Angel Falls

by Connie Mann

  “He went to see Tio Noah?” the question slipped out before she caught herself.

  “Yes. Maybe they’ll finally—” Carol’s voice stopped abruptly, as though she’d said too much.

  “Brooks told me a bit about the past, Tia. It’s okay.”

  Regina could hear the tears in Carol’s voice even as she laughed. “Those two are a lot alike, no matter how much they deny it. They’re both stubborn as Missouri mules and dumber than bricks about some things.”

  “I think you’re right,” Regina agreed.

  In the pause that followed, Regina wondered what Carol was thinking.

  “He cares for you, you know.”

  “Pardon?”

  “Nathaniel. He cares about you, but like his father, he’s too stubborn to admit it.”

  Regina ignored the way her heart pounded in her chest. “He has no room in his life for a woman like me,” she said quietly.

  Carol’s voice turned sharp. “That’s the past talking, Regina. You are not a woman like me. You’re a marvelous person with a heart of gold. You deserve to be loved, deserve a home and family of your own.”

  “I love him,” Regina whispered. “But he doesn’t want me.”

  “Don’t be too sure of that.” Then she paused and said carefully, “Nathaniel has some things in his life he needs to sort out.”

  “You mean with Tio Noah and what happened to make him quit the Rangers. And with God.”

  Carol’s voice held surprise. “He told you quite a bit.”

  “Some,” Regina allowed. She had more questions she wanted to ask, but didn’t. If and when she got answers, she wanted them from Brooks.

  “Give him time, Regina.”

  As the days stretched into weeks, Regina decided Carol’s last words were nothing more than what she thought her former charge wanted to hear. Because there was no word from Brooks. No telephone call, no postcard, nothing that indicated he even remembered the time they had spent together.

  Instead of lessening, the ache in Regina’s heart grew, until she feared it would swallow her whole. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, could barely think. She missed Brooks with such longing, it emptied her of all other emotions. She missed his strength, missed his smoldering looks, his careful touches, his oh-so-rare grins. She found she even missed his stubbornness. But most of all, she missed the sense of safety he surrounded her with.

  Regina moved through her days like a mechanical doll, making the appropriate responses, but her eyes were lifeless, dead. Olga took to watching her with worried eyes and hovering at her elbow, food of one sort or another always slipped into the pocket of her apron, ready to coax Regina into taking a few bites.

  The nights were the worst. When the rest of the children slept, she stood by Eduardo’s empty cradle and wrapped her arms around her middle, aching as she remembered the feel of his small body next to hers. She started avoiding mirrors again, too, because whenever she did, she remembered Brooks telling her she was beautiful.

  One night, a month after she’d returned to House of Angels, Regina pushed the invoices back into the file folder, pushed up from her desk and began turning off the lights. It was late, and she’d put off going to bed as long as possible. She dreaded night. During the day, the children kept her going, kept her so busy she didn’t have time to think about Eduardo or Brooks, to wonder what they were doing, who they were with. But at night, when all was quiet, the pain became unbearable.

  And the dreams, she couldn’t take the dreams anymore. All of them were of Brooks, telling her he loved her. She dreamed of herself, rounded with his child, and of Eduardo, growing into a sturdy little boy under their loving care. Impossible, wrenching dreams that left her feeling worse and worse. When would her heart learn to let go and be content with what she had, not with what could never be?

  When a quiet knock sounded at the front door, she jumped, and clutched her robe more firmly about her. Maybe another orphan had found the courage to escape the favelas.

  Or maybe the knock signified something more sinister.

  Slowly, she headed down the hall, anxiety in every step. The last time someone showed up this late, it was Brooks, and shots followed soon after.

  She peeked through the small peephole and saw a pair of battered cowboy boots. Her heart stopped and then started again in a thundering rhythm. She shook her head to clear it, but the image remained. Surely she had fallen asleep and was dreaming all this.

  He knocked again. “Regina, open up,” he commanded softly in his wonderful growl.

