“Hi.”
I put Lily down, and Kristin immediately pulled her close. As if she were trying to protect her from me. “How are you?”
“Fine,” she said quietly.
“That’s good,” I said and smiled. It felt good just to look at her.
We were silent for a long time, and Kristin was the one to finally break it. “Um… we need to go. It’s… it’s getting late, and we have homework to do.” She looked at me sadly. “Take care of yourself.”
“Kristin, wait,” I said, reaching out and placing my hand on her arm. “Can I… can I see you again?”
She didn’t even think about it. She immediately shook her head no. “I’m sorry. We need to go.”
And then they were gone.
***
Glutton for punishment. Take two.
Chuck called me and let me know that the kids had prepared a thank-you gift for me. I asked him if he could just mail it, but he said no. It was important for the kids to be able to say goodbye—especially after everything they’d heard about my saving Jessileigh.
So now here I was, walking into the school and being forced to be so close to Kristin and Lily and not being able to do a damn thing about it.
“Hi, Mr. Curtis,” Rose said as I walked into the office.
I nodded and didn’t get to say a word because Chuck walked out at that moment. “Come on, Declan. I’ll walk down to the class with you. I know you’re anxious to get in and out as quickly as possible.”
That was both true and false, but I chose not to mention it. We walked silently down to the class, and Chuck knocked on the door before we walked in. Sandra O’Brien smiled at us and immediately called the kids to come and sit in a circle. She had a chair sitting at the top of the circle for me to sit in, and I almost turned and ran out.
“Okay, class. Let’s all say hello to Mr. Curtis while you take your seats!”
Sure enough, the entire group sat in a perfect circle while calling out their greetings to me. Jessileigh was sitting on my right, and she reached up and grabbed my hand and squeezed it. Lily came and sat to my left and did the same thing.
I felt it all the way in my chest.
Once everyone was seated, Mrs. O’Brien came and stood behind me and motioned for the kids to look at her. Then she held up her hand and counted to three. All at once, the entire class began to sing the song they had been learning for the Christmas pageant. They sounded so sweet and so wonderful that it brought tears to my eyes.
Or maybe I’m allergic to something. I’m not sure.
When they’d finished, I clapped hard and loud and told them how proud I was of all their hard work and how great they sounded.
“We made this for you,” Jessileigh said as she stood and released my hand only to pick it up again a moment later when she handed me a giant card. “All of us drew a picture in it and signed our names.”
Sure enough, the card stood about three feet tall, and it was brightly decorated with all kinds of pictures—animals, cars, Spiderman, rainbows—and underneath each work of art was the name of the artist. I almost felt like I couldn’t breathe when I found Lily’s name and saw that she drew a picture of the three of us—her, Kristin, and me. Like a family. I swallowed hard as I looked up at all their little expectant faces, my heart in my throat. “Thank you,” I said quietly. “This is the best present I’ve ever gotten.”
Fifteen minutes later, we left the room. I knew that the kids had music class to get to, and I didn’t want to disrupt their day more than I already had. I walked with Chuck back down to the office and shook his hand.
“I want to thank you for all that you did while you were here, Declan. I know it was way out of your comfort zone, but you did a wonderful job with those kids. If you ever decide to change careers…,” he said with a laugh.
I couldn’t help but join in. It felt good. “Thanks, Chuck. But let’s just say that I know my limitations.” We shook hands again, and I watched as he walked into the office.
And Kristin walked out.
We stood there, frozen in place. “Hi,” I said cautiously. This was so not the time or the place, and yet there was no way for me to just pretend that she wasn’t right there.
“Hi.” She looked around nervously and fidgeted with her hair and then looked down at the giant card in my hand. “You saw the kids.” It was a statement, not a question.
I nodded. “They sang for me. It was great.”
“Lily was really excited about it. They all wanted it to be perfect for you.”
“It was amazing. They’re going to be a big hit in the Christmas pageant,” I said with a smile. “They’re a great group of kids.” The small talk was killing me. “Listen, can… can we step outside for a minute? Please?”
At first I thought she was going to just take off, but she took a deep breath as if to steady herself. “Declan, I can’t do this. I can’t… I thought that I could do the casual thing. And then I thought I could deal with getting involved with someone again. It turns out, I can’t. I can’t go through what I did with Nick again. Not even for you.”
I took a step toward her and was relieved when she didn’t take a step back. “Kristin, there are no guarantees in life. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Are you really willing to go through life—missing out on living—because you’re too afraid to take a risk?” I asked desperately. “What happened that day was a freak accident. Believe me, I didn’t sign on for that either. I took Jess’s case because it was supposed to be safe.”
“But what about the next case? Or the one after that?” Tears began to form in her eyes, and they almost killed me. “I wouldn’t survive it a second time. I can’t do that to Lily.”
“The guys and I talked. We’re going to do less risky and dangerous cases. We’re going to hire more guys. I… I’m trying here,” I said, willing her to believe me.
