Impact (Suncoast Society #32)(39)

“Maybe it’s a good thing we haven’t adopted before now,” she said. “I would have reacted a lot differently the other day when Sofia called. And I probably wouldn’t have been so eager to have her in our home, Cris’ cousin or not.”

“I had already thought that myself,” Landry admitted.

“Ditto,” Cris added from the back seat.

Tilly turned to look at him. “Really?”

“I love Sofia, but I’m no idiot. I would have put her up in a hotel. Maybe taken the baby still, but definitely not have had her around a child of ours. Not unless I was sure it was safe. Gang thugs aren’t anyone I want to get involved with. Just because I have a black belt doesn’t mean I want to get in a fight. Especially since a lot of those guys carry guns.”

“That’s one of the many things I love about you, boy,” Landry said. “Your common sense.”

“That’s not what you said when you first came around,” Tilly snarked.

Landry squeezed her hand. “There are exceptions to every rule, love.”





Tilly fell asleep on the couch, starting awake to find the baby not on her chest where she’d been when she’d laid down just for a minute.

Landry chuckled. “Cris put her to bed over an hour ago. She’s fine.”

Tilly felt her heart start to slow to a normal rate. “Oh, good.”

Landry rose from the chair and held out a hand to her. “In fact, he already went to bed. Shall we join him?”

“To sleep, I hope.” She took his hand and let him help her up. “I’m too damn exhausted for anything else.”

“Just sleep. I’m rather tired myself. We had an early morning.”

“I think we’ll have plenty of them until she starts sleeping through the night.”

“He coaxed her into taking half a bottle before he put her down for the night. Perhaps that will help.”





Landry got up to take the five thirty cry.

Tilly didn’t argue.

Since Cris also got up, she assumed the two of them had it under control.

It was nearly eight when she finally rolled over again and opened her eyes. Next to the bed, her personal cell phone was ringing. Blindly groping, she found it and answered.

“Yo.”

“Hey, Tilly. Did I wake you?”

Loren. “Kinda sorta halfway. I’m technically not awake yet, so don’t feel guilty.”

“Sorry.”

“What’s up?”

“You tell me. What’s going on? And when do we get to meet the little one?”

Tilly felt slightly guilty. She’d briefly talked to Loren on Thursday and gave her the quick version of events between returning to the office with Leigh and driving home again, but hadn’t had a chance to fill her in completely.

“It’ll take a while. Give me five minutes to pee, get coffee, and I’ll call you back.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah.” She did just that, making sure everything was okay with the guys and the baby first.

Cris and Landry were stretched out on the couch, Katie asleep on Landry’s chest, Cris dozing. Landry was watching a news program.

“Was that your phone I heard?” he asked.

“Yeah, Loren calling. I owe her a call right back. Everything okay?”

“We’re fine, love. Go call her. Tell them I said hello.”

Tilly took her coffee back into the bedroom and stretched out on the bed to call Loren.

“That was six minutes,” Loren said.

“I had to wipe,” Tilly snarked, blowing across the top of her mug. “Where do you want me to begin?”

“At the beginning. I’m a little confused how this all happened. It didn’t make much sense the other day and I was having trouble hearing you.”

“Sorry. Damn hands-free system.” She gave Loren the long version of events.

A half hour later, Loren let out a low whistle. “Damn. So she’s in jail right now?”

“For the time being, yes.”

“When are you guys coming back to Florida?”

“I don’t know at this point. Soon, I hope.” She closed her eyes. “I miss you guys.”

“We miss you, too, sweetie, but this is more important. I can fly out there, if you want.”

Tilly started to say no, that was okay.

That she was strong enough to handle this.

That she didn’t need the help.

Those would have been lies, every last one of them. And Loren would have known it.

Loren and Ross had picked her up and kept her going—literally—when Cris left. They were her very best friends.

“Really?” Tilly asked.

“Sweetie, you don’t even need to ask. I’ll book the first flight out that I can for today and let you know when I’m arriving.”

“Thank you.”

“How are Cris and Landry holding up?”

“I’ve got some adorable pics to text to you. I didn’t even post them on Facebook.”

“I can’t wait. Let me get off here and find a flight and pack. I’ll have Ross take me to the airport. Will you be able to pick me up, or should I get a cab?”