This is the day you have to decide.
It came sooner than he was expecting. He’d been hoping Maggie would be here to make the decision for him. His palms were sweaty, loosening his grip on the porcelain sink.
What are you made of, Kid?
He bent over the sink and cupped his hands under the flow from the faucet. Water trickled in between his fingers. He splashed his face a couple of times before finally turning off the water and drying himself with a towel. Parts of his hair were damp, but it was the only way it would lay flat.
“You ready in there?” Michaela called.
“As I’ll ever be,” Elijah shot back.
Elijah tried to call Maggie over and over as they drove to the hospital, but she didn’t answer.
Michaela’s boss, Melissa, met them by the nurse’s station. Next to her was a short woman whose sad eyes broke through her business like demeanor.
“Michaela,” Melissa said, “You know Bethany Iten.”
“Sure.” Michaela shook the woman’s hand and then motioned to Elijah. “This is Elijah.”
He nodded before Michaela went on.
“Bethany is Kimberly’s social worker.”
Elijah straightened his shoulders and held his hand out to the small woman. She took it, her grip surprisingly strong.
“This is the worst part of my job,” she said, releasing him. “You’ve all done right by her over the past couple of months, but now the state has to take care of her.”
“So, what’s going to happen?“ Michaela asked.
“I’ll take her to a group home until we can find her a foster family.” Bethany looked at each of them in turn. “It might not seem like it, but she’ll be okay.”
Elijah didn’t hear anything else as he thought about the hollowness of those words. He didn’t know much of Jason’s time in the foster system, but he knew enough to know that Kimberly didn’t deserve that.
He’d made up his mind. He’d fight, so she never had to go through it.
Without another word, he broke away from the three ladies, and they let him go. His steps echoed off the tile floor. Mixed with the pounding of his pulse in his ears that was all he heard.
When he saw her, his heart squeezed, and he had to force out a breath. Kimberly sat in the waiting room, her legs dangling off the chair. Her long, black hair was pulled back, away from her face, but parts had broken free and now clung to the tears on her face. The food on the table beside her sat untouched.
She looked up when he got close, her eyes red and puffy.
“Jah,” she whispered.
“Hey Kimmy.” He sat next to her and offered her a sad smile.
Another sob escaped her lips, and she suddenly crawled into his lap.
“Gram is gone,” she cried.
Elijah squeezed his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head.
“I know, sweetie.”
Kimberly was at an age where she was old enough to understand her grandmother was dead, but unable to see further than that. She wasn’t thinking about the possibility of foster care or group homes. She probably didn’t even know what any of that meant.
But Elijah was thinking about it.
“Where’s Maggie?” Kimberly asked through her sobs. “I want Maggie.”
“You and me both, Kid,” he answered softly. “I’ll bet she wishes she was here, but she isn’t in New York right now.”
She curled into herself further, and Elijah rocked her back and forth.
He looked up as Michaela approached. A tear fell from her eye when she looked at Kimberly. The young girl looked up, but didn’t move to get out of Elijah’s lap.
“Hi, honey.” Michaela sat next to them and rubbed circles on Kimberly’s back. “We’re here for you.”
Nothing else was said before Elijah felt Kimberly’s breathe evening out as her body went slack in his arms and she drifted into sleep.
“You’re good with her,” Michaela whispered.
Elijah grunted. “She’s not going to a group home.”
“Elijah,” Michaela started as she brushed a few strands of hair out of Kimberly’s face. “We don’t really control that. I’ve worked on a few cases like this, and adoption is a long shot.”
“What if I already know someone who wants to adopt her?” He looked at her, his desperation written plain on his face.
Michaela laid a hand on his arm and spoke with the soft voice one would use with an unreasonable child. “I don’t think you’re in any place to adopt a child. It’s a wonderful thought, but you work non-stop when you’re in the middle of a flip and even harder when you’re not. Do you even want to be a father?”
“I wasn’t talking about me.”
Her eyes widened in realization and she met his gaze. “Don’t you get my hopes up unless you’re sure.”
“Mic, the only thing she’s wanted since she was twenty years old is a kid.”
“Has she said she wants this?”
“No.” He paused, considering his next words. “I can’t get hold of her, but I know her.” At least he hoped he did. He’d been wrong about a lot of things lately, but he didn’t think he was this time. “I don’t want her to get back and find Kimberly in some group home.”
“This is a big thing, Elijah.” She turned so that her whole body was facing his. “I need you to be completely sure before I set the wheels in motion. I’ll get Melissa to fight for this, and I think Bethany will be on board, but we can’t jerk the kid around if this might not work out.”
“Michaela.” He shifted Kimberly in his arms. “This is what she wants. When she gets back from Boston, she’ll tell you herself.”
“Okay, then.” She nodded, a smile finally coming to her lips. She laid a hand on the sleeping child’s back. “Welcome to the family, Kimberly.”
When Kimberly woke up, Bethany took her aside to ask her a number of questions about her time with Maggie and Elijah. Melissa had already worked on the social worker, and she truly wanted what was best for Kimberly. She’d already met Maggie and liked her very much.
