“It’s okay, I forgive you! I’m just glad you tried. I almost called you so many times but I’m so stubborn.”
“Guess I have to take most of the blame. You inherited that from me. Drew has no problem saying she’s wrong. It’s one of the things I love about her. Guess I can be a little jealous of anyone who comes near her. Might have been wrong about Tanner.”
Wiping my eyes I smile, “Do you like him?”
Dad shrugs a shoulder, sniffs, chest puffed out a little. “Eh, like is too strong a word.” His eyes warm on a crooked smile. “I respect him, I can give you that much.”
I nod over the sharp lump in my throat.
“That okay with you, Emma?” Dad asks, eyes shifting to serious. “Can you give me time to adjust to losing my only daughter?”
“You’re not losing me. I love you.”
The door opens to Mom standing there with tears in her eyes.
Dad looks at her. “Watching through the peep hole?”
“Of course I was!” she sobs, trying to catch her breath. “Come here, Emma!” Her arms open up and I rush into them, melting into the sweet rocking comfort as she croaks my name again.
“It’s okay, Mom!”
Over her shoulder I see Tanner waiting at the end of our foyer, near the staircase. What a sight—in a suit I know he wore to impress my father, humbly watching, hands in his pockets and a helpless look behind his eyes. He doesn’t do this kind of emotion well. But he’ll learn.
Mom releases me so I can go to him. “Hi,” I smile, so relieved everything will be okay now.
Tanner points to a photo hanging next to his shoulder and dryly smirks, “Nice braces, Cocky Love. Really fond of the zit on your nose, too.”
I shoot a look to Mom. “I thought you took that down.”
She grimaces, “I love it too much.”
“That brought your ego down a notch, huh, Cocky Love,” Dad chuckles before locking eyes with Mom. “God help me, Drew, the man messed with my nickname and made it cooler. Hey Tanner, I might have to kick your ass again after all. Come on, Emma, we’re day-drinking.”
Tanner smirks, “You never kicked my ass the first time.”
“Hell I didn’t!” Dad grumbles, but his eyes are sparkling with laughter.
Under my breath, secretly so happy, I mutter, “Make mine a pitcher.”
CHAPTER 41
T ANNER
“I don’t want pink and blue blankets for the girls and boys. Something gender neutral,” I mutter as Dan thumbs through the catalogue under the shade of a wide patio umbrella.
We’re sitting in the backyard of what used to be called the Moody/Lowry mansion, but since I closed escrow and took over the property, a sign has been erected out front that reads, Atlanta’s Little Angels.
The property is bustling with workers delivering and moving furniture such as bunk beds, dressers, lamps, toys, boxes to contain them, anything children need. The team I assigned to the project over a year ago, who Dan has overseen ever since, did a fine job getting local furniture shops to donate. In return their names are on the website, and they’re able to get tax write-offs. But here in the South it turns out hospitality is still alive and well. Most of the businesses were happy to help and didn’t care about the publicity it would give them. We gave them credit just the same.
“How about yellow?” he offers, holding up a photo of a canary-toned comforter.
Glancing up from my tablet I shake my head. “Looks like pee.”
He laughs, “Okay, no yellow. Though it might hide things.”
“Funny. But that reminds me, make sure there are plastic covers for the mattresses.”
“Already done,” he says under his breath, searching for a color that will please me.
Thinking aloud I tell him, “Tell Donna, and all the social workers under her, to reassure the children that if they have an accident, nothing is ruined. The mattress is fine. Life isn’t over. It’s not a problem. No shame, understand?”
He drops the catalogue to type into his tablet. “Consider it done.”
“Excellent.”
“Mr. Hamilton?” a sexy voice calls out from the mansion.
Smiling I flick a glance to my fiancé and immediately set aside work to stand and kiss her. Pulling her into my arms I murmur against Emma’s smile, “What a nice surprise.”
“I just got finished showing a house and thought I’d see how things are going here. Mmm, you smell good.”
“So do you.” Pressing my lips to hers that familiar lightning bolt slams into me. “Wish we were alone but we’re not.” I delivered that last part so dryly she laughs and pulls away.
“Hi Dan.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, don’t mind me. Just another human being over here.”
I fling my pen at him, which he catches. “Make yourself useful and find me that comforter.”
Emma sits next to him as he chuckles, her eyes narrowing to scan the options. Dan explains, “He wants gender neutral. I don’t like this green, but maybe this one?”
“How about purple?” she asks, pointing.
Dan holds the catalogue up so I can see.
“Royal, good choice. Make it happen.”
He jogs into the mansion to tell our decorator which to buy. I grab the love of my life and sit her on my lap. “You’re like breathing to me. I didn’t realize my chest was tight until you walked out here and I inhaled.”
She strokes my hair and kisses me. “I’m so proud of you.”
I press her hand closer to my head and hold it there. “There are too many children,” I whisper, closing my eyes. “I can’t help them all.”
She kisses my eyelids. “I was thinking you could form a coalition of sorts, like a club for the people who run the orphanages in Atlanta as well as the surrounding cities, to share ideas and help each other grow so that more children have the same high standard of living they’ll have at Atlanta’s Little Angels. It’d be like a family of policy makers. Some people might resist
