Gina formed a li’l smile. “Considering Dec”—she wrapped her lips around his nickname like it was a sacred word—“has been spending so much time with me, I think I might know a little more about the situation than his ex-son-in-law.”
In my mind, Phoebe rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. I tried not to leap to any conclusions about what mighta happened because it seemed clear she was tryin’ ta get me to react. There was li’l doubt to me that she felt whatever relationship she was forgin’ with Declan was under threat if I was around.
“I ain’t his ex-nothin’. Dec is my wife’s father, and I look out for my family. I think it’s a good thing he’s tryin’ ta work things out with his wife. Twenty years is a long time to throw away because of grief.”
She bent down in front of the girls, ticklin’ under Emma’s chin. “Maybe people need something new and fresh from time to time.”
“She needs to get her hands off my daughters while she’s talking about seducing my dad.” Phoebe’s voice echoed in my head with a growl. There was nothin’ in her words I could disagree with. I pulled the stroller back out of Gina’s reach, leavin’ her crouched in the middle of the floor. “I can’t agree with that. There’s somethin’ special about lovin’ the one person for years.”
She stood and smoothed down her skirt. “There might be a certain appeal, but when it’s over, it’s over.”
“And sometimes it ain’t.” I couldn’t imagine the relationship I’d witnessed between Declan and Alyssa just bein’ over. I owed it to Phoebe to remind the two of them how much love they’d shared before lettin’ them fall to pieces.
Before Gina could respond or argue further, Declan came back into the room. In his hand, he had a now empty bottle of whiskey. I hadn’t even seen him grab the alcohol, but it was clear he’d tipped out whatever had remained.
He looked neater and more put together than he had before. He must have ran wet hands through his hair because the auburn and gray strands were swept back neater than when he’d left the room. As if the conclusion he’d come to regardin’ his relationship with Alyssa, and his whole family, had helped to lessen his grief, he stood a li’l straighter, and the worry lines on his face were a li’l less pronounced.
“Ginnie, can you please take messages for me this afternoon. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”
“Uh, sure thing.”
“And Beau’s starting back here tomorrow. He’s going to be taking on my role for a few months so I can focus on healing my family.”
Her gaze cut to me, no doubt realizin’ that she’d all but admitted her plans for seduction to her new supervisor.
“I’ll see you both tomorrow.” Declan placed the empty bottle into the trashcan and then knelt in front of Abby and Emma for a moment. “I promise I’ll do better for you both, for all of my family,” he whispered. Standin’, he said to me, “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” I responded without a pause.
Gina gaped between us before makin’ a brisk exit.
In my mind’s eye, I could see Phoebe’s smile beamin’ that her mama and daddy were maybe back on the right track. I could hear the way she woulda whispered her thank you into my ear. Tears brimmed in my eyes as I pushed the stroller from the room with a new hope brewin’ that things weren’t as hopeless as they’d once seemed.
CHAPTER TWENTY: FAMILY MATTERS
ANGEL MET ME in the driveway when I got home. She pulled open the rear passenger door to help me get the girls out of the car. She grabbed Abby out of the car seat while I grabbed Emma.
“You were gone for a while,” she said as she balanced Abby on her hip.
“Dec and I were talkin’.”
“And? What’s going on with him?”
“I don’t know. But I think he’s ready to try to come back to his life though.”
“I hope so. Lys deserves to be happy again.”
“So does Dec,” I said, knowin’ she’d see it herself before long but tryin’ ta help her come to the same conclusion. “He mighta lost the path, but that don’t mean he don’t deserve our support.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“I do have to ask a favor from ya.”
She tilted her head to the side in question as she set Abby onto the living room floor.
“Can ya watch the girls durin’ the day for the next li’l while? If ya can’t, I’ll see what I can do about daycare, but I’d rather leave ’em with you than strangers.”
“Yeah, of course I can. There are a few things I need to arrange for our trip and for the business, but most of it I can do at home with them. Why though?”
“Dec asked me to take over the reins for a li’l while so he can work on things with Lys.”
Her eyes widened. Perhaps she was seein’ how serious Dec was about fixin’ things. “Oh. Good. Of course. Anything to help. When do you start?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Wow. So he really is serious about this? Do you think it’s a guilty conscience?”
“That ain’t my business. All that matters to me is that Phoebe’s passin’ doesn’t break up her parents’ marriage. She wouldn’t want that.”
Angel glanced down at the ground and her lips twisted into a frown. “No, she definitely wouldn’t.”
I wrapped my arms around her to comfort her. We stood like that for a few minutes. “How’d ya do with the plannin’ today?”
“Really good. I’ve set up a few searches to find the best prices on flights.”
“Ya don’t need to worry ’bout that. I’m happy to pay.”
She lifted her brow. “You might be happy to pay, and you might think you’re richer than God, but that money will run out one day if you’re not careful with it.”
I chuckled at the earnestness—and slight admonishment—in her expression and tone. The truth was I doubted I’d have to worry about money in my lifetime, but it was nice that she was concerned about it for the girls and me.
“Just trust me, I’ve been at the bottom, and it’s not much fun. I don’t want that for these two.”
