Page 70 of Lush Curves

“Hi princess,” he said softly. “You look incredible.”

She smiled, didn’t drop her eyes. Instead, she stood there in that tight dress, in those towering-high shoes, in the bright lights, and she looked so gorgeous and calm, his heart tugged.

That’s my girl.

“Do you want to dance?” he asked.

“Yes.” Her voice was sweet, joyful, and he rejoiced to hear it, to watch her lips move as he listened. “I’d love that, Sam.”

He extended his arms, and she stepped into them. Right away, their bodies moved together, then fit together, like they had dozens of times when they’d made love and then curled up together in sleep, or on the sofa to watch a movie. She felt so familiar against him, and Sam knew that this was where she belonged: she belongedright here.

“It was a beautiful wedding,” he said, leading her in a slow circle. “Sarah and Jax look so happy.”

“I know.” Annie looked over at her daughter and son-in-law, saw that they were looking right back at her. Jax gave her a saucy little loaded wink, and Annie blushed, knowing what he was thinking. Hell, she was thinking it herself. “They’ve made it, Sam. I wasn’t always sure that they would, you know… but they proved me wrong.”

“People can surprise you, honey.”

“Yes.” She met his eyes again. “Yes, they can.”

They gazed at each other, looked away at the exact same time. It was still a bit too soon to address the gigantic pink elephant wearing a tutu and standing over at the bar doing Tequila shots.

“How is Cindy doing?” she asked. “Is she sleeping through the night yet?”

“Yes,” he replied, and she heard the relief in his voice. “No more nightmares.”

“Oh, thank God.” Annie hesitated. “Is she still talking about her Mom?”

“Yes. Not every day, but a few times a week, for sure. Not so much asking where Kathleen is or why she left, though. Now it’s more stuff like, ‘Mommy loved this TV show’ or ‘Mommy used to make me this sandwich’.”

“It sounds like she’s got Kathleen in the past. Like she died and Cindy’s remembering her.”

“I know. I talked to the therapist about it, and she said that’s a healthy response, at least for now. It gives Cindy some distance to process what happened, and to gain some perspective on her current reality. Soon enough, she’ll realize that Kathleen is still out there somewhere, and that’s when I expect she’ll start asking questions again.”

“What does the therapist say about them having a relationship?”

“She says that in her experience, mothers who abandon their children usually come back at some point seeking a relationship, though it may take years for that to happen. My job is to prepare Cindy for the possibility that Kathleen might be back one day.”

“And at the same time, you also have to prepare her for the possibility that Kathleen mightneverbe back.”

“Exactly.” Sam stared down at her, marveling how Annie always finished his thoughts for him so easily. “Cindy is going to have to be a strong, resilient young woman, and she’ll have to be that way for her entire life. Just in case there’s a knock on the door one day.” He shook his head. “Or just in case that knock never comes.”

“Poor thing.”

“I know.” Sam sighed. “I know many people have survived much worse, honey, but she’s my daughter, so all I really can see ishersuffering. I have no sense of context or perspective when it comes to her.”

“Oh, I know.” Annie grinned. “Tell me about it. The parent gene sends your reactions into overdrive on the regular when you see your kid hurt or upset, huh?”

“Hell, yes.”

“Good. That’s how it should be.”

They looked at each other again; their eyes met and held again. This time neither of them looked away; the be-tutu’d alcoholic elephant looked alert.

“I’ve missed you, Annie.”

Oh, God, there wasthatvoice,thatway of saying her name. That husky growl that was also somehow sweetly possessive. Nobody ever had, ever would, ever could, say her name the way that this man did... and she didn'twantanyone else to, not for as long as she lived. This was Sam's unique gift to her, Sam's offering that she treasured. It always had been.

“I've missed you too,” she said with a tremor in her voice. “I've been so worried about you and Cindy, though, so most of the time, Iforgetthat I miss you... then it just comes back to me in a rush. Kind of takes the knees out under me every time.”

---