“All good ideas, and doable. And I will maintain better control over my hands…and arms.”
This time it was her laugh that filled the cabin. “Deal.”
Jaydon reached forward and restarted the truck while she slid over and buckled herself. Good thing it was a nice mid-April night instead of the cold snap of last week. The windows would have been fogged over for sure.
Albuquerque was a decent sized city, but Jaydon had a recognizable enough truck and they weren’t far from home. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to have ammunition for rumors that could put his job at risk.
He held her hand the rest of the drive to her house. When he opened her door and helped her down in the driveway, she looked up into his eyes and pressed a chaste kiss to his mouth.
“I had an incredible day with you. Thank you for supporting me this morning. Knowing you would be there helped me make it to church for the first time in years without an anxiety attack. Seeing you in action in the job you love so much? I can’t even tell you the blessing that was. I mean it. The worship, your dad’s message, the big family lunch afterward, everything. Even though it was tough meeting Belinda and we still don’t know the scope of the situation there, having you by my side made all the difference in the world.”
His arms folded around her and the warmth from his body rebuffed the slight chill carried on the night breeze. Their foreheads touched in a sweet embrace for several heartbeats until Jaydon spoke.
“I want more days like this. Every day like this. I’m in it for the long haul, Gina.”
His announcement didn’t freak her out in the least. If anything, it felt as comforting as that embrace of a few seconds ago.
Gina leaned her head back to meet his eyes so he could see the truth in her response.
“Ditto.”
Chapter 26
Jaydon
It was time.
He hated to do it, but they’d talked it over so many times in the past couple weeks.
Gina had met with Hailee and Javi a few times in the back room at the mercado, reading the Bible and praying, answering questions, and getting to know them better. Both had come to youth service last night and allowed him to drive them home. Gentle probing had built trust and torn down walls, giving them greater insight into what was happening at home.
Several things had become clear as Jaydon and Gina discussed their most recent revelations every night over the phone. Belinda Miller-Garcia refused to acknowledge she had a problem. With a wisdom beyond her sixteen years, Hailee had easily identified her mother’s need to numb the pain borne of grief from losing her husband.
Belinda had been a fairly isolated stay-at-home mom, even after the kids had gone to school. There had been no grandparents, no aunts or uncles to help with the stress of raising an eight- and twelve-year-old while mourning her own loss. And from what they could surmise, she may have suffered varying degrees of depression for quite a long time before losing her husband.
But after, with few friends and no family to offer help or support, the woman had withdrawn into herself. From there, she’d resorted to medication to alleviate heartache and loneliness.
Javi and Hailee had shared memories of their once loving, had-it-mostly-together mother, and what they remembered of their hard-working but ever-present father. They’d had a nice home, nice things, but death had stolen much over the last four years. Hailee was forced to grow up far too soon and take care of her fractured little family.
Jaydon had spent most of his time online the last few days, researching everything he could on the cycle of drug addiction. Right now, his eyes itched and the muscles in his shoulders screamed for a break. He knew what they needed to do, but it was such a difficult step.
The consequences would radically change the lives of these two incredible kids. It was a toss-up whether the change would be better or worse.
He picked up the phone and dialed. The clock showed he should have just a few minutes to catch her between preschool dismissal and the start of her shift at the afterschool program.
His lungs expelled in relief and resignation at the sound of Gina’s greeting.
“I don’t want to do this.”
“No, but we have to. She needs help and might not get it if Hailee keeps making it easy for her.”
“Have you tried talking to her?”
“She doesn’t take my calls. I went over there last night when the kids were at youth, after I left Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. Belinda answered the door with glassy eyes and told me in several choice words that she was fine and to mind my own business. She insists she doesn’t need help.”
“What about your mom?”
“I called her on my lunch break today. Told her everything and asked her advice. She said that Belinda won’t get help until she acknowledges her own need. She also said that it was different for her. My mom just liked to party. Her use wasn’t triggered by a traumatic event, it wasn’t to numb any pain. She just liked how she felt when she was drunk, high, or in the arms of a man.”
Jaydon nodded. That’s basically what he’d concluded from all his hours of reading.
“I read today that there are four stages to the drug cycle. Experimentation, regular use, risky use/abuse, then addiction and dependency.”
“Mami said something about that. I guess she’s been learning a lot in her meetings and counseling. She was a regular user for years but didn’t escalate until Tonya and I went to live with her. She admitted not knowing how to handle the responsibility, so she’d started partying harder to avoid being responsible for her life. That’s when she escalated into full blown dependency.”
“I don’t think Belinda is quite there yet. Either that, or she’s gotten used to hiding it well. But from what I’ve read today, she’s likely at the risky use stage and probably has been for a while. If so, she could escalate and put the kids at further risk. We can’t let that happen. I don’t ever want Hailee to have to face back-alley thugs again.”
“We cannot let that happen, Jaydon. You have to make the call.”
“I know.” He blew out a frustrated breath, clenching and unclenching his jaw to work out the tension. “I’ll do it as soon as we hang up.”
