“Sure. Sounds good.”
Thirty minutes later they were seated at a surf shack-type restaurant up in Malibu, having fish tacos and beer. They small-talked about the beauty of the ocean, the grey, blue waves hitting the sand and crashing against them. They talked about her art and his work, and, of course, they talked about Ian and the family—a family she was beginning to think of as her own.
Alyssa knew something was happening between them. What that was, she couldn’t be sure, but she had never, not even with Terrell, felt so comfortable and at ease with a man.
After lunch they took a walk out on the beach and he reached for her hand. She closed hers around his, and they walked in silence listening to the ocean. The night that they’d spent together had cemented a bond between them, even though they hadn’t slept together.
What had happened the night Alyssa asked Darren to stay with her in her hotel suite was innocent. She’d needed a friend and he was there for her. They’d stayed up watching movies and talking. She’d fallen asleep late into the night on the couch, and he’d gently woken her and told her to go get into bed. She’d found him asleep in the morning on the couch. After waking, he’d ordered in a big breakfast for the two of them and then he’d made those phone calls, first to Terrell to get James’ phone number and then to James.
In a turn of good fortune, a woman answered at Terrell’s place, and Darren made up a story about being an old friend who had lost touch of James and needed the phone number. At first the woman hesitated, but after a couple of minutes of Darren charming her, she looked it up and gave it to him. Alyssa wondered who the woman was and hoped for Terrell’s sake he had moved on. She was certain he had. A man like Terrell wouldn’t have remained single for long.
And surprisingly a man like Darren was single. Alyssa learned he’d been married once, ten years ago, but after three years of marriage, they’d mutually agreed it wasn’t working and he’d been single since. Alyssa didn’t think Darren was a ladies’ man, but she was pretty sure he’d had a few girlfriends over the years.
“Ian asked again about his biological father,” Alyssa said.
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing.”
“You did the right thing. Ian doesn’t need to know that man.”
“Maybe he does, though. If not his father, doesn’t he have a right to know his siblings?”
Darren stopped and let go of her hand. A breeze off the ocean blew strands of hair in her face that he brushed aside. “Ian has a family. He doesn’t need any more complications in his life. He’s been through hell and back, and I don’t see where getting to know his bio father and siblings is a great thing. Let them be a family and let us be a family.” He took both of her hands now. “Leave it alone. It’s not up to us to decide anyway. It’s up to Charlie and we know he doesn’t want that.”
Alyssa nodded. “You’re right.” She knew Darren was right. Ian had enough to deal with. Getting to know this other family, regardless of all the intricacies, would be too much for anyone to handle. She hoped that Ian would stop asking and things would be left alone. Only time would tell.
They started walking again and Darren put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and Alyssa knew that what Darren had said about them being a family was becoming a reality for her. She never wanted to leave this safe haven, wrapped in Darren’s warmth.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Jamie
Jamie slid the tape gun across the box that she’d loaded with dishes. She stood up and stretched. Her back ached. She’d forgotten how exhausting moving was. Dorothy sat at the kitchen table eating some lunch. Right now she was staring off into nowhere, looking forlorn, a feeling that Jamie could relate to. Since leaving the restaurant last weekend, she hadn’t spoken to Kat. She’d talked with Danielle who told her that Kat felt awful about what she’d said. Kat had also left her a few messages but Jamie hadn’t returned her calls. She wondered if she was angry at Kat or if she was angry because there was a part of her that knew that what Kat had said was the truth.
Jamie came over and sat down next to Dorothy. “Did you like your sandwich, Mom?”
Dorothy nodded. “We aren’t going to live here anymore, are we?”
Jamie put her hands gently on Dorothy’s cheeks, looking into her eyes. “No, Mom, we aren’t.”
“But I like it here. This is a nice place.”
“I know. I like it here, too, but I can’t afford it any longer. We have to move.” Jamie technically could have kept the house after David signed over his mom’s life insurance policy, which Jamie could cash in for her if need be. That was Dorothy’s money and Jamie planned to use it in the event that she lived another decade or more, which was highly likely. Other than her failing mind, Dorothy was healthy. And with Jamie’s new plan, Dorothy could live out the rest of her life in the lap of luxury that she deserved.
“Where are we going?” Dorothy asked.
Jamie smiled. “Do you remember that nice place I took you to the other day? The place where Frank was flirting with you?”
“Yes. It was a delightful place. Did you know that Bette was there too? I wanted to visit with her but we didn’t have time.”
“Bette Davis?” Dorothy nodded. “I have good news. You are going to be living in the same apartment building as Bette Davis and Frank!”
“On Fifth Avenue?”
“Close. Yes. Very close.” Okay, so it was only about three thousand miles close, but Dorothy had a right to her fantasies.
“You will live with me, too, won’t you? You and your adorable little girl, Maddie?”
“No. We can’t live there.”
“Yes, you can. Don’t worry about the money. I’ll pay for it,” she said smugly.
“I think we would only get in the way when you have so many suitors and friends who I’m sure will be coming around a lot. But Maddie and I will visit you all the time.”
