Page 82 of Vanishing Legacy

“Like Cash and Penny?”

“Yeah. Like them. I thought if I let anyone into our little world, we’d get attached. And then when they saw how complicated our life is, they’d leave.”

He scrunched his face. “Why would someone who loved you ever leave? You’d never leave me, would you?”

She hugged him. “No, I’d never ever leave you. But not everyone is like that. But you know what? I think Cash is tough. I think he’d like to stick around even when things are hard.”

“I think so too. I mean, Penny can make things tough, and he’d never leave her. I don’t think he’d leave us either.”

“What I’m saying is, I want to date Cash, but I want to make sure it’s okay with you first.”

“Are you kidding?” He beamed a smile. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for!”

Alana laughed. “Okay, good. And one more thing. I’m sorry if you ever felt like I was too tough on you. I’m going to work on that.”

Rocco leaned closer, pressing himself under her arm. “It’s okay. I know you just want me to be the best I can be. I want me to be the best I can be too. And I can’t wait to finally have a dad.” Rocco nodded to the doorway, where Cash was sitting in a wheelchair.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back.” He grabbed the wheels and rolled back an inch.

“No, stay. Please,” Alana said. “I was just telling Rocco that we’ve been through a lot, and I wanted him to know how much I love him.” She squeezed her son and whispered in his ear, “I’ll always be here for you, Rocco. No matter what.”

“I know, Mom. I love you too.” He kissed her cheek. “Can I go see Penny now?”

Noelle spoke up from behind Cash. “I’ll take him, Alana.” She followed Cash into the room and put Alana’s coffee on the rolling tray beside her book. “Let’s go, bud.”

“Cool wheelchair,” Rocco said, climbing out of the bed. “My uncle Grey has a better one. He could show you a few tricks.”

“You mean like this?” Cash leaned the wheelchair back and turned right, then left before lowering it.

Rocco laughed. “Yeah, stuff like that. How’d you know how to do that?”

“Let’s just say there were some long, slow nights at the hospital, and we might have horsed around a bit. Give Penny a hug from me if she’s back. I’ll go see her next.”

“I will,” Rocco said. He followed Noelle out of the room, his hand still clutching the pinwheel.

Cash rolled the wheelchair to Alana’s bedside and set the brakes. He stood and sat on the edge of her bed. “Alana, I’m sorry for all you’ve been through. But I know now I wouldn’t want to go through life with anyone else.”

Alana studied his weary blue eyes. “Honestly, that kind of terrifies me.”

His brow furrowed. “It does?”

“Yes, but only because I feel the same way about you. Life with me and Rocco is complicated. I’ve worked hard to stay in control and keep things manageable. Letting someone in now that I have things stable feels really risky. Especially since trust has never come easy for me.” She caressed the back of his hand.

“You know what? Complicated I can handle. I understand complicated.”

Electricity burst through her as Cash cupped her face in his strong hands and kissed her. She slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deeper kiss.

When they parted she whispered, “I love you.”

His eyes glistened. “I love you too.” He brushed her lips with a kiss and grinned. “Can I let you in on a little secret?”

“What’s that?”

“I’m not that smart. I make mistakes and act like a jerk sometimes. So I won’t lie to you and say I won’t ever hurt you, but I can promise I’ll be there so we can work it out together. You make me want to be a better father. A better man. I want to be the man you deserve, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect our family.”

Alana smiled, her eyes softening. “I believe you. Neither of us is perfect, which is why we need God as our foundation.”

Cash leaned in and kissed her temple. “Wow. You’re strong. Beautiful. Kind. Relentless. And smart. How’d I get to be so lucky to find a woman like you?”

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