Page 240 of Unexpected Heroine

The only exception would be when the man I once knew as James would wrap me from head to toe in beautiful patterns of soft rope. Those times gave me a different type of tranquility.

However, the peace that comes of its own volition is magical. Like right now.

I love these moments. Live for them, in fact.

No pesky need to fill the silence with my rambling thoughts and dumb jokes. No compulsion to click my pen incessantly. My knees stop bouncing, and I don’t even catch myself humming along to the music in my head.

I’m simply in a state of serenity while poised to tackle whatever task I choose. And today, it’s owning the shit out of my life’s path.

In light of my recent trauma, I’m surprised at how calm and focused I am today. More baffling, I’m so out of my comfort zone that it isn’t funny. Here I am, being driven across town to meet my father by two virtual strangers—one of which is a man I’ve never met. I expected full-blown panic by this point in the drive. Figured I’d be trying to hide under the seat cushion and hyperventilating until I passed out.

Yet I’m cool as a cucumber.

Amber and her husband, Cort, chatter teasingly in the front seat while I look on from the back. Behind us, one of the guards from the healing center follows in his own vehicle. After checking to ensure he’s still there, my eyes land on the baby’s car seat beside me, seemingly at odds with the opulence of the luxury BMW SUV. If it wasn’t for the dusting of crumbs surrounding the seat, I’d feel out of place and drastically under-dressed. The scent of stale goldfish is oddly comforting. Turns out, even mega-rich people have messy kids. The more you know.

“Am I correct in assuming you have another child?” I ask when their conversation slows.

“We do.” Amber beams, her smile almost as shiny as her jewelry. “Cameron is almost three.”

“Is he excited about becoming a big brother?”

“Are you joking? Lil’ C is almost as psyched as me,” Cort responds for them both. “Not to brag, but he’s the best kid in the galaxy.”

The galaxy? Wow.

Is it weird that I wish Cameron were here? Probably. “Too bad I couldn’t meet this amazing child. Where is he today? With a nanny?”

Cort scoffs, vehemently shaking his head. “We don’t have a nanny. You’ll find the wifey and I are a cool level of stupid rich. Not the obnoxious type.” He tips his head toward the passenger’s seat. “My super successful sugar mama here was blessed with a kick-ass husband to bear the brunt of childrearing. She goes out to rule the world, and I tend to the carpet crawler.” Hovering one hand over his shoulder, he points a thumb toward his face. “I’m fantastic at this dad shit. Speaking of which, I’m considering offering coaching services for other fathers so they can reach something close to my level of excellence. Should you decide to reproduce one day, send your baby daddy to me. I’ll set him straight. Teach him everything he needs to know. For a small fee, naturally.”

“Cort,” Amber scolds him, swatting his chest with the back of her hand.

“Sorry. It’ll be on the house,” he amends, then cuts a side eye at his wife. “Is that better?”

“She asked where Cam is today, not for your five-year bullshit business plan.” Amber lowers her head to the headrest and waves her open palm in a circle, facing her husband. “I’m too pregnant for this today.”

His head kicks back as he feigns offense. “Not sure if you noticed, wifey, but you just gestured to all of me.”

“Sorry, Lettie,” Amber huffs, a slight whine in her voice. “I’m not usually this miserable. I need to get this baby out before I end up starring in a crime documentary. I’m crying one minute, ticked off the next, and why am I always sweating?”

Reaching over the console, he takes her hand and kisses her knuckles. “Apologies, my love. I’ll behave. Oh, and for the record, I love it when you’re sweaty.”

In an instant, Amber melts. And not in the perspiration or hot flash way.

As I witness the sweet moment, jealousy rears its ugly head, whispering not-so-sweet words in the back of my mind. Remembering Simone’s advice, I let myself feel my emotions without trying to stifle them. It’s okay to be a tad envious of the loving couple in front of me. Especially since my boyfriend ended up with the ethics of a crooked politician moonlighting as a used car salesman.

Speaking of the yellow-bellied snake, he better not attempt to stop me today. If he dares try, he’ll find out how salty a sugar bear can be.

Done making goo-goo eyes at his wife, Cort glances at me in the rearview. “To answer your earlier question, Cam is the luckiest child on earth. Not only is he blessed with the best parents ever, but he’s also currently living my childhood dream.”

Amber’s still grinning at him, sending love fluttering from her side of the car to his. Despite Cort being a bit hyper, it’s clear how smitten she is with him.

And he eats up her affection with a giant serving spoon. If he had a tail, it would be wagging.

Ohhh. Amber calling him a puppy makes so much sense now.

Going around his ass to get to his elbow, Cort continues answering my question from ten years ago. “Cam is probably piloting the Millennium Falcon as we speak. Lucky stinker.”

Sweet fancy Moses on buttered toast. Rich folk’s childcare is on a whole other level. Light-years away from putting plastic arms on Colonel Sanders the chicken back in Climax, which is how Stella and I spent most of my childhood.

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