Dorothy frowned. “All the time?”
“All the time.”
“I suppose that would be fine then. But don’t tell Dean where I’ve moved to.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I don’t think you have to worry about him finding you.”
“I need my nails done.”
“I’ll do your nails for you.” Jamie got up and went to her bathroom. Although painting Dorothy’s nails would suck up some time, she could use a break from the packing. She glanced at the clock and saw that she only had a couple of hours left before Maddie and Tyler would be showing up from the ranch. Every night he’d brought over takeout, and he’d helped her pack, as well as taken Maddie back and forth to the ranch. He’d been a godsend, really, and although she had misgivings with Maddie down the hall, they’d fallen into bed every night and made love. However, Tyler had left long before Maddie was up each morning and then returned only a few hours later to take her with him to the ranch.
And last night he said it. Her cowboy had said those three words every woman longs to hear from a man like Tyler Meeks. Lying in each other’s, arms after tangling up in the covers for a good hour, he had stroked her hair and whispered, “I love you.”
Jamie had snuggled in closer to him and felt his smile when he kissed the top of her head. “And when you’re ready, I think you’ll love me back.”
She’d wanted to say it, wished she could, wished she felt what he seemed to be intensely feeling, but he was right—she just was not ready to love him back.
Jamie found the perfect shade of pink polish for Dorothy and tromped back downstairs. “Let’s pretty up those fingernails for you.”
“For Frank, honey.”
“Absolutely for Frank.” Jamie laughed and gave Dorothy a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Sweetpea. I really do.” She patted her hand. “You’re a good girl.”
Jamie had just finished one hand when the phone rang. She picked up the phone and saw on the caller ID that it was from Queen of the Valley Hospital.
***
Kat arrived first, followed by Jamie. Alyssa caught the first plane out, with Ian, Darren, and the rest of the family understanding. She promised she’d be back in L.A. as soon as she could.
Cassie was sitting in the waiting room, her face red and puffy. Al and Stacey were seated next to her looking numb, their eyes tired and faces pale.
Kat asked softly where Danielle was.
Al looked up. “The nursery with the baby.”
Kat and Jamie walked quickly through the hospital corridors without saying anything.
Their friend stood on the other side of the plated glass window, walking around with her grandbaby in her arms. When she spotted them, they could see grief and exhaustion strained across her face. She brought the baby over to the window and held him up. She tried to muster a smile for them. Both her friends fought back their tears. A nurse came over to Danielle and took the baby from her. She came out of the nursery. No one said a word as they wrapped their arms around each other and cried together for several minutes. Finally, Danielle sucked back a sob and said, “She died. She died for eight minutes and she came back. They brought her back. But now we don’t know. We don’t know what will happen. She’s in a coma and she may never come out of it. They don’t know.”
“I am so, so sorry,” Kat said.
Jamie rubbed her arm. “How about the baby? He’s so sweet.”
Danielle smiled through her tears. “The baby. I haven’t been able to tell you. It’s not that I’m ashamed, but scared. I’ve been scared as hell.”
Kat looked at Jamie and then Danielle. “What do you mean, honey?”
“He has Down Syndrome.” Jamie gasped. Kat reached out, placing a hand on Danielle’s shoulder. “I’ve known but I couldn’t tell you yet. I, I needed to process it all.”
Jamie rubbed her arm. “You can always tell us anything.”
Danielle shook her head. “I know that. But sometimes there are things that no matter how much I love you, you’re my best friends, but there are times when it feels right to keep things amongst your family. This was one of those things. I knew I’d have to say something eventually, but I wasn’t ready to do that.”
Kat hugged her. “We understand.”
Jamie thought about the things she’d kept private from her friends. Danielle was right. It had nothing to do with trust or love. “The baby is good though, right? He is just beautiful, Danielle.”
“He appears healthy right now. The doctors have told me that as time goes on, we will have a better idea as to how he will develop both mentally and physically. I can’t think about that now. I can only think about Shannon and what if…?”
“She will get better,” Jamie said. “You have to have faith.”
Danielle’s head shot up. “Faith? Faith! Where does faith play into this? How is it that God can allow this to happen to my child? My child who had so much faith she believed having this baby was what God wanted, that God would give her the life she was supposed to live. And her faith, a faith I brought her up to believe, now has her lying in a hospital bed where she may never wake up again! Where I may one day have to decide to take out the support and let her go. Faith. I have none right now and I don’t know if I ever will again.”
Jamie didn’t know how to respond, but she knew she’d been exactly where her friend was in that moment and all she could finally say was the one thing that her mother had said to her when Nate was dying. “I’m sorry. I really am.”
Danielle closed her eyes for a second, then opened them. “I know.”
