Keeping Katie (A Mother's Heart #1) (30 page)

“That’s why I called.” She hesitated, knowing once she said the words there would be no turning back. “I’m going back to Miami.”

She heard his sigh across the miles. “That’s good. I’ll meet you there. No guarantees, but I think I can help you. You’ve been charged with contempt of court. But if you turn yourself in—”

“Contempt of court? Not kidnapping?”

“No. You’re Katie’s legal guardian, and the charges against David have been unsubstantiated. However …” He paused, and Maura felt the room closing in around her. “You’re probably going to lose the child.”

Maura bit her lip to hold back her tears. She knew this. She had known it all along. She’d sat in that courtroom all those months ago and listened to the allegations against her husband and the lawyer he had used to adopt Katie. When she’d heard that the lawyer had been indicted, she had known they would take Katie away from her. That’s why she’d run.

Now, even with her father’s help, she knew it was a lost cause. If she returned to Miami, she would lose her daughter. Yet Maura also knew she had to go back so that Katie could win. So that she would have a chance at a normal life.

“Yes,” she finally said. “I know.”

After that, her father’s demeanor returned to the polished efficiency she was used to. Maura listened numbly. If she could get to the Seattle airport, he would arrange to have tickets waiting for her and Katie. Someone would meet them in Miami, and he would have a place for them to stay.

Rita had agreed to drive them to Seattle, but begged Maura to wait for Alan. But she couldn’t face him. So she’d left him a note, even though it had nearly killed her to write it. She had wanted to say so much, to tell him she loved him and that she was sorry for hurting him. She longed to say so many things, to talk of all he had given her, all he had taught her. But in the end, she’d been unable to say anything except that she was sorry and that she was going back to Miami.

Now there was nothing left but the long dark road to Seattle and the airport waiting at the other end. Then there would be Miami, and the people who would take Katie away from her.

When they arrived at the airport, Maura suggested that Rita drop them off and head home, but she refused. Instead, she parked her car and walked them in, helping with Katie as Maura got their tickets and checked their single bag. Even then, Rita refused to leave. Knowing that she wouldn’t leave until their flight departed, Maura found a small sitting area outside security where Rita could wait with them until closer to their departure time.

She held Katie while Maura rested her tear-stained eyes. Even though she’d suggested that Rita go home, she was grateful for the other woman’s presence. She wasn’t sure if she would have been able to go through with this without Rita’s quiet support.

In Miami, she would have her father with her, and for once, she felt grateful for the strength she knew he would provide. But it wouldn’t be enough. She wondered if anything would ever be enough again. Her days stretched before her like a deep, desolate pit where no sun dared reach. Without Alan, without Katie, Maura might as well be left alone at its bottom without even a candle to light her way.

When Rita touched her arm, she turned and forced a weary smile for the other woman. Rita smiled back and gestured for Maura to look up. When she did, her breath caught in her throat. Alan stood across the waiting area, holding an oversize pink elephant.

“I think I’ll take Katie to the ladies’ room,” Rita said, standing with the sleeping child in her arms. “We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Nervously, Maura stood and glanced at Rita, who smiled and said, “It will be okay, Maura. Talk to him.”

When she looked back at Alan, he walked toward her, stopping just out of reach. She studied his face. There was sadness and longing there, and something else she couldn’t read.

“You forgot something,” he said, depositing the elephant in the chair next to Maura. “You’re going back to Miami.” Something large lodged in Maura’s throat, blocking her attempt to speak. She nodded.

“Do they know you’re coming?”

“I called my father,” she answered in a voice that only vaguely resembled her own. “He’s going to meet us. I … suppose he’ll notify the authorities.”

Alan shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and took a deep breath. “You should have said goodbye.”

“I thought …” Her voice broke, but she gathered herself together. “I thought everything had been said.”

He looked at her then, and she saw the pain she had caused fill his eyes. “Not everything.”

“I left you a note.”

“Yes.” He sighed and let his gaze drift to the floor in front of him. “A note.”

“I’m sorry, Alan. I didn’t think you’d want to see me again. I didn’t think it mattered.”

He lifted his eyes back to her. “It matters.”

For a moment, the world stopped. All she could see, all she knew, was this man standing in front of her. His eyes, filled with longing, captured her, making her want nothing more than to crawl into his arms and stay there forever.

“I love you,” he said. The three words, spoken quietly in a crowded airport, brought fresh tears to her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said again. She wished things were different. That they’d met some other time, some other place. Again, she fought the desire to step into his arms and take what comfort he would offer.

“Forget Miami,” he said. “My Jeep is outside. Get Katie and we’ll leave.” Maura shook her head, but he kept talking. “We can be in Canada within a couple of hours. We’ll make a life for ourselves there.”

Maura shook her head again. “No. I can’t hurt either of you like that anymore.”

“I want it. I want you.”

“What kind of life could we have?”

“A good one. As long as we’re together. The three of us.”

“No,” she repeated. “I thought that way, too. But I was wrong. We’d spend our lives looking over our shoulders. And soon, you’d come to resent me for taking you away from the people and places that you love. And Katie, she’d wonder …”

“I love
you.
And Katie.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. “Yes. And I love you.”

He reached out and touched her, and she could no longer resist him. She melted into his arms, resting her head against his chest, where she could hear the beating of his heart through the fabric of his shirt. It was the same shirt he had worn that first night at Rita’s. That time seemed so long ago, so very far away.

“I have to go back,” she said, wishing it wasn’t true.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

She pulled back, searching his face. “I can’t let you do that.”

