“Mother! Not helping.” Jazmine rubbed her temple. A massive headache was climbing into her frontal lobe.
With an indignant nod, Azalea dropped her gaze to the five-year-old. “Papa is waiting. The nurse will be leaving soon, and I must talk to her.” She gave a tight nod to Elijah before heading to the door. When Jazmine didn’t immediately follow, her mother’s spine stiffened. “Jazmine?”
“Mom, take Rosemarie to the car. I’ll be right there, I promise.” She made a point of looking at the innocent little girl standing there without a clue of the drama swirling around her. “Please.”
“Two minutes.” With tight lips and one last warning glare, Azalea walked out the door.
“That’s my daughter. You—”
“Yes, she’s your daughter and we need to talk.”
“You not only left me without a word, but you took my daughter?” He stared at the door Rosemarie had just walked through, his chest rising and falling in rapid movements. “I have a daughter.” He turned to her, eyes flashing intense heat. “Your parents knew. They knew.”
“Yes. Like I said, we need to talk. I have to go right now, but I can meet you tomorrow—”
“Tonight. We’ll meet tonight or I’m camping at the beach house door until we talk.”
“Don’t come to the house. That would upset Daddy, and we have to keep him calm. I’ll meet you tonight at Pier 19. We can grab some coffee. Is the Painted Dolphin still there?” That was probably a mistake. Every wall was covered with memories of when they were dating and the early days of their marriage. The days that were filled with joy and laughter. When they thought they could conquer the world with their love.
The last thing she needed right now was all the could-have-beens from the good days before the drinking started.
He snorted. “Yeah, it’s there. New owners reopened it last month.” A grim expression shifted across his face. “What’s going on with your father?”
“He suffered a heart attack while driving and crashed his car and wanted to recover at the beach house.”
Elijah frowned. “I’m sorry. I know how close you are to your father. Is he going to be okay?”
“The heart attack itself was minor as far as these things go, but he was also injured when he hit a street sign. It didn’t yield.” She held back a groan. Not an appropriate time for humor, Jazmine. “Anyway, if we can convince him to follow doctor’s orders, he’ll recover fully.” The acid in her stomach started climbing up her throat. “I also came because I knew it was time for us to come together and discuss a few things.”
“Really? A few things?” he snarled at her. “About six years too late.”
She took a step back. “This isn’t something that can be done over the phone. I wanted to see how you were and...” She cut her glance back to the dining area. “I was hoping you were...”
“Sober?” His nostrils flared, a clear sign he was angry. “I’ve been sober for five years now.”
Her eyes closed. If that was true, she didn’t want to think about the time she wasted worrying about calling him. “I was hoping you were better. I didn’t mean to meet you like this or for you to see her for the first time without...” She fluttered her hand helplessly in front of her, then looked at her bare wrist as though there was a watch there. The glimpse of her scar gave her new resolve, and she became businesslike once more. “I need to go. Rosemarie goes to bed at 8:30. I’ll see you at nine?”
“Rosemarie? You named her Rosemarie De La Rosa?”
“She’s Rosemarie Daniels. I did want Rose in her name, and since my mother’s family has a history of naming the girls after flowers, I thought...” She needed to stop babbling.
His eyes went dark and hard. She took another step back. That was the expression of rage she had learned to fear. He had never deliberately hurt her, but that look had always made her wonder if the potential was there.
“Does she even know about me? Does she know who her father is?”
“Yes. She knows your name.” Today he didn’t resemble that boy at all. “How long have you been at the shelter? Never mind. I’m sorry. I need to go. I promise I’ll answer all your questions tonight. And don’t worry about the tab. I’ll cover it.”
He leaned back on the counter. For a second, he closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply, causing his chest to expand. When he finally looked at her, the flash of anger was gone, but his face was closed and hard to read. “I can afford a couple of cups of coffee.”
He smiled, the kind of smile that was a bit forced. Like he had to remind himself to play nice. It showed off the long dimple on his left cheek, and the new lines at the corner of his eyes. “I’ll even throw in some sopaipillas. I could actually get you one of everything on the menu if you want. I have an in with the chef.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I just—” This was so much worse than she had feared. God, please lead me in this and give me the words and strength I need to make this right for everyone.
He straightened and walked toward her. When she backed away from him, he stopped and frowned. “Why are you acting as if you’re afraid of me? I never hurt you.” His hard gaze held her in place, studying her like an image he couldn’t identify. “Did I?”
Forcing herself to stand still, she shook her head. “No. You never hurt me. I’m sorry.” Why was she apologizing?
“Don’t worry about it. It takes a lot more these days to upset me. Just be there.” Each word clipped and tense. “If you’re not, expect me at the house. I’ll stand at the door until you answer.”
Her phone vibrated. She glanced down and saw her mother’s name. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Jazz?”
His low voice made her knees weak. She could not afford to be weak. “Don’t call me that. I’m not that naive girl anymore.”
“You’ll be there?”
“I’m not the one who breaks promises.” With resolve, she pivoted and headed for the door.
