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Pulling back, Sam’s gaze drops to my stomach. "Hi momma, how you doing?"
My smile is unstoppable. "I’m perfect. Could maybe use a beer but can’t complain.” She’s got a goofy grin on her face too, and I know we’re both thinking it. Having kids around the same time is some sort of dream come true. My earlier freakout with Tommy seems silly now. Of course, Sam will help me out if I need it too. She seems like she has this mom stuff in the bag. She raises a brow at me as if to say, ‘You sure you’re okay?’
I nod and hold out my hands, like I’m saying, ‘I’m fine, shut up and let me hold that baby.’
“Greg, let Tilly hold Teej,” she says.
“Okay, then,” Greg says. I love that about him. He’s pretty much a well-trained dog at this point.
He steps forward, offering TJ to me like a precious gift. Holding him in my arms, so light it feels like holding air, I'm struck by how much he looks like his mom. "God, he’s your twin."
"Lucky guy," Greg says, wrapping an arm around Sam and kissing her forehead.
"So what’re you doing here?" I ask, still staring down at the little bundle of red hair and hazel eyes.
"Miranda called us, said it was important. Told us everything, and we just started driving," Sam says. That’s my girl, hearing I’m in trouble and zooming to the rescue. Someone get this woman a cape.
"It’s an eight-hour drive!" I say, looking at her with surprise.
"TJ loves the car," Sam chuckles, but while she’s talking, TJ begins to squirm in my arms. His face is all scrunched up like he’s about to let me have it. Shit. I don’t know what to do when one of these things gets upset. Just as I’m about to insist someone save me, Greg seems to read my mind and offers to take him back.
But when I hand him over, my arms feel strangely empty. Maybe next time he cries, I’ll suck it up and try to figure it out.
I don’t have time to think about it for long, because Henrietta suggests we all sit, and the room shifts to accommodate everyone. Miranda is the first to speak up. "I think we should give the family the surf shack."
The room falls silent. Miranda continues, “I want to help take down the family businesses. Me and Tommy have been talking about it for a while. But there’s nothing nefarious about the shipping company I run anymore. The DEA agent wants access to the accounts, and I don’t have enough.”
"And she’ll let you run the surf shack?" I ask, skeptical.
Miranda shakes her head. "But, she’ll let you," she says to me.
"So what? Like a sting?" I'm trying to grasp the idea.
Greg and Miranda look at each other. So they’ve been talking too. It’s oddly comforting. Seeing Miranda fit in with my friends, my real family. I’ve missed my sister. How could I not? She’s my twin, and despite our odd upbringing, we always had each other's backs growing up. “It could take months, but that’s kind of the idea. Get Tia to run money through the shack, then turn the info over to the DEA.”
Greg clears his throat. “But here's the thing, you’ll have to go to Tia and beg forgiveness.”
Tommy tenses beside me, but Miranda doesn’t seem to notice. “It’s not that big of a deal. Just tell her the truth: you found out you’re pregnant and can’t run anymore. You need money to take care of your kid.”
The thought of going to Tia, of lying like that, twists my stomach into knots. "That’s not the truth. I was doing fine in Kansas," I say, my voice firm.
Greg tries to reason with me, leaning forward on the dark couch. “Tilly, I know you’re an independent person, but this is hardly the time for pride.”
Everyone is silently agreeing with him, but I cross my arms against my chest. “I can go with you to apologize,” Miranda says.
The room remains quiet, the only noise coming from Murphy near the fireplace. He must be dreaming because he’s whimpering in his sleep in the most adorable way. I try to digest their proposed plan as I watch the cute dog chase sleep rabbits.
It’s a risk. And really, most of it isn’t even mine. Sam would be handing over Sanderson Surf to the Cardenas family. It is Greg and Sam’s one source of income for their family.
But it could also finally mean freedom. If the family could get busted for their role in money laundering, I might actually be rid of their threats and pressure for good.
I look to Tommy. My life is now tangled with his, and I can’t ignore how this affects him as well. “What do you think?”
“I don’t want to wake and find you gone. If this is how, then I’m all for it.”
“And you?” I ask Sam.
She sighs and gives me a hopeful smile. “Oh sure. I don’t want you running anymore either. After my whole thing, Til, it felt so good to set down roots. Start my family.” She gives a dreamy look to her husband, who’s still holding their son. I can tell she has more to say, so I remain quiet. “Without the worry of what will happen looming over me, I could love Greg and TJ like they deserve. If you don’t do this, I think you’ll be burdened forever.”
