He thought for a moment, then turned his contemplative stare to me. “No,” he admitted, almost reluctantly, making me bite off a smile. He hated to be wrong, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t own up to it when it happened. “I know the man I raised. Besides, our sweet Magnolia can’t help but make him a better man.”
Maggie jumped up and hurried over to hug her mom and Stanley. “He still isn’t good enough for you,” he said gruffly.
She laughed. “Will anybody ever be?”
“No.” Stanley smiled and kissed her forehead, making me frown and stand up. I quickly grasped Maggie’s arm and tugged her back against me.
“Keep your lips to yourself, brother,” I warned darkly.
Bunny and Maggie laughed, but Stanley was less amused. His lips did tip up, though, and he tightened his embrace around Bunny.
“What about school?” he asked.
“I’m going to travel with Harrison for a while, Stanley,” Maggie responded.
He looked like he wanted to argue, but Bunny came to the rescue once again. “She’s young, honey. She has plenty of time to decide what she wants to do. It’ll be good for her to get out of this little town and see the world.”
“What about—”
“Honey.” Bunny rolled her eyes and stood on her tip toes to kiss his chin. “Let it go.”
Stanley sighed and nodded. “Don’t expect me to stop worrying about her or checking in to make sure you’re treating her right,” he barked at me. “If you hurt her, you’ll be singing soprano for the rest of your life.”
I didn’t laugh. It was an epic struggle, but I didn’t laugh. I stuck my hand out. “Deal.” We shook and Maggie sighed happily, reaching out a hand to her mom. We all stood there for a few awkward minutes, and seeing as how that was already the atmosphere, I figured it was as good a time as any to bring up another awkward subject. Not for me, but it was sure to make my sweet Maggie blush.
I cleared my throat. “Since Maggie is eighteen and I refuse to sleep without her, we figured it would be best to find our own place.”
“Oh, but—” Bunny started to protest.
“Bunny.” I gave her a knowing smile. “You and Maggie are similar in a lot of ways, and from the stupid look on Stanley’s face after you’ve been alone together, as well as the frequency of those instances, I can only imagine that she inherited her passionate nature from you.”
Maggie’s fingers dug into my ribs, but I ignored the warning.
“I don’t think anyone wants a repeat of what happened earlier.”
Stanley’s faced turned red with embarrassment, pretty much matching the color of Maggie’s when I glanced down at her. Bunny however, threw her head back and laughed hysterically.
Stanley frowned. “Until she has a ring on her finger, you will sleep in the guest room and she will sleep in her bedroom while you are in this house,” he commanded.
“I figured you’d say that and I respect your wishes,” I countered. He looked mollified by my acceptance. “That’s why we’ve already found a place and started moving into it.”
Again, Stanley sputtered, but eventually, his face registered acceptance. He looked at Maggie. “I love you as though you were my blood daughter, Magnolia. Your mom and I will always be here for you.”
Maggie and Bunny both beamed at him while I breathed a sigh of relief that everything had worked out. I was sick of hiding things and I was ready to get my woman to our house and christen every room, making sure the walls were all embedded with the sound of her screams.
“Thanks, Stanley. That means a—” Maggie halted mid-sentence and her hand flew to cover her mouth. Then she took off running. I followed right behind, entering the bathroom just as she dropped to the floor in front of the toilet and lost her breakfast.
Well fuck. That was fast. I hid my grin as I knelt beside her and held back her hair. Bunny handed me a damp wash cloth while she and Stanley stood worriedly in the doorway.
Maggie sat back after it seemed there was nothing left and I wiped down her face with the cool rag. I looked up at the couple in the doorway. “Could we have a minute?”
Bunny dragged Stanley away and shut the door. I grabbed a cup of water and handed it to Maggie, which she took gratefully. “I wonder if the sushi from last night was bad,” she mused.
“I’m not sick,” I reminded her, since we’d both eaten it.
“Oh, right.” She seemed lost in thought for a minute and I wondered if I would have to spell it out for her. Then her eyes widened and her mouth formed a little O. “I couldn’t be...” she denied, shaking her head.