Pushed past normal limits, his brain cells were not connecting.
Closing his eyes, he stood. She rolled to the other side and tucked her hands under her cheek, snuggling under the quilt.
With slow steps backward, he eased out of the room. As tired as he was, sleep lingered out of his reach. He got a bottle of water, then sat on the sofa.
Anjelica had made it clear from the beginning that she didn’t want to get involved with a law enforcer.
He understood her need for security and stability. His job didn’t offer either. There were so many guys in his line of work who were divorced, and he was one of them. Restless, he flipped to his side.
A reflection of light caught his attention. The security light outside had hit the glass of a patriotic poster one of the Ortegas had hung in his apartment. She belonged to a fallen brother and deserved his protection. She needed someone with a safe job and no baggage.
As tired as his body was, his brain wouldn’t shut down. He closed his eyes and took slow deep breaths. He needed to go to his own bed, but right now he didn’t have the energy to get up.
* * *
Down! Down! Cover! He pulled someone’s arm to protect them from the explosion.
He had to react faster this time or they were going to die.
“Garrett.” Soft fingers pressed against his jaw.
He opened his eyes and found his hand gripping Anjelica’s wrist. Hard. She lay next to the sofa awkwardly.
He let go and jumped to his feet. Holding his hand out to help her up, he tried to stop shaking. Or at least hide it. Five...four...three. Breathe.
“I’m so sorry.” He scanned her for any injuries, not able to bring himself to look her in the eye.
She took his hand and rose up in front of him. “I’m not hurt. You were trying to protect me. You said, ‘I got you. I got you.’ You pulled me down as if to shield me.” Cupping her hand around his jaw, she forced his face toward her. “Really, you weren’t trying to hurt me.” Stepping closer, she put both hands on his face and made him look at her, in the eye. “Next time I’ll be more careful when I wake you up.”
“You shouldn’t have to be careful.” He moved out of her reach.
“Garrett.” She used the voice she used when Rio was upset. “You lived in and survived a war zone. I would have to be clueless to not be aware of PTSD.”
“I’ve been home for over five years. I don’t have PTSD. It was just a bad dream.”
“Have you talked to someone about these bad dreams? Do they happen often? Maybe Jake can help you. He was a marine and—”
“I don’t need to talk to anyone. Now you sound like Torres. This is the problem living with people. They want to know all your business and ask questions.”
“You’ve talked about this with Jake?”
“No.”
She sighed, a deep heavy one of frustration. “I’m only asking because I care about those kids in the next room.” She crossed her arms and glared at him, the sweet concerned expression gone.
Blood left his face and limbs. “What if it had been Rio? Or what if he saw me pulling you to the ground? It would’ve terrified him to see me attack you like that.” He had become a danger to the ones he should be protecting.
“Garrett, it’s all good. You didn’t attack me. Rio is fine.” She moved toward him with her hand out. He did a side step around the sofa. “I need to go for a run.” He looked back to the door to the room where she and the kids slept last night. He needed to get out of the house, to push his physical limits in order to get out of his own head. “Can you watch the kids for a little bit longer?”
“Of course I’ll watch the kids. You’ve had less than two hours of sleep. So take your run, take a shower, then get some real sleep. We’ll be fine. I have some shopping to do in Uvalde—I’ll take the kids with me. It’s good for them to get out of the house. Later today the family’s coming over to make piñatas and confetti eggs, cascarones, for Easter. We’ll be outside. So you can stay in your room and sleep.”
“Easter? Isn’t it a little early?”
“With my family’s crazy schedule? No this is the only time we can all get together, and it’s a big family event. We don’t want anyone left out.”
He nodded like he understood while keeping the sofa between them. His eyes went to the scarf she had on, but he knew how soft she was under the bright blue material. Kissing her on the scar had been a huge mistake. Now he had a hard time getting the thought of a real kiss out of his head. He really needed that run.
* * *
With Garrett stalking out of the room, Anjelica flopped back on the sofa. She picked up the pillow Garrett had been using when she went to wake him up. From the kids’ room, she’d heard Garrett having a nightmare. Her plan had been to wake him up and tell him to go to bed while she stayed and made breakfast.
The pillow in her lap smelled like the soap he used. With a heavy sigh, she stood. Rio and Pilar would be getting up soon. She needed to get them fed and out of the apartment by the time Garrett finished his run. He probably needed sleep. He also needed to talk to someone, but that was out of her control.
Later she’d do some research on PTSD. It seemed they were living with two males who had an overzealous need to protect the people in their lives.
Garrett needed psychotherapy as much as his son did. Maybe he hadn’t been suffering from PTSD, but with the upheaval in his life, it might have kicked in for the first time or returned. She needed to find out if that was possible.
As she started working in the kitchen, Garrett came out with his Marines T-shirt and sweats. Selena sat still as he put on her leash.
He gave her a sheepish grin. “Are you sure it’s all right if I go for a run? I can keep it short.”
“No. Go for as long as you need. I’m going to make breakfast. If we’re gone when you get back, I’ll leave you a plate in the oven.”
