by Teresa Roman
I draped my arm around Alex. “I’d like that.”
“What we have, it’s good. I can’t let it go. I won’t let it go. Promise me you won’t either.”
I ignored the lingering doubts, pushing them out of my head. “I won’t. I promise.”
“And promise me that you won’t keep things from me,” he urged. “You should’ve told me a lot sooner about Rick and about what was going on inside that head of yours.”
I gave him a weak smile. “You’re right. I should have.”
I glanced at my bedside clock. “Oh shit,” I said. “I have to pick up the kids in fifteen minutes.”
Alex got out of bed too. “I want to go with you.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
Alex reached for my hand. I looked up at him. “I know I don’t need to, but I want to. And besides, I miss Jacob and Lydia. And I’m pretty sure they miss me too.”
He was right about that. They loved him.
“All right,” I said. “But you better hurry up.”
A few minutes later, I raced down the street on my way to Bounce High to pick up the kids. They were delighted to see Alex in the passenger seat.
“What are you doing here?” Lydia asked him.
“Just thought I’d surprise you guys.”
“Did you have fun at the party?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder as the kids got into the car.
“Yeah,” Jacob said. “It was super fun.”
“Does that mean you’re too tired to come over to my house and play in the pool?” Alex asked.
Jacob and Lydia bounced up and down in their seats. “Ooh, Mommy, can we, can we?”
“Um, sure, I guess so,” I replied. “When we get home, go ahead and grab your towels and bathing suits.”
The kids were so excited that they ran into the house as soon as I parked in the driveway. While Alex and I waited for them to get their swim stuff together, he turned to me. “I have a great idea.”
I smiled. “Another one?”
“Yup.” He reached for my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. “How about you three spend the night?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but I wasn’t really sure what to say. It seemed like such a big step.
“Before you say no, hear me out—”
“I’m not going to say no,” I said, smiling. “I was going to tell you I still have a washing machine that needs fixing.”
“You can bring your laundry to my place.”
It suddenly dawned on me that nothing would make me happier than to wake up next to Alex in the morning. I knew the kids wouldn’t mind. If anything, they’d be excited. They told me all the time how much cooler Alex’s house was than ours, and they loved sleepovers.
“It’s a deal.” We sealed it with a kiss.
That night, I wound up sleeping better than I had in years. Every time one of those thoughts that had plagued me for months crawled into my head, I lifted my head from Alex’s chest and looked at his face. He made me feel content, confident, and safe in a way no one had before.
We didn’t wind up going to the gym the next day. Instead, we all slept in, and then Alex made us pancakes for breakfast.
“These are almost as good as my mom’s,” Lydia said in between bites.
“What do you think, Jakey?” I asked.
“Yours are better,” he said.
Alex made a face, pretending to be wounded, and Jacob laughed.
“We better hurry, guys.” I stood to take my dirty plate to the kitchen. “Alex has to leave for work soon.”
“You don’t have to leave,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I was just thinking I should give you a key to my place. That way you guys can come over and use the pool whenever you want.”
Jacob and Lydia looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Smiles crept across their faces.
“Are you sure about that? There’s a pretty big chance we might be over here almost every day.” While the kids played in the pool, I could bring my laptop out to the patio and keep an eye on them while I worked. It was actually a genius idea.
“I hate coming home to an empty house. Nothing would make me happier than to hear your kids laughing as I walk up to my door after a long day at work.”
I could tell by the tone of his voice how much he missed Leah. I laced my fingers through his. “You’ll get her back. I just know it.”
“I hope so,” Alex replied.
“We won’t stop fighting until you do.”
“We?”
“That’s right. You heard me.”
He put his hand on my cheek. “I love you, Vanessa.”
“I love you too,” I said for the first time. Then I gave him a kiss.
The kids both started giggling and oohing. It had been years since they’d seen me kiss their father, so they weren’t really used to public displays of affection, but it was good for them to see what two people loving each other was supposed to look like.
Later that day, after the kids and I returned home, I realized that I felt lighter than I had in a long time. Opening up to Alex made it feel like a load had been lifted off my shoulders. Doubts would find a way to creep back inside my head, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized Alex was right. I’d never know what had been going through Ryan’s head the morning that he died, but whatever it was, his death wasn’t my fault. Ryan had issues that he needed help to deal with. I’d told him as much time and time again, but he never listened. He didn’t want to pay a stranger to listen to his problems. Apparently, that’s what I was there for. But Ryan’s demons were too big for me to slay. And now it was too late. He was dead. The car accident that took his life was a tragic accident. Maybe if Ryan had lived, I could’ve one day convinced him to go to counseling, and maybe he could’ve become a better man, but it was too late for that.
I needed to figure out how to breathe again and appreciate that through some crazy stroke of luck, I’d been given a second chance at love.
Epilogue
A few weeks later, my turn came to help Alex through a rough patch. Kristi had finally made good on her threat to tell Leah that Alex wasn’t her father. Leah called sobbing. The kids and I were at Alex’s place enjoying a late dinner. I could hear her tears through the phone. Alex went into the bedroom to talk in private. A few minutes later he returned, his face ashen.
“What happened?” I asked, taking his hand.
“Kristi introduced Leah to her biological dad. Apparently, she’s dating him now.”
I turned to the kids. “Why don’t you two go watch some TV while Alex and I clean up?”
