A Soldier's Promise (Crystal Lake Series Book 2) (11 page)

And he’d hurt Julie’s feelings too, but it couldn’t be helped. Staying one more night wasn’t smart, even if her logic made sense. Lexi’s constant rocking was what had convinced him in the end. He couldn’t bear to drag his daughter out of the townhouse kicking and screaming.

Hopefully Lexi would be better by tomorrow morning, or he might not have a choice. Right now, he imagined Julie’s cop brother was already running a check on him. Normally, he wouldn’t be worried—after all, he didn’t have a criminal record.

But Claire’s parents were rather irrational in their quest for custody. They truly believed he was incapable of raising his own daughter. They’d demanded he hand Lexi over, and when he’d refused, things had turned ugly.

Threats, outrageous accusations—he’d been shocked at how bitterly angry they’d been.

He sank down on the edge of his bed and debated taking a pain pill. Working on the ceiling after finishing the walls had obviously been incredibly stupid. A hint of a smile tugged at his mouth as he remembered Julie calling him a stubborn ox.

Yeah, okay, so maybe he was a stubborn ox. Right now he was a hurting stubborn ox. But the last thing he wanted was for Julie to know how horrible he felt. She’d feel obligated to take him back to the hospital when all he really needed was a little rest. Or maybe a lot of rest.

Surely he could hang on long enough to eat dinner?

Of course he could. Soldiers could do anything.

“Daddy?” Lexi’s fearful voice snapped him back into focus.

“Hey, baby-doll, what’s up? Are you finished with your drawing?”

Lexi stared at him as if to ask who he was kidding. She’d been rocking since he’d explained how they needed to leave. Granted, he knew she might be sad to go, but he’d seriously underestimated her reaction.

For a moment, he doubted his ability to be a good father to Lexi. Maybe Claire’s parents were right? Maybe she’d do better in the long run with more structure?

Maybe he was the idiot for thinking he knew what was best for Lexi?

“Hurts?” his daughter asked, coming close enough to put her tiny hand on his chest. He stared down at her for a long minute, choked up by her concern.

“Not too bad,” he murmured. He reached up and tucked a glossy strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you still mad at me?”

Lexi shrugged and shook her head. “I love you, Daddy.”

Her soft words arrowed straight into his heart. It was as if she knew exactly what he needed to hear.

“I love you too, baby-doll,” he managed, drawing her close and gently resting his cheek on her hair. And suddenly, he knew that it was more than just Lexi knowing what he needed to hear.

It was God guiding him on the path he was supposed to take.

Feeling stronger, he pressed a kiss on top of Lexi’s head and then struggled back to his feet, barely able to suppress a low groan. No doubt about it, he was going to be in a lot of pain tonight.

He forced himself to straighten his spine to walk down the hall into the gutted kitchen and living room. He held the patio door open for Lexi before following her outside to the patio.

Julie closed the hood of the grill and turned toward them. “I think I must have set the gas too high, because the chicken is just about done.”

“I’m ready to eat whenever you are,” he said as he lowered himself carefully into a chair. As much as he knew he should help Julie bring out the plates and silverware, he was afraid he’d only embarrass himself by falling flat on his face. “Lexi, would you please help Julie set the table?”

Lexi smiled and ran over to Julie. Soon they had the table set, complete with small salads.

Julie struggled a little with the roasted chicken, and he pushed himself up to help her. As they wrestled with the bird, Julie began to giggle. “This is why I don’t do this more often,” she said. “Too much work.”

He carried the plate of roasted chicken out to the patio table. They all took their seats, but this time he decided to lead the prayer.

“Dear Lord, thank You for this wonderful food we’re about to eat, and thank You for bringing Julie into our lives. Amen.”

There was a half-second pause before Julie echoed, “Amen.”

The food was delicious, but he must not have hidden the extent of his pain very well, because the moment they were finished, Julie jumped up. “Stay put, Derek. I’m going to get you some ibuprofen.”

“Thanks.” Maybe with the ibuprofen and the pain meds, he’d get some rest.

“Here you go,” Julie said, dropping four tablets into the palm of his hand. The brush of her fingertips was so gentle he had the insane urge to kiss her again.

Bad idea, buddy, he told himself sternly. Really bad idea.

Lexi didn’t have to be told to help Julie clear the table; she seemed actually eager for the task. Sitting and letting others do the work wasn’t easy, but he stayed where he was, closing his eyes and hoping the ibuprofen would start to work.

Soon.

“Derek, why don’t you go lie down?” Julie said. “You don’t look comfortable sitting upright with your head tilted over to the side.”

He grimaced and rubbed the crick in his neck. “It’s too early for Lexi to go to bed.”

“I know you don’t want her to get too close to me,” Julie said in a low voice, “but I thought we could light some sparklers tonight. I was saving them for the holiday, but if you’re leaving in the morning, there’s no point in waiting.” Her sad smile made him feel even worse. “Get some rest, Derek. I’ll bring Lexi in soon.”

“Okay.” He gritted his teeth and pushed himself upright. Julie slid her arm around his waist and helped keep him steady as he made his way inside.

“Take another pain pill,” she ordered.

He was too sore to argue. “Thanks again,” he murmured as he stretched out on the bed. Within minutes, he was sound asleep.

___________

Julie lit sparklers with Lexi, enjoying the way the little girl made sparkly circles by waving her arms. As they enjoyed the pre-holiday celebration, she tried not to dwell on the fact that Derek and Lexi were leaving in the morning.

Hearing Derek give the before-dinner prayer had been bittersweet. His gratitude had warmed her heart, even though she knew he was really just saying goodbye.

