Finding Harmony Page 17
Harmony sat beside him and held Nick on her lap. The boy was a looker, with black curls and hazel eyes. More than that, the kid knew Rick loved him.
“Daddy!”
Rick shifted and held his son close. He kissed the top of his head, feeling his soft curls with his cheek. “Hey, big guy. You and Mommy have a nice walk?”
Nick nodded. “We saw a lizard and Mommy said it was supposed to be eating that bug, so we didn’t touch it. Over in the park there were three cranes as big as me!”
“Really? Cool.”
“Miss Hettie gave me a seed pod.” He held his hand out to show a slightly-crushed husk. “Mommy says we’ll plant the seeds up near the café.”
Harmony smiled. “Grandpa Max will enjoy those beans next summer.”
Nick nodded and gave Harmony the seed husk. “I’m gonna play with my trucks.”
And just like that he switched from nature boy to rough-and-ready little man as he hopped down. He hurried over to one corner of the wraparound porch and started to play with the oversized toy trucks and SUV’s parked there. Rick watched him for a minute, shaking his head. Expensive gifts from Bill. The man would never learn.
He put his arm over Harmony’s shoulders and they leaned back together on the swing. “I heard from Jake.”
Harmony clicked her tongue. “I don’t know why he’s still at Chapman.”
He shrugged. “He’s still in grad school, too. Maybe he just can’t figure out what he wants.”
“It’s a shame what your father did to all of you.”
He just waved a hand. He wouldn’t waste any time talking about Bill. His father was firmly in his past until he could come to terms with Rick’s choices. With Rick’s life.
“Jake’s coming down next week,” he went on. “Something about an extreme training camp.”
She nodded. “I heard something about that at the Welcome Center. He’s going to plan the project. Maybe that will give him some focus.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Maybe he’ll finally find what I have.”
She turned and smiled up at him. “And what’s that, Rick Chapman?”
He grinned. “You know damn well, Harmony. I found you.”
They shared a sweet kiss and she settled against his side once more. He thought about what he’d really found at Cypress Corners. Yes, he’d found the love of his life. The mother of his son. But he’d found an understanding, too. Life was full of contradictions, of choices. You had to know what was important and what wasn’t. His life was like that. It was a life that needed balance.
He’d found his with Harmony.
About the Author
JoMarie DeGioia has been making up stories for as long as she can remember, and has spent years giving voice to the characters in her head. She’s known Mickey Mouse from the “inside,” has been a copyeditor for her town’s newspaper, and a bookseller. She writes Historical and Contemporary Romances, along with Young and New Adult Fantasy stories. She divides her time between Central Florida and New England.
Discover other books by JoMarie DeGioia
The Dashing Nobles series, including
More Than Passion
Pride and Fire
Just Perfect
More Than Charming
Connect with me online
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoMarieDeGioia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoMarie.DeGioia.Author
Website: www.jomariedegioia.com