Finding the Right Girl (A Nice GUY to Love spin-off) (20 page)

“I still do really want to know,” continued Skylar, “and I may of course change my mind. But right now, I want to live my life, do what all these JHD kids have told me they wish they could get back and do. I’m not going to waste my time. I want to do the opposite—help more and get involved.”

“Also, I really, really want to fall in love. I have all of you here to show me how much I’d miss out on if I didn’t—driving my dad crazy when I start dating, for one.”

Brian groaned, while everyone else laughed. But even so, you could see the smile on his face over Skylar making plans like this for once.

“So anyway, that’s all. Just wanted to share my decision with all of you because you’re all why my life is so happy to begin with. Okay, let’s eat!”

A burst of applause sounded around the yard and Tessa just looked around at it all.

Brian wrapped his arms around her middle. “You did this.”

“No. She did it herself. That is one amazing little girl you have there.”

B
RIAN LOOKED OVER
at his animated daughter, watched as she walked around to greet everyone. This was the happiest he’d seen her in months.

And for the first time in a long while,
he
felt like he could breathe again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he finally noticed that Tessa had a big casserole skillet and a tiny little cooler on the ground beside her so he quickly moved to grab it. “I’ll go put these on the table for you.” He peeled back the foil and stared down at it. “What is it?” It looked like a cinnamon rolls, but he swore he smelled garlic.

Tessa smiled. “It’s one of my specialties. Sweet Garlic French Toast Roll with Shiso Ice Cream.”

A slow, cricket-friendly silence unrolled across the yard.

“Garlic
what
with what kind of ice cream?” asked Skylar, peering down at the dish in something akin to fear.

“I make a sweet roll dough similar to a cinnamon roll but instead of cinnamon, I use ground garlic with the sugar and butter. Then I roll it, bake it, and let it sit in a French toast batter,” explained Tessa. “After that, I transfer the whole thing into a square skillet and bake it again…so it almost comes out like a bread pudding on the bottom half. Dust it with powdered sugar and a bit of garlic powder. Then I usually serve it with my shiso ice cream drizzled with honey and caramelized condensed milk.” When everyone continued to stare at her, she chuckled and reassured them, “It’s good, I promise.”

“Okay, I have to try that,” said Abby. “Bring it here.”

The skillet was swooped out of hands by Skylar, and the small cooler at Tessa’s feet was liberated from her as well, this time by Becky.

“But…it’s dessert,” protested Tessa. She looked at Brian. “I swear, it’s a sweet dish, not a savory one. It’s not like garlic bread.”

He chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, they get that. With Becky here, the sugar twins become three-prong-strong as the sugar triplets. They can eat dessert before, during, and after meals.”

After everyone silently watched Abby put a huge forkful of the roll, loaded with ice cream and the gooey caramel and honey, in her mouth…and groan in culinary bliss, they all rushed forward to grab bowls and heaped on servings as well.

Tessa stood looking around at the table, blinking slowly in wonder.

“You okay, sweetheart?”

“I never had this before,” she whispered quietly.

Brian smiled. “What a rabid clan of folks fighting for the last piece of food?”

She laughed and shook her head. “A family.” Gazing at Skylar, she added quietly, “Skylar is so lucky to have a family like this. HD gene or not, she’s going to be just fine.”

He wrapped his arms around her, wanting to ask her then and there if she wanted a lifetime membership to join their crazy family…when suddenly, they heard an ear-splitting scream from Skylar. They both spun around and saw Abby clap her hand over her mouth.

Tessa rushed forward. “Ohmigod, is something wrong with the dessert?” She was already grabbing the paper towel roll so Abby could spit it out.

“No, no,” cried out Skylar, jumping up and down as she turned to Abby and nodded vigorously. “Tell them.”

“Honey,” said Abby quietly, “Today was
your
big announcement day.”

Skylar rolled her eyes. “OMG, if you won’t tell them, I will!”

“Tell us what?” broke in Brian, his expression caught between concern and confusion.

Abby sighed, even though her eyes were dancing with excitement. “Skylar overheard me saying to Connor that I’m probably going to be asking him to haul Tessa over here to make this for me when I have my 3 am pregnancy cravings.”

Stunned, Brian’s head whipped between Connor and Abby. “Pregnancy?”

Connor nodded, his expression that of pure proud-papa joy.

Brian rushed over to scoop Abby up in a huge python hug. “Congratulations you two!”

With a quick look of concern, Connor stepped forward, “Careful, man.”

Plopping a kiss on Abby’s forehead before turning to his brother and gathering him up in a big bro-hug. “Dude, it’s not like I can shake the baby out of her.”

“He’s been like this for months,” complained Abby, with an adoring head tilt in Connor’s direction.

“
Months
?” bellowed Brian. “How far along are you?”

“About four and a half months.”

Looking over at his brother, Brian asked quietly, “So is everything…”

“Great so far,” he confirmed. “The baby is growing like crazy, Abby’s HCG levels and everything have been great so her doctor is optimistic so far about the viability. There’s so much more technology available now that wasn’t available when Abby was a teen so we’re doing everything we can to monitor her and the baby.”

“Connor’s been treating me like I’m made out of glass the entire time. I can’t even lift a finger without him having a fit.”

Brian gave him a horrified expression. “Bad idea, man. I made that mistake once when she got the flu in college. It was diva city for the next month,” he lied.

“Connor, honey. Can you come over and lift my middle finger for me please?” asked Abby prettily.

