Page 57 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck
She brought our joined hands to her face and squealed a little. “I knew you’d pick him.”
I smiled, despite feeling less than jovial. “Glad one of us did because I honestly wasn’t sure myself until about two minutes ago.”
She hugged me as Henry was coming down the stairs with even more bags.
My brother glanced at us, shook his head, muttering something about “never getting out of the house at the rate they were going,” and then headed toward the car.
Amice released me. “Drest is coming here tonight, you know that, right?”
I shook my head. “He’s not. He mentioned it at lunch, and several times throughout the afternoon, but I told him that was a bad idea and couldn’t happen.”
Amice licked her lips. “Sweetie, it’s happening. My guess is that he’ll be here about an hour after we leave. If I were you, I’d handle anything you need to handle down there,” she looked me up and down and winked, “before then.”
“Amice, he’s not coming here,” I protested. “I’d never do that. I know how my brother feels about him and I’m here to watch Astria, not make out with a hot guy.”
She snorted. “Oh sweetie, your brother willneverapprove of any man in your life. He hates Robin marginally less than Drest. A very, very slim margin. The fact Robin wants to move you far from us hasn’t endeared him any to Henry.”
That was true. Henry did hate Robin. He often referred to him only as The Attorney.
“So don’t worry about what he thinks. Besides, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. And don’t use watching Astria as an excuse to miss out on time with Drest,” said Amice. “You do realize that if something ever happens to me, you’re who I’ve listed as her guardian, right? And that would mean you’d need to learn to have a personal life while also raising her. No time like the present to work on both.”
I tensed. “You mean if something happens to youandHenry, then it would be me who steps in to raise her, right?”
She glanced toward the front door and then back at me. “No. I said what I meant.”
“But Amice.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that.
She took my hands in hers again. “I love your brother, but, Rachael, I need you to promise me that if something happens to me, you’ll raise Astria. That you’ll treat her as if she were your own, and you’ll love her so much she bursts. And that you’ll help watch over Torid. He’s family now too.”
“Of course, but, Amice, Henry would—”
“I’d what?” asked my brother, entering the house again. “Are you two about done? I’d like to get on the road before it gets much darker. It’s enough Amice made us wait to leave until after she was done with the bedtime ritual with Astria.”
“Husband, you’d be wise to go upstairs and check for anything you forgot,” said Amice.
“I didn’t forget anything,” said Henry.
“So, that wasn’t your shaving kit I saw sitting on our bathroom sink counter, nowhere near your suitcase a little bit ago?” she asked.
He groaned and stomped up the stairs like a child.
Amice kept a hold of my hands. “I need to hear you say it, Rachael. I need to hear you swear to me you’ll do what I asked.”
“I swear it,” I said. “I’ll raise her and I’ll watch over Torid.”
She smiled and teared up slightly. “Good. Now, if I were you, I’d go make sure my legs are shaved and that I have on a bra and panties that match. Oh, and he loves the color purple. I’d go with that.”
Purple? Amice had just so happened to buy me purple lingerie for my last birthday. When I’d opened the box and began pulling out all the items, my brother had turned several shades of red and ran off to the kitchen until it was over.
“Hurry up. Time is a-wasting,” she said.
My eyes widened. “What? Why? He’s not coming here. He wouldn’t dare. Not after I told him no.”
“Sweetie, trust me. He’s coming here tonight. If I’m right, and I always am, he’ll be staying the week—all day, every day, and all night, every night.”
“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “Astria is here.”
“She adores him,” said Amice. “Try another excuse.”
