Her phone rang seconds later. “How bad is her fever? Did you call the doctor?” he asked without saying hello.
“Her fever isn’t bad. It’s one hundred point five. I called the doctor before I picked up the girls in case he wanted me to bring her in, but he didn’t think I needed to. He said to give her Motrin and keep her hydrated. If her fever doesn’t go down, then I’ll bring her in.”
“Okay. What about Rosie?”
“She’s fine.”
“And you, babe? Are you doing okay? This must be why you had that funny feeling this morning.”
“I think it is. I’m sorry about canceling our date, and I feel bad for the girls. They were looking forward to playing with Mads tonight. Do you want to call Mads, or should I?”
“I’ll call her. You have enough on your plate. Can I talk to Twitch?”
Her heart warmed. “Of course. Hold on.” She sat on the couch between the girls. “Junie, Tank would like to say hi.”
“Me?” Rosie asked.
“You can talk to him, too, if he has time. He’s at work.” Leah handed Junie the phone.
“Hi, Papa Tank,” Junie said groggily. Her brows knitted as she listened. “Okay.” She paused. “I will.” She went quiet again. “Pwomise.” She was quiet again. “Love you, too. Can you talk to Wosie?” She handed the phone to Rosie.
“Hi, Papa Tank!” Rosie listened and nodded.
“You have to use your words, Rosie,” Leah reminded her. “He can’t hear you nod.”
“He talkin’.” Rosie listened, nodded, nodded some more, before exclaiming, “Love you!” and tossing the phone on Leah’s lap as she scooted off the couch to go play.
Leah picked up the phone. “Are you still there?”
“Yeah. Poor Twitch. She promised she’d drink as much as she could. I’m booked until six, but I can try to cancel the last two appointments.”
“You don’t have to do that. We’re fine. We’ve been through fevers before.”
“Okay, but call me if she gets worse. I love you.”
“I will. I love you, too.” When she ended the call, she cuddled up with Junie.
“Can Maddie still come for a slumber pawty?” Junie asked.
“No, baby. We don’t want to get her sick. But you can have a slumber party with her another night.”
A little while later, Madigan called to speak to the girls, promising to find another time for their slumber party, Ginger called to see how Junie was doing, and a little while later, Tank called to check in. Leah sat on the couch with Junie’s head in her lap, thinking about how lucky they were. Her father and River would have done anything to be loved as wholly and completely as Tank and his family loved her and the girls.
TANK PULLED UP to the cottage feeling like he’d been gone for a year. He’d texted Leah throughout the day for updates and knew Junie had napped, and the medicine was keeping her fever down, which was a relief. He grabbed the stuffed animals he’d bought for the girls and the bouquet of roses for Leah and headed up the walk. Rosie waved through the window, and he saw Junie lying on the couch, bundled up under her memory blanket with Mine tucked beneath her arm. His heart ached for his little munchkin.
He pushed open the door and heard music playing softly. Leah was lighting candles on the bar, and the coffee table was set for four with plates, cups, and utensils. In the middle of each plate was a paper with MENU written across it and the girls’ crayon scribbles and drawings.
“Datin’datin’datin’!” Rosie cheered, jumping up and down in front of him.
“Hey, Cheeky.” He wasn’t sure what she was saying, but he was sure glad to see her little smile. “Did you take good care of your sister today?”
Rosie nodded, wide-eyed.
“Good girl. Then this is for you.” He handed her the stuffed bird, and she hugged it and thanked him. He winked at Leah as he went to Junie, and she lifted her arms, clutching Mine in one hand. He picked her up, and she rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her little hand around his necklace. “I’m sorry you don’t feel well, baby. I thought this might help.” He handed her the stuffed frog he’d gotten for her, and she tucked it under her arm.
“Thank you,” she said sleepily.
He went to Leah, the candles reflecting in her beautiful eyes. “I missed you, darlin’.” He kissed her, and as he handed her the roses, he saw plates of pancakes, eggs, and bacon in the kitchen. “What’s all this?”
Rosie jumped around them. “We datin’! We datin’!”
An adorable smile crawled across Leah’s face. “I know it’s not a proper date, but it’s about as proper as we’re going to get. The girls made menus, and Rosie and I made dinner. I thought we could all eat at the coffee table, so Junie could lie down on the couch.”
His heart swelled. He slid his arm around her, pulling her close. “The hell with proper. A date with my three beautiful girls is the best date of all.”
Chapter Twenty
NOVEMBER PAINTED THE Cape with silver skies and lingering bursts of fall colors in the shrubs and trees. It was much colder than North Carolina, but that didn’t keep Leah and Tank from enjoying the great outdoors with the girls. They’d bundled up and taken the girls out for walks at the creek and along the shore, and last week they’d gotten together with Tank’s family and his cousins for a big family breakfast before taking the girls to Woods Hole for the day with Ginger and Conroy. Leah had loved the aquarium as much as the girls had. They’d strolled through the town, enjoyed lunch at a café, and had found even more common ground when Leah had mentioned how much River would have loved that area and Conroy had said it was one of Ashley’s favorite places.
Leah parked among a long line of cars, trucks, and motorcycles in front of Ginger and Conroy’s house early afternoon on Thanksgiving Day. She filled with the same warm feelings she had when she’d come home to her father’s house and to River and the girls. Her father’s house and her little rented cottage couldn’t be more different from Conroy and Ginger’s rambling two-story, with its wide front porch, enormous yard, and two-car garage, but that feeling of coming home to family was the same. She cut the engine and touched her locket, missing her father and brother.
“There’s Connie and Preachy!” Junie yelled, jerking Leah from her thoughts.
Conroy and Preacher were coming around the side of the house. Conroy waved as Leah went to help the girls out of their carseats. She waved to the two men who looked as different as Tank and his brothers did. Conroy with his silver hair brushing the collar of his gray sweater, playful smile, and easygoing stride, and Preacher’s slicked-back salt-and-pepper hair and beard, serious eyes, black leather jacket, and tough-guy swagger. But like with Tank and his brothers, the ways in which they were similar were hard to miss. Conroy and Preacher were warm, loving, and protective, and it was no wonder they’d raised such wonderful sons and daughters. Leah didn’t need to have known Ashley to include her in that thought. She’d learned so much about Tank’s sister over the past few months, she had no doubt she’d missed out by not knowing her.