Unexpected Arrivals(67)
“Maybe she started dating someone.” It was as plausible as his explanation.
“In Geneva Key? I don’t think she had an affinity for older men in golf attire.”
“Unfortunately, James, if she didn’t give you any answers, I don’t think you’re going to find them now. Maybe she has a family member taking care of the child while all this plays out. That person might be your only hope for resolution.”
He rolled onto his back, leaving my front cold and bare. His forearm crossed over his face, shielding most of his expression from view, but I knew he was upset by that action alone. “I have to go to Geneva Key.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“You don’t have to go with me. I have no idea how long any of this is going to take. I could walk in, sign some papers, and they shove the kid my way. Or they make me take parenting classes and do visitation before they turn over custody. What if this isn’t about custody at all and just about child support?”
“I think you need to figure out what role you want to play in the child’s life. The torment that kid is feeling losing its mother has to be horrible. Chelsea’s family may try to keep custody—you need to be certain before you get there if you’re choosing to fight.”
“She doesn’t have any family. Her mother died right before I came to see you in Paris. The only other person in her life was her mother’s best friend, Dottie.”
“Then you’re prepared to take custody of a son or daughter you’ve never met?”
He lifted his arm from his face and looked at me like I was an idiot. “No. I’m not prepared to take care of a kid. But I can’t walk away, either.”
“Then there’s your answer. So when are we leaving?”
He kissed my lips so tenderly that I melted into his embrace. When he tipped his forehead to mine, if I hadn’t already determined I’d be by his side, that would have sealed the deal. There hadn’t been a single day since James Carpenter had walked into my life that I’d ever doubted how he felt about me—although seeing it never got old. And if he made a decision to love a child, it would be with the same abandon he loved me.
“I guess I need to go in to work tomorrow and talk to Neil. Then book a flight. What are you going to do about the job offer?”
Clearly, he still didn’t get it. I wasn’t going to Italy without him, and that wasn’t an option since we were both going to Geneva Key. “My guess is he will let me go tomorrow when I inform him I’m not taking the promotion and that I need an undetermined amount of time off to go home.” I offered James a gentle smile, the one my heart naturally forced upon my lips anytime my husband was around.
“I love you, Cora. More than anything in the world.” And he did. I’d never questioned that.
“I love you, too.”
He kissed the top of my head and wrapped me in his arms. Thoughts ran wildly through my head, though my heart was content. The what-ifs and whys tried to take over, but the circles he traced on my spine relaxed me until I fell asleep in his embrace.
***
Sitting on a plane, waiting to taxi down the runway, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made the right decision. I hadn’t been surprised when Drake had let me go two days earlier—I couldn’t say I was upset, either. I loved my job, on the other hand, the man who owned the company left a lot to be desired. He’d taken far too great an interest in me since the day I’d started. Flattery had quickly turned to irritation when he scrutinized every move I made. And James was right, we didn’t need the money. Although, it still felt like failure.
James and I hadn’t talked much since the night he told me about Chelsea. He was lost in his head, and I was content to let him stay there. It wasn’t that I wasn’t supportive, I just wondered how our lives were going to change and whether or not I could handle it. I’d never had a desire for children, however, I didn’t have an aversion to them. I didn’t want for my child exactly what I’d grown up to face and what this poor kid was facing at such an early age.
Yet I had to believe my fear was nothing more than uncertainty. Even though I wasn’t typically a wishy-washy woman, my thoughts on this had waved like a flag in the breeze, bending whichever way the wind blew at that moment. Hopefully, once we found out what we had to deal with, the pieces would fall into place. They had to.
“You okay?” James squeezed my hand reassuringly.
“Just nervous.”
“About flying?”
I scoffed. I didn’t have a fear of planes. “No.” And I rolled my eyes.
“Is there any part of you that’s excited?”
“Cautiously, maybe. I guess not having any details makes this harder than it has to be. I think I’ll feel better when we’re in the attorney’s office and things start moving.”
He nodded in agreement but didn’t respond. His eyes closed, and his head tilted back against the seat as we took off. I leaned against his shoulder and stared at the tray table in front of me. In a couple hours, this ball would start rolling, and I hoped it didn’t go so fast that it spun out of control.
A few hours and a rental car later, James and I opened the door that would irrevocably change our lives.
“Clary, White, and Boyd. How may I direct your call?” The receptionist clearly hadn’t been the recipient of one of the firm’s letters, or she wouldn’t be nearly as peppy answering their phone.