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There was a noise behind Aunt Meg, and Peach stepped forward, holding her phone high. “I can stop recording now, Daddy, can’t I?” she said. “I think we got more than we ever bargained for.”
Aunt Meg turned around and looked at Peach. “You were filming this, you little freak? Give that here!” As the old woman lurched forward, Isaac yelled at Peach to get out.
And that is exactly what she did, with Teddy running close behind her.
Isaac ran around the side of the house to meet her, and the three of them didn’t stop running until they were back at the cars.
“Daddy,” Peach said, looking up at him, “I’m so sorry. All those things she said.”
Isaac took her head in her hands. “Darling,” he said, “I’m so glad that you’re…” But try as he might, he couldn’t get the words out. He was crying. He was holding her. He was kissing her. He was ready to make everything right.
Chapter Twenty-Two
PEACH
“Youknow,Ineverwould have had you down as a zoo kind of a guy,” said Peach, grinning, as she licked her mint choc chip ice-cream.
“You kidding? This was my favorite place when I was a kid,” said Isaac. “We used to come to Miami just to visit the zoo when I was a kid… before… well, you know.”
Peach squeezed Isaac’s hand. “You sure you don’t want a lick of my ice-cream, Daddy?”
Isaac looked at the ice-cream. “Careful,” he said, “or you’ll make Daddy hard in public yet again. I’ll never forget that strawberry ice-cream incident.”
Peach fluttered her lashes at him. “What strawberry ice-cream incident, Daddy? Explain it to me.”
“Bad girl,” he growled, squeezing her bottom, quickly enough that it was barely noticeable to anyone else here, but hard enough that Peachdefinitelynoticed it.
As they walked past cute animal after cute animal, Peach let out a happy sigh. “I don’t know what I like best: mammals or reptiles.”
Isaac laughed. “It’s a real conundrum. Mammals are normally a lot cuddlier-looking than reptiles. But reptiles are badass, so…”
“It’s like the difference between you and me, Daddy,” Peach joked.
The winter sun shone down on them, and everything felt so good. Yesterday, they’d come back from the ranch after dropping in at a police station with all the evidence they’d amassed. Isaac told Peach, as they came away from it, that it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Finally finding out the truth. Seeing his aunt confess.
The police said that they’d be firm but fair with Aunt Meg. If she cooperated with them, and if what she was saying was true, it was Jeffrey who had been the brains behind the operation. It had all happened years ago, and would be hard to prove, but Aunt Meg wasn’t going to get away without jail time. What she had done was manslaughter at the very best. And being involved in the destruction of a will — that was fraud. Throw in the animal neglect, and Aunt Meg’s situation wasn’t exactly rosy.
Still, she deserved whatever she had coming, that was for sure. The cops had told Isaac that it might take a little time to sort everything out, but that he had a good chance of getting the ranch taken away from his aunt, and restored to him, the rightful owner.
Peach felt amazing to have played a part in all that. Helping other people was one of her hobbies, after all. They still hadn’t talked about what Isaac would do with the ranch, if he got it back, but that would come.
“What you thinking about, babygirl?” he asked as they stopped by a cage of giant anteaters.
Peach took a deep breath. “The future.”
Isaac looked at her thoughtfully. “You know, we can’t annul our marriage anymore… Not since we… But of course, we can divorce any time you like…” He put his arms around her waist. “It’s not what I want, though.”
“What do you want?” asked Peach, her voice small and tremulous.
“I want to take back the ranch,” said Isaac.
Peach’s heart sank. He was thinking about the ranch, not about her. Of course, the ranch was a big deal for him, but she’d hoped that he—
“And I want to set up your animal rescue center on it.”
Peach’s eyes widened. “You do?”
“Except, I think, I want it to be a home. For me, and you, and all of the animals who live there.”