“No, you only hide a child from her father.”
She almost stumbled. That was a punch to the gut. And the worst part? He was right. And he had every right to be angry. But she was not going to regret what she did to keep her daughter safe. Not looking at him, she replied, “I’ll be there. I’m also going to do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”
Then she rushed out of the pantry area. Now she was going to have to explain all this to her daughter.
Chapter Two
Standing alone, Elijah tried to clear his brain. The hum of the commercial refrigerators gave him something safe to focus on, anything other than the curve of her face. The rust colored freckles that dusted her cheeks over soft mahogany skin. The need to reach out and touch her, to make sure she was real had been a punch to the gut. He buried his fingers in his hair and dropped his head.
For over five years, he had practiced his apology, holding each word tightly in his mind until the day he could tell her. He had written letter after letter, flooding her parents’ mailbox with them. Not that she had seen any of them—her parents had made that clear—but he had been desperate to make things right. And now the day had come, and he hadn’t uttered a word of his apology. He’d blown it. Anger soured his stomach.
Because she had stolen his child. Digging his fingers into his scalp, he dropped into a crouch, elbows dug into his knees. Did she actually believed he was homeless? He laughed. Alone in the pantry, he laughed out loud.
And then he stopped. Took a few deep breaths. Right now, he needed to be calm and steady. He couldn’t afford to lose his grip.
The Daniels were powerful people in the state of Texas. Elijah couldn’t imagine Judge Nelson James Daniels III ever being weak. The man ruled his world with an iron fist. There was only one person Elijah knew with a stronger will—Azalea Daniels, his wife, Jazmine’s mother. She and her husband had hated him from the first moment he had stepped
on their porch to take their daughter to a beach party to kick off the summer season.
He was only two years older, but at the time, his twenty to Jazmine’s eighteen was too big of a gap for them. He wasn’t in school or planning to attend. Plus, they knew his uncle.
Frank had stood in front of Judge Daniels’s bench more times than Elijah wanted to think about.
The Daniels family had faced their own tragedy, losing a young son to a drunk driver. Elijah was an idiot. Leaning his forehead against the door, he planted his fist against the wall. This was 100 percent his fault. Why had he tried to overstep and reach for something he didn’t deserve?
With his program and counseling, he’d finally been in a place to let it go, to let her go. Making amends and apologizing was all he’d had left, but everything had just changed.
Jazmine, the Daniels’s only surviving child, had had a bright future. Even before her senior year had started, she had been accepted to three Ivy League schools on the East Coast. Elijah, on the other hand, had barely gotten out of high school.
He preferred the outdoors. On a horse, working with cattle, or on a boat out in the Gulf fighting the elements. Both of those were a thousand times more fulfilling than sitting behind a desk at the job Judge Daniels had gotten him.
He closed his eyes. That job had taken all the life out of him, but instead of talking he had started drinking.
Needless to say, her parents had not been happy when Jazmine had decided to stay and attend the local college, so she could stay close to him. They had done everything but disown her when they had gotten married.
Then his stupid De La Rosa weakness had to ruin it all, giving her parents the perfect opportunity to take her away from him.
He had never hurt Jazmine. Not physically. A hollow thud hit his gut. At least, he didn’t think he had.
The night she had left was a foggy mess of impressions. No matter how hard he focused, that night, like so many others, was a blur. All he remembered was the bang of the thunder and blinding flashes of lightning.
When he had woken up, she had been gone and had never returned. Until today.
The huge ornate mirror her parents had given them had been smashed into hundreds of razor-sharp shards. There had been traces of blood on both the frame and his knuckles. He hoped the glass was the only thing he had broken. The thought of touching her in anger made him sick to his stomach. Even at his worst, he wouldn’t do that. Would he?
The token in his pocket had a strip of paper wrapped around it. He pulled it out. This morning his meditation verse had been Second Corinthians 5:17. Old things are passed away; behold, all thing are becoming new.
When he had read his daily meditation scripture before the sun had risen over the Gulf this morning, God knew what this day would bring.
One of the first lessons he’d had to learn was that in order to control his life, he had to control his anger. Getting angry was never going to help. He had to focus on today and what he needed to do going forward.
He wanted to show Jazmine that they had all been wrong about him. He had become a successful businessman. Just a few months ago, he and his partner had added the Painted Dolphin to their line of restaurants here along the coast. They just added another boat to their recreational fleet. With God, he had become a new man.
Becoming new. But, boy, did that take on new meaning today. Elijah closed his eyes and rubbed the sobriety token between his thumb and index finger.
If he was going to get through this day, he couldn’t go into the past. It would be like those long lines of dominoes he had loved setting up as a kid. One negative thought would trigger another until a tidal wave of guilt sucked him under. The alcohol used to help him silence the voices, but he couldn’t give in now. He couldn’t go back to that dark place.
There was a little girl who needed a sober father. The man he had been for the last five years could be that father. He would give her what his uncle had never given him.
Anger flared again. They had stolen five years of his daughter’s life from him. Elijah took out his phone and called his best friend and business partner. One of the people who had helped him stay sober.
