“Then take her.” Ashley stood and rushed out of the room.
“I have to go after her.” Michael glanced around the room before settling on Ben. “You better be right on this. If not, she’ll never forgive any of us.”
Jinx watched him go after Ashley. “What did he mean by that?”
“Michael and I met earlier.” Ben took the seat Ashley had vacated. “He worked on her even before she came here.”
“You forced them to see our way?” Summer’s voice held an edge of anger.
“No, only to see what was right for Claire. If I thought Ashley could have handled the care she needs, and the new baby, I would have fought for them. You know Ashley, she can’t handle it, even Michael didn’t believe she could. It isn’t about you being my sister, it’s about what’s right for Claire.”
Jinx was slightly amazed that Ben was able to overlook the bond he had with Summer and think only of the child. It proved that Tex had chosen right when he picked his Lieutenant. The Texas Tigers were on their way to a very happy future.
Chapter Twelve
With Claire asleep, Summer collapsed on the sofa, emotionally exhausted. The day had been trying and it wasn’t over yet. Ben and Jinx had brought her belongings and piled them up in the middle of the living area for her to go through and decide what she wanted to take with her. There were also six or more bags of things that another mother with a daughter Claire’s age had sent over. It saved them from having to rush out and shop since Claire had very little when it came to clothes and toys.
“Here’s the last of the stuff.” Ben entered, his arms full of more bags.
She lifted her head enough to see him pile it on top of everything else. “What is all that?”
“Ashley said if she couldn’t keep Claire, she wanted to get her everything she needed to start her new life. There’s clothes, toys, shoes, and my favorite.” He reached into the largest bag and pulled out a stuffed Dalmatian that had to be as big as Claire. “Spot.”
“Oh, that’s cute.” She scooted up on the sofa. “It will be nice that she won’t have to keep anything from downstairs.”
“Anything but that blanket we can’t pry away from her,” Jinx reminded her.
She gently kicked her mate who was sitting rubbing her feet. “That’s your fault. You gave it back to her, she was perfectly content with the stuffed tiger.”
“I only wanted to make her feel safe, and the way she held onto that dirty blanket before, I thought it would help. At least it’s clean now, and it did help, so you can thank me later.” Jinx winked at her.
“We’ll see about it. I might be too tired once I get through all that stuff. Plus if you haven’t forgotten, we have a two-year-old child sleeping next to the bed. That doesn’t exactly turn me on.”
“There’s always the shower.” He tickled her instep, making her squirm. “How about we just throw it all onto the plane and then you don’t have to worry about it?”
“Then I’ll have to worry about it in West Virginia. No use lugging what we don’t want anywhere else. Plus you’re supposed to be meeting with Lukas again, and your men will be flying in soon.” She hated to remind him since that meant he’d leave her alone with Tad or someone else when all she wanted to do was cuddle next to him.
“I asked Lukas to meet me here so I wouldn’t have to leave you. The guards will also stop by, then they’ll take their rooms across the hall. No guards on duty tonight, unless I’m called away. They can rest and I can have you all to myself while Claire sleeps.”
“That sounds like heaven.” She pulled her feet away and cuddled into his chest.
“You two are sickening.” Ben teased.
“You’re just jealous. You want a mate of your own,” she told him. “Are you sticking around?”
“No, we’re having the bonfire tonight.” He tossed the Dalmatian onto the stack. “If you need anything just holler, otherwise I’ll see you in the morning.”
When the door closed behind Ben, Jinx nuzzled her neck. “Umm, to be alone with you finally.”
“Not actually alone,” she reminded him. Gosh, she couldn’t wait until they weren’t sharing the room with Claire, and she could have her way with him again. “We’re doing the right thing for her, aren’t we?”
He stopped what he was doing and looked at her. “Yes. You’re what’s right for her.”
“But taking her away…”
“Away from what? She doesn’t know this place or anyone here. Now is the best time to get her away, let her start fresh somewhere else. Which is why as long as Lukas keeps things on track, we are flying out the day after tomorrow.”