Harvest Rest

by Teri Blake

  A plausible reason to wait, especially if she thought she had all the time in the world and her fiancé already treated her son like his own. “So, here we are. She was unmarried, had no will, had no money, and now her son has no home.” She tapped out the number of reasons on the table.

  “Exactly, and all three parties would make great parents. I can take what the boy says to heart, but that’s not fair to the grandparents who just want him in their lives now that they understand the truth. And they live too far away to really share custody, nor do they want to and that’s not the best situation for him.”

  Channyon couldn’t help but see the parallels with Karla’s children. “I’ll agree with that. Karla’s kids have grown to hate visiting their dad and the change is disruptive, since they both parent differently.”

  “Yes, that’s just it. By the time he got used to living with one set of rules and expectations, he’d have to switch. I represent the father. I have to do my best to make sure he is well represented. He wants the boy badly because he loves him and he’s a reminder of Sandra, but both he and I know that by fighting we’re also taking him away from a very good set of parents. The only drawback to them is that they’re older. He also understands that they are biologically related, so the judge might award custody based on that alone if for no other reason.”

  She closed her eyes, now seeing the parallel to her own life. What if she and Becker adopted and the former parents changed their mind? If the judge awarded custody based on biology, that child would never truly be theirs.

  “That is so tough, but the boy can’t stay in foster care. That would be the worst of all, wouldn’t it?” While there were amazing foster parents out there, she’d also heard horror stories. If the fiancé was so opposed to the boy being with his grandparents because they were strangers, putting him in foster care made even less sense.

  “I wish this was a case like the movies or television where the ‘good guy’ was the one I was representing and I was doing the right thing. I’m…not really sure I am, but I could be. I just don’t know. I don’t have a clear picture this time. No matter the outcome, someone who doesn’t deserve it is going to be hurt.”

  She wished there was a clear answer for her, too. Wanting her own child wasn’t wrong and adopting wasn’t wrong. Just like Becker’s case, there were two right answers but one could lead to never having a child, and one could lead to having a child who someone wanted back when they were older. Could she accept that she might lose an adopted child later in life if it meant Becker would be fulfilled right now?

  “At least you know that if you do well and the fiancé is awarded custody, you haven’t done anything wrong. You could even ask him to consider visiting the grandparents, that it would be good for the boy. I just hope the court doesn’t make things so ugly between them that they can’t do that.”

  Becker took a deep breath and she heard scratching on his end of the line, like pen to paper. “I think if he’s awarded custody, he will. Because there’s no apparent reason not to and they are the boy’s blood relatives. Possibly the only relatives he has left. I don’t think that will be the case if the grandparents are given custody. Why should they? He’s just a fiancé, not a relative at all.”

  The whole situation wasn’t fair. The boy may never really notice a difference in quality of life, but he would miss out either way. “Even with a will, it still would’ve been unfair. One or the other might’ve had a stronger leg to stand on, but there probably would’ve still been a battle.”

  The writing sound stopped on the other end. “You’re probably right. People will be people. I’m going to have to get back to work shortly. I loved talking to you and I can’t wait to be back with you.”

  She wanted to hear “where I belong”, but that would come. They’d only begun reconciling a month before. “I wish you were here too. But in the meantime, I’m working hard and we’re watching the addition being built on the inn. It’s coming along nicely.”

  “Oh, good to hear. I’d almost forgotten to ask about that. Can you see the rooms already?”

  Channyon hadn’t been over to the construction site in a few days and she didn’t go at all on days when she worked. “Last I saw, the exterior walls were all up and they were working on finishing the inside. I haven’t looked through, because I don’t want to get in their way, but they had framed the rooms a few days ago according to Karla.”

  “It sounds like they are close to on-schedule. Very good. I’m excited to see the progress when I get back.”

  “They are, now. Karla had to step in and do some arguing. I think that might be why she and Sawyer haven’t been talking much. I hope they can work it out.”

  He chuckled softly. “So, you’ve decided that Sawyer is all right now? You weren’t so sure about him a few months ago.”

  “I wasn’t sure about you a few months ago either.” She laughed. “He seems to be good for her. He listens to her enough that she hasn’t needed us as much as I thought she would after Rob left. It’s really strange to have her turn to him instead of us. I really expected to be needed.”

  “You were, just not as emotionally as you thought. She still needed your help with the Tidewater. But since she isn’t as needy as you thought, that means you can leave with a clear conscience.”

  “I’d thought about that. I’m also thinking I can leave my sisters here…also with a clear conscience. They have Karla.”

  Becker said nothing for a moment. “Are you saying that you’re considering leaving your sisters behind?”

  She hadn’t expected her own heart to race at the expectation and hope in his voice. That had been the missing piece to their relationship all this time. They needed to be alone, at least for a little while.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I couldn’t send them to her when she was with Rob. He hated us. But Sawyer…he treats all of us well. Even if Karla marries, Aryn and Sonica still have the house we live in now. They will be near Karla and not homeless.”

