The Soldier's Surprise Family

by Jolene Navarro

  With one last pat to Selena, she moved to her car. God had given her a gift in Steve, and now it appeared she had gotten another. A whole family this time.

  Was she brave enough to take a chance and love again?

  * * *

  Garrett stood at the nursery window. His stomach in a knot. He had made her cry. He thought of going out there. But afraid of making it worse, he hid inside behind the curtain like a coward. So the dog was a better person than he was.

  He’d so missed the mark on that one. When he left her, he’d felt better than he had in...well, forever. That perfect kiss, apparently not so perfect for her. What had he done wrong now?

  Idiot, he had taken her scarf thinking it would show her how beautiful she was to him. Well, that backfired. He needed a manual. Maybe he could ask his mom, but she and Anjelica seemed so different.

  “Garrett, is everything okay?” His mother stood beside him, looking out the window. “You seemed very happy after your talk with Anjelica. What’s wrong now?”

  “I think I messed up.” Her old Ford truck vanished over the hill, out of his sight. Turning to his mother, he smiled. “I’m really glad you’re here, Mom.” He glanced around her shoulder. “Rio fell asleep?”

  “Before I got to the third page.” She laid her hand on his arm. “Now it’s just the two of us. Let’s talk.”

  They settled on the sofa with the box of memories between them. “You need to stop thanking me for being here. I should’ve dropped everything and been on your doorstep the minute you called me.” She closed the lid and ran her hand over the top. “I should’ve loved you more than I resented Viviana. But tell me about Anjelica. Are you dating?”

  He snorted. Tilting his head back on the sofa, he closed his eyes. “I actually asked her to marry me. She said no. So today I asked her on a date. Come to think of it, I didn’t ask her. I told her I would pick her up Thursday at seven. I was trying to fix everything, but I think I might’ve made it worse.”

  He didn’t know what he expected, but gut-busting laughter was not it. “Oh, sweetheart, you are so messed up.” She leaned toward him. “Tell me, how did you propose?”

  He groaned. “I told her marriage between us would be good for the kids because she loved them better than I could. Her home would be a good place to raise them. Then I followed up by telling her I couldn’t love her the way she wanted.”

  “And she told you no? Shocking.” She gave him a teasing wink.

  “One thing you did well as a mom was make us laugh at ourselves. There wasn’t any problem too big.”

  “Yeah, well, I would have never gotten out of bed if I let the problems keep me down. A good sense of humor and God will get you far, or at least keep you from crying all the time.” She patted his arm. “And what is this about you not loving people enough? Where did that hogwash come from? That’s not even true. You might pretend to be a big bad loner, but you’re not. The very core of you is the faithful protector. You were made to be a father and husband. You’re lying to yourself, and her, if you say you can’t love completely.”

  “I’m starting to think that might be true.”

  “Believe me, I know the difference. So what are you going to do about it?”

  “First I want to focus on the court date we have coming up. I need to make sure I get guardianship of Pilar. Then I’ll figure out what to do with Anjelica. I need to get myself straightened out before I can offer her more.” He would talk to Jake about seeing that therapist. “What about you, Mom? Who is this Hank person you’ve spoken of?” He used his deep manly voice, and it made her laugh. He had lived for her laughter when he was small. A mom’s laughter made the world a better place.

  “I actually met him at a singles’ party at the new church I’m attending. He’s one of the youth directors. His wife died a few years back. He has three grown children and a grandchild. He’s encouraged me to stop hating and blaming your father by forgiving him, even though he didn’t ask for it. Or even deserve it. I’m taking back my life. I’m taking back my happy. I’m not letting other people hold my heart hostage anymore.” She cupped his face. “How can I hate a man that gave me two amazing children?”

  “We get the amazing part from you.”

  “See, you always say the right thing. You need to be a husband to a woman that will love you back. Your Anjelica seems very solid and family oriented, and she would be blessed to have you.”

  He sighed. If it were only that easy. “You hungry? I can heat up some soup Anjelica made from scratch.”

  “She cooks, too! Are you sure she’s human?”

  He chuckled. “Sometimes I wonder.” Okay, God. I need a plan. Your plan. Show me the way. Si Dios quiere.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Garrett tried to set Rio down next to the toy train. Their day in court had arrived, and their case had finally been called up. He smiled at Rio. “Come on, little man. I always wanted a train when I was a kid.” He pushed it down the tracks and made train noises.

  Rio wouldn’t let go of his arm. “I want to stay with you.”

  “I need you to stay here with Pilar. Babies aren’t allowed in the courtroom.”

  One of the women with a ruffled apron joined them. “Are you Rio? I’m Colleen. I’ll be here with you and your sister until your daddy can come back. Pilar is playing with a truck. Do you want to join her?”

  Large eyes full of a fear that twisted Garrett’s gut looked up at him. “You’re coming back? They’re not going to take us away?”

  “I promise. You’re my son. They can’t take you from me.”

  “Are they going to take Pilar?” With his face buried in Garrett’s jacket, the words came out muffled.

  What did he say without lying? “We’re going to talk to the judge. Pilar’s grandmother wants to spend time with her, too.”

