by Emerson Rose
Chapter 7
Kimber
“He’s great,” Tiana, says when Julián closes the door.
“Yeah, he’s the best. Would you mind holding him for a second? I think my feet are numb from sitting here so long. I need to stretch.” I’m fine really, I could sit forever rocking this warm bundle of love, smelling his head and stroking his chubby arms. He’s addictive, the more of him I get the more I need.
But I want her to feel comfortable and forget that I mentioned the word killer a few minutes ago. Holding a sweet baby will do the trick. Babies make everything better.
“Sure, will he wake up?”
“Maybe, but he’s not hungry so I think you’re safe.”
I stand and she sits on the couch next to me so I can hand her my baby.
“Is it that obvious?”
“What?”
“That I’m not used to tiny human beings?”
“Nah, a lot of people are intimidated by babies. I have two younger brothers so I got stuck babysitting a lot, I’m used to them.”
She adjusts him in her arms and pulls down the blue receiving blanket to peer down into his face. “I only had Jayden and he was older than me. I haven’t been exposed to many babies.”
The way she says her brother’s name and refers to him in the past tense starts an ache in my chest. I can’t imagine how horrifying it would be to find out your brother murdered your parents in a house fire and poisoned your aunt so that it looked like a heart attack. That’s exactly what happened.
It’s been all over the news for weeks, local and national. And as if that weren’t bad enough, his reason for doing it was appalling.
He was in love with her and wanted her all to himself. He’s insane obviously, but I can’t imagine being the focus of all his psychosis. It was his taboo love for her that caused three people’s deaths. Maybe she feels responsible? I think I might if I were her.
“It looks like you’re a natural, he didn’t even flinch.” Her eyes shoot to mine, “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, no, I just meant he didn’t stir when I passed him off. A lot of times he senses he’s not in my arms anymore when I give him to someone and he starts to fuss. Not you, though, he likes you.”
The corners of her mouth pull up in a relieved smile and she gazes at my baby’s sleeping face.
“So I hear you’re getting married, too, when is your wedding?”
“We haven’t set a date yet. I want to wait for some of this stuff with my brother to blow over, ya know? We’re going through a lot of changes right now and I don’t want our big day tainted by any of them.”
“I understand.” I don’t understand, though. I have nothing in my life to compare her situation with. But I want to be supportive, she has a certain aura about her that makes me want to care for her. It’s probably the damn hormones or maybe it’s because I have that new super-mother gene that makes a woman want to nurture everyone around them.
“I’m sorry, I’m not the best company lately. I have a feeling Drake was trying to find a way to get me out of the house.”
“Stop apologizing, you’ve been through a lot of horrible things. I wouldn’t be hot on leaving the house either if I were you.” I sit back down in the rocker. Standing over her feels like I’m dictating instead of conversing.
“Thanks. I’m not usually a homebody, I just moved home from New York a couple months ago and it’s been quite a change.”
“You’re from Jewel Falls?” She doesn’t sound Southern; I can hear the slightest bit of a British accent in her voice.
“We moved here when I was twelve from the UK, so sort of.”
Shit, there I go bringing up her past again. I read about her parents dying in a fire. I hadn’t realized it was in the UK. That must be why they’re only prosecuting her brother for his aunt’s murder. Getting to know Tiana might be harder than I thought.
“It’s okay, I can talk about my past, in fact, my shrink says it’s good for me.”
I snort, “Shrinks. What do they know?”
She raises her eyebrows like she’s surprised I would have ever seen a psychiatrist.
“I saw one when my husband left me because I was pregnant. He made me feel shittier than I did before I went, so I quit. I don’t like telling strangers my deepest darkest fears, it’s weird.”
“So, this little guy isn’t Garcia’s biological son?”
“Nope, but he loves him like he is.”
“I know, he’s all he talks about, second only to you. I’m sorry about your husband.”
“Don’t be, he did me the biggest favor of my life, he brought me to Julián.”
Grayson’s eyes open and he let’s out a squawk that surprises Tiana. “Oh, he’s awake. Look at his pretty eyes, you’re a handsome boy…” she pauses and looks at me for his name.
“Grayson,” I say with a tad bit of pride. It was my boy name. Julián and I each chose a few of each but it was clear as glass that Grayson was the right choice when we saw him.
“Grayson Garcia, that’s an awesome name you got going on there. I’m Tiana Williams, soon-to-be Valentine, nice to meet you.”
Grayson smiles and my hand flies up to cover my mouth. “Oh my gosh, I’ve never seen him smile before. He really does like you.”
“Probably just gas,” She says, but he smiles again as if to prove her wrong.
“I dunno, seems like love at first sight to me.”
“Aw, I’m sorry, Grayson, but I’m spoken for by a grouchy Marine. If things don’t work out, you can look me up in twenty years but only if you like older women.”
“Grouchy, huh? I haven’t had the pleasure.” I smile and she chuckles.
“Yeah, I’m sure Garcia told you he’s losing his sight.”
“He did, I’m sorry.”
