The Baby Wore a Badge

by Marie Ferrarella

  Calista’s heart ached for him. She sensed that admitting to this, to Maggie’s rejection of his proposal and the consequences that inadvertently ensued because of that rejection, cost him a great deal.

  For a moment, O’Shea seemed to mull over this new piece of information, but then a second wave of anger visibly washed over him. His eyes narrowed as they focused on Calista with contempt.

  “Recovered pretty fast from my daughter’s rejection, didn’t you?” Before Jake could ask what he was talking about, O’Shea nodded toward Calista. “Asking this one to marry you when my daughter’s body is hardly cold,” he said contemptuously. “Or is this all a game to you?”

  “Harry, please,” Mrs. O’Shea half chided, half pleaded with her husband for him to be more civil. When he looked at her accusingly, she addressed her words to all three of them. “When I first found out what Maggie wanted to do—to have a baby in such a practical, sterile fashion—I was dead set against it. It just didn’t seem right to me. She tried to win me over to her side, telling me what a good man you were, Jake,” she said, looking at him. “And that there wasn’t anyone she would have wanted to father her child more than you.” Her voice caught, but she pushed forward. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she remembered one of the last conversations she’d had with her daughter. “She told me that Jake had all the qualities she wanted her baby to have. I still told her not to go through with it, to wait until she found someone she wanted to marry, to have a family with.” She wiped away a tear. “But she went ahead anyway. And thank God she did, because now, at least I still have a part of her,” she concluded with a sob.

  O’Shea blew out a long breath and made an unintelligible disparaging noise. “If that’s true, if she found him so ‘wonderful,’ why didn’t she want to marry him?” he challenged his wife.

  “Because she didn’t want to get married,” his wife admitted heavily. “To anyone.” Heartsick, Mrs. O’Shea wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. She looked over toward the baby, then, rising, she crossed to Jake. “May I—may I hold her, please?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly.

  Nodding, Jake surrendered his daughter to her grandmother. Rather than cross back to her husband with the child, Gloria O’Shea sank down on the bench beside Jake.

  To Calista the silent deed spoke volumes.

  Angry over what he’d just heard, angry that his beloved only little girl had been so stubbornly independent, so different from what his own initial projections of what he had wanted her to be, for a few minutes, O’Shea was at a loss for coherent words.

  He struggled to collect himself. “Yeah, well, the fact remains that we still can provide the better, more stable life for Marlie.”

  “No disrespect intended, sir,” Calista began, “but your granddaughter needs parents who can keep up with her. She deserves that,” she added pointedly.

  “What she deserves is a stable life,” O’Shea snapped back. “Not some wet-behind-the-ears woman who’s barely out of elementary school herself.”

  “She’ll have that stable life,” Jake informed him. “And Calista’s a lot older, not to mention wiser, than she looks,” he informed Maggie’s father coldly, coming to Calista’s defense. O’Shea had no right to just dismiss her like that. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my daughter, Mr. O’Shea. There aren’t any lengths I wouldn’t go to to ensure she has everything she needs and deserves.”

  “Including marrying someone you don’t love just to create the illusion of a family?” O’Shea challenged. It was obvious that he still didn’t believe him.

  Calista began to say something, but Jake held his hand up, signaling he wanted her to hold her peace as he answered.

  “Including that,” he readily agreed. His next words took everyone by surprise, most of all Calista. “Fortunately, that won’t be the case here.”

  He was turning her down, Calista thought. She felt frustration setting in. He was making a mistake and there wasn’t anything she could do to prevent it.

  Jake looked toward her for a moment, then said to O’Shea, “Because I’ve come to realize that I do love Calista.”

  Had she not suddenly discovered she was frozen in place, Calista was fairly positive that her mouth would have dropped open, with her chin hitting the ground somewhere beside her feet.

  It took her a second to realize that Jake was still talking.

  “She’s shown herself to be in every way a kind, loving, caring woman who loves Marlie and would gladly place Marlie’s well-being above her own. Maggie and I had a great many things in common and we shared most of the same experiences on the job together. But what Calista and I share is far broader than that. Maggie gave birth to Marlie, but she couldn’t wait to get back to the job. That was where her heart was. She was a law enforcement agent first, a mother second. That was what we argued about before she went back to work early. And that was really why she asked for another partner. Because seeing me reminded her that she didn’t want to be a mother above all else. That was just one part of her.

  “And there’s nothing wrong with that,” he went on to state. “But it did split us up. I don’t feel the same way Maggie did. I’m willing to give up being a cop for Marlie. For all intents and purposes,” he told them, “I already have. And I’d do it again. Don’t take my daughter from me. I need her and she needs me.”

  O’Shea opened his mouth twice, but both times he shut it again, as if unsure of what he should say first. Undecided, he looked at his wife for a long moment, as if communicating with her on some different level, the one achieved by a couple who had been together for decades and basically knew each other’s thoughts.

  “If we drop the suit,” O’Shea began after a couple of false starts, “and let you keep custody of Marlie, when will we be able to see her?”