“Thank you, babe. God’s got this. We’ve been praying and listening. It’s the right thing to do. You probably should’ve called the day after that alley incident, but I think, in the end, the timing will work out. God’s good at that if we trust him.”
He smiled. Trust wasn’t easy for Gina. Her simple statement revealed how much she’d grown.
“Pray with me?”
“Of course,” came her sweet reply.
They spent several minutes in prayer before he let her go. As always, praying with Gina went beyond mere words. Joined together, his prayers felt amplified in strength. The fulfillment of the promise of “where two or more are gathered in my name.” God truly was right there.
Thank you for the peace, for Gina, for the wisdom to say the right words.
He punched in the number for Child Protective Services and was greeted immediately.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid; John 14:27.”
Jaydon closed his Bible and set it on the storage ottoman with a thunk. Gina was curled into his side in what had become their favorite spot on his couch.
He looked to Josh and Brynn, holding hands on the love seat adjacent to his couch. He and Gina had agreed not to spend time alone in either of their homes, so Josh and Brynn made perfect chaperones. He hated feeling like a supervised teenager again, but his feelings for Gina were too intense to leave room for compromising values.
Plus, the almost-married pair were all too familiar with the challenges of waiting. There would be no judgment from them. Jaydon couldn’t imagine dating Gina for a whole year before proposing. Heck, he was having a hard time after just a couple months. Add a six-month engagement? Yeah, no.
The pair were al
so good sounding boards. With all the family dynamics Brynn and Gina had seen in childcare over the years, they had valuable insight. Josh, as a single parent with an unpredictable ex still enjoying her singlehood, brought another helpful viewpoint.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been reading a lot lately on peace. This particular verse has given me reassurance after making that call. I’ve felt so many things. Anger, guilt, fear, anxiety, hope. But Jesus reminds me of his peace. That brings comfort and assures me I’ve done the right thing. The rest is in his hands. I obey his urging to not let my heart be troubled. It’s still a battle, but there is peace inside.” He tapped his chest.
Gina squeezed his other hand and gazed up at him warmly. “That’s been my week, too. So many conflicting feelings. For years, I’ve studied all the places the Bible talks about trust. Trust is hard for me. But the verse that plays on a loop in my head is Nahum 1:7. The passage is about God’s anger and wrath toward his enemies—but sandwiched right in there is this verse to reassure his people. ‘The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.’ I love it. It reminds me that even when the circumstances are terrible and a battle is raging, he’s on my side, my refuge.”
Josh nodded thoughtfully. Brynn squeezed his hand, the love in her pale eyes clear. It blessed Jaydon to see his friend find such love. Josh’s ex was a selfish mess and seemed to enjoy throwing challenges his way.
Brynn piped up. “That’s exactly what I prayed for last year before Josh and I got together. I was so unsure of all the decisions I knew I needed to make. But the Lord really reminded me how important it is to chase after his peace. His promise to come to him when we’re weary and he’ll give us rest? Best revelation ever. I really think peace, trust, and rest all go hand in hand when it comes to our walk of faith, you know?”
Jaydon agreed. “Without trust, we can’t find peace. Without peace, we can’t find rest.”
And Lord, I definitely need your peace. I know we’ve done the right thing and that they’re in your hands. Please put people in this situation who can discern the right outcome according to your will.
The quartet moved from Bible study to prayer. Jaydon liked being able to spend time with friends like this. He wondered why he hadn’t made it a priority sooner. Not that he’d have been ready sooner. This time last year he was still drowning in guilt and over-involving himself in church business and activities to avoid dealing with his loneliness and self-imposed distance.
Gina made the prospect of having a life outside the church extremely appealing. And mutual friends who were a couple made it easy. He could completely be himself with Josh and Brynn.
He watched Brynn and Gina engage in quiet conversation, though the laughter that periodically erupted was anything but quiet. Judging by their facial expressions and body language, Brynn was enjoying giving Gina a hard time about something.
The flick of her eyes in his direction was a clear indicator on the subject of her amusement. Gina’s cheeks took on a happy pink glow the way they did after a spectacular kiss. Yep. He was definitely conversation fodder. Well, Gina probably deserved a good ribbing.
He and Josh escaped to the kitchen and popped open a couple cokes. Jaydon set to putting away the remains of dinner while Josh talked about his most recent encounter with Skye, his son’s mother.
The woman was ridiculous, but Jaydon knew how frustrated Josh felt. Her selfishness often reminded him of Kelly and he was almost glad they hadn’t gotten around to having kids.
“That sucks, man. I know how you feel, though. I never knew what crazy demand Kelly would come up with next. Or how she’d be when I came home every day.”
“Brynn mentioned that you told Gina about Kelly. That’s big, man.”
“Yeah,” Jaydon agreed. “But I think I knew right away things with Gina would head long-term. I didn’t want to start out hiding anything.”
Josh’s brows rose. “You’re already thinking long term? You guys haven’t been dating that long, have you?”
