A Texas Family

by Linda Warren

  “I’ll see Grandpa, Daddy.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” But he wasn’t going alone. He took Carson’s hand and Claire took the other one as they walked into Asa’s room.

  “Trey, my boy.” Asa patted the arm of the wheelchair where Trey often sat. “Come talk to Grandpa.”

  “No,” Trey replied.

  Asa nodded his head. “Okay. I’m sorry. I am old and sometimes...I don’t think things through, but I want you to know...I love you. No matter what anyone tells you...you remember that.”

  “Okay.”

  Asa looked at Claire. “Princess, come sit on Grandpa’s lap.”

  “No.” Claire almost spat the word. “You make Trey cry.” Saying that, she ran from the room and Trey followed her.

  Carson looked at his father and wondered how one man could cause so much misery. “All Jared and I ever wanted from you was love. You never showed us any. Then you opened your heart to Trey and Claire and they worshiped you. Yet, without a second thought you crushed Trey’s heart as if it was no more than a paper cup. You’ll never be able to get that back—that grandpa love.”

  Asa’s face creased into a haggard expression. “I...screwed up, son.”

  A moment of sympathy touched Carson’s heart, but only briefly. He cleared his throat. “I spoke with the D.A. She got an indictment against Roland and Curly. They will be tried for Jared’s murder.”

  “Good. I hope they...hang ’em.”

  “She also got an indictment against you for kidnapping Jena and Trey.”

  Asa stared at him with tired green eyes that had seen too much and now would pay the price. “Am I supposed to...beg for mercy?”

  “No. I just wanted you to know what’s going to happen.”

  “Think what you want...but you have a son...because of me.”

  “Is that supposed to make it right?”

  Asa waved a hand. “Go away. Sometimes...you make me tired.”

  Carson did as asked and joined his children in the den. Yes, he had a son. But at what price?

  * * *

  JENA SETTLED BACK into her apartment and job as if she’d never been gone. Blake bombarded her with questions and was insistent she file for partial custody. She had to remind him it was her life and she would never put that much stress on Trey or Carson.

  For years she’d sidestepped Blake’s advances in a number of ways, but she decided she wasn’t going to do that anymore even if it cost her her job. And it did, sort of. Once she told Blake there was no future for them she was transferred to another attorney, who was in his sixties and had grandchildren. They worked well together, and she at least had some peace in the workplace.

  She couldn’t wait for the evenings when she could talk to Hilary. Sometimes Hil sent pictures of Trey or of Trey and Carson. She lived for those moments. They were all she had.

  * * *

  AUGUST WAS A month of change. Asa was arrested on two counts of kidnapping and endangering the life of a child. Because of his health, he was allowed to stay home, but the sheriff had to be notified if he left the premises. It didn’t faze Asa. He actually laughed at the sheriff, knowing there was nothing much they could do to him. The trial date hadn’t been set yet, but if convicted he was facing the rest of his life in an institution.

  August also brought a change in Trey. Levi asked him to go fishing and they stayed all day. Trey didn’t call once. Abby took them to a theme park in Austin, another all-day event, and Trey was not anxious to get back to him. Trey was becoming Trey again. And he started asking questions about his mother, which Carson saw as a good sign.

  One night as they were watching TV, Trey lay on the floor, his chin in his hands. Claire lay beside him. Suddenly, Trey sat up. “Daddy, did you know that Kelsey didn’t know her daddy until she was twelve years old?”

  “Yeah, buddy, I knew that.” Ethan had gotten a woman pregnant while he was in the service, and she’d never told Ethan until she tried to extort money from him in exchange for Kelsey.

  “Kelsey said she told her daddy to go away and he wouldn’t. He took Kelsey’s mom to court and got full custody. Is Jena gonna do that?”

  Trey was trying to make sense of everything. “Do you want her to?”

  “I don’t know. Kelsey says I should talk to Jena because kids are kids and they don’t know anything. But I don’t want to leave you, Claire and Aunt Fran.”

  “You don’t have to, son. Even though it hurt her, she walked away and let me have you. She could have filed for custody, but she loves you too much to put you through that.”

  “Oh.” He picked at the hem of his shorts. “Did Grandpa hurt her?”

  “Yes, son, Grandpa hurt her.”

  He turned and lay by Claire, who was asleep, but Carson could almost see the little wheels in his head turning. He was thinking about his mother.

  The next day they went into Austin to buy clothes for school and school supplies. For a treat he stopped at the café to buy one of Hilary’s special sundaes for them. Carson had a plan. He wasn’t sure Trey had made the connection that Hilary was his aunt. Being a smart kid, he would figure it out, and today could be a good day for that.

  Trey gobbled up his sundae without any mention of Hilary, even though she’d put extra cherries on his. While Carson was paying, Trey and Claire looked through the glass of a bakery case Hilary had installed. All kind of goodies that caught a kid’s eye were inside.

  Two couples sat in a booth not far from it and their voices could be clearly heard.

  “Ella at the convenience store said Jena Brooks was back in town last spring and she didn’t have her kid with her,” Nancy Foley said.

  “Probably got rid of it or gave it away,” Lois Bayfield responded. “I mean, how was she going to raise a kid?”

