Elle asked me if I wanted to get re-elected. Truth be told, I didn’t. I hated the job. I’d taken it out of obligation. It was meant to be a short-term solution after my father died, until someone suitable stepped up. No one suitable stepped up. So I remained mayor of the city I loved. I only did it because I loved Liberty; I had no desire to be in the public light. I had never wanted a career in politics. I had no idea how to run a city.
Now, with my daughters at home, I especially hated leaving them. They’d been through enough and needed a stable household. It was my responsibility to give them that. And I didn’t take that responsibility lightly.
I just wanted to keep my beloved hometown out of the wrong hands, and so far, I’d been successful, but my time was coming to an end.
And as much as I should worry about my competitor, part of me just wanted to step down and be done with it. I wanted to focus on my girls and maybe get back to running my construction business. Or retire. With my finances in order, that was also an option for me, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready to stop working. Not at forty-five. Though I’d already made more money than I would ever need, I still had a lot of life left in me.
Piper carried Grace, while I carried Amelia. She made small talk, which I hardly paid attention to, as we walked to my truck.
Piper helped snap Grace into her car seat while I took care of Amelia. I was grateful for the help wherever I could get it. It often felt like I needed to grow another set of hands, which was one reason I wanted to find a nanny, someone to help me since their mother wasn’t in the picture. But I was too picky. Whoever I chose would have to be as careful as I was, to love them like I did, and I just didn’t think it was possible to find that in what was essentially an employee.
Perhaps I was being too picky, but they were my girls. My responsibility.
“Thanks, Piper,” I said, patting the young woman on the back. “I appreciate all your help.”
“No problem. I’m always around if you need me to keep an eye on them,” she offered. She started to say something, but stopped and smiled instead.
I’m sure she wanted to know what the work emergency was about. Everyone did. I was the talk of the town ever since one of my staff members spread rumours that I had taken bribes from the developers looking to mine the valuable lithium from the ground. Then he’d left town. Or so we thought.
James Fitzhenry had been our city treasurer. He hadn’t been seen in a month, shortly after he spoke about the supposed bribes. Poof. One day he was there, the next he was gone.
Now I knew why.
When it became obvious I wasn’t going to talk about what kept me busy for the day, Piper excused herself with a friendly smile. “Drive safely, Jeremiah.”
She hurried back into the warmth ofLittle Cubs, and I climbed into my truck to get it started and warmed for my girls. They were covered in blankets, but since they couldn’t wear their thick coats in their car seats, I blasted the heat up and hoped the truck warmed quickly.
You girls deserve the world. God as my witness I will do everything I can to give you that and more.
* * *
“Shh,” I whispered, rocking Grace in my arms while holding a bottle for Amelia at the same time. I wished I was an octopus, especially at feeding time. These two wiggly little bodies were hard to handle at the same time, and it never failed that when I was feeding one, the other would get fussy - either impatient for food or if they’d already been fed, from gas or boredom or God knows what.
Sometimes I wondered if I’d made a mistake. Staring at their sweet faces, with my mother’s nose and my father’s eyes, I knew I wanted them. But was I being selfish? Could someone else raise them better than me? Would an adoptive family have offered them a better life than I could?
Hell no.
My heart ached just thinking about it.
They’d only been in my life for two months, but it was already hard to imagine life without them. They were my world, and I would do anything for them - even give up my role as Liberty’s mayor so I could be the best father possible. They deserved it.
I dropped the bottle as I adjusted Grace in my arms, her screaming sounding so heart wrenching. I wished I knew the magic formula to make it stop, to make her happy. I felt so lost. Amelia started whimpering, and I grabbed the bottle and held it to her mouth as well. I needed to put Grace down to properly feed Amelia, but it pained me to do so.
A knock at my door surprised me; I wasn’t expecting anyone. I groaned and contemplated not answering, but at the meeting at work that day, I was told the police may be stopping by to question me at any time. They could probably hear the babies crying and knew I was home. It wouldn’t look good to avoid them when they suspected me of several crimes.
“One second,” I called out, hoping they could hear me over the noise.
I placed Grace in her pack and play and hurried to the door. When it swung it open, I was surprised to not find the police, but Elle. She was still in her work attire - a tailored grey dress suit that fit her curvy body perfectly. A soft pink, silk shirt showed under her jacket, with a pink, grey, and white scarf tied around her neck loosely, pulling the look together.
She’d always knew how to dress, but this was not the Elle I remembered from years before. While she was tall and fit, she also had curves in all the right places, making sure there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that she was a grown woman.
Her blonde hair was pulled back in a bun, completing the sexy businesswoman look.
I found myself wanting to release it from its confines and watch it tumble around her shoulders.
Grab her hair in my fist and pull her lips to mine.
“Listen,” she said, not meeting my gaze. “I feel really bad about our talk earlier. Can I come in so we can talk?”