“Why doesn’t she come here?”

“Because I won’t let my dad in the house. At least there, I’d go to her house and, oops, he’d just show up.”

“What did Grady say?” Kacey asked, speaking of Lacey’s older brother.

“He says he’s staying out of it, but he’d like to see Mena too. I said, y’all are more than welcome to come here, and he said he’d see what he could swing, but Rachel is fixed on me going there.”

Kacey didn’t know what to say, but even before she could, Karson was saying, “Not only is she being a bitch to you, she’s being a bitch to everyone at work and just shitty all around. Fire her and then stop talking to her.”

“She’s my sister-in-law, Karson!”

“So? She’s insane.”

“I won’t get to see my nephews though,” she said sadly, and Kacey bit the inside of her cheek, thankful that she and Karson didn’t have these problems. They were solid.

“Sure, you will,” he said, sitting up, cuddling Mena. “Grady will make sure of it, and just be nice to her when you need to.”

“Yeah,” she said softly, picking the knife back up to continue cutting the apples as Karson closed the distance between them.

“I mean, it’s your decision. It’s your family, and no matter what, I love you. But please do something. I don’t want anything dulling your sunshine, especially since it just came back,” he said before kissing her temple.

She smiled over at him, kissing his lips and then Mena’s head. “I know, I’ll work it out.”

“Cool, I’m gonna go change this little lady and get her ready for Grandma,” he said, bouncing her in his arms.

“Make sure to put her in the little Assassins dress Audrey made her.”

“Will do. We need to get Mena Jane a little jersey. Yes, we do, with Daddy’s number on the back,” he cooed as he headed out of the kitchen, leaving Kacey to grin like a fool while Lacey giggled.

“He’s a sucker for that little girl.”

As Karson disappeared into Mena’s room, Kacey couldn’t help but think that Jordie would have been a sucker for their baby too.

Ugh, why was she thinking of him?

“Yeah,” she agreed, her mind still wandering toward Jordie and how life would have been so great if he hadn’t pushed her away. It was something she did often and she knew she needed to stop, but it was hard to break a habit.

What she needed was to get out of this house. The farther away from him, the better.

“I think I might start looking for a place,” she said then, surprising not only herself but Lacey.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, you’re good now. You don’t need me, not that I was much help since I really didn’t understand what you were going through.”

“You help me plenty, just being here,” she said fondly, and Kacey smiled.

“Well, thanks, but, er… Would you hire me?” she asked when she realized she needed more money to move out.

“What? Really? Of course, but why?”

“’Cause while my job is awesome and amazing, it doesn’t pay enough for me to live around here, and I want to be close to you guys. I saw some condos down the road, and maybe I could move there.”

Lacey worked her lip as she threw the apples in the bowl before covering them with sugar. “You don’t want to wait for your parents?”

Kacey shook her head. “They are taking too long. And also, I can’t live with them forever.”

“Yeah, true,” she agreed, mixing with a spoon before popping an apple in her mouth. “Why the sudden change of mind? We aren’t making you feel like you aren’t welcome, are we?”

“No, not at all. There really isn’t a reason,” she said breezily, hoping that Lacey wouldn’t catch on, but even she knew she was full of shit. “I just need a change.”

“Or to get away from Jordie.”

She shrugged. “That too.”

Kacey peeked a look at her sister-in-law to find her shaking her head. “Why don’t you just talk to him?”

“’Cause I don’t want to.”

“Then you’ll never get over him.”

“I am over—”

“Don’t you dare lie to me, Kacey Marie King,” she snapped and Kacey’s eyes went wide. “And stop running. You want answers, get them.”

She held her gaze for a moment and Kacey let out a long breath, wringing her fingers together. “I’m scared what those answers will accomplish.”

Lacey shrugged. “I never pegged you as a scared girl, Kacey, or someone who hides. Get your head out of your ass and do what you want.”

She bit her lip and shook her head. “What I want is unattainable. He doesn’t want what I want, but Liam—”

Slamming her hands on the counter, Lacey shook her head. “Oh my God! Let him go. Like today. Please.”

“Lacey!” she gasped, surprised by her outburst.

“What? I’m so tired of watching you try to make something work when it doesn’t. I don’t even see why you are bringing him over here. Your parents will not like him. Especially your dad.”

“You don’t know that!” Kacey argued, her heart picking up in speed. She wanted to believe what she said, but even she doubted that her parents would like Liam. Or that Liam would like them. Lord knows, her dad didn’t know how to control his mouth.