“Pink boa?” Natalie asked, feeling more attached to Margie for her boldness now. A kinship, something like family. The family one chooses.
“And bubble-bath pictures.” Her eyes twinkled for a moment. “My Terence sure did love that gift, though.”
“Sounds like you had a wonderful marriage.” Her heart squeezed at being denied that dream not once, but twice.
Margie’s gaze went to the street, to a passing yellow truck. The sputtering sound of the engine filled the conversation for a few heartbeats. In a quiet voice, she nodded, blinking back tears. “We did.”
“You were lucky.” Was it so wrong to want a happily-ever-after for herself? A family life for her children?
Natalie’s eyes flicked to the scene in front of her. Happy dog, happy children. This small town that provided them shelter. And yet...she wanted more.
“Some of it was luck. A lot of it was hard work.”
Natalie bristled, ruffled to think that Margie was suggesting she wasn’t trying enough now.
“Hard work isn’t always enough.” She and Jeremy had struggled. She liked to think they would have made things work, but she would never know for sure.
“I realize that, honey. But without the work, even luck won’t pull you through. By giving it your one hundred percent, you do have the reassurance of knowing you did everything possible. And that’s all we can ever control in life—what we do.” She patted Natalie’s cheek. “Be at peace with yourself about Jeremy, dearie. You deserve it.”
How had Margie read her mind so clearly? The woman sure hadn’t been joking about forging a family bond out of friendships. But then hadn’t Max said the same about the foster father who taught him how to cook? That had been a family for Max.
A family Max had lost.
And in that thought, realization sank in. Max did know how to be a part of a family. And just as she had lost, so had he. That big bold man really was afraid of being hurt again.
Like she’d been doing, he was protecting his heart. Because yes, she loved him and she suspected he was falling in love with her.
Margie’s words reverberated in her mind, about the only way to escape regrets was to give her all. She’d let Max walk out that door. She’d let the man she loved walk away.
And the only way she could be at peace with how her future played out was to know she hadn’t left anything unsaid. She was strong enough to stand up for herself, for her children, for Max.
And for a chance at the future they deserved to have. Together.
A plan formed in her head, a way to start at least. Parenting an autistic child had taught her she couldn’t wait for problems to work themselves out. She had to be involved in positive change. To make the world a better place for her child. She needed to act. Maybe now she needed to take action for herself.
“Margie, did you mean what you said about us being family?”
“Of course, dear.” Margie squeezed her hand. “What do you need?”
“Can you take the kids for the evening?” She reached into her pocket for her cell phone. “Given Colby’s tendency to wander off, I need to upgrade my security system. And I believe St. Cloud Security Solutions has just the right person to install the best of the best.”
* * *
In spite of his resolution to do right by Natalie and keep his distance, here he was again, at the Cimarron Rose.
Max thumbed the strap of the leather bag that he’d slung over his shoulder, taking comfort in the security gear inside. Most of his work focused on cybersecurity and grounds security for large corporations. But keeping Natalie and her kids safe? His most important job.
He’d leaped at her request that gave him a reason to be right where he’d been longin
g to be every second since he’d left. Even working like hell with Will and with Chels’s brother, Daniel, hadn’t provided the distraction he sought. Will and Daniel had all but thrown him out when the call came for a basic security-system install at Natalie’s.
He approached the white picket-fence gate, drawing in a deep breath. He looked at the constellations in the night sky, taking reassurance from their twinkling as he did when he’d been on the street.
The night sky had always called to him, giving him constancy in a turbulent life.
He knew this wasn’t his wisest move ever coming here. But when Chelsea told him Natalie needed a security system to keep Colby safe? There’d been no way Max could turn his back, or even send over Will. He would make Natalie’s house as safe as it could be. Make her kids safe.
The past days without Natalie had been hell. The hole in his life a gaping wound. He still wasn’t sure what to do—an anomaly for a man like him—but he also knew he couldn’t keep hiding out at Chelsea’s while he looked for the hacker.