Impact

by Tymber Dalton

  Tilly stormed out of the waiting room. Cris was torn whether to follow her or rip into Santino himself before Landry decided the matter for him and gently shoved him toward the door.

  Before he exited, he looked back. Landry shook his head at Santino. “Hope you’re loaded, because I’m prepared to spend millions to make sure we retain custody. Buckle up, buttercup, as they say. It’s going to be a looong, expensive ride. By the way, you can adopt a Chinese baby for less than one hundred thousand dollars, or so I’ve heard. You do the math. I will bankrupt you long before you’ll even put a noticeable dent in our current 401k balance. What kind of life can you provide for her then, hmm?”

  Cris exited and scanned the hall for Tilly, finally spotting her heading toward the elevator bank. He ran after her, catching up with her and pulling her into his arms, holding her past the expected second or two of resistance before she folded against him.

  “Why?” she keened. “Why they gotta be assholes? I know what you said about them, but I hoped, I really hoped maybe time made them better people. That maybe they’d be fit to be family again. That maybe we could let her at least get to know them so she’d know about her mom. That maybe we could have contact with them.”

  He pulled her out of the way, off to the side and out of foot traffic, turning them to face the wall as she softly cried against his chest.

  Her scars ran deeper than anyone else except Landry knew. Not even Loren knew her the way they did.

  The fragile little girl who put on the fierce woman’s suit every day and tried to pretend she didn’t constantly ache inside over her losses.

  “I’m so sorry, Redbird. I could have told you they were still as toxic as they were then. You’re my family. You and Lan. And Loren and Ross, Leigh and Lucas and Nick, everyone. All our friends. They’re our real family. Every last damn one of them.”

  Landry and Dale caught up with them. “Is she all right?” Landry asked.

  Cris shook his head, Landry’s grim look only reinforcing Cris’ love for the man. Dale herded them all into an elevator and got them moving downstairs before any of Cris’ family emerged.

  “Okay, that wasn’t so bad,” Dale said. “Nothing was said in the waiting room that we can’t back up in court.”

  “So much for the slam-dunk,” Landry drawled.

  “I thought the judge was going to pound the guy,” Dale said. “If your cousin hadn’t made that statement, he might have ruled in our favor right them. But this way, it makes the judge look like he’s at least being fair. He wouldn’t have told me to have the adoption papers ready for the next hearing if he wasn’t planning on ruling in our favor. Their attorney pulled me aside in the waiting room and said that he’ll try to talk them into dropping it. They don’t have the money to take this to an appeal. I know that guy, I’ve had to sit across a table from him before. He’s a decent attorney, but he’s out of his league and he knows it. He’s a Groupon discount, while I’m an A-lister. He maybe bills in a week what I charge by the hour.”

  The elevator doors opened. Dale led them outside and away from the front entrance. “Spend the next two weeks not worrying, all right? I’ll prep the adoption papers and ask Louisa Gonzalez to schedule a second, thorough home visit with you.”

  “We’re moving to a new place,” Landry said. “In about two weeks.”

  “Can you move sooner?”

  “Perhaps not, but we can meet her there and let her see it for herself.”

  “I’ll ask her. Anyway, I’ve gotta run, I’ve got a deposition I need to be at.” He shook the men’s hands and hugged Tilly, looking down at her. “Seriously, do not worry.”

  “You said this was a slam-dunk.”

  “I know, but sometimes even I blow a guess. Hey, he didn’t do something totally goofy like order visitation.”

  Tilly held up a finger and circled it in the air.

  “Well, at least you’re not flipping me off. I’ll let you know when I have the scheduled time for the next hearing.”

  Once they were in the car, Landry turned where he sat behind the wheel and looked at Tilly. “Are you all right, love?”

  “Peachy.”

  Cris exchanged a knowing glance with Landry and they rode back to the condo in silence. He didn’t have the heart to call Loren, because he knew that would lead to Tilly just getting upset again.

