“So, has he called yet?” Bea asked as we made our way down the sidewalk. There was no point in driving when we were about to exercise anyway.
I shook my head. “No. I don’t really expect him to either. He said it was just a break, but there was a sense of finality in how he said it. He was freaked out that night. I don’t want to give up on him, but I can’t keep torturin’ myself, waitin’ by the phone twenty-four seven either.”
I confessed everything about what had happened between us to Bea. Unlike her, I often needed to unload my feelings, get everything out there and talk it out before I could understand my emotions. She preferred to hold everything back until she was about to explode.
“And you shouldn’t have to wait either,” she said, a thoughtful look on her face when I glanced over at her. “But sometimes people need the time to figure it all out. You guys admitted to loving each other. That’s a big step, especially for a guy who thought he was in love with a woman once—even married her—and she turned out to be a witch. When things got real with that whole Penny situation, especially after such an intense night with you, it’s sort of understandable that everything hit him all at once and he wigged out.”
“So, you’re sayin’ that I should keep waitin’ and just be patient then?” I clarified.
She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I’m sayin’ that if you really love him and think you want to be with him for the long haul, you will wait. Those feelings you have won’t exactly go away overnight. I know it’s hard but just try not to lose hope.”
She dodged a group of middle schoolers who looked like they were on a field trip with their teacher before she caught back up to me and spoke again. “Because don’t take this the wrong way, but you’ve only got yourself to think about. You’re only responsible for yourself. Gabe is responsible for a whole other person. It’s his job to take care of Penny; she can’t do it herself. And when a kid is involved like that, it just adds a whole other level of complexities to the situation.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, my eyebrow raised in question. “Where did all of this wisdom come from all of a sudden? The Bea I know doesn’t usually get this deep.”
She snorted sarcastically. “Psych 101 rearin’ its ugly head,” she responded.
“And where was all of that whenever Zane took off for England and you ate your weight in my chocolate ice cream?”
She shot me a look. “It’s different when it’s happenin’ to you. Much easier to see things from the outside lookin’ in. That was day one of Psych class.”
I rolled my eyes. “As much as it pains me to admit, you might have made some good points somewhere in there.”
“Duh,” she huffed. “I know what I’m talkin’ about. I got a man like Zane Price after all, so you should probably listen to me.” I laughed and she lightly bumped my shoulder with hers. “You’re goin’ to be okay, you know. You’ve always been the stronger one out of the two of us.”
That made my chest tighten with emotion. “About time you realized it.”
She just laughed and threw her arm around me.
Having a sister was nice. Sometimes. Until she ate all of your chocolate ice cream and then it was game on.
##
“Oh my God, I can’t breathe!” Bea groaned as we gathered up our stuff at the studio. “If I wanted to sweat like an animal, I would have just went and played soccer with Zane and his friends.”
Apparently, my sister hadn’t understood that the class we had been attending was a hot yoga class. I’m pretty sure she hadn’t even known such a thing existed.
“Why would anyone choose to do this?” she exclaimed as she fanned herself with her hand. “I mean, seriously. I have sweat drippin’ in places that it should never drip in.”
I cringed as I took a long gulp of my water. “I really don’t need to know that, Bea.”
“Yeah well, I’m blamin’ this all on you so you’re goin’ to hear about it.”
“It was your idea to come here.”
She threw her arms out to her sides. “For you! I was tryin’ to be nice. Consider this your birthday present, by the way. Doin’ this with you was like the equivalent of buying you a new Fendi purse.”
I narrowed my eyes but she put her hand in my face before I could comment on that. “Not another word. What time is it? Is it too late for mimosas?” I started to say “maybe” but she cut me off. “Too bad. I want some mimosas. Get me some of those and maybe I’ll quit bitchin’.”
We did decide to change our clothes before we went anywhere because gross. Bea hadn’t been completely exaggerating; we were really sweaty. But since both of us were starving and she was apparently hankering for some orange juice and champagne, we didn’t bother taking showers. When she asked where I wanted to go, I immediately knew and didn’t give her the opportunity to argue. I wasn’t even sure if the place served mimosas, but she could suck on an orange to get her fix for all I cared.
It was a perfect day to sit outside at The Rusty Can, right along the river. Although it would have been more perfect if Gabe had been with me.
“Wow, I’ve never even heard of this place,” Bea mused as we sat down at a table and ordered our drinks. Luckily, they did serve mimosas so everyone around us was safe from one of her tirades. Because my stomach was still bothering me a little, I decided to just stick with water.
“I hadn’t either but they’ve got great food.”
As we waited for our food to come and stared out at the waters of the Potomac River glistening in the sunlight, I, of course, thought about Gabe and Penny. How I would handle it if neither one of them was in my life. If I would ever be able to find someone else who made me as happy as Gabe did. And whether or not they even missed having me in their lives.
“Can I ask you somethin’?” Bea asked after a few minutes.
I turned in my chair to face her. “Sure.”