“He’s frustrated, this all started seventeen years ago and until this year it’s been progressing very slowly. Now he’s only got a sliver of peripheral vision left. And all of my recent drama doesn’t help, he’s getting hit from all directions.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help don’t hesitate to ask. I know I just had a baby and everything but I’m not busy with anything else. I’m an interior designer but I don’t have a lot of contacts here anymore and the company I worked for is too far away.”
Grayson starts to grunt and push his feet around in his blanket. “Maybe you should take him now?”
“He might be hungry, I’ll take him.” She passes him across to me like a priceless Fabergé egg.
“So, you’re an interior designer. I should probably hire you to fix up my brother’s house so I can sell it.”
I whip a receiving blanket over my shoulder to cover my chest and pull my shirt up to offer Grayson my breast. He takes it with no problem. He never had one second of trouble breastfeeding, figures he’s a breast man like his daddy.
“Really? What kind of work do you need done?”
She shifts on the couch and crosses her arms over her chest. Without the baby to hold she seems a little frazzled.
She bites her lip, “Everything?”
“Oh, so a total renovation? I would need help for that, how soon are you wanting it done?”
“Whenever, no hurry.”
“Really? Don’t you want to get rid of it soon? I’d imagine it has a lot of difficult memories attached to it.”
“It does but I’ll never escape the memories. It’s the house right next door to Drake’s, they were best friends.”
“Oh, I see.” I don’t see, I can’t imagine but what else is there to say? “That does make it hard. Give me a couple weeks with the baby and I’ll call some people and see if I can get a team together. Maybe we can make the house look so different on the outside that you forget it was yours?”
Her face brightens and she relaxes her arms placing her hands in her lap. “You could do that?”
“I can do anything.”
“Thank you, Kimber.”
“No problem, it’s what I do.”
“Anytime, we military families have to stick together and since we’re all on the same block it shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Someone could make a TV show out of it, call it ’The Marine Families of Maple Road.’” We giggle and I suspect that it’s been a while since she’s laughed.
“I’m glad Garcia and Valentine set this up, we should have a little Marine wives club. My friend Mattie and his wife Belle relocated here and they live in the big blue Victorian house on the corner.”
Her eyes sparkle, this woman needs friends.
“The six of us can have a barbeque at our house since you all are still settling in.” She looks around the living room that I finished decorating a week ago. I used my favorite color palate of cream, gold, and pale blues through the whole main level. In this room the chandelier and fireplace naturally became the focal point. Add a few books and a vase full of pale pink roses and lilies and it looks like it belongs on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.
“Is every room in your house this great?”
“Yep, I love my work. Knowing how to decorate comes in handy when you have to move a lot.”
“You moved a lot before you met Garcia?”
“My ex-husband was also a Marine. He lives here with his girlfriend, that’s why I moved to California. But Julián got relocated and it’s fine. My family is here and we don’t live anywhere near Caleb. He’s not interested in Grayson, that’s sort of why we got divorced.”
“He didn’t want kids?”
“No, he wanted to string his girlfriend along while he stayed comfortably married to me. We planned on having kids someday but Grayson was a surprise that his girlfriend wasn’t happy about, I guess.”
“God, I’m so sorry Kimber. You’re too nice for all that shit.”
“Yeah, well sometimes nice doesn’t get you where you want to be.”
Her eyes wander to the window and I follow her gaze across the street.
“I understand. Probably more than you know.”
“Is that your brother’s house?”
“Yes, the one you’re going to renovate so that I can’t recognize it.”
“The green one?”
She pulls her eyes from the constant reminder of her crazy brother and looks down at her hands in her lap but not before I see tears brimming in her eyes. “Yep.”
I reach out and cover her hand with mine. It’s strange the bond I feel with this woman who I only met thirty minutes ago. I feel like somehow she needs me. And maybe I need her, too. Military wives and girlfriends really do have to stick together.
“It’s lovely, I can’t wait to get to work on it,” I say, and she raises her eyes from her lap to look at me straight on. There are no tears now. Just like that, she’s willed them away. She’s good at hiding her feelings. I’ll have to remember that.
“Me too.”
Chapter 8
Garcia
I can’t concentrate. I’ve called poor Kimber four times since I got to the base two hours ago. The first time she was glad to hear I made it on time and she was still visiting with Tiana. The second time she was changing Grayson’s diaper and he wasn’t happy about it, we had to hang up. The third time she was about to lie down for a nap with Grayson and she instructed me not to call and wake him up for at least an hour.
Precisely one hour later, I pressed the dial button again. This time she was a little snippy. I blame her lack of sleep on that. Grayson’s a great baby but he’s still up every two hours to eat which means Kimber is up every two hours to feed him.
Her mother arrived before we hung up. She wouldn’t be able to detour my idiot brothers from harassing them but having her there is better than nothing. Knowing that Kimber was sleeping in the house alone and vulnerable with Grayson was making me bonkers.
Grandpa Max’s group hadn’t shown up yet, they were on a mission last night and weren’t available right away so he and Drake were handling things until they arrived. A seventy-year-old man and a blind man, that’s great. Not that I don’t appreciate it, I do, but they wouldn’t be much good in a fight against my brothers.
