“Just asked a bunch of stuff about Travis. How our week went. He’s never asked before, so it isn’t hard to read he doesn’t really care now. It’s just the game he’s playing.”

“He talk about paying the attorney?”

“No, though he did look like he expected me to say something. But I’m not gonna say thanks for him taking care of a debt he gave me.”

Oh yeah, the guy expected her to say something. And it was a good play she didn’t give him what he wanted.

“You want, next time you stay in the truck, I’ll take Trav up to the door,” Joker offered.

“I might want,” she said quietly, and he glanced at her again to see she was looking out the side window.

“You up for tomorrow night?” he asked, looking back at the road and hoping a subject change might help.

But even as he hoped, he knew this sucked. He had her while her kid wasn’t around and she was Carissa. She was his girl. It was good to the point it was awesome.

But having her when her kid was around was something else. She was Carissa, his girl, his girl with both her boys with her, and that made her so happy it wasn’t good. It was spectacular.

He could tell she’d turned to face him when she asked, “Dinner with the people who made your life bearable when you were with your dad?”

“Yeah,” he answered.

“Absolutely,” she declared resolutely.

He glanced at her again then back to the road before he asked carefully, “Nervous?”

“No. I give good girlfriend. Aaron’s folks always loved me. Until he kicked me out, that is.”

He bit back laughter, not questioning the fact she gave good girlfriend since he was well acquainted with that, but he still warned, “Mrs. Heely lost her boy. He was in the military. Died servin’. Then she unofficially adopted me. I’ve never tested it, but thinkin’ she might be protective.”

“Good,” she stated.

“And picky,” he went on.

“She should be. You deserve the best.”

He grinned at the road, muttering, “Lucky I got that.”

That was when he felt her fingers curl around his thigh.

He switched hands on the steering wheel and pulled her fingers from his thigh by wrapping his around hers. Then he rested them there, giving them a squeeze.

“A week, we’ll have him back,” he said softly.

“A week, we will,” she replied the same way.

They fell silent as he drove them home.

They remained mostly silent when they got home, reheated leftover carnitas, and ate them camped out on the couch.

Joker did this, giving Carissa time to deal with losing her boy. He didn’t give her space, because she made it clear she didn’t want that, sticking close, being her usual touchy with him, but he gave her space in her head.