The tea pouring continued and Kaitlyn chattered away at her friends. Sierra just sat there, taking in the moment, grateful for this additional chance.
Children were much more resilient than adults.
After some time, Kaitlyn looked at Sierra. “Does your face hurt like your leg?”
Sierra drew her fingers down the scar. “No, not anymore.”
“You should go to the hospital and see Kimber; she will make your leg all better, like she is helping me to get better.”
She almost reached across the table to take her daughter’s hand but cupped the teacup harder. She felt humbled that her daughter was concerning herself with her mother’s injuries.
“It’s okay, let’s worry about you getting better. My leg can wait.”
Kaitlyn nodded her head, then rolled the teacup between her tiny hands. “Mommy, what did Daddy do to make amends?”
Sierra frowned, confused. “Sorry, Kaitlyn, but what do you mean?”
“You said he hurt you before.” She turned her brown eyes to her in question.
“Oh.” Sierra shook her head, taken aback by Kaitlyn’s sharp insights. “No, Kaitlyn, not in that way. I wanted certain things from your dad that he couldn’t give me, and I took it out on him. It wasn’t his fault; it was all mine. You can’t force people to feel or do things.”
Kaitlyn frowned at her, looking far too much like her father; Sierra loved her more for it. “Don’t worry, as you get older, you will understand someday.”
The frown stayed steady for a moment longer before the young girl shrugged. “But Daddy should make amends too?” It was Sierra’s turn to frown again in confusion; Kaitlyn didn’t seem to notice. “He always says to me that when you hurt someone, you should always try and make them feel better and say sorry.”
“Yes, that is true, but he didn’t try to hurt me intentionally.”
“Oh okay.” She nodded her little head again. Picking up a plate, Kaitlyn offered it to Sierra. “Do you want a piece of cake before lunch? Don’t tell Daddy, he wouldn’t like that we are having a treat before we eat lunch.”
Sierra laughed being careful not to touch Kaitlyn as she took the piece of cake being offered by her daughter and Kaitlyn smiled back at her and giggled too.
Jacob stood outside the door, stunned by the sound of his daughter and ex-wife laughing. What Kaitlyn had said was true. He always told her she needed to make it right and apologize when she hurts someone. He owed Sierra an apology; no matter how justified he felt in his anger over their past, she hadn’t done anything in the present to hurt him. She was here now, trying to help their daughter, and all he’d done was lash out and suspect her of harm. He still didn’t know if he could trust her but for now, he intended to cut her some slack and be cordial, for their daughter’s sake.
Chapter 18
Jacob glanced around the limousine at all of his brothers celebrating as they headed to a Vegas hotel for Colin’s bachelor party. Coco and her friends had arrived yesterday in preparation for her own. Even through the chatter and laughter, a deep tension blanketed the air around them. Time was ticking on the ultimatum, and they all needed to find someone to complete their lives and walk down the aisle with.
He glanced at Colin, guilt tensing through his neck and shoulders. His brother was still excited thinking that he was going to propose to Marissa. It wasn’t untrue; he’d been thinking about it for a while but lately, he realized he was making excuses on when or how he would do it. Every time Colin nudged him, Jacob fell back on the excuse that it wasn’t the right time—Sierra and Kaitlyn were getting closer, and he didn’t want to disrupt their bonding with the news of an engagement.
As the speakers throbbed with music, Jacob’s thoughts shifted to Sierra. Her daily routine included visiting with Kaitlyn and going with them to all her appointments. He kept his promise of being cordial to her, even while keeping her at a distance. But lately, this new Sierra had started to pique his interest. She’d never been one for reading books with Kaitlyn as a baby, but now she could entertain their daughter for hours with stories off the top of her head. He’d become fascinated with her stories and thought she had a great gift as a storyteller and should write a children’s book.
His prior disinterest in anything that happened to her had waned. There were things he now wanted to know. Like what happened to her when she left the hospital and how did she come to live with her grandmother’s lover, Pat.
When the Senator called to find out how everything was going, Jacob asked him if he knew any information on who Pat was.
The Senator said he did some digging and found out that Pat had been an only child and had worked in a bank; that was how she met Sierra’s grandmother. Pat had been a woman who invested wisely and spent her money frugally. The only big purchase she made had been her house on the tiny island. When she died, her house was already paid for and she gave Sierra a small portion of her wealth; the rest had been donated to wildlife sanctuaries.
Jacob assumed the inheritance must be what Sierra used to pay her living costs. He didn’t know how long that would hold out and would have to talk to her about it. He was reconsidering his decision to exclude her from alimony in the divorce.
The old Sierra would have demanded he pay for everything and put her up in the most expensive hotel, but this Sierra was warmer and more thoughtful; she didn’t seem to mind her accommodations being moderate, that she could do better. A part of him wanted to trust this new version of her, but he wasn’t ready yet or maybe he couldn’t bring himself to let the past go. Jacob certainly didn’t want his brothers to know he was struggling with his emotions because they would be upset and lecture him about things that he didn’t already know.
As the scenery flashed by outside, he twirled his tumbler of dark liquid, his mood pensive. He should have been celebrating and not just for Colin, but during their last visit to see Dr. Hayes, she informed them that Sierra was a perfect match. They had instinctively hugged each other, the relief and happiness pouring through them. But then he noticed the warmth of her body flush against his and his body reacted to how she felt against him, her lush curves pressed into hischest and hips. He’d taken a quick step back before he ended up embarrassing himself, turning to shake Dr. Hayes’ hand, surprising her. Dr. Hayes had eyed him, assessing, and he wondered what she’d concluded. The doctor just smiled and moved to shake Sierra’s outstretched hand.
Surgery was scheduled for some time after they got back from Vegas. Colin had tried wheedling information out of him, but he shut every attempt down, not wanting to share anything until he could figure out what was happening. Dr. Hayes had told him Sierra would need someone to assist her during the recovery phase of the surgery. He hadn’t considered that issue when he’d sought her out for testing. Impulsively, he’d told her on the car ride to see Kaitlyn that she would have to move in temporarily with them. She could use the guest house for privacy and he would hire a nurse to make house calls. Between him, the nurse and Marissa, both Kaitlyn and Sierra could recuperate under their care.
Warning bells shrilled in his head, but there was nothing he could do about it. It was the best plan for all three of them. Finally taking a sip of his drink, Jacob shoved his thoughts aside. He needed to focus on Colin’s upcoming wedding to Coco.
He overheard Colin ask Matt about Nova, his long-time girlfriend from high school. She wasn’t answering his calls; turns out proposing to someone because of an ultimatum after years of avoiding the topic of marriage didn’t go over well.
