“Pilar, right?” Her light laughter followed him. “When you jump into being a father, you don’t hold anything back.”
“They’re great kids.”
“Oh, I brought something for you. Let me get it from the car and I’ll join you.”
After checking on Pilar, they settled into the double rocker and waited.
“Your mom’s pretty.”
Before Garrett replied, Gloria walked around the corner with a purple flower-printed box. He frowned. He remembered that box always being in a closet wherever they lived at the time.
“Why, thank you, Rio. That’s the cutest name.” She set the box on the wicker table and went straight to Pilar. Rio slid down and stood next to the playpen with Selena.
“Your sister is just about the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to hold her when she wakes up.” She turned back to Garrett. “I can see why you lost your heart to her. She looks just like her mamma.”
A deep breath in relaxed his muscles. It was a good thing he spent his anger earlier today.
“Mom. Why are you here? On the phone the other day you suggested I let the state take care of the kids.”
She bit her bottom lip and rubbed her hand on the front of her long skirt. “I was wrong. I just know the pain... That’s not why I’m here. I brought the box that has all your school stuff. There are pictures of you and Viviana. I thought Rio would like to see you and his mother together. Children need to know there were happy times.”
He raised one disbelieving eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything.
She glanced at Rio before leaning toward Garrett. “You know I worried Viviana would hurt you again. She loved trouble, and you loved getting her out of it.” She reached for his hand, and her long fingers intertwined with his. “I don’t know how it all ended, but I do know it was not a lack of trying on your part.”
He glanced at her hand. “Mom? What’s with the ring?”
Her face lit up. “Oh, um, Hank asked me to marry him. I’ll tell you all about him later. Today is about you, Rio and Pilar. Garrett, I’m so sorry for not being a better mother.”
“Mom—”
She lifted another picture out. “There are a few of your father, too.” Twisting around, she talked to Rio. “Your grandfather was such a good-looking man. Just like you and your daddy.”
“I thought you had destroyed everything that had to do with Dad.”
She passed the photo to Garrett, then started digging into the box again. “Not everything. Sometimes I worry that my anger might have destroyed parts of you.”
Okay, now he was officially freaking out. “Mom, what’s going on? Are you sick?” This was the kind of thing that people did when they found out they were dying. “You don’t have cancer, do you?”
Her hearty laughter surprised him. Rio left his sister and crawled up in Garrett’s lap.
Gloria patted Rio on the leg, and her laughter trailed off, leaving a soft smile. The one Garrett lived for as a kid. “No. What I have is a grandson I want to know. And a granddaughter. I also have a fiancé saying I need to unpack my past and move forward with a clean vision of what I want for the future.” She pulled the box into her lap. “I want my family to be happy and know that, despite my mess-ups as a mom, they can count on me.”
“You didn’t mess up. Since my own very short journey of being a single father began, I’ve thought of you several times. You did an amazing job with us. As kids, we didn’t appreciate the sacrifices.”
He opened his palm and wrapped his fingers around hers when she accepted his invitation to join them. He pulled her in next to him on the double rocker. With Rio wedged in on one side, his mother reached across and brushed the curls out of the boy’s face.
“He looks so much like you it hurts. Now I’m crying for real.” Using the tips of her fingers, she wiped under her eyes. “Is my mascara running?”
“Does my hair make you sad, GiGi?” Rio had the side of his face pressed against Garrett’s chest, but he hadn’t moved away from her touch this time.
“No, sweetheart. It just makes me think of your dad when he was little. I’m so proud of him, and you make me think of all the time that has gone by and how grown-up he is now. A father to his own son and daughter. Sometimes mammas make a mess out of raising up their babies, but it doesn’t mean they don’t love them.”
“Mom, you did a great job. We always had a safe place and something to eat. You taught us to stand on our own, to be independent. Why all this...?”
Tears welled up in her eyes, hanging heavy on her lashes. “How did you end up becoming such a good man?”
The sound of a vehicle pulling into the front drive interrupted any words he was going to say. Rio had drifted off to sleep on his shoulder, but now he had his head up and was looking at Garrett.
He nodded. “My guess is it’s Anjelica’s truck, but I’m not sure. Come on—let’s check it out.”
“I’ll stay here and watch Pilar.” His mom lifted the lid of the box. “Is Anjelica the one helping with the kids?”
He nodded. “She’s also my landlord.”
This time, instead of stopping at the corner of the house, Rio picked up speed and launched himself at Anjelica. “I missed you so much!”
Her eyes went wide and she stared at Garrett. “Rio, honey, I love you. But don’t worry if I’m not around for every breakfast.” She wrapped her arms around him. He clung to her like a koala on a tree. With her arms holding him against her heart, she looked at Garrett. “Is everything all right?” Her gaze darted to the new car.
Garrett wanted to point out that she could be, maybe even should be, Rio’s mother, but now was not the time for that discussion.
“Yolanda called and said Maria saw a strange car pull into the drive and stay.” Worry clouded her eyes. “Does it have to do with the case?”