“Thanks, you don’t ha—”
Her stare stopped him cold. “Don’t you dare say what I think you are about to say. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. We’ll be in Uvalde most of the day. Even when my family gets here, you can ignore them. I’ll explain you were at the accident site all night. They’ll understand. Of course, anytime you want to, you can join us.”
“Okay.” Walking past her, he leaned in and gave her a light kiss.
They both jumped back as if reacting to an electrical shock. Her heart lodged in her throat. She blinked. It hadn’t been a dream. Last night he had kissed her.
Not a normal kiss, but next to her ear. He had kissed the edge of her scar. Her hand pressed against the spot, heat radiating from her skin. His gaze darted around the room. “I’m sorry. I just...”
Anjelica couldn’t read the emotions on his face. He turned toward the front room, then back to her.
He ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it standing in the cutest way. A very dangerous adorable helpless look settled on his face.
“It’s okay, Garrett. Go for your run.”
With a nod, he was gone.
Standing alone at the screen door, she touched her fingers to her lips.
Chapter Eight
Garrett flipped onto his back. Interlocking his fingers over his chest, he lay still and focused on the sounds of Anjelica’s family having fun. If he strained, he could hear talking and laughing with music in the background. A few times kids’ voices erupted in squeals, only to fade away quickly.
He worried about Rio wanting to hide instead of running and laughing with the other children. Maybe he should go check on him.
Anjelica would be there, and after last night—and then the accidental kiss this morning—he didn’t know what to say to her.
To get his mind off his emotional battles, he imagined Pilar having a great time being passe
d around while Rio hovered and stressed over all the strange people. Music came through the walls, not from speakers but live strings and a trumpet.
He stood and walked to the balcony. Pulling the heavy drapes back, he saw a yard full of color, people, animals and tables. The big garden in the middle of it all had started to turn green. As he scanned the area, the size of the crowd surprised him. A group of men had guitars, basses and the trumpet he heard. Anjelica ran over and talked to them. Her hands flew as the yellow scarf she wore fluttered around her, tangled in her dark hair.
Glancing at the clock, he calculated he had slept eight hours straight without interruptions. That was the longest stretch of sleep he’d had since becoming a father.
After a quick wash and shave, he changed and headed to the door. But before his hand touched the knob, there came a faint knock. The hinges creaked as it slowly opened. Rio poked his head in the small opening.
Garrett crouched down. Rio’s eyes widened before he gave his dad a tentative smile.
“Hey, little man. Everything all right?”
Rio nodded, his curls falling into his eyes. His small hand pushed his hair back, allowing him to scan the room. Garrett froze midaction as he realized he was making the exact same gesture. “Were you looking for me?”
Another small nod. Then he looked down at his shoes.
“Rio, you have to use your words. This is a safe place to talk.” He refrained from reaching out to stroke the boy’s hair. This was the first time his son sought him out. He didn’t want to do anything to startle him. Slowing his breathing, he held still and waited.
“Anjelica said you were sleeping.” Rio rubbed his thumb against his palm. “Are you awake now?”
A lightness lifted the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, I’m awake. Thank you for letting me sleep and coming to check on me.” He wanted to reach out and hug his son.
“Rio?” Anjelica’s voice drifted from the bottom of the stairs. “Your dad is sleeping.”
Standing, Garrett opened the door all the way. “I was up and about to come out when Rio came in to check on me.” He gently squeezed the little shoulder. “We were just talking.”
Anjelica’s eyes widened a bit before she gave him an understanding look. “Well, as long as everyone’s good, I’ll head back to the party. We’ve dried the eggs for the cascarones and are stuffing them with confetti. Then we’ll start adding the paper and glue to the piñatas.” She clasped her hands in front of her waist. “So does this mean father and son will be joining the festivities?”
“Come on, son, let’s go make a piñata.” Okay, that was not something he’d ever dreamed of saying, but it felt right.
As they stepped through the back door of the garage, most of the crowd stopped and stared at them. Rio ducked behind his legs.
Anjelica clapped. “Now that Garrett’s awake, we don’t have to stay quiet. Tío Guillermo, you can start the music again.” She laughed as children of all ages dashed to the table she had covered in large canvas sheets. “I’ll be at the piñata table. Join me when you’re ready.”
Celeste, just a year or so older than Rio, ran over to his son. “Hey, Rio, I was looking for you. Do you want to come help make the piñata? It’s really messy and fun.”
Rio blinked at Pastor John’s daughter a few times but didn’t make an effort to move away from Garrett. “Rio doesn’t talk much.”
She smiled at him, then back at Rio. “That’s okay. Daddy says I talk enough for a whole pack of people.” She held out her hand. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t wanna.”
Eyes so much like his own looked up at him. Garrett went to his knee. “Do you want me to go with you?”
Rio nodded and slipped his hand into Garrett’s as the little high-energy blonde grasped the other and started skipping to the table. “You’ll love it. We make two, a giant one for the bigger kids and a smaller one for, well, the smaller kids.” She laughed as she looked back at Rio. His son just nodded and watched her in complete fascination.
