"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. It 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 anyway." 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.
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, its 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 h
is 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 front 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 back yard.
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."
"Not yet," she gave him a small smile and stepped away. "I get to talk first."
His lips pinched in confusion, but he restrained himself from asking her anything, allowing her to say what she needed to.
She didn't know where to start. Deciding to talk to him as she would have before, she started. "I went to my dad's grave today."
"I know."
"Right, your mom," she sighed, turning to look towards the large tree on the periphery. "Can we not do this here?" she asked. "I need to talk to you, Elijah. Like we used to."
Nodding in understanding, he stood and held out his hand. She took it, and he led them away from the light. As her eyes grew used to the darkness, she could make out the bench. They sat side by side in the stillness.
"It's smaller than I remember," Elijah laughed softly.
"Or your butt just got too big," she quipped.
"Yeah, that's probably it." He wiggled his butt. She was almost knocked off, but strong arms wrapped around her waist to keep her in place.
Maggie's heart beat wildly at their proximity.
"So," Elijah said, growing serious but not releasing her. "Talk to me."
"I finally told my dad what he deserved to hear, even though he wasn't alive to hear it," Maggie explained. "But still, it felt so damn good. He has no more power over me."
"That's good, Mags." He rested his chin on her shoulder, his breath warm on her neck.
"Jake was there."
She laughed suddenly, as she could practically hear him grimacing.
"It was good," she said. She didn't tell him the things Jake said to her – that he’d always known.
"I don't want to talk about Jake." He started to pull away.
"Hey." Maggie wrapped an arm around him, keeping him from widening the distance between them. Her hand made its way up his spine to the back of his head. She forced him to look at her. "I'm sorry."
"Maggie -”
"Don't tell me it was okay," she interrupted. "It wasn't. I'm sorry for everything. I haven't been all-in, and you deserve someone who is."
"Is this the part where you tell me that you want to go back to being friends?" His voice grew thick, and Maggie knew he was trying to keep his emotions in check.
"Yes," she said. When his shoulders dropped and he tried to pull away, she continued, "And no."
You can't be so afraid of being alone that you push away those who love you most.
"What are you saying?" he asked.
It was as if all her planned-out thoughts evaporated, leaving only a confused mist in their wake. What was she saying? She knew what she felt, but not how to make everything okay again.
Sometimes many memories came as one larger image. That's what happened in that moment. Every promise Elijah had ever made to her came as one. I will love you. That's what he’d always been saying. She just hadn't wanted to hear it.
"I want to make you a promise," she finally said.
She saw a dark eyebrow arch as the corner of his mouth twitched.
"I - It's you," she stuttered. "I love you, Elijah."
He gripped her around the waist and lifted her so quickly she didn't have time to react before she was in his lap. "I didn't hear a promise in that," he said in a low voice grazing his lips against her cheek.
"You didn't?" she asked. "Because I heard every promise."
The words were barely out of her mouth before he covered it with his own. It suddenly felt like something was falling into place. Something that had been in the making since they were kids. Something powerful and terrifying. Somethi
ng good.
She arched into him, just wanting to be closer. He invaded every one of her senses, making her feel more than she ever had before. She gripped his hair to pull his head back as she trailed kisses down his neck. He squeezed her to him, his hand moving underneath her shirt.
The bench below them wasn't meant for this, and they soon found themselves almost falling off.
"We should go inside," Maggie said, taking his earlobe between her teeth.
He groaned, and then realization hit him.
"Maggie," he said, gripping her shoulders. "Stop. That thing I said I needed to talk to you about - it can't wait."
"Of course it can." She leaned in for another kiss, but he stopped her.
"It's about Kimberly."
She stopped suddenly and climbed off his lap, never taking her eyes from his.
"Tell me," she said quietly.
###
"You remember that story you told me about Jason?" Elijah asked. "The one of him sitting alone in the hospital after his parents died?"
Maggie nodded. "I still dream about that."
"I know you do." He paused. "That's how she looked. She's only six years old, and her entire world has been ripped away from her. I couldn't take it."
She laid her palm against his cheek, and he turned into it. Sighing, his breath blew hot across her hand. Sensing this was a big moment for them, she gave him time to think before he went on.
"I brought her here," he whispered finally. "She's upstairs sleeping."
Maggie couldn't speak past the lump that had formed in her throat, and she was thankful the darkness hid her tears.
Elijah took her hands into his own and went on. "Mags, after everything that's happened recently, I don't want you to think I'm being manipulative or controlling. But believe it or not, I do know you. I've watched you this summer. For years, all you've ever wanted was a family you could love and that will love you back. You have part of one - with Jason and everyone. But it isn't whole. There's something missing."
Maggie was frozen in her seat. This was something she’d considered on more than one occasion. She clasped her arms across her stomach, remembering the day a part of her died. The day she learned she'd never have a child.
Promises (New Beginnings Book 2) Page 15