The Soldier's Surprise Family

by Jolene Navarro

  “Pilar, I’m going to put you in the high chair so we can eat.” He explained everything step by step as he strapped her into her seat. He made sure to include Rio in his one-sided conversation.

  Anjelica handed him a small bowl of cheesy pasta. “Here, feed the baby.”

  The big brother watched Garrett’s every move. “Does your sister eat solid food?”

  Rio looked over to Anjelica and nodded. The kid was still refusing to acknowledge him.

  She gave him a hesitant smile. “It seems she does.”

  “Are these safe to give her?” He blew on the hot noodle.

  “Does she have teeth?”

  Garrett tried to look in her mouth. Sticking his fingers inside didn’t seem like a good idea. She smiled at him, showing off a few tiny white teeth. He handed her one curved pasta. Love and adoration radiated from her face. He sat on the chair closest to her and handed her one piece at a time.

  “You need to eat, too.” Anjelica set a full plate in front of him. She helped Rio into his booster chair.

  “I should have thanked them for having this ready for us.” Garrett kept his attention on Pilar, making sure she didn’t choke.

  “They understand that there’s times when help is not asked for but needed. Please, don’t worry. You thanked them several times, plus you aid the community as a whole. Everyone appreciates your service.”

  The short silky tail wagged as Bumper sat up on her hind legs. Rio laughed and the little dog jumped up onto his lap.

  “Bumper, no. Get down.”

  Not to be left out, Selena tried to nose her way into Rio’s lap, also. The Yorkie jumped onto the table. With a lunge, Selena tried to jump up, but her heavy paws landed on the edge of the plate, flipping it and tossing food through the air.

  “Down.” Garrett’s firm command was instantly obeyed; the dog went to the floor and rolled halfway over, her eyes apologetic. Rio jumped from his chair and covered Selena with his small body.

  Garrett’s heart twisted. He slowly lowered himself to the floor next to Rio and Selena. With a deep sigh, he placed his hand on Rio’s back.

  The muscles along the bony spine tensed. “Rio, I’m not going to hit Selena. I just wanted her to sit.” Garrett relaxed his jaw.

  Anjelica put the little dog in the kitchen and told her to stay. She joined them with a broom in hand and picked up the plate.

  He looked at her for help. She offered him a sweet expression of understanding. His attention went back to the boy. “Rio, I’m not mad. I don’t want her jumping on the table or begging for food while we eat. It’s a bad habit.” The Catahoula licked Rio’s face. Garrett petted her behind her ears. “She’s a good dog. I’m sorry I yelled. Next time I’ll make sure to be calm when I give her a command.”

  Anjelica had scooped some of the food up. “Here, Rio, help me clean. Sometimes accidents happen and we have to take care of the mess.”

  “She’s right. The dogs can learn to stay in a certain area while we eat. Do you think you could teach Selena to mind her manners?”

  Rio sat up and nodded. Garrett went to the kitchen and called Selena to him. With her head lowered, she followed.

  Anjelica smiled. “It looks as if she’s decided to trust your dad.” She ruffled Rio’s curls.

  With a huff, Selena lay on the kitchen mat and watched every movement he made. Bumper sat next to her.

  Everyone went back to eating.

  Garrett glanced around the table. Family, his family. Time and experience proved he was no family man—he had no clue how to be part of a real family.

  What if he let these kids down, like his father had done? Or worse, not take care of them in a world that was unstable. The one time he’d needed to protect a kid, he hadn’t been able to. And the result had been devastating. Garrett locked his jaw. He was not going back there, couldn’t afford to. That was Afghanistan.

  His son needed him. He wouldn’t let this kid down, too. He didn’t know how, but he was going to be a better father than the man who’d left him.

  Kenneth R. Kincaid had taught him one thing: a real father never walked away from the people who were counting on him. Garrett had messed up the first few years of his son’s life, but he was here now and nothing was going to get between him and these two kids who needed him. Nothing.