“It’s my GiGi,” Rio whispered as if unsure if it was good news or not.
“My mother arrived unannounced. She’s on the back porch.”
* * *
Anjelica swallowed and forced a smile. His mother had arrived. He wouldn’t be needing her anymore. Okay, Anjelica, this is not about you.
“That’s great, Garrett.”
“God’s timing, right? See, I’ve been reading the Bible you gave me. Since you want more space, my mother can watch the kids.”
She pressed her lips to Rio’s forehead. Eyes closed, she roped in her emotions. “So is she staying?” Being replaced so easily hurt, but what else could she do?
“Yes, but I don’t know for how long. She said she’s here to help and—” he winked at Rio “—she wants to get to know her grandchildren.”
Rio nodded. “I’m her first grandson, and Pilar is her first granddaughter. She said Daddy jumped in fast.”
It was the first time she’d heard Rio call Garrett Daddy. Her gaze rushed to Garrett. She saw a sense of wonder fall across his face. He blinked hard a couple of times.
“Yep. That I did. Best day of my life, bringing you and your sister home.”
With a big smile and a vigorous nod that caused his curls to bounce, he hugged Anjelica’s neck. “Daddy and I were throwing away our anger.”
She sent Garrett a questioning look. What had they been up to? “Rio’s a fountain of words.” She pulled him close in a tight hug. “I love the sound of your voice.”
“Daddy said you did. He said he did, too, and that I shouldn’t hide it.”
Oh, great. She was going to meet Garrett’s mom crying. “Well, he’s right. Want to introduce me to your GiGi?”
He wiggled down and took her hand. With his other one, he reached for Garrett, weaving his small fingers with his father’s strong ones.
With them joined as one, the little boy pulled them forward. She didn’t dare look
at Garrett, worried he’d see the weakness in her eyes. Her throat burned.
On the back porch, Selena sat tall on the top step, standing guard. Her tail thumped against the boards when she saw them.
A storybook princess stood and smiled at her. Garrett’s mother looked as if she had stepped out of a fairy tale. Anjelica wasn’t sure why, but she’d pictured her as more of a worn-out biker chick.
“Hello.” She approached them with her hand out. “I’m Garrett’s mother. Gloria.”
“Mom, this is Anjelica Ortega-Garza. She’s been helping with Rio and Pilar. I really couldn’t have done it without her. This is her house. We live in the apartment above the garage.”
“Oh, this house is perfect. I always dreamed of having wraparound porches.”
“I tried trading houses with him, but he can be a bit stubborn when it comes to letting people help.”
Rio looked in the box. Holding a picture in both hands, he brought it close to his face. “It’s Mommy. She looks like a princess.” An edge of confusion lined his low voice. “Is that you with my mommy?”
Gloria moved to sit on the padded bench. “They’re at prom. Your parents were friends since they were ten years old. Her family lived next door in one of the apartments we moved to.” She dug in the box and found another picture. “Here they are at their first middle-school dance. Your mother was a very pretty girl. You can see where your sister gets that dark curly hair.”
“Daddy’s so little. He’s shorter than Mommy.”
Garrett sat on the other side and took the picture. “I told you I was a scrawny kid. I didn’t start growing until I was sixteen.”
“And then he didn’t stop. He was so hungry all the time. I’d feed him a full meal and twenty minutes later he wanted to know what was for dinner.” She laughed and smirked at Garrett. “Paybacks are coming your way.”
Anjelica stayed at the bottom of the steps. She wanted to be part of that family, but they weren’t hers. She had told him no. “Hey, guys. Let me take a picture of you, and then I’ll be going back to town.”
“Oh, I would love that.” Gloria scooted closer to Rio and reached behind him to put her hand on Garrett’s shoulder.
Rio tucked his chin and gave her a tentative smile.
After a few pictures, Garrett stood. “Can I talk to you before you leave?”
“Sure.” Nerves knotted her stomach. She gave Garrett’s mother a hug as she handed back her phone. “It was a pleasure meeting you, and I have a room upstairs for you to use.”
“Is that all right with your husband?”
“There’s no husband.”
“Oh? You live in this big house all by yourself?”
“Mother. Don’t. She doesn’t date men with guns.” Garrett placed his hand on the small of Anjelica’s back and gently ushered her away. “Thanks for offering my mom a room.”
Being alone with him was not good for her. She didn’t want to hear any bad news. “What happened with Rio? He’s talking, I mean really talking.”
“He was worried when you didn’t join us for breakfast.”
“Oh, Garrett.” She stopped as they passed the corner of the house. Next to the tree that shaded the old nursery. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to upset him.”
“I know. We worked it out. What really bothered him was my anger. I thought I hid it, but apparently not. I was chopping wood and he wasn’t sure what to do. We ended up talking about anger and how to handle it so we don’t hurt the people we love or ourselves.” After explaining his unexpected therapy, he grinned at her. “I never dreamed my five-year-old son would be teaching me about life.” Garrett put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.
“Throwing water balloons and roaring like lions sounds like it worked.”
