Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Sheer perfection.
He shifted his gaze to see Judge whispering in Chloe’s ear, and Chloe listening with rapt attention.
Yes.
Sheer perfection.
That evening, everyone had returned to Duncan and Genny’s, except Dru, whose flight to go home left the next day.
Sully was going to drive her down to Phoenix to catch it before he got on his own.
She’d asked if she could sleep on Chloe and Judge’s couch so she could have more time with them and JT before she had to leave.
Judge wouldn’t hear of it, since the couch in the study was a pullout, so she was sleeping there.
But now, Jamie was standing at the back doors which were made of glass, and looking out at his daughter, who was sitting on a step on the flight that led down off the side of the deck to the open space shared by the complex.
He smelled her first, and felt her second, when Nora pressed against his arm.
Jamie wanted all the time he could get with Chloe, Judge and JT as well.
But he also really wanted to get home to see to some pressing business.
“You need to get out there,” she said quietly.
He turned his head and looked down at her. “Dru can be an alone-time person.”
“Dru, right now, needs her father to remind her, even though he’s not her biological father, he’s still her father, and even though she does not share blood with her big brother, he’s still her brother. Last, the pairing she wanted for her dad came about, but that does not now mean she’ll be cast out, emotionally or otherwise.”
It felt like his insides had frozen because he hadn’t thought of that.
“Jesus,” he whispered.
“There’s alone, darling,” she whispered back. “And feeling alone because you can get it in your head you don’t belong. So, my dearest, you need to assure her she does so that doesn’t take root.”
It was good she was so damned smart.
He bent his head to kiss her, she met him halfway, then she stepped away, and he moved out.
He sat down on the step beside his daughter and playfully bumped her with his shoulder.
He thought perhaps Nora was wrong when Dru did what she would always do. That being resting against his side and putting her head on his shoulder.
“You good?” he asked.
“That was scary,” she answered.
She meant the way JT had come into the world.
He reached out and took her hand, holding it tight and bringing it to his knee as he agreed, “Yes, it was.”
“But everything’s okay now, and I’m glad,” she went on.
“Yes, darlin’, everything is okay.”
She moved her hand from his hold, but only so she could play with his fingers.
Jamie felt that tighten his chest.
She did that as a little girl. She’d been fascinated by his hands when she was little. But she hadn’t done it in years.
He also knew why she’d been preoccupied with his hands.
Chet had used his in fists on Rosalind before she’d left him, and Dru had witnessed it. And even when Chet wasn’t doing that, he’d not been a man prone to acts of affection, physical or otherwise.
When Jamie had asked after Dru’s fascination, Lindy had told him her daughter hadn’t seen a man’s hands be gentle and used to communicate love.
After that, Jamie had loved and hated Dru’s captivation with his hands, so he was relieved when it faded away, at the same time he missed it.
Therefore, now, he was delighted to have it back.
He cleared his throat and remarked, “I think you get your mission was accomplished with Nora and me.”
“Yeah,” she mumbled.
“You okay with that?”
She lifted her head and tipped it to look at him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’m just checking.”
“I like her.”
“I hope so.”
“I like her, Dad.”
He used his free hand to touch her nose as he smiled at her. “You’ll always be my girl.”
She looked away.
Damn.
“Dru?” he called.
“I know.” She sighed and put her head back on his shoulder. “I’ll always be your girl.”
He caught her hand in his hold and bounced it once on his knee. “I mean it, Dru.”
“I know you do.”
She sounded despondent, and Jamie didn’t like it.
He hadn’t had a lot of time for her the last two days, considering everything that was happening.
He should have found it.
“You’re worrying me a little bit, honey,” he said.
She moved her head to look at him again and whispered, “She got Mom’s roses.”
And his chest tightened again.
“You remember that?” he pushed out.
“I’ll never forget it.”
“You’ve known Nora awhile, and you haven’t mentioned it. I thought, since it was an emotional time, it slipped your mind. And since it was an emotional time, I didn’t want to remind you.”
“I wasn’t…” She trailed off and looked to the trees. “Wanna hear something stupid?”
“I want to hear anything you have to say, but I doubt it’s stupid.”
She looked back to him. “You’re right. This isn’t stupid. But it’s…weird.”