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He set her down, knelt to her level. “What you did isn’t okay, but we’ll talk about it when we get home.” Holding on to Carrie’s hand, he stood. “Thank you so much for finding her, Natalie.”
Carrie gave Natalie a pleading look.
“You’re welcome. Can Carrie watch with me a few more minutes?” At Matthew’s look of complete confusion, Natalie added, “Please. It would mean a lot if Carrie could watch Zoie’s first steps with me.”
“Please, Uncle Matthew?” Carrie said, giving him a big-eyed look. “It would mean a lot to me, too.”
He glanced down at the girl, tugged at the hair that poked out from beneath her cap. “I’m not sure you get a say at the moment. I still can’t believe you did this. You’re not going to be playing with that tablet computer for a long time.”
Carrie hesitated at that, then cranked up the volume of her big brown eyes. Matthew sighed.
“But, since we’re here, it would be a shame to miss Zoie’s first steps.”
* * *
After Matthew had reassured his family that Carrie was okay yet again, bathed the child and put her to bed, he turned to the woman who’d been with him all evening. He’d expected Natalie to leave right after his arrival at the zoo, but she hadn’t.
Probably because smart little Carrie had used her as a shield from how upset he was at what she’d done. They’d had a long talk and the child had promised never to pull a similar stunt again.
“I’ve been meaning to ask—how did you know she’d be at the zoo?” he asked when he went back into his living room.
Natalie shrugged. “After you left my office, I pulled my phone out and saw the alert that Zoie was about to be born.”
“Thank God you did. Anything could have happened to her.”
“You have to admit, what she did was quite impressive for a child that’s not quite five. You’re going to have your hands full when she hits her teenaged years.” Natalie averted her gaze, then asked a question so soft he barely heard. “I heard you talking to her in her room. Did you mean what you told her?”
“About how foolish I was to think I could ever let her go live with anyone other than myself?”
Natalie nodded.
“Every word. She’s mine. For better or worse, she’s stuck with me for the rest of her life. I was a fool to think I could let her go, that she’d be better off elsewhere.”
“Good. She loves you. Not that that doesn’t mean she’s not going to give you a run for your money at times.”
“That she will,” he agreed, sinking onto the sofa next to her. “You going to help me keep her in line when she does?”
A look of guilt passed over her face. “Who knows where either of us will be when Carrie’s older?”
Then he knew. Natalie planned to leave Memphis.
A new wave of panic swept over him. Different from the one that had hit him when he’d learned Carrie was missing, but one that ripped at his insides all the same.
“When?”
“When what?”
“When are you leaving?”
“I’m sorry.” She went to stand. “I didn’t mean to stay beyond my welcome.”
He grabbed her wrist, pulled her back down beside him. “That isn’t what I mean and you know it.”
“I can’t give you an answer on where I’ll be in ten years.”
“Or even in six months?”
Another flash of guilt contorted her face. “I’d rather not discuss it.”