  Dazed, she did and stood gripping the edge of the door for support. She blinked rapidly. He was really here.

  “Hi,” Brooks said.

  She stared. “Hi.”

  He glanced behind him, then shifted Eduardo to his other arm. “Can we come in?”

  For the first time she noticed the wrapped bundle he held, and her arms shot out. Brooks handed the baby to her and then guided them both inside to her office. This time, instead of going to the battered chair before the desk, he led them to the sagging couch and sat down beside her.

  Regina glanced from one to the other, but couldn’t decide which one to study first, so she started with the smallest and decided to work her way up from there. She kissed Eduardo’s soft cheeks and laughed when he gurgled in response. “You’ve grown so much,” she murmured, tickling his tummy and patting his little hands together.

  Several minutes went by before she raised her head from her careful study of the baby and met Brooks’s steady gaze. Myriad emotions swirled in the gray depths of his eyes, but she couldn’t identify a single one. She wanted to ask what he was doing there, why he’d come back, but her heart feared the answer. Surely there was some mundane reason for his sudden appearance with Eduardo. So she asked the safest question first. “Why did you bring him back to Brazil?”

  Instead of answering, he stood. “I need to get something from the car. I’ll be right back.”

  Moments later, Regina looked up from caressing Eduardo’s soft skin to see Brooks hunker down before her with a large box in his hand. “Trade you,” he said softly.

  Slowly, reluctantly, she handed him the baby and grasped the box. “What is it?”

  He smiled, that slow melting smile that turned her knees to mush. “Why not open it and find out?”

  Because she’d had so few gifts in her life, packages were something to be savored, the act of opening them stretched out as long as possible. Slowly, she peeled back the expensive wrapping paper, careful not to tear it.

  She slid a finger under the tape sealing one edge of the box, then moved to open the other edge. She glanced at Brooks, but his eyes gave nothing away. They stayed on hers, alert, watchful. Inch by slow inch, she lifted the lid. Her hands began to shake as she separated layers and layers of white tissue paper until she reached the treasure below.

  She gasped. Never had she seen such beautiful fabric. It was snow-white satin, covered in lace and tiny seed pearls.

  “What—” she began, but Brooks interrupted.

  “Take it out of the box so you can see it.”

  Regina stood and Brooks drew the box away so the full length of the dress cascaded to the floor. It had long sleeves and a high neck and looked like something a princess would wear.

  Or a bride, she realized numbly. It was a wedding dress.

  She looked at Brooks in confusion and saw him drop to one knee before her, Eduardo securely tucked against his shoulder. “Will you marry me, Regina?”

  “But why?” she blurted, confused.

  His expression grew tender, rueful. “Because I can’t stand being without you, because I want you with me every day and night of my life.” He paused and sent her a wry grin. “And because I’m adopting Eduardo, and I don’t want to be the only one getting up with him in the middle of the night.”

  He needed her, but he hadn’t said a word about love. And he still didn’t know the details of her past. Old insecurities reared their head. Maybe when he knew,
love wouldn’t matter anyway. “You don’t know about everything, about what I’ve done.” She pushed the words out in a rush and lowered her head.

  His finger gently tilted her chin up so she had to meet his eyes. “What’s done is done, Reggie. It’s over, in the past. What matters is what comes next.” He paused to run his finger slowly down her cheek. “I don’t know all the details, but I know enough to know it doesn’t matter. If you want to talk about it sometime, we can. If you don’t, that’s okay, too.” He grasped her chin again. “But I promise you right here and now, Reggie, we’ll take it slow.”

  He smiled that smile, and the tight knot in her belly slowly unfurled. “I can’t promise not to try to get you used to my touch, but I’ll never rush you. Never hurt you. Someday we’ll make love, not just have sex.” His expression sobered. “And if you can’t have children, then we’ll adopt a few, or a dozen. As many as you want.”

  Tears ran down her cheeks. “You’d be okay with that?”

