Chapter 237

Scooter was stretched out on the sofa taking care of the doll that Billie had charged him with babysitting. He probably wasn’t doing a very good job, not knowing the first thing about infants, but sticking the bottle in the doll’s mouth seemed to satisfy his niece for childcare.

“Uncle Scooter? How come I have a dad?” That wasn’t the winding-up-for-a-tantrum voice; it sounded like genuine curiosity.

Scooter tipped his head backward to look at her, upside down. She was cooking over the play stove that Eleanor bought her. “Almost everyone does, honey,” he said. “That’s how it works.”

“How whatworks? I never had a dad before. How come the spit test thing says Simon’s my dad?”

Scooter inhaled. Oh, fuck, Mace. “Your mom never talked to you about that?” He sat up, slow, keeping the baby doll on his lap so she didn’t fuss.

“Mom said I didn’t need a dad,” Billie reminded him. “But Uncle Andy says Simon was always my dad, just Mom didn’t want him to live with us.”