Elijah breathed heavily, a weight suddenly settling in his stomach. He didn’t know what he was thinking. He and Maggie weren’t on the best of terms at the moment. Maggie wasn’t in the best place. But he was thinking only of Kimberly. He’d prepared for this. The week before, he’d even set up one of the bedrooms in the house for her. It was supposed to be a surprise for Maggie, to help her figure out that taking in Kimberly was what she wanted, what she needed.
Bethany came back around the corner, holding Kimberly’s hand in her own. Elijah bent down and rested his hands on his knees so he was looking the girl in the eyes.
“Kimmy, what do you say we get out of here?”
She nodded slowly and reached towards Elijah, releasing Bethany. Elijah picked her up easily and rested her against his hip.
“Mr. Lugo,” Bethany said before they left. “I hope you realize how unorthodox this is, but I want to do what’s best for the child and Melissa’s convinced me this is it. You’re lucky to have a lawyer like that on your side. There’s a lot to figure out – there’s paperwork to do and judges to see. Until all that is finished, we’ll be monitoring the situation closely. I’ll be in touch.” With that, she turned and disappeared down the long hospital hall.
Melissa followed close behind her, leaving Elijah and Michaela with Kimberly. There were tears dampening Elijah’s shirt as the child in his arms buried her face into it.
“Shhhhh,” Elijah cooed. “It’s going to be okay.”
Michaela cocked her head, one eyebrow arched.
“What?” Elijah asked.
“It’s good to see this side of you,” she shrugged. “The kid’s going to need it.”
Michaela went with them to Elijah’s house to help get Kimberly settled in. There was still a lot of work to be done, but it was nearly livable. Kimberly’s room was ready, of course, so it would do until Maggie got back and they could hopefully go back to her apartment. I
t would only be a couple more weeks until they could move into the house permanently.
Kimberly had gone silent and didn’t move to get out of the car. Elijah leaned in and scooped her out, carrying her around to the back. That front porch was the next thing he had to work on.
Once inside, he brought her straight up the stairs and pushed open the door to her new room. It was a room he was quite proud of. Being a flipper, he didn’t typically decorate the houses beyond the simple before he sold them. This house was different, and he felt like he’d done a good job.
A twin bed with pink sheets and a white comforter sat in the center of the room, atop soft white carpet. The walls were a pretty yellow. The furniture was cherry wood and small, leaving plenty of room to move around. Adorning the walls were a few paintings of flowers and two framed photographs - one of Kimberly with her grandmother, and one of her and Maggie.
Kimberly shifted in his arms, but didn’t lift her head to take in the room. She wasn’t asleep, but she’d gone to a sad place and Elijah didn’t know how to help her. Maggie would know what to do.
Michaela stayed in the doorway as Elijah laid the girl on the bed and covered her with a blanket. She immediately curled up on her side and Elijah backed away, shutting the door behind him.
“You did all that for her?” Michaela’s voice was awed.
Elijah just looked at her.
“You did it for Maggie?” she asked.
“For both of them.” Elijah straightened his shoulders and brushed by her to go down the stairs.
“Does Maggie know?”
“No.” He hoped his tone stopped her from asking anything further. He was uncomfortable talking about all of it. But then, Michaela was in school to be a lawyer. There was no stopping her.
“How long have you known you’d do this?” she asked, following him through the house.
“Michaela,” he growled.
“Fine, fine.” She held up her hands in surrender. “I’ve got to get going.” She grabbed her purse. “I’ll catch a cab. Call me if you need anything. I’ll check in later.”
“Okay,” he said, catching her before she walked out the door. “Michaela, thanks.”
She nodded and then was gone.
Elijah walked back upstairs and peeked in on Kimberly, the enormity of the situation hitting him full force. She wasn’t just crashing with them as before. A twinge behind his eye grew into a full blown headache, a remnant of the hangover from that morning. That seemed like another life.
I guess it was, he thought. This is when life gets real.
Chapter Twenty
“Damn it,” Jason said, throwing his phone onto the center console. “It’s dead.”
“Want to use mine?” Maggie asked. “It’s turned off, but you can power it up.”
“No, it’s fine.” He sighed. “I’ll just talk to her when we get back.”
A smile spread across Maggie’s face, but she hid it quickly. Jason couldn’t stand to be away from Michaela for long. She reached over and squeezed his hand before gripping the steering wheel once again.
They’d planned on staying one more night in Boston, but both were anxious to get home. Mama Lugo understood. She wanted Maggie to get back to Elijah as quickly as possible, hoping for some dramatic reunion. She finally admitted that she’d always hoped they’d realize their feelings for each other.
For Maggie, it was as if closing the door to some of the worst parts of her past made her see things clearly for the first time. She no longer had this anger hanging over her. Anger for her father. Anger for Jake. It was all gone. And in the absence of bitterness, she found she had hope for maybe the first time since she was a kid. Coming to Boston had been the right thing to do.
“Thanks for coming with me, Jason,” she said suddenly.