  “Young girls these days think nothing of giving away their babies,” Ed Foley added.

  “It happens more than we think,” was Clyde Bayfield’s opinion.

  Before Carson could stop him, Trey walked over to them. “Why are you talking about Jena?”

  “Hey, Trey,” Clyde said. “Didn’t see you there.”

  “Why are you talking about Jena?” Trey asked again, sticking out his little chest.

  “It was nothing.” Ed tried to brush it off.

  Carson could have stopped Trey, but his son wanted answers and he had a right to hear them.

  “She didn’t give me away,” Trey told them. “Grandpa took me from her and made her leave town. So, you see, you don’t know nothing. You’re just gossiping.”

  “Trey, we don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lois said.

  “I’m Jena’s son.” He walked back to Carson, and Carson was so proud of him, he wanted to shout it to the rooftops.

  Hilary stood there with a shocked look on her face.

  “Are you my aunt?” Trey asked.

  Hilary beamed a smile. “You bet I am, and if I don’t hug you I’m going to explode.” She came around the counter and gave him a bear hug. Trey hugged her back.

  “Carson,” Ed called. “We’re sorry. We didn’t know.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He wanted to thank the man. Their gossip had opened a little boy’s heart.

  * * *

  AUNT FRAN WOKE Carson at midnight. “Come quick. It’s Asa.”

  He slipped into jeans and ran down the stairs to Asa’s room. He was gasping for breath.

  “It’s...time...son.”

  “I called 911,” Aunt Fran said. “An ambulance is on the way.”

  “Daddy.” Trey and Claire stood in the doorway.

  “Tr-ey,” Asa gasped.

  Carson let them in, for he knew it might be their last chance to talk to their grandfather.

  “For-give...m
e.”

  Trey and Claire huddled close to the bed, and Carson helped to lift his father’s hand to touch them.

  “’Bye” was all he could manage.

  “’Bye,” Trey and Claire echoed.

  Paramedics rushed in with a gurney, and Carson got his kids out of the way. He ran upstairs to get his boots.

  “I’ll follow the ambulance in my truck. Aunt Fran, please stay with the kids.”

  Carson stayed as close as he could to the ambulance, but at times he got behind. He rushed into the E.R. and found his dad. He was pale and still gasping for air. Asa tried to reach for his hand, and Carson touched him to calm him.

  “I...sor-ry.”

  “I know Pa. Just relax.” Asa closed his eyes and his body went limp.

  “I’m sorry,” the E.R. doctor said.

  “Thank you.” Carson walked out, feeling drained and sad. After all, Asa was his father.

  * * *

  “THEY BURIED ASA TODAY,” Hilary said. “Carson, Trey and Claire looked so sad. You have to come home. They need you.”

  “I can’t do that,” Jena told her. “I promised Trey I wouldn’t.”

  “If you had seen him that day in the café, you would know he’s changing his mind.”

  “I want to believe that.”

  “Then do. The monster is dead. There’s nothing standing in the way of you two being together.”

  “It’s not that simple. Carson doesn’t trust me not to take Trey from him. If he really loved me, he would know I would never do that.”

  “Oh. You are so stubborn.”

  “But I don’t know if I can stay away much longer. I miss Carson. I never knew love happened that fast.”

  “Now we’re talking. Just hang on to those feelings.”

  Jena had a restless night as her head and her heart fought for dominance. In the morning she had no answers, but she knew she couldn’t go on like she was.

  As she drank her morning coffee, she flipped through the Dallas paper. A Texas Family caught her eye and she read on.

  “No!” She couldn’t believe what she was reading. The murders and everything that had happened were there, even Asa taking her child. No secret was left out. Willow Creek, the murders—the Brooks and Corbett families were headline news.

  She felt her privacy had been violated. But oddly that lasted only a minute. It was time for the truth to be known.

  She wondered how Carson was taking it. It had to be hard after losing his father.

  Carson. She wanted to hold him.

  * * *

  MS. STANTON HAD called Carson to let him know a reporter had broken the story. It was all over Willow Creek, and he had to talk to his kids because they were back in school. He didn’t know if they could handle anything else. He himself grew weary from the scandal. But he’d underestimated the resilience of children.

  “Don’t worry, Dad. If anyone says anything to me, Kelsey will kick their butt. She’s tough. I’m tough, too, and I’ll watch out for Claire.”

  “Thank you, son.” Maybe he was the only one feeling the strain.

  One evening Trey sat at the kitchen table doing his homework. Suddenly, he said, “Daddy, I want to see my mother.”

  He froze. “Do you mean you want to visit her?”

  “No. I want to talk to her and tell her I’m sorry I hurt her feelings. Grandpa was mean and I don’t want to be like him.”

  “Okay.” He was so proud of his son. He’d worked it out on his own. Maybe there was an end to this nightmare. “I’ll give her a call.”

  “Can she come to the house?”

  “Of course.”

  “Can you call her now?”

  Carson wanted to do that in private, but it was important to Trey, so he reached for his cell.

  She answered immediately. “Carson?” He soaked up the sound of her voice.

