She remained silent for a minute, her gaze on his profile as he drove. “We’re at your father’s house,” she said. “Did you meet with the Realtor this morning?”
He got out of the car and came around to open her door. “I did meet with Belinda, and I have decided that this is no longer my father’s house.”
Monica stepped out of the car. “Belinda gave you good news about the price then.”
Edward reached for her hand and walked her to the edge of the water. The sun had started to heat up the air and the sand, but that breeze, that wonderful breeze that Belinda had noticed and Edward had always taken for granted, was still cool and fresh.
“Actually, I won’t make any money on this house,” he said. “At least not for a long time.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are people I need to talk to, blessings I need to ask for.”
“Blessings? Whose blessing do you need?”
“Emilio’s, Rosa’s, Uncle Horatio’s, Aunt Lucy’s—many others, including my two sisters’.” He turned her to face him. “But mostly yours.”
Her eyes grew wide and especially brilliant in the early afternoon sun. “I don’t understand.”
He took both of her hands in his. “I’m not selling, Monica. I’m going to live here, as often as I can, anyway.”
Her hands began to tremble in his. “Live here?”
“Yes. With Rosa and Emilio and with you. Most importantly with you, if you’ll have me. It won’t be perfect all the time. I’ll split my workdays between Miami and Sweet Pine. Temporarily, at least. I’m sure there are inmates at Keys Correctional who need my help, and I intend to put my name in to be the counselor in this area as soon as a spot opens up.”
The smile she gave him warmed his heart and made him all the more certain that his decision was the right one. He grinned at her. “Of course, you have to agree to marry me.”
She dropped his hands and threw her arms around his neck. “Edward, I love this house. I always have. And I have waited for you my whole life. I knew you were out there someplace, and I knew you would come. I will marry you. You’re the kindest, most understanding man.”
He whispered into her hair. “My pleasure, Detective. I plan to spend my life making you happy.”
She stepped back, looked into his eyes. “We will be a wonderful, huge, loving family,” she said, chuckling. “And I can persuade Uncle Horatio to keep his pigs and spits away. Mostly.” She took a deep breath. “Plus, Emilio will have more cousins!” She stood on her toes and kissed Edward soundly. “Thank you for making my dreams come true.”
Edward put his arm around her and looked up into the clear blue sky. “And thank you, Dad. Somehow you knew that your dream would eventually be mine.”
EPILOGUE
FALL IN THE Florida Keys was a beautiful time of year, and even more so this year because Edward and Monica were planning a wedding. The date was set for the third week of November, a few days away, and most of the details were in place. Only one major consideration needed to be addressed.
Monica, Edward and Emilio walked up the sidewalk of the Miami-Dade Correctional Institution. Edward held Monica’s hand. She held Emilio’s. “Are you ready, honey?” Edward asked as he opened the door to follow her inside.
“Yes. I talked to Miguel this morning. He knows I’m bringing Emilio.”
Edward showed his identification to the guard at the desk. “Oh, yes,” the guard said. “I heard you were coming in today. Miguel Cortez is one of your patients. He’s doing very well.”
“I’m aware he’s made significant strides, but it’s always good to hear,” Edward said. “This is his sister, Monica Cortez. She’s a police detective.”
“I’ll call and have Miguel brought to the visitors’ room.”
Edward led the way. Monica had been to see her brother twice before this visit, but Emilio never had. But he was ready. Perhaps his birthday two months ago had convinced the boy that he was willing to accept his father’s role in his life. Emilio had also made the decision that Edward would be his “second papa.”
The three entered the visitors’ room, where Miguel was seated, waiting at a metal table. He stood when they came in. “Hi, sis,” he said, giving Monica a hug. “And look at this guy, will you?” He ruffled Emilio’s dark hair and smiled at him. “You’re more handsome than when I saw you in Sweet Pine, buddy.”
Emilio blushed and lowered his head. “Thanks.”
“How’s everything with Tía ’Nica?” Miguel asked him. “Are you ready for the wedding?”
“I’m going to carry the wedding rings,” Emilio said proudly.
“And you’ll do a great job.” Miguel turned to his sister. “Just a few more days, Mon, and you’ll be married. I’m happy for you.”
Monica smiled. Edward shook Miguel’s hand. He believed Miguel’s words. The guy had made a lot of progress while working with Edward.
“Sorry you can’t be there, Miguel,” Edward said.
“Me, too. I’d like to give the bride away, but I suppose Uncle Horatio will do a good job.”
They all sat down at the table. Miguel took a package wrapped in plain brown paper from his pocket. “I have something for you, buddy,” he said to Emilio. “I guess you could say I’ve taken up a hobby.”
“What is it?” Emilio asked, keeping his hands in his lap.
“Let’s call it a late birthday present. I remember you telling me that you like the ocean.”
Emilio nodded, then tentatively reached for the package. He carefully opened it, revealing two carved wooden dolphins, one slightly larger than the other.
“I think they could be a papa and a boy,” Miguel said. “But you can imagine them to be whatever you want.”
Emilio smiled. “I like them to be a papa and boy.”
Monica smiled over the top of Emilio’s head and gave Miguel a thumbs-up sign. “They are beautiful,” she said.
