Page 82 of Inheriting Miss Fortune

“Kenji?” Landry asked again. “You know I hate it when you ignore me, damn it.”

I squinted my eyes to see what was on the tablet, but the screen was dark. Kenji used his tablet for everything, but nothing about it was related to Tully or Lellie.

Oh.

Except the messages from Katie, which I still haven’t read.

“We’ll see how it goes with Tully,” I told the others, turning back to the laptop screen and trying to smile. “Right now, I need to finish feeding Lellie and get her dressed. We’re heading back to Majestic today, so I’ll see you soon, Silas and Way. And the rest of you… I’ll see you at the AdventureSmash concert in a couple weeks.”

Before they could talk me out of it, I walked over to the computer and ended the video call.

Without a word, Kenji picked up the tablet, swiped to unlock it, clicked an icon, and handed it over. “I’ll handle Lellie. Take all the time you need.”

I hadn’t wanted to do this right now. Quite frankly, I hadn’t wanted to do it anytime soon.

But if there was a key to the Tully situation in the messages from Katie, I had to find it. She was one of his closest friends. Even if she didn’t mention anything relevant to Tully’s career dreams, maybe I’d learn something in here that would give me some indication of whether he might want a serious relationship one day.

I moved through the house to the tiny study in the back corner. It had old wood-paneled walls and an antique desk. But it also had a light pink overstuffed chair and matching ottoman right next to a box of Kleenex.

Perfect.

There was no way I would get through any message from Katie without shedding a few tears.

Fifteen minutes later, I gasped for breath and realized I’d drastically underestimated the waterworks.

Katie’s messages ranged from short and sweet “Doc said baby is the size of an ostrich egg. How TF am I supposed to know how big an ostrich egg is?” to long, narrative passages more like a diary entry in which she worried about the pain of childbirth, wondered if she was doing the right thing, and waited patiently for the next stage of her journey. There were photos of pregnancy tests, ultrasound images, cute maternity clothes with a barely noticeable bump, and swollen ankles. And then there was an actual video of her face the moment she delivered. The camera was moving around enough to make me seasick, but when I heard the sound of Lellie belting out her first complaints, I couldn’t believe I’d missed it.

I’d missed all of it.

Every milestone, from her first steps to the first time she called Katie “Ma-ma.” Learning she hated peas but loved green beans. Watching her figure out how to push a plastic lawn mower and seeing her little tongue stick out in concentration.

I knew I would get to see so many more of Lellie’s milestones than Katie ever would, and the realization stole my breath. The sheer loss overwhelmed me, both for my sake, since I wouldn’t be able to share the joy of our daughter with her, and for her sake, for missing all but fifteen months of Lellie’s precious life.

There were messages that made me feel seen as a single parent.

It’s me again. Today was a good day. I managed to get out of work early and surprised Lellie with a walk to the playground before dinner. She played so hard with the other toddlers that she fell asleep in her high chair before she finished her dinner.

Nights like these leave me with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it’s nice to have quiet time alone at home where I can sit in my pink chair and lose myself in a book. But on the other hand, I miss her when she’s sleeping and I’m awake andavailable to be with her. I feel guilty sometimes that she doesn’t get enough of me, and I wonder if I’m doing the right thing by continuing to work. Between your money and mine, I could choose to take the next several years off to be with her full-time if I truly wanted to. Am I selfish to remain in my job? To want to continue to grow and nurture that part of me?

But then I imagine her as an older child, then a teen, and a young adult. What does that young woman need to learn from me? Wouldn’t I be a better example to her by showing her that a woman can pursue a fulfilling career and also be a loving and committed parent? Or am I falling into a cultural trap of thinking women need to “do it all”? Sometimes I wish I had a partner to talk these things through with.

I can talk to Renata, but she’s so young still…

As I clicked through the messages, photos, and videos, I completely forgot the reason Kenji had sent me away to read them.

Until I got to the one about Tully.

There had been many casual mentions of him in other messages. Photos of him in the hospital, holding Lellie awkwardly. Anecdotes about him bringing pork chops and asparagus for dinner one night when Lellie was four months old and innocently assuring Katie there was enough “for the baby to share.” A video of a Labor Day cookout, where Katie panned the phone camera to where Tully held Lellie on his hip while talking to someone else. She was reaching for his glass of wine, and he was holding it comically out of her reach while she continued to grab for it.

But then there was the email with a subject line that simply read:Tully.

Sometimes I watch him at work. He’s incredible at his job—smart, hard-working, and dedicated to taking care of his clients as if they were his own family. I love that about him.He also makes time for me and Lellie even though I know he’d much prefer to go to the clubs on a Saturday night.

It’s weird though. Something changed with him right around the time I got pregnant. I asked him about it, afraid motherhood has somehow put distance between us. He insisted it hasn’t. He told me how much he appreciates being part of Lellie’s life and how he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

He’s a good man, Dev. The best. I’m so lucky to have him in my life and in our daughter’s.

He told me about you… about that night. He didn’t mention any details, but he said the two of you had hooked up. I didn’t press him on it, but there was something different about the way he talked about you. Softer? Was he blushing? I don’t know. Maybe he was just hot since it’s August in Dallas forfuck’s sakethe love of Pete.

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