  “Yes. Trey would like to see you.”

  “Oh. When?”

  “Whenever you can make it.”

  “I’ll leave now.”

  “You don’t have to rush.”

  “I’ll be there before morning.”

  “Jena...”

  “What?”

  “Have a safe drive.” He clicked off and voiced in his head what he couldn’t on the phone.

  I love you.

  * * *

  JENA DROVE THROUGH the night and arrived at Hilary’s in the wee hours of the morning. She slept for a few hours and got up when Hilary had to go to work. Her nerves were about to get the best of her. At eight she called Carson and he said it was okay to come.

  When she arrived, she took a deep breath and prepared to see her baby. This time without all the heartache. Just nerves. Carson answered the door and she found she couldn’t look away from all the pain in his green eyes.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “I’m okay.”

  “You look great. Your hair is longer.”

  “Yes.” She self-consciously touched it.

  “Come in.” He stepped aside and they walked into the den. Trey and Claire were on the floor playing a board game.

  Trey jumped to his feet. “Hi.” He shoved his hands into his jeans.

  “Hi, Trey.”

  There was an awkward moment until Carson said, “You had something you wanted to say to your mother?”

  “Yeah.” Trey twisted on his bare feet. “I—I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.”

  “Thank you, Trey.” Her heart was about to pound out of her chest.

  “I’m playing Candy Land with Claire. It’s her game. Wanna play with us?”

  “I’d love to.” She sank to the floor and engrossed herself in child’s play. The day passed too quickly. Aunt Fran fixed lunch and asked Jena to stay. Afterward, she played with Trey on his Xbox. By the time she left, she’d made a connection with her son. And Claire. Somehow she’d inherited an extra child and she didn’t mind.

  As she was leaving she asked Carson if she could take Trey for an outing. The next day was Sunday, so she thought it would work.

  But he was clearly thrown and hesitated.

  “Are you afraid I won’t bring him back?”

  “No.”

  “You are. I can see it on your face.”

  “I’m feeling my way here.”

  “I want to take my son out for the day. Yes or no?”

  “Yes, but...what about Claire?”

  “I wouldn’t leave her behind.”

  “Then the answer’s yes.”

  She drove away wondering if he was ever going to trust her again.

  * * *

  THE NEXT FEW days were hard for Carson. Jena spent every moment with the kids when they weren’t in school. She took them to school and picked them up. He no longer had to worry about Claire’s hair. Braids, bows, curls, Jena could do it all, to Claire’s delight. Jena helped with their homework, played games with them and took them fishing and to the movies. Every morning they jumped out of bed and got dressed. “Jena’s coming,” they’d shout, running about.

  Not once did Jena ask him to participate and neither did the kids. He was a grown man and he was feeling left out. Terribly. The worst part was he and Jena didn’t talk like they used to. He missed that. He missed her.

  Trey’s birthday arrived and Jena planned his party. It wasn’t his real birthday, but Jena didn’t seem to mind and Trey didn’t question it. Balloons and streamers were all over the house, along with a large banner that read Happy Birthday, Trey. The James family, Levi and Mr. Henry came, as well as Hilary, who’d outdone herself on the cake. The top looked like water and a small boy was fishing beneath a willow tree.

  Trey stood at the head of the table, getting ready to blow out his candles. But
he paused. “This is the best birthday ever. Thank you, Mama.”

  Complete silence filled the room. Tears filled Jena’s eyes and she hugged Trey.

  “She’s my mama, too,” Claire announced.

  “No, she’s not,” Trey told her.

  Claire’s bottom lip trembled and Jena looked at him. He nodded. It was the first communication they’d had since she’d returned. Squatting, she pulled Claire into her arms. “I’m happy to be your mother, too.”

  “See?” Claire said to her brother.

  “You’re such a girl.”

  Everyone laughed and Jena cut the cake. Aunt Fran served ice cream. He never realized how much his kids had missed having a mother.

  He stood with Levi, eating cake. Bits and pieces of conversation filtered through the crowd.

  “I’m leaving on Monday.” That was Jena.

  “The kids will miss you,” Abby said.

  “I’ll miss them, too.”

  She was leaving and she hadn’t said a word. He turned and walked into the kitchen. Levi followed.

  “Hey, I was talking to you.”

  “She’s leaving.”

  “What?” Levi looked confused.

  “Jena’s leaving and she hasn’t said a word to me.”

  “Doesn’t she have a job in Dallas?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you think she’d stay forever?” Levi laid his plate on the counter. “Oh, I can see you did.”

  “I don’t know, man. I fought for her to find her child. Now I feel as if I’m losing both of them.”

  “Talk to her” was Levi’s advice.

  “I screwed up.”

  “What do you mean?

  “When I found out Trey was her son, I didn’t trust her not to take him from me. I didn’t trust my feelings for her.”

  “Well, then, you need to talk to her as soon as you can.”

  “Yeah.” Carson had figured that out for himself.

  After everyone had left, Jena put the kids to bed and he helped Aunt Fran with the last of the cleanup.

  Aunt Fran wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Do you mind if I turn Asa’s old room into my room? Those stairs are hard on my aging knees.”