She nodded.

Shit. Now the tough stuff.

But without Audrey helping her and only her girls to go to, it had to happen.

So it was going to happen.

“Now the tough stuff,” I said softly and her eyes locked with mine. “Right now I’m going to ask you to make me a promise.”

“What kind of promise?” she whispered, hearing my tone and likely reading my face and definitely wary.

“The kind of promise that, if you and Fin stay tight and things…progress from say, kissing and stuff like that to more, you talk to me before you go whole hog.”

Her face went up in flames again and her eyes drifted away. Her body was tight and I knew she didn’t want to go where I was taking her but she had to.

“Rees, honey, please pay attention to me,” I called gently and her eyes came back but her body was still tight. “If you guys aren’t close to doing that then great and I mean that. No offense, baby, but you’re way too young to be going there.”

She shocked the shit out of me when she shared quickly, “Fin doesn’t take it very far.”

God, I loved my nephew.

“Just, uh…kissing,” she whispered.

“Good,” I whispered back.

“I like it,” she admitted, still whispering and I smiled.

“Kissing is awesome. There’s a lot to like,” I shared.

“Yeah,” she said softly.

“And that’s cool you like it. And that’s normal, you and Fin doing that. It’s great. It’s a way to be close. It’s a way to get to know each other better. But he starts going for more, I know he’ll respect you if you say no. And you have every right to say no and expect him to stop. So, I’m asking you to promise me that you’ll say no and then you’ll come to me before you take the next step. Even if, at the time, it feels good and you really want to.”

She held my eyes and asked, “Will you tell Dad?”

I took a deep breath and answered, “No. But saying that, you have to know I’ll guide you the way he’d want it to go and that is that you go there only when you’re ready, when you’re a lot older and when you’re certain you care deeply for the person you’re with.”

“I care deeply for Fin,” she told me.

“I know you do,” I said gently. “But, honestly, honey, now is not the time for you to be doing those things. Now is the time for you to have fun with your boyfriend, enjoy kissing and making out and let that other stuff happen later. It’s confusing and I can say that it is even now, at my age. So at your age, it’s way too much.”

She studied me for long moments. Then she nodded.

“Is that your promise?” I asked.

She again studied me. Then she again nodded and said softly, “Yes, Dusty. That’s my promise.”

Thank you, God.

“Good,” I whispered.

She looked to the door then to me.

“Really, Fin threw down with No for me?”

It was my turn to nod.

Her lips quirked into that mini-smile again.

“So, you’re good to go downstairs and make hamburgers,” I said quietly.

Her mini-smile went full.

“I gotta get some ibuprofen first,” she told me.

“Right,” I whispered. Then I reached out, curled my fingers around her hand that was wrapped around her calves and I gave her a squeeze. “Love you, Reesee, no joke. I do. I love you, girl, and when you love one of your girls, you’re always there for her. So know this as fact, I’m always here for you, yeah?”

Her eyes got bright but she pressed her lips together and nodded.

I gave her another squeeze and nodded back.

Then I said, “Get your pills. See you downstairs.”

“Okay, Dusty.”

I grinned at her. Then I got up off the bed and walked out of her room.

Right, there it was. That was done. That didn’t go too badly. I thought I did okay.

And I hoped to God she kept her promise.

This was what I was thinking when I walked into the kitchen to see No forming hamburgers. Seeing that, I did something I’d never done with No. I had no idea how he’d react or if it was right. But I did it anyway.

I walked up behind him, leaned around him and kissed his cheek. He jumped and his eyes came to me filled with surprise.

“She’s okay,” I said softly. “You might wanna apologize but she’s all right.”

He looked down at the hamburger meat and muttered, “I’m a dick.”

“You acted like one but you aren’t one. Stuff happens, honey, when we’re angry. Learn from it, make amends, get on with it and don’t do it again. Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled to the hamburger meat.

I lifted a hand and wrapped my fingers around his wrist then I gave No a squeeze. I made no further deal of it. I let him go and went in search of my man and my nephew.

Mike was sitting on the couch, one hand curled around a beer, the fingers of the other rubbing Layla’s head that was resting jowls to his thigh. Fin was sitting opposite him on the sectional, no beer, he was leaned forward to the coffee table with a book open and a hand wrapped around a pencil scribbling in a notebook.

Both of their eyes came to me.

“She’s cool,” I muttered.

Fin studied me then looked back to his books. Mike studied me then jerked his head to the couch beside him, nonverbally ordering me to take a load off.

I rounded the couch and took a load off.

Then I took Mike’s beer from him and downed a gulp as I leaned into his side.

Mike wrapped an arm around my shoulders and shouted, “No! When you get your hands cleaned of that meat, bring Dusty a beer, yeah?”

“Yeah Dad!” No shouted back.

“I’ll get it!” Rees shouted from what sounded like the hall.

I grinned at the TV.

Mike quit rubbing Layla, took the beer I confiscated then took a pull.

Then he handed it back to me and went back to rubbing Layla who, throughout his movements, followed them with blinking eyes but she didn’t lift her jaw from his thigh.

I trained my eyes back to the TV and didn’t move them even when I heard Mike mutter, “Thank you, Angel,” with an accompanying arm squeeze.

“No problem,” I muttered back.

“Here’s your beer, Dusty,” Rees said, I turned to her and saw her extending a bottle to me.

“Thanks, Reesee,” I replied, handed Mike’s off to him and took it.

Her eyes went to Fin and they were hesitant but she was determined.