  She couldn’t have left them if they would’ve been forgotten and forced to fend for themselves. While Aryn and Sonica were both capable of doing everything needed, the sisters had lived communally for so long, she feared leaving them would be like pulling the rug out from under her dearest friends.

  “I would never agree to leave them behind if that were the case. But, I am glad to hear I just might have you to myself. At least for a little while.”

  She wasn’t sure if that was a hint at looking toward adoption or not, but if it meant they both might be fulfilled, she’d give the matter the thought it deserved.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Karla’s call hit home. Now, Sawyer sat outside her house thinking about what he needed to say to really make their truce two-sided. He’d done what he always did when faced with stress—he’d handled it without talking to anyone else or taking the time to tell her what was going on.

  Sometimes, being a bachelor meant he had bad habits. Doing things completely alone was one of those. He climbed down from the pickup and checked the tires on his car to make sure they all had enough air pressure before he went to the front door. He didn’t want Karla to have trouble with them and checking only took a minute.

  When she came to the door, he realized just how much he’d missed seeing her and he couldn’t hold in a smile. “Hey, good to see you.”

  She grinned and let him in. “Good to see you too.”

  She grabbed a pitcher of sweet tea from the fridge and headed to the back porch. He rushed ahead of her to hold the door. When she reached him, she smiled up at him. “It’s been a while.”

  “It has.” Too long. He’d let his fear of stepping on her toes get in the way. She didn’t want him hovering over her and doing everything, but he’d gone in the opposite direction and left her hanging.

  Karla set the pitcher on the patio table. “I’ll be right back with glasses and ice. Make yourself at home.”

  He thought about that phrase and what it meant. At h
ome. He really wanted to make Karla feel at home with him and he wanted to learn how to weave her into his life in the perfect way. In six months, she would be a divorced woman and he’d have known her for almost that whole time.

  A year was enough to know if they were compatible. A year gave her time to heal from the scars Rob left behind. And what she didn’t heal from on her own, he could help with because that was what he did. He helped.

  Karla returned and poured him a tall glass. The ice clinked around loudly in the quiet back yard. Even the construction was quiet for a change. “My crew is all indoors today.” Even the generator wasn’t running, which was odd but not unheard of.

  “It’s two o’clock, so they’re taking a short break. Pretty soon we’ll smell the smoke.”

  He laughed, because that was pretty common for his crews. It was pretty difficult to put a whole team together of non-smokers but he’d managed indoor jobs where people had strict rules.

  “At least it’s short.”

  “That it is. They’ve worked hard and been respectful while I’m there. It’s all I can really ask for.” She tilted her glass back and forth to move the ice around.

  “You could ask for them to finish on time, but I can tell you that it looks like they will.”

  She nodded, looking hesitant. “I know. They’ve gotten back on track with my phase plan after the initial slow start. I’m sorry for attacking you at that meeting with Tim.”

  He set his glass down and wanted to reach for her hand but held back. “It’s all right. I deserved it. I didn’t tell you a lot of what was going on. I should’ve. We were supposed to be a team and I made myself the lead when things got tough.”

  She glanced down, shielding her eyes from him. “What did happen, exactly?”

  He could trust Karla with all the details, he just wished he could go back in time and share them when it mattered. “My partner, Tyrone, was supposed to be at the office during this whole two-month period, keeping an eye on the office and making sure his desk was clear for when he takes a long stretch of time off in a few months.”

  He paused, not wanting her to think he was laying the blame on Tyrone. He couldn’t have done anything about the situation and he had to be at the hospital with his wife. “But because of complications with his wife’s pregnancy, he couldn’t be there. So, instead of having a light load so I could check in with you every day, I had all his work and the clients I still had.”

  She shook her head. “Double the load. I’m sorry. I knew you were busy. I could see the fatigue on your face. But I had no idea why. I think you mentioned Tyrone wasn’t coming in, but you didn’t say why. Is the baby all right?”

  He nodded quickly. “Yes, baby and Toni are doing great. She is at home resting and Tyrone is back at work, catching up on everything he missed. I’m really thankful that I didn’t take on as much as I usually do because I wanted to make sure I had time to be here for you. If I hadn’t done that… I’m not sure how I would’ve kept up.”

  He hadn’t kept up. He’d only managed to do the minimum for everything, and Karla had suffered for that. “I wish I could’ve been more a part of the beginning of the project.”

  “You’re here now and you kept everything moving smoothly once they were started. I just…” She shrugged. “I’ve been so stressed out with Rob, the kids, Davin smoking…”

  “You took care of that?” He kicked himself that he hadn’t at least checked with her about Davin.

  “I did, but it only opened up a new can of worms. Maisy and Davin don’t want to go back with their dad in December when they’re supposed to over winter break. That’s part of the agreement, he gets them pretty much any time they have vacation from school for longer than a week. Rob says he will fight any change in the custody agreement.”

  “And the kids don’t get to have a say?” He had no idea how these things worked, but it seemed unfair that they would be forced to go if they didn’t want to.

  “My lawyer says they have no real say. He also says that it doesn’t matter that Rob sits there and smokes pot, because the kind of pot he smokes is legal.” She sighed. “I don’t want to fight him anymore. I just want to be done. I thought I was all done when the battle over the house and kids was signed.” She rubbed her forehead like she had a headache coming on.