“You okay, Mags?” he asked skeptically. “You don’t sound like yourself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve just been so nice lately,” he laughed. “I think this visit knocked a few screws loose.” He used his fingers to mimic drilling into her head.
“Asshole.” She swatted his hands away.
“There’s my cousin.” He grinned, and she answered it with one of her own. “Although, that language just won’t do when school starts up here soon.”
“Eh, they have to learn some time.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at the road, acting completely serious.
“I guess first grade is as good a time as any.” He mimicked her seriousness.
After a moment, they both started laughing. She felt some of the tension in her shoulders ease as they drove in silence for a while. Being with her cousin had that effect. He had a scarred past as well, but there was a lightness about him that she loved. It hadn’t always been there.
The light had faded from the day, and she couldn’t see much of him beside her when she looked out of the corner of her eye, but he seemed relaxed. Hell, he always seemed relaxed. She was wound so tightly most of the time that they balanced each other out.
“Can I ask you a question, Cuz?” Jason’s voice was startling in the quiet car.
“Shoot.”
“Are you and Elijah okay?” His voice cracked a bit with nervousness. He wasn’t sure he had the right to ask. “It’s just, you haven’t been talking to him the whole time we’ve been gone.”
“We were only in Boston for one night.”
“Yeah, but...” he left it hanging, leaning his head back against the headrest.
“But... you couldn’t go that long without talking to Michaela,” she finished for him.
“Well... yeah,” he said.
It wasn’t that Maggie hadn’t wanted to call Elijah; she had. She wanted nothing more than for him to tell her she was doing the right thing. For him to be her best friend again. For him to tell her he loved her and everything was going to be okay. At first, something had stopped her. Then she realized, after everything that had happened in Boston, there were some things she needed to say to him. No more waiting. No more caution or fear. She needed to do it in person.
Before they left, Maggie let Mama Lugo read her father’s letter. She put it down when she was finished and reached out to envelop Maggie in a mother’s hug. This is what a parent should make you feel like, Maggie thought as she rested her head on the older woman’s shoulder.
“Maggie,” Mama had said, “Sweetheart, you can’t be so afraid of being alone that you push away those who love you most.”
“I don’t know if that makes any sense, Mama,” Maggie laughed.
“But you know what I mean.” She had pulled back and looked Maggie in the eye.
“I do.” Maggie nodded and then stood to leave.
And now, here they were. Maggie and Jason, driving home where they had people waiting for them. Elijah would be waiting for her, she was suddenly sure of it. He’d been open about his feelings for a while now. It was her turn to do the same.
Maggie turned her head, one eye on Jason, one on the road. “We’ll be fine,” she finally answered him.
Maggie dropped Jason at Michaela’s apartment. He was going to see her before changing and heading over to check on his bar. It should be packed by this time of night.
She barely registered anything as she drove through the streets of the city she’d come to know so well over the past few years. It was home in a way Boston never had been.
The traffic light turned green, and she kept going. It wasn’t long before she pulled into the familiar neighborhood. It was late, but she knew where Elijah would be.
His car sat out front, and her pulse picked up upon seeing it. But she wasn’t nervous. No, that was gone. The butterflies were something else. Excitement. She was letting herself do this. She wasn’t going to back down. Elijah was right. Jason was right. Mama was right. Hell, even Jake was right. Her and Elijah. This was how it was always meant to be.
She put her car in park and got out, pushing the door shut behind her.
The fro
nt porch was still a mess, so she walked around back, each step bringing her closer to what she should’ve wanted all along. She pushed open the side gate and stepped through into the backyard.
The willow tree loomed in the far corner, a shadow in the night. Their bench wasn’t visible, but she knew it was there and it gave her courage.
She rounded the corner of the house and stopped. The porch light was on, illuminating the lone figure sitting in one of the wooden deck chairs. He was bent over, holding his head in his hands.
A single beer sat on the arm of the chair. There were no empties strewn about like she would have expected with her father or Jake. Just one.
She breathed deeply as he ran a hand through his dark hair. The light created shadows on his strained face, making him look almost menacing. But he wasn’t menacing. He was sweet. He was thoughtful. He was Elijah.
He hadn’t seen her yet, which allowed her to watch him. He was brooding about something. She could always tell by the way his brow was pinched and the way his hands wouldn’t stay still. He reached over to grasp his beer, taking a long drink before bending over again, elbows on his thighs and the beer bottle dangling between them.
“I know you’re there,” he said after a while, still not looking at her.
“Caught me.” She held up her hands and stepped into the light.
“When did you get back?”
“Just now.” She took the steps slowly.
He finally looked up at her. She stopped right in front of him and reached down to take the beer from his hands. It was still half-full when she raised it to her lips and took a long drink. She never got drunk, but she wasn’t immune to the pleasure of the occasional beer.
Elijah just watched her.
“I needed that,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”
Elijah glanced back at the house, and Maggie gave him a questioning look. “It’s about to get longer,” he said. “Look, I need to tell you something.”
The New Beginnings (Books #1-3) Page 32