LITMIR.BIZ

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that supposed to mean?” he said.

      She shook her head. That hated pity came into her eyes. “When you figure it out, let me know.”

      The door opened behind them.

      “Daddy!” Amber tackle-hugged him from behind. “I’m glad you’re here.”

      Maggie slipped away from him, but he couldn’t wash her image from his mind. Why couldn’t she understand?

      Amber let go and rummaged through her backpack. He had to resolve this thing with Maggie. Amber deserved to have a family.

      “How was school?” he asked. Maggie had disappeared, maybe to give him time to say goodbye to Amber or maybe to clear the tears. Eventually, she’d give in and come to him. He needed to give her more time to adjust to the idea.

      “It was awesome.” Amber held out a piece of red paper. “We are having an art show this Thursday. Can we make this our special outing?”

      Her eyes sparkled with hope and love. He loved Amber. It was natural. But he couldn’t reconcile what he felt for Maggie. Right now, the fact that he had to cancel Amber and his outing ripped his heart in two.

      “I’m sorry, Amber.” He wished he didn’t have to ever say those words to her again. “I have to go to New York today.”

      Her smile turned into a frown. “But you’ll be back.”

      Needing to be eye to eye, he got on one knee in front of her. “It’s not that simple. I need to go back to work, but as soon as I get time off, I’ll be back.”

      She sniffled and her lower lip trembled. He felt like the world’s biggest jerk.

      “It’s okay, Daddy.” She put her arms around his neck. “I’ll miss you.”

      That made him feel even lower, but he wrapped his arms around her tight. “I’ll miss you, too.”

      She pulled away and smooshed his face in her hands. She placed a single kiss on his forehead. When she pulled away, he smiled at her.

      “What was that for?”

      “Nana says that when you love someone and they are going to leave you, you should kiss their forehead to seal you into their memory. Nana always kissed me right here before I went to sleep.” She pointed to a spot on her forehead.

      “Your nana was a wise woman. I bet you miss her.”

      Amber nodded. “But she’s right up here whenever I miss her too much.”

      “Would it be okay if I kissed your forehead, too? That way you don’t forget about your daddy?” Tears welled in the back of Brady’s throat as she nodded yes and leaned her forehead forward.

      He kissed her lightly next to the spot her nana always kissed her. “I’ll get back as soon as I can. I promise.”

      “I’ll wait for you.” Amber grabbed her bag and ran into the kitchen.

      Brady stood slowly. This house was home to two people he cared so much about. If only he could box it up and take it with him. Including the wobbly kitchen chair and the recliner it took a good shove to recline in. It was as unique as Maggie and Amber.

      A movement by the kitchen doorway pulled his attention. Maggie stood there. Her blond hair in a ponytail. Her hazel eyes watchful. Her lips slightly curved in a sad smile.

      He wanted to stay, but he had to go. Within two strides, he had her in his arms. Maybe he couldn’t convince her to go with him this time, but he’d keep trying. He kissed her lightly on her mouth before touching his lips to her forehead.

      “Don’t forget me, Maggie.”

      Back in New York that night, Brady stood alone in his apartment. Since he was early, no flowers warmed every room. However, the guest bedroom had begun its transformation. A soft lavender covered the walls and the old furniture was gone. Painter drop cloths were placed on the floor to protect the wood.

      It remained an empty shell. Brady sighed and went to his bedroom to unpack. Maggie’s red silk scarf called to him. He dropped to the bed and pulled the silk into his hands. Though it seemed like the only living thing in the apartment, it wasn’t truly alive. That spark had come from Maggie.

      His phone rang, breaking the silence.

      “I’ll get the files from my backup drive,” Brady told Jules.

      “I could have handled the meeting on my own.”

      Maybe she could, maybe she couldn’t, but the fact of the matter was Brady had returned for just this purpose. To save his career and the job that consumed all his time.

      “What time?”

      “Nine.” Jules paused. “Are you okay, Brady?”

      His sanitized white room stared back at him. the emptiness of his apartment mocked him. No Maggie. No Amber. Just him.

      “Yeah. I’ll be fine. See you then.” He disconnected the call. When he went to work in the morning, he’d fall into his routine and have barely any time to think about what he’d left behind in Tawnee Valley.

      He downloaded the files from his home server for the meeting tomorrow. Reviewed his notes and what Jules had emailed him. Everything was ready for tomorrow’s meeting.

      His apartment was empty. His life was empty. As he looked around, he wished he were in Tawnee Valley. Even the prospect of fighting for his project didn’t thrill him. He couldn’t imagine being here without Maggie and Amber. In a little over a week, they’d come to mean everything to him. But all he had left was his career. Maggie had made it clear that she did not want to move to New York.

      Unfortunately, he couldn’t get Maggie out of his head as he lay in bed, trying for sleep. He’d offered marriage, but she’d turned him down. Because she loved him. His chest filled with warmth. He hadn’t had time to process her words before. Maggie Brown loved him. The sacrifices she made for her mother had been out of love. The sacrifices Sam had made had been out of love. And he’d expected her to follow him, sacrifice the life she’d built for herself and their daughter, because he wanted her with him. While he sacrificed nothing.

      Brady pulled the red silk scarf through his fingers. How much more should everyone else sacrifice for him?

      By the time exhaustion claimed him, his alarm clock went off. Even as tired as he was, Brady almost wished he had chores to do. Feeding the animals usually helped clear his head.

      Instead, he rode the subway to his office and grabbed a coffee from the shop in the lobby. He needed a few days to settle back into his normal routine. Everything would return to normal.

      Paperwork had piled up on his desk from last week. When his meeting alert went off, Brady was feeling mostly human. The coffee and the monotony of paperwork had helped.

      Jules came around the corner as he left his office. Her dark green suit was the top-of-the-line businesswear, but it didn’t do anything for him. All he could think of were Maggie’s bare feet on the runner board of her bed.

      “I’m glad I caught up with you before the meeting,” Jules said as they walked together toward Kyle’s office.

      “I’ve recovered all the files. We should be able to reassure Kyle that the project isn’t leaking funds.” Brady kept pace, but couldn’t help remembering the slower walks with Amber and Maggie. Crisp autumn air and light conversation. Amber’s giggles ringing through the streets.

      “I had a chance to look through the preliminary numbers for the Tawnee Valley project you sent me,” Jules said. “I think you might have something there. With a few tweaks, I bet we can get Kyle on board with the project.”

      “That sounds good.” Brady paused outside Kyle’s door. He placed a hand on Jules’s sleeve to stop her from going in. “Do you think it’s possible to love someone and not know it?”

      Her

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