Page 148 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
“Okay, I’ll take care of this. You go brush your hair.”
Kara huffs at his directive.
“And you”—he points to me—“go get dressed.”
“Don’t boss me around, Thane. I came to make sure Kara didn’t need any help. I’ll be ready to go in time.”
His gaze narrows in on me as though he doesn’t believe me, and I roll my eyes in frustration.
“One time. I was late one time.”
“One time is enough. I’ll take care of Kara. You…” He swirls his hand in the air. “You do whatever you need to do.”
“So damn bossy.” But I know he’s right, so I march out of the room.
When I enter the hallway, I hear him say, “It doesn’t matter if your clothes don’t fit or even if you brush your hair. What matters is that we’re all in this together, okay?”
“But I was kind of hoping we’d take some pictures today, all of us. You know?”
He must lower his voice because I don’t hear his response.
“It will be perfect,” Kara says. “Can you make sure they don’t bring over anything pink? I’m not a pink girl anymore.”
“Sure. I’ll go make some calls.”
I hop forward two steps and then speed walk toward our room.
I never envisioned adopting anyone before, so perhaps I should have taken Kara shopping with me, but she was so adamant about wearing pants that some pop star made famous. She also didn’t seem too excited by the prospect of me going to her dad’s house, even though I told her I support her, always.
It’s something she wanted to do on her own, and since Thane wouldn’t allow that, he agreed to sit outside her door while she gathered her belongings.
None of us had anticipated Jonah literally shredding everything in her bedroom from her curtains to her clothes. Thane took photos to document it all for the courts, then held Kara while she cried over her lost treasures.
Before they’d even returned to Thane’s penthouse, a delivery of about one hundred Care Bears arrived for her. The smile on her face when she saw them was worth all the papercuts I received breaking down the boxes.
I love this little girl more than I ever thought possible.
We’ve developed a very special bond, and I’ve learned more slang and pop culture references in the last six months than I probably even knew as a teen myself. Our connection is something that I’ve never had with anyone else.
We have a coffee date every Sunday that Thane is not allowed to crash, even if he says he was walking Hercules andhappenedto see us—he’s pulled that trick twice. We arranged our book clubs to meet at the library on the same day, and we have dinner after to discuss how they went. It’s girl time neither of us has ever had, and I think it means as much to her as it does to me.
We’ve found ways to fit seamlessly into each other’s worlds, and I’m thankful for every moment I get to spend with her.
Even Hercules has found her forever home with us, not that Thane was ever really going to give her up. The day I called his bluff, I was halfway to my car before he came barreling out of the house, cursing under his breath, and took Hercules from my arms. Then he proceeded to give me the silent treatment for the rest of the night, but Kara and I decided it was worth it.
“Having trouble choosing?” Thane steps into the closet behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
Before me are two very different dresses, but my heart is already set on the pale pink flowy dress. I’ll freeze my ass off in it since March in New York is brutally cold, but it’s the one my heart is gravitating to for today.
“I like the one on the left.”
“Mmm.” He nuzzles into my neck. “I like it.”
“Did you even look at it?” I laugh, spinning in place and wrapping my arms around his neck.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll like whatever you put on.”
“In that case, perhaps I’ll bring backthered dress you loved so much.”
