He was never taking Caroline on a plane again for the rest of her life. Blake shifted her in his arms as he paced down the hall, through the living room, and then back down the hall. The moment he stopped moving, she woke up and started crying. Even though he’d kept her covered in sanitizer while they were traveling, she’d somehow managed to pick up a bug and now had a double ear infection.

It didn’t help that they were both missing Michael after their visit with his parents. Donald and Rosa had been great about answering questions and showing her pictures of her Papa. They’d had a few teary moments missing their son, but they’d all agreed that the best way to honor Michael’s memory was to talk to Caroline about him. It didn’t help Blake’s melancholy at all to have the constant reminders of the past. Having Rosa urge him to move on and find someone new? Well, that hadn’t helped either.

Caroline began to whimper so Blake focused his attention back on her. He rubbed her back and hummed until she relaxed again. He walked with her until his arms felt like they were going to fall off, then carried her into her room and carefully laid her down on her bed.

When he stood up, his eyes were drawn to the castle Linc had built for her. Blake forced himself to look away and tiptoed out of the room. The time away hadn’t lessened his feelings for Linc at all, and seeing the reminder of him right there in his home made the hurt come pouring back.

Blake walked into the kitchen and began cleaning up the dishes that had piled up throughout the day. He’d spent so much time holding Caroline that he’d done nothing but throw them in the sink after he’d convinced her to eat. Aunt Paula had brought over some homemade chicken soup, so at least he hadn’t had to cook.

Once the dishwasher was loaded and running, Blake gathered up the laundry and started a load. He needed to stop feeling sorry for himself and get on with his life. He’d made the right choice breaking up with Linc. It was what they both needed. Linc didn’t want anyone to think he was getting any special favors. He deserved to get ahead because of his talent and hard work, not because he was sleeping with the boss’s nephew.

And Blake couldn’t keep their relationship on the down low until they knew if what they had would last.

There wasn’t anything else to do.

If they’d been madly in love, sure, they could have figured out a way around their problems. Pushed through because they knew what they had was going to last because they were in love. But they weren’t.

Were they?

No.

They hadn’t even made any type of commitment to each other.

No matter that when they’d been lying in bed Linc had talked to him about his dream home and Blake could picture himself there with him.

So what if Blake had shared his fears of not being enough and Linc had assured him that he was so much more than just enough. And when he’d said it, Blake had believed him.

He’d made his bed, and now he had to lie in it. Alone.

Caroline began to whimper.

Blake groaned and pulled his feelings back so he could focus on taking care of his daughter. No matter what, he’d make sure he’d be the best he could be for her.

“Daddy!”

“I’m here, Mouse.”

Blake lifted her into his arms and she laid her head on his shoulder. She was starting to feel warm again, but they had another hour before her next dose of fever medicine. He carried her into the bathroom and dampened a washcloth before carrying her into the living room. He sank down onto the couch and propped her against a throw pillow.

She flinched when he placed the cool cloth on her head but settled once he gently rubbed her stomach. These were the moments when it was hard to be alone. He wanted someone to bring him a glass of water, rub his back, and tell him that she would be okay.

He wanted to pick up the phone and text Linc. To say he was sorry and beg forgiveness and ask him to come over. Blake pulled his phone out of his pocket and even made it as far as unlocking it before it laid it down on the cushion beside him.

When his phone pinged seconds later, Blake’s heart leapt.

It wasn’t Linc, though. Of course it wasn’t.

How is she?

His mom. Checking on Caroline. Who else would it be?

Fever hasn’t broken. She’s miserable.

You need anything?

Linc. But he couldn’t have him so…

No.

Blake hadn’t felt this sorry for himself in a long time. Not since just over a year ago when his husband walked out the door. And wasn’t that telling?

He’d made mistakes then, and as much as it hurt, he’d not make the same mistakes twice. He had to keep telling himself that, or he’d crack and call Linc and beg for him to come over and be with him just for one more night. He wanted a few hours of sleep with Linc’s arms wrapped around him.

Blake couldn’t get that, though. He would protect his family and do right by them. Eventually, he would find someone else. He had to.

His heart dropped. He didn’t want anyone else. He wanted Linc.

“Round and round we go,” Blake muttered to himself.

The timer on his phone went off indicating it was time for Caroline’s next dose of medicine. He gently eased his legs out from under her and left her curled up on the couch while he went to fix her a cool drink and get the medicine dropper filled with the correct amount of medicine.

He got her woken up enough to drink the medicine and have a few sips of water. She clambered back onto his lap and dozed off again. He managed to drift off as well until he heard a key in his front door. Blake twisted his head as his sister pushed the door open and tiptoed inside.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Audrey asked.

“Not really. Dozing.”

“I was at mom’s when she texted you. I brought some of that electrolyte juice stuff. And some animal crackers. They always make me feel better when I’m sick.”

“Thanks, sis.”

She came over and crouched down beside them. “Man, she looks pitiful.”

“I know. She’ll be okay, though. Once the fever breaks, it’ll take all my fatherly skills to keep her calm until the infection actually goes away.”

“You look like you need a break. You want me to hold her for a bit?”

Blake glanced down at her. She seemed to be resting pretty well.

“I’d love a shower, if you don’t mind hanging around for a few minutes.”

“Not at all. Go ahead.”

She carefully lifted Caroline and then settled back down on the couch with her.

Blake made sure she didn’t wake up after being jostled around, then hurried down the hall to his room.

Of course, the moment the steaming water was flowing over him, he remembered Linc’s teasing taunt about fucking him in the shower. His body liked the idea, and he immediately began to harden.

“No,” he grumbled. He ignored his erection and made quick work of the shower. After roughly toweling himself dry, Blake threw on some old pajamas and wandered back out into the living room.

