Stumbling Into Love

“I love you, gorgeous, but if your mom doesn’t give me my boy and get the hell out of our house, I’m going to lose my mind,” I growl,

She slides into my lap—where she belongs, and where she will always belong.

“Don’t tell me you took my daughter to the courthouse and eloped,” Aiden says by way of greeting when he spots me.

I smile for the first time in days.

“If you did, I suggest you turn and start to run, because I will shoot your sorry ass.”

“With my baby . . . ,” he says.

I narrow my eyes on his. “That better be a joke, because if it’s not, I swear the moment I know I’m okay I’m going to kick your ass all over New York City.”

“Okay, you both look great. As much as I want to stand here and watch the love fest you have going on, I need to leave, so you are going to have to stop blocking the door.” Libby breaks into our moment.

“I call godmother!” she blurts.

“You smoke?”

“Not anymore, but I did years ago. You can blow it in my direction for old time’s sake,” she says.

“Put down your darn phone, girl.” I look up just in time to catch Miss Ina snatch the cell phone out of Libby’s hand and toss it behind her onto the floor.

“If foreplay is plotting someone’s death in your mind from start to finish, including getting rid of the body, then you would be right,” she says.

Child, if you don’t stop knocking on my door and give me a few minutes to walk across the room to answer it, I’m going to beat you with my walker when I open it up,” she grouches