Page 91 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

“I don’t care about the money. We can’t sell the place—Emma deserves to stay in her home, and the orchard keeps it sustainable. This is a workable plan. She spends half the time with you, half with me.”

“In a camper?”

“I’ll be looking for something else now that the business is taking off—I just haven’t had time. This way, Emma could be our main priority. She’d have a mother and father figure. You could even take your promotion and commute if you wanted. I know you could do this on your own, but I can be your partner in this. I can even help with the orchard. You can count on me to carry my end. Let me be there for her.”

She weighed his words. She believed him. She hadn’t discounted his idea of marriage because she didn’t believe he’d be a better partner this time around. He’d been there for Emma and, indirectly, for Laurel. “Would the clerk really see that as a better option than Darcy and her husband?”

“I put a call into Darius this morning. He thinks it’s a reasonable solution. The guardian ad litem would weigh in, of course, once she meets with us.”

“But surely an intact home would be preferable to a split one.”

“But the will names us—both of us. They trusted us with their daughter. The court won’t take that lightly.”

“And Darcy has no relationship with Emma.”

“Plus, she’d be removing her from her home and all the people who love her—assuming she doesn’t do us all a favor and drop the petition.”

Laurel absorbed all of that. He made some good points. And while she’d come to the conclusion that a marriage based on Emma’s care wouldn’t work, this arrangement was different because Emma could be their priority. However, it would still involve a certain amount of teamwork.

She watched the girl climb up the small slide while she weighed the pros and cons. She and Gavin had come a long way. For two weeks they’d put the child first, and she believed they could go on doing so as long as things didn’t get personal between them. As long as old hurts didn’t flare up.

No doubt the arrangement would be better for Emma than anything she could have with Darcy. In short, it would solve the problem—as long as the clerk granted their petition.

She loved the idea of making the home, the orchard, hers. It was the kind of home she’d always dreamed of. And the notionthat she could use her skills to maintain her own security held lots of appeal.

She stared at Gavin. Those soft blue eyes were trained on her. He was quiet, waiting. But beneath the patient façade was an energy that implied nervous anticipation. “What do you think? A plausible option or sleep deprivation?”

“It’s plausible. There would be a lot of details to work out. But we could probably pull it off if we stayed objective. Viewed this as a business arrangement between two adults.”

“We can at least work on being friends, can’t we? I mean, even business goes more smoothly, more pleasantly when there’s a friendly relationship between colleagues.”

“Friendship is based on trust and respect, and those things are earned.”

He shifted his weight around in the seat. “I believe we can handle a friendship at this point. Don’t you?”

“Sharing a child will mean making decisions together for years. Spending time together. We’ll never be free of that commitment, not even after Emma’s an adult. There’ll always be birthdays and holidays, graduations and weddings—and grandchildren. If we won guardianship, if we’re committed to Emma, our lives will be bonded in a way that can never be completely severed.” Fear dripped through her veins, steady and relentless. Letting Gavin in her life again was a risk. But she was even more afraid of what would happen to Emma if Darcy won guardianship.

“I realize that. I spent hours mulling this over last night. But we’ll communicate better this time around. Look at you—you express yourself quite well these days. You’ve grown in other ways and so have I. That’s a good thing.” His gaze sharpened on hers. “We can do this, Laurel. We should do this, for Emma’s sake.”

She wasn’t entirely sure it would be that easy. Especially when, deep down, she longed for more than friendship. But maintaining reasonable expectations would keep the situation from spinning out of control. Keep her heart from getting trampled on again.

“All right. This sounds like a viable solution, and if Darius thinks it betters our chances, I’m on board.”

He beamed at her. “Really?”

It was time to verbalize something that would’ve shocked her only weeks ago. But the truth had been growing in her heart over the past few days. “One other thing... I don’t want to commute to the Biltmore. I want to stay home with Emma. Run Harvest Moon full-time.”

His mouth went slack. “Are you sure, Laurel? That’s a big sacrifice. You don’t have to make that decision right now. You should take some time and think about it.”

“I don’t need to. I don’t want to leave her with a sitter all day. She’s been through enough. She needs stability and continuity, and I’m going to be there for her when she needs me.”

“If you’re sure that’s what you want. I can help with the bills until the orchard is self-sustaining.”

It warmed her heart that he’d offer. “Thanks, but I still have that big nest egg from the sale of our house.”

“You do?”

“Every dime. It’s time I put it to good use. Now, what about our families?”

---