Page 55 of Chasing Storm

He tics his chin toward another document.

“What else do you have for me?”

“It’s a list I put together of your current properties with suggestions to sell some. I’ve also found other profitable lands in other parts of the country you might be interested in.”

Elijah clears his throat and thanks me. “Let’s go through it.”

We’re not finished by the time Simas and Teagan return, so she gets lunch together, all the while talking to Simas. He asks her about school and her favorite classes, and she asks him about his family, learning that he doesn’t have one. In true Teagan fashion, she tells him he’ll always have a family here. God, I love the woman.

She calls us into the kitchen, and we take our seats.

Elijah says, “Teagan, this looks wonderful. You do realize you’re not required to feed me and Simas.”

She swats her hand in the air. “Please. I’m not about to let you fly here from New York and not give you a home cooked meal. Besides, you’re practically family.”

He glances at me and back at Teagan. “Since you’ve mentioned family, I thought I’d bring up the other reason I came here.”

Teagan takes a quick inhale, bringing her hand to her mouth. “Erin’s pregnant.”

Her response makes us all laugh, but Elijah corrects her. “No, but I wouldn’t have a problem with it if she was.” Teagan’s practically bouncing out of her chair. “Erin and I have been spending a lot of time together. Even though it’s only been a couple of months, we’ve fallen in love, so I’d like to buy a home because I plan on proposing.” Teagan squeals, jumps up and down, and hugs Elijah. To add to her craziness, he continues, “Erin and you are best friends, so I thought it would be nice to buy a home in this neighborhood.”

Now, she’s screaming. “Oh my God, Elijah! That would be awesome.” She’s jumping around, rattling off things. “We can go shopping together, coffee…and…” Teagan runs over by me, kisses my cheek, and adds, “…have babies together.”

I pull her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her. Teagan said babies. She’s never mentioned children before now. She wants to have my babies. Our babies.

Elijah cuts in, “One thing at a time. Proposal and a house. I’ve tried getting her to move to New York, wanting her out of the neighborhood, but she’s declined. Says she wouldn’t feel secure leaving her family and not being married.”

Teagan runs her hand over my forearm and rests her head on my shoulder. “She’s going to be ecstatic.”

Elijah lets out a small laugh. “I hope so.”

She gestures to Simas. “Are you moving here, too?”

“I haven’t given it much thought. Once Elijah marries, I’d just be in the way.”

Elijah and Teagan both lean toward him, and Elijah says, “Nonsense. We’d love for you to find a place near us. You can find something else to do or continue to be my chauffeur. Whatever you want.”

Teagan adds, “It wouldn’t be the same without you. Think about it. If you moved here, when Erin and I have babies, they’d get to have another uncle.”

Simas smiles, which is unusual for him. “I love kids.”

“Then it’s final.” Teagan claps her hands and then presses them to her cheeks. “How am I going to keep this a secret?”

Elijah warns, “You better stay quiet. I’ll pop the question as soon as I can, though, to put you out of your misery.”

We finish our lunch, talking about homes in the area, and Sean’s business. Simas mentions he might be interested in working there if Sean has space. He’s ex-FBI, so the guy has enough experience.

Chapter 23

Every day I’ve been waiting for a word from Erin about her proposal, and every day is silent. I’m afraid to call her in case I slip up. Having her nearby, raising our children together, will mean everything. She’ll be out of that environment and in the arms of a man who can take care of her for life. And the fact I like Elijah makes it that much better.

Things are warming up here toward the end of May. For the first time in my life, I’ve planted flowers in my own yard. I can imagine Rosie saying, “Sunflowers brighten any yard, even if it’s only one, and they signify adoration.” A tear runs down my cheek, sniffling, while I plant a row of them. Her loss remains deep. Next to the sunflowers, I plant a few marigolds for grief. I wipe at my face. I’m sure I smeared dirt across it, but I don’t care. My eyes roam over our yard, where I’ve added to what was already in place. Beautiful plants encircle the property. We have a gorgeous oak tree toward the back, a magnolia to the left of the property, and on the right side of the back wall of the house, grows a wisteria vine. I recall Rosie’s words, “When you want children, plant irises, jasmine, and lilies for fertility. And if and when you do, may they bring you plenty.” That’s what I’ve planted all around our outdoor terrace.

I’m sitting on the ground, finishing my last marigold, when Joey calls out, telling me my phone has been ringing on and off. While I’m out here, I dislike having my phone with me. It takes away from the calmness and beauty of the outdoors.

Tossing my gloves on the ground, I jog into the house, picking up my phone to find three missed calls. As I listen to them, Joey wipes the dirt from my face, kisses my nose, and flattens his chest to my back, rocking us.

I say, “It’s my mom. Gee, I wonder what she wants?” Still listening to her ramble on through the third message, I add, “She’s complaining that Leo kicked her out of the house and she has nowhere else to go.”

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