  There was no hesitation on Jake’s part. This was never about exclusive control, only in keeping his deathbed promise to Maggie.

  “You’re her grandparents,” Jake said to the couple. “You’re part of her life. You can visit her as often as you like.”

  “She’ll grow up a lot happier knowing she’s so well loved and not just some ultimate prize in a surreal tug-of-war contest,” Calista told the older couple, adding her two cents.

  O’Shea was still hedging and it was impossible to see if he’d been won over or if he was just baiting them for some perverse reason.

  “And if we drop the suit,” the man posed, putting a great deal of emphasis on the single two-letter word, “are you two still going to get married?” He looked from one to the other, waiting for a reply, an odd sort of look in his eyes.

  He was setting them up with a trick question, Calista thought. Her gut told her that the man wanted to hear an affirmative answer, otherwise he would hold it against Jake, most likely saying that he’d lied just to get them to go along with the arrangement.

  But even as she began to say “Yes,” the only answer she felt that would work in this scenario, she heard Jake answering his late partner’s father for them.

  “Yes. Yes, we will.” Jake slanted a look in her direction. “Provided that Calista still wants me.”

  That, her instincts told her, was Jake’s way out of this glass prison he’d constructed for himself. He’d remain the man who had all the good impulses and she would be the one who vetoed them. That was how he wanted this to play out.

  She didn’t fault him. It made things sound more believable. That they’d decided to get married, but if the custody suit was dropped, then the element of extreme urgency was taken out of the equation, leaving them to get married at their own unhurried pace.

  All that remained was putting this into words.

  So when O’Shea looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to give Jake an answer to the tentative situation he’d outlined—if she still wanted to get married—she had no choice but to say, “Yes, of course I still want to.”

  Mrs. O’Shea looked almost meek as she spared a glance toward her husband bef
ore asking Calista, “Would we be invited to the wedding?”

  Calista found herself temporarily at a loss as to how to handle the question. How deeply did she tread into this lie that seemed to be growing by the moment? How much was Jake going to allow or tolerate without finally declaring that enough was enough, that they weren’t getting married?

  Searching desperately for a way out, for a moment Calista was unaware that Jake had started talking. It wasn’t until she realized that he was answering the woman’s hesitant question that she began listening more closely.

  And then became completely speechless.

  “Of course you’re invited to the wedding, Mrs. O’Shea.”

  Marlie began to fuss just then and Calista turned to take her from the older woman. She secretly blessed the child for providing her with an excuse because she needed something to do with her hands until she could recall just how to form words again.

  Because right now, her mind was a total blank.

  It only became more so as Mrs. O’Shea told her, “That’s okay. Let me try to soothe her. It brings back old memories.”

  Calista had no choice but to back off.

  Still too stunned to speak, she stole a look at Jake, wondering what in God’s name had prompted the New Orleans police officer to say what he had now that he really didn’t have to pretend anymore.

  Or did he know something she didn’t?

  Chapter Fifteen

  “So it’s settled,” Calista said some forty minutes later, wanting, for Jake’s sake, to review the points involving Marlie’s future that had been negotiated in this park today. “You’ll drop the custody suit and allow Marlie to live with us.”

  She’d almost slipped and said “with Jake,” thereby indicating by her slip that she wasn’t part of the actual equation, the way the O’Sheas had been led to believe that she was.

  It didn’t take someone versed in psychology—which she was—to know that the agreement would become null and void for the older couple if they suspected that Jake wasn’t about to go through with this proposed marriage. She had no doubt that somewhere down the line—very quickly, actually—he’d come up with a way to convince the couple that even though the marriage had fallen through, he could provide a good, stable home for his daughter.

  But for now, they would play this game. “And in exchange, you can come to visit Marlie anytime you like. It’d be easier for you to come here because you’re retired and can be more flexible.”

  “Sounds about right,” O’Shea nodded. There were overtones of grousing in his voice, but it appeared that he had made the concession, however grudgingly. Especially because Jake hadn’t placed any restrictions on their visitation rights.

  “All we ask,” Jake added, “is that you give us some warning and call before you come by.”

  Was that so he could call her to come over and get things ready, enabling them to play their roles? But how was he going to handle the sticky problem about staging a wedding?

  O’Shea lumbered over to stand before his wife and look down at his granddaughter, who for the moment had quieted down again. His cottony gray eyebrows drew together in less than an affable line as he threw a glance toward Jake.

  “That ain’t all you’re asking and you know it.” He sat down heavily on the other side of his wife. His face softened as he touched Marlie’s tiny fisted hand.

  Calista noticed that Mrs. O’Shea placed a gentling hand on her husband’s wrist, imploring him silently to resolve this matter peacefully for the sake of all concerned.

  The latter blew out a frustrated breath, shrugged and said, “But yeah, we’ll call ahead and give you a warning so you can hide whatever it is you need to hide from us.”

  “Mainly it’s so I can clean up a little,” Calista told him pleasantly. “Things have a tendency to pile up and get a little messy when you’re completely focused on taking care of a baby.”

