Arima (Haruki Arima Duet, #2)

by Laine Watson

  I get in the car and drive back to Darby’s house. If this is the way it’s going to be, I have to protect Max and Haru. I have to go back home. I’ll always have to fight for my happiness.

  As I round the corner to Darby’s street, I gasp. Is that Haru’s car? The closer I get, I see that it is. I pull in the driveway and cut the car off. I struggle to unbuckle my seatbelt, too excited. By the time I open the car door, I see Haru standing outside of his car, near the passenger door.

  “Haru,” I say. He doesn’t smile. I hurry over to him. “What are you doing here?”

  The passenger door opens. “Mom,” Max says. “Are you done with your school stuff?” he says, hugging me.

  “Max?” My eyebrows furrow. Before I can even think, I’m hugging him back.

  I glance up at Haru.

  “Can we talk?” Haru asks humbly.

  “What are you guys doing down here?” I stammer.

  “Max,” Haru says, “call Grandma and Grandpa, and tell them we’re on our way back to the house.”

  “With Mom?” Max stares at me hopefully.

  “Do it, okay?” Haru implores.

  “Okay.” Max keeps his eyes on me. “Mom?”

  “Yeah?” I gaze at Max.

  “I promise I won’t ever call you Summer. I’ll always call you Mom.”

  Max happily gets in the car, shuts the door, and makes the call Haru told him to.

  My eyes travel back to Haru. “Why would he say that?”

  “He thinks because he called you Summer back at the house, you might be mad at him.”

  “I’m not.”

  “He doesn’t know why we’re arguing or fighting. He doesn’t know about his grandma. I don’t know how to tell him anything. Please don’t make me tell him you’re not going to be with us.” Haru sighs. “You win.”

  “Huh?”

  “The hearing isn’t that far away, just a few weeks. We’ll do it your way. No lawyer; we’ll talk. You tell Max. If you won’t come home to be with me, to be my wife, please come back to be Max’s mom. He needs you. Even if you don’t love me enough, I know you love Max enough.”

  “Haru, I do love you enough.” I should tell him now; I shouldn’t wait. “Haru, it’s way more complicated now. My mom is the one who got this stuff started with the custody thing. I don’t know how, but I bet she talked Emi’s mom into thinking this was the best way, and now...”

  “So?” Haru says.

  I glance up at him. “What do you mean ‘so’?”

  “I mean, your mom has always been a bitch. I don’t care what she does. I have you, right? You still want to be with me, don’t you?”

  I take a moment to answer. His nonchalant attitude catches me off guard. “Yes.”

  “Then you’ll come home? You’ll come to the hearing?”

  “I’ll come home. We need to talk to the grandma before the hearing.”

  “How?”

  “Do you know where she lives?”

  “Not exactly. I can’t remember.”

  “Hold on.” I text my mother.

  Give me Max’s grandmother’s number. Now!

  “Who did you text?” Haru asks.

  “My mother.” I pause. “I’m telling Max, too. He’s old enough. Obviously, he doesn’t need to know everything but—” My phone vibrates, startling me. Staring at my phone, I see a number in my recent message. “She sent it.” I frown, confusion setting in. I have to entertain the thought that maybe my mother isn’t as cold-hearted as I think she is.

  “Wow. Maybe it’s the wrong number. I have a hard time trusting that she’d just give up information with no rebuttal.”

  “I saw her this morning... I’m calling. No use wasting time on thinking about it.” I dial the number.

  Max hops out of the car. “They said okay, Dad.”

  “Sh...” Haru instructs Max. He does so happily. He walks over, takes my hand, squeezes it, and smiles as I gaze down at him.

  “Hello, Miako speaking. How may I help you?”

  A small sound comes from my mouth, but no words. Haru stares at me as I stare back at him. Say something. “Hi.” I push out fretfully.

  “May I help you?”

  It’s the right number.

  “Um, yeah. Do you want to see Max?”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine: Miako

  After I give a brief explanation to Miako, she agrees to let us come by. The bed-and-breakfast Haru and his parents are staying at isn’t far from where she lives. So, we drop Max off before going to her home. Here we are in her living room.

