Page 67 of Inheriting Miss Fortune

We continued to talk it through until Lellie began to stir. Tully stood up to unlatch the buckles of her car seat while I searched for the backpack with her diaper supplies.

“One more thing,” Tully said. “If you do decide to work things out with your parents, pay attention to whether you’re doing it because it’s what you actually want or because it’s what you feel like you ‘should’ be doing. My mom spent a lot of years begging me to reconcile with my father. She used to say, ‘He’s your father,’ as if that was enough reason to put up with his bull…” His eyes slipped to Lellie. “Malarky. It took me a long time to figure out that being a father was more than donating DNA, and if he wasn’t going to act like a father, I wasn’t going to treat him like one.”

Tully’s words stayed with me as we landed and made our way to Katie’s house in Uptown. It was an adorable historic home that she’d taken great pride in fixing up after law school. I wondered if I should try to hang on to it for Lellie or sell it. Tully would probably have good advice on the subject, but it was definitely too soon to bring up the idea of selling her house.

Kenji managed to bring half the suitcases in without breaking a sweat, whereas I felt like a soppy mess. My shirt was covered in sticky handprints, spilled coffee, and sweat, and I was desperate for a shower.

“We need to leave for the clinic in an hour,” Kenji reminded me. “I’ll arrange for a pickup.”

Tully nodded toward the driveway. “There’s a garage in the back. Katie’s Range Rover should be in it. We can use that.”

Kenji allowed Tully to show him around upstairs so he could deposit the luggage accordingly. Meanwhile, I was dealing with a sudden and unexpected situation.

“Mama!” Lellie cried as soon as she realized where she was. “Mama!” She squirmed to get down and surprised me by running immediately to a toy box in the corner of the living room instead of somewhere she expected Katie to be lurking.

She busied herself with her toys, pulling out a brightly colored plastic music keyboard and a wooden sorting box. One by one, she brought them over to show me, chatting happily, if unintelligibly, about each one.

I let out a sigh of relief for the temporary reprieve, even though I now realized I’d need to expect more moments of confusion like this.

Tully returned to the living room and asked how I was doing.

“I feel so stupid. I should have known she’d wonder where Katie was when she came here,” I said before lowering my voice. “But I don’t know how to help her. I don’t know what’s appropriate to say to her about Katie’s death.”

“The attorney I recommended is going to meet us at the clinic. Susanna might have some good resources.”

I blew out another breath, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Before I could ask Tully to watch Lellie while I cleaned up, Tully grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. “You’re doing well. I promise.” He pressed a kiss to my ear. “It would be hard for anyone. Just keep caring about her the way you do and go easy on yourself.”

I fought back the sting of emotions for the millionth time that day. “Thank you.”

When he pulled away, I suddenly realized he’d left his luggage by the front door. “Oh… are you… I guess…” I scrambledto figure out how to act casual and still beg him to stay. “You’ll want to go to your place?”

“I assumed I’d go home, yes.”

“Right.” I cleared my throat. “Of course.”

His bright eyes took on a teasing glint. “Unless you want me to?—”

“Fuck, yes. Yes, please,” I blurted before he’d even finished the sentence.

He laughed and leaned in again, teasing me with the barest brush of his lips on mine. I grumbled and lurched forward, demanding more for a few precious moments before pulling away. “I’m filthy. Would you mind keeping an eye on her while I shower?”

Kenji walked in, looking as crisp and fresh as always. “I’ll watch her while both of you shower. Think she’ll let me brush her hair?”

“No!” Tully and I both barked in unison. Lellie hated the hairbrush.

Kenji held up both palms. “Okay, fine. It’s just that I suspect the Scotts are going to take this opportunity of showing up so they can put eyes on her. We want to make sure there’s nothing they can point to as evidence you’re not a good parent.”

“You’re welcome to try,” I said, telling him where to find what he needed. Then I grabbed Tully’s hand and dragged him up the stairs and into the guest room.

The shower was quick but very productive. When I returned downstairs in clean clothes, I not only felt refreshed but also relaxed. Tully and I had gotten each other off before scrubbing each other down, a regime I recommended with a full and hearty five stars.

When we entered the living room, Lellie’s hair was immaculately combed. The curls were adorable instead ofhaystack-esque, while Kenji appeared to be serenely scrolling through his cell phone.

“How in the world…” Tully murmured.

“Yeah, what’s your secret with the hair?” I demanded.

Kenji looked up. “I told her it wasn’t time for Lellie’s hair brushing but that her stuffed tiger would look extra special if I brushed its hair. And then I made a big deal about how much Tiger loved having her hair brushed and how she looked so beautiful she would probably get to bring one of her toys in the car when we go for a ride. By the way, Lellie is bringing Tigerandthe music toy, so don’t praise me too much.”

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