Dan glanced at Wyatt. “Did he really ask only for me?”
Wyatt shook his head. “Ben wanted you and Brooke.”
That resonated with Dan. He wanted Brooke, too. “Does Ben know his mom is here?”
Wyatt nodded. “Said he could hear her in the hall.”
Dan wiped his hands over his face again. His son was safe, but things were not right in his world. Would Ben hurt, too, when he found out Brooke was gone? “You’re sure Ben is good?”
“It’s only protocol. A twenty-four-hour watch for any concussions.” Wyatt opened the door to Ben’s room. “And yes, he’s going to be fine.”
“I’ll stay with him,” Dan said.
“Never doubted it.” Wyatt adjusted the stethoscope around his neck. “They’re getting a room ready now. I’ll be up to check on you guys after my shift ends.”
Wyatt walked away and called back to Dan, “I’ll check on Brooke, too.”
Dan only nodded. Wyatt couldn’t help her. He’d realize that soon enough. Dan wanted someone to bring Brooke up to Ben’s room. To bring them back together. But he knew deep inside his cracked heart that it wasn’t going to happen. Only Dan could get Brooke back. But he’d made his choice. He’d had to. Ben came first.
Dan stepped into the room, sat on Ben’s bed and wrapped his son in his arms. His love for Ben seeped through those cracks in his heart.
Ben flopped on the bed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Dr. Wyatt says I need to stay tonight.”
“You hit your head pretty hard.” Dan set his hand on Ben’s chin and tipped his head to scan Ben’s forehead for the contusion. A bandage already covered the stitches. And blackness started settling into the skin around his eye.
Ben scowled but let Dan gently move his head around. “You always tell me that I have a hard head.”
“Fortunately, your head was a challenge for the cement.” Dan leaned away to look at Ben. “But the pavement still won.”
Ben turned the plastic medical band around his wrist. “It’s only one night, right?”
“That’s the plan, but—” Dan began.
“But we have to listen to the doctor,” Ben interrupted and let out a long and profound sigh. The kind of sigh any well-seasoned ten-year-old perfected to inform their parents of their true feelings. “I know. Can we at least get ice cream?”
“I’ll see if Grandpa can get some for us.” Dan arranged the blankets over Ben’s legs.
“Then you’re staying the night, too.”
“Absolutely.” Dan never wanted Ben to doubt that. To doubt that he wouldn’t be there for him.
Ben’s shoulders relaxed into the bed and stretched his legs out. “What about Brooke?”
Dan had lost her. Maybe he never had her. Maybe this was for the better. Why didn’t he feel better, though? Why did he feel like that car had stolen something from him? “Brooke had to go and check on the animals.”
“Rex is probably pacing around, waiting to use the bathroom, and Cupid is biting Rex’s tail as he paces by the couch.” Ben grinned. “Rex can’t stop pacing until he goes. And we’ve been gone a really long time.”
Brooke would be gone even longer. Indefinitely. Dan shoved aside that thought. Tonight was about Ben. His son and his family. “Your grandpa, uncle and Valerie are waiting to see you. Grandma Lulu is on her way, too.”
“Grandma Lulu is home?” Ben cheered up.
Finally. Luann had texted while they were at the farmers market. Just before the accident. He’d texted her on his way to the hospital to tell her about Ben. She’d replied: On my way.
Dan’s support team would surround him and Ben. But who was going to support Brooke? Who was going to take care of her? Dan stood up. “Can I let your mom and the others in?”
Ben nodded.
Ten minutes later, Dan slipped out to the waiting area and let Ben soak up the attention from his grandpa and uncle.
“Dan.”
The familiar voice turned him around. He opened his arms and welcomed Luann Bennett’s hug.
Luann rubbed his back, then wiped at her eyes. “Ben is good? You’re good?”
Dan nodded. He would be, but that was for later. “Ben is detailing the accident to my dad and brother.”
Luann touched the gold necklace around her neck. Dan had never seen her without it. “Valerie is here, too?”
“Hello, Mother.” Valerie stepped into the waiting area.
And for the first time since he’d known both women, they skipped over the welcoming embrace. Dan shifted his gaze from one to the other.
“Should I welcome you back home or wish you well on your upcoming travels?” Luann asked. Her fingers remained on her necklace as if the gold gave her strength.
“Have you reconsidered your intentions?” Valerie countered.
Luann’s smile was slight. “I’m assuming you explained to Dan why you came home.”
“To spend time with my son,” Valerie said.
“And challenge for partial custody,” Dan added. He wanted to know what was really going on with Valerie. Now that Luann was here, he wanted answers. If those had to come out in the hospital waiting area, so be it.
“That’s a bold move, Valerie.” Luann set her purse on a chair. “What did you hope to prove to me?”
To Luann? Partial custody was about proving to Dan that she wanted to get to know Ben. That she wanted him in her life. That she could be trusted to take care of her own son. Except she’d dropped the ball with him the one night she could’ve proven she’d changed.
“That should be obvious.” Valerie set her hands on her hips.
“Why don’t you explain it?” Dan said. His brother stepped into the room behind Valerie and crossed his arms over his chest.
