I watched a flurry of emotions go through Lizzy’s expressive eyes. She looked at me, completely conflicted. I knew she would love to go and buy the children some things, yet she had already decided she needed to be where I was. I also saw her anxious reaction to the thought of being out in public, in Toronto, without me beside her. Adam leaned forward. “Tracy was hoping to spend a little time with you also, and she thought she would accompany you shopping. Frank is, ah, busy this afternoon, but she is free for the afternoon. I’ve always been interested in the book creation process so I had hoped Joshua might allow me to sit with him in his meetings, just as an interested observer. Then we could meet after back at the hotel.”
I looked at him, instantly seeing through his causal offer. Lizzy could go shopping, enjoy herself with friends and Frank was going to be following them. She would be perfectly safe. Adam would be with me, so I wouldn’t be alone. He would be introduced as my lawyer and no one at the office would think twice about him being there. Walking with him, I would undoubtedly be safe. Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath, part of me grateful for friends who cared so much that they went to these lengths to help us, and part of me annoyed I needed them. But when I opened my eyes and met Adam’s steady gaze, the only thing I could feel was gratitude. I nodded silently at him before I turned to Lizzy, smiling. “What do you think, Rabbit? Shopping with Tracy and Heather sounds like a great deal more fun than sitting in the hotel or the reception area.”
She seemed to hesitate, so I slid my chair closer and reached for her hands in comfort. “What is it?”
“I promised you I would stay with you. Are you sure you’re okay with this?” she asked, her voice anxious.
“Yes, Rabbit.” I nodded. “It’s a great solution. I don’t want you sitting in the waiting room or by yourself in the hotel, feeling anxious. You can meet everyone tomorrow before my interviews. This afternoon, go and do something fun with Heather; I’m more than good with that idea. I can concentrate on what I came here to do. You can go hog wild and buy Jack and Elly some presents. They’d love that,” I encouraged her. “Maybe buy yourself some things as well?”
She smiled up at me tenderly, reaching up to caress my cheek. “So brave, Joshua. I knew you could do this.”
Leaning down, I kissed her. “Because you’re beside me, Rabbit. That’s the reason. We will both accomplish another goal.” I pulled back. “So, we ready to do this?”
Rabbit smiled and nodded.
Grinning, I wrapped my arm around her and we turned to Adam and Heather. “You have a shopping partner, Heather. Do me a favor, though?”
Heather smiled. “What’s that, Joshua?”
“Make sure she spends a ton of money, okay? And not just on the babies. I want her to buy anything she wants.”
Heather clapped her hands in delight as Adam shook his head in disbelief. “You have no idea what you just unleashed, Joshua.”
Rabbit chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do, Joshua. And, Adam? Tell Frank he doesn’t have to skulk in the shadows, I am quite okay with him joining us.”
Adam threw his head back in laughter. “Can’t fool you for a minute can we, Lizzy?”
She shook her head. I smiled as I leaned forward, kissing her cheek, my words quiet. “It’s for your safety and my peace of mind, Rabbit. Don’t be upset.”
She shook her head. “I’m not.”
Then she smiled widely at me. “Besides, Frank can carry all the bags for us.” She waggled her eyebrow. “I plan on there being many of them.”
I chuckled, thrilled at how well this seemed to be going. “Good to know, Rabbit.”
We all laughed as Adam picked up his phone and began typing. “I’ll fill him in on his new assignment.”
I sat back quietly, knowing that, thanks to good friends and their support, I could do this.
“That was very interesting, Joshua. Thanks for letting me sit in.” Adam slapped me on the shoulder as I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to gauge if he was being sarcastic. But his returning gaze was steady and honest. He smiled at me. “Really. I had no idea how much work goes on behind the scenes of putting a book together. Fascinating, actually.”
I nodded. “It’s quite the process, especially with the illustration aspect. That’s a first for me, as well. My other books, I just sort of discussed the covers and someone else put it together.”
“You are very talented. Lizzy is gonna love her surprise.”
I grinned as I looked at the package in my hand—the advance copies of the first three books. Today, we had finalized the next three, and I would see those soon. I hadn’t known these were ready yet and I knew she would be thrilled to see them. I could hardly wait to see her reaction to my inscription, which was, of course, dedicated to her and my own little bunnies.
Adam paused. “Walk or cab?”
I hesitated. Our lunch had run so long after I had seen Rabbit safely off with Frank that we had grabbed a cab over to the office. Watching her leave had been very difficult and I wasn’t able to face walking down the street at that point. Drawing in a deep breath, I made a decision. “Walk.”
“Directly to the hotel?”
I shook my head. I needed to do this. “Let’s go the long way, Adam.”
“Pushing all your limits today, Joshua?”
I nodded.
Adam turned in the opposite direction of the hotel. “Let’s go.”