Callie lifts Charlotte and kisses her belly, and our daughter beams with delight. I tamp down the urge to pull her from Callie’s hands. They don’t get to see her as often as I do, I remind myself. I need to let them have this time.
“Who’s cooking?” I smell something enticing coming from the barbecue, which is a surprise because I usually do the cooking around here. As soon as she hears my voice, Charlotte turns her head in my direction and reaches her little arms toward me.
“Do you mind?” I ask Callie, who is already standing and bringing Charlotte over to me.
“Are you kidding? That’s the cutest thing ever. The second she heard you, she wanted her daddy.”
I’d act modest and pretend it was just a coincidence, but Tessa is already confirming Callie’s impression. “Every time. Even when I’m reading to her and thinking we’re having a mother-daughter bonding moment, if he walks into the room, she’s gone for him.”
“Kinda how I feel about you, Duchess.”
“See? And this is why I can’t say no to him.” Tessa beams at me, and with my daughter snuggled against my chest and my best girl smiling, my heart floods. How I got to be this lucky, I’ll never understand.
Hannah goes over to the barbecue and lifts the lid, sending a trail of delicious smoke into the air. “I’m cooking, in answer to your question. Burgers. Simple. I figured I could count on you for condiments.”
It’s then that I notice Dylan sitting on Chad’s other side, also engaging in the discussion of Pokémon cards but sneaking side glances at my brother when he’s engaged with Dex. Interesting. Karen is gone for good, and I don’t hate the idea of the two of them together. Her sassy energy could be just the thing my brother needs in his life. But I’m getting way ahead of myself.
I lean against the rail of the deck and take in the scene. It’s the most people I’ve ever had at my house even though the place has enough space for double this number. Guess I’ve never had the right people in my life to invite.
Tessa comes over and wraps her arms around my waist. She tips her head against my chest, and Charlotte snuggles between us. “This is the life I never knew I was missing,” I say.
I don’t have to look down to know she’s smiling. “I think I knew I was missing it, but I had no idea where to find it.”
“Glad you didn’t stop looking.”
I kiss the top of her head and drape an arm over her shoulders, turning her to face the view. Everything is green andhealthy, saved by this smart, beautiful woman next to me. And I’m never gonna let her go.
CHAPTER 36
Tessa
I’moutside at the ranch with a giant shovel and a pair of garden shears. The job is way too big for me to tackle alone, but I’m determined to clear a large enough area to plant sapling trees that will eventually form an orchard.
One plant at a time…
The first time Fitz explained his philosophy for developing large-scale projects, I couldn’t have possibly anticipated being here now, staring down a few wild thistles that need to be deadheaded and pulled before they go to seed, and the fields are overrun with the invasive plants.
With a thick glove on my hand, I snap the purple flower from the stem and yank the rest of the plant from the ground. I do the same to three more plants and look around to see if I’ve missed any.
The distant crunch of gravel tells me someone is pulling up to the front of the house. Probably the mail carrier or a package delivery, since I’m not expecting anyone today.
Charlotte naps in her room while Dylan sits one room over and works on design plans for the inn she envisions on the property.
Back in LA, my colleagues are handling the case I finally let go of, and it surprises me how little guilt I feel about walking away. After more than a decade of focusing only on my career, it feels good to let other areas of my life grow.
I’ve come so far in just under a year, gone from being chained to a desk from dawn to dusk for a career I didn’t even know I wanted anymore. And now, this town, the ranch, my daughter…I have fulfillment I actually want, even when I had no idea those things were missing from my life before.
I listen for anyone calling me, but I hear only birds. It reminds me of the first day I came out here and rode the bike around the property with no idea how to fix the disasters I saw around every bend. They don’t seem so disastrous now, and for the first time in a while, I’m not needed for anything.
I continue weeding, bending over the plants and pawing through them to determine which ones need to be pulled. A low plane flies overhead, so I don’t hear Fitz until he’s right behind me.
“Hey, look at you.”
When I turn, he’s standing with his arms crossed, admiring my work with a satisfied smile as though he’s taught me everything I know. Because he has.
“Thought I’d get started on the herb garden. I still need to build the raised beds, but this all needs clearing first.” I gesture to the sunny area where I plan to build the boxes. Fitz comes closer and wipes a finger down my cheek, then shows me the dirt he’s wiped away. “I can see you’re up close and personal with the soil, Duchess. Impressive.”
I self-consciously wipe at my face with the back of my glove, but Fitz shakes his head and laughs. “You’re only making itworse. Here.” He takes a bandanna from his pocket and dabs my cheeks and forehead as tenderly as he treats Charlotte. My heart can’t help but be moved by him every damn time he touches me.