“Colleen, honey, please use your soft voice,” Tara begged.
His eyes devoured her, his gaze roving over her face. Offering her a smile, he turned his attention back to Colleen. He knelt in front of her, surprised when she threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and stood, his eyes now searching for Tara to see her reaction and take direction from her.
If the wide eyes and shocked expression were anything to go by, she was just as surprised as him. She stepped back and said, “Please, come in.”
He carried Colleen over the threshold. Tara reached for her daughter and said, “Colleen, you can let go of him now.”
“But, Mom, he’s a policeman. I can tell him about the mean girl at school.”
“Colleen, no. Let Carter—”
“It’s okay, Tara,” he said. “If she had a bad day, I’d like to hear about it.” He observed warring emotions move over her face, noting her pale complexion and circles under her eyes. “And if her mom has had a bad day, I’d like to hear about it, also.”
She stared at him for a moment, then blinked the moisture from her eyes. “Her mom has had a bad week.”
“So, have I,” he confessed, fighting the urge to reach out and pull her into his arms. “Maybe Colleen can tell me about her day over brownies. And then you can tell me about your week over a glass of wine.”
Tara barked out a laugh, and it was the best sound he had heard since last weekend. Smiling, he said, “Now that’s the sound I’ve missed.”
He set Colleen’s feet on the floor and watched as she darted into the kitchen, calling for him to follow since the brownies were now cool. He glanced at Tara and she smiled in return. “Come on back.”
Once in the kitchen, he sat at the table with Colleen and listened to her tale of the first-grade bully. The strangest sensations moved through him, each unexpected but not unwelcome. He felt pride at her standing up for another person. Anger that someone who was only six years old was already a mean person. Frustrated knowing that Colleen had to fear what might happen if she told the teacher.
By the time Colleen had explained the situation, she was licking her fingers after having eaten a large brownie and drinking another glass of milk. She finished her story with her mom’s words of wisdom.
Nodding, he said, “I think your mom is very smart. I think telling your teacher is the right thing to do. Standing up to bullies isn’t easy, but we can’t ignore when someone’s doing something wrong.”
Colleen brightened as she hopped down from her chair. “That’s what mom said!” With everything right in her world for the moment, she ran off to play.
Tara had walked back to the kitchen sink, rinsing off the dishes. He walked toward her, leaning his hip against the counter. Close, but not crowding. Her hair was down, flowing about her shoulders, creating a curtain that hid her face. As much as he loved her hair, he wanted to see her. He lifted his hand, the silky strands feeling so familiar, and pushed it over her shoulder. She looked toward him, blinking back tears, her chest heaving.
All the things he had wanted to say flew from his mind as he lifted his other arm in invitation. She rushed toward him, leaning her weight into him as he wrapped her as tightly as he’d held Colleen earlier.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her face squished against his chest. “I was wrong. I was angry, shocked, and just snapped. I’m so sorry.”
The tight band that had encircled his heart for the past week released, and he felt as though he could breathe again. With one hand cupping the back of her head, holding her close against his heartbeat, the other arm encircled her back. He buried his nose in her hair, breathing in her scent. So familiar. So needed.
“I’m sorry, too, babe. Tara, I never meant to deceive you. I know you told me about Polly, but we were already looking at things going on at the clinic. I’m not always going to be able to tell you about my investigations, but I—”
He loosened his grip as she put pressure on his hand, lifting her face to stare at him. “Carter, I know. I of all people should understand. With my father’s career and now my brothers’ careers—I understand.” She sucked in a ragged breath and let it out slowly. “I’ve never seen anyone that I’ve known be arrested. I was just so shocked. And when she yelled out about the antibiotics, all I could think of was that I’d told you she offered them to me for Colleen. It never dawned on me that she was doing that with someone else.”
Cupping her face, rubbing his thumb over her smooth skin, he loved the feel of her touch. “I missed you so much, Tara. I missed you and Colleen.” He bent and kissed her lightly, almost afraid that this was a dream and he would wake alone. But the feel of her lips moving against his convinced him it was real. Lifting his head, he stared into her blue eyes and asked, “Why now? Why the invitation for brownies?”
“Honestly? It was Colleen. I mean, she’s been asking about you this week, but that wasn’t it. I kept thinking about Rocky and wondering how I missed the signs of his addiction. But even that wasn’t enough for me to call you. It was today. She was so upset about the bully at school, and when she asked me if she should do something, I told her that we always have to stand up for what’s right. Even if that means confronting someone who’s doing something wrong.” Shaking her
