They stayed like that for several minutes. When Maddie finally spoke, it wasn’t about the seagulls that had raided the trash can across the street, the gecko that had scampered across her foot, or any of the dozen or so other sights that would normally have sparked a running chatter.
“I know why you’re sad, Daddy,” she said matter-of-factly.
Lucas stilled. Whatever he’d felt over the last two years, he’d tried his best to never let Maddie see his emotions. “You do?”
She nodded. “You’ve been printed.”
“I’ve been what?”
“Remember when you told me about how the puppies had printed on their Aunt Paige?”
“Oh, you mean imprinted?”
She nodded again. “Well, I think you did too.”
“You think the puppies imprinted on me?” The conversation finally made sense. The puppies were eight weeks old, which meant they had started moving to their new homes. Even though they were all remaining on the island, Lucas knew Maddie was sad to see them leave the inn. It was only natural she’d assume he felt the same way.
“No, silly,” she said. And then his sweet five-year-old daughter rolled her eyes. At him. He was in for it when she actually was a teenager. He was about to tell her that eye-rolling was not acceptable behavior when she finished her explanation. “I think you imprinted on Paige.”
That one he didn’t see coming. “Is that so?”
“Yes, and I know what it means now because I asked Aunt Sophie.” Maddie squinted up at him against the morning sun. “She said it means you think of someone as family and you love them with all your heart.”
Lucas pulled Maddie into his lap. “You’re my family,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“I know that,” she said. He couldn’t see her face, but Lucas would have bet all the tax money that she’d just given him another eye roll. He definitely needed to nip that in the bud sooner rather than later, but for now he was happy just to hold her in his arms. Ever since her birthday, Maddie had been telling him all the things she was “too old for.” He knew that snuggling with Dad would eventually join the list, so for now he was going to enjoy each and every one. “But families can be more than two people.” She reared back to look at him. “It’s okay to love both of us.”
There’d been countless times over the last five years that Lucas had been amazed by his daughter. Her inquisitive nature, her love for all animals no matter how slimy, and her emotional maturity were just the tip of the iceberg. But this topped them all. “How did you get so smart?”
“Aunt Sophie says I inherited that from her,” she answered with total sincerity.
“Is that so?” He began to tickle her until she was a wiggling ball of giggles. “Up for an adventure?” he asked as he set her on her feet. “Tide’s out, so I bet we can find all sorts of treasures.”
Her eyes lit up, and just like that, she was five again. “I’ll get my bucket.” Maddie scampered up the steps and, as she reached the door, looked back at him over her shoulder. The expression on her face damn near took his breath away. She was the spitting image of her mother.
“Come on, slowpoke.”
Lucas stood, and as he did, a sense of calm settled over him that he hadn’t felt since Jenny’s death. His wife might be gone, but she would never be forgotten. She would live on in the stories he would share with Maddie, but more than that, his daughter would see her mother’s face every time she looked in the mirror. He shook his head as a wistful smile formed on his lips. She was so like her—not just in her looks, but in the way she thought about the world. Leave it to a five-year-old to point out the one thing Lucas couldn’t grasp. Because she was right; nothing, not the passing of time or the presence of another woman, would eclipse Jenny, but there was also room in his heart for more than one love.
He walked through the house, taking stock of the past while thinking about the future. The daydreams that had tormented him over the last month were blank because they represented a story that had yet to be written.
He dropped his tool belt on the island, then grabbed coats for himself and Maddie before making his way across the back porch. When he reached the screen door, he saw her, sitting a few yards away in a patch of sand, sifting clumps and putting her discoveries into the plastic bucket she took with her whenever they went exploring. She was happy here, but he knew his daughter. She would be happy anywhere, as long as they were together.
Lucas stepped outside and drew a deep breath of salty air as he stared out across the tall grass to where the waves broke in a hypnotic rhythm. In his heart he knew the truth. The castle by the sea wasn’t his life anymore.
Maddie looked up and a smile lit her face. “Ready, Daddy?”
“Just about. I need to call Aunt Sophie first.” He pulled out his cell phone and hit the number he’d dialed so many times before. Only this time, he did it with a resolve he hadn’t felt in years.
She answered on the first ring. “Miss me already?”
“Actually, I have a favor to ask.”
“Name it.”
“Swing buy after work and I’ll explain.” It was a two-minute phone call, seemingly insignificant. But in reality, Lucas knew it was the start of the next chapter of his life.
Chapter 23
Paige could feel Sammy watching her. He was supposed to be preparing the contracts for a deal she’d just closed with a large estate-sale company, but she could feel his eyes on her like a laser beam. That’s what she got for leaving the door to her office open.
“Might as well come in,” she said without looking up from her laptop.
There was a rustle in the reception area, followed by the pitter-patter of Gucci sneakers. Paige had first thought the shoes were a little casual for the office, but Sammy argued that the gold bumblebees embossed on the fabric definitely gave them an elegant vibe. When she hadn’t been entirely convinced, he pointed out that they cost six times what she’d paid for her stilettos. Fair point. Besides, when he paired them with his favorite slim-cut Tom Ford suit, he looked more like he worked for a company that designed cutting-edge fashion, not one that got rid of outdated clothing.
“Thought you’d never ask,” he said as he plopped into the chair across from her.
“Technically, I didn’t.” She looked up from her laptop and smirked.
“But you were thinking it.”
She laughed. “Now you read minds?”
“When it comes to you, Boss Lady? Most definitely.”
“Then you should have known that I was thinking you should be working on the paperwork for Home Liquidators.”