While Emilio played with his gift, the adults talked mostly about how Miguel was doing, if he’d been attending his high-school-equivalency classes, if he was thinking about what he’d like to do when he was released in a few months.
“I think I’d like to come back to Sweet Pine,” he said. “I’ll get my own place, and at least look forward to Mama’s great meals on Sunday.” He settled back in his chair. “Time to start thinking about a job.”
“I have an idea about that,” Edward said. “I’d like to start the marina up again. Now that I’m in Sweet Pine four days a week, seems like something to consider. If things work out for you, Miguel, there’d be a job for you running Smitty’s.”
Edward carefully studied Miguel’s reaction to the suggestion. Would old grudges resurface? Would Miguel adamantly refuse the offer? But Miguel merely smiled. “I’d like to give it a try,” he said. “Thanks, Edward.”
“And there’s still the matter of the twenty percent of the marina my father wanted to give to Juan,” Edward said. “In time, I can make good on that promise.”
Miguel reached across the table and shook Edward’s hand again. “I don’t know what to say.”
Edward shrugged. “No need to say anything.”
“Thanks for coming, you guys,” Miguel said. He sent a fond look in Emilio’s direction. “Great to see you, Emi.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Emilio said.
Edward noted that the tension in Emilio’s voice had eased. Soon his relationship with his papa would improve.
“Mama will be here to visit after the wedding,” Monica said. “Her first trip to Miami in a long time, and I can’t keep her away.”
“I’m ready to see her,” he said. “I think that now she’ll be able to see that I’ve changed for the better.”
Monica gave him a parting hug. “Anyone can see it,” she said. “I’m very proud of you.”
“That mean
s a lot. Have a great wedding and an even greater life.”
As Monica, Edward and Emilio walked back to Edward’s car, Edward looked from one to the other. “Are we ready for the drive back to Sweet Pine and a big celebration?” he asked. “By the time we get there my sisters and their families should have arrived at the house.”
Monica laughed. “I told Horatio not to bring a pig on a spit,” she said, once they were all in the car.
“I don’t care if he brings a pig in tennis shoes,” Edward said. From the back seat, Emilio hooted. “So has this been a good day?”
“The best,” Monica answered. “Only to be surpassed by the most fantastic wedding in a few days.”
Edward leaned over and kissed her cheek. “We both have started to put some stock in dreams.”
“Thank you for giving me back my brother.”
Edward put his hand in hers and nodded toward the back seat. “Thank you for giving me a share in one super kid.”
Emilio stared up at both of them. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Happiness, Emi,” Edward said. “The absolute best kind, the kind that lasts a lifetime.” He smiled at Monica before turning his attention back to Emilio. “You’ll see, kid. If you believe in dreams, you’ll see.”
* * *
For more romances from acclaimed author Cynthia Thomason, visit www.Harlequin.com today!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Where the Heart May Lead by Elizabeth Mowers.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM
Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging.
Connect with uplifting stories where the bonds of friendship, family and community unite.
4 NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE EVERY MONTH!
Where the Heart May Lead
by Elizabeth Mowers
CHAPTER ONE
IF HEAVEN WAS a place paved with gold, then the morning sun cresting Little Lake Roseley made the quaint town snuggled beside it look like a place paved with hope.
White wicker baskets of flowers hung on either side of street signs, bright banners advertised an upcoming water ski show, and there were more pedestrians and bicyclists occupying the roads than automobiles. It was just the hometown Paige might have imagined for Lucy when she’d placed the tiny newborn in Dr. Hathaway’s arms ten years ago. She had kissed a prayer to that baby-soft cheek and sent along all the hope in her heart. She envisioned a new set of parents, loving folks who would provide a home not just of love but of safety.
For the last decade she had been grateful to not know where Dr. Hathaway had placed Lucy, because the temptation to come out of hiding and catch a glimpse of the little girl would be too great. Circumstances, however, had changed in the last twelve hours.
Paige inhaled the lakeside breeze and bit her bottom lip in anticipation. She had only ever prayed and hoped and dreamed about Lucy, but today was different. Today she arrived in Roseley with the best intentions for Lucy. She had had no idea fate would send her on this quest when she’d awoken the day before, but she’d swallowed her fear all the same and had punched the gas pedal, heading west.
Life, until yesterday, had been pleasantly uneventful. Each day brought work to do and routines to follow. Each evening made way for dinner with her aunt and uncle, then quiet time to read and think. For life to continue this way for the next fifty years would have been not only a blessing but also the most she could wish for. She’d experienced enough turmoil during her formative years to now appreciate when the days and weeks and years drew out softly and slowly like the yawn of a calico cat. That was until yesterday...
Paige pushed through the front door of Mama’s Cakes and scanned the shop as she did every year on this date.
“I’ll be there in a second, sweetheart,” a familiar voice sang from the back. “I finished your order this morning.”
Paige fished a wad of cash out of her front pocket as she admired the intricate cakes in the glass case. The woven swirls of fudge and frosting made her eyes dance and her tummy grumble. She had worked through lunch to meet a deadline early. She wouldn’t miss tonight for the world.