  * * *

  Anjelica gathered the plates off the table.

  “So what do we do now?” Sitting between his new son and daughter, Garrett looked as lost as Rio.

  “Well, you can have some family time in the living room. Pilar can play on a blanket to build up her strength. I think they would enjoy listening to your music.”

  “I read online that young kids should be in bed by eight or eight thirty. Then another site said they have internal clocks and know when they need sleep, so a parent shouldn’t force a bedtime. What do you think?”

  She smiled, biting back the urge to laugh at his uncertain expression. He seemed so vulnerable. “You’re the parent. How do you want to set up expectations?”

  He picked up Pilar. “Growing up, I didn’t have a bedtime.”

  Pilar closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into Garrett’s neck. He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “One of the things I loved about the military was the routine. An eight-thirty bedtime? What about it, Rio?” He laid his hand on top of his son’s head.

  The little boy crossed his arms and pulled away, looking in the opposite direction.

  Her heart twisted at the injured look on Garrett’s face. “Eight thirty would be a good time. You’ll be fine. All parents struggle trying to figure this out.”

  Garrett patted the baby’s back, his large hands making her look small. “What about baths? She seems too little to put in a tub.”

  “I could help you give them baths tonight. There’s a seat to use in the bath for her. You set up a routine, and they’ll start counting on it.”

  Garrett nodded. “Routines are good. When I’m at work, they’ll have the same schedule with you, right?”

  “That’s the idea.” Drying her hands, she turned to face the table. As she leaned against the counter, her heart reeled at the matching expressions on father and son.

  Backs straight, they had the same stern look. She knew right then that she was in danger.

  “Come on, guys—Rio and Pilar have a new room to explore. Let’s go check it out.”

  They spent the next twenty minutes trying to get him to play in their room. Garrett even read a couple of books with Pilar in his lap as he sat cross-legged on the floor. Oh yeah, she was in trouble.

  Falling in love with the children was a risk she was willing to take, but Garrett was not on her list of eligible men. Not only did he risk his life every time he went to work, but he was an alpha male and seemed to be antisocial.

  A true loner. He didn’t come close to the type of man she wanted to marry. Falling for him would be disastrous to her sanity.

  The kids needed her focus. They went through bath time, and with one story, Pilar was sound asleep in her new bed, the crib Anjelica had bought for her daughter. Rio was a little harder, but he snuggled in, and with Selena at the foot of the bed, Garrett and Anjelica eased out of the room.

  Whimsical lights danced on the ceiling from the night-light.

  They stood in the living room looking at each other. It had been such an eventful day—weekend, actually. Anjelica wasn’t sure what to do with this newfound intimacy. Especially with a man who seemed to want none of it—this man she could not, would not love.

  Chapter Six

  Anjelica walked over to his saxophones. “You did it. Day one in the bag, including dinner, bath and story time.”

  “Not me, we. Couldn’t have done it without you.” He wanted to do something for her. Crossing the living space, he
went to the freezer. “They stocked my kitchen, including ice cream. I think we deserve a treat.”

  She joined him in the tiny area. “Sounds like a perfect ending to this day. What can I do to help?”

  “Make yourself comfortable on the new sofa. Let me feed you for once. Of course, I’m not actually cooking anything, but it’s just as good...almost.” He set a bowl on the coffee table in front of her. Neither spoke as they concentrated on eating. Finishing his dessert, he leaned back on a stuffed pillow and savored the silence. The tension he had been holding all day slipped away.

  She gathered the bowls and took them to the sink.

  “Hey, I’m supposed to do that.”

  She laughed. “I beat you to it.” After washing the simple dishes, she turned to face him. “So what else do you need done? I can stay and talk through anything you’re not sure about.”

  With a grin, he laid his arm across the back of his new sofa. “That would take more hours than we have available. Anyway, you and your Ortega army moved fast. I think your family did everything that needed to be done.” He still wasn’t sure about all the changes. Was it normal to feel so detached from your own life?

