“I’ll trade you donuts for a Dad taxi ride,” she offered.
He leaned over and picked her up. It was something he’d done a million times in the months since the accident, and it always reminded him how small and fragile she was. His heart ached at his daughter’s slight weight in his arms.
He knew Lila had been lashing out at him, but he couldn’t help but think about the words they’d had the day before.
I know she should be more mobile than she is.
He shook it off as he carried his daughter to the living room. He’d learned long ago to accept the things he couldn’t change, and this was one of those things.
“Morning, Noelle.” Lisa smiled at his daughter. “Are those donuts? If they are glazed and coated in sprinkles, you’re my favorite.”
“A donut is not a donut without sprinkles.” Noelle settled down on Lila’s couch. “I will trade you a pink sprinkled for a cup of coffee. I’m all about negotiating today.”
Noelle offered up her box of treats and Armie noticed she also had a couple of envelopes in her hands.
He passed the box to Lisa. “Did the mailman come early?”
“Is there a reason you’ve invaded my home, sis?” Lila yawned as she entered the kitchen. She wore pajama bottoms and a tank top, a brightly colored robe around her shoulders. She looked gorgeous and rumpled and perfect. “Should I leave a sock on the door or something?”
Lisa flew over to her sister, throwing her arms around her. “I’m so glad you’re okay. We didn’t hear about it until last night and then it was late and we’d had some hurricanes, but we should have come home.”
“Three hurricanes,” Remy pointed out. “And they were not light on the pours.”
Lisa ignored him. “And you wouldn’t answer your phone.”
Lila hugged her sister, but her eyes found Armie’s and she smiled. “I was busy.”
“She was busy with my dad,” Noelle said with a grin.
Lila’s eyes flared as she seemed to realize her sister and brother-in-law weren’t the only interlopers. “Hey. I . . . uhm . . .” She shook her head and obviously gave up. “Yep. I was. No way around that one.”
It was good to know she wasn’t going to try to hide the relationship from his daughter. He had no plans to.
Lisa frowned and took a step back. “I was worried about you.”
“I wasn’t the one with a compound fracture that managed to nick the femoral artery,” Lila pointed out. “Nor was I the one who had the heart attack. I’m fine. All in all, everything went our way and everyone is healthy and happy.”
“But it must have been traumatic,” Lisa insisted.
Lila simply nodded. “That is why they call it trauma. I’m feeling good today. The coffee smells great.”
“And you are looking good, too,” Remy said with a grin. “Especially given your blessed state. You are glowing, girl.”
Noelle clapped her hands. “I heard that one, too. Beth and I spent most of the night calling around and finding out all the crazy rumors about the accident. Did you know that Mabel actually set up the whole thing so that Doc would come back and save the town because she’s been secretly in love with him for years?”
Lila frowned. “She’s married. I know that because she regularly overshares about her sex life. She’s quite flexible for her age. And why would I glow?”
“She’s not pregnant.” Armie sent Remy a dark stare.
Lila turned the sweetest shade of pink. “What? Why would you think I’m pregnant? I just slept with him and he used a condom and everything. I’m on the pill, by the way, but I’m going to need a test on you. Sexually transmitted infections can lie in wait for years. I’ll do one on me, too. We can exchange them over dinner.”
“That’s very modern of you,” Noelle said, watching the conversation like it was the best tennis match ever.
Lila’s skin went from pink to red. “Damn it. I should not have said that. I’ve been around Mabel for too long. I’m starting to put everything out there.”
“Well, I think it’s refreshing,” Lisa said, moving back to the stove. “I like this side of you. And according to all the rumors, Armie shouldn’t have any trouble passing that particular test.”
“He hasn’t had sex in years and years,” Noelle confirmed. “It’s been a long drought for him, and it makes him cranky. I would have asked you for some kind of sex toy for him that I could slip into his nightstand, but I don’t know if they have those for men.”
He turned to his very precocious teen. “You asked Lila about sex toys?”
It was Noelle’s turn to go pink. “Just joking. Maybe. It’s doctor-patient privilege.”
He put his hands on his hips. “Not until you’re eighteen.”
He turned to Lila, ready to find out exactly how much she was already influencing his daughter.