by Jen Talty
Coralie blinked open her eyes and let out a short cry.
He glanced toward Jackie and pointed to his daughter and then himself.
Jackie nodded, so he reached into the crib and lifted Coralie to his chest. She immediately snuggled in, popping her thumb into her mouth.
“Daddy’s got you,” he said.
“Put her down,” Kari said. “He shouldn’t be in here, much less holding her. He’s a monster.” She took a step toward him, but Eileen got between them. “Your daughter is suffering from salt poisoning. I suspect that every time you’ve brought her in with the same symptoms, it’s been salt poisoning.”
“Wait,” Alston said, rubbing Coralie’s back and rocking right to left as if he’d been doing this his whole life. “You can have too much salt?”
“Absolutely,” Eileen said. “And it can be very dangerous, especially in children. But we need to find the source.”
“Well, I’m not giving my baby too much salt,” Kari said. “This is all him.” She pointed to Alston.
“Me?” Alston asked. “This, right here, is only the fourth time I’ve seen our child. How on earth could I have given her salt?”
“Well, I didn’t, and I can’t believe you all are standing here accusing me of purposely poisoning her while my baby is suffering,” Kari said.
“I never said you did it purposely. A lot of people don’t know that you can overdose on salt like this,” Eileen said. “But without testing the baby food and going through your home, we can’t be sure of the source. Unfortunately, we have a protocol we have to follow here, and I had to call in social services and the police. They will escort you to the home where we will do a thorough search of your place to see if we can find whatever is hurting Coralie.”
“You did what?” Kari’s voice rose to an abnormally high octave.
Alston took a step back, holding his daughter tight. He glanced around the room at all the players. He’d been involved in sting operations before in the military, and he couldn’t help but think he’d just walked into a trap and he and his daughter had been pawns.
That flared his rage.
“There is an officer standing outside the exam room. He will take you, Jackie, and one of our lab techs. They will take samples of food, medicines, and anything else—”
“You can’t do that. I have rights. I’m calling my lawyer,” Kari said.
“You do that,” Eileen said. “A search warrant has been issued.”
“Jackie? Can they do this?” Kari pleaded.
“I’m afraid so,” Jackie said. “They really need to find the source of the salt intake so this doesn’t happen again. I’m sure you understand because you love your daughter and you want what’s best for her.”
“Of course I do, but while I’m gone, I don’t want that man in here with her.” Kari pointed to Alston.
“I’m her father, and I’ll take good care of her,” Alston said, puffing out his chest.
“Right. Like you did the day you beat her.”
He growled but refrained from saying a word. Keeping his temper in check was more important than defending himself against Kari’s ridiculous accusations, especially with his daughter in his arms.
Eileen pulled back the screen, and a policeman stepped into the room, making this situation very real.
It hit Alston like a ton of bricks that the moment his daughter entered the ER, they knew something wasn’t right.
And that Kari might be the root cause.
The question scratching the back of his mind was did Jackie know and for how long? His heart sank the moment he locked gazes with her because in that instant, he knew she’d suspected Kari had been doing this for a while and she didn’t tell him.
He made his way to the rocking chair and sat down. He didn’t want to deal with anyone in the room, except Coralie. He rested his head against hers and closed his eyes, inhaling her sweet baby scent. “Daddy’s here and he’s never going to leave you again.” He kissed her temple.
A warm hand pressed against his shoulder.
He blinked open his eyes. The room was empty other than Jackie.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she said.
“I can stay here with my daughter, unsupervised?”
Jackie smiled. “Technically, you’re still being watched since there are nurses and doctors in and out, but yes. And don’t worry. She’s going to be fine. They are flushing the toxins from her system. While this can be a serious poison, we caught it early enough before any real damage was done.”
He couldn’t believe Kari was poisoning her own kid. “Are they going to arrest her?”
“As long as we can find the source, yes.”
He sucked in a sharp breath. That isn’t what he expected, nor what he wanted. “She’s sick and needs help.”
“It’s called Munchausen by proxy. It is a mental illness, but what she did is criminal,” Jackie said. “I’ve been in contact with Carol. Once the source is found, the paperwork will be filed for you to have full guardianship of Coralie and then sole custody. I know you’re not ready, but when they discharge her, probably tomorrow or the next day, she’s going home with you. For good.”
Tears burned the corners of his eyes. He wanted his little girl in his life, but not this way. How would he explain all this to her when she was older? The entire thing was horrifying. But he’d deal with it because she was his world. He cleared his throat. “When did you know?”
“That Kari was giving Coralie too much salt?”
He nodded as he held his daughter tighter.
