by Syndi Powell
Page drew the girl into a fierce hug, then mouthed “thank you” over her shoulder to April.
They would be okay. Maybe not today, but like she’d told Ruby, one day they’d wake up and realize that they weren’t pretending anymore.
* * *
ON MONDAY MORNING, Mateo opened an official-looking manila envelope in his office. DNA test results. Sure enough, the man who had denied Ruby was indeed her biological father. He fished his cell phone from his pocket and searched his history for Thomas’s phone number and found it.
“Yeah?” a voice answered.
“Mr. Burns, it’s Mateo Lopez. I was hoping we could meet to discuss Ruby.”
“Just you?”
“Just me.” They made plans to meet at Thomas’s house. Mateo grabbed his messenger bag and slid in the paperwork for custody as well as those to terminate his parental rights. He wasn’t sure how the man would take the news and wanted to be prepared either way. He also didn’t want to call Page until he knew for sure how this would turn out. He’d learned his lesson.
Following the directions on his GPS, he drove to a neighborhood in the southern part of Detroit. He parked in front of a house that looked as if it had recently been repainted and landscaped. He got out of the car and walked up to the front door. A woman answered Mateo’s knock. “I’m here to see Thomas Burns.”
“He’s in the backyard.” She pointed around the front of the house to the left.
Mateo gave a nod and found Thomas weeding a vegetable garden. “Mr. Burns? I got the DNA test results.”
Thomas paused and threw a weed into a pile next to him. “Okay.”
When the man didn’t continue, Mateo said, “They prove that Ruby is your daughter.”
Thomas continued to weed, throwing the unwanted plants aside. “I told you. I don’t have no daughter. Don’t want one.”
Mateo paused before pulling the paperwork out of his bag. “You know, Ruby is an incredible young woman. She’s smart. Loves books. Knows every musical. She’s got a laugh that would—”
“Like I said, I don’t want her.”
Mateo stared at the man. Some people weren’t meant to be parents. He knew that in his head, but his heart couldn’t understand. If he could be a dad to such a girl, Mateo would be bragging about her to everyone he met. After all, Ruby had taken care of herself for months after she lost her mother. She reached out to help others when circumstances arose, not holding back a thing. But instead, this man was going to miss out on knowing his amazing daughter. He thrust the papers forward. “These are for you to sign away your parental rights and absolves you of all legal and financial responsibilities for Ruby Wilson. If you truly don’t want your daughter, then at least give her the chance to be adopted by someone who does. I just need you to sign them and I’ll file them in court.”
Thomas didn’t look at Mateo for a long time, so Mateo took a few steps back and tucked the papers under an ashtray on the picnic table, so they wouldn’t blow away. “Goodbye, Mr. Burns.”
At the first grocery store he spotted, Mateo parked and went in. The tinny piped-in music of the store quickly grated on his already frayed nerves. Mateo navigated the shopping cart down the snack aisle, looking for something to improve his mood. He stopped to pick up a bag of tortilla chips and heard a giggle. When he looked over, he saw his father standing close to a woman, smiling, with a goofy grin Mateo hadn’t seen in years. He thought about approaching them, but after all, his father hadn’t introduced him to this new girlfriend.
He put the bag of chips back and turned to escape the potential awkwardness when he heard his name. He turned and feigned surprise. “Dad, what are you doing here?”
His dad held up a red plastic shopping basket. “Getting some things for dinner. Dalia said she’d cook for me.”
Mateo shifted his gaze to the woman. She was shorter and thinner than his mom had been. She had short dark curls that couldn’t seem to be tamed by the headband that held them back from her forehead. Dalia put a hand in the crook of his dad’s elbow. “Nice to meet you, Mateo. Your dad has told me a lot about you.”
But he’s said so little about you, Mateo thought, but didn’t share aloud. Manners indicated that he should shake her hand, so he held it out to her. She glanced at it, but then rushed forward and embraced him instead. “Sorry, but I’m a hugger.”
He found himself being crushed to her. Hoping to find help, he looked to his dad, who only grinned at him. “What can I say, son? She’s a hugger.”
Dalia let him go and looked into Mateo’s empty cart. “Do you have plans for dinner? I can cook for the two Lopez men just as easily as for one.”
“I don’t think—”
“Good. I hope you like steak. Oh, I need to get sugar. Can’t forget that.”
She rushed off and Mateo glanced at his dad. “What just happened here?”
“Dalia doesn’t take no for an answer, so I guess you’re coming to dinner.” His dad paused and rubbed his upper lip. “If you really don’t want to, I can make your excuses, but I’d like you to get to know her.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
“No offense, but I don’t think you’ll ever be ready to see me with anyone but your mom.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Still, I’d like you to give Dalia a chance. She’s sure to charm her way into your heart.”
“Like she did into yours?”
His dad nodded and then turned when he heard Dalia calling his name. “My house. Seven o’clock. Maybe bring something for dessert.” Then he smiled and left him to it.
Mateo stood, holding onto his cart. He knew he should go to dinner and at least get to know this woman better. She’d put a twinkle back into his dad’s eyes, and for that alone Mateo was grateful. Fine, he’d go, but he wouldn’t let this woman enchant him like she had his father.
