“I’ve decided to open a branch of Caldwell Financial here in Indigo Falls. I’ll be in charge, of course, but I’ll have the leeway to hire enough people so that I’ll be out of there at a decent hour every night. I’ll also be able to leave if I need to for a doctor’s appointment, a teacher meeting, a soccer game—whatever. And,of course, I’ll no longer have a thirty-minute commute from Atlanta. I don’t want to miss a minute of Theo growing up. I want to be the kind of dad he deserves to have.”
Her silence stretched on for what felt like an hour, and I was dying a little inside. I was so nervous that she’d be upset at the idea of me being permanently in her town again.
“Are there enough people here to support a branch?”
“No, but there are if you include the surrounding towns. There are no high-quality investment and financial planning firms around here. Everything major is in Atlanta. I think most people would like the option of having something like that close by.”
“Especially if they know the former CEO is in charge. This is a big deal.”
“The mayor’s pretty happy about it. He thinks it could bring in other businesses and maybe even increase the population of Indigo Falls.”
She rolled her eyes. “You mean Dad?”
I grinned. Her dad seemed to be the permanent mayor of Indigo Falls. No one wanted to run against him because the entire town loved him. “Yes. I’m sorry he had to know before you, but I couldn’t prevent it. He knows everything that goes down in this town. I meaneverything.”
She laughed a little nervously. “I’m not so sure he knows all the secrets, but yeah, he knows a lot.”
I didn’t know what she was talking about, so I let the comment slide. I was too focused on seeing what she thought about me moving here full-time. “What do you think?”
“It’s such a huge change. I can’t believe you’re giving up the CEO position.”
“Mom wasn’t too happy, but everyone else has been surprisingly open to it.”
She snorted indelicately. “I would’ve paid money to see your mom’s face when you told her.”
I grimaced. “It wasn’t pretty.”
She looked out the window. The sky had darkened almost to full nightfall, and the first stars were visible. “Where are you going to live?”
“I’m going to remain in our old house for the time being.” I wasn’t going to tell her that I had high hopes of moving in here with her sometime in the future.
She shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it. There are so many bad memories for me in that house.”
“But what about all the good ones?” I asked softly.
She looked at me quickly, her face rapidly turning red.
I couldn’t help but grin. “What memories are you thinking about right now?”
“None. I’m not thinking about that,” she said too fast.
“Right. I’m betting you’re thinking about all those times we used the kitchen island for something other than cooking.”
Her lips twisted into a smile and she ducked her head, clearly embarrassed. “Maybe,” she said, as she stood up and took her and Theo’s plates to the sink. I followed with mine.
I leaned against the counter as she rinsed the plates and put them in the dishwasher. She turned to me, arms crossed over her chest. “It’s amazing that you’re doing this for Theo. One day he’ll look back at this and realize what a sacrifice you made for him. You’re a great dad, Thatch. You really are.”
I stepped closer to her and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She sucked in a breath. I moved my hand to cradle her jaw and traced over it with the pad of my thumb. “Thank you, but I have to confess something.”
“What?” she asked, sounding a little breathless.
I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’m not just doing it for Theo. I’m doing it for you, too.”
I moved closer, dropping my eyes to her mouth. She didn’t back away from me. I put both hands on her jaw, cradling her head, and moved to kiss her. She didn’t stop me, and our lips met for the first time in years. It had been way too long.
Almost immediately, the kiss grew heated. She moaned against my mouth and opened for me as my hands moved to her hair. I was desperate for her and kissed her over and over. She pulled me even closer as her arms went around my neck. She gasped as I rocked against her gently, letting her feel what she did to me.
“Mommy, Daddy, I’m tired.” Theo walked into the kitchen rubbing his eyes, and we jumped apart, gasping.