“Hey, Miguel. I need to talk.”
“What’s up?” The casual question was lined with concern. A door closed and the background noise vanished.
Elijah knew he had his friend’s full attention. His throat went dry. He couldn’t believe the words he was about to say.
“I just saw Jazmine. She’s in town.”
“Oh, wow. That had to be a surprise.” There was a short pause, as though Miguel was struggling for words. “How are you doing?”
“That’s not all.” He took a deep breath. “I’m a father. She was pregnant when she left. I have a five-year-old daughter.”
Silence fell.
“Miguel?”
“Yeah, I’m here. You didn’t have a clue?”
“Nope.” Suddenly his throat burned, and he beat back the tears. “I know I have to take responsibility because my drinking drove her away from me. She couldn’t trust me, and she thought she was protecting our baby. But Miguel, every time I think about what I’ve missed the last five years, I want to explode. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this angry at someone, not even my mother or uncle.”
“Yeah, losing people is one of the reasons you stopped drinking, right? So the people you love can trust you. I have to say you also have a right to be angry, but that’s not going to help. Are you at the ranch? I can be out there in the next fifteen minutes.”
“No, I’m at the mission. I’ll come to the pier. Are you there?”
“Yep. Come straight over, okay? I’ll be waiting.”
“I won’t stop.” Elijah disconnected the call. Lord, You’ve gotten me through the darkest times. I trust You have a plan in all this. Give me the wisdom to know the right thing to do and the patience to wait for Your timing.
He was going to need more wisdom and patience than he’d ever thought possible.
* * *
On the drive back to Port Del Mar, Rosemarie had chatted away about her new doll and the horse she wanted to get her. All her dolls had their own horses. She was oblivious to the silent tension between her mother and grandmother.
Driving down Shoreline Road, Jazmine didn’t even take the time to appreciate the beautiful beach that lined the tiny coastal town. There were two main roads that ran parallel to each other. In some spots, the strip of land between the bay and the Gulf was less than a mile wide.
Her father had inherited the beachfront home that had been a staple of Jazmine’s childhood. It was one of her favorite places on Earth. But her parents had kept her away since that night, not allowing her anywhere near Port Del Mar.
It had been six long years since the sounds of the waves and the feel of the salty breeze filled her senses.
This was her daughter’s first trip to Texas.
She pulled into the long, bricked driveway lined with tall palm trees and large fuchsia flowers. The soft blue house trimmed in pristine white stood three stories tall. By the time Jazmine parked in the carport, Rosemarie was climbing out of her booster seat.
“Momma, unlock the door so I can show Becca to Papa.”
“Remember he needs to be resting.” She turned to her daughter. “Don’t wake him if he’s asleep. Can you be quiet?”
Rosemarie’s dark curls bounced as she nodded. “I can be as quiet as a mouse.” In a heartbeat, she jumped out of the SUV and leaped up the stairs.
Jazmine waited for her daughter to disappear inside the house before turning to her mother. “Thank you for not making a scene in front of Rosie. Go ahead. Out with it. What have you been champing at the bit to tell me?”
“First, I don’t champ. Second, this is a mistake. She does not need that man in her life. You need to pack up and go back to Denver.” Azalea’s arms we
re crossed, and her face was set like stone.
“His name is Elijah. Not saying his name will not make him go away. She’s his daughter. The least I can do is talk to him.”
Jazmine looked at the organized walls of the garage. Everything fit in a perfect space. If it didn’t, it was tossed out. No room for anything undesirable. “I’m not leaving you alone with Daddy. He’s not a good patient. In less than a week, he will drive you crazy. You need me as much as he needs you. With Rosie around, he might be easier to handle.”
“There is nothing easy about your father.” The perfectly lined lip quivered.
Jazmine reached across and placed her hand over her mother’s. “He’s going to be fine. Dr. Brent feels good about a full recovery. It is going to take all of us to keep him from overdoing it. I’m not going anywhere. I can be just as stubborn as you.”
With a harsh exhalation, her mother rolled her eyes. “You get that from your father. We can’t tell him that Rosie...that...her father...” She shuddered. “I just don’t like this. What if he causes problems? He was always good at that.”
“Mother, what we did was wrong. He had every right to know about Rosemarie. I know I had to leave, but we should have told him.” She pressed one arm over her middle, trying to ease the sick feeling. “I have to meet him. We should have never done it.”
“Your father and I did exactly what we needed to do to keep our daughter and our granddaughter safe. I would do it all over again, with not a single regret.” She rubbed the edge of her purse.
“That night you came to us, you were so scared, and you had that nasty cut. I can’t get the blood-soaked towel you had wrapped around your arm out of my head. There is no reason for me to say his name.” Her shoulders squared.
“I told you. He never hurt me. I got cut trying to pick up the shards of glass. My hands were shaking.” Jazmine relaxed her grip on the steering wheel, revealing her scar again. “If you had been able to stop us from getting married, we wouldn’t have Rosemarie.”
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