  He stroked a hand down her cheek, taking the tears with it. “I’m rather partial to adoption, myself.”

  Regina scrambled to take in everything he’d told her. “Wait. You’re adopting Eduardo?”

  “No. I mean, yes. We’re adopting him, you and me.”

  He was so adorable when he was flustered, Regina laughed.

  “But what about the other couple . . .” she couldn’t bear to think there was a woman out there aching because Eduardo had been snatched from her arms.

  “My mother persuaded them that a certain other child would be a much better match for their family. By the way, Mom thinks you and I would be the ideal parents for Eduardo.”

  Married? He wanted to marry her? She couldn’t quite take it in. Questions, she had so many questions. “If we were to, um, get married, where would we live? What about your job?”

  “I told Uncle Sam I wasn’t coming back.” His eyes twinkled, and she gaped. She’d never seen him look so at ease, almost carefree.

  But she had to ask about the shadows in his past, too. He had accepted hers, but had he made peace with his own? “Have you let it go?”

  His smile faded, and she saw that while the pain lingered, the self-recrimination wasn’t there anymore. “Jax set up the ambush. He and Raul were working together, even then.”

  “Oh, Brooks, how awful. I’m so sorry.” She searched for more words, but couldn’t find the right ones. What could she say? No wonder he had wanted no part of her and Eduardo. They reminded him too much of a past failure.

  He cupped her cheek. “You told me I wasn’t God, that I couldn’t control everything, and I’ve finally realized you’re right. Think I’ll let God handle that part.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll always hate that they died, but I’m learning to let it go.”

  Regina’s heart filled with pride, not only that he’d accepted his failure, but that he’d been willing to tell her about it. He wasn’t a man to spew his deepest thoughts for all the world to hear. “So what will you do now?” she asked.

  Brooks recovered first and smiled, though the grin seemed tight around the edges. “I hear that a certain orphanage needs a codirector and a certain relief organization needs the occasional worldwide troubleshooter. I think I have a pretty good shot at getting the job.”

  Her eyes widened even further. “You mean you’re working for Tio Noah?” As the implication of that sunk in, a fresh slew of tears filled her eyes and clogged her throat. “When did he die?” she whispered.

  He stood quickly. “No, baby,” he hastened to reassure. “Noah’s still alive, doing better actually, and he and I got a few things straightened out.”

  There was a wealth of things that statement left out, but it was enough for a start.

  “By the way, I discovered that Francisco is Eduardo’s father.”

  Regina nodded her head sadly. “Yes, I know. He admitted it while I was still in the hospital. Poor Irene.” She told him about Francisco’s decision to leave public life.

  “At least he’s trying to make things right with his family.” Brooks transferred Eduardo to his other shoulder and cupped her cheek. “But you still haven’t answered my question. Will you marry me and put me out of my misery?”

  She hesitated, the old fears and doubts whispering in her ear. “Why do you want to marry me?”

  He looked stunned by the question and a scowl formed between his brows. “I love you. Why else would I want to marry you?’

  “Well, you never mentioned it.”

  “I thought you knew.”

  She smiled demurely. “Women like to hear the words.”

  He looked her right in the eye. “I love you, Regina da Silva. Today. Tomorrow. Always.”

  “Mmmm.” She snuggled close and kissed the side of his neck.

  “Men like to hear the words, too,” he whispered in her ear, wrapping his free arm around her.

  “Really?” she teased, then gave a long-suffering sigh. “Oh, all right. If you insist.”

  “Why you little rascal,” he growled, tickling her waist.

  She giggled. “Careful of the baby.”

  “Regina,” he ground out.

  She flung her arms around his neck, wrapping her arms securely around both her men. “I love you, Nathaniel Brooks Anderson. Today. Tomorrow. Always.”

  Epilogue

  Three weeks later

  BROOKS STOOD AT THE FRONT OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL AND DECIDED Regina had to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, certainly the most beautiful bride ever to grace a church aisle. She looked absolutely amazing in the dress he’d given her, just as he’d known she would. He searched for the right word and decided she looked like an angel. His angel.

