Page 67 of Hard Rain Coming

“Is he back there right now?”

“Who?”

“Dallas?”

Vivian took a bit to answer. “Actually, he’s here in Belle Adair.”

“He is?” Summer didn’t try to hide her surprise. Or maybe shock.

“He showed up this afternoon, and he drove me here.”

Summer’s gaze moved behind Vivian, and then she glanced around. “He’s in the park?”

Vivian nodded. “He wanted to be here for me. He wants to meet to meet you.”

“Oh.” Summer was back to playing with the edge of her T-shirt. “I never thought about that. I mean, I mentally prepared myself for you, but…”

“It’s a lot. Both of us at once. You don’t have to unless you’re ready.”

“I’m ready.” Summer leaned forward and nodded. “So ready.”

“Okay.” Vivian got to her feet and took a step back. Part of her wanted to hug her daughter. But part of her felt as if she didn’t have the right. As if she needed to ask Alicia for permission.

But once again, Summer surprised her and jumped to her feet. Before Vivian could move, she was enveloped in a big, warm, hug that smelled like sunshine and felt like heaven.

The two of them clung to each other for a long time. After a while, she pulled back, touching her daughter’s face with light fingers.

“I’ll be back,” she whispered.

Vivian turned and headed to the parking area, where she spied Dallas leaning against her rental. His profile was strong, and as always, her heart melted at the sight of him. On what planet had she thought she could survive life without him?

He turned just then, and her breath caught as he pushed off from the car and walked over to her.

“You okay?” His voice rumbled in his chest, and she nodded. His eyes were searching, concerned, and she did her best to smile and reassure him. Once she knew she could speak, Vivian reached for his hand.

“Do you want to meet our daughter?”

He nodded slowly, his eyes a deeper blue lit by the lamplight a few feet from them. “Yes,” he said simply. “Let’s go.”

Vivian felt as if the weight of one thousand worlds were lifted from her shoulders. Her knees nearly buckled, and if not for Dallas at her side, she probably would have been a puddle of flesh and bone at his feet.

But he was there.

She wasn’t alone anymore.

And maybe she could finally forgive herself.

Chapter Twenty-Two

They were quiet as he drove back to the B and B. Vivian stared out the window, while Dallas glanced her way occasionally, not liking the vibe. It made him uneasy, this silence. But he understood it.

It was a lot. Meeting their daughter. Knowing they’d had a hand in creating a person he thought was extraordinary. She was funny, smart, wise beyond her years. She was so like Vivian, it was uncanny.

And her eyes. Damn. It was like looking in a mirror at eyes he’d gotten from his father and grandfather before him. Dallas thought about all these things as he parked the car. By now, it was nearly ten in the evening, and the air was alive with night sounds. The B and B threw soft light from the windows. He got out of the car and walked around to the other side, waiting for Vivian to exit. When she did, she stared up at him in silence, her expression guarded.

“What’s going on inside that head of yours?” he asked quietly.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her pulse was visible at her neck. It sang a song of its own, one of anxiety, maybe fear.