She was silent for a long time. And then she wasn’t. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m really, really sorry.” And then she turned and ran down the hall toward her class.
Thirteen
Kristin
Sometimes making the smart decision hurts like hell.
Sometimes making the smart decision feels like the worst thing you could have done.
This was definitely one of those times.
For more than a week now, I’d been telling and retelling myself that this was for the best, that both Lily and I would end up being devastated again if I chose to have a relationship with a man like Declan. And when he showed up at school, showing a side of himself that few even knew existed, it just twisted the knife in the pain.
But I was going to remain resolute. I wasn’t going to cave, just because everything inside me was screaming to do so.
I was reminding myself yet again that this was for the best as Lily and I drove to the cemetery on Saturday morning where Nick was buried. It was a cold morning, and the car hadn’t yet heated up, so my fingers were chilled and my cheeks felt chapped. My eyes ached from crying too much and not sleeping enough.
I glanced back and saw Lily was looking somber and reflective, bundled up in her red coat and hat and staring out the car window.
“What are you thinking about, sweetie?” I asked, worried that this was harder on her than it should have been. It was my fault. I should have been smarter from the beginning.
“I think Daddy would have liked his flowers,” she said, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. She held in her lap a bundle of bright yellow daisies.
“Yes, I’m sure he would have.”
“Can we go see him again on Christmas? And bring him Christmas flowers?”
My throat ached that she had to go through such a loss so young. “Of course we can. We can see him whenever you like.”
“I would like to see him on Christmas morning,” she said with a little nod. “After we open presents.”
“After the presents it is.”
This idea seemed to please her, and she turned to stare back out the w
indow. It took fifteen minutes to reach the cemetery, and she didn’t say anything else the whole time.
When we arrived, I took her hand as we walked toward Nick’s grave.
Lily carefully laid the flowers next to the headstone. “These are for you, Daddy,” she said. “I picked out yellow because it’s a happy color and I hope you’re happy. I bet heaven has a lot of yellow flowers.”
My eyes burned as I thought about how much Nick had loved Lily and how little time he’d gotten to spend with her. The unfairness of it all hit me again and made me ache.
She turned suddenly to look at me over her shoulder. “Daddy wants us to be happy too, right?”
“Of course he does, baby. Of course he does.”
The words settled on me strangely, although they weren’t a new thought or a particularly profound one. But I felt them in my chest as Lily turned back to face Nick’s headstone.
Lily began to talk to her father again, as she always did, filling him in on various things that had happened since our last visit. She talked about Mrs. O’Brien and how well she’d been doing in math. She talked about Jessileigh and how much nicer she was than she’d originally thought.
Then she told him about Mr. Curtis and how, at first, she didn’t think he was a good teacher, but he was better than she’d thought. And how he’d saved Jessileigh. And how he liked Mommy. And how he had the nicest laugh that made other people laugh too. And that he was the best Mad Hatter to have at a tea party.
My eyes burned again as I listened, but I didn’t try to stop her. It wouldn’t be right to keep her from working through the things in her life, especially something that had had such a big impact.
“Mommy says we won’t see him anymore, and she’s sad about it, but she pretends not to be.”
“Lily—” I broke off the automatic comment since I had no idea what to say.
Lily had paused for me to continue, but when I didn’t, she focused again on her father. “I miss him now too. I miss both you and him.”
So my throat was aching again now, and it kept aching as Lily finished her conversation with her father and took my hand to show she was ready to leave.
I kissed my fingertips and leaned down to press them onto the cold gravestone, desperately wishing that, for once, life could be easy and simple.
It just never was.
We walked back to the car in silence, and I hugged and kissed Lily before she got into her seat.
When I started the car and put it into drive, Lily said in that seemingly random way she had, “I’m glad we knew Daddy. Even if we didn’t have him very long.”
For just a moment my vision darkened, and when it returned, it was with the kind of blinding revelation that sometimes hits you out of the blue.
She was right. My ever-intuitive six-year old was right.
Having Nick was worth it—for however short a time we were given him. I wouldn’t trade that time we had together for anything in the world. None of us are guaranteed forever, let alone tomorrow. We need to make the most of the time that we have right now.
By the time we’d reached the house again, I knew exactly what we needed to do.
***
On Monday afternoon, I was so anxious and exhilarated, at the same time, I could barely focus on the last class block. I’d planned everything out to the last detail, but I couldn’t be absolutely sure of the outcome.
I’d hurt Declan. I knew that. And he might have decided his interest in me just wasn’t worth the trouble.
I had a lot of baggage that would always complicate a relationship.
But I knew I needed to try, so I sat in Chuck’s office after school had ended, trying to breathe slowly and not get too worked up about what was about to happen.
After several minutes of waiting, I heard voices outside of the mostly closed office door.
“This is ridiculous, Chuck,” Declan said with just a hint of annoyance. “I’m not a teacher anymore. I can’t be summoned to a meeting like this.”