  When they returned, Loren was on the sofa, feeding Katie a bottle. “Well? Why don’t I see happy faces.”

  Tilly didn’t stop and headed straight for the bedroom.

  Landry looked at him.

  “I think she needs you right now, Lan,” he said to him.

  He nodded and followed her.

  Loren’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t fucking tell me the judge gave the baby to them?”

  “No, he didn’t.” He explained it—and retold some of the waiting room showdown.

  Loren sadly shook her head. “Sorry, Cris. I know I gave you a ration of shit when you came back, but I’m sorry. For all of that, and for this. They sound like real jerks. Is Tilly okay?”

  “She’s scared. Logically, yes, it looks like the judge is going to rule for us. But we all thought he was going to end this nonsense today. We never expected a continuance.”

  “But recommending bringing an adoption order is good, right?”

  “Absolutely. I don’t need to be an attorney to tell you that judge was pissed right the hell off when Santino opened his big, bigoted mouth.”

  “Well, at least you have me here to help you,” she said. “Once Tilly gets her game face back on, she’ll be okay. You just wait.”

  He reached out and stroked Katie’s hand. She grabbed his finger, tightly holding on.

  “Thank you, Lor,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever properly said it to you and Ross, but thank you for saving her. Thank you for keeping her alive. I knew if anyone could, it was you.”

  “Would you have left her if we weren’t in her life?”

  “I honestly don’t know. There’s so much of that I wish I could undo and redo. I’d start by telling her all about me from the beginning, who I was, where I came from, and about Landry. That way, when I found out about him, I would have told her immediately.”

  “Woulda, coulda, shoulda.” Her expression softened. “What matters is that you’re back, now, and you guys aren’t going anywhere. And she’s happier than I’ve ever seen her in her life. Well, except for…you know. This. In a month or two, once it finally sinks in that she doesn’t have to feel guilty, she’ll be an entirely different Tilly.”

  “I know.” He gently tugged on his finger, amused when Katie wouldn’t let go. She stared at him even as she still sucked on the bottle. “How much do you think Katie sees right now?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not a baby expert. You want to hold her?”

  “Sure.”

  He gently freed his finger and Loren got him situated with the burp cloth and bottle and leaned in, watching. “You’re a natural.”

  “I’ve had a little experience with everyone else’s kids. I never thought I’d have one of my own.”

  “Now you do. How’s it feel, Dad?”

  He grinned. “Landry gets to make the decision there. Who’s Dad and who’s Pop or whatever.”

  “You know the first time she calls Tilly Mom, Tilly’s going to cry her eyes out, right?”

  “Yeah. Spoiler alert, she won’t be the only one crying the first time Katie calls us Mom or Dad.”

  “You guys are so lucky.”

  “I don’t think you know what that word means, Lor.”

  He glanced at her and spotted the deep sadness just beneath the surface, much the way Tilly wore hers. You had to know her well to see it. Otherwise it was simply a shadow that passed.

  A chuckle escaped her. “You all three went through hell and now you’re holding a little bundle of heaven. That’s lucky.” Her smile slipped, just a smidge. “Some people only get the hell and never get a heaven of their own.”

  * * *
*

  Landry found Tilly curled in a ball on her side on the bed, already sobbing into her pillow.

  He stretched out next to her and pulled her into his arms, her head tucked beneath his chin. It was a risk, but he suspected it was the only balm that would soothe her deeply wounded soul at this point.

  “Do you need Daddy, love?”

  She sobbed harder, but nodded.

  He tightened his hold on her. “I’m always here for you. Daddy’s always here to make everything right for his baby girl. Do you trust me?”

  She finally nodded.

  “Then trust that Daddy will do whatever it takes, no matter how much it takes, to make this right and make his baby girl happy. Understand?”

  She nodded, even as she still cried.

  He gently rocked her, letting her get it out of her system, knowing it couldn’t be allowed to fester there for long without it poisoning her from the inside out. Mistress Cardinal had been an expert at hiding and disguising her hurt from the world, building a stalwart castle that no one—not even Loren and Ross—could penetrate.