  Rio pulled back and looked at Garrett. “I can talk to the judge. You said I should use my words to get what I want.” Tears formed in his eyes.

  Pressing his lips to the top of the curly hair, Garrett glanced at Anjelica in desperation. Pilar was pushing a truck along as she crawled behind it.

  The urge to grab them and not look back sounded good right about now. Now it was clear why some parents ran with their kids.

  Colleen put her hands under Rio’s arms and pulled him toward her. “Come on, Rio. The faster your dad goes, the faster he’ll be back.”

  Garrett pulled his arm out of Rio’s grasp. His son started crying. God help me—I can’t do this.

  A warm touch grounded him. He turned and found Anjelica.

  “We’ll be back, Rio.” Her hand slid down to Garrett’s and she intertwined her fingers with his. With a squeeze of his hand, she leaned in close to his ear. “Smile at him and walk out the door like you know you’re coming back.”

  With a smile, he winked at Rio and did as she said. He stepped into the hallway with all the confidence that he’d be back to take his family home, his whole family.

  Once they got past the door, he leaned against the wall to slow his pulse and gain some form of control over his emotions. He had to appear calm and confident going into the courtroom, even if he needed to fake it.

  Anjelica stopped next to him. “That was hard, but the longer you stood there, the more uncertain he would have become.”

  He sighed. “I know. The fear of disappointing him took over.” A halfhearted grin pulled at his mouth. “For a moment, I thought I could grab them and run. What am I going to do if the judge gives Pilar to the grandmother?”

  “We’ll fight it. You can also make sure Rio gets to visit with her. But I just know you’ll get her. I can’t imagine the judge separating them.”

  He nodded. Sometimes he wished he had her optimism, but he knew the realities of life. Life was not fair, and the good guy didn’t always win.

/>   He wasn’t even the good guy. “Thank you for being here. I meant to bring your scarf to you today. I shouldn’t have taken it from you.”

  Her delicate shoulders shrugged and a sweet look of understanding he didn’t deserve settled on her face. “If I wanted it back, I could have gotten it. I know where you live. I’ll get it from you Thursday when you pick me up. Where are we going?”

  “Are you sure you want to go out with me? I didn’t really ask you and...” He didn’t want her to know he had seen her cry afterward. “I didn’t really ask.”

  “Oh, if you changed your mind—”

  “No, I still want to go with you if you want to go. There’s a place on the river in Kerrville that plays live jazz on their patio Thursday nights.”

  “Sounds lovely.”

  “Okay. Good.”

  His mother walked down the corridor. “Sharon said they’re ready.” She gave him a tentative smile. With her hair up, she looked too young to be his mother. Taking his hand, she gave him a reassuring smile. “Do you want to have a quick prayer before we go?”

  He nodded. Anjelica moved in closer and took his other hand.

  He opened his heart to God’s will as he regulated his breathing. “Lord, please cover the courtroom with Your presence. Wrap Rio and Pilar so tightly in Your love that they’ll always know You. Grant wisdom on the judge, and give me peace for Your will.”

  Both women squeezed his hands. He leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek. “Thank you for being here.”

  “I should have been here sooner.”

  “You’re here now. Come on—let’s get this settled and hopefully have everyone home in time for dinner.”

  Walking into the courtroom, he stopped at the sight that greeted him. In the benches were Anjelica’s parents, a few sisters and her grandparents. That didn’t surprise him as much as the other couples who now stood to greet him. The sheriff, Jake Torres, and his wife, Vickie, were with Pastor John and his fiancée, Anjelica’s cousin Lorrie Ann. Maggie and Yolanda, along with a few other Ortegas, filled the room. A couple of people from the church joined the group as they surrounded him.

  His chest burned as if someone had punched him. They were here to support him. To help him keep his family together.

  He tried swallowing, but his throat was too dry. He thought about something as they each shook his hand and encouraged him. He knew the community was tight and supportive, but somehow he’d missed the memo that he was a member of the community himself. This wasn’t just for Anjelica; they were here for him, Rio and Pilar.

  Smiling, he nodded and patted each handshake with his left hand on top of his right. Anjelica hugged people, tears sitting softly on her eyelashes. Instead of making her look weak, they showed how strong she was.

  Anjelica had the sense to introduce his mother to everyone. Looking over, he saw Cecilia Barrow, Pilar’s grandmother, sitting with a teenage girl. He thought it could be one of the granddaughters she was raising, but he wasn’t sure.

  The CPS caseworker was talking to her. No matter how many deep breaths he took, the knot in his stomach pulled tighter.

  The judge entered the room and everyone got in place. After calling the court to order, she asked the child advocacy and CPS workers to approach the bench.

  Everyone took a seat and waited for the judge’s decision. She scanned the larger audience behind Garrett and Anjelica.

  She looked down at her paper. “For me, when family comes into court wanting to keep a grandchild, it is an easy decision when that grandparent has a good record and has shown commitment to other grandchildren she has taken custody of. This has a little bit of a complication because the child in question also has a brother that has a father. Overall, I do believe blood relations are the best place for a child to feel like they belong.”

  Garrett was going to be sick. He wanted to stand and yell no.