  O’Shea nodded, appearing to barely hear her. He was looking at Marlie. “I’d better call that lawyer and tell him we won’t be needing him.” Rising to his feet, signaling an end to the meeting, he looked from Jake to Calista. “But I’m keeping the card just in case.”

  O’Shea’s message was clear. They weren’t completely out of the woods yet. The man clearly intended to keep them on their toes when it came to taking care of his granddaughter.

  As if he had to, Calista thought.

  The two couples walked back together to the parking lot that was behind the park, each attempting to assimilate the agreement that had been reached. For the most part, the matter was resolved, but a residue amount of uncertainty and uneasiness still hung in the air. That was going to take time to work out.

  Once Marlie was securely fastened into the backseat, Jake got in on the driver’s side, sat down and waited for Calista to secure her own seat belt before starting up the vehicle. With this truce with the O’Sheas finally in place, he able to breathe easier. But there was still a whole list of things to do.

  “I’m going to have to call my lieutenant, tell him I’m not coming back,” he said as he backed out of the parking spot. “No point in his holding my job for me if I’m going to stay here.”

  Calista looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t mentioned where he planned to live. That he was going to remain in Thunder Canyon thrilled her to no end. “So you’re going to stay here permanently?”

  “Only makes sense,” he confirmed. The look on his face when he glanced at her said he was surprised that she even had to ask. “That means I’ve got to find a job here.” It wasn’t a prospect he looked forward to. Ever since he could remember, all he’d ever wanted to be was a cop, but that had to be behind him now. “Maybe I can get a job at the resort.”

  Calista’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “You mean like a regular job-job?” She couldn’t begin to picture Jake working there. As what? The bellhop? The desk clerk? It just wasn’t him.

  “Yes, like a regular job-job.” He tried to pretend that the very idea didn’t drain his soul.

  He was kidding, wasn’t he? “And give up police work?”

  Jake stared straight ahead as he drove back to his sister’s house. He told himself to focus strictly on the victory that had been won today. A victory made that much smoother by the woman who was busy grilling him right now. “Yes.”

  There wasn’t going to be a punch line to this, was there? He was serious. “But you love being a cop,” she protested.

  “I’ve got Marlie to think of.”

  She knew what he was saying. That police work was dangerous and that Marlie had already lost one parent because of the hazards of law enforcement. He probably figured it would be selfish of him to continue in his line of work.

  She saw it differently. “Marlie wouldn’t want to see you unhappy because of her. And if Maggie were here, she’d tell you not to give it up, either. She didn’t.”

  That was just his point. “And look where it got her.”

  If danger was what was holding him back, she doubted if it was much of a factor around here. Law enforcement agents were more likely to die of old age or boredom in Thunder Canyon than of a gunshot wound.

  “Did you know that there’s an opening on the Thunder Canyon police force?” she asked him. His surprised glance in her direction answered her question for her. “Someone with your background would be a shoo-in for the job. Granted, it wouldn’t be as exciting as working in New Orleans, but you’d still be in law enforcement. Why don’t you put in your application?”

  He smiled to himself as a peacefulness came out of nowhere and descended over him. The pieces were all coming together, a good many of them ushered into place by the woman in the passenger seat.

  It occurred to Jake that Calista was looking out for him. As she had been since they’d come together because of Marlie. Calista wasn’t nearly as young as he’d first thought. And she definitely had a good head on her shoulders. Besides her many other assets.

  “I think I will,” he told her.

  H
e sounded happy. Good. Calista settled into her seat as the tension drained out of her. “All things considered, that went rather well back there with the O’Sheas.” Better, actually, than she’d expected for a first go-round. And then she remembered. They weren’t out of the woods yet. “All except for—” She shifted in her seat to look at him. “What are we going to do about the wedding ceremony they’re expecting?”

  He shrugged, as if that was so insignificant it didn’t even merit a moment’s concern. “Invite them, like we said.”

  Was he hallucinating? How did he think they were going to pull this off? With puppets? “For them to attend a wedding, there has to be a wedding,” she reminded him patiently.

  His expression was completely unfazed as he glanced at her and said, “So?”

  “So?” she echoed in disbelief. “So there’s not going to be a wedding.”

  “Yes, there is,” Jake countered. Easing his foot off the gas as they came to a red light, he slanted a look at her. “Isn’t there?”

  The man was definitely confusing her. He made it sound as if it was already a done deal.

  “Wait,” she cried, mentally backing up. “Are you telling me that we’re going through with this?”

  “You were the one who volunteered, remember?” he reminded her. Was she backing down now? Had it been strictly to help him hang on to Marlie and nothing more? Had he misread the signals he thought she was giving?

  “I know, but that was when it looked as if that was the only way you could get to keep Marlie with you.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the rear passenger seat where Jake’s daughter was securely strapped into her car seat, lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the moving vehicle.

  He needed time to process this. “So you’re saying you don’t want to marry me?”

  I would love to marry you—because you wanted me, not because you needed an accomplice. “I’m saying Maggie’s parents have backed off, which means that you no longer have to go through with this charade.”

  He gave her another look, a look she couldn’t begin to read, just as the light turned green again.