Home for Love (An Adult Contemporary Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

warning.
    “I get that now. I don’t want to hurt
Bree.” Todd ran his fingers through his hair, his habitual act when thinking or
frustrated. “I won’t deny that I’m still hurt and angry at her for keeping
things from me. I would’ve helped her. But,” he continued, before Daniel and
Moira could interject and get defensive, “I do know what it is like to have to go
it alone, without parents that don't do what they should. It doesn’t lessen the
hurt, the anger, but it does help me put a foot forward.”
    He met both of their gazes, “I want
what’s best for Amber and at the moment, that means stability here in Devil’s Peak
with both of her parents and her great-grandparents. The plain truth is that if
Bree’s unhappy, being the only sure thing that Amber’s had in her life, it will
make Amber unhappy, and I don’t want that. I realise that Bree and I have to
work together, and seeing as we’re being frank, I’ll share with you that she
and I came to that agreement earlier today when she told me about Amber.”
    “That’s a perspective that we can live
with.” Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll repeat what I said at dinner. You’re
welcome here anytime and we’ll do our bit to help you kids - whatever it takes
to make this work”
     
    “Thank you,” Todd shook Daniel’s hand in
the age-old masculine gesture of understanding.        
    Daniel sat back in his chair and lit his
pipe, puffing in satisfaction born out of resting after an eventful day, “So
what’s next?”
    “What’s next is that I take my first
vacation from work and spend it with my daughter and her mother. I’ll help them
settle in and show Amber a bit of Alaska. I’ll take things one day at a time.
Speaking of day, the winter one’s are short and I wanted to discuss Bree’s
plans with her so that we can work out an itinerary of sorts. I don’t know much
yet about being a dad, but I can do an itinerary.” God knows he does enough of
them for work; he can do a super one for his daughter. He’d show her the best
of Alaska that he could. “And speaking of Bree, where is she?”
    Daniel looked at him sheepishly, “Bree’s
fast asleep in Amber’s room. She read another bedtime story after you kissed
Amber goodnight and couldn’t keep her eyes open. The poor girl’s worn out from
the trip.”
    Aah… Todd caught on, “And that created
the perfect opportunity for the two of you to corner me.”
    “Well, you know we meant well,” said
Moira the guilt of the naughty etched in her blush. “And we’re old; we can’t
wait for you young people to catch on to things properly. I need to see things
put right before I meet my maker.”
    “That’s bull, Moira. Old, yeah right!”
Todd let out a laugh and joined in by both Moira and Daniel, let it roll.
“Using your age when I know that you can do most things better than younger
folk is just downright manipulative. Meet your maker. Huh!” It felt good to
laugh after the day he’d had and he let it go. Moira and Daniel must’ve felt
the same because before long, the three of them were wiping at tears again, but
this time, the tears were born of laughter and relief.
     

Chapter
3
     
    The next morning Todd visited the Ramsay
farm because it felt odd to have met his six year old daughter the day before and
not see her upon waking up. Warming his hands on the coffee mug, he bid
farewell to Moira and Daniel who conspicuously found a long list of chores that
were waiting for them outside on the farm-side of the property. Amber was still
sleeping the exhausted sleep, born of experiencing too many emotions and
change.
    So, in the twilight haze that
constituted the late Alaskan morning, Todd and Bree were alone in the large
farmhouse kitchen. He elected not to tell her the details of the discussion
he'd had with her grandparents. Intuitively, feeling that it would embarrass
her, which was self-defeating. He’d lain awake for hours the previous night and
had made