  But was she done worrying? he wondered. The night he came back, he’d had to tell her that Raul was the man who’d attacked Noah that long-ago night and killed her unborn baby, too. It wasn’t news you could absorb quickly. The effects lingered.

  But as Brooks studied her face as she slowly walked down the aisle on Jorge’s arm, his anxiety eased. Her brown eyes sparkled, and there was a bounce in her step. Jorge walked tall and proud beside her. She looked like a woman who not only knew she looked gorgeous, but felt that way, too. And so she should. She was his bride, and as far as he was concerned, they started fresh, as of today. Whatever had gone before was gone, without the power to hurt them.

  Brooks shifted his gaze to the front pew, where his mother sniffed quietly into a lace handkerchief. Beside her, Olga bounced Eduardo on her knee, her old eyes suspiciously moist. He winked.

  Behind them, the pews were packed with squirming children in their Sunday best, all trying to sit still for their beloved Regina. He smiled as he heard their delighted whispers and saw their pointing fingers when she appeared. He felt like giggling and pointing himself.

  Then Regina arrived at the altar and smiled at him. He smiled back, and nothing else mattered.

  “Time to go, Reg,” he whispered in her ear several hours later. The courtyard of House of Angels was filled to bursting with laughing children and carefree adults. If he smiled any more he knew his face was going to split right down the middle. And if he didn’t get to touch his new wife soon, he’d spontaneously combust.

  She looked up at him and smoothed the scowl forming between his brows. “Don’t look so ferocious. They just want to wish us well.”

  “They’ve been doing it for days,” he groused.

  “Just a little while longer . . .” she pleaded.

  He met her laughing gaze. “Five minutes. After that I’ll haul you over my shoulder and drag you out of here. I’m tired of sharing.” He kissed her hand and let her go.

  But he didn’t go far. Brooks followed his bride around the yard as they bid farewell to the guests, a guiding hand at the small of her back, easing her ever closer to the gate leading to the street.

  When he got her into position, he grabbed her hand and took off at a trot, dragging her with him. “Let’s go, Reg.”

  She squealed, hiked h
er dress up with one hand and ran down the street with him to the rental car he’d stashed there for just this purpose.

  Brooks drove like a madman, whipping around corners, blasting through intersections with no more than an obligatory honk. He couldn’t wait to get her alone. She looked at his determined expression and laughed—though she gripped the dashboard with both hands.

  Several decades later, they arrived at their hotel. Another eternity crawled past before they reached the honeymoon suite. He closed the door behind them and flicked on the radio.

  “May I have this dance, Mrs. Anderson?” he asked, holding out his hand.

  “Of course, Nathaniel,” she replied, moving into his arms.

  He started to protest, but as he held her close, he decided Nathaniel wasn’t such a terrible name after all.

  “You looked beautiful today,” he whispered.

  “I felt beautiful today.”

  He leaned away from her then, needing to reassure. “Don’t ever be afraid of me, Reg.”

  “I won’t,” she promised, “even when you growl and stomp.”

  He grinned at her cheekiness, delighted with this lighter, carefree side of her. “So how long do you think it will take to get you out of this lovely dress?”

  “Why don’t you find out?” she replied with a saucy toss of her head.

  Brooks searched her eyes for a telltale flicker of anxiety, a hesitation, but there was none. Only love shone from her warm brown eyes. It humbled him and made him surer than ever that he’d treat her the way she should be treated.

  With reverent hands, he undid the buttons down the back of her dress and slowly peeled it off her, her smile all the encouragement he needed. Then he stood stock still as she divested him of his tie, jacket, and shirt.

  When it was his turn again, he peeled off the rest of her clothes, stopping along the way to plant tender kisses on every new inch of skin he uncovered, delighting in the taste and feel of her.

  Taking her cues from him, she kept her eyes on his as she returned the favor, placing gentle kisses all over his skin.