I didn’t want to go into details about the money Phoebe had left in trust for the girls. “Thank ya, sweetness. Ya don’t need to worry, but I appreciate that ya do.”
While the girls crawled together on the floor, playing together with their toys, Angel brought out the things she’d arranged so far. She had a print out of a map and a list of the places she wanted to visit.
“You put this together real quick.” She mighta had a couple of weeks to put it together, but it still felt far too detailed for the time that had passed.
Her cheeks grew flushed with red. “Well, some of it is recycled from the plans Phoebe, and I made in high school.”
I was about to respond when Emma pulled herself up onto her feet against one of the chairs in the living room.
“Oh my god!” Angel leaped to her feet and grabbed her camera. “Look at her go.”
Abby grabbed at the back of Emma’s dress, dragging her back onto the ground. I chuckled as the two of them wrestled together for a while before Emma pulled herself up again and bounced with a gurgle.
“Hey, li’l darlin’,” I said, movin’ to the floor beside the two of them. Usin’ my hand, I guided Abby up to stand beside Emma.
The two of them vocalized to each other and me, babblin’ away.
“Feefee,” Emma said, bouncin’ again.
“What did she just say?” Angel asked as she sat on the opposite side of the girls. In one of her hands, she had her camera trained on the girls. “Can you say that again, Em?”
Emma giggled and bounced. “Feefee. Feefee.”
Abby joined in the noise before she stumbled. My hand reached her back at the same time as Angel’s, and our fingers touched for a second. Angel pulled her hand away as I helped Abby to stand.
“Do you think she’s . . .” Angel trailed off and dropped her gaze. Her hair fell in front of her face.
“Do I think what?” I reached over the seat
and brushed the hair back.
She lifted her emerald eyes and looked at me through her lashes. “Do you think she’s trying to say, Phoebe?”
Emma squealed and bounced before repeatin’ the word again.
I watched her and thought about Angel’s question. “Maybe.” I turned my focus back to Emma. “Are ya sayin’ your mama’s name?”
She used her hold on the furniture to cover the few steps to me and then she grabbed hold of my shirt before reaching her little fingers for my face. I jokingly pretended to nibble on the ends, causin’ her to giggle more. Obviously curious about what was happenin’, Abby followed Emma’s path across the chair, although she lost her balance a li’l more.
“It won’t be long until they’re walking for real,” Angel said as Abby grabbed hold of Emma’s arm and pulled her to the ground. “I can’t believe how fast time is going.”
I couldn’t answer her because Abby and Emma had both climbed onto me to play, and I pretended that they’d overwhelmed me enough to push me over. Restin’ on my back, I tickled their sides as they trampled and crawled over me. With a playful growl, I picked Abby up and blew a raspberry on her belly before swingin’ her up onto the chair. I was about to repeat the same with Emma when I caught a glimpse of Angel’s soft expression.
She had her bottom lip captured between her teeth, her eyes wide and her pupil’s dilated. It looked like her breathing was a little shaky. When she caught me starin’ at her, she turned bright red and ducked her head again.
I swung Emma into my arms and continued the motion until she was sitting on the seat beside Abby. Then I blew a raspberry over her dress while she clutched at my hair.
Emma climbed on top. The three of us continued our fun li’l scuffle for another couple of minutes before Emma got the hiccups from laughin’ so much, so I put them both back on the floor where they calmed down and started to play with their toys again.
“Those girls are so lucky.” Angel stood to one side, still watchin’ them with a soft smile playin’ on her lips.
I shook my head and stared at the two girls who were sharin’ a toy piano that played different songs with every key press. “I’m the lucky one. Imagine if the worst had happened and I didn’t have those li’l ones in my life either.”
Angel stood in front of me and forced me to meet her gaze. “Don’t deflect, Beau. Those girls are so bloody lucky to have you as their daddy.”
“Dadadadad,” Abby burbled from behind me.
My heart leaped, and my eyes widened. “Did she just . . .?”
I spun on the spot and found Abby crawlin’ toward me with the words on her lips.
“You’re both clever li’l darlin’s,” I said as I scooped her up into my arms. “D’ya want to get some dinner?”
“I’ll get the food organized if you want to get them ready at the table,” Angel said.
The four of us spent the rest of the evenin’ together. Angel and I watched a li’l television while the girls played on the floor. Then Angel and I bathed the girls together, which involved a lot of splashin’ and laughter because of our light mood.
After bedtime stories and goodnight kisses, we got the girls into bed. Once they were asleep, I headed for a shower myself, needin’ to dry off after the bathroom fun anyway. I pulled on a pair of boxers and pajama pants but went without a shirt. It was too hot for one anyway. When I went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water before bed, I found Angel at the table updatin’ the girls’ baby books.
“I wasn’t joking before when I said they’re lucky.” She didn’t even look up at me as she spoke. “I can’t imagine how different my life might’ve been if I’d had a father even half as good as you. I can’t remember Dad ever playing with me before he disappeared.”
I sat opposite her with my glass of water in hand. “Have ya ever tried to find him?”
Her mouth puckered. “No. He isn’t interested in being in my life, why would I be interested in him?”