  “Thank you for having us,” I say with my eyes down to the floor. Haru sits next to me, tensely.

  “Happy to have you,” Miako says.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t bring Max. I’m sure you understand how sensitive a situation this is.”

  She nods respectfully.

  “I’m also sorry I wasn’t at the first hearing. How did it go?” I ask.

  “Well...” She glances at Haru. “I don’t know if he told you anything, but it was hard. His lawyer talked a lot. I don’t have a lawyer, so I wasn’t prepared. I would have never gone the route I did, but Ms. Vaughn suggested it. She was right to assume he’d have a smug attitude.”

  “Can I be candid here?” Haru intervenes. “I was scared. It’s been years and you—you haven’t tried to contact me before. If you wanted him, why get me involved at all?”

  Miako smiles and rubs her hands together in her lap. “When Grant wasn’t a match...”

  “Who’s Grant?” I ask.

  Haru lowers his head, an ashamed expression on his face.

  “Haru?” I ask, looking to him with concern.

  He gulps, “He’s the friend I was telling you about,” Haru whispers in my ear. “The one I used to work with.”

  I realize he’s talking about the friend whose girlfriend he slept with.

  I don’t want to make Haru any more uncomfortable, so I continue the conversation with Miako. “He wasn’t a match? So, he took a paternity test?” I ask, clarifying.

  “Yes, before Haruki. Emi had been a single mother for three years, unconcerned about who the father was. After the accident, I didn’t know what to do. I thought it would be neglectful to the actual father not to let him know. I wanted to give him the option to have his child, even if Emi didn’t care for the idea when she was alive.”

  “Why didn’t she want to know who the father was?” I ask.

  “Maybe she didn’t want to know, or she didn’t care. My daughter was a free spirit, and she did what she wanted to do. She grew up without her father, so maybe I’m to blame also. Maybe I didn’t teach her the importance of having a father in her life.”

  I nod. “My dad hasn’t been in my life either. It’s just been my mom and me.”

  “I know how that can be. Grant was Emi’s boyfriend around the time of conception, but he insisted the child was not his. So naturally, I contacted all her male friends. Haruki, being one of them.” She turns to Haru. “After three negative matches, you were a positive match. I was very grateful for those who could possibly be the father to have come forward. A child should know their father.”

  So... wait. She had a boyfriend and was sleeping with her male friends too?

  “Understandable,” Haru agrees. “So, why file for full custody after almost three years of nothing?”

  “It wasn’t my intent to take Max from you. Ms. Vaughn said it would be in our best interest if I submitted my claim to get your attention. She said you were a very busy man and had a lot going on in your life, and if I wanted my plea to be considered a priority, I would have to be extreme.”

  I stare at Haru. That’s probably a true statement. Haru wouldn’t have given her the time of day if she hadn’t gone this route. I stare unseeingly at the floor. Wait, maybe my mother was trying to help, in her own crass and arrogant way.

  “I never meant to make enemies with you. Ms. Vaughn said she was a friend of the family. This has gotten to be much more than what I
expected. Your countersuit—”

  “You’re suing her, Haru?!” I chastise him.

  He shrinks. “Kind of...”

  “Get rid of the lawyer,” I demand, staring at him seriously.

  “Right away,” Haru says, lowering his head.

  I stare at Max’s grandmother. She lowers her eyes and covers her smile as she clears her throat. “I’m sorry. It’s strange to see him, so compliant to a woman.” She says and sits up straight.

  “I’m so sorry for all of this. Thank you so much for seeing us before the hearing. Ms. Vaughn is my mother and...” I glance at Haru. “Haru is busy a lot, and few things come before Max, so this probably was the best way to do it. Thank you so much for letting Haru be a part of his life.” I smile, “We got engaged a while ago, and we’re supposed to be getting married in a few weeks. So, my apologies. Our lives are a little hectic right now.”