When Lexi began yawning, she put the sparklers away and gathered up the burnt sticks, making sure there weren’t any glowing embers left over that might start a fire. The year before, they’d had a terrible drought, and the sheriff had put a ban on all fireworks, including sparklers. But this year had seen more snow and rain, allowing the citizens of Crystal Lake to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with all the usual fun and flair.

“Time for bed, Lexi,” she said.

Surprisingly, the little girl didn’t put up much of a fuss. Julie slid open the patio door so Lexi could step in.

The interior was dark, since there weren’t any lights in the kitchen or living area. Julie felt along the wall to find the light switch.

“Brush your teeth and go to the bathroom, okay, Lexi?” she whispered.

“Okay.” Lexi disappeared into the bathroom.

Julie leaned against the wall but then straightened when she heard a low groan. Derek? She walked farther down the hall until she reached the bedroom.

The door was ajar, and when she peeked in, she saw Derek writhing on the bed in pain, his hand on his chest as he fought against what looked to be a terrible muscle spasm.

Chapter Nine

Julie couldn’t ignore his pain, so she pushed the door open and hurried into the room. “Easy now,” she murmured, placing her hands on his chest and pressing down on the muscles. “Let me try to help.”

Derek let out another low groan, and she knew that even though deep massage was the best way to ease the muscle spasm, it was also painful.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered even as she continued pressing on his chest. His muscles felt rock hard beneath the palms of her hands, and she felt awful knowing she was hurting him. “Can you turn onto your side?”

He turned over so that his back was facing her, and she continued to massage the tense muscles for him. Lexi came up to stand beside her, looking anxiously at her father. Julie tried to flash a reassuring smile. “Your daddy will be fine in a few minutes. How about if you crawl into bed, okay, sweetie?”

Lexi didn’t say much but did as Julie suggested. She knew Derek must be hurting very badly since he hadn’t tried to reassure his daughter the way he had in the emergency room.

She ignored the straining in her arms and shoulders as she continued her massage. The minutes slipped endlessly by until she felt the muscles in Derek’s body begin to loosen up. But still, she didn’t stop, for fear the muscles might tighten up again.

Another fifteen minutes later, Derek’s breathing evened out, telling her the worst was over. The muscles beneath her fingers were finally relaxed and supple. “You’re amazing,” he murmured.

A reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. “Hardly. I’m a nurse, remember?”

“And an excellent one, at that. Thanks, Julie,” Derek said in a low voice. He rolled onto his back, gently taking her hands in his, giving them a quick squeeze. “I’m feeling much better now.”

When he let go, she stepped back, gently flexing her own wrists and elbows. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” As if to prove his point, he rolled upright so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He gingerly ran his hand down his chest. “I was an idiot. You have every right to say ‘I told you so,’” he muttered.

She let out a heavy sigh. “There’s no point. You obviously figured that out the hard way.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Is Lexi okay?”

“Looks like she’s asleep,” she said, taking a step back so that he could see his daughter. “Do you want another pain pill before I go?”

“It’s too soon. Besides, I’ll be fine.”

His evasive tone made her wonder if he even had any pain medicine left. But it was too late to go out now, especially on a Sunday. “We’ll get your prescription filled tomorrow.”

He grimaced and avoided her gaze. “I’ll be fine,” he repeated. “Goodnight, Julie. Thanks again for making me feel better.”

She wanted to try and convince him not to leave in the morning, but it was getting late, and she didn’t want to disturb Lexi’s sleep, so she let it go. “Goodnight, Derek.”

Julie tiptoed out of the room and gently closed the door behind her. She walked through the gutted kitchen and living area, thinking about how Derek had overworked himself earlier that afternoon. The night air was cool as she went outside. The quiet night soothed her soul, and she stopped for a moment and tipped her head back to gaze up at the stars.

Please, Lord, show Derek the path You want him to take. Amen.

___________

Derek woke up to bright sunlight streaming in through the window, betraying the fact he’d overslept. For a moment, he was almost afraid to move, but his stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten much the night before. He gingerly tested his muscles, noting that he was still a bit stiff and sore, although nothing like the agonizing pain of last night. He glanced over to find his daughter, but Lexi was already up and gone. No doubt, she’d gone over to eat breakfast with Julie.

Julie. For a moment, he closed his eyes, remembering how she’d helped him out last night, easing his pain. He was indebted to her again. Big-time.

And how was he going to make it up to her? By leaving.

A wave of regret washed over him. He didn’t want to leave. Didn’t want to go back to driving through towns filled with strangers.

But if he stayed, he risked being discovered, either by her brother, Zack, doing a background check on him, or by the Hope County deputy who was likely filing his accident report today.

With a heavy heart, he climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom. He found the waterproof dressings and realized a hot shower would help him feel better. At least physically, if not emotionally.

The steamy water did wonders for his sore muscles, but his mind still whirled with indecision. He was no closer to a solution as he dressed and headed over to find Lexi and hopefully some breakfast.

He found his daughter crouching in the garden next to Julie, listening intently as Julie showed her how to pull weeds. He blinked to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, but no, his daughter was actually doing something besides drawing and playing video games.

Because of Julie—not because of him.

The kernel of self-doubt he’d experienced the day before abruptly grew to astronomical proportions. Was he really doing the right thing for Lexi? Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be a single father.

“Daddy!” Lexi caught sight of him and came over to wrap her arms around his waist. Her fingers were coated with dirt, but he didn’t care as he hugged her back. “Better?” she asked, tipping her head back to look up at him.

“Much better, baby-doll. It’s nice of you to help Julie with her garden.”

“Tomatoes,” Lexi said with a gleam in her eye. “I like tomatoes.”

“They’re my favorite, too,” Julie said, swiping her hands down the sides of her jeans. Her smile didn’t quite meet her eyes. “You’re looking better, Derek. Are you hungry? We had French toast this morning.”