Impact (Suncoast Society #32)(66)

“Would you have left her if we weren’t in her life?”

“I honestly don’t know. There’s so much of that I wish I could undo and redo. I’d start by telling her all about me from the beginning, who I was, where I came from, and about Landry. That way, when I found out about him, I would have told her immediately.”

“Woulda, coulda, shoulda.” Her expression softened. “What matters is that you’re back, now, and you guys aren’t going anywhere. And she’s happier than I’ve ever seen her in her life. Well, except for…you know. This. In a month or two, once it finally sinks in that she doesn’t have to feel guilty, she’ll be an entirely different Tilly.”

“I know.” He gently tugged on his finger, amused when Katie wouldn’t let go. She stared at him even as she still sucked on the bottle. “How much do you think Katie sees right now?”

“I don’t know. I’m not a baby expert. You want to hold her?”

“Sure.”

He gently freed his finger and Loren got him situated with the burp cloth and bottle and leaned in, watching. “You’re a natural.”

“I’ve had a little experience with everyone else’s kids. I never thought I’d have one of my own.”

“Now you do. How’s it feel, Dad?”

He grinned. “Landry gets to make the decision there. Who’s Dad and who’s Pop or whatever.”

“You know the first time she calls Tilly Mom, Tilly’s going to cry her eyes out, right?”

“Yeah. Spoiler alert, she won’t be the only one crying the first time Katie calls us Mom or Dad.”

“You guys are so lucky.”

“I don’t think you know what that word means, Lor.”

He glanced at her and spotted the deep sadness just beneath the surface, much the way Tilly wore hers. You had to know her well to see it. Otherwise it was simply a shadow that passed.

A chuckle escaped her. “You all three went through hell and now you’re holding a little bundle of heaven. That’s lucky.” Her smile slipped, just a smidge. “Some people only get the hell and never get a heaven of their own.”





Landry found Tilly curled in a ball on her side on the bed, already sobbing into her pillow.

He stretched out next to her and pulled her into his arms, her head tucked beneath his chin. It was a risk, but he suspected it was the only balm that would soothe her deeply wounded soul at this point.

“Do you need Daddy, love?”

She sobbed harder, but nodded.

He tightened his hold on her. “I’m always here for you. Daddy’s always here to make everything right for his baby girl. Do you trust me?”

She finally nodded.

“Then trust that Daddy will do whatever it takes, no matter how much it takes, to make this right and make his baby girl happy. Understand?”

She nodded, even as she still cried.

He gently rocked her, letting her get it out of her system, knowing it couldn’t be allowed to fester there for long without it poisoning her from the inside out. Mistress Cardinal had been an expert at hiding and disguising her hurt from the world, building a stalwart castle that no one—not even Loren and Ross—could penetrate.

By letting him in, and by letting Cris back in, she’d shattered those walls. When it came to others, she absolutely could run into the line of fire to protect them. It was the ferocity of her loyalty and love that allowed her to do so.

When it came to protecting her own heart, she’d forgotten how. Mistress Cardinal no longer existed. Once Tilly had made peace with the past and had him and Cris as her future, she’d been able to discard that uncomfortable suit of armor for good.

It didn’t mean she still didn’t have use for it on rare occasions.

She cried herself to sleep. When Cris softly opened the door about a half an hour later, Landry nodded at him to come in.

He walked over, looking sad. “Is she okay?”

“She needed to purge it. You know how she is.”

“Yeah.” He carefully sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting to disturb her. “What do you want to do about work?”

“Tell them we will work from home today. Family emergency. Call Leigh for her, please. Update her and tell her we’re playing the husband card and ordering Tilly to stay home, and why. They’re within the circle of trust, as it were.”

“Okay.” He leaned in and kissed Landry. “Thank you, Lan.”

Something was different about Cris, but he couldn’t decide what. “You’re welcome, but for what?”

Cris smiled. “For this. For everything. For being a sneaky damn Dom who wanted to have his cake and eat it, too. For her. And for agreeing to step in and do this.”

“Can you imagine the poor bastard who tries to date our little Katie? If Tilly and Loren don’t run them off, we can laugh our asses off watching June and Eliza go after them.”

“I’m way ahead of you.”





Chapter Twenty-Three


The four of them, five if you counted Katie, went shopping on Saturday. Landry made some calls—and wrote some checks—to get the new condo cleared out sooner.

Saturday morning, as a matter of fact.

Landry was tired of not being able to control something. Speeding their moving date was something he could influence and control.