Garrett’s voice could be heard from deep inside the house. “Are you talking to someone, Paige?”
Paige looked at Libby. “Are you ready?”
Gesturing for Noah, who was waiting by the car, to join her, Libby blew out a breath and regarded Paige, who waited for her answer. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
But as she stepped farther into Paige’s house, Noah following closely behind, she knew deep inside that she wasn’t ready and never would be. Not that she could avoid it. Sooner or later, this would have to be done. She could run away and try to forget, but eventually she would end up here. If nothing else, she owed Garrett an explanation.
“Noah,” Paige said in a hushed voice, “Sophie is in the kitchen.”
Noah nodded and immediately hurried in that direction, while Libby continued into the living room, her legs stiff, as if they knew there was trouble ahead.
“Paige, did you hear—”
Libby slowly turned around to face Garrett, who stood frozen just inside the room. “Hello, Garrett.”
With eyes wide, he stared at her. “Libby.” He moved as if to take a step, but didn’t. “Libby, where…” He shook his head and looked down.
Paige cleared her throat, but neither Libby nor Garrett looked her way. “I think I’ll take Sophie and Noah to see Tucker. If that’s okay. Libby?”
Libby nodded. “Yes. Yes, that’s fine. Noah will enjoy that.”
Garrett didn’t look up, but gave an affirmative nod.
Within minutes, Paige had both children hustled out of the house, leaving Libby and Garrett alone. Libby was certain her shaking knees would soon give out if she didn’t sit down, but she remained standing. When Garrett still didn’t speak, she finally gave in. “Is it all right if I sit down?”
He jerked his head up and stared at her again. “Yes! Yes, of course. I’m just… I’m sorry. I never— I didn’t expect to see you again.”
Not sure what he meant, Libby took a seat on the edge of the sofa, ready to leave, if necessary. Clearing her throat, she began what she’d come to say and hoped for the best. “I’m sorry I ran off,” she began. “I was—” She hesitated, unsure of how to explain everything. Should she start from before she first met Eric? From the moment he’d arrived at Garrett’s house to take her and Noah back to Arizona? Where? When?
“Libby, I—”
“No, let me talk.” She needed to get it all out, every bit of it, then let him make the final decision. “You need to know it all.”
“All right.”
She couldn’t read his face as he stood there, watching her. Guessing it was a part of his life as a lawyer, it still made her even more nervous, and she realized she was twisting her hands in her lap. “Please sit down, Garrett,” she said, clasping her hands together. When he settled on a nearby chair, she continued. “Maybe I should have told you about my marriage to Eric, but I could never talk about it. Not to family, not to friends, not even to Noah, except to assure him that everything would be all right. Of course it wasn’t. It never was.”
“He hurt you.”
She was aware that it wasn’t a question, but she answered it as if it was. “Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Years,” she admitted, lowering her head, unable to look at him. It was the shame she now had to deal with the most. It was the shame that had insisted she keep Garrett at a distance.
“Can you tell me about it?”
She shook her head, fear growing inside her until it hurt. When he said nothing, she forced the fear down and tried. “I met Eric when I was in college. I was a music major at the University of Arizona at Tucson and on my way to becoming a part of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.”
“That’s impressive.” There was a long moment before he spoke again. “What instrument do you play?”
“Piano.”
His nod was stiff but polite. “Do you have a music degree?”
“No, I never finished. I quit early in my sophomore year and married Eric.” She closed her eyes, wishing it had all been different, but she had to face reality. She’d made a bad, bad choice, but it was behind her. “It was what people call a whirlwind romance. My parents adored him. I was so caught up in everything that I never questioned anything. I was young and thought I was in love,” she admitted.
“There were no signs that he was—”
“Abusive? No, although looking back, I can recognize how even then he managed to control me. I was flattered by his attention. I never suspected…” She took a deep breath, knowing she had to continue, but wishing she didn’t.
“After we married, we moved to Phoenix, and the control became suffocating. He managed my entire life. Friends, activities, even what I read. We’d been married three months when he hit me the first time.”
“And it never stopped?”
“Never.”
“What about Noah?” Garrett asked.
“I thought a baby might make things better.” Ashamed again, she ducked her head. “I was young and foolish and ready to try anything.”
“I can understand that.”
Emotion clogged her throat, but she continued. “I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I thought it was all my fault, that there was something wrong with me and maybe I deserved it. I wasn’t able to be the perfect wife he’d hoped for, no matter how hard I tried.”
