the same strong financial start that Wilf had given his sons, but this news about Tiffany’s sister had thrown everything into flux. He wished they could at least learn her intentions. The uncertainty was stressful for all of them.
“Hey, you’re back.” Emma came out with Storm on her hip, placemats in her other hand. “Can you take her while I set the table?”
Storm turned her face away from him when he reached for her and snuggled tighter into Emma.
“I guess I’m setting the table,” Logan said wryly as he took the placemats. “You go visit with your family.”
“Thanks.” She seemed to hesitate briefly, expression pensive, then went down the stairs where she pulled up a chair near Art and her mother.
“Problem?” Logan asked Reid in a low voice.
“Her mother is being weird about the adoption,” Reid said under his breath. “Didn’t appreciate being called Storm’s ‘nana.’”
“Oh Christ. Can’t her family let her be happy?”
Reid’s brows lifted in a silent amen.
Emma was enjoying her niece and nephew, though. The next time Logan came outside, Storm was in Sophie’s arms—the little traitor—while Emma played tag with the kids, laughing it up.
“Did you get that inventory straightened out?” Reid asked.
“Hmm? Oh yeah, but I don’t know what I’m going to do about that store. Anyone can ring through a purchase and stack shelves. Even Kenneth,” Logan insisted when Reid sent him a look. “This is his first job. He’s gonna screw up, but he’s keen, and he shows up.”
Reid nodded acknowledgment of what a feat that was for some.
“The bigger issue is that I spend all day walking down there to talk to someone who wants to save money by doing the repair themselves but treats me like their personal YouTube tutorial. We need someone in the store who has a clue what all the parts are for and can give tips on how to make quick fixes.”
A metaphoric light bulb went off between them. They both stepped up to the rail and peered down at Art.
“You think?” Reid asked.
“No harm in asking,” Logan said.
Reid nodded and opened the lid on the barbecue, then went back to the rail, calling down, “Who wants cheese on their burger?”
“I’m a vegetarian,” Biyen stopped playing to say.
“Yeah, I know, bud. Your mushroom burger is here. You want cheese on it?”
“Yes, please.”