Brian burst out laughing and gave the happy parents-to-be another round of hugs.

It didn’t register until a short while later that the
SilverHawks
theme song had been ringing in the air during the loud banter fest that followed.

And that Tessa was no longer in the yard with them.

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTEEN

C
ONNOR WINCED
as he looked out his office door and saw Brian storming down the hallway. He immediately hit his intercom button. “It’s fine, Laura, you can let him in.”

Brian barged into Connor’s office and slammed his hands down on his desk. “Where the hell is she?”

“For the last time, I still don’t know, man. Honest to God.”

“Why aren’t you worried? If it were Abby that were missing, you’d have had Jay and your firm’s entire investigative team on it from the second you noticed her gone.”

True.

“But Brian, Tessa isn’t missing. She’s been contacting you. Hell, she’s been in contact with all of us.”

“She hasn’t been at her apartment in days!” Brian roared. “It makes no friggin’ sense. She’s getting all her work done online but no one knows where she’s staying. And the only thing she keeps telling everyone, me included, is that she needs a little time to take care of a few
important
things. I swear to God, that woman is a walking flight risk. When I find her, I’m going to chain her to my damn bed for good.”

Holy shit. This was
not
the calm, easygoing brother he’s known all his life. “What the hell has gotten into you?”

“She has! But I can’t say the reverse is true. The woman refuses to let me in, to let me help her.”

“Brian, maybe she doesn’t need your help.”

Suddenly, the anger just fizzled right out of Brian like hot air out of a balloon. “Then what good am I to her?”

“
What?
”

“Beth and Abby, they always needed me. Tessa just plain doesn’t. She’s proven it to me time and time again. She’s been doing everything on her own for more years than I’ve even been responsible enough to take care of myself. She’s survived more loss than I have, overcome more hardships, and achieved more feats—all without a family, without a home, without even friends, really. So what good am I to her? I may as well just be a casual fling for all the effect I have on her life.”

Connor sighed. The nonsensical ramblings of a man blinded by a woman were always hard to hear. “Do you love her?”

“I love her past sanity. It defies reason or caution, it trumps…everything. She thinks, and I know you do a little bit too, Connor, that she’s everything I should avoid. Because she HD. Because of my past and her future. But she’s everything I can’t live without. Everything I
refuse
to live without.”

Surprised, or stunned, more like, Connor sat there and studied his brother’s fierce expression. Brian was willing to go into battle, hell, he was willing to wage a war if need be.

For Tessa.

“Well then…go get her, man.”

“
I
HAVE
a surprise for you!” cried Jilly, clapping excitedly.

Grinning, Tessa went over to sit next to Jilly’s bed. Since her flight back had been delayed, she’d only had a quick minute to shower off the travel grime before booking it over to make sure she didn’t miss her visit with Jilly. “Did you draw me another picture in the circus? Because I think I like the one when I’m the lion tamer the best.”

“Nope! It’s this!” Jilly used her thumb to slide open her nightstand drawer.

Tessa peered inside. It looked like a little cosmetic compact, except instead of a skin powder that looked like it would belong on a human, it was bright, neon green.

“There’s a note, too! Openit, openit!” buzzed Jilly in one long excited breath.

Puzzled, Tessa flipped open the note taped to the back. The note was in Brian’s handwriting…or at least it looked like his handwriting but it was actually legible.

It’s hair dye chalk. Skylar told me about it. I went searching for the safest one on the market and checked with the nurses. They said this one is perfectly safe for Jilly to use. This way, both of you can color your hair neon green for the day.

I also included a disposable camera as well…just in case you want to start collecting memories again. Figured a photo of you and Jilly w/ your green hair might go great with the one of you and your sister w/ your pink hair.

I really hope you do want to start collecting memories again, sweetheart, because I want to start collecting a lifetime of them with you.

I miss you.

“Do you like the surprise?” asked Jilly.

Tessa wiped a wayward tear from her eye. “Very much, Jilly.”

“Yaaay! Then you’ll LOVE all the others!” she squealed, pointing over at the window seat behind the TV cabinet. Her voice dropped to a reverent whisper. “Can we play with them later?”

Tessa turned around and just stared in shock at the sight before her. It looked like a convention of 80’s cartoon characters. An
Inspector Gadget
lunchbox, a whole bunch of stuffed
Care Bears
and
Smurfs
, a
Jem and the Holograms
dvd set, a
Rainbow Bright
coloring book, and the complete
SilverHawks
and
ThunderCats
action figure sets.

Good lord, she was in love with that man.

“Brian brought all that for me?”

Jilly nodded vigorously. “He came every day this week with a present for you.” Then a scolding look passed over her face. “He was
not
happy when you weren’t here. I think you made him sad, Tessa.”

Ouch. Leave it to a six-year old to put her in her place. “Yes, I think I did, too. Do you think he’ll forgive me?”

Jilly sat and thought about that seriously for a moment. “I think if you go over and apologize right now and give him a big hug
maybe
he’ll forgive you.”

Sometimes the classics really were the best.

The ‘maybe’ did have her a little worried though.

She leaned over and gave Jilly a loving peck on the forehead. “You are a genius. We’ll color our hair green this weekend, okay? And take some pictures?”

“Okay,” agreed Jilly cheerfully. “Remember,” she reemphasized as Tessa was leaving, “a BIG hug now.”

As she rushed out of the care home, Tessa pulled out her phone and dialed Brian’s house number.