âShe belonged to my grandmother, who raised her from the time she was a youngster.â
Rafe broke in, rescuing her from any further questions. âI gather Iâm Kikoâs designated sitter?â
Larkin turned to him in relief. There were times his take-charge personality came in handy. This was one of them. âDo you mind?â
âWill she eat me?â
âI donât think so.â
He lifted an eyebrow. âColor me reassured.â
His dry tone brought a flush to her cheeks. âSheâs very sweet natured. Very beta.â
âWell, if thatâs settled?â Elia asked.
Not giving Larkin a chance to come up with a reasonable excuse for avoiding their girl-bonding session, Elia urged Nonna to her feet and swept everyone toward the front door. Once there, she gave her son an affectionate kiss, one Larkin noted he returned with equal affection. Then they were out the door and tucked into Eliaâs car. The next instant they pulled out of Rafeâs drive and headed toward the city. Larkin couldnât help tossing a swift glance over her shoulder.
Elia must have caught the look, because she chuckled. âDonât worry, Larkin. Weâll return you safe and sound before you know it.â
Right. It was that nerve-racking time between now and then that worried her. How in the world had she gotten herself into this mess? Yesterday sheâd been free as the proverbial bird. No entanglements. No men. Just one simple goal. Find her father.
And now⦠Larkin shot one final desperate look over her shoulder before settling in her seat. Now she had a fiancé to deal with, his family, no job and was expected to spend the day bonding. Bonding! With Leighâs former mother-in-law, of all people. Not to mention this bizarre ache centered in her palm. She rubbed at it, which for some strange reason caused Nonna and Elia to exchange broad smiles.
Larkin sighed. What an odd family. Almost as odd as her own.
Â
Rafe stared, thunderstruck. âWhat the hell have you done to my fiancée?â
âWeâve been doing what women have done for centuries in order to bond,â Elia said. âShopping.â
âMakeover.â Nonna enunciated the word carefully, then smiled broadly, though Rafe couldnât tell if it was due to the wordâone heâd never heard his grandmother utter beforeâor the results of said makeover. âThis is something girls do together,â she added with an airy gesture. âYou are a man. You would not understand.â
Larkinâs eyes narrowed. âDonât you like it?â she asked in a neutral voice. âYour mother and grandmother went to a lot of time and expense on my behalf.â
He hesitated. Damn. Okay, this was familiar territory.Dangerous, familiar territory. The sort of territory men discovered during their first romantic relationship. Most poor saps of his gender stumbled in unaware of the traps awaiting them until theyâd fallen into the first one, impaling themselves on their own foolhardiness. Having several serious relationships plus one disastrous marriage beneath his belt, Rafe had figured heâd safely skirted or uncovered all the traps out there.
Until now.
âYou look lovely.â And she did. Justâ¦different.
Larkinâs mouth compressed. âBut?â
Behind her, Nonna and his mother also regarded him through slitted eyes and tight lips. âBut?â they echoed.
âBut nothing,â he lied. Time to regain control of the situation. First item on the agendaâ¦get rid of Larkinâs backup. He gathered up his mother and grandmother and ushered them toward the door. âItâs late. Nearly dinnertime. Youâve spent the day bonding with Larkin and I appreciate all youâve done. I know this has been very sudden, and yet youâve made her feel like one of the family.â
âOf course we made her feel like one of
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