“Not even two months, but I already know. She’s it.”
“Wow. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right?” Josh laughed.
“Looks like it. Go ask the women if they picked out a game yet. Make sure they don’t pick anything where I have to draw.”
Gina
Brynn had probably imagined nights like this plenty of times. Heck, the idealistic younger woman had probably made a list of the qualities she wanted in a couples-friendship as well as all the activities she’d like to do together, like game nights, group camping trips, and vacations.
Such ideas would never have crossed Gina’s mind. She’d pretty much figured that Brynn would get married and have half a dozen kids, and she’d end up their cool surrogate aunt. Not that she’d planned to end up alone, but her prospects hadn’t been that exciting and she’s always been too busy working to care.
But now? Surrounded by these people, Gina was thoroughly content. Couldn’t imagine how she’d been too busy to meet Jaydon this past year. If she hadn’t been so silly, throwing herself into three jobs and yard work to avoid making human connection, she and Jaydon might have had this whole past year together!
She shook her head. Nah. She wouldn’t have been confident enough last year to tease and joke around with Jaydon. The way he made her laugh gave her the freedom to be herself with him.
Last year she’d been so disgusted with her weight and health choices that her focus had been solely on that. No, it was better this way. She was making solid progress and had finally reached a fairly healthy view of her body most of the time. Jaydon was actually helping with that.
God, I love your timing. I love how you kept us apart until we were ready for each other. Now if you’ll do the same thing for Javi and Hailee. Put a social worker into their lives who will know the very best way to handle their situation. Someone who will help them, not harm them. Please help them to understand why we had to call, and please protect their hearts from being hurt. Your will be done, Lord, above all.
Chapter 27
May
It took just shy of two weeks to open the investigation. Gina knew precisely when someone showed up because she received a text from her mother to get over to the mercado ASAP.
Brynn told her not to worry about the SAEC and shooed her out the door. She raced to the mercado to find one woman at the register and the rest of the store completely empty. Just as she peered around the center aisle and caught sight of the round windows in the swinging doors, she glimpsed her mother’s face.
Eva looked distressed, biting her lower lip and frantically waving Gina closer. Heart thudding in her chest, prayers flew through Gina’s mind without registering the words. She had no idea what to expect. Did she even have the right to be here? Not that anything could keep her away.
Gina and Jaydon had reached out to everyone they knew in the community who had ever dealt with protective services in the past decade and also called the main state-run hotline. They spent ages on hold being shuffled from person to person. Gina was angry, wondering how anything was ever accomplished if this was the norm.
They just wanted to know how it all worked, for Pete’s sake. But they’d received conflicting information and it seemed like people there kept information close to the vest. Getting a straight answer was about as easy as trimming her yard with safety scissors.
Once through the doors, she heard Hailee’s muffled speech threaded with fear. Before she reached the now-familiar little break room, Javi interrupted. His prepubescent voice cracked with the outburst of frustration, accompanied by the scraping of his chair against the ancient linoleum flooring. Gina lengthened her stride.
Intent on getting to them, she didn’t even see the edge of the pallet until it caught her foot and sent her sprawling. She landed with a hard thump on the concrete floor outside the break room and pain shot through one knee. The sting in her elbow brought tears. Three sets of eyes in the doorways of the small room
were on her.
Hailee and Javi looked at her with confusion and concern. The third pair of eyes belonged to a stranger, a woman not much past thirty with dark hair in a cut that was short on one side and longer on the other with unnaturally thick highlights. Her eyes narrowed as she assessed Gina.
Carefully raising up on her good knee to stand, Gina brushed at the dirt on her pants and shook her head, annoyed she’d completely botched any chance of a positive, professional introduction. Oh well, not like she could change anything. Best make the most of it.
A few long strides and she was face to face with the trio, extending a hand to the woman who had government employee clearly written all over her boxy business attire.
“Hi, so sorry for the graceful entrance back there. I’m Gina Hernandez, a friend of the family.”
“Michele Anderson. I’m with the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department here in Albuquerque. If you’ll excuse us, this is a private matter.”
“Actually, I was called in to provide support for the kids. What’s going on here?”
The woman had a well-practiced neutral expression. Gina sensed her constant gaze, like she was taking in everything for analysis.
Hailee spoke first. “She says someone called about our safety. That they suspect our mom’s neglecting or endangering us. You’ve been to our house. Can you tell her we’re fine?”
The girl met Gina’s eyes with desperation. Hailee’s tone held no accusation, so she must not know who made the call. Averting her eyes, Gina tried not to limp as she crossed to the prehistoric fridge and rummaged for an ice pack in the freezer. She flopped into a nearby chair and fixed her focus on the woman from CYFD while shaping the ice around her knee.
“What’s your plan of action here?”
“Ms. Hernandez, I’m afraid I’m not able to outline a plan yet. I’m just looking into things and cannot discuss the situation with you.”
Gina squelched the desire to roll her eyes. Javi was just hotheaded enough and not yet mature enough to hold back. Man, she loved that kid.
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