He nodded and looked toward the front gate. “We have the court date in three days. Are you still going with us?”
“I would love to. If it’s all right with you.”
His gaze stayed on the horizon. She wished she knew what he was thinking. Guessing would be dangerous. The urge to trace her fingertips along the edge of his gorgeous jawline until the hard muscles relaxed was difficult to fight. Twisting the ends of her scarf kept her hands distracted, but not much would help her heart. “Is that what you wanted to talk about?”
“Anjelica, I need to apologize.”
“No. Please don’t.”
He turned his gaze to her. The green-gray of his eyes looked alive. “I broke what we had and I want to fix it.” One step and he was close enough to kiss her.
Her heart slammed against its cage as if to reach out to him, wanting to touch him. She wasn’t sure she could refuse him again.
“Yes. You’re more than the nanny. There is something between us, but I’m so messed up I don’t know how to handle this—” he waved his hand “—thing between us. I’ve never been in a normal relationship. I’ve never been with someone that didn’t need me to save them.”
He reached down and took her hand in his. “With my inappropriate proposal, I drove you away instead of making us closer.” His other hand went to her chin. “Please let me fix it. I’m not sure how, but I want to fix what I broke.”
Biting the inside of her cheek, she prayed. Please don’t let me cry. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you to give us a chance to get to know each other as two adults. Would you go on a date with me? Just the two of us. I’ll get a babysitter, maybe my mom.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “I think we’ve gone about this the wrong way. First there were children, then you ask me to marry you. Now you’re asking me on a date?”
“I told you I wasn’t good at this relationship stuff. I was married to a woman that thought it was okay to date other people. I had a father that did the same to my mom. So this whole attempt at a normal relationship is new, and I might make some mistakes.”
With the most earnest expression she’d ever seen, he took her other hand. She tried not to laugh, she really did. Biting down on her lip didn’t hide it from him, though.
“Are you laughing at me?” His left eyebrow arched.
Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and gained some control. It would kill her to hurt his feelings, especially since he guarded them so well.
A lopsided grin pulled on the corner of his lips, causing her favorite dimple to make an appearance.
She caressed the sweet line on his cheek. Anticipation of a kiss started to burn.
Instead he moved back. “I concede.”
Disappointment should not have been her reaction. Wanting kisses from him after turning down his proposal would just confuse them more.
His gaze searched her face. “Can I kiss you?”
Every muscle in her body tightened. If she didn’t respond, would that be a yes? She stood still and waited.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Those beautiful eyes of his closed as his lips made contact with hers.
Melting into him sounded like a good option.
Strong hands full of warmth cupped her jaw as he gently explored the corner of her mouth. He broke contact first, taking her scarf with him.
“Hey, that’s mine.” She reached for it.
With a quick move, he kissed the scar next to her ear. “You can get it back Thursday at seven when I pick you up for our date.” Mischief danced as the green became intense in his eyes. “You’re so beautiful you don’t need it.”
With one last grin, he turned and headed back to his mother and kids.
“I never said yes!” she yelled after him.
Waving her scarf like a flag won in combat, Garrett turned and had the gall to laugh. “Oh yes, you did. Sweetheart, I might have had my doubts earlier, but after that kiss? You said a whole lot, and yes to Thursday night was just the beginning.” He con
tinued to walk backward until he reached the corner of the house. Tossing his chin up, he winked, turned and disappeared behind the wall.
Hands crossed over her chest. Fingers wrapped around the thin straps of her sundress. The cool breeze brushed her exposed skin. She tried to remember the last time she’d been outside without one of her scarves.
Tears moistened her lashes and burned her eyes. It had been about the same time she lost the only person who knew her enough to know what her kiss meant.
Steve had teased her that they had been together so long they could read each other’s minds.
All the way back to preschool, when he had publicly claimed her as his wife. The wedding ceremony had taken place in the house center. Her cousin Diego had married them. The baby dolls and stuffed animals had witnessed the whole event. Steve had worn a fireman’s hat, and she’d worn the lace veil from the dress-up box.
Her fingers became numb as her nails cut into the flesh of her palms. She’d never dreamed that kind of friendship—that kind of love—could be hers again.
Relaxing her fingers, she took a deep breath. Her house was just like the play center at the preschool. She went through the motions of pretending to have a life.
She had the nerve to tell Garrett he needed to open up and love the children up close.
She bowed her head and the tears fell hard. God, forgive me for my self-righteous attitude. Thank You for opening my heart to see the truth of the walls I built to keep people out.
Something brushed her leg. Opening her eyes, she found Selena sitting at her feet. The dog looked up with compassion in her blue and brown eyes.
Anjelica went to her knees and buried her face in the soft fur. “You’re always taking care of the family, aren’t you, girl?”
Anjelica’s tears wet Selena’s coat. Her sobs were soft as the tears released the truth of her own lies.
A wet nose pressed up against her neck. “Thank you, Selena.” She stood. “Go watch over the family. I’ll be back at dinnertime.”
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