Page 82 of The Wish List
Thomas’s little mouth worked for a moment, and then he sighed and stared quietly up at the new person holding him.
Ash bounced him gently, clearly remembering the move from when Michaela was a baby.
“Help yourself to the cheesecake.” Ash nodded toward the counter. “I hope you don’t think I’m a creep texting you. I was getting water from the tap and saw you pacing in the kitchen.”
“My days and nights are a bit jumbled at the moment as well.”
“How’s it going overall?” he asked, and the intensity in his gaze made Trinity’s heart seem to skip a beat. Such a simple question but no easy way to answer.
She laughed, trying to play off her reaction, and touched a hand to the messy topknot she wore. “I’m not sure I’ve combed my hair in the past two days, but questionable personal hygiene and sleep schedules aside, I love everything about being a mother.”
“You look beautiful,” Ash said with grave sincerity.
Trinity flushed. “Thanks.” She busied herself with cutting a slice of cheesecake. “Do you want one?”
“Not yet,” he told her.
“My mom came home today.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Yeah,” she murmured as she plated the cheesecake and took a spoon from the drawer.
“Not a convincing response,” Ash told her.
“She had some kind of a brain breakthrough,” Trinity told him, wondering how to explain the situation without sounding ungrateful. “In less than twenty-four hours, she’s made a miraculous recovery. Her processing is slower’, and her speech isn’t quite the same, but she’s more like the person she used to be before the stroke.”
“Which isn’t necessarily a good thing for you and your sisters?”
“My mom has a strong personality.”
“She’s a force to be reckoned with,” Ash agreed with a smile.
“That hasn’t always been a boon for my sisters and me.” Seeing that Thomas was still content in Ash’s arms, she sat at the kitchen table and took a bite of cheesecake. It was sweet and velvety with the perfect amount of minty tang that balanced the richness of the cream cheese.
For the first time all day, Trinity felt completely relaxed. She appreciated that. She appreciated Ash and being able to talk to him.
“My mom wants Beth to accompany her on the book tour for the new edition ofA Woman’s Odyssey. She expects me to remain at the house with Thomas and Freya to help.”
“Were you planning to stay in Magnolia?” Ash asked, sounding shocked.
“Would that be a bad thing?”
He shook his head. “Not as far as I’m concerned. But are you willing to give up your life out West?”
“I’m willing to do anything to keep my baby safe,” she said as she took another bite. “Does cheesecake taste this good during daytime hours or is it a special trick—the indulgence of eating something so decadent at midnight?”
She looked at her plate as she asked the question like the dessert might be able to answer.
Then she realized something had changed in the atmosphere of the kitchen, and her gaze darted to Ash’s. “What’s wrong?”
His arms tightened around Thomas. “You said safe.”
She blinked as panic shot through her. “You know what I mean. I want to give Thomas a good life.”
“Who do you need to keep him safe from?” Ash demanded quietly. “I’ve had my suspicions. Were you not safe in Montana, Trinity?”
She pushed the plate away from her and pressed her palms to the table. “It’s late, and I’m tired. Maybe I used the wrong word.”