“It’s a family matter,” Valerie countered.
“We’re all family here.” Jason stepped around a chair and faced her.
“I made some changes to my will,” Luann said. “Valerie doesn’t approve.”
“I’m your only heir.” Valerie closed the distance. Her voice low. “I should inherit what my father built.”
Luann unfastened her gold necklace and handed it to Valerie. “This is what your father left behind in the estate. You can have it.”
Valerie refused to take the necklace. “There was more.”
“Debt. And more debt,” Luann said. “Why do you think I worked for twenty years? Why do you think I extended my retirement more than once?”
“I had a trust fund,” Valerie said.
“That I never touched.” Luann spoke with pride in her voice. “Not one penny. Your father left that for you. Now I’m leaving my estate and my assets to my grandson.”
Dan’s mouth dropped open. Ben. Ben was Luann’s heir.
“What am I supposed to do?” Valerie asked.
“You have a trust fund.” Jason tipped his head at her.
“Had.” Valerie’s hands fisted at her sides.
“You spent all of your trust fund?” Dan asked. How was that possible?
“She’s been relying on my goodwill and my bank account.” Jason rubbed his hand over his mouth as if to remove a bad taste. “Now it makes sense. We never made sense. But this does.”
“Everything would’ve been fine if mother made me an executor.” Valerie reached for Jason.
He stepped away, his tone appalled. “You were going to steal from your own son?”
Who does that? Dan noticed the desperation in Valerie’s wide gaze. “Is that why you wanted partial custody?”
“I think I get it.” Luann set her hand on Dan’s arm. “If you trusted Valerie with partial custody of Ben, then I would have to trust her as the executor.”
“Except I never agreed to partial custody,” Dan said. Nor would he ever. He’d take that battle to court every time.
&
nbsp; “And I never removed you as the executor of my will,” Luann said.
Dan looked at her. “Me?”
“If you agree.” Luann smiled at him. “But now I want to see my grandson for myself.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Valerie stopped her mother as she walked by.
“Do what we—Dan, Jason and myself—all had to do.” Luann straightened and cupped her daughter’s cheek. “Get a job and become an adult.”
Luann walked down the hall and disappeared around the corner.
Valerie adjusted her purse on her shoulder and eyed Dan and Jason. “I always hated hospitals.”
With that she strode toward the elevators and left. Again.
Dan nodded to Jason. Together, the brothers returned to Ben’s room and their family.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
THREE DAYS LATER, Dan parked his truck in the driveway and climbed out. He was on car pool duty for school. He’d dropped Ben and Wesley off early so they could meet Ella to help her with her science project. Now he had seven hours to avoid the empty rental apartment and his feelings.
He’d returned from the hospital Sunday afternoon. Got Ben settled in with a movie, then walked out to the apartment. He’d already known Brooke wouldn’t be there. The apartment looked colder and emptier without her. Like he felt.
But that would ease. Broken hearts repaired themselves. Healed with time. He’d recovered after Valerie left. He just needed time.
He stuffed his keys in his pocket and glanced at the front porch. A woman waited, leaning against the railing. But she wasn’t the dark-haired one who had stolen his heart. She wasn’t the one he wanted.
He walked up the steps and paused at the top. “Valerie.”
She was alone this time. The dimmer switch pressed on her smile. No food or presents waited near her feet.
“You were right.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, her fingers trembling. “I did return for the money.”
Dan frowned. “Is this supposed to help?”
“I returned for the money.” Valerie twisted her hands together. “And then I met Ben. Then I started to like Ben.”
Dan nodded and smiled. “He’s easy to like.”
“It’s more than that.” Valerie tapped her chest, above her heart. “There’s a spot only for him in here. Can you believe that?”
He would’ve said no. But he had a spot in his heart for Ben. And now one for Brooke, too. How could he love two people so much? How could he not? “What now?”
“I need to figure out my life.” Valerie waved her hands in the air. “I’ve never been good at adulting.”
“You could stay in the city,” Dan suggested. “Be close to Ben.” And people who would help her learn to be an adult.
“I’ve never been good at staying.” Valerie pointed at her heeled boots. “My feet are too restless.”
“But you’ll come back to visit?” Dan joined her, leaning on the railing, and crossed one ankle over the other. “Ben will want to see you on US soil.”
“Ben and I can have fun wherever we are.” Something tender shifted through her smile and into her voice. “Even if it’s at my mother’s house.”
“Or maybe Disneyland,” Dan offered. “Although there’s a list of people who plan to join you.”
“I could organize that group. That’s my specialty.” Valerie laughed, then sobered. “You know it was never about you, don’t you?”
Dan tipped his head and eyed her. This wasn’t about Ben or traveling. This was about the past. This was that conversation they’d never had. Maybe it was all for the better. He wouldn’t have listened. She wouldn’t have explained. Maybe it was all about becoming an adult.
“I was never meant to be a mom,” Valerie continued. “The more I pretended the more bitter I became. I resented you.”
Dan understood. He could’ve said the feeling had been mutual. But like she said, this wasn’t about him.
“You fell into being a father and a dad so easily and confidently. You were a natural. I was not.”