  “I don’t think things will ever be over with Rob. I think you’ll probably deal with him, at least off and on, all the rest of your life. He will always think that you got the better end of the deal, be it Christmas presents from the kids or time spent. He will probably always complain.”

  He’d proven himself to be that way so far and Sawyer doubted he’d change after the divorce.

  “I know. It’s just really old at this point. I don’t want Davin to go back there and slide right back into the habit of smoking. And since Rob didn’t care, it’s not like he’d stop Davin from doing it. He’d probably offer it to him.”

  “I sure hope that’s not the case.” If that was true, he’d talk to Karla’s lawyer and figure out what needed to happen to end custody completely. “So…truce?” He held out his hand for her to shake, hopeful they could go back to the way they were.

  Karla took only a second to reach out and shake Sawyer’s hand. She hadn’t wanted to fight. That was too much like what went on between her and Rob. She didn’t need that with Sawyer too.

  “Truce. But we need to set some expectations. I know you stepped back because you know I like to do things by myself. And I admit, I wasn’t clear on that. It’s hard for me to know when I want to do something on my own and when I won’t be able to.”

  “That was a big issue. I know you hate it when I just step in and do everything.” He took a sip of his tea.

  She loved the way he smiled as he drank, as if he really enjoyed it. He wasn’t just drinking it to be nice.

  “I do, but when faced with having to do everything because you were too busy, I see the problem with my way of thinking. I think we need to be a team. No one waits. No one leads. We are equal partners. We have to strike a delicate balance between the two of us with independence on one side and friendship on the other.”

  The side of his mouth cocked up slightly. “I’m listening.”

  “Remember when we talked about needing each other before the construction started? I need my co-pilot. Not someone to swoop in and do everything for me. Not someone to swoop in when I can’t do something, but someone to…walk by my side.”

  Her chest clenched as she realized what that sounded like…and she didn’t even care. Sawyer was a great guy and she’d missed him the last weeks when he’d been distant. Her life was better with him in it. He treated her children well. He treated her well, and she didn’t want to ever see him walk away.

  Even if that meant they could only be friends. But part of her wanted so much more. She wanted the dream she’d never gotten with Rob. The guy who held her hand as they walked down the beach. The guy who cared about the kids’ grades. She wanted the guy who would actually appreciate her cooking and who told her she was beautiful once in a while.

  Sawyer stood and held out his hand. “Take a walk with me?”

  She couldn’t answer out loud, so she stood and took his hand. They walked between the two properties and just like she’d predicted, the men waved slightly to her as they went back inside to work. A few nodded to Sawyer but said nothing and Sawyer didn’t tug his hand away when they appeared.

  He led her across the narrow street to the beach and farther down toward the reeds and boardwalk before he said anything. “I wanted to just spend a few minutes with you. Not close enough where your sisters or your children could pull you away. Is that selfish of me?” He stopped on the boardwalk and rested their hands on the rail.

  She wanted to answer so he knew for sure that she agreed. “I don’t think so. We’ve had so little time lately.” And soon, they wouldn’t have any time at all. Fall would melt into winter and that would be a very busy season for her. Hopefully, she’d be swampe
d with visitors from the end of October all the way through the new year when the season tapered off a little until Spring again.

  Spring, when she would finally be free. Filing for divorce would fall on her because Rob wasn’t here, but she knew the exact day she could go in and do it.

  “I wanted to tell you that I like the idea of walking side by side with you. It’s a good way to look at it. And it takes the pressure off of both of us.”

  “Except, once this project is done… Will we need to walk beside each other again?” She swallowed hard and hoped he didn’t hear it. He’d been around when she needed to fix up the house. He’d been there to purchase Paxton’s house when they needed somewhere to live. And, he’d been there for the construction on the addition. But what happened when he wasn’t needed?

  “I hope so. It would be nice to get to know each other outside of work. Don’t you think?”

  He stood so close that his shoulder rubbed against hers. Waves rippled the reeds around the boardwalk creating a soft rustling. “I would hope that we could. We have to have more in common than home improvement.” She laughed, feeling far more giddy than she should.

  “Well, I can stand by your side when you face your battle with Rob over custody. I can stand by your side when Channyon decides what she’ll do with her husband. I can stand right here when you start booking for the holiday season. And if you think I’m going anywhere over the holidays when I’m sure you’ll make the most amazing meals…” He laughed. “Well, think again. I’ll be right here.”

  “Good.” Because she didn’t want him anywhere else. In fact, she was pretty sure she was falling in love with him.

  She took a deep breath and let it out, allowing her mind to get used to what her heart had known for a while. Sawyer was the guy Rob never would be. Sawyer was the right guy for her future if he wanted her.

  He lifted her hand from the rail and they walked farther away from home, down the boardwalk and along a grassy path to a small park where he found a bench. The heat sent sweat running down her temples and back, but it didn’t matter. Sawyer wouldn’t care about a little perspiration.