Madge, or Mama to the folks in town, hurried to the cash register. For a stout, round woman in her sixties, she could hustle. She placed a pink cardboard box on the counter, but before she could lift the lid, Paige waved her to stop.
“Leave it. I want to be surprised.”
“Don’t you want to see that it’s right?”
“Madge, it’s always perfect. You outdo yourself every year.”
Madge dotted the perspiration on her brow with the back of her hand as her ebony-brown eyes crinkled in a smile.
“You’re a gem, Paige. It’ll be an even eighty dollars, please.”
“Hmm. That’s low,” Paige said with a raised eyebrow as she handed Madge exact change. Madge shrugged and popped open the cash register.
“Cash discount. Sweetheart, you are one of a few customers who always pays cash. You don’t like new technology, huh?”
Paige shrugged her shoulders and took the pink box, knotting it with the white twine Madge had started. It wasn’t new technology she shied away from, it was that cash was untraceable.
“Thanks again, Madge.”
“Take care, honey. Kiss your aunt and uncle for me. It was a long winter for them, I hear.”
Paige hummed a sigh. “The warmer weather brought a bit of a resurgence for Uncle Craig.”
“May it continue that way,” Madge said, bringing a pair of prayer hands to her lips. Paige crinkled a smile of her own and slipped back out of the bakery shop. Throwing a leg over her bicycle, she pulled out onto the road, carefully dangling the cake box from her right hand.
Admiring her town at the slower pace of a bicycle ride was something she had looked forward to all winter. She just wished she could strap Uncle Craig on her back so he could enjoy the early June day too. He needed the sun, the fresh air and, most of all, the escape. They all did.
Paige smiled to children and mothers on the sidewalk as a little girl pointed at her shiny new bicycle.
“Someday, kid,” Paige chuckled to herself. She slowed to a crawl at the intersection to make a left turn onto her road. Without a free hand to signal, or a bicycle helmet, she needed to exercise caution.
It was something she was used to: exercising caution. Most of her life had been an exercise in staying low, staying discreet, staying off the radar. She, her aunt and her uncle had opted for life outside the city, shying away from cameras, social media and anything else that would prompt questions. Heck, she led Mama to believe today was her birthday just so she could purchase a fancy cake without sparking curiosity.
Parking in the garage alongside the brick duplex she shared with Aunt Joan and Uncle Craig, Paige sprang up the half flight of stairs to their back door.
“Knock, knock,” she called, letting herself in. “Anybody home?” She heard a shuffling in the living room and muffled voices that hushed to silence before Aunt Joan appeared in the kitchen doorway. Paige paused, taken aback at her aunt’s expression.
“Did I interrupt something?” When her aunt’s lips turned into a forced smile, she quickly concluded she had.
“Of course not,” Joan said, hurriedly crossing the kitchen. She dead-bolted the back door behind Paige before wrapping her in a warm hug. Paige began to pull away after the respectable allotted time needed to give a good hug but found her aunt reluctant to let go.
“Is everything all right?” she whispered as Uncle Craig shuffled toward the doorway into the kitchen. His complexion was yellow, as if someone had soaked his entire body in turmeric. He braced himself against the kitchen doorway, wincing as he always did from the pains in his back. Joan’s eyes moistened with tears as she pulled away and emphatically nodded.
“Everything is perfect now that you’re here. What did you pick out this year?”
/>
Paige held up the pink cake box proudly. “I have no idea, but I’m sure it’s delicious.” She turned to Uncle Craig. “Think you can eat a bite or two?”
Uncle Craig beckoned Paige closer with a calloused hand. “Heck, yes. Put it in the front room, honey. I need the sunshine.”
Paige smacked a kiss on his cheek and placed the cake box on the dining room table as Aunt Joan followed with plates and forks. Paige raised an inquisitive eyebrow as she tied back the curtain sheers, letting the late afternoon sun stream through the windows.
“Don’t you want to eat dinner first?”
“Life’s too short,” Uncle Craig answered from the kitchen as Joan winced a smile.
“What’s going on?” Paige whispered again. “Did his doctor’s appointment not go well?”
Joan waved away Paige’s question as she would a mosquito and cut the white twine on the cake box, but she waited for Craig before lifting the lid.
“Okay,” he said, managing to ease back onto the thickly cushioned dining room chair Joan had purchased especially for him. “Let’s see this beauty.”
Joan lifted the cake out of the box and placed it on the table.
“I love it, Paige,” she said with a melancholy smile. “I was hoping you’d pick chocolate.” She patted Uncle Craig’s hand. “Your favorite, baby.”
The round cake was smoothed with a chocolate ganache as perfectly polished as glass. White and blush-pink buttercream flowers cascaded around the perimeter while a lavender and pink fondant butterfly perched in the middle, just off center.
“Hmm,” Paige said, studying the cake. “I brought a candle, but let’s not use it. Mama outdid herself again, and I don’t want to smush a candle in it. It’s almost too perfect to eat.” She slipped onto a chair next to Uncle Craig.
“Speak for yourself,” he said. “I’ll flip you for that butterfly.”
A Family Man At Last Page 22