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The Lemon Sisters Page 12
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“Brooke—”
“No, it’s good to know, and I hear you. Loud and clear. Kids!” she called. “Let’s go!”
Garrett scooped up Maddox and helped them all into the house, in spite of Brooke not wanting him to.
There they found a surprise in the kitchen.
Linc.
He’d removed his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and kicked off his shoes, and was drinking Brooke’s lemonade right from the pitcher she’d had in the fridge.
“Daddy!” Millie cried, and flung herself at him. He set down the pitcher—and just in time, because Mason was right behind her, with Maddox closing up the parade. Linc caught Millie, hugged her, and slung her around his back so she was hanging from his neck. Mason went into one arm and Maddox into the other.
“Hey, big man,” he said, giving each of his babies a squeeze and a kiss. He palmed Maddox’s tush. “No more diapers?”
Maddox grinned.
Linc shifted Mason onto the same arm as Maddox so he and Garrett could bump fists and do one of those half man-hugs, aka slapping each other on the back.
“Daddy, Maddox doesn’t understand the lid-up rule,” Millie said. “I fell into the toilet last night!”
“We’ll have to work on that if any of us wants to live,” Linc said, but his attention was now on Brooke, his eyes full of questions. “Not that it’s not great to see you, but where’s Min?”
“Still in LA,” Brooke said. “She didn’t tell you?”
“No. Granted, I had terrible reception, so we only texted. What’s wrong?”
“We need to talk.”
“Hey, kids,” Garrett said. “Let’s go build a fort.” Loading them up on him one by one, he then pretended to stagger to the door, making monster sounds. The kids were squealing in delight as they all left the kitchen.
“Is she okay?” Linc asked the minute they were alone.
“Physically, yes. Mentally? I don’t think so. She lost her collective shit, Linc. And I’m about to lose mine on you.”
“Okay,” he said. “You’re freaking me out. Talk faster.”
She blew out a breath. “She had a meltdown of epic proportions on the way home from Palm Springs. She showed up on my doorstep and fell in love with my bed. She was sad, over whelmed, and exhausted. Long story short, she stayed in LA, and I brought the kids home. She needed some time off.”
Linc looked surprised. “From the kids?”
Brooke gave him a long look.
“From me, too?” He seemed stricken by this. “Why? And what do you mean, she’s sad?” He pulled out his phone, but Brooke put her hand over his.
“Before you call her, I need you to tell me you’re still in this marriage.”
Linc met her gaze, his own not defensive or guilty, but utterly shocked. “Of course I’m in this marriage. What the hell’s going on?”
His reaction was real. She knew him well enough to know it deep in her gut. “She feels alone.”
He inhaled a deep, shaky breath and nodded, like he’d absorbed the situation and made an assessment. “Okay, I’m going to LA. I’ll see if Garrett can watch the kids so you can leave—”
“No,” she said. “I’m not leaving until she’s home and okay.”
He looked both hugely relieved and touched by this. It had always been incredibly difficult to be mad at Linc for anything. For one, he was fun and charismatic as hell and, though somewhat softer than Garrett given the differences in the physicality of their jobs, still very fit. And two, he’d been her friend for as long as she could remember, and there’d been some really good times before she’d screwed up her entire life and left everyone and everything behind in Wildstone.
“I don’t think you should go after her,” Brooke said. “She knows you planned on being here today. She’ll come home when she’s ready.”
Linc shook his head. “But—”
“The best thing you can do for her right now is let her feel like she’s in control, Linc.”
He ran his hands over his face. “What do you know that I don’t? Tell me all of it. Everything, Brooke.”
“She said something about you and the cute, perfect Brittney. And then some hot doctor she thought was a guy, but is really a woman. And oh yeah, you don’t ‘see’ her anymore. Or”—she grimaced—“do things to her anymore, including using the costumes from your secret sex chest. And I’m never going to forgive you for making me say that.”
Linc let out a breath. “I see her. She’s the only woman I’ve ever seen or wanted. And as for Brittney, she’s gay. And a child,” he added, sounding horrified at the accusation.
“And Dr. Sam?”
“She’s a professional associate.”
“With breasts,” Brooke pointed out. “Perky ones.”
Linc grimaced. “She’s just a friend.”
“Well, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, Linc, but good-looking husbands, especially husbands married to my sister, don’t get to have female friends with good breasts.”
“You do realize that entire sentence is insulting.”
“Good. Maybe it’ll wake you the hell up.”
“Look, I know I’ve been busy—”
“Nonexistent,” Brooke corrected, “and not there for your children and your wife. And that’s bullshit, Linc.”
“I know it’s been crazy. I’ve been working at getting new partners for the practice, which would allow me to cut my hours. I tried to sell the practice to the hospital—they’ve made several great offers over the past few years—but Ethan won’t sell.”
“Yeah, well, your brother’s a dumbass. And I don’t care about him. I care about Mindy and your kids.”
Linc looked frustrated. “I know, but Ethan’s family, too.”
“Yeah. I get that.” She waved her arm, gesturing to herself being in the kitchen. “People will do just about anything for family, dumbass or otherwise. But that isn’t going to help me help Mindy. I need you to wake the hell up.”
A balloon floated into the room, attached to Ketchup the Tortoise.
“What the hell?” Linc said.
“We kept losing him, so we tied a balloon around his shell.”
Linc gave a slow blink. “Somehow that makes perfect sense.”
“Of course it does,” Brooke said. “You know what doesn’t? The fact that you work fourteen hours a day and leave before the kids get up, and then get home when there’s maybe half an hour before bedtime, and you think that’s okay.”
“I’m a doctor,” he said. “You know my brother and I took over my dad’s practice. And Ethan’s marriage is falling apart, so I’ve been having to take up the slack.”
She gave him a long look.
He paused and then grimaced. “Okay, yeah, I heard it as I said it. I’m putting my own marriage at risk. I need to spend more time at home.”
She sighed and softened slightly, knowing he was a good man in a tough spot. “These are your kids, Linc. Half an hour a day isn’t enough.” She poked her head out into the living room. Garrett’s long legs stuck out from under a big blanket tented between the back of the couch and a recliner. From inside came a bunch of giggles. “Hey,” she called out to the kids, “when’s the last time Daddy took you to the park?”
They all stuck their heads out and blinked. Clearly no one could remember.
“Well, guess what?” she asked brightly. “Daddy’s taking you to the park now. Aren’t you, Daddy?”
“Daddy” looked a little nervous, but he smiled gamely. “Everyone load up!”
Garrett stood. “I’ll be upstairs working on your tile.”
“Or . . . ?” Linc asked meaningfully.
“Or . . .”
“Or you’ll be with us.”
“Or I’ll be with you,” Garrett said smoothly.
“Yay!” the kids yelled, and jumped up and down.
“I’ve got to coach a soccer game at six,” Garrett warned.
“You come with us and then we’ll go with you,” Linc sai