“You don’t have a choice.” He reached behind him and pulled a long airline envelope out of his back pocket. “I’ve already bought the ticket. I figured if you wouldn’t let me take you to Canada, I’d go with you to Miami.”

She couldn’t let him make this sacrifice for her. “No, Alan, I was wrong—”

He placed a finger against her lips. “We were both wrong. You for taking on the law alone. Me for being too bullheaded to see beyond my black-and-white world.” He leaned down and pressed a brief kiss to her lips. “But I don’t intend for either of us to spend the rest of our lives paying for our mistakes.”

“Alan …” Her resolve weakened.

“Hush.” His hands found her face and gently lifted it to his. Soft caramel-colored eyes, filled with love, bored into her soul, beckoning her. “I’m going with you. I’m going to help you fight for Katie.”

“And your job?” She was desperate, knowing he should stay, yet wanting him to come with her. “What about Wyattville?”

He brushed her lips with his, tempting her, pleading with her. “Wyattville will be here when we get back. And so will my job.”

“When we get back?”

“Yes,” he whispered. “When
we
get back. You see, I plan to marry you. And we’re going to go through this together.”

For long moments, she stood in his arms, not knowing what to do. There was nothing she wanted more than to accept what he offered. It seemed a miracle that he was even here. But he was. Strong and warm, holding her within his arms, he gave her the comfort and support she longed for. And she loved him, more than she had ever thought herself capable of loving a man.

With a sigh of resignation, she rested her head back on his chest. “I love you.”

“Say it again,” he whispered against her hair. “And then keep on saying it for the rest of our lives.”

“I love you.”

T
he flight to Miami was both the longest and shortest Alan had ever known. On one hand, he was anxious, wanting to get there and face whatever lay ahead. There would be no life for the three of them until they got through the next few weeks. And more than anything, he wanted a life with Maura and Katie.

On the other hand, he wished he could stop the clock. He didn’t know how long he would have either of them with him once they landed. When the authorities were notified, Maura would most likely be arrested, and Katie … He couldn’t bear to think of Katie handed over to the child services.

Fortunately, it was late, and the plane was half-empty. After takeoff, he removed the armrest from between two seats and laid Katie down. With a pillow and a blanket tucked around her, the child fell instantly to sleep. Then, in his seat across the aisle from Katie, Alan gathered Maura close. She rested her head against his shoulder and spoke to him of all the things she’d never dared to speak of before.

It was like a dam giving way.

She told him about her father and the note she’d received from him. She relayed the conversation she had had with him a few hours ago and said that he would meet them in Miami. Then she talked about his practice and his unique skill in the courtroom, and how she hoped it wasn’t too late.

“So why didn’t you go to him about Katie in the first place?” Alan asked.

Maura sighed. “I didn’t think he’d help me.”

Alan shifted away from her just enough to see the expression on her face. “He’s your father. Why wouldn’t he help you?”

She shook her head. “It’s a long story.”

“It’s a long flight.” Alan settled her back against his side. “We’ve got time.”

Maura paused as if gathering her thoughts. “You know that my father raised me.”

“Yes.”

“Well, we clashed the entire time I was growing up.” She idly picked up the cocktail napkin that had been sitting under the soda she’d had earlier. She toyed with it for a moment, folding it and then unfolding it before dropping it on her lap. “It seemed we could never agree on anything, and neither one of us was willing to give an inch. He’d want one thing, so I’d do the opposite.”

“On purpose?”

Maura nodded. “Sometimes.”

She picked up the napkin again, creasing the fold sharply between her fingers. “He would have preferred a docile, obedient daughter. Not a strong-willed female who wanted her own way as much as he wanted his. And I would have preferred …” She paused and shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I would have been independent and rebellious no matter what kind of father I had.”

Alan chuckled softly. “You? Independent?”

Maura smiled slightly and gave him a gentle jab in the ribs. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Oh, I am.” He kissed the top of her head. “Go on.”

“Anyway …” She tossed the napkin aside once again. “Growing up with him was one fight after the other. But the confrontations turned into a major battle when I refused to go to law school.” She carefully folded her hands in her lap as if trying to stop their wanderings. “He wanted me to take my place at his side, and of course, I wanted nothing to do with the law.”

“So you had a falling-out over careers.” Alan reached over and slipped his hand between her entwined fingers. “That’s not unusual.”

“Don’t defend him.” Maura glanced at him and shook her head. “He does that very well all by himself. Besides—” she turned back to look straight ahead “—that’s not why I didn’t go to him.” She hesitated for a moment before going on. “As for my career, he probably figured I’d eventually come to my senses, forget nursing and go to law school. Then I met David.”

Alan tightened his hold on her hand. “And he didn’t approve.”

“Hardly. Dad and I had a knockdown-drag-out fight. That is, he gave me one of the infamous Jacob Anderson expressions of disappointment, while I screamed and cried.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “I married David anyway, and Dad refused to come to the wedding. He sent legal papers instead, disowning me.”

She sat for a few moments without speaking, and then added, “I’m not sure at the time whether I didn’t believe him or I just didn’t care. Anyway, I thought he would eventually come around.”

Alan pulled her a little closer, offering silent comfort.

Maura acknowledged the gesture with a smile and, after a few seconds of silence, continued with her story.

“David and I moved to Miami, and we didn’t have much contact with Dad for a few years. Then when I found out that I couldn’t …” Her voice broke, but she took another deep breath and went on. “When I found out I couldn’t have children, I went to him and asked if he’d help us adopt. That’s when I found out just how serious he was about disowning me.”