Amelia nodded, but that didn’t dispel the lump in her throat. Grigg had told her about the break-in last night, and she knew they were both lucky that nothing worse had happened. “I hope he stays in jail for a long time.”

  Grigg drew her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss there. “He will. Don’t worry.”

  The tenderness of Grigg’s voice only made Amelia’s eyes sting with emotion. She owed him so much. Not just for the past few hours but for all that he’d done for her, and meant to her, the past two years.

  When a phone buzzed on the nightstand, she frowned. “Is that your phone?”

  “Oh,” Grigg said, unplugging the phone from the charger. “The cops located your phone and returned it.”

  “Wow. I’m impressed,” she said.

  Grigg handed her the phone. The thing was scratched up pretty good, and a long crack ran through the middle of the screen. But it worked for now.

  There was also a text showing from Poppy.

  “Did you . . . call my mom?” Amelia asked.

  “No,” he said, sounding surprised. “I let your grandmother know, since I’d already involved Shelton.”

  Amelia stared at the message on her phone. “She’s in Denver. At my place.”

  Just then the phone rang. Poppy was calling, and Amelia answered it. “What are you doing at my place?” Perhaps it wasn’t the nicest greeting, but Amelia was stunned.

  “Millie?” Poppy said into the phone. “I’ve been so worried about you. When Gran told me what happened, I chartered a jet and flew to Denver. But where are you? I’ve been knocking and knocking. Did you go to work? You really should be taking the day off. Gran said you were kidnapped—”

  “Mother,” Amelia cut in. That word effectively sent Poppy into a shocked silence. “I’m not home, because I’m at Grigg’s house. He’s taking care of me.”

  Still no response from Poppy.

  Amelia sighed. “I’ll text you his address. You can come over.”

  “Oh, thank you, dear,” Poppy gushed, having apparently found her voice. “I’ll be there soon. You should see the flowers I picked out—”

  “Bye,” Amelia cut in. “Will text you the address.” She hung up and closed her eyes. Without opening them, she said, “My mom’s coming over.”

  “I heard,” Grigg said, amusement in his tone. “Are you okay with that? Should I keep her occupied with Boomer?”

  “She came all this way.” Amelia opened her eyes. “You can let her in. I need to talk to her anyway.” At the lift of Grigg’s brows, she said, “But we need to talk first.”

  For the next few minutes, Amelia explained to Grigg how she’d come to the conclusion that she needed to first forgive her father. She told him about spending hours at his gravesite and then the experience of feeling his presence when she was with her grandma.

  “Amazing,” Grigg said at last. “You’re amazing too.”

  Amelia pushed the tray farther aside and looped her arms about his neck. Grigg pulled her into a gentle hug, and as her heart beat with renewed warmth, she knew she could never let go of this man. Even working things out with her mother would be worth this prize in the end.

  “So . . .” Grigg said against her neck. “Do you believe your grandma and what she said about how forgiving your mom would end the curse?”

  “I do,” Amelia said, her throat tightening up. “I can already feel a difference. The anger is leaving.” She exhaled. “Do you think it will be enough?”

  Grigg drew away enough to look her in the eyes. His hand rubbed slow circles on her back. “If it’s not enough, then I’m still in, Mills. All the way in. No matter what.”

  Now tears did spill onto her cheeks.

  Grigg lifted one of his hands and brushed away her tears with his thumb. Then he pressed his mouth softly against hers.

  Amelia had quite enjoyed all of Grigg’s kissing, whenever and wherever, but right now, right here, his soft kisses felt different somehow. As if they’d crossed some sort of invisible threshold of commitment.

  She slid her hands through his hair and angled his mouth, wanting him to take things deeper. He complied, and her belly stirred with fire. In such a short time, this man had become her everything. And perhaps he had been for much longer than she thought.

  His touch was gentle, caressing, but his kissing intensified, and she was becoming completely lost, crossing into another existence that centered around everything Grigg. Another existence that made all of her outside cares seem miniscule. Another existence that made even the curse fall away.