  Pilar’s grandmother stood. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Your Honor, but is there a way I may speak to Mr. Kincaid alone before going any further?”

  The judge raised an eyebrow. “I will let you ask him here. I would prefer to do this quickly. Will you and Mr. Kincaid please approach the bench?”

  Reaching for Anjelica’s hand, he looked back in surprise when she didn’t follow. She shook her head, and he let her go. He wanted her by his side, but she didn’t have legal rights to be there. There were a few times in his life he’d been this scared, and they had always ended in disaster.

  He glanced at Cecilia before turning to the judge. With no clue what she was up to, he couldn’t even begin to sort his emotions.

  “What did you want to ask Officer Kincaid?”

  The older woman who was already raising her other grandchildren looked up at him. Her dark hair streaked with silver was pulled into a tight neat bun. “I was just told you had already had a lawyer put the money for both children into a trust fund you can’t touch. Is that correct?”

  That took him by surprise. Whatever he’d thought she might want to know, that was not it. Was she mad she couldn’t get to the money?

  “Yes. It can be used for college at any time, but if they don’t go to college, then they’ll get their portion when they’re twenty-five. Do you have a problem with that? I worked it out with the CPS workers and the lawyers.”

  The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes elongated with her smile. “No, the reason I stepped in and filed for custody of baby Pilar was to protect her from being used for any money she might get.”

  “I don’t need the money, and truthfully, I wouldn’t want it either way.”

  She nodded and turned back to the judge. “I’m sorry, but I would like to withdraw my claim of custody to Pilar. I would like visitations but not guardianship.”

  “This hearing was for guardianship.” Impatience clipped the judge’s words. “You can work out visitation between the two of you.”

  Stunned, Garrett was afraid of falling. His legs had disappeared from under him. She had withdrawn her claim. Pilar was his, for now.

  “Yes!” He blinked back the burn in his eyes. “Yes, you can visit Pilar.” He turned. Anjelica stood.

  Even across the room, she helped him keep his feet in place. The judge might frown on him running from the room to get his children. His children. He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. He had to keep it under control. There were still a few months before he could adopt her.

  Dismissed by the judge, he went straight to Anjelica. He felt light as a helium balloon, and Anjelica’s hand was the string that kept him earthbound.

  With her hand in his, he faced all the people who had come to support him. Everyone had questions in their eyes. They hadn’t heard the exchange from the front of the court. He smiled the first real smile all day.

  “She dropped the claim. Pilar’s mine. We’re taking her home.” Cheers erupted. Hugs and pats on the back made him feel like a new father who had just been told his baby had arrived healthy in the hospital. Standing to the side was his mother. Tears ran down her cheeks. Leaving the boisterous crowd, he went to her.

  “We won.”

  With a napkin, she wiped under her eyes. “I’m so proud of you, Garrett. And I think, as a mother, Viviana is very happy about this outcome.”

  “I hope so. Come on—I want to tell Rio.”

  With his arm around his mother’s slender waist, they went through the sea of people and to the door. Cecilia stood there.

  “You have a lot of friends and family that are happy for you. That’s good to see. I just wanted to make sure you were serious about me being able to visit her.”

  “I never meant to keep her away from you. You’re more than welcome to visit. Do you want to see her now?”

  Dark eyes lit up. “Can I? Thank you.”

  “Hello, I’m Garrett’s mother. I just want y
ou to know, from one grandmother to another, that Pilar is well loved. Thank you for letting him keep the children together.”

  The older woman looked over to the bench where her other granddaughter sat staring at a phone with earbuds blocking out the world. “I’m getting too old to raise kids.” She looked through the window where the children played. “He wasn’t always bad. Drugs eat the core of a person and gut them, taking control. I thought with Viviana and Pilar things were getting better. I prayed so hard. Then he lost his job. He cut me off, not allowing me to come over or see the kids. I feared he had gotten back into that world.”

  She turned her head and wiped at the tears. “Sorry. I just never dreamed it would end like this. At one time, he was a good boy. I want Pilar to know that about her father.”

  Garrett put a hand on her shoulder. “You can share the good parts with her. As they get older, there will be a lot of tough questions to answer. I’m glad you want to stay in her life. I think that’ll help them sort through it. Let’s go see them.”

  His mother, Pilar’s grandmother and Anjelica joined him as he crossed the threshold to his children.

  Rio stood when they walked into the playroom. Panic screamed from his eyes as he stood in front of his sister. Going to one knee in front of his son, Garrett laid a hand on one small shoulder. Rio’s back was stiff as he glared at Pilar’s grandmother. The little guy was ready to fight for his sister.

  “Relax. She just came in to see Pilar. The judge agreed that the best place for you and Pilar to live was with me.”

  The eyes that looked so much like his own darted to him. “And Anjelica?”

  “She’ll still be in the big house.” The only thing left now was to settle the role she played in their lives.

  “Hello, Rio. Do you remember me? I’m Grandma CeCe.”

  “Grandmas are good to have, right?” He glanced over at Anjelica and Garrett’s mother.

  Anjelica joined him on the floor. “Oh yes. The more grandmothers, the better.”