  “Oh, congratulations. Sorry, I didn’t know. I certainly wasn’t trying to cause any trouble,” Miako apologizes. “I thought once we had the preliminary hearing, we’d be able to talk and we could put this all behind us. But that’s not how it was at all.”

  “No, it’s fine. Max will be excited to see you again, I’m sure.” I pause. “So, if you’re not trying to take Max away from us, then what exactly do you want?”

  “As I understand it, you no longer live in the area. That being said, I would still like to see Max on occasion—holidays, summers, a couple of times a month. We could work something out, that would be appropriate.”

  “Haru?” I ask.

  “That’s doable. If you would be willing to discuss this at the hearing today, we wouldn’t have to go to court, and we could put this to rest now. Save ourselves some money and time.”

  “I would also prefer not to have a messy court battle. I wasn’t prepared for one anyhow.” Miako admits.

  “Great.” I sigh. “Haru?”

  “Yeah, as long as you’re not trying to take Max away from me.”

  “No, I just want him to know I love him still.”

  I wonder if Max remembers her. I think he said something about it a while ago. He was three, almost four. Could he really remember her?

  I smile. “Would you consider coming to the wedding?”

  Haru gives me an unreadable stare, as I dart my eyes over to him. I ignore it and face Maiko.

  “Really?” she says, folding her fingers together in front of her chest.

  “I think it would be a great time for you to see Max. We have a lot going on and will be going back to Missouri. So, I think it would be good if we could sit down with everyone and have fun, get to know each other. What do you think?”

  “Yes. Where is it?”

  “In Iroshima, Japan.”

  “Japan?” Miako asks as she furrows her eyebrows.

  “At Iroshima Castle.”

  “Iroshima Castle?! You’re getting married at Iroshima Castle?” Miako asks with wide eyes. As she arches her neck, her voice wavers with surprise, her palm to her chest.

  “Yes. You know it?”

  “I do! I always wanted to go there.” She smiles. “Max must have quite a comfortable lifestyle if you can afford to get married in a castle.”

  “I’ve worked very hard to give Max the things he wants and deserves. He’s a good kid. He lost his mother.” Haru stares at me. “And then gained a new one.”

  “You two must be very happy.” Miako smiles. “I wish you the best. I would love to come to the wedding and to see Max.”

  “I guess we have an addition to the family.” I smile.

  She smiles back. “Would you two like to see some pictures of Max when he was a baby?”

  “Yes,” I say breathily, filled with excitement.

  Miako gets up and leaves the room.

  Haru stares at me. “I should listen to you more.”

  “You should.”

  “Don’t invite any more people to our wedding,” Haru instructs me.

  “Sorry. It seemed like the perfect gesture.”

  “I agree, but seriously, no one else.”

  “You act like I’ve been rogue, inviting people. She’s the only new person.”

  “Yeah, but now I have to pay for her to come.”

  Miako returns. “Emi kept these scrapbooks of Max. She made one every year, so there are three. Unfortunately, the last one is only half full. I tried to add some things, but I ran out of pictures.” She sits and opens the first book. My heart melts at how adorable baby Max was.

  “Aw...”

  Haru’s face is tranquil and affectionate as we go through these books and listen to the stories she tells.

  We sneak in a story or two as well.

  “Oh, Max is up for a screening. The test starts in the middle of September,” Haru informs us.

  “You scheduled it?” I ask in disbelief.

  “Yeah. I can be a good parent too, occasionally.” He leans down to my ear. “Plus, I didn’t know if you would come back.”

  “You’re a great dad, with or without me.”

  He kisses my cheek. “No, I’m not. I’m only great when I’m with you.”

  We continue to go through the books. After about twenty minutes of telling stories and looking at pictures, we reach the end of the third album. Miako turns to Haru.

  “You should have them.” She hands the photo books to Haru. She sets them on his lap and rises to her feet.

  Haru stammers, stumbling over sounds, but no words come out of his mouth.

  “I’ll see you at the hearing. We’ll put this mess behind us. I’m sorry I took such drastic heights.” She smiles.