  The doorbell rang, and it was like being doused with cold water. Because there was no way they could ignore this doorbell. It would be her mother.

  Grigg smiled against Amelia’s mouth, then kissed her one more time. “I’ll get it,” he whispered.

  Then he let go of her, moved off the bed, and disappeared down the hall.

  Amelia had only moments before she’d see her mother. If she wasn’t ready now, then she’d never be. She smoothed the blanket over her legs and leaned back on the pillows. Maybe she should get up, but she could already hear her mother’s voice as she came down the hall.

  In predictable fashion, Poppy was dressed to the nines. Her ivory silk blouse was paired with a peach linen skirt that floated about her knees, and her diamond earrings had probably cost more than most people’s cars.

  “Oh, darling.” Poppy moved to Amelia’s side on silver stilettos. “You look awful.” She leaned down and air-kissed Amelia.

  Just because Amelia was working up the resolve to move past her mother’s mistakes didn’t mean they’d be best friends getting pedicures together. Amelia folded her arms. “You didn’t have to come and check on me.”

  Poppy tilted her head. “You know, Millie, you’re too pale. Maybe you should go out in the sun or try a tanning bed.”

  As usual, her mother was being ridiculous.

  Grigg came in and picked up the tray. “Do you need anything else, Mills?”

  Amelia knew what he was really asking—did he want her to stay? And the answer was yes. Whatever happened between her and her mom, Amelia needed his support. “Yes.”

  She didn’t elaborate, and Grigg nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

  While he was gone, Poppy crossed to the blinds and opened them. “This is a nice area, but really, Millie, you could do a lot better. You know, get into one of those gated communities.”

  “This isn’t my place,” Amelia said, holding back a groan of frustration.

  “I know.” Poppy whirled. “I was at your place, remember? It’s cheap. Beneath an Ambrose, really.”

  Amelia gazed at her mother and her diamonds and dark lipstick and pencil-thin figure. Past the glamour and makeup, Amelia saw an emptiness. Like a black hole of nothing. A woman who had been trying to fill her life with possessions in order to replace her grief.

  Grigg entered the room, and Amelia held out her hand, inviting him to sit by her. Which he did after making sure her foot was comfortably elevated.

  Poppy watched the two of them, her lips pursed, her heavily lashed eyes taking in every movement.

  “Mom,” Amelia said. “Have a seat. We need to talk.”

  Lines appeared between Poppy’s brows, something the Botox must have missed. “We are talking. Besides, I have a flight to catch soon. I can’t be expected to change my entire schedule for whatever lecture you have in mind.”

  After a slow exhale, relying on the warmth of Grigg’s fingers interlocked with hers, she said, “You chartered a jet, so I think you can sit down and hear me out.”

  Poppy’s cheeks puffed, but she perched on the edge of the chair that Grigg had sat in earlier. She clasped her manicured fingers together, the multiple diamond rings catching the light from the sun coming through the blinds.

  “I’ve been talking to Gran.”

  Poppy scoffed. “I’m sure you have. That woman is poisoning all of my daughters against me.”

  Amelia tightened her hold on Grigg’s hand. “You should be more grateful, Mom.”

  This gave Poppy pause, and her non-Botoxed lines appeared again.

  “I’m grateful,” Amelia continued. “I’m grateful for Gran. I’m grateful to be an Ambrose woman. And I’m grateful for you.”

  Poppy visibly flinched. Amelia could see the conflicting emotions cross her mother’s face, but she didn’t give her a chance to respond before continuing.

  “I’ve spent the last couple of days thinking about my childhood,” Amelia said. “I know things between us weren’t perfect, and our family dynamics were complicated, but I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that you were a good mother to me. You loved me, and you took care of me the best you could under hard circumstances. You were dealing with grief that I had no understanding of, and I was wrong to hold your pain against you.”

  Poppy blinked rapidly and looked toward the window, her hands clenched together in her lap.

  “Mom, I’m truly sorry about your loss of your first husband,” Amelia said in a quiet voice. “You were left a widowed mom, with three young girls who were grieving too. And then you trusted and loved again, married, and had me. Yet he left too. This time it was by choice, and I’m sure that was even more painful than becoming a widow. I’m so sorry for the additional pain my father caused you by leaving.”