I don’t see Sebastian and Diego physically harming Kimber or Grayson. What has me all tied up in knots is that Kimber doesn’t know that I’m related to one of the largest criminal families in the country and I’d like to keep it that way.
It’s two o’clock and I’m itching to hear her voice and know things are fine but I refrain from calling again. The Special Agent group showed up at one o’clock and then and only then did the giant anvil of worry lift from my shoulders. Now she’s safe. Now they can’t get to her and fill her head with thoughts that will make her doubt my love for her.
Still, this day can’t be over quick enough. I want to get home and see that they’re safe with my own eyes. The chime of a message on my computer pulls me from my thoughts. Gunnery Sergeant Caleb Johnson is here to see you.
What the fuck does that douche want? I should tell Fran to tell him I’m in a meeting. This day just keeps getting better and better. This is the third piece of shit I’ve had to deal with today and it’s making me tired.
If I turn him away I won’t know what he wants and that will be worse than seeing him right now. I type, send him in, and quickly adjust my mindset to deal with Kimber’s deadbeat baby daddy/ex-husband.
He knocks on the door, “Come in.”
“Good Afternoon, Captain sir.”
“Good Afternoon, Gunnery Sergeant, what do you need?” I’m keeping this simple and to the point. I don’t want to be in the same room as him for too long. My fingers are twitching to strangle him already.
“I wanted to talk to you about my son.”
“Your son, huh?”
“Yes, sir, he is my son and I would like to step up and take responsibility for him and be a part of his life.”
I blow out a long breath and lean back. I prop my elbows on the arms of my chair and steeple my fingers. It’s a power position that comes naturally to me. I don’t try to look intimidating but I’m pretty sure I do.
“What brings this change of heart? You made it pretty clear when you divorced Kimber for being pregnant that you didn’t want your son.”
“I was shocked. Finding out I was going to be a father unexpectedly was… well, like I said, it was a shock.”
A fucking shock, huh? Who isn’t shocked when they find out they’re having a kid? You absorb the shock and move on to happiness like normal husbands do.
“So, you’re not shocked anymore?” I say tilting my head to the side knitting my brows together with fake confusion.
“No, I’ve moved past it and now I want to be a part of his life.”
“His life, not Kimber’s, right?”
He blinks like I just told him he has two heads and six arms until he gets it.
“Oh, no, no. I’m not trying to get Kimber back. I know that’s a hopeless case but she did call me when he was born so I figured I still might have a chance at being his dad.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I sure didn’t want you to take my fiancé away from me, ya know, that would be devastating.” My words drip with sarcasm. The carotid artery in his neck bulges with every beat of his heart.
“Let me ask you this, Gunnery Sergeant, why did it take you three weeks to decide you wanted to be in his life? Why didn’t you come to the hospital when he was born?” He hasn’t called him by his given name yet. I wonder if he even knows it.
“I was nervous.”
“I see. So you were shocked for almost a year and then for three weeks after Grayson’s birth, that’s his name by the way, you were nervous?” This guy is even more pathetic than I originally thought. I can’t even think of a curse or expletive that describes him well enough.
“Yes, sir.”
“So what is it that you’re asking me?”
“I wanted to tell yo
u in person that I’m going to file for shared custody. I thought it might be better for Kimber coming from you than me.”
Custody? Is he fucking out of his mind? Yes, of course he is, he has to be.
“Caleb, I’m not your messenger boy. If you want to file for custody you’re going to have to tell Kimber yourself. I still don’t understand the sudden paternal enthusiasm. How interested can you possibly be when he’s been alive for three weeks and you haven’t seen him and you don’t know his fucking name?”
Inside I’m vibrating with rage. Outside I’m cool calm and collected. It’s taking every bit of discipline I’ve learned in the Corps to keep from jumping over my desk and beating the shit out of this motherfucker.
“I’m a slow learner, what can I say?”
“You can say, sorry to bother you, this was a mistake.”
“I don’t think it’s ever a mistake to want to be a part of your child’s life. If you won’t mention it to her, I’ll have my lawyer call so we can arrange a visitation schedule.”
“Visitation? Obviously you have no idea how to take care of a newborn. If you did you would know he eats like a machine every two hours and he’s breastfed. How do you think that’s going to work? Get a lawyer. Have them contact our lawyer if you’re serious. Until then, stay away from Kimber and my son. Dismissed.”
His jaw tightens and his hands ball into fists but there isn’t anything he can do. I’m his superior and he chose to approach me while I was in my office. We would be throwing punches if we were in a bar or a grocery store.
When he leaves I decide this day has been long enough. I’m going home for lunch and I might stay there. I wouldn’t put it past Caleb to show up unannounced at the house. Kimber isn’t a delicate fragile woman but she still doesn’t need this kind of shit right after having a baby, or ever.
At home, Kimber’s mother’s car is in the driveway so I park in the street in front of the house. They aren’t expecting me so I head across the street to Drake’s house and find him sitting in a rocking chair on the porch with Tango at his feet. Tango raises his head but recognizes me and lays it back down on his paws.