  “Maybe I should be more mindful of the small things,” Haru says, turning to me.

  With a sweet smile, I say, “Don’t worry. I’ll help you. We’ll learn together.”

  “I have an idea.” Miako says.

  Haru and I focus all of our attention on Maiko.

  “Why don’t we just not show up?” she suggests.

  “You mean to the hearing?” I ask.

  “We don’t really have to tell them anything. I don’t have a lawyer. They haven’t been accommodating in the least, so if I can see my grandson, there really is no point. I can withdraw as the plaintiff.”

  “And Haru will call his big shot lawyer and get rid of him, won’t you, Haru?” I arrow my eyes at him.

  He laughs, “Y-yes. I will.” He pauses, “You know, I am feeling a bit hungry. How about some lunch, princess? Your choice.” Haru suggests.

  I smile. “Why don’t we let Mrs. Maiko choose?”

  Chapter Thirty: Back Home

  I’ve missed the white sofa, the subtle hint of fruity aromas in the halls. The flowery scent in our bathroom from the pink rose petals in the woven basket on the sink. Haru’s clothes all over the floor, Max’s running feet and excitement. Haru and I have the weekend to ourselves. It’s a week before the wedding.

  On Friday we get our marriage license. We’re married, technically, right? Max goes to his grandparents. I suppose he feels as long as I’m at the house, there is no reason to be sad. Though he has been calling us about ten times a day.

  It’s Monday and I have a lot of things to handle. I can’t believe we’re still going to have the wedding. I haven’t worn my dress, no one has been fitted. I haven’t even seen my dress. I have no idea how we’ll pull this off, but I know I want to marry Haru. There’s probably no way we could get the money back for everything and try to reschedule, so we have to leave tomorrow. Everyone seems okay with that idea. So I am too.

  In the morning, I go to the high school. Afterwards, I pick Max up from his grandparents. Haru is at work. Max comes running out of the house and hops in the back seat.

  “Did you have fun?” I ask him, waving at his grandparents and pulling off to head home.

  “It was okay. I wanted you to hurry and pick me up.”

  “I’m sorry. I had a lot to do this morning.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I had to accept
a job—well, internship.”

  “What’s an internship?”

  “When you work somewhere for no money or a little money to see if you like it and if they like you.”

  “Oh.” He gets quiet and I glance out of the rearview mirror to see his affectionate face. “I’m glad you came back home, Mom. Are you all done with school?”

  “One more semester. But don’t worry, I won’t leave home for a long time again.”

  “Good. I missed you. So did Dad. I took care of him, though. And I know you guys missed each other, but did you have to leave me at grandma and grandpa’s house for an entire week?” Max frowns and folds his arms across his chest.

  “I’m sorry, Max. Me and Daddy had a lot to talk about and we were trying to get everything done for the wedding. You understand, don’t you?”

  “I do.” He smiles, unfolding his arms, “When the summer is over me and you have to go back to school.”

  “That’s true. I’m okay with it because school is important.”

  “I know you have to go to school, just like I have to. I would be sad though if you had to leave for school all the time and not come back for months. Are you sad when I’m at school sometimes?”

  “Yeah, I am. I miss your face. I’m happy when you come home. I’m also happy I could come back home. I missed your incredible sundaes too. And don’t worry, it won’t happen again. I’m with you guys forever.”

  Max smiles. “When you guys get married, is anything going to change?”

  “Hmm, do you want things to change?”

  “Not really.”

  “What about if you had a little brother or a sister?” I ask.

  Max glances up at me, startled by the question. I stare at him through the rearview mirror, “A brother or a sister? I’m the oldest, so I can protect them both. Are you going to name them Max?”

  I smile. “We’ll see.”

  “Awesome.” Max grins.

  “What do you want for dinner? Darby and Hayden are coming over. We’re all leaving together in the morning.”

  “We should just have pizza, and I should make some of my incredible sundaes for everyone, since we missed it yesterday. Oh, and then can we play a game—a new one. Do you think Hayden and Darby would want to play a game?”