  By letting him in, and by letting Cris back in, she’d shattered those walls. When it came to others, she absolutely could run into the line of fire to protect them. It was the ferocity of her loyalty and love that allowed her to do so.

  When it came to protecting her own heart, she’d forgotten how. Mistress Cardinal no longer existed. Once Tilly had made peace with the past and had him and Cris as her future, she’d been able to discard that uncomfortable suit of armor for good.

  It didn’t mean she still didn’t have use for it on rare occasions.

  She cried herself to sleep. When Cris softly opened the door about a half an hour later, Landry nodded at him to come in.

  He walked over, looking sad. “Is she okay?”

  “She needed to purge it. You know how she is.”

  “Yeah.” He carefully sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting to disturb her. “What do you want to do about work?”

  “Tell them we will work from home today. Family emergency. Call Leigh for her, please. Update her and tell her we’re playing the husband card and ordering Tilly to stay home, and why. They’re within the circle of trust, as it were.”

  “Okay.” He leaned in and kissed Landry. “Thank you, Lan.”

  Something was different about Cris, but he couldn’t decide what. “You’re welcome, but for what?”

  Cris smiled. “For this. For everything. For being a sneaky damn Dom who wanted to have his cake and eat it, too. For her. And for agreeing to step in and do this.”

  “Can you imagine the poor bastard who tries to date our little Katie? If Tilly and Loren don’t run them off, we can laugh our asses off watching June and Eliza go after them.”

  “I’m way ahead of you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The four of them, five if you counted Katie, went shopping on Saturday. Landry made some calls—and wrote some checks—to get the new condo cleared out sooner.

  Saturday morning, as a matter of fact.

  Landry was tired of not being able to control something. Speeding their moving date was something he could influence and control.

  By god, he would.

  Basically, he was able to buy all the furniture, and then paid someone to haul off what he knew they didn’t want—most of it—and donate it to a charity.

  After stopping by the new condo to direct the movers about what little was staying, and then going out for breakfast, they started at a home improvement store, picking paint chips and sample pots of paint, Loren keeping Tilly focused while Cris and Landry tended to Katie.

  The men had agreed behind Tilly’s back that they would let her completely decorate the condo the way she wanted it. Neither of them had a preference…except that Tilly be happy.

  Considering how hard she took the set-back Friday, they knew a distraction was just the thing, and worth any amount of money it took throwing at it to fix it. When they told Loren their plan, she agreed wholeheartedly and became their willing accomplice.

  And they took pictures.

  Lots and lots of pictures.

  And video.

  By that afternoon, they had paint picked out, purchased everything they’d need to get started, and would start painting it the next day. There were wood floors all through the unit, except in the bathrooms, which were tiled. Tilly was fine with that and they’d buy area rugs for the rooms as they got closer to their moving date.

  They went out for sushi with Katie in her carrier on a high chair next to Tilly.

  Landry hated the sadness in Tilly’s face, an expression that had barely lifted during the day, even when he thought she was having fun and not thinking about the hurricane swirling around them.

  He’d spend any amount of money to make her happy. Her or Cris, but especially her.

  Too many years after losing Cris he’d spent hating himself. He knew what happiness was, had lost it, and had barely managed to grasp it again when Cris returned.

  Then it only magnified with Tilly.

  He’d give her everything to keep her happy.

  “Are you all right, love,” he asked.

  Loren, sitting next to Tilly in the booth, looked over at her.

  Tilly’s focus was on Katie. “Please promise me we’re not going to lose her.”

  He reached across the table and took her hand. “Look at me, Redbird.”

  She finally did. He didn’t miss how close to the surface her tears lay.

  “I promise you, if we have to buy her a fake passport and leave for France and then points beyond to keep her away from them, we will do whatever it takes, inside the law or outside of it. I swear it to you. I still have family ties in France. I’ll tie Santino up for decades, until she’s eighteen, in legal paperwork. My family there has a lot of influence. You know that.”