  “After seeing those pictures, I had to do something. Your world turned upside down on you. At the same time, duty called, and you had to go out helping others across the county after the storm. The least I could do was make some phone calls. I’m sorry if I overstepped, but we didn’t have much time.”

  “It’s as if everything fell into place while I wasn’t looking. Thank you.” He nodded, not sure what else to say.

  “Is there anything else you need?”

  He had to snort. That was a loaded question. He didn’t know much about kids; there would be things he didn’t even know existed. “Not that I can think of for now. I’m a little too wired to go to sleep. I’ll play the sax for a while. You can stay if you want.”

  “That sounds lovely.”

  With his favorite sax in hand, he went to the balcony. It would soften the noise, and the weather was nice. As his fingers moved over the keys, the music consumed him, releasing the anxiety of the day. God, thank You for this gift. He didn’t know how to pray. But he could have a conversation with God through notes of his song.

  Without it, he was sure he would have lost control of his mental status long ago. As it was, he felt as if a thin string held everything together.

  Over an hour had slipped by when he noticed Anjelica standing.

  “It’s getting late and your little ones will probably be up early. Feel free to call at any time.”

  He put the sax in its case and followed her to the door. “Thank you. I can’t imagine how I would have handled it or gotten any of it done without you.”

  “God provides before we even know to ask. I’m grateful to help.” She reached over and patted his arm.

  Her family did that a lot, touched and hugged. For the last three months, he had been trying to avoid her because she would be a complication to his plans. But she ended up being the one to pull everything together and had gotten him through an overwhelming situation. He stepped back before he gave in to the urge to pull her close.

  This was not a date. She worked for him. Thoughts of kissing had no business being in his head and needed to be locked down.

  She looked so fragile. It just didn’t mesh with the warrior she became for his children. A woman who had lost her own child and husband. He had no right to ask more of her.

  She smiled one last time, then left, closing the door behind her.

  Restless, he put the clean dishes away and went to stand on the balcony. It felt like a lifetime ago that he stood in this exact spot and saw her running through the storm.

  Now he needed rescuing. Before heading to the shower, he secured all the doors and windows. Checking on the children, he just stood in the doorway and watched them. They’d probably be up early and he needed to be alert, but sleep seemed dangerous. He hated letting down his guard for any amount of time.

  After one of the shortest showers in his life, he checked on the kids one more time. He couldn’t shake the unease that kept his skin tight when the children were out of his sight.

  He was going to learn to cope, or he’d never get any sleep and drive them all crazy.

  Selena had moved from Rio’s bed to the rug in front of the crib. She raised her head and watched as Garrett made his way to see Pilar.

  Arms out wide, she was still sound asleep. He petted Selena and turned to check on Rio. The small race-car bed was empty.

  His heart jumped to his throat. He couldn’t be in the restroom. Had he run away? No, he wouldn’t leave Pilar.

  Rushing into the living area, he found a chair in front of the pantry and crackers missing. Doing a quick sweep of the apartment, he found all the windows and doors still locked, so Rio had to be in the apartment somewhere. “Rio.” He kept his voice low and calm.

  Scanning under the beds, he saw just boxes. The first night and he’d lost his son already?

  Breathe, Garrett. He’s here somewhere. What if he’d hurt himself and couldn’t call out? All the horrific scenarios that could happen to a five-year-old flashed through his mind. He shouldn’t have left him alone.

  He grabbed his phone and hit Anjelica’s number. She picked up in one ring. “Garrett, what’s wrong?”

  “Rio’s not in his bed. He took crackers out of the pantry and is hiding somewhere. I can’t find him.”

  “I’m coming up.”

  He searched the apartment until he heard her at the door. “Thanks.” He was saying that a lot lately.

  “Not a problem. My guess is that he’s close to Pilar.”