  A single tear ran down the side of Poppy’s cheek, but she still didn’t meet Amelia’s gaze. “You’re too young to understand such things.”

  The only reason Grigg remained in the room was because Amelia was gripping his hand.

  He wasn’t sure what to make of Poppy—she acted like a petulant teenager most of the time, but like Amelia, he’d sensed deep pain coming from the woman.

  “I’m twenty-four, Mom,” Amelia said, “but that’s beside the point. You’re right. I haven’t been through what you’ve been through, and I can’t truly understand. But I’ve had my own pain and struggles. I lost my father, twice. I was always second or third or fourth best in your life. I learned to live with that, and I learned to become my own strong woman. I have you to thank for that.”

  Poppy slowly turned her head and stared at Amelia. “You’re . . . thanking me?”

  “I am,” Amelia confirmed with a nod. “If it weren’t for the way you moved forward in your life, setting an example of how strong and stubborn Ambrose women are to the core, I would have been a crumpled mess.”

  A ghost of a smile lifted the edges of Poppy’s mouth. “We Ambrose women are resilient, yes?”

  Amelia smiled. “Yes.”

  Relief shot through Grigg. Maybe this discussion between mother and daughter would have a good outcome after all.

  Poppy looked down at her hands. “I’d like to explain. Perhaps you are old enough to hear the truth.”

  Grigg ran his thumb over Amelia’s fingers.

  “Your father and I . . . things were rocky from the start,” Poppy said. “Oh, we were infatuated with each other, as all couples are when they first start dating. He swept in with his charm and money and good looks. I finally felt pretty again. Valued. My girls adored him. We, uh, got pregnant, and of course he gallantly proposed. But sometimes the outside life with a single woman with three girls is much more complicated on the inside.”

  It sounded like Amelia’s dad had been heroic, at least in the beginning.

  “I was deathly ill during my pregnancy with you,” Poppy said. “And truthfully, that was the beginning of the end. He took on the other girls, mind you, like a champ. But when I started feeling better, he would come home later and later at night. No, he wasn’t having an affair. He just didn’t want to deal with the chaos of the household.”

  Amelia released a breath. By the look on her face, Grigg knew that this was news to her.

  “But my hopes were raised when you were born.” Poppy offered a gentle smile. “Your father fell in love with you at first sight. He was home all the time after that. He walked the floors with you at night. He called during the day to find out how you were doing.”

  Amelia wiped at her own tears. At least this was good news, Grigg decided—her father had loved her deeply. But would this make the pain of abandonment harder?

  “Our lives coasted along,” Poppy continued. “We were happy for the most part. Yes, your father treated you like a princess and gallantly tolerated your half sisters. The divide increased between my girls as you grew older. He’d come to your preschool programs but miss other things of your sisters’. Sofia and Lauren noticed, of course. Emma was too young to voice any of it. But children aren’t fools. I certainly didn’t expect full equality, but I wanted him to be more present in my other daughters’ lives, even if by half.” She wiped at the new tears that had fallen on her cheeks. “You see, as a mother, loving your children is part of your soul. Their pain is your pain. I was hurting deeply, and I couldn’t look beyond that. Day after day, it ate at me, until I finally confronted your father.”

  The room went silent, and Poppy rubbed her hands over her knees. “It was then that he confessed he had been seeing another woman for the past year.” She took a shaky breath. “I was completely blindsided, probably because I’d been so wrapped up in raising four girls that I hadn’t seen the signs. Or I’d just completely ignored them.”

  “I’m sorry,” Amelia whispered. “I didn’t know.”

  Poppy nodded. “No one knew. You’re the first person I’ve told. You and Grigg.” Her gaze connected with Grigg’s.

  He no longer saw a selfish, petulant woman in Poppy Ambrose. It was strange how opening one’s heart could bring on a completely different perception. “Thank you for trusting me with your story.”

