1022 Evergreen Place - Debbie Macomber [76]
Mary Jo tasted sweet and wonderful, and one kiss wasn’t nearly enough. Soon they were kissing each other deeply, intensely. They might have continued kissing and discovering their newly declared feelings if Noelle hadn’t let out a sudden cry.
Reluctantly Mary Jo broke away and picked up her daughter. “You made me forget about Noelle,” she whispered as though she had trouble finding her voice.
Me, too, he thought, hard as that was to believe.
Mack slid his hands down her arms, because he needed to keep touching her.
“I’m glad we finally talked,” she said. “I couldn’t stand having you upset with me.”
If he received this kind of reaction every time, he might consider getting upset with her more often….
“I’ll discuss the situation with Mr. Harris next week,” she told him. “I’ll get his opinion and make my decision then. Okay?”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d talk to me before you decide. Will you do that?”
She agreed with a quick nod. “I think that’s fair.”
“I’d like to adopt Noelle,” he said. “When…when it’s appropriate, I mean,” he stammered.
Mary Jo smiled. “She does love you, you know.”
As if on cue, Noelle squirmed in her mother’s hold, thrusting both arms toward Mack.
He took the baby and Noelle pressed her head against his shoulder. He experienced the profound sense of making a promise to this woman, this child. “And I love her,” he murmured. “My little girl.”
Twenty-One
Linc Wyse parked his battered pickup truck outside their Cedar Cove apartment building. After the confrontation with Leonard, he’d wanted to move—but finances made that impossible for the moment. He found that it grated on him to feel beholden to a man who had no respect for him—or for his own daughter. Linc hoped that eventually their relationship with Leonard would improve, but he couldn’t guess when or how that would happen.
Despite everything, he had no regrets about his marriage. Absolutely none. He’d never been happier in his personal life. His business life, however, was another matter. After his move to Cedar Cove, he’d hit one roadblock after another in getting his auto body shop up and running. He’d purchased the building and made the necessary renovations, spending a significant part of his savings. While the work was in progress, he’d applied for a business license, which shouldn’t have been a problem. But his application had been delayed twice. It wasn’t hard to figure out that Bellamy was somehow behind this. Linc wasn’t sure how his father-in-law had done it, but Leonard clearly had friends in high places.
In the end Linc had been forced to hire an attorney and he’d eventually received his license. At any other time, the frustration would’ve infuriated him. Yet when he arrived home at the end of each day and saw Lori, every negative emotion he’d experienced drained away. All she had to do was smile and Linc’s troubles seemed to disappear. He’d never told her about his legal problems and his suspicions about her father’s role in them. No need to upset her further, so he’d dealt with it all quietly.
He anticipated one of Lori’s smiles when he walked in the door. Instead, she rushed across the room and wrapped her arms around him, hugging tightly.
“To what do I owe this reception?” he asked.
Generally they were kissing by now or talking non-stop about their day. He usually helped with dinner, not that he was much good in the kitchen. To him it was an excuse to spend time with Lori; each minute with her was precious and to be treasured.
“My mother phoned,” she said.
“And that’s bad?” Lori nodded.
“What did she want?”
“She invited us to dinner on Saturday night.”
Now Linc was completely perplexed. The relationship between Lori and her family was strained, and an invitation from her mother should please her; instead she was distressed.
“Will your father be there?”
“Of course!” she cried.
That explained some of her anguish. Linc patted her back soothingly, although he didn’t understand why a dinner invitation had unsettled her so much.
“What did you tell your mother?” he