She narrowed her eyes in thought and then asked, “If Gabe does come around and wants to make things between you work, you realize you’re also goin’ to be responsible for Penny. I mean, especially with Vanessa the Vampire bein’ the most unreliable person on the planet, Gabe’s goin’ to trust in you to help him with Penny.”
I shrugged. “What’s your question?”
“Are you ready for that? It’s not like you would have had nine months to prepare for havin’ a child. All of a sudden, you’ll be takin’ on the responsibilities of a fully grown six-year-old. And let’s say things with you and Gabe get super serious down the road. Are you ready to be a mother to that girl?”
I bit my lip in contemplation, already knowing the answer but I gave myself some time to think it over. No matter how I spun it, though, or how many different scenarios ran through my head, I came to the same conclusion every time.
“Yes,” I answered. “That girl needs a positive female influence in her life and I want to be that person. I’m ready to take that on. And even if I wasn’t, I would do whatever I had to do to be with Gabe.” I took a few sips of my water and picked at the napkin on the table. “Besides, I’ve always loved kids. I always thought I would be a good mother.”
Her mouth formed into a soft smile. “And you will be. I’ve never had any doubt about that. I just wanted to make sure you knew it, too.”
That was the last thing said before an overwhelming bout of nausea hit me and I had to rush to the bathroom.
##
Chapter Fourteen
Gabe
Five years ago, if someone would have told me that I would one day be sitting in a courtroom with my horrid ex-wife, seething with anger toward her, while I fought to keep our six-year-old daughter away from her, I would have told them they were insane.
But that’s where I was.
I once thought that I had been in control of my life, that I had planned my future out so carefully, so precisely. And then it all unraveled. The plans I had crumbled, the visions I had vanished. The only good thing that came out of the mess that was my past was Penny.
And today was the day that I would be able to put all of that behind me. The judge was making his final decision on the custody arrangement and I had been a ball of tension for days. I just wanted to be done with all of this so that Penny and I could move on with our lives, be left in peace and not have to deal with Vanessa’s erratic dysfunction.
Not to mention the fact that I had been extra grouchy as of late since I hadn’t had any communication with Felicity for over three weeks, which was all my fault. Aside from sending me the pictures she had taken of Vanessa’s living room that night, she had kept her distance as I requested. But I was missing her with a fierce intensity, constantly thinking about her, dreaming about her.
Penny had noticed her absence, too, asking when Felicity was going to come over again.
It broke my heart.
Because I didn’t know what to tell her. I hadn’t yet made my decision on what to do. And honestly, I wasn’t going to be able to make a decision until this court hearing was over and I could take my little girl home, permanently.
I just hoped that Felicity didn’t hate me. For the past three weeks, my love for her had only strengthened. And no matter what happened today, I was coming to the conclusion that I would have to have her in my life somehow, for my own sanity. In what capacity had yet to be determined but if I had my way, she would be in my bed every night for the rest of our lives.
The judge suddenly cleared his throat, cutting through the tension of the room. “In light of the recent accounts of child neglect on the part of Ms. Bradshaw and the evidence presented by Mr. Wexler, I’m granting his request for sole custody of Penny Wexler. Ms. Bradshaw will be granted supervised visits, the details of which will be discussed at a separate hearing.”
My eyes fell closed and I tipped my head back in thanksgiving.
She’s mine.
Those were some of the sweetest words I had ever heard.
Vanessa shot to her feet, a look of menace on her makeup-caked face. Her lawyer was frantically pulling on her arm to prevent her from saying whatever she was about to. “Your Honor, I really must protest. This is ridiculous. You can’t take a child away from her mother—”
The judge ripped his glasses off and pinned her with a furious glare, one that even unnerved me a little. “Ms. Bradshaw, you will watch the manner in which you address me in my courtroom. You’re lucky that you haven’t been brought up on charges of child endangerment because they are certainly grounds for it here. Over the last several months, you have done nothing but prove to me that you are not fit to handle the responsibilities and obligations of caring for a child. Quite frankly, I have no tolerance for individuals like you. Those who have never been held accountable for the consequences of their actions. And if you question my judgment one more time, I will hold you in contempt.”
Damn. I had a newfound respect for this judge.
I glanced over at Vanessa to watch her slump back down in her chair, a hateful pout on her face. That shut her up real quick.
The judge put his glasses back on and looked down at the papers in his hands. “I’m scheduling another hearing on the twenty-sixth to work out the details of the supervised visits. Case dismissed.”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” I said and shook hands with my lawyer before gathering up my things.
A weight the size of an 800-pound gorilla was suddenly lifted off my shoulders.
I met Vanessa as we both headed for the door and waited for her reaction. The fact that she didn’t seem upset or hurt by this decision, just angry, was sad but not a surprise. She was only going to be able to spend a few hours every now and then with her daughter and her eyes hadn’t even teared up.
“I’ll come by your place later today to get the rest of Penny’s things,” I told her.
She pursed her lips, clearly wanting to say more but restrained herself. She shrugged instead. “Whatever. Go ahead. I’ve got a photo shoot at three so I won’t be there.”
Of course you do.
She was probably never going to learn.