“It was never easy,” Dan allowed.
But Valerie continued, rushing on as if she feared he’d stop listening, “When I started to resent our beautiful, precious baby boy. That’s when I knew I couldn’t come home.”
Dan swallowed and swayed on the railing.
Grief and distress blended into her voice, silencing the lyrical tone. “If I’d come home, that resentment would’ve turned into hate.”
“You don’t hate,” Dan countered. Valerie was many things, but she wasn’t someone who hated. Cruel and unkind weren’t in her makeup.
“Exactly. I couldn’t take the risk. I couldn’t damage Ben’s life like that.” Valerie picked up her purse. “One day I hope he can understand. I hope he can forgive me.”
First, Valerie needed to understand herself. Forgive herself. But that wasn’t for Dan to do. That was something Valerie had to do herself. Thanks to Brooke, he’d forgiven Valerie. There was peace in that. He hadn’t needed Valerie’s explanation. But he was glad she’d shared the truth however uncomfortable it was.
“I’ll be in touch when I figure out some things.” Valerie smiled, touched his arm and walked down the stairs.
Dan watched her get into her car and pull away from the curb, then he went inside. Too restless to stay in his house, he stepped into the backyard, pulled his keys out of his pockets and opened the apartment door.
No four-legged friends greeted him, tails wagging and tongues hanging out. Cupid didn’t stretch on the couch, rolling over onto his back, inviting Dan to meet him. And Brooke wasn’t there to tease him or kiss him. Dan stepped into the bedroom.
The four-poster queen bed was made, the throw pillows arranged neatly on top. The towels were folded and hanging on the towel rack as if waiting for the next visitor. Everything was clean, put together and ready.
Except Dan wasn’t put together. He was out of sorts and unsure how to fix it. He feared the only person who could help him was the one person he’d chased away.
Back in the living room, his heart clenched as he spotted the mantel, where two crystal angels waited. Dan picked up the Hope and Joy angels—the very things Brooke had given him. They belonged to Brooke and were part of a set she’d gotten from her late husband. One was missing, like that piece of his heart.
The front door opened. His father and brother entered. His dad motioned to the lights. “We saw the lights on in here and figured this was where you were.”
Dan set the angels on the mantel. “You just missed Valerie.”
“We already said our goodbyes.” Jason opened and closed cabinets in the kitchen. “This place is fully furnished.”
“Yeah,” Dan said. “You’ll recognize most of it as Mom and Dad’s old stuff.”
“It’s not old,” Rick said. “It’s vintage, like me.”
Dan smiled. “Nothing wrong with old or vintage.”
“Are you going to get a new tenant?” Jason asked.
The last tenant opened his heart, then took it with her. Dan shook his head. “I’m not sure I want the stress of another stranger.”
“How about a brother?” Jason asked.
Dan rocked back on his heels. “You want to move in here?”
“Yes, if you’ll let me.” Jason faced Dan, his tone serious. His words careful. “I want to be close to my family again.”
Family. That was all Dan ever wanted. “What about Valerie and your travels?”
“I’ve been building a global transportation company the past few years,” Jason said. “It grew faster than I expected. I’ve started opening more offices.”
“And you’re putting one here in the city,” Dan said, guessing.
“I came back for the business,” Jason said. “But it’s my family that’s keeping me here.”
Dan h
ugged his brother, adding a slap on his back. “What about Valerie?”
“It was never right between us,” Jason said. “But it was easier than being alone.”
Dan nodded. He wasn’t sure how he was going to handle being alone now.
“Enough about me.” Jason punched him in the shoulder. “When are you bringing Brooke back home?”
Rick stepped toward them. “We all miss her.”
“I miss her, too.” Dan paced into the family room. “But she’s a widow. I’m a single dad.”
His dad and brother stared at him as if they didn’t understand.
Dan threw his hands up in the air. “She’s no ordinary widow.”
“No widow is,” Rick countered.
Dan scratched his fingers over his cheeks. “Dad, did you ever hear Hank Decker tell the story about the scene that almost ended his career?”
“Yeah. A hit-and-run. Vehicle jumped a curb, hit a couple and then rammed into a building.” His father’s head shook as if he’d witnessed the scene and was replaying it in his mind. But his dad had witnessed enough other horrifying scenes to fill in the details easily enough.
“Brooke and her husband were that couple,” Dan said.
“You can’t be serious.” His dad frowned at him.
“She told me about the accident that took her husband’s life. It sounded so familiar. I checked with Hank. Then checked the news reports.”
“She lost her husband on the scene,” his dad added.
Dan nodded. Brooke had confided in him.
“That’s why she never wanted to walk toward Bayview,” Jason said.
But it wasn’t about walking.
“They were the perfect couple. He was an attorney on the fast track to becoming a partner. She was a mediator at a law firm. Both successful, up-and-coming in their fields and ready to start a family. That’s how it’s supposed to be.” Dan shoved his hands in his hair and pulled. “Until a drunk driver took the dream away.”
“It doesn’t mean there can’t be a new dream,” his father said.
“Dreams are for the naive.” Dan dropped his hands. “I’ll leave the dreams to the kids like Ben.”
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