"Mommy!"She felt the little body wiggling around her feet, tiny shoes banging against the backside of the desk. "Who is that talking? A ghost?"Tiny giggles bounced off the desk walls. She felt the child-sized fingers trying to tickle her legs. She gave a slight jump, careful not to hit Maggie with her adult-sized knees. She let out some small gasps as she cried, "There is a ghost!"Maggie laughed even harder as Jacqui pushed her desk chair back and reached under the desk, snatching the little girl into her lap. "It's not a ghost. It's a Maggie Monster!" She held her daughter to her chest and covered the tiny neck with kisses. Maggie squealed as she tried to push away and make her escape.Jacqui took a deep breath as the memory faded. There was so much she missed. She smiled down at the little boy. "Then he's a lucky little boy to spend his day with his father."She ignored Morgan's raised eyebrows at her sudden change of opinion as she glanced back at him. "I'm sorry for just droppin
From the driver's seat, Jacqui stared at the front of her house. She wasn't sure she was ready to be alone in such a big place again. Yet, she knew it was the right thing to do. Her father had endured her nonsense and control long enough. He deserved to be in his own home, surrounded by his possessions and memories, instead of hers. It wasn't for his benefit that she had basically kidnapped him. It was for hers. If he returned home, then she would be alone with her memories, memories she was able to keep at bay for two years. A knot formed in her stomach, nausea threatening to overwhelm her, tempting her to change her mind. Tempted, but not persuaded.With a deep breath, she opened her car door, determined to see her decision carried out. Passing through the doorway, she sought out her father and Sophia. Both were in the kitchen having an afternoon snack. Jacqui smiled at the crumb cake and the smell of fresh coffee that wafted up to her as she walked behind the counter to fix her own
Staring out her office window at the river that flowed beside her house, her eyes settled on the dock where she had spent so many nights with her family as the water drifted past. She could already hear the ghosts of the house calling out to her, their memories screaming for her attention. Perhaps it was time to sell the house and start completely from scratch. She still had not been able to bring herself to venture out onto the back patio with all of its luxuries. There was still so much surrounding her that she heard Marc's voice calling to her and Maggie's squeals as she played. Her father's presence helped drown them out, but when he moved back home, she was afraid those voices would once again drive her to a depression she might not be able to overcome.She picked up a picture frame from the corner of her desk. Marc had his arms wrapped around her and his chin on her shoulder as they stood in front of The Karston Foundation building as the ribbon was cut. His smile called out to h
Dustin leaped from the back of the sofa and flung himself at his father's back, his boyish scream alerting Morgan to stop whatever he was doing and catch his son. The four-year-old had no fear, trusting that his father would always be there to catch him. It was that trust that caused Morgan to rethink the way he was living his life.Dustin laughed as he swung on his father's back. Morgan couldn't help but get caught up in the laughter. Reaching behind him, he grabbed Dustin's legs, pulling the little boy around while growling as he leaned down and pretended to eat his son's belly. The little boy just wiggled as he squealed in his daddy's arms.Once Jeannie had left, Morgan finished a couple of quick tasks and then left for the day. They grabbed some ice cream and then he took Dustin to see his new room at Daddy's. Standing in the doorway of his son's room, his arms across his chest as he leaned on the door frame, Morgan absorbed the giddiness of the little guy as he ran around his room
What the hell was I thinking? She had not cooked a meal in forever. Marc had hired Sophia to do all of that for her and she had eagerly passed it over to the woman. Now, she had to cook a meal and instead of putting it off as long as she could, she pushed it forward to tonight. Why had she done that? It was asinine.The panic hit her first thing that morning, while she was pouring her morning coffee. She stared at the stove and was tempted to just pass it over to Sophia and send the woman out for the night, so Morgan would never know the difference. Yet, she shook the thought away almost as soon as it came into her head. She had made a deal and it was important that she keep it. Not just for honesty's sake, but because it meant something to her to do it for him. She couldn't explain the feeling she had, but she knew it was there, that giddy sense of doing something special for someone who meant something to her.She froze, her coffee cup halfway to her lips, as that realization hit her
True to her word, Lily was knocking on her door two hours later, her arms loaded down with overflowing grocery bags. "I kept it simple, chicken Alfredo with a salad and garlic bread. You can do it with your eyes closed and he'll love it. Promise. I even wrote the recipe down with step-by-step instructions." Lily walked through the house, making her way to the kitchen with her supplies.Bert sat at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee. "I see you called in the cavalry."Lily set the bags on the counter and then walked over to Jacqui's father and gave him a hug. "Good morning, Mr. Clydesdale. You ready for her home-cooked meal tonight?"He rolled his eyes. "I have the Chinese place on speed dial. There's a reason Marc hired Sophia, you know."Lily laughed. "Her cooking can't be that bad.""Yes, it can.""He's right," Jacqui said with a shrug of surrender. "It is that bad.""Well then, it's a good thing this is a simple dish." She then laid out a piece of paper with the steps marked
On the ride over, Morgan had drilled into Dustin to be on his best behavior. "Mrs. Karston is someone Daddy works with, so we need to have on what your mommy calls our Sunday manners.""Okay, Daddy." Dustin had one of his Hot Wheels cars and was running it up and down his legs, making vroom vroom noises as he did. Morgan glanced at his son in the backseat, a smile pushing his cheeks up. He had missed the little tyke more than ever. He wasn't sure what had suddenly made him feel that way. He loved his son, missed him while he was on the road, but it wasn't something that was ever overwhelming. It was part of the job. He traveled and, whether he was still with Jeannie or not, he rarely saw his son. It was just life. Yet, now, it seemed like he was never going to see him again and that had his stomach in knots. Returning his eyes to the road, he knew he had to get these three months over with so he could move back home. He needed to do right by his son.Pulling up to Jacqui's house, he w
She just stared at the open door, her mouth open, eyes wide. The little boy had not meant to cause her pain, she knew. He just wanted to see the water. What four-year-old doesn't want to see water? She should have had the drapes drawn. She watched as Morgan went after his son after first glancing at her and noticing her anguish. Closing her mouth, she swallowed the scream she wanted to let out. He had seen her pain…again.Her father was watching her, the concern in his eyes obvious. "He didn't know."She gave him a slow nod, her chest a knot of anxiety that was close to squeezing the last vestiges of control from her grasp. Forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths, she stepped toward the French doors. Life is for the living, not the dead. Her father's words repeated over and over in her head, a mantra that allowed her to take each step in the direction of Morgan and his son.Reaching the threshold of the door, she stopped and took a deep breath. The breeze blew over her patio, caress