  Finally, the hint of a smile. “Go on the lam, huh?”

  “Absolutely. We can run the company remotely if we have to. It would be difficult, but doable.”

  “We should teach her to speak French,” Tilly said, her gaze returning to the infant.

  “We shall,” Landry said. “But I think she’s got a little while yet.”

  Loren draped an arm around Tilly’s shoulders. “The judge isn’t going to rule against you guys. There’s no grounds. It’s not like she was close to her brothers. I could see, if that was the case, there being a risk. But she told the judge she didn’t want them having her, and why. It’s not like this is a totally different judge.”

  “But what if they ask for him to recuse himself?”

  “What if the ‘big one’ hits tomorrow?” Cris asked. “Sweetie, stop trying to invent things to worry about. I know that’s easier said than done, but where’s our Tilly?”

  She glanced briefly at Cris before her gaze returned to Katie. “Tilly’s tired and heartsick and worn out,” she whispered. “Tilly’s able to be strong for everyone but herself.”

  * * * *

  After a good night’s sleep, Tilly seemed to be better the next morning. Lucas, Leigh, and Nick showed up at the new condo to help with the painting, called by Landry, who also told them about Tilly’s mental state.

  More than anything, they were there for her, not just to help.

  Working late into the evening, and after Cris went to fetch pizzas, they had the nursery, living room, kitchen, what would be Loren’s room for her stay, and the master bedroom painted. Those were the important ones, the rest able to be painted around in their spare time.

  Tilly’s mood remained lifted through Monday morning. She even dealt with hearing another news story about the ongoing investigation into Sofia’s death better than Landry thought she would.

  Over the next several days, as new celebrity meltdowns and scandals shoved Tilly, Landry, Cris, and Sofia’s story from the spotlight, the paparazzi stopped showing up at Tilly’s office.

  Even the paparazzi thought it was distasteful to try to wring a scandal out of the
tragedy of an orphaned infant of a Jane Everyman. Katie’s personal degrees of separation from Nick’s stardom meant her story went from newsworthy to footnote.

  Dr. Rahling was still pleased with Katie’s progress at the third visit, and saw no reason to change their plan. Katie was still gaining weight and had already outgrown the first round of onesies Tilly had bought for her that day in the Target when she’d rescued Sofia and Katie from the shit-hole apartment.

  Louisa Gonzalez did another home visit the Monday before the hearing, both of the current condo and the one they were busily filling with baby furniture.

  “I see no reason to change my opinion,” she told the four adults. “This is obviously a suitable home, and I plan to tell the judge that. I talked to Dr. Rahling, and he’s happy with the care Katie’s getting. All the parameters I need to see met are being exceeded.”

  “I suspect you can’t tell us the result of your home visit with Santino, can you?” Cris asked.

  She smiled. “If the judge asks me for my opinion as to where Katie should be placed, my opinion will be that she should remain with you. Obviously, the mother had her reasons for placing her with you. There is no legal or moral reason for me to rule against the existing custody order.”

  Landry knew that was the best she could say under the circumstances, and he’d take the win.

  He only hoped it was good enough for Tilly.

  Friday morning, the four of them headed to the courthouse with Katie. Dale had suggested they bring her for the adoption part of the hearing.

  The judge would likely want to see her anyway.

  Landry secretly hoped Cris’ family would eat their hearts out.

  Tilly carried Katie in her arms while Loren carried the diaper bag and Cris toted the carrier. When they walked into the waiting room, this time it was only Santino, his wife, Cris’ mother, and their attorney.

  Landry didn’t miss the helpless “I tried” shrug the attorney gave Dale Waters.

  Louisa Gonzalez wasn’t there yet.

  Landry glared at Mariana Guerrero. “Had you only been decent people instead of small-minded ones, we would have been willing to give you visitation. Considering your family’s past history, there’s no way in hell we’ll allow any of you toxic people to be a part of her life.”