Free Vivid Temptation (Touched By You) by Emily Jane Trent Page A

kept a tight hold on Natalie while dealing with details at the hospital. Words buzzed around her, meaningless. She moved along with Tanner at his direction, and somehow they made it home. Beside her on the bed, he held her in his embrace until mercifully she fell asleep late in the evening.
    When she woke up, Natalie had an immediate feeling of panic, but she couldn’t say at first what it was about. Then the memory rushed back. One minute her father was there, and the next he was gone. Gone.
    She struggled to her feet and went to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, Natalie could see she wasn’t quite herself. Her skin was ashen, her eyes swollen and puffy. But what did it matter? She was alive. Her father was not. It didn’t seem to matter that she knew so little about him. The shock of his sudden death shook her severely.
    One thing she was glad of was that she’d had that one outing with him. Just once, Natalie had been able to talk to him, trying to understand. For so long, she’d agonized over how his actions had affected the family. But Emma was fine now; Jazzy was happy. It was really Nicolas that had led an empty life.
    Dread washed over her at the thought of telling Jazzy. But she’d have to. It would be easier for her sister, having only seen him the one time. There was a very weak bond between them, if at all. But Natalie felt grief. She’d lost her father, and it hurt. At least he hadn’t seemed to be in pain when she’d seen him. The horrifying thought of how long he might have been suffering before someone found him, haunted her.
    Day by day, Natalie recovered. It had been a devastating occurrence, so unexpected. Little by little, she’d get over it. But she would remember him. At least that. Weeks went by before she felt up to telling Jazzy. Of course it was upsetting, but she took it well. They hugged and cried, as any women would after losing their father. The bond between father and daughter was there, despite the neglect.
    Tanner didn’t know if Nicolas had any friends, and couldn’t find any other relatives. He made sure the hospital was paid, and handled the other arrangements. There was no one to invite to a funeral service. But Natalie went to the mortuary with Tanner to show respect. Then it was over, and there was nothing more she could do.
    Except one thing—she had to talk to Emma. Putting it off out of fear of causing her mother distress, Natalie had stalled long enough. She had to know what her father’s last words meant. Sitting across from Emma, she asked, not knowing if she wanted the answer or not.
    “Mom, I have to talk with you about something.”
    “Sure. What?”
    “Nicolas.”
    Emma didn’t react adversely; she just waited to see what Natalie had to say. Each word torture, Natalie told her mother of her father’s appearance, that she’d met with him once, and of his sudden death. She omitted mentioning that he’d begged for money. What would be the point of bringing it up then?
    “And when I saw him, just for a minute…the last time I saw him in the hospital…he said something I didn’t understand.”
    “What, honey?”
    Natalie repeated his words: “‘Your mother and I have made peace. Everything is okay.’”
    Emma’s eyes welled with tears.
    “What did he mean?”
    Emma put her hand at her neck as if to hold back emotion. “I knew he was in New York.”
    “You saw him.”
    “Just once.”
    “But how?”
    “Honey, I heard about him from time to time, through friends. For a long time after he left I didn’t hear anything. But I cared. I wondered. Every once in a while I’d hear something about him and I’d know he was okay.”
    “But you didn’t contact him?”
    “No, honey. There was no need to. You see, I loved the man he was , when I knew him, when he was with us. I cherished that. He was a good person inside. Yes, irresponsible, but not a bad person.
    “I didn’t want to ruin the memory I had. It was all I had. We were in love…once. He