Page 7 of Embrace Me

“We don’t have a tripod, though,” she said. “It’s not like I can take a selfie.”

“I think I can handle it,” he said. “You tell me how you want to stage it, and I’ll take the picture.”

She narrowed her eyes putting the tip of a finger next to her mouth as she made a show of studying him. Then she made a light scoffing sound. “Well, I suppose if you’re the best I’ve got to work with.” He laughed, then pulled her close and kissed her. “I love you Mrs. Stark,” he said.

“That’s very convenient,” she said. “Because I love you, too.”

He took her hand, and they crossed the street, then he held on even more tightly when they reached the sand, making sure that she didn’t trip and fall as the earth moved beneath them. As he’d expected, she regained her footing when they reached the packed sand near the surf.

“Down there,” she said, pointing to an area with fewer people, the hills rising in the distance. He understood immediately what she intended, because if he stood at just the right angle, he could get Malibu in the picture behind her.

“I thought about what you said this morning,” he told her as they walked hand-in-hand in the surf toward their photo spot. She’d worn slip-ons to work, as had become her habit, and they were now in his case, as were his work shoes. The camera itself was slung over his shoulder.

She kicked her toes a little, and he couldn’t help but worry that she would fall. He didn’t say anything, though. She’d been through this before, and Anne was born just fine.

“What I said? Oh, you mean about a nanny?”

“Exactly. And as much as Gregory loves those kids, I have to say I think you’re right. He should have the privilege of enjoying them, not having them be part of his workload. I want him to be able to kick back and be Grandpa when he wants to.”

She turned up her head, looking up at him, her smile so bright he wondered what he could’ve possibly said. All he’d done was reiterate that she was right.

“What?” He pressed when she said nothing, just continued to smile.

“I love that you called him Grandpa,” she said. “They’ve got Frank, of course, but that’s about it. It’s not like we’re going to be inviting Jeremiah into the fold any time soon.”

“No,” Damien said, stifling a shiver. The thought that his father would ever step into the role of grandfather to his children came close to making him physically ill.

“I was thinking about it earlier, too,” she said. “In the restaurant, I mean.”

“Gregory?”

“No, no. About family, and what it means. I was thinking that Evelyn is more or less their grandmother.”

Damien chuckled. “And considering how close she and Frank are becoming...”

“I would hip bump you if I didn’t think it would make me fall over and topple into the sand,” she said with a laugh. “And you’re right about that. But even if my dad wasn’t in the picture, that’s still who she is, you know?”

He did. He and Nikki knew better than anyone that family was about where you found it. Not about blood. He squeezed her hand. “So we’re agreed? We’ll see if we can find someone to take the burden from Gregory? Even if we can only find someone part time at first.”

“Absolutely,” Nikki says.

“I’ll have Troy call a few services and we can see what kind of availability there is. But we’ll talk to him before hiring,” Damien said. “I don’t want to just spring it on him.”

“No, of course not. He’s family.”

“Exactly. And I think so long as he understands that we’re not kicking him to the curb, but hoping that he can enjoy the girls more in his own way, he’ll not only agree, but will be happy with the arrangement.”

“I hope so,” she said. “We can talk to him when we get back.”

He shook his head. “Oh no, no. No. I’m taking you home so you can get some rest.”

“Damien—“

He tapped a finger to her lips. “No,” he said firmly. “The girls are at his house right now watching movies, and he promised them both The Aristocats and Lady and the Tramp. Then Finding Nemo if they’re extra good and take a nap.”

“In other words, they’re there for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.”

“Until morning,” Damien said. “Since we’re going out anyway, he thought it would be a fun adventure for them to stay at his place.”