“Did having Noah make things better?”
“During my pregnancy Eric was careful,” she answered, looking up again. “Maybe he was afraid he might do something he wouldn’t be able to explain. It was easier for a while, and I began to hope I’d been right, and a baby would change things.”
“But it didn’t.”
She shook her head. “But he left Noah alone. He didn’t hurt me in front of him. Not until—” She had to stop again and gather her strength. “Noah was three and tried to stop his dad. Eric grabbed him, his hand raised, and I tried to stop him, tried to reach Noah and shove him out of the way. But I was too slow, and Eric hit him. That was when I knew neither of us would be safe. That’s when I filed for divorce and moved out.”
“Did he fight the divorce?”
She thought back to that strange time. “No, he didn’t, and that surprised me. But I think he was honestly afraid I would tell someone about the abuse.”
“But you didn’t tell anyone.”
“I couldn’t,” she answered, sighing. “No one would have believed me. Eric—and his family—are well-respected in Phoenix. I was afraid that even if I tried, something bad would happen, so I kept quiet and hoped Noah would forget.”
“So you’re telling me that no one knew. Not your friends or your parents. No one.”
“Not until now.”
“Did you ever go to a hospital with injuries he inflicted?”
Libby studied him. “You’re sounding like a lawyer now.”
“I am a lawyer,” he replied, his expression blank. “Did you ever go to a hospital for treatment of injuries he inflicted?”
“A few times, yes.”
“Did you tell any of the hospital personnel the truth of how you received those injuries?”
She knew her answer would sound bad, but she wasn’t going to lie. “No.”
“But there are records, right?”
“I suppose. X-rays were taken a couple of times.”
“Do you remember which hospitals you visited?”
“Of course.” Something didn’t seem right. “Why are you asking all these questions?”
He stood. “I have to make a phone call. Don’t leave.”
Libby stared as he walked away. Glancing at her watch, she realized it was later than she’d thought. She hadn’t expected that telling Garrett would take so long, and she wished they could just end it. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she was no longer hopeful. Garrett seemed detached, and he had every right to be. She’d deceived him from the very beginning. She’d deceived everyone in Desperation, and now she wondered if she would still be welcom
e, once everyone learned she’d lied.
GARRETT BALANCED his cell phone between his shoulder and ear as he jotted notes on a pad of paper. “Yes, there are X-rays. I’ll find out at which hospital and let you know.”
“Then between witnesses at your house and hospital records, I don’t think we’ll have a problem with this going to court.”
“Good,” Garrett said. He’d called his friend and fellow lawyer, Mike Turner, in Oklahoma City the day after Libby had left. “That’s all I needed to hear. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.”
“Anytime.”
He pocketed his phone and the notes he’d written, then returned to the living room. At first glance, he thought Libby had disappeared again, and his heart hit his throat. He’d gone through his own personal hell since she’d disappeared almost two weeks before and had only managed to stay seemingly calm by calling Mike and staying informed on Eric Cabrera’s case.
“There’s something else you need to know,” he heard Libby say, and he turned around to see her standing by the windows.
“What’s that?” he asked, not certain he really wanted to hear.
She didn’t turn to look at him when she spoke, just continued to stare out the window. “I don’t know how much you know about abusive relationships. I didn’t know very much, to be honest. I think I was afraid to know more, because then I would have had to do something, and I didn’t think I could. But something I’ve learned in the past two weeks is that being in the relationship I had with Eric not only left physical scars, it left psychological ones, too.” She moved and looked directly at him. “I’m getting counseling to help me with those. I just want you to know that I’m doing something. Maybe someday I’ll be okay, because I know I haven’t been what most people would think is normal.”
Garrett understood that Libby had a long road ahead of her, and he didn’t want to do or say anything that would hamper her journey to what Paige referred to as her wellness. “I’m glad you’ve found someone to help,” he told her sincerely. “I’ve been worried.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I was only afraid Eric would come looking for Noah and me. We had to leave.”
Garrett moved, slowly at first, and then more quickly, until he stood in front of her at the window. His hands shook a little when he tentatively took hers. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t even give you a chance. I jumped to the conclusion that you were like Shana. You’d lied, but I was wrong to do that.”
She ducked her head again and nodded. “I can understand how it would have looked that way to you. I did lie.” She lifted her head and met his gaze. “I didn’t believe I had a choice.”