  “That’s what I thought, too, but I can’t find him.”

  She got down on the floor. “Rio, come here, por favor.” Twisting around, she faced Garrett and pointed under Pilar’s crib.

  Going to his hands and knees, he scanned the area again, this time slower. That was when he noticed the boxes of diapers had been moved away from the wall.

  “What do I do?” Going in and pulling Rio out by his legs didn’t seem like the best thing to do to a kid who already had issues.

  Selena crawled closer to the edge of the crib next to Anjelica. Her tail thumped against the floor. “Rio, you have a really cool hiding place, but you scared your dad.”

  Silence. Anjelica reached in and slid a box to the side. There sat Rio, curled up with his superhero blanket.

  Garrett got a pillow and comforter from the bed. He joined Anjelica and Selena on the floor. “Hey, little man. If you’re going to be sleeping under your sister’s crib, you need to make a bed. We also have a food rule I didn’t tell you about. If you’re hungry, it’s okay to get it from the pantry, but you have to eat at the table. No food in the bedroom.”

  The box of crackers slid out to him. “Okay, thanks. Anjelica is going back to her house for the night. I’ll be in the bedroom next door if you need anything.”

  He looked over at the first woman he had spent any time with since his marriage. “I think he’s sleeping there. I used to sleep in my closet. Small spaces can feel safer.”

  She nodded. “Good night, Rio. Remember, we care about you and need to know where you are when we call your name.”

  Garrett walked her to the door. “Thank you is getting old, but I don’t know what else to say.”

  She laughed. “It works, and it never gets old. I’ll have breakfast ready in the morning, including bacon. See you then.”

  Once again he closed and locked the door behind her. Standing at the window, he watched until she made it into her house and waited until the lights went out before going to his own bed, where he would toss all night.

  * * *

  Anjelica stood at the kitchen door, cup of coffee in her hand as the sun’s early-morning light
caressed the landscape. She had fed all her fur babies, gathered the eggs and turned the chickens out. Now a debate battled in her head, pinging back and forth.

  Should she go upstairs and help Garrett or wait here? The little ones were Garrett’s responsibility, but he had hired her to help. The question was, how much? She knew her family could be a bit forceful in their attempts to help, and she carried the same gene.

  During her grief counseling, they’d explored all her weaknesses and strengths, which ironically were the same. Portion control was the key to a happy heart.

  What if Garrett was overwhelmed but afraid to ask for help? Taking a sip of coffee, she batted down the urge to run upstairs. It was still early.

  The side door of the garage opened and Rio was the first out. He had his hand on Selena’s collar. Behind them, Garrett had Pilar wrapped in a blanket. Her heart did a funny flip-flop at the sight of the Texas trooper and his family.

  No, no, no. It was a job.

  Seeing her at the door, Rio leaped across the sidewalk and ran to her. Garrett looked like he’d gotten even less sleep than she had. And she didn’t recall ever seeing him with scruff along his jawline. If she refused to acknowledge his masculine beauty, would it stop enticing the dangerous thoughts that stirred in her brain?

  Last swallow of coffee for fortification—then she leaned down to greet Rio.

  Garrett gave her a sheepish grin. “We’re here. Who knew getting two such small people up and ready would be so complicated.”

  Hugging Rio, she lifted him as she stood. “I can help in the mornings if you want. That is why I’m here. Once you go back to work, we can set a schedule. With these guys, we need to be ready for a full-court press.”

  He strapped Pilar into her high chair and headed straight to the coffeepot.

  “Not sure I have the energy for a full-court press. I’ve never needed coffee the way I need it this morning.” He actually moaned as the hot liquid slid down his throat.

  “I have fresh eggs, bacon and sliced tomatoes. Here, sit down and eat. Do you want orange juice or skim milk?” She offered Rio a small cup of each. He held the mug of milk with both hands like Garrett and took a deep drink, then gave his own little moan. Twinges warmed her heart.