Page 30 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

He flashed the grin that used to make his wife swoon. “I could’ve warned you, but where’s the fun in that?” Ha, she probably stayed dry when she only had Calleigh. When the two girls got going, however, water flew everywhere.

She’d gone to get changed while he read a bedtime story, reappearing in time for tucking in. She was still awkward with goodnight kisses and hugs, but it’d only been three weeks since the funeral.

Calleigh, fortunately, didn’t seem to notice her older sister’s discomfort.

Remy’s eyes had drooped closed, and her head rested against the couch.

Now was not the time to tell her to go to bed, right? She was a grown woman, older than him by at least a year, in his estimation, so not likely to appreciate his suggestions on how she live her life.

Finally, she let out a long sigh and opened her eyes.

“Tough day?”

She shook her head. “Not as bad as it might’ve been. Like I told you, I talked to Zach, and he’s okay with me spending less time in the office. I can relinquish some work to a new clerk.”

“You don’t sound enthusiastic.”

“This wasn’t how I planned my life.” A stark and brutal statement.

“It’s not easy, is it?” To her raised eyebrow, he sought the right words. “Adjusting your expectations.” He hesitated. How much to share? “I’d planned on being well-settled into my career before becoming a parent. I wanted to be able to offer financial stability to my family. I hadn’t foreseen my wife telling me she was pregnant mere months after I completed my university education. Don’t get me wrong, I was ecstatic, and we adjusted our expectations. We didn’t need a house, a two-bedroom apartment would be fine. As much as we wanted a dog, we could wait. We were okay with buying secondhand baby furniture and clothes. Good for the environment, we told ourselves. Reducing. Reusing. Recycling. Tough, to be sure, but it brought us closer together. Us against everyone else and we were bound and determined to succeed.”

“What happened?”

Her expression was open and genuine.

“Life. We made great plans, but life forced us on a different track. Suddenly money was the least of our worries. Stability became a distant dream.” He met her gaze. “We might not’ve planned Mira, but she’s the best thing in my life. We called her Miracle, you know, because she was one.”

Sighing, she wiped a hand across her brow. “I need to get with the program. In law school I focused on corporate law. Life intervened, and I switched to criminal.”

“What happened?” Because something must have to cause such a strong course correction.

Her eyes flashed with something he couldn’t quite identify.

“Like you said, life happened. Yet I know I’m where I was meant to be.” Her tone was flat, emotionless.

“Just like you are meant to be here for Calleigh. She’s lucky to have a big sister like you.”

Another flash of something passed in her eyes.

“I’m the lucky one.” Softly. Reverently.

“We both are.”Let the subject drop. “It’s nine o’clock on a Friday night, and the kids are in bed asleep.”

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Bringing some calm to chaos. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get a handle on things.”

Thinking about the woman who’d opened the door just over a week ago, he would’ve begged to differ. She’d seemed in control. But, as he well knew, looks could be deceiving. He put up a good front, but doubts often beset him. Being a single father daunted him at the best of times. Remy wasn’t giving herself enough credit.

“You were dealing with grief. That can be paralyzing.”

“More than that, I think.” She offered a small, sad smile. “Until I hired you, I slept in my old room. I’d still be there, except I needed to prepare it for a nanny. Truth be told, it feels sacrilegious to be sleeping in my parents’ bedroom.”

The pain was visible. She worked so hard to put up a brave front and a polished professionalism that it was easy to forget she felt alone in an unfair world. “Do you want your old room back?”

“No, but thank you for the offer. What I could use help with is clearing away my parents’ clothes. You said you’re familiar with secondhand stores. Maybe you can arrange this?”

---