Impact (Suncoast Society #32)(41)

It was almost nine p.m. local time when Loren’s flight touched down. Tilly was waiting for her and engulfed her in a long, tearful hug when she emerged into the main terminal.

“I’m not ashamed to admit I need you right now,” she whispered to Loren.

Loren held her, stroking her hair. “I know, sweetie. I could tell. How are your guys?”

“Amazing. But it’s not the same.”

“I brought three suitcases. I hope your car will hold them. I came ready for a long stay. Ross had to help me pack to make it to the airport on time.”

“Good. Because I don’t want you to leave any time soon.”

Loren hadn’t eaten yet, and it was nearly midnight Florida time. Tilly called Landry to let him know she’d arrived and they stopped for sushi after leaving the airport.

Tilly let Loren scroll through her phone, the pictures and videos. “Oh my god, she’s adorable!”

“I know, right?” Tilly pinched a piece of California roll between her chopsticks, dredged it through soy sauce, and stuck it in her mouth. “Hell, she looks a lot like Cris. I saw his baby pics. It’s uncanny.”

“Family resemblance.” She finally returned the phone to Tilly. “So for the foreseeable future…”

“Yeah.” Tilly snagged a piece of sashimi. “Cris swears he won’t let Sofia get custody back until he’s certain she can take care of her.”

“Well, I never thought I’d ever see the day where I’d say, ‘Go, Cris.’” She smiled, making Tilly laugh.

“See, I told you so.”

“Yes, you did. But you can’t blame me and Ross for hating him when he came back.” Loren used her fingers instead of chopsticks.

“I don’t blame you. I would have done the same damn thing.”

“Glad you don’t hold it against us.”

“Never. You’re my best friends.”

“So when is her court date?”

“A week from next Wednesday.” Tilly ate another piece of sashimi. “Longest eleven days of my life, I think.”

“You’re not horrible for hoping she stays in jail.”

Tilly froze. “You been taking Dom lessons from Ross or something?”

Loren grinned. “No. I just know you really well.” Her smile faded. “Because I would be thinking the same thing. Any rational person in this situation would think that.”

“Any rational person wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place,” Tilly countered.

“Don’t be so sure. Everyone has a relative or a friend who can’t get their shit together.”

“Guess I was that friend for a while.” Tilly grinned before she popped another piece of sushi in her mouth.

“But you got better,” Loren teased, their old, familiar joke.

“Sometimes, I wonder if I did. I look at this life I’ve built and wonder how the f*ck I got here, and when the f*ck are they going to come in, declare me a faker, and take it all away from me.”

“They won’t,” Loren said. “Trust me. Been there, done that. You’ve earned what you have with blood and sweat. Literally. Two great guys, and now…” Loren’s voice trailed off.

“Now,” Tilly said. “That’s the problem. Is she my daughter? What is she?”

“She’s a baby who doesn’t care who you or your guys are, only that you’re loving her and taking care of her. And that’s what’s important. What she calls you or what you call her is irrelevant.”

“I still don’t understand how someone gets to that point,” Tilly said. “Even at my lowest point, I had a shred of self-preservation.”

“She had enough to force her to make the call. Enough to remember a phone number when most people never would have. All those years, Cris kept that number. I thought he had a local phone number?”

“He does. He still paid for that number and had it forwarded to his phone.”

“Stupid question, and a little bit off-topic, but when Landry had his accident. When Cris went back. Why didn’t they call him on that number?”

“Because he never gave that number to anyone else. He’d stopped using it when he met Lan and moved in with him and got a new phone. Only Sofia still had it. Well, and his mom and any other family who might have had it.”

“So all this time, he kept that phone number active…just in case she called him?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you guys know about it?”

“Landry did. I didn’t until this happened. Landry wrapped it in with their corporate account for Cris.”

“They were trying to hide it?”

“No, they honestly hadn’t thought to tell me about it.” She picked up another piece of sushi with her chopsticks. “Honestly, it’s okay. I know they weren’t trying to pull anything.”

“You asked them?”

“Hell yeah, I asked.” Tilly ate the piece of sushi. “I asked if there were any other little surprises for me to know about. They swear that’s it, that’s the only one.”

“And you believe them?”

“I have to. I love them. Why, don’t you think I should?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Loren said. “It’s more me hoping you believe them, because when I look back at what Landry engineered to get you and Cris back together, it’s pretty f*cking amazing. Other than the years of suffering you had to go through.”