But because I had some decency in me and because we had made a child together, I decided to be civil for a minute. “I’m sorry things had to happen this way, Vanessa.”
She looked away, her eyebrows furrowing slightly, taking me aback. That time, she actually did look affected. She swallowed and said without looking at me, “Yeah, well. You got what you wanted so you should be happy.”
I shook my head in disappointment. “It’s not about what I wanted. It was never about that. It’s about what’s best for Penny. You should know after all these years that’s what’s important to me. It should matter to you, too.”
She stared at the floor and I wondered if shame was keeping her from meeting my eyes. If she could actually feel ashamed of herself. I had certainly never seen it before.
“She’ll be happy with you,” she whispered. “So, I guess I can’t be mad about that. I’ll see you on the twenty-sixth.”
And then she walked away.
It was over.
I could finally take my girl home and know that no one would ever try to take her away again.
##
“Remember to kick your feet,” I told Penny as I helped support her in the water. “Good job. Keep it up,” I praised her when she followed my instruction.
I had taken off the whole day from work for the court hearing, so I went to pick Penny up from school after I left the courtroom and decided it was too gorgeous of a day to waste inside. We had been outside in our in-ground pool for most of the afternoon and then I thought I would teach her how to swim.
The only thing preventing it from being one of the best days of my life was the absence of a certain someone. Someone I had been so close to calling when we got home. But I decided to make this afternoon all about me and Penny, time to ourselves.
That didn’t stop me from wanting Felicity there, though.
She would have made this beautiful day feel even more complete.
“Pretty soon you won’t even need your floaties anymore, Peanut,” I said as we got out and started to dry off.
Penny giggled when I threw the towel over head and attempted to dry her hair a little. “You hungry?” I asked her as it was getting close to dinner time.
She nodded. “Yes. Can we have chicken nuggets for supper?”
I wasn’t going to deny my girl anything today. Not today of all days. “Sure. Do you want macaroni and cheese, too?”
Another nod. “Yeah and maybe some pineapple?”
I chuckled. “Pineapple? You like pineapple now?”
She smiled at me, a childlike gleam in her eyes that I never wanted to see go away again. “It’s Felicity’s favorite so I like it now, too.”
My smile faded slightly, the sound of her name coming from Penny’s lips a little hard to hear. “Let’s go wash your hair, then, and I’ll cut up some pineapple.”
I got Penny washed up and headed for the kitchen to start dinner as she plopped down on the living room floor to play with her horses and plastic stables set that I had brought over from Vanessa’s house earlier. As I walked by the front door, though, something outside caught my eye. Through the glass on the door I could see something sitting on our front stoop that looked like a large box.
Curious, I opened the door and examined the cardboard box. I didn’t remember ordering anything so I wasn’t sure what this could have been. It looked like it had been opened and then haphazardly taped back together. I leaned closer to get a better look at the shipping label and started to breathe a little faster when I saw Felicity’s name and address stamped across it.
If it was shipped to Felicity, why was it here?
Had she brought it by? I didn’t remember hearing the doorbell and I knew that it hadn’t been there when we had gotten home earlier. She must have stopped by and left it while we had been in the pool. A sharp pain pierced my chest when I realized that she came by without knocking or even trying to talk to me.
She just came by, d
ropped it off, and left.
I crouched down and ripped off the tape, opening it to find a piece of paper placed on top.
Gabe,
This was going to be my surprise for Penny when she got her pony. Hope everything went well at the hearing. Tell her hello for me.
Thinking of you two,
Felicity
Now desperate to see the contents, I dug through the Styrofoam peanuts until my fingers grazed something rough yet smooth, feeling somewhat like leather. I pulled the large object out of the box and stunned at what I was seeing, I dropped to my knees in disbelief.
It was a saddle.
With Penny’s name stitched into the side, surrounded by flowers.
Felicity had known I was planning to surprise Penny with a pony whenever the custody battle was finalized. And judging from her note, I was guessing that she had ordered this for her sometime before we had broken up.
The gesture floored me.
I heard Penny’s footsteps running toward the front door, so I carefully placed the saddle back into the box so she wouldn’t see it. I didn’t want her knowing about the pony yet. And I didn’t want anyone else but Felicity presenting her with the saddle.
“Whatcha doing, Daddy?” Penny asked, poking her head through.
“Oh, nothing. Daddy just got a package. No girly stuff in here, though.”
She giggled and turned to go back inside but I stopped her. “Hey, Peanut. I have a question for you.” She stopped and looked at me as I fought my nerves. If Penny didn’t go for this idea than the whole thing would be moot. “You like Felicity, right?” She nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. “What would you think if Felicity came to stay with us?”
Her forehead scrunched up, questions in her eyes. “Like every night?”
I nodded. “Yes. Every night. Would you like that?”
“Would she be my new mommy?”
I chose my words carefully, not wanting to confuse her any more than she probably already was. “You’ll still see Mommy sometimes and she’ll always be your real mommy, but you won’t have to go to her house anymore. And you would call Felicity whatever you wanted to call her.”
Unexpected Love (Timid Souls Book 3) Page 11