“I know, and I appreciate you coming. One of the parents from your class was very insistent that she meet with you. She wouldn’t stop nagging until I made an appointment, and I, of course, wasn’t about to give out your personal information to her. This seemed like the best option.”
“Okay, but if she just called me in to yell at me, then I’m out of here.”
“I’m sure she’s prepared to be reasonable. Just listen to what she says.”
I almost smiled at how well Chuck was handling it. I’d had to ask him to do this for me as a favor, but he’d been very willing—evidently realizing the real situation and thinking it was rather amusing.
I didn’t think it was amusing. Or not much. I mostly just wanted it over with.
Maybe Declan would say he didn’t want to see me again after everything that had happened, everything I had put him through, but I had to at least try.
The office door opened then, and Declan was standing in the doorway. He looked as handsome as ever but too tired.
My heart gave a little skip at the sight of him.
He jerked to a halt and stood frozen as he processed my presence. His eyes looked slightly dazed as he stared, as if he couldn’t quite believe it was me.
I stood up. “Hi,” I said rather stupidly.
He opened his mouth and then shut it again.
I glanced over his shoulder at Chuck. “Thanks, Chuck,” I said with a little smile.
He winked and closed the office door behind Declan.
“You’re the parent,” Declan said at last.
“I’m the parent.”
“And you’re not here to yell at me about being a crap teacher.” Realization was starting to wash over his face, and something started to smolder in its place.
“You weren’t a crap teacher.”
He gave me a significant look.
“Okay, you weren’t the best teacher ever, but you did okay. And I’m not here to yell at you.”
“Then why are you here?” He stepped forward and started to reach out toward me before he stopped himself.
I reached out and took his hand instead. “I’m here because I changed my mind.”
“You changed…”
“…my mind.”
He froze for just a moment. “About…”
“About us. Everything.”
His tight expression suddenly relaxed, and I let out my pent breath with a whoosh since I could see the answer on his face, in the wash of something akin to joy.
“If you still want me,” I added when he didn’t say anything.
He made a choked sound and took my face in both his hands. “Of course I still want you. I’ll always want you. I’ve been miserable. I thought it was your final answer and I’d have to spend my life without you.” His eyes scanned my face. “I didn’t want to spend my life without you. Without Lily.”
I couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “I thought it was my final answer too, but I was wrong. It was wrong not to take what was offered, just because I was afraid of losing it. I will have a lot to work through. I mean, with your job, I’m going to be… to be overly anxious for a while. But I promise I’ll work on it. I want you as you are, and I’m not going to cut Lily and me off from something so good, just because there’s risk involved. A wise man once told me there’s risk in everything. There’s risk in life. But there are such good things too, and I want to have as much of the good things in life that I can. I want it for Lily and me. And for you.”
I felt kind of stupid after the rambling, earnest speech, but from the expression on Declan’s face, he evidently appreciated it. “I want it for all of us too,” he said. “And I am going to be careful about the kinds of jobs I take. Taking risks just isn’t as easy as it used to, not if I have so much to lose.”
We were both smiling like idiots as he leaned down to kiss me. And the kiss was eager and happy and a little sloppy, but neither of us seemed to care.
When he pulled back, I reached out to hug him, and h
e wrapped his strong arms around me, holding me so tightly I couldn’t breathe for a moment.
It felt about right to me.
As close to perfect as we could get.
***
We talked for a little while and I realized we’d better give Chuck back his office. When we got up to leave, I texted Nick’s parents so they could bring Lily back to the school. It wasn’t easy explaining to them that I’d met someone. That I was ready to have a future with someone. Luckily, they understood. They wanted me to be happy. Knew that Nick would want me to be happy.
They’d taken her out for donuts with the understanding that, if things went bad with Declan, she’d spend the afternoon with them. But otherwise they’d bring her back to the school.
So Declan and I were standing on the sidewalk as the van pulled up and Lily jumped out, almost before it had come to a complete stop.
She hurled herself at Declan, and he scooped her up in a hug, laughing.
“Are you back?” she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt. “For good this time?”
He was grinning as he put her back on her feet, and I was grinning too. “Yes, I’m back.” And then he looked at me. “For good.”
“Oh, good. Me and Mommy missed you a lot.”
I could see by the look on Declan’s face that that little admission meant the world to him.
“Mommy and I,” I corrected automatically.
“See?” Lily said, beaming. “Mommy and I missed you a lot.”
***
Declan attended the school Christmas pageant.
He was right there in the front row as each of the classes did their thing, and his first grade class sang their song just to him. They were a bit off-key and distracted, and one of the boys pulled the hair of one of the girls and made her cry on stage, but Declan gave them a standing ovation just the same.
It was hard to believe it was the same man, but I knew it was just the real man coming out at last. Declan was at heart a family man who had never had a family.
Protecting the Girl Next Door (The Protectors Book 3) Page 15