“Lord God,” Margot, who had moved to his side, murmured.

Toby slid his arm along her shoulders.

She slid hers along his waist.

He took a moment to memorize the feel of her, her touch.

And then she spoke.

“You should probably introduce your woman to your older brothers.”

“Give her a minute,” he replied.

She gave it only about a second before she spoke again.

“That pendant Eliza is wearing is very attractive,” she remarked.

“It comes with matching earrings. She showed in the kitchen wearing both this morning. Didn’t notice at first. But that probably explained some of her dreamy look, that and the fact Johnny gave her some, or got himself some after giving her diamonds.”

Margot gave him a reprimanding squeeze and snapped, “Tobias.”

He grinned.

“Will Adeline be getting diamonds anytime soon?” she asked leadingly.

He turned and kissed the side of her head then looked back to his woman. “I’ll need you to help me with that.”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

He pulled her closer and held her there.

Then she let him go, so he let her go, and he felt the loss of her touch in the depths of his heart.

He ignored it and moved himself and Brooks forward, calling, “Babe, probably should introduce you to the rest of my family.”

Addie aimed a stunning smile his way.

The ache in his heart didn’t go away.

But in that instant, seeing that smile, it didn’t hurt so bad.

And in the next instant, when Brooks reached out with gentle wonder to Barbarella, it hurt a little less.

 

“Don’t even try to kick me out ’cause I’m helpin’, no matter what you say,” Toby declared, walking into Margot’s kitchen.

She was at the sink, piles of Christmas dishes all around her.

Fifteen people in that house old enough to help her, she’d shooed them all to her family room with bourbon, brandy, spiked eggnog, unspiked eggnog, hot chocolate and iced Amaretto, depending on who was drinking, and disappeared in the kitchen.

It had changed since he was a kid, though she and Dave had never done a full overhaul. Margot had updated it bit by bit. New countertops. New hardware. New flooring. New curtains. New kitchen table. New sink. New fridge, stove and microwave.

So eventually, it all just looked new.

“I’ll rinse,” he said, gently moving her out of the way. “You load. You’re weird about that.”

“I’m not weird, Tobias,” she retorted. “It just takes less time to put away and makes more sense to have all the plates in a row, the little forks in the same compartment in the silverware holder, the spoons in their own. Same for the rest of the cutlery. And the bowls. Etcetera.”

“Whatever,” he muttered.

She adjusted from the sink without argument.

A win.

He picked up a plate and put it under the running faucet.

Toby gave it a minute.

Then, after handing her a couple of rinsed plates, he said, “You need me, I’m there.”

“I know, Tobias,” she replied gently.

“Dave needs me, I’m there.”

“I know, darlin’. So does he.”

“You don’t need me, I’m still there.”

Her yellow-plastic-gloved hand came into the sink and her fingers curled around the wrist above the plate he was rinsing.

He looked her way.

“I know, my beautiful boy,” she whispered and shifted closer. “Honey, I can’t live forever.”

He wanted to be strong for her.

But he couldn’t.

Not yet.

He’d get there.

But not yet.

“Stop talking,” he ordered.

“You know I can’t. No one does.”

“Margot—”

“I’m not young.”

“You’re not old.”

She gave him a small smile. “I’m seventy-two, Tobias.”

“You’re not old.”

She let him go, tugged off her glove, then lifted her hand and laid it on the side of his face.

He memorized that too.

“Whatever happens, I’m at peace.”

“Really, stop talking,” he growled.

“I slept beside the love of my life for decades. We raised three beautiful boys then had the honor of helping to raise two more. They all found wonderful women.” She tipped her head to the side and her beautiful, warm face got warmer, so it also got more beautiful. “My grandchildren know their grandmother loves them.”

Her hand slid to the side of his neck and there it latched on.

So Toby braced.

“You need to look after David,” she said.

“You know we will.”

“He’s going to be lost.”

“You’re not. You’re gonna beat this so stop talking about that.”

“Just in case, I need to know you’ll watch out for him.”

“Even if I didn’t promise that, which you don’t even have to ask, Adeline and Eliza will be all over it.”

She got a wistful expression on her face and her hand slid away.

“Too true,” she murmured.

He shut the water off and turned to her.

“I won’t ever be ready to lose you, it happens now, or you beat this shit and it happens in twenty years. But if Dave is left behind, we got him. Just like if, God forbid, something happened to Dave and you were left behind, we’d have you. You’re not gonna be able to stop worrying about that, but you gotta focus on the battle at hand, so I want you to try.”

“I will, Tobias.”

He made sure she wasn’t lying by staring hard at her face.

When he got that from her, he turned back to the sink and started the water again.

He’d handed her two rinsed plates when she changed the subject.

“We need to talk about Sierra.”

“We really don’t,” he muttered.

He was not surprised she ignored him.

“Although after Adeline got done with her, I have my doubts . . .”

His head jerked her way.

She was shoving a plate in, not looking at him, and still talking, “ . . . she’ll make another approach. But if she does—”

“After Addie got done with her?”

Margot looked to him. “Yes. At Matlock Mart. In the parking lot yesterday.”

He stared at her.

Then he looked over his shoulder and stared at the kitchen door.

“She didn’t tell you,” Margot murmured.

Toby turned back to the plates. “Shit got real when she got home. And then it was Christmas.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“What’d you hear?” he asked.

“Well, Francine was parked two cars down. So . . . everything.”

Francine had the biggest mouth in Matlock. Nice lady. But she was like the Matlock AP wire.

“I’m sure she targeted Adeline as she’s a mother and thinks Adeline will have some pity on her,” Margot noted.

“I’m sure she did,” Toby bit out and handed her another plate.

“Though, it’s my understanding Adeline disabused her of that notion.”

“I’m sure she did,” Toby repeated, though that wasn’t angry. He suddenly wanted to laugh.