April and Peyton would be home in an hour. We’d finally hired a new nanny for them. She picked them up from school and spent time with them when Carter and I were busy with meetings. Truthfully, though, I liked slowing down in the afternoons to enjoy my time with the girls. My team didn’t mind me working remotely now and then, and Carter’s partners were supportive of him. Things between Carter’s partners and me had been a little awkward, since I’d known they hadn’t been too keen on him taking on my case, but I assured them I didn’t hold a grudge. Everyone liked being on the winning side. It was how life worked. I especially enjoyed being on the winning side right now, as the magazine that had published Beauty SkinEssence’s smear campaign had run an article on me, singing my praises. The line had come out last week to rave reviews. Since the competition’s line had come out at the same time, my profits were going to be small, but I wasn’t too worried. It was just how business decisions worked out sometimes.

A few hours later, the house looked semi decent and the rest of the family had arrived. I slipped into the kitchen to prepare dinner. I was making fried chicken—Jace’s favorite. I was usually very strict about respecting his meal plan, but some comfort food was in order right now because his team had lost a game.

April and Peyton were “helping.” Translation: while keeping an eye on Peyton, April and I were strategizing how she could order some boots Carter would surely deem too “grown-up.” They were not. I was still working on my persuasion skills in that area, so I considered taking one for the team this time and simply saying I’d ordered them for April as a surprise.

Carter was going to feel ambushed, but it was high time I introduced April and Peyton to the Connor ambush and intervention techniques. Peyton was still a bit young, but I had full confidence that April could pull it off. Girls had to stick together. As someone who’d always been surrounded by overprotective brothers, I knew the girls needed someone to champion their causes. I volunteered for the task.

April clamped her lips shut as Carter came to check on us. He glanced from April to me.

“What are you two up to?”

What? How could he know? Could he read the guilt on our faces? Crap, he was a lawyer. He was probably trained to sniff out guilt a mile away. So I resorted to one of my favorite techniques to distract him: talking his ear off.

“Want to taste the fried chicken? It’s delicious.”

“Sure. “

“It’s Jace’s favorite. His team just suffered a defeat, and I’m making this so he won’t be grouchy. Grouchiness is contagious in my family.”