Family Matters (DiCarlo Brides book 4) (The DiCarlo Brides) by Heather Tullis Read Free Book Online Page A

deceptively sweet and she was beautiful, so it often took guys longer than you’d expect to look below the shallow exterior and realize the person beneath wasn’t nice. Not nice at all.
    “Oh, okay. Go on.”
    “I didn’t like being at home, so I was here a lot. I think your mom liked that because she wanted to have children so bad, and they tried everything, but it wasn’t working.” Rosemary remembered catching Cecilia crying one afternoon. She had said she was sad she couldn’t have kids of her own, but then brushed it off as if it wasn’t a big deal. Rosemary had known better, and watched when they were around little kids, seeing the pain and wistfulness in her face.
    “I sometimes make bad decisions,” Rosemary admitted, not sure how else to explain. “And when I was in college, I got pregnant. I was still really young and I loved my baby almost from the first moment I found out I was pregnant.” She kept careful watch on Cleo’s gaze, making sure she understood this was the truth.
    “I wanted to keep her, but I was still in school and I knew if I became a mom then, that I wouldn’t be able to finish school. Then I would end up in a really bad job where my little girl would be in daycare all day long and we wouldn’t have anything. I would probably be really stressed and ornery all the time and that would make me a terrible mom.”
    She brushed a lock of hair back from Cleo’s face. “I saw your mom. She wanted a baby so badly, and I knew she would be the most awesome mom ever and that she would let me watch my baby grow up and be part of her life so I didn’t have to wonder what happened to her. Then I could be a sort of big sister to her.” There were tears in her eyes now, though she managed to keep them from falling.
    “It was the hardest thing I ever did,” Rosemary admitted, “deciding to let your parents adopt you, but I knew you would be happier with them.”
    Cleo looked as though she wasn’t sure if she believed it. “So you did want me?”
    “Always. I always wanted you.” Rosemary wiped tears from her eyes. “I love you so much.”
    Cleo started to cry and leaned against Rosemary. “I miss them. I want my mommy back.”
    “Me too, honey. Me too.” She held Cleo tight, just letting her cry and soak in the changes in her life.
    “What do I call you?” Cleo asked after a while.
    “Rosemary, just like you always have. I know Cecilia and Don will always be your parents, and I’m so grateful they were so awesome. You can call me anything you want. Even Queen Rosemary, if you want.”
    That made Cleo giggle, as it was an old joke between them. “You’re not a queen.”
    “I’m the queen in the kitchen. And you better believe it.” She sucked in a breath. “Now, did you want to visit your friends or anything? We won’t have much longer before we have to move to Colorado, so you better see them while you still have time.”
    Rosemary was surprised at how well Cleo took the news, but then little kids did have a way of bouncing back. On the other hand, issues tended to resurface. She ought to know.

    Harrison rubbed his sweaty hands on his pant legs and pulled the key from the ignition. He’d taken the excuse to visit Rosemary as Sage suggested.
    He and Rosemary may not always see eye to eye, but she often pretended nothing was bothering her even when she was upset about something.
    Now he worried that showing up on her doorstep would make the gulf in their relationship worse, though. Funny how that possibility hadn’t seemed so real until he had arrived in DC and turned the car toward the address Sage had tracked down for him.
    He stared at the white stuccoed rambler, well maintained and inviting in a neighborhood that was starting to show evidence of neglect, but had obviously been quite nice a decade or two before. Would she even let him in?
    He grabbed his keys, the pizza he’d picked up on the way there, and the bag with the cookies he’d bought at a nearby bakery. If