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I nodded. “Yep, and I learned quite a bit. Tonya has been great with Emmy because she has experience with a girl in her class who has autism. I’m amazed at how well she does talking to her and avoiding issues. She’s teaching Tyler a few things too.”
“Well, I’m rather impressed with both your kids. I don’t think any of the kids back in New York even tried to deal with Emmy. They just avoided her like she was a freak.”
“She is far from that. It might have been her intelligence that they feared.”
“Maybe.”
“She’s a lot like her mom.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah, headstrong, smart, and beautiful.”
She leaned toward me. “You might be biased.”
“Yeah, why do you say that?”
“Because you love me,” she said as she stared into my face.
I cocked my head slightly. “You’re right. I am biased, and I do love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said softly.
“Do you, or are you just saying that because you feel thankful for all that I have done?”
She shook her head. “No. I do. I knew I was falling in love with you when I pushed you away. That’s why I did. I didn’t want to love you and then find out that you couldn’t handle my kids. I didn’t want you to leave me because my children needed extra attention.”
I cupped my hand to her cheek. “I would never do that.”
“I know that now, but before, I could only imagine you being like Rick. He bailed on us, and I couldn’t imagine any man wanting to take these kinds of things on. But you did, and not just you, but your entire family. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Everyone in my family cares about you and your girls. They would do anything for you or them.”
“I know that now. I see that, and I am so thankful for that.”
“Good.”
For a few moments, we kissed again, and then she laid her head on my shoulder, and we glided back and forth in silence. The back door opened, and I expected Nolan to jump away, but she slowly lifted her head as Lauren and Emmy came out.
“Hey, Lauren, welcome home.”
“Hi, Brad. Thanks, and thanks for the bed.”
“You’re welcome.”
The girls sat with us for a few minutes, and Lauren wanted to know where Tonya was. I told her that maybe they could get together later in the week to visit.
Lauren got up to go back inside. “Emmy, come on. Let’s leave Brad and Mom alone for a little while.”
“Why?” Emmy asked as she got up and followed her sister.
“Because they want to be alone.”
“Why?”
“Because they like each other.” Their voices were getting further away but we could still hear them.
“Why?”