They didn’t need to be told twice. TV beat clearing the table any day of the week.
“Is Leah okay?”
“She’s furious,” he said. “She wants me to drive up to Pollock Pines and pick her up so she doesn’t have to be around Kristi and her new boyfriend. When I explained that I couldn’t do that, she just cried.”
“This must be heartbreaking for you.”
He ran his hands over his face. “I want full custody, but I know I’ll never get it. I tried to explain that to Leah, but she doesn’t understand how these things work.”
“Her mother just dropped a bomb on her,” I said. “Give her time. She’ll calm down.”
Alex made a fist. For a moment, I thought he’d punch the wall behind him, but with the kids in the other room, he must’ve thought better of it.
I was hopeful that Kristi’s little stunt would help Alex’s chances in court, but his lawyer was less optimistic. She told Alex the best thing he could hope for was joint custody. That unless the courts deemed Kristi unfit, they wouldn’t grant Alex full custody.
Family court moved at a snail’s pace. The waiting was the hardest part for Alex. Even though he got to see Leah every other weekend, I could tell the stress of not knowing if that would wind up a permanent thing or not got to him.
After weeks and weeks of waiting, his court date finally arrived. Summer was ov
er, and Jacob and Lydia were back in school. Alex and I drove to the courthouse together on a Wednesday morning. He held my hand tightly, clearly anxious. His lawyer had warned him that things could get ugly at these hearings.
As we climbed the courthouse steps, we heard Alex’s name being called. He looked over his shoulder. It was Linda, his attorney.
“I’ve been trying to reach you for the past hour.”
“Sorry. I turned my ringer off. Figured it wouldn’t look good if my phone went off in the middle of the hearing.”
“That’s just the thing,” Linda said. “There’s not going to be a hearing. Your ex-wife’s attorney finally convinced her that fighting you in court was a losing battle.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding me, right?”
Linda shook her head. “Nope. Kristi has apparently agreed to joint custody.”
“This feels too good to be true,” Alex said.
“Trials are expensive, and there’s little doubt in my mind that you would have won. Kristi must’ve finally realized that. Or maybe she kept hoping you’d drop the case and this whole thing would go away, but when she figured out that wasn’t going to happen she gave up.”
“She played her final card when she told Leah the truth,” I said.
Alex dropped my hand and hugged his lawyer first, then me. “Tell me I’m not dreaming,” he said.
“You’re not dreaming.”
“Nope, you’re not,” Linda said. “I’ll be in touch with the final paperwork soon. Congratulations.”
Alex let out a loud whoop. “We need to celebrate.”
“Oh my God, Alex. I’m so happy for you.” I hugged him again. I’d come to think of Leah as family. So did Jacob and Lydia. She had a beautiful, gentle soul just like her dad.
We had to wait a few more days to celebrate. Alex took off work early on Friday afternoon, and we all piled into his car, anxious to get up to Pollock Pines and pick Leah up from her mother’s house.
I caught my first glimpse of Kristi when she opened the door for Alex. She was nothing liked I’d pictured her. Her hair was dyed an unnatural shade of blond. She wore workout clothes which revealed a model-perfect body. But I didn’t feel even a pang of envy. She was attractive on the outside, but inside was another story entirely.
When we got back to Sacramento, we stopped for pizza. The kids had unanimously agreed that’s what they wanted for dinner. Neither Alex nor I were surprised. Pizza seemed to win every time. Since it was a special occasion, I even let the kids get soda.
Alex lifted his glass. “I want to make a toast,” he said. “To family.”
I smiled. Those two words were perfect. They summed up what our little gathering was all about.
“To family,” we repeated before clinking glasses together.
I glanced at everyone’s face. There were happy smiles all around. We weren’t what anyone would call a traditional family, but that didn’t matter. We loved each other. Things wouldn’t always be easy, but Alex and I had each other’s backs. And blood or not, we were a family.
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Also by Teresa Roman
Back to Us
Out of Nowhere
Someone Special
Daughter of Magic
Daughter of Darkness
Legacy
Acknowledgments
This was a hard book to write. We’re all familiar with stories of domestic violence, but less so with stories of emotional abuse. For anyone who’s experienced abuse of any kind, I hope this book helps you realize you aren’t alone.
I’d like to thank my children for their patience and support while Mommy spent hours in front of the computer writing. I’d like to thank my sister whose writing advise is priceless. You can’t even begin to know how much I appreciate you taking the time from your busy life to read my first messy drafts. I’d also like to thank my editor, Linda Cassidy Lewis, who is not only an editor, but an amazing author (seriously, you should check her books out). I’d like to thank my friend, Rebecca, for her writing advice and for helping me craft the perfect blurb for this book. Last but definitely not least, like always, I want to thank you, my readers. Your support means so much to me.
About the Author
Teresa Roman writes contemporary and paranormal romance for adults and young adults. If it were possible to be born with a book in her hands, that’s how Teresa Roman would’ve entered this world. Her passion for reading is what inspired her to become a writer. She loves the way stories can take you to another time and place.
Born in Romania, Teresa has lived in the Midwest and on both coasts but currently calls Sacramento, California, her home. She lives there with her husband, three adorable children, three cats, and a dog. When she’s not at her day job or running around with her kids, you can find her in the kitchen, baking a sinful treat, in front of the computer, writing, or with her head buried in another book.