  Poppy exhaled. “I’ve been keeping it to myself for far too long. And it was wrong of me.”

  Amelia was busy wiping her own tears, so Grigg answered, “You were surviving the best you could. That’s all anyone can ever be expected to do.”

  “Thank you for that, Grigg,” Poppy said. “You’re a good man.” She looked down at her hands again. “Sometimes I’ve been impulsive in my dating and marrying habits. I suppose it’s my own coping skill after losing the love of my life.”

  Grigg’s heart ached at her words. Her pain was so palpable.

  “But that still was no excuse to separate Millie from her father,” Poppy said. “It’s the greatest regret of my life.” Her voice cracked, and she lifted her head to gaze at her daughter.

  “Mine too,” Amelia whispered.

  “Can you ever forgive me, Millie?” Poppy asked.

  Amelia sniffled, and neither woman spoke for a moment. “I already have, Mom,” Amelia said at last.

  Poppy’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh!” Then she moved to her feet in a flash and hurried to the bed, where she drew Amelia into her arms.

  Amelia held onto her mother, and while both women cried and murmured unintelligible things, Grigg blinked back his own tears.

  Poppy had been right. The Ambrose women were strong and courageous, and when it mattered most, they forgave each other and stuck together.

  Moments later, Grigg had to chuckle when Poppy drew away, her makeup streaked along her face, and said, “Amelia Ambrose, you need a shower.”

  Then Poppy promptly turned to Grigg. “Lunch is on me. Now get dressed into something you can wear in public. You’re a handsome man, and you should own it.”

  “Mo-om,” Amelia said with a good-natured groan.

  So it was, an hour later, they were all piled into Poppy’s rented Mercedes, heading to a posh restaurant. According to Poppy, a simple sprained ankle shouldn’t prevent her daughter from partaking in Denver’s finest cuisine.

  Amelia had protested that she wasn’t even hungry, but Poppy quickly retorted, “I’m hungry, and I’m sure your man needs a decent meal, so think of someone else besides yourself.”

  The words might have sounded harsh to someone who didn’t know Poppy, but Amelia only laughed.

  Lunch with Poppy, to say the least, was an adventure. Grigg was completely fascinated by how she ordered, explaining down to the last minute detail how she wanted the parsley garnish arranged next to her chicken. But the best thing about the lunch was watching mother and daughter smile and tease each other. Even when they disagreed on something, which was every other topic, they argued good-naturedly.

  But by the time they returned to his condo, Grigg could tell that Amelia was worn out. Boomer was only too happy to see everyone, and Grigg banished him to the back patio so Amelia could get some more rest. Poppy left in a flurry of hugs and air kisses, giving orders right and left to Amelia about making sure she ate healthy, got in the sun, didn’t work too hard, started looking for a new place to live that was decent, and finally, took care of her man.

  Which, of course, meant Grigg. And he was completely good with that.

  When Grigg shut the door to his condo after he’d walked Poppy back to her car and waved her off, he felt like he’d lived two lifetimes.

  “Hey,” Amelia said from where she was sitting on the couch, her foot propped up on the coffee table.

  Grigg turned. “Hey.” Her smile was truly beautiful, made brighter by the weight that he knew had been lifted from her shoulders that morning. “Want some ice on that ankle?”

  Amelia’s smile remained. “Maybe later.”

  “What can I get you, then? Water? A pillow?”

  “No,” Amelia said in a soft voice. “I only want you.”

  Grigg’s pulse hummed. “I think I can help with that.”

  Amelia gazed at him as he crossed the room and settled next to her. Slowly he threaded their fingers together, then drew her hand to his mouth and kissed each of her knuckles.

  “I think things went well with my mom,” Amelia said. “Don’t you?”

  Grigg met her eyes. “I think you’re amazing, Amelia Ambrose.”

  Her lips quirked. “How amazing?”

  He leaned forward, because it had been too long since he’d kissed her. She softened and welcomed him in. He pulled her as close as he was able, keeping in mind her injured ankle. She slid her hands up his chest, then behind his back, gripping the back of his shirt.

 

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