Maybe being led around by pretty girls started early for the Kincaid males.
On the table, two bamboo-framed structures were being covered in strips of newspaper and white paste. It looked messy. Adults and kids laughed as they crisscrossed the strips. Glue covered everything. Rio looked up at Garrett, doubt in his expression.
Garrett sighed. He had his own doubts about this adventure. Celeste laughed and pulled Rio into the middle of the crowd. People shifted and gave them room.
The enthusiastic daughter of the pastor plunged her hands into the bucket full of the glue mix, then pointed to a stack of torn paper. “Rio, hand me the paper and I’ll coat it in glue. Then we can put them on the donkey. It’s the donkey that carried Jesus into town before he was arrested.”
Doing what he was told, Rio glanced up at him with a bit of panic in his eyes. Garrett came in close to him. “Do you know the Easter story of Jesus?”
He shook his head. Celeste gasped. “I thought everyone knew the Easter story.” On her knees, she twisted around and yelled, “Daddy!”
Rio turned the opposite direction as if looking for an escape route. Picking him up, Garrett placed him on his lap. “It’s okay. Not everyone knows the story.”
Pastor John came over carrying the guitar he had been playing. “What’s wrong, Celeste?”
“He doesn’t know about the donkey that carried Jesus or the Crucifixion or the Resurrection. Can you tell him the story of Jesus and Easter?”
Some other people came over and Pastor John pulled up a chair to the end of the table. “My favorite story to tell from the Bible is the Resurrection of Jesus. Rio, do you want to hear it?”
With a nod, he started scanning the crowd. Garrett assumed he searched for Anjelica. She had Pilar and was walking across the yard, heading straight to the table, which had collected a crowd. Garrett made sure to sit still, not fidget or scan the crowd for threats. This was a happy family event.
One of the older kids complained about it not being Easter yet, so why did they have to hear the story again?
Anjelica stopped to stand next to them. “I would love to hear the story, Pastor John. It’s a story we should hear often all through the year. I even have some Resurrection eggs. Rio can show everyone as you tell it.” She handed Pilar to him.
Garrett settled her on one leg as he balanced Rio on the other. “It’s been a long time since I heard the story. Pilar’s never heard it, either.”
A few others joined them at the table. With a couple of strums of his strings, Pastor John’s soothing voice started recounting the days that led up to the ultimate sacrifice.
Anjelica handed an egg to Rio at each turn of the story. He carefully looked inside to discover something that had to do with the journey. The other men who had been playing now gave the story a soft musical background.
Garrett had never been so moved. He sat with his children and listened to the story of how he’d gained the undeserved path to forgiveness. This was the reason he’d given up life as a solitary bachelor. These moments made every sacrifice worth it.
“Why did he do it?” Rio whispered, surprising everyone who had never heard him speak. Garrett had no clue how to respond.
Pastor John set the guitar down and leaned forward. “That’s a great question. The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only son. He loved us so much He didn’t want to be separated from us. We are His children and He wants to be with us forever, even past this life.”
Rio’s expression turned even more serious as he processed the new information. He had to have questions about his mom and the way she died.
Celeste handed Rio a strip of newspaper. “My mommy’s in heaven like yours.” Rio scooted off Garrett’s leg and stood closer to Celeste in order to smear the glue-coated paper over the soon-to-be Easter donkey.
As she made sounds, he talked back to her. She had to be the happiest baby ever.
In the early years, Viviana planned and dreamed about the kids they would have one day, a boy and a girl. “If your mamma was here, she’d play with you and love you.” He lifted her up and rubbed her tummy with his nose. The giggles would cure anyone’s sour mood. His own smile felt good as he continued to play with her.
“She’s looking so much healthier since you brought her home.” Buela stood next to him, wiping her hands on her green-and-pink apron. “Can I hold this precious girl? Anjelica is looking for you.”
His daughter laughed and reached for the tiny grandmother.
“Where is she?” He scanned the backyard, which had turned into an impromptu fiesta. Kids played chase with the baby goats around the outside of the garden.
Next to the yellow blooming Esperanza with a small group of women stood one of the most beautiful women he had ever met. Anjelica threw her head back. A hearty laugh with no apologies consumed her whole body.
Her face lit up when he joined the group. “Garrett, I was just telling them that you play several instruments.”
“She said you played in the military band.” An older man spoke, one of Anjelica’s uncles, but Garrett couldn’t remember which one. “Why don’t you join us?”
That was all it took. Before he knew what happened, Garrett was playing with them and being invited by Pastor John to join the church band. Music had always been the thing that grounded him.
It was another gift God had given him that he took for granted. What had he done to deserve all the gifts that now made his life worth living? Rio, Pilar and Anjelica.
Maybe he should give something back. One thing his mom taught him was to always be grateful when others did something kind for you. She made sure he showed his appreciation.
The Soldier's Surprise Family Page 10