“’Cause he’s your family.”
She glanced up at me. “Did you ever try to find yours?”
I shrugged. “I wanted to for a long time, but I wouldn’t even know where to start. He ain’t even named on my birth certificate, and my mama had no other family, so I don’t even know whether he was someone she knew well.”
“Is that why you were so willing to help Cassidee out?”
Her words propelled me back to the time when I was willin’ to marry Cassidee. It was a different life. “Yeah. It was also part o’ the reason I was savin’ myself for marriage. At least until I met Phoebe.” I told her the story I’d told Phoebe, of Mabel’s words and the promise she’d drawn from me. “I couldn’t imagine leavin’ a trail of children behind me who don’t have the love of a family.”
“Well, you take those girls anywhere in public, and you’ll have your pick of women. It’s almost impossible to resist a hot single father.”
Her statement gave me pause. I hadn’t once thought of myself as a single daddy. In my mind, I was still married, even if I was a widower, and I’d never had to handle raisin’ the girls on my own. I’d always had my Angel by my side. “I told ya already, I ain’t interested in that.”
“You should be. One day at least. It’s not fair on the girls not to have a mother.”
“They have a mama. They’ll always know ’bout Phoebe.”
“You know what I mean. They’ll need a female influence as they get older. Someone to help with bra shopping and boys. Puberty and periods. You know, all the girly things that are better off being shared woman to woman.”
“I think I can handle most of that. And if I can’t, they’ll have Alyssa and their aunties.”
She nodded.
“And they’ll have you. Least, I hope they will.”
“Of course. I’m there for them—for all of you—for as long as you need me.”
“I, uh, they will always need you.” I reached across the table for her hand. Her fingers wrapped around mine. Her gaze trailed a slow path from the table to my eyes, before fallin’ away again.
“I want them to.” She dropped her hold and drawin’ her hand into her lap. “Phoebe made me promise I would.”
“So, you’re just here because of Phoebe?” I teased before finishin’ off my glass of water.
Her gaze followed me into the kitchen, but she didn’t answer with anythin’ more than a shrug.
“Are ya gonna be okay if I just get up and go in the mornin’? Or do you want me to wake ya first?”
She closed the baby books and stood herself. “I’ll be all right if you just go. No doubt the girls will wake us both up at the same time anyway.”
I chuckled at the truth in her words. “Okay. Well, goodnight, sweetness.”
“Night, Beau.” She wrapped her arms around me, her cheek warm against my shoulder as her hair tickled my chest. She drew in a deep breath and then drew away from me.
I headed straight to bed and set an alarm for the mornin’. I had no idea what Declan had in store for me, what he expected me to do given that they were comin’ up to the endurance races, but I would face each challenge with a smile just like Phoebe woulda.
“BEAU.” THROUGH the filter of sleep, the voice in the darkness was familiar, and it made my heart ache.
I’d been dreamin’ of bein’ on the lake in Georgia with her again, and now she was in front of me. “Darlin’, is that you?”
“No, it’s me.”
Crackin’ open one eye, I saw Angel standin’ near the bed. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her breathing was shallow. “Sweetness. What’s up?”
“Can I sleep in here with you for a while? I need someone to hold me for a while.”
“Of course. Always.”
“Thank you.”
She settled in under the covers beside me, and she started to sob.
Spoonin’ close behind her, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her near. I lifted my hand to brush her hair up onto the pillow above her so I could rest my
cheek close to hers. “What’s the matter, sweetness?”
“It’s just everything hit me at once. I was thinking about the way you were with the girls, and feeling sorry for myself that I never had anyone like that in my life. Then I was thinking about Mum, and how the girls will never know their mother the way they should. It all just became too much, and I couldn’t break free. Especially when I started to think that this is usually when I’d call Pheebs, and she’d tell me that things will be okay.”
“I know I ain’t Phoebe, but I hope ya believe me when I say everythin’ will be okay. Things will get better.”
She giggle-sobbed. “A few months ago, I would’ve thought those words would’ve been impossible to hear from you.”
“A few months ago, I mightn’ta seen the good things. You helped with that.”
“How?”
“You made me open my eyes and see what was in front of me.”
She spun around so that she was facin’ me and we were nose to nose. The action made some of her hair fall back over her face. “Sometimes the good things right in front of us are the hardest things to notice.”
I brushed the hair from her face. “Yeah. Look at you and Phoebe.”
She closed her eyes and hummed in agreement. Her wet lashes curled against her cheeks and I was compelled to wipe away her tears. Flutters grew in my stomach when she opened her eyes again, her emerald irises shinin’ at me. She smiled at me, the corners of her lips curlin’ up ever so slight, causin’ the flutters to increase and my breath to catch. Her breathin’ eased off, and she closed her eyes.
I kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, beautiful.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: WATCH OVER ME
I FELT LIKE I’d slept for a week. A better rest than I had in a long time.
Tucked against my front was a warm and comfortable body. I wrapped my arm tighter across her chest and drew her into me, stealing all the precious seconds I could before a night terror or flashback would take hold of her and steal her from my arms.
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