“I didn’t know until the tox screen came back, but I knew she was giving her something this morning, and I suspected yesterday that Kari was abusing her. Actually, things bothered me a couple of weeks ago.”
“And yet, you let my daughter stay with her.”
Jackie’s mouth slacked open. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to use the system as it’s set up; otherwise, you could have lost her.”
“Could she have died from an overdose of salt?”
Jackie’s silence was enough of an answer.
“You should have told me.”
“I couldn’t tell you. It would have been unprofessional of me and—”
“But screwing me is okay?” The moment the word vomit flew from his mouth, he realized his mistake.
Damn fucking temper had a way of showing up in the form a sharp tongue. He knew he shouldn’t have said that, but it was too late. The words and the hurt were already out there.
“I didn’t tell you because I needed to be certain, and I needed to have things in place.”
“You always said you had Coralie’s best interest at heart, yet here she is in the hospital with an IV in her little arm after being poisoned by her mother, and you could have prevented it.” He pointed to the hallway. “Go. Aren’t you supposed to be leaving with the cop and Kari to find the source?”
“I’m meeting them there so I can come back here and be with you and Coralie.”
“Don’t bother coming back. You betrayed me and my child. I don’t think I want to ever see you again.”
Chapter 8
Three weeks later…
Jackie poured herself a big-ass glass of wine and made herself comfortable on her chaise lounge chair and stared at Alston’s home. He’d moved in two days ago, and in that time, she’d gotten a few glimpses of him and Coralie as they played in the sandbox or ran around in the backyard.
Coralie seemed to have bounced back from her salt poisoning and had settled into her new life with her father.
Kari, on the other hand, was under suicide watch at the women’s prison.
Jackie truly felt bad for Kari and hoped she got the help she needed while she served out her debt to society.
Since that day at the hospital, she’d seen Alston only at court, and he kept a safe distance. She could understand his frustration and anger, but it pissed her off that he wouldn’t return a single text or phone call and let her explain now that
everything was over and he had full custody of his beautiful little girl.
The upstairs light in Alston’s house clicked off. A minute later, the back porch light brightened up his backyard. He appeared in the sliding glass doors wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and bare feet, holding a bottle of red wine, two glasses, and a baby monitor.
She stiffened her spine, looking for someone else in the house. Could he be dating already? Her heart took a dive to her stomach, rolling around and beating erratically. She had no right to be jealous. She had no claim on him. They had one night.
That was it.
He waved before reaching over the fence and stepping into her yard. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi yourself.” What a lame response.
“I didn’t see that you had a glass.” He waved his bottle toward the other chair. “Do you mind if I sit so we can talk?”
“Not at all.” Crap. Why didn’t she just say bug off? He’d treated her poorly. Even Anna had agreed on that point. While it sucked that Coralie suffered once again, Jackie’s hands were tied, and if she hadn’t done things exactly the way she had, they could still be fighting to get Coralie away from her mother. The system worked, but it wasn’t perfect. She knew that better than anyone.
“Would you like some more wine?” He set up the video and audio monitor on the table between the two of them.
God, she missed Coralie. That girl had stolen her heart.
So had her father, but Jackie would find a way to get over him. She was a survivor, and she’d come out on top.
She always did.
“I’d love some.” She held out her glass. “Are you all settled?”
“Pretty much,” he said. “My entire family will be descending upon me in a couple of days, starting with my parents. My mom has been sending so much stuff I’ve run out of room to put things.”
“My mom has totally spoiled my niece. But that’s what grandparents are for.”
“I’ve been sending Kari pictures of Coralie. Do you think that’s a bad idea?”
Fucking wonderful. All he wanted was professional advice.
“No, but I’d have a long talk with any therapist she’s seeing in prison before having any kind of contact with her. She’s got a whole pathology that a regular person just can’t comprehend.”
“I’m learning that.”
She tried not to stare at the sleeping child, but it proved impossible. Coralie was just too stinking cute. “She’s grown,” Jackie said.
“She’s talking a little too. She can ask for a bottle, and I think she’s saying dad, but it sounds like Bada. I can’t tell.”
“That’s cute.”
“She’s cute.”
“That she is,” Jackie said. It bothered her how easily she and Alston fell back into their relaxed, comfortable conversation, as if they were old-time friends or lovers.
Or both.
Only, they were really neither.
And he’d made that clear.
He lifted his glass and swirled the red liquid. “I owe you an apology.”
She gasped. Not what she expected. “Okay.”
“I struggled with the idea that you couldn’t just take Coralie away from Kari on a suspicion.”
“If I could have, I would have.”
“I know that,” he said. “And not just for me. You would have done it for any child who was in danger.”