He saw the tears in her eyes and pulled her into his arms. “Sophie’s missed you and Noah,” he said. “She thought you were never going to come back, and I didn’t know what to tell her.” Libby pulled away enough to look up at him, and he smiled. “I was afraid you weren’t coming back, too.”
“We’re staying,” she whispered. “We’re renting an apartment at the Commune for now. At least we’re staying if the people here don’t run us out of town.”
He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “There’s no danger of that. And there’s no danger of Eric ever bothering you and Noah again.”
Her eyes were filled with doubt. “How can you be sure?”
“He’ll be tried for attempted murder, for one thing,” he answered.
“Attempted murder? But—”
“At the moment, he’s still in a jail cell in Oklahoma City. Even his hotshot attorney couldn’t get bail for him. And he signed the necessary papers relinquishing parental rights. There won’t be any chance of what happened with the judge in Phoenix being repeated here. And that’s a promise.”
Her eyes grew larger and then her smile followed. “I really don’t have to worry?”
He shook his head. “You can put it all behind you now.”
She pressed her forehead to his chest and sighed. “I don’t know what I can say, except thank you, and that doesn’t seem like enough.”
He hadn’t planned to say anything about her future or his, but he couldn’t keep his hopes to himself. Lifting her chin with one finger, he tipped her head so he could look into her eyes. “I’ve never given much thought to being a father. I guess you know that, considering how I manipulated you into helping me with Sophie.”
Laughing, she shook her head. “You didn’t manipulate anyone. Unless you’re worthy of an award for acting, because I could tell you were paralyzed at the thought of raising a daughter. You needed some help, and I couldn’t say no to that.”
“I hope that’s not the only thing you can’t say no to.”
“What do you mean?”
He needed to reassure her that he understood she was still on shaky ground about relationships, but he wasn’t sure how to do it. All he could do was try. “I understand that the counseling you’re working on will take some time. And you may feel scared about, well, getting serious about a relationship—” When she moved as if she was going to stop him, he hurried on. “Just hear me out, Libby,” he pleaded. “That’s all I’m asking right now.”
“All right,” she replied, and he felt her body relax.
Convinced she wasn’t going to break free and run, he continued. “Besides never giving any thought to being a dad, I also gave no thought to being a husband. I enjoyed my bachelorhood, although I admit that sometimes it’s been a bit lonely. At least until I met you.”
“Oh, Garrett,” she sighed, but said nothing else.
So far, so good. She hadn’t outright stopped him, so he would charge forward. “I know this might come as a surprise, but I love you, Libby. I have for a long time, although I don’t think I recognized the signs in the beginning.”
Her eyes sparkled with what he hoped were tears of joy. “Oh, dear,” she said, smiling. “I know I shouldn’t, considering the emotional baggage I’m carrying around, but I love you, too.”
He didn’t think he’d ever heard anything sweeter, and he pulled her even closer. “I want us all to be a family, Libby, all four of us. You, me, Noah and Sophie. You can make that happen if you’ll marry me and be my wife.”
He waited, afraid she would say she couldn’t commit to anything until she’d put the past to rest. He’d understand that if she did.
“I’d love to be a family with you, Garrett,” she said, completely taking him by surprise. “But we need to make some plans and lay some ground rules.”
“What kind of ground rules?”
“Noah and I are going to live at the Commune for a while, and I’m going back to work at Lou’s,” she explained. “There’ll be enough people at the Commune to keep an eye on him after school, so I won’t need child care anymore.”
“Oh,” Garrett replied, disappointed that things had changed so much. He’d enjoyed his time with Noah. “Okay, if that’s what you want. It’s just one more reason why we shouldn’t put off a wedding, though.”
“What about Sophie?”
“She’s started pre-kindergarten and enjoys it, so afternoons are the only time I’ll need someone to watch her. I’ve been looking into that.”
“Desperation definitely needs a good day care center.”
“It sure does,” he agreed. “I didn’t know there was a problem until you showed me.”
“If there was a building or a place big enough…” she said. “And day care providers, of course.”
“Of course,” he echoed, wondering if she was thinking the same thing that he was thinking. “And if Lou could find a new waitress…”
But they didn’t continue the discussion. Instead, they shared the kiss they’d both been aching for and dreamed of the future they would plan together as a family.
“About that day care center…” he began, when they finally came up for air.
Libby laughed and looked at him with eyes full of love. If he never won another case, he wouldn’t care. He’d won Libby.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-1264-0
BACHELOR DAD
Copyright © 2011 by Roxann Farmer
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