“It’s easy enough to bring her back with us.”
Her heart pounded roughly in her chest. “Theo would never allow that.” Nor would she ever take her daughter away from her father.
“We have the best lawyers money can buy, Chelsea. It would be simple enough to get exclusive custody of your child. Dig up a little dirt on your ex, and he won’t stand a chance. And if there’s no dirt, we invent some. You get your daughter back full time.”
Could she have been so wrong about Frank? Was he as evil as her father? Or is that how all people with money solved their problems?
“My daughter needs two parents. Theo’s an excellent father, and I would never take her away from him.”
“Even though he’s had her all this time, away from you?”
“He didn’t know the situation. It’s not the same.”
Frank let out a deep sigh and bent to kiss her cheek. No warm fuzzy feeling like when Theo pressed his lips to her skin.
“Call me if you need anything. I’m here for you, even if I’m in Westchester.”
“I appreciate it. Thanks. I’ll be fine.”
As Frank left in his expensive rental car, she knew she would be fine. Her daughter was here, and Theo had kissed her. Things were looking up.
“Ready to cut down some trees, my little lumberjack?”
Chelsea grinned up at him, and Theo’s heart exploded. How did she do that with only a smile?
“You want to carry the chainsaw?”
She nodded, nibbling on her lip. “If you want me to.”
Leaning down, she grabbed the handle and lifted. The machine went up a few inches as her face tightened. “On second thought, I may need to work up to this.”
He laughed, moving toward her. “I was only kidding, pixie. I can get it.”
Her nose wrinkled as she made a face at him. God, he wanted to pull her close and kiss the living daylights out of her. A shame Rico was only a few feet away.
“You sure you don’t want to switch helpers today?” Rico asked, eyeing Chelsea and then the fifty-something man who had also volunteered for tree duty.
“Not on your life, chump. I’m sticking with mine.”
Narrowing his eyes, Rico smirked. “Maybe you two should have a chaperone.”
Theo shrugged his backpack on, then hefted the chainsaw. “Seeing as we’re married, I don’t think that will be necessary. Catch you later.”
Laughter echoed behind him as they started along the path. The tiny smile that found its way to Chelsea’s face when he said the marriage comment made him feel like a hero.
“You okay carrying those clippers and the shovel?”
“I think I can manage. You’ve got the chainsaw, after all.”
The morning silence surrounded them as they hiked. Chelsea kept breathing in the cool air deeply, and her shoulders relaxed with the peaceful atmosphere. It was nice, seeing her this way after a few weeks of being practically shattered. It gave him hope. That and the way she responded to his kisses.
There had only been a few, but it was like leaping into the past. The way they’d kissed and melted into one another when they’d first met. The feeling was still present. For him at least, and he’d bet anything, from Chelsea’s response, for her, too.
It would take them about ten minutes to get to the first tree that he’d tagged. That gave him time to think about yesterday’s chat with his parents. Typically, they had a video call a few times a month, but he’d put it off once Chelsea arrived. Finally, yesterday, when Chelsea had taken Jordan and Bandit for a walk, he’d texted his parents and met them online for a face-to-face chat.
The conversation was uncomfortable at first when he’d told them Chelsea had returned. They were concerned that she suddenly wanted Jordan and would take the child away from him. Would she bring trouble? They knew how devastated he’d been when she hadn’t returned. Fortunately, his parents were good, kindhearted people, and once they’d heard what her father had done, they’d backed down. He wanted them to meet her but knew she wasn’t ready for that yet.
Once Jordan had returned and started to chat with them, nothing else could be said. All the little girl could talk about was the dog, the kittens, and her mom coming back. Her enthusiasm was obvious, especially when she showed them one of the kittens. Chelsea had stayed far in the background, her anxiety at what his parents would think apparent.
