No One But You (Silver Springs #2)(74)

Even worse, he claimed he was going to take Jayden away from her.

She wouldn’t allow that to happen. Jayden wasn’t happy with his father, and because his father had no idea how damaging he was to those around him—or didn’t care if he did—it wasn’t as if she could expect him to change. After the incident at the restaurant, she was no longer willing to give Sly the benefit of the doubt where the fire was concerned, either. Chief Thomas had made some sense to her. But he didn’t understand that logic only worked with stable people, and Sly was not stable. Her ex’s behavior had grown progressively worse since the day she married him, and most especially after Jayden was born. He’d felt replaced by their son, jealous of the love she felt for their child, and the more she retreated from him, the more tyrannical he became.

Once Dawson had signed in, he led her and Jayden into a sterile-looking waiting room, the kind one might find in any hospital.

“You’ve been here before?” Sadie murmured.

“Yeah. A couple times,” he said.

“That’s nice of you.”

He didn’t respond. When he picked up a magazine, effectively ending the conversation, she wondered if he was mad at her. She hated the thought of that. But there wasn’t a lot she could do to fix the situation. She could only keep her eye on the one path that would lead her out of the mess her life had become.

One step at a time. The first step was to save the money she would need to start over somewhere else. That was why she needed the job Dawson provided and couldn’t do anything to put it in jeopardy.

They’d waited only a few minutes before a young woman with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail came out to get them. “She’s been waiting for you,” she told Dawson with a smile that suggested his sister was somewhat of a handful. “She’s packed her bags again, thinks you’re taking her home with you tonight.”

He shook his head. “Don’t let her fool you. She knows better. She’s being stubborn, trying to force the issue.”

The woman looked a little surprised when Sadie and Jayden came forward, too, making it apparent they were with Dawson. “You’ve brought some friends, I see.”

All business now, Dawson introduced Sadie as Angela’s new caregiver. He’d seemed surprised—maybe even slightly hurt—by her withdrawal earlier. The eagerness of the smile he’d been wearing when she first greeted him at the farm had been replaced with a certain wariness, as if he wasn’t so sure she could be trusted anymore. But since she’d reestablished their roles as employer/employee, he’d respected those boundaries. Although she’d sat right next to him in the truck—thanks to where they had to put Jayden’s safety seat—he hadn’t tried to touch her.

“This is Megan, the woman who takes care of Angela in the evenings,” he said, finishing up the introductions.

“Looks like you’re getting ready to bring her home, all right,” Megan said, referring to the fact that he’d already hired a caregiver.

“I have a meeting with the state on Wednesday. Everything hinges on that,” he told her.

“I responded to the letter they sent here, put in a good word for you.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I’ve seen how you are with her,” she said in a tone that left no question as to how much she believed in Dawson. “She adores you.”

Megan punched in a code that allowed them access to a special wing. Sadie heard the door swing closed behind them, the echo of their own footsteps and the TVs playing in several of the rooms they passed. Angela lived at the end and had decorated her door like that of a kindergarten class. Sadie took a moment to examine the toilet-paper flowers and hand-drawn pictures taped up there. The picture in the middle nearly broke her heart. It showed what could only be Angela with her parents and Dawson—her “baby” brother. The four of them were holding hands.

Dawson saw it, too. Sadie noticed how, when he paused to look, a muscle moved in his cheek, and she couldn’t help touching him. As much as she told herself it wasn’t wise, he’d done so much for her, and she could tell the sight evoked a poignant emotion.

When he felt her hand on his arm, he looked over in surprise. A confused expression drew his eyebrows together before the moment was lost and Angela realized he’d arrived.

“My brother! That’s my brother. He told me he’d come. Here he is.” She spoke overly loud and nearly knocked into Megan in her attempt to reach Dawson. Then she clung to him as if he were a lifeline, and, wearing an affectionate smile, he let her squeeze him tight.

She might’ve hung on to him for the duration of the visit if she hadn’t spotted Sadie. At that point, she let go, but before he could even introduce them, she saw Jayden. Then everything changed. With a gasp of absolute joy, she burst into tears. “Dawson!” she cried. “You brought me a little boy? You know I always wanted one! You were too big. I never got to carry you around. I couldn’t lift you even once. But I loved you anyway,” she was quick to add. “You’re a good brother. I’m just so happy to have a little one.”

With that she scooped a surprised Jayden into her arms and swung him around, laughing and crying at the same time. “I can’t believe it,” she said. “You brought me a little boy. I knew you’d bring me something good, but...this,” she said, as if a child was the fulfillment of all her dreams.