“I’m glad you can see that.” She wanted to tell him to finish the apology and then to get the fuck out, only because it was killing her to be this close. In a few short weeks, she’d not only fallen in love with his kid, but with him as well.
Sigh. She’d get over it, eventually.
“I had to follow the rules, but I acted quickly. As soon as I had enough information, thanks to your PI, I didn’t hesitate.”
“Because I was in the dark and didn’t possess the same knowledge, when it all came out in that hospital room, I didn’t know who take my anger out on.”
“No offense, but Kari was the logical person.”
He chuckled. “Well, duh. But, in that moment, in my mind, you could have prevented Coralie from suffering that one last time.”
She dropped her head back and closed her eyes. “Your daughter isn’t the first child that I’ve had to step back and wait until I have enough to take to the judge and ask for a specific action. It breaks my heart. Some days my job sucks. Other days it’s the best thing in the world, like the day the judge gave you full custody, but please understand if I had done it any other way, you might not be in that house tonight with Coralie.” Jackie rolled her head and opened her eyes, catching his intense gaze.
“I’ve been an asshole these last couple of weeks.” He reached out and cupped her cheek. “I’m sorry, Jackie. I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me, because I’ve fallen in love with you, and I don’t want to spend another day without you in my life.”
She gasped. “You what?”
“Why do you pretend you’re deaf? You heard me.” He reached under her chair and pulled her closer. “I know it’s fast, and you probably don’t love me, but give me a chance. I might surprise you.”
“Oh, you surprise me, all right.” Her stomach filled with butterflies, and her heart swelled with the promise of the future she’d always wanted. She moved from her chair to his, straddling his legs. “I did what I did because I love Coralie, and I love her father.”
“You what? I didn’t hear that. Could you say it again?”
She laughed. “Color me smart, I love you.”
Epilogue
Six months later…
Alston lifted his baby girl out of the crib. “My goodness you’re getting big.”
Coralie cupped his cheeks. “Want Mama.”
He sighed. Ever since Jackie had been filling in occasionally at the mommy or daddy and me classes when he’d been working, or he had to an overnight sting op for a client and he couldn’t find another man on his payroll to do it, Coralie had started calling Jackie Mama.
“She’s at her house,” he said as his heart tightened and twisted. He hated that she snuck out most mornings. Coralie was a baby. How was she supposed to know they weren’t married? And what difference did it make?
Obviously, it mattered to Jackie.
“Shall we go find out if she wants to make us an official family so she can be your forever Mama.”
Coralie nodded like she actually understood every word he said.
“Let’s do it.” Without even thinking about the fact that all he had on were his boxers, he marched out of his house and across the backyard, waving to half his neighbors.
The nice old lady that lived two doors down blushed. Oh well. He didn’t care. He was a man on a mission.
“Ring the bell Coralie.”
His daughter leaned over and pushed the button.
And pushed it.
And pushed it.
He laughed. Normally, he’d make her stop. But not while old man Crowly was trying to get his wife to stop gawking. Alston had never felt so naked in his life.
Crap. He had no ring. No nothing.
Coralie kissed his cheek. Well, he had her. “Can you say marry me?”
The door opened.
“Marry me,” Coralie exclaimed holding out her arms and wiggling her feet, begging for Jackie to hold her.
“What?” Jackie took the little girl in her arms giving her a big hug and kiss. “What did she say?”
“I think her exact words were marry me.” God, this had to go down as the most pathetic proposal on the planet. But he was going to start what he finished. “It should have been marry us.”
Jackie stood there with her lids blinking wildly over her eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Can I come in? I’m standing out here in my underwear?”
“Oh, yeah.” She stepped to the side. “What are you babbling on about?”
“I’m tired of you sneaking out of my house. I’m tired of not being able to wake up with you in my arms e
very day or have the three of us have breakfast together like a normal family.”
“Ball. Want ball!” Coralie kicked and pointed.
Jackie kissed her before setting her down. “Alston, what are you saying?”
“I love you and I want us to get married and live under one roof. I don’t care which one. This one. That one. A new one. Makes no difference. I just want all of us together. I’m sorry I’m an idiot and I didn’t think this through, and I have no ring, but—”
She covered his mouth with the palm of her hand. “Yes.”
“Huh?” He stood there like the fool that he was digesting her one word. “Yes? To what?”
“Everything, but especially to becoming your wife and a full-time Mama to that little girl.”
“Oh thank God.” He pulled her into his arms and twirled her around. “Now will you kindly go get me some clothes, so I don’t have to walk through the yards naked again?”
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About the Author
Welcome to my World! I'm a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.
I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.
