Page 33 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Trust me, it will.”

Twenty minutes later, Olivia and Bianca were on their way home, and the toddlers were fast asleep.

Chapter thirteen

Cleaninguptheremnantsfrom making cookies, Rusty couldn’t help grinning. A truly sticky affair, but the girls loved it. They were down for their nap while he waited for the cookies to finish baking. Time was flying by. Halloween and princess costumes had given way to warm coats and mittens. Theirfamilybeen together for almost a month, and they’d settled into a routine.

Even Remy was loosening up. Home on time most evenings, she was taking an active role in the girls’ lives. Last weekend she’d taken them to the Christmas bazaar—giving him some much-needed time to himself. As much as he loved the girls, he welcomed the occasional moment of respite. She’d brought the girls home and was inordinately pleased everyone’d survived without catastrophe.

The doorbell pealed and he jerked.I’ve never heard it before.No one came to visit, and no one ventured this far out of town for any reason other than personal. Not wanting a repeat of the bell to wake the girls, he jogged to the door.

“Hello…” Any further words died on his lips as he saw his guest.

“Hello, Rusty.”

Unable to respond, he gaped as panic seized him.More time. This was so completely unexpected.

“Are you going to invite me in?”

Was he? It felt like sacrilege, because this wasn’t his home. Although Remy made it clear he should make himself comfortable, letting his wife through the door was in no way comfortable for him.

The ding of the timer in the kitchen galvanized him into action.

“Come in and stay here.” He indicated the foyer. “I’ll be right back.”

He made the trip to the kitchen in a heartbeat, so distracted he almost burned his hands taking the cookies from the oven.

Get a grip.

He had to take control of a situation threatening to spiral out of it. He could handle this. He had to handle this. Remy wouldn’t be home until tonight, but Mira would be awake in an hour, and he couldn’t bear to think about how seeing her mother would confuse and hurt her.

He made his way back to the foyer. Good, Sissy still waited there.

She spoke first. “I go to rehab, and you move out of the apartment. I come home and find some strange person living in our home.”

Put in those terms, she had a right to be upset. “Didn’t you have a couple more days? I planned to set you up in a motel until we can find you an apartment.”

Sissy’s eyes were wide with obvious bewilderment. “What do you mean, set me up in an apartment? I thought I was coming home. Home to you and Mira.”

This was not a confrontation he’d prepared for, although he should’ve planned for every contingency, and he hesitated. “Look, Sissy, I know you think you should be able to come home, but it’s not that simple.”

“What’s complicated? Why are you living out here?” Her eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”

Steady and calm.“I’m working as a nanny. It’s a way for me to stay home with Mira.”

The woman bristled, her short brown curls bouncing. “I’m Mira’s mother; I should be with her.”

Reining in his temper took tremendous effort for him. “Let’s be very clear about this. You gave up your rights as a mother when you left our baby in the car to go to your drug dealer.”

The color drained from her face.

He felt only a moment of guilt before righteous indignation propelled him forward. “You think a month in rehab gives you the right to come back? Mira barely knows you. I’m the one who takes care of her. I’m the one who hugs her when she cries. I was there when she took her first step and said her first word.”

The force of the slap caught him off-guard. He flexed his jaw.

“You son of a bitch.” Sissy’s cheeks, previously white, were now hectic with color. Her brown eyes flashed fire. “You know what I’ve been through. You know I’m in constant pain. You know I didn’t choose this existence.”

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