He purchased a key lime pie from the bakery.
Hours later, he arrived at his dad’s house ten minutes before seven. He sat for a moment and looked up at the place. How would it feel to see someone cooking in the kitchen that wasn’t his mother? Could he watch as another woman used the dishes his parents had received as a wedding gift? He took a deep breath and got out of the car.
His dad met him at the front door, hustling outside before Mateo could get in. “Before you go in, I wanted to give you a heads-up. Dalia is feeling a little apprehensive about this dinner. So be nice and eat it, no matter what it looks like, okay?”
“I’m not going to be rude, Dad.”
“I know, I know, but...” He glanced behind him. “She can’t a hold a candle to your mother in the kitchen. She tries, bless her, but she doesn’t follow recipes and relies on her instincts.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
His dad shrugged and threw open the door. “Mateo’s here!”
Dalia peeked around the corner of the kitchen. “Good. I’m just putting the final flourish on the steaks. I thought we’d try them with my take on a hollandaise sauce.”
His dad said, “Dalia likes watching those cooking shows on cable.”
“Sure do. Ray, why don’t you pour us drinks and, Mateo, you can take a seat in the dining room.”
Dinner was interesting. That was the best word for it. That and unexpected, much like Dalia herself. Mateo had a hard time trying to put a label on her since she seemed to be everything. She cooked—or tried to—gardened, painted and knitted. She had held several jobs, but never one career. She’d worked as a waitress, receptionist, shop clerk and briefly as a librarian and substitute teacher.
Mateo nibbled at the potatoes that had been covered in the same sweet sauce as the steak. While it didn’t taste that great, it wouldn’t kill him. He attempted another bite.
“The sauce didn’t turn out like I thought it would.” Dalia poked at her meal. “I figured that the combination of sw
eet and salty would take it over the top.”
His dad smiled at her. “It was certainly imaginative.”
Mateo set his fork beside his plate. “I brought dessert.”
Dalia sighed. “Good, because I don’t think I can eat any more of this.” She glanced at both of their plates. “Unless you’re still eating yours.”
“No, I’ve had enough.” Mateo collected their plates from the table and followed her into the kitchen, where she started to slice the pie into large pieces. “Thank you for making dinner, Dalia.”
“Or trying to.” She gave him a wry grin as she placed a slice onto a plate. “I’m not the cook your mother was. Ray has been telling me stories about the meals she made.”
“I’m sure he’s not telling you to make you feel bad.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t feel bad. I know I can’t compete with her, so I try not to.” She nodded as she handed two plates of pie to Mateo. “Maybe I should leave the cooking to your father. He’s so much better at it than I am.”
Mateo noticed how she put a hand on his father’s arm as she took her seat. A wave of grief washed over him for a moment. How much he wanted it to be his mother sitting at the dining room table. Willing those thoughts away, he took a deep breath and stared at the pie. He poked at it with his fork.
“It’s all right, son. I miss her, too.”
Mateo raised his eyes to his father’s, then glanced at Dalia. “No offense to you. But I keep thinking that I’ll get over it. To miss Mom less. But it doesn’t change.”
“It will once you find something to hope for again.” He placed his hand over Dalia’s. “Meeting Dalia helped me wake up and realize that I want to appreciate what I have. I started looking forward to each day. I want that for you, son.”
His career had for so long been enough. Fulfilling. And while he was glad he’d sorted out that part of himself, he knew he was still missing something. In his core, he suspected he knew what it was and how she affected him. Page.
Dalia cocked her head to one side. “Isn’t there anything in your life that puts a smile on your face?”
Page’s image popped into his mind, and the corners of his mouth twitched. The woman might make him worry and fret, but she was never dull. She could light up a room just by walking in and turning those big eyes on him.
“That’s it.” Dalia smacked the table and turned to his father. “Did you see that glimmer there?”
Mateo shook his head. “She’s not an option.”
“And why not? Is she dating or married?” Dalia asked him.
Mateo returned his gaze to his pie. “She’s got cancer.”
Dalia rolled her eyes. “Is that all? I had cancer, too, but you don’t see your father running out the door.”
Mateo choked and gaped at his father, who merely shrugged. “Dalia’s a three-year cancer survivor,” his dad said. “But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to know her better. Cancer is something that she had, but it’s not her. So why are you letting it stop something with this woman?”
“But you could lose her.”
His dad nodded slowly. “I’ve said it before, but anything could happen in the next day or week or year that would take us away from each other. Why not enjoy what is right now rather than worrying about what could happen?”
“Just forget that death is waiting to snatch her away?”
Dalia gave a hoot of laughter. “Your son should have been a poet, not a lawyer. I choose to remember that life is also waiting to be experienced and cherished.”
“You remind me of April,” he told them. “She would be saying the same thing to me right now.”
“So why not take a chance and believe it?” Dalia asked.
Mateo considered it as he took a bite of the pie and chewed it. If his father, who’d lost his wife to cancer, could take a chance on a cancer survivor, then why couldn’t he? Being without Page hurt, while standing next to her made him feel whole and happy. Even if they were searching for Ruby or sitting in a hospital room, her presence made it better because they were doing it together. He put down his fork and stood. “I think I need to go see Page.”