Caroline was still passed out.

“Thank God,” Blake whispered. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. She didn’t seem quite as warm. The medicine must have kicked in. “I’m going to try to put her back in bed.”

He lifted Caroline out of his sister’s arms and carried her back down the hall to her room. After getting her settled, he went back to the living room and dropped down onto the sofa.

“She out?”

“Yeah. I give it a couple hours before she wakes up again. The joy of ear infections.”

“You want me to stay?”

“Nah. I got it. Thanks, though.”

Audrey let out a deep sigh and moved sideways on the couch so she was facing him. “You know how much I love you, right?”

“Of course.” He turned so he was facing her was well. “Why?”

“I’m about to poke a tender spot. As your little sister, it is both my right and privilege to go where no cousin dares to tread.”

Blake grabbed one of the throw pillows and buried his face in it with a groan. “No.”

“Why did you break up with him, Blake? You were so happy. And my God, the sex must have been fantastic. The looks you two were giving each other made me head out to a club for a quickie.”

“Audrey!”

“What? I’m a twenty-four-year-old single woman, Blake. I have needs!”

“Why don’t we talk about your love life then?”

She scoffed. “Okay. It’s great, thanks for asking. Kale and I have this great tag team system worked out. We go out, we get laid, we come home. Safety first, and all that. I’ve also learned that I’m really attracted to really tall men. With big hands. And big dicks. Not gonna lie. I like a big cock. How about you? Is Linc hung?”

“I cannot believe you are saying these words to me right now.”

“Yeah, well, I warned you. Now. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me.”

“I’m not telling you about Linc’s dick!”

“Not that, you ass. I want to know why you broke up with him.”

Blake groaned and buried his head in his hands. “Because it was too weird with him working for the family. Too many landmines.”

“Uh… name one.”

“Uh… like Uncle Henry wanting me to go tell him about a job change because he didn’t want to?”

He’d never seen his sister look at him quite so disdainfully. “Hi, my name is Blake and I’m a drama llama,” Audrey sneered.

“What? I am not, Audrey. This is serious.”

“You’re an idiot, plain and simple. Of course, Uncle Henry doesn’t want to make anyone mad at him. Have you met the man? He’d have just as easily asked you to go tell Abe or Tim or Jose or any of the other guys bad news so he didn’t have to be the one who upset him. And just wait until the first time Lucy is mad at him. Whew boy. You’ll be so thrown under the bus when that happens.”

Blake blinked at her. “What?”

“You utter and complete moron.”

“Stop calling me names!”

“I will when you stop acting so stupid! Uncle Henry wasn’t treating Linc any differently than he would anyone else by asking you to go. Come on, Blake. Think. What else?”

“People would think he got special treatment because of me. Like, promotions or better jobs.”

She made a weird clicking sound with her tongue. “Dumb as a box of rocks.”

“Audrey!”

“What promotion, Blake? He’s already a foreman. What else is there? Abe is the owner’s son and guess what… he’s a foreman, too.”

“Yeah, but the jobs are—”

“Anyone who thinks Uncle Henry isn’t going to put the best man on the job needs his head examined. He doesn’t give Abe jobs if Linc is better for them, and Abe is his nephew. The man has been in this business for thirty years. He may not like to tell people things they don’t like to hear, but he won’t do wrong by the business either. God, what are you thinking?”

“Well, it made Linc uncomfortable. So he asked to keep the relationship quiet until we figured things out. I can’t do that again, Audrey.”

She sighed. “Seriously. How do you survive? Remind me to be the one to talk to your kid about relationships because you are hopeless.”

“I am not.”

“Yeah, you are. You ever think that maybe keep things quiet just means, I don’t know, maybe not go to parties or barbeques with all fifty of us for a while? I mean hell, he’s already been to two since you guys started seeing each other. And that’s some intense stuff for a new boyfriend. The last guy I dated refused to go to a second for six months after I took him over to Uncle Henry and Aunt Paula’s for a party. Not even when I promised him some of Uncle Henry’s barbeque ribs.”

Their family get togethers had been a tried and true test for potential life partners. Blake had heard many stories about how his aunts and uncles had passed the test. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“And not to rub even more salt in the wound, but—” Audrey paused and punched him in the arm. Hard.

“Ow! Fuck, that hurt!”

“Good. You really think we’re such assholes that we wouldn’t have understood that you guys needed a little time to figure things out. For fuck’s sake, Blake. You have absolutely zero faith in this family. First we can’t handle that you and Michael split up, and then we can’t handle you and Linc being together without turning into blathering idiots or something? Fuck you.”

Blake rubbed his sore arm while his sister continued to glare at him.

The pain in his arm equaled that in his heart. He was a total and complete idiot.

“I broke his heart for nothing. Hell, I broke my own heart for nothing.” His breath hitched and he lowered his head to his hands. “I’m so stupid.”

Audrey scooted closer and wrapped her arm around him. “Yeah, you are. But hell, Blake, you’ve been kind of messed up for a long time. I think you got it in your head that our family was the be all and end all of existence. That’s not what you should be thinking. We’re a foundation. We’re here when things are good, bad, and in between. We love you when you’re an idiot and when you’re not. That’s the Bartlett way. We don’t belong on a pedestal, Blake. It’d be nice if you remembered that we’re people who love you and want what’s best for you. And honestly, even when we don’t agree with you, we’ll still stand by your side. I think you just forgot that for a while.”

“Yeah. I think I did. Fuck, what am I going to do now?”

Caroline began to cry again before Audrey could impart any further words of wisdom.

“You’re going to go get your beautiful daughter and get her through this really crappy night with your favorite sister’s help. The rest of it can wait until tomorrow.”