Page 42 of Cross My Heart
“Well, sir, there is another issue. I know all about her past. How her mother’s boyfriend put her in the hospital when she was ten, the years of neglect and abuse she suffered. I even know about what Zachary did to her and how tough her recovery has been.”
He looks shocked, possibly mad, so I quickly continue.
“Please understand, I didn’t do it to go behind her back, I was hiring her to take care of my children. With an eighteen-month gap in her work history, I had to dig into her a little. Now that I know her, I hate that I broke her trust that way, but my children have been through so much I had to do more than due diligence,” I plead my case.
Mr. McDowell stares at me for a long moment then bows his head and sighs. “I probably would have done the same thing. In fact, when she told us she was going to work and live with you, I may have done some digging of my own. She may not be my blood, but she is my daughter. Tell me, son. What did you hope to get from coming all the way up here?”
“Honestly? I think some advice,” I tell him. “She is going to hate what I know when she finds out. I do plan on telling her when the time is right. I could probably use some advice on how to go about that.” I smile at him. “Also, maybe some allies when she turns me down again and again because I know getting her to trust me as anything more than a boss, even as a friend, is going to be an uphill battle. Getting her to give me a chance, or at least admit she wants to, is going to be even harder.”
“She hasn’t been in North Carolina long, how are you so sure this is what you want?” He interjects.
I stand and take the old worn envelope out of my back pocket and hand it to him. “I wrote this when I was 12. Somewhere along the way, I lost that part of me when I started dating my ex-wife in high school,” I say. “Then, Lanie came into my life and cracked my battered heart wide open. I can honestly answer yes to every one of those now.”
He takes a few minutes to first read Trevor’s letter then my reply. When he looks up, his face has softened. He lays the shotgun down beside him.
“Well, I never have been one to interfere with the girls' love interests, but I think it’s safe to say you’ve got me rooting for you as long as you don’t hurt her. I’ll be honest with you, it’s the two McDowell women you have to win over,” he tells me with a wicked grin.
He stands up and yells through the door that it’s safe to come out. I brace myself for whatever comes next.
Whatever I was expecting was not this pixie of a girl standing in front of me with a baby on her hip, who she eventually hands off to her dad. Her son is oddly familiar. While I’m staring at him trying to place the familiarity, I realize I missed a question from who can only be Julia.
“I’m sorry, your son is adorable, I missed what you said,” I tell her.
Her lip twitches like she is trying not to smile. “His name is Charlie, and he is, thank you. What are you doing here, presumably behind Lane's back?” She makes a strange little clicking in her mouth, something I come to find is a nervous tick of sorts, but right now, she has her hands balled into fists appearing ready to strike.
“Julia, just calm down a minute and let him explain. I think you’ll be happy with his answers.” Mr. McDowell tells her.
I give him a grateful smile.
“Just because you pulled the wool over my dad’s eyes, with lawyer-speak I would imagine, does not mean I will automatically trust you. I have facetimed Lanes every single day since she has been there. I’ve said hi to your children multiple times, and they love her. If you’re here to try and send her packing or something, you’re making a huge mistake. I have the money and resources to make sure you regret it every day of your life.”
I should be pissed. No one threatens me, but it warms my heart to see how much these people genuinely love my Lanie. Their Lanie too, it seems.
“I’m not here to try and fire her,” I say slightly offended. “I’m man enough to do that to someone’s face, not run to their family to do it,” I inform her indignantly.
Julia puffs up a little at my acknowledgment of her being Lanie’s family.
“I’m here for back-up as strange as that sounds. I want to have a relationship with Lanie.Whatever she can give me and I know it’s going to take work and a lot of convincing. I’m committed to that. My kids are committed, but I know I need more. I’ll need all your support when she comes running home because I do think she will fight it. Fight it until she can’t face it anymore and comes home to you,” I say this because it’s the truth. “I’ll be honest though, I want her with me always, and I need help to make that happen.”
Julia speaks more softly than before, “You sound like you love her already? You haven’t even been on a date yet. One kiss cannot have you head over heels already.” She turns bright red when she realizes what she said.
“Well, it was a perfect kiss.” I give her a wink, and I think she is ready to implode. “Look, I know I haven’t taken her on a date yet. However, I know how I feel. I know how hard it is going to be to convince her to give us a shot, but I’m committed. I’ll put in the hard work, will you help me?”
The smile that takes over Julia’s face is pure trouble. “On one condition,” she says.
“Anything, name it!” I answer before I can think better of it.
“Tell me what you’re doing to keep Bitchzilla away from our Lanie?” Julia asks with an expression of a true troublemaker.
That is when I know this trip was a success. We spend the next day and a half concocting plan after plan then back-up plans for our back-up plans. By the time I land back in North Carolina, I feel ready to take on the world.
Lanie
Chapter 18
Dexter’s recent trip was unexpected. Luckily, he said it was a very short trip and his last one for a while. When he texted an hour ago to say he had just landed, I felt a sense of relief I wasn’t quite ready for. Tate and I are finishing the last of our preparations for dinner. The girls for once are sitting happily in their highchairs at the island.
A few minutes later, the front door opens and Tate goes barreling towards Dex, who picks him up quickly, swinging him upside down in a fireman's hold.