Dalia clapped her hands as his father stood and put a hand on his shoulder. “Go get her, son. Don’t miss out on her because of your fear.”
With a smile, Mateo raced out the door. He needed to tell Page that he wanted to take a chance on her if she was willing to do the same with him. That a future without her wasn’t one he wanted to face. He wanted her to be a part of all his days.
He looked down at the speedometer and realized that he was speeding. He eased his foot off the accelerator since the last thing he wanted was to be stopped for speeding on his way to tell Page he loved her. Love. The word made him happy. No more fear. He stopped at a red light and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, impatience making his body vibrate. Finally, the light was green and he eased the car forward.
Headlights heading toward him made him turn to look. The last thought in his mind was that he’d never get to see Page again.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE SMELL OF something baking brought Page awake from her nap on the sofa. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but her body had cried out for rest. She sat up and sniffed. Smelled like something chocolate, and her stomach agreed by grumbling. Pushing the blanket off her, she walked into the kitchen to find Ruby dancing along with the radio as she took cookies off the pan and put them on a cooling rack. “They smell fantastic.”
Ruby quit moving and turned to Page. “I didn’t wake you up with the radio, did I?”
Page shook her head and moved closer to the freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies. “There’s at least two dozen cookies here. You’ve been busy.”
“I figured we both needed something to cheer us up.” She held a cookie out to Page. “My mom and I used to bake when things got tough.”
Page bit into the cookie and nodded. “These are fantastic.”
Ruby smiled. “Old family recipe.”
Family. How much she wanted that for not only herself, but also for this girl who had so much to offer. The thought made the cookie stick in her throat, and she coughed. Ruby walked over to her and pounded her on the back. “Water,” Page croaked out.
Ruby got a glass and filled it with water and handed it to Page. “Are you okay?”
Page gulped the water. “Thanks. The cookie went down wrong.”
A knock sounded on the front door. Page said, “I’ll see who that is, and then maybe you and I can talk about something good over cookies.” It was time for Page to go after what she wanted. And that was Ruby.
Page answered the knock at the door. Thomas Burns stood there with papers in his hands. He thrust them at her. “Your lawyer isn’t answering his phone.”
She took the papers and glanced at them. Termination of parental rights. “You don’t want Ruby?” She looked at him hard.
“I can’t raise her. And I won’t.” He hung his head and shook it. “Like I told him, I’m not her father. But you seem to care about her and are there for her.” He took a step down off the porch.
Page took a step forward. “Wait!” She looked at the paperwork again. She was Ruby’s foster mom. She loved the girl, was so grateful she had come into her life. “Thank you. I’ve wanted nothing more than Ruby since I met her.”
“Then be good to her. She’s all yours.”
Hers. Had there ever been any question that she wouldn’t be hers from the moment they’d met in the ER? Page would fight to keep her, no matter what any judge told her. Ruby was her daughter in every way. “I will.” She watched him get into his car and leave. She returned to the kitchen, but it was empty. “Ruby?”
A light down at the end of the hallway drew her attention. She approached Ruby’s bedroom and pushed open the door to find the girl packing clothes into a duffel bag. She looked
up and paused for a moment before pulling more items from the closet.
“Going somewhere?” Page asked.
Ruby took a shirt off a hanger and started to fold it. “I heard what Thomas said. He doesn’t want me. So I guess it’s time for me to move on.”
“You’ve got to stop running off when things don’t go the way you planned them. Otherwise, you’re going to miss out on some pretty great opportunities.”
“Like what? Being shipped between foster homes? Or spending holidays with strangers?” Ruby shook her head. “No thanks.”
“How about living here and spending your holidays with me?” She held her breath as she watched Ruby stop folding clothes and focus on something on her bed. “What if we became a family? You and me? I’m not saying that I could ever replace your mom, but I’d love the chance to be your second mom. That is, if you want me.”
Unshed tears glimmered in Ruby’s eyes. “You mean that? Or are you just saying it because no one else wants me?”
“I’m saying it because it’s true. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
They stared at each other until Ruby let out a sob and pushed herself into Page’s arms. “I wanted that, too, but I was afraid you wouldn’t want me back.”
Page kissed her on both cheeks. “I worried the same thing. Why would you want to be around a sick woman like me?”
“Because there’s no one else I’d rather call family,” Ruby replied.
They hugged for a long while. Finally, Page let out a sigh and kissed Ruby again. “Okay. Let’s get you unpacked. And we need to figure out some things.”
Ruby gave her a final squeeze, then let go and started to toss out the clothes she’d packed. “What things? We want to be together. End of story.”
“I wish it was as easy as that, kiddo. Thomas may have signed off on his parental rights, but the judge still wants us to find your grandmother. What if she wants you, too?”
Ruby opened a dresser drawer and placed a stack of T-shirts inside. “If that was the case, where was she when my mom needed help? No, she gave up on me before I was even born.” Page handed her a hanger. “Why would I want to live with her?”