The three women took a walk outside where they bought coffee from a stand and sat down next to a water fountain. In silence, they let their friend grieve, taking turns holding her and wiping away her tears.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Alyssa
There had been no Happy Hour for the rest of July. It was halfway through August and it didn’t look like they’d be meeting formally this month either. There wasn’t too much to be happy about anyway, and between what was going on with Jamie, Danielle, Alyssa, and Kat, time passed quickly. They saw each other at the hospital where Danielle had taken up a vigil, bringing the baby with her and working on the festival project to try and keep her mind occupied. Jamie had taken over Danielle’s responsibilities for the Harvest Festival. Kat continued to avoid her mother and do what she always did—everything she could for everyone around her, which now included making regular dinners and dropping them off for Danielle and Cassie. Alyssa had spent most of her time in L.A., with a few flights back home to see Danielle and Shannon.
Shannon’s condition had not changed.
Alyssa now sat in the sterile waiting room at Cedar’s Sinai in Los Angeles. Thankfully she was the only one in the room. A family who had a toddler with them had just left and Alyssa got up and turned off the television blaring Sesame Street. She sat back down in the uncomfortable taupe chair, and picked up a magazine on the side table next to her.
She tried to read it, but found herself aimlessly flipping through the pages. When would there be news about Ian? It had been hard to watch him grow so weak in the past month and become so sick, but at the same time, he showed such strength and courage. He’d told her all about his childhood, his mother, and siblings. What he didn’t tell her, Charlie, Darren, and his brothers and sisters filled her in on. All of them were such excellent people, and her son was an excellent young man. He shouldn’t have to go through any of this. No one should. Thank God, James and his wife had agreed to allow their daughter to be a donor.
Alyssa knew that at that moment, in the same hospital, in a different corridor, were Ian’s sister and her parents. She’d remained quietly in the waiting room while Darren and Charlie went to get a gift for Ian—a video game he’d been wanting for some time. Neither one of them had been able to sit still for long, so she held down the fort and expected them to return any time.
Alyssa hadn’t told them that she’d anonymously sent Ian’s sister-—whose name she’d learned was Jessica—a big basket filled with stuffed animals and Barbie dolls. It didn’t feel right that this little girl, who by no fault of her own, had to go through this. Again, she wished she could talk with her mother and tell her how sorry she was, but would she really know what to say? Probably not.
She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. Drifting into a light sleep, she dreamed of Ian and of Darren. A man’s voice startled her awake.
“Alyssa?”
There stood Terrell. She had to still be dreaming. Her ex-fiancé could not be standing there in front of her. “What? Why are you here?” She studied him. He hadn’t changed at all, and her stomach sank at the sight of him. “How, how are you?”
He sat down next to her. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.
She sighed. There was no point in wasting words. He’d come here for answers that she owed him. “You know about Ian?”
He nodded. “James told me everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you?” he asked.
“Because I loved you.” He faced her now and she could see the hurt that she’d caused him still lingered deep inside of him. “I wanted to protect you. How could I tell you about Ian or James? I wanted to tell you about Ian. I planned to, the day after our party, but then I saw James, and…how could I? You went on and on about being best friends since childhood. The man is like a brother to you and when I saw him, I knew there was no way I could destroy that.”
“You destroyed my heart instead. Don’t you know how much I loved you, Alyssa? I would have supported you, stuck by you.”
“I was ashamed.”
He sighed. “I wish you told me. Not James.”
“What did he tell you exactly?”
“That you had a date nineteen years ago and he was probably more forceful than he should have been with you, and that night you got pregnant with Ian and he never saw you again until the night of our party. He never knew you had a child until all of this happene
d.”
A little forceful. “Yes.” That was all she could say.
“I know he can get angry and I have to wonder how aggressive he was with you.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. It’s in the past. The man has made his amends. He told you. I’m sure he told his wife. Otherwise, his daughter wouldn’t be here right now helping to save Ian.”
He nodded.
“How did she take it?”
“Olivia is a strong woman. He didn’t tell her that it was you and I agree that she doesn’t need to know that, but she was angry. She’s a good lady and she knows that Jessica donating the marrow could help this young man live, and she knows that’s the right thing.”
“I wish I could thank her.”
“She’s a mother and I’m certain she knows how grateful you are.”
Alyssa nodded. “How about you? I don’t understand why James told you. I promised him that I would not bother his family or friends. You didn’t have to know.”
“Maybe he felt he owed me. It hurt bad when you took off. I was torn apart, and maybe for him this was his way of asking for forgiveness.”
“Can you forgive him?”
“I don’t know yet,” he replied.
“Me?” she asked. “Can you forgive me?”
“I already have. That’s why I’m here. I’m getting married in a few weeks to a nice woman, one who I care about and who loves me.”
“That’s wonderful,” Alyssa said and looked away.
Terrell paused for a moment. “I still love you,” he blurted out. “I want you back. Please tell me that you still love me, please tell me there is a chance…”
“Alyssa?”
Both Terrell and Alyssa looked up to see Darren standing there. “You okay?” She nodded. “He’s in recovery. Charlie and I checked a minute ago. A nurse was coming down to get you, but I told her I’d tell you. Charlie is going to his room now to wait for him.” He eyed Terrell, who stood up. “You want to go to the room and wait for him with us?”
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