Chapter Eighteen
Strangely Perfect
Though Elara never actually said anything, I believed she, too, had missed her dad. The day after Hale returned, he avoided the office. We swam and had a picnic on the beach and Hale only took calls from Clayton who was on his way back to New York. Barrett and Elle were still at sea and Remington was staying in Maine.
As Hale adjusted the umbrella in the sand, I watched him, still reveling in his nearness. Elara slept on her boppy and I covered her legs with a light receiving blanket so she didn’t get too much sun. Hale returned to his chair and our fingers naturally laced together.
“It’s so beautiful here,” I said, enjoying the soft breeze and briny air.
“It’s one of my favorite places.”
“Which of your houses is your favorite?”
He sipped a bottle of water. “Depends. When I want quiet, I like my place in Savannah. I love the verve of Key West and the hot weather. My New Hampshire home’s great for fishing. And Jersey’s nice right after the summer season. I don’t like it when the shoe-bees are there.”
“Shoe-bees?”
“Vacationers. Summer people that swarm to the Jersey shore like bees, but don’t live there year round.”
“What about the estate up north?” It wasn’t technically his at the moment, but the remainder of the estate belonged to his family.
“That’s my dad’s escape. I know we all own a share, but that’s inheritance stuff. I don’t count it as mine like I do the properties I purchased on my own. And it’s not mine, until I get her to sign.”
Knowing he was speaking about Jasmine, I asked, “Did you meet with her?”
He nodded. “It wasn’t great, but I might have gotten through to her. I’m trying really hard not to piss her off, but part of me wants to shake her for getting greedy when I did her a favor.”
I wasn’t sure I’d call it a favor. I was glad Hale stepped up and took Elara because I couldn’t imagine a world without her, but Jasmine had been the one to carry her for nine long months. Her first choice had been to end the pregnancy at the start.
But maybe Hale did do her a favor. Jasmine wouldn’t have to battle with the guilt that was rumored to follow an abortion since Hale stepped in and took the responsibility out of her hands. Or maybe she resented him for taking her baby. The whole thing was complicated.
“Maybe she’ll surprise all of us and do the right thing,” I said.
“I’m not worried.”
I frowned, unsure how that was possible. He’d been so stressed over the last few days. Nothing, besides having the case postponed, was accomplished. This had to worry him to some degree. He seemed utterly preoccupied, despite his assertion.
Deciding to change the subject, I said, “We should go out to dinner tonight—the three of us.”
He smiled, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. “That sounds nice.”
When we returned from the beach I gave Elara a bath in the sink because that was how my mom used to bathe me at that age. Hale showered and came downstairs dressed a little more formally than I’d expected.
“Are we going somewhere dressy?”
“Alfonse is picking us up in an hour. I made reservations at Rossie’s.”
I raised my brow because Rossie’s was one of the places Remington frequently dined and the dress code was beyond my wardrobe’s scope. Thankfully, Hale’s sister, Seraphina, had purchased most of Elara’s clothes, so the baby looked like a pageant beauty in her ruffled socks and periwinkle romper. I wore my go-to black wrap dress.
When I came downstairs, Hale was having a drink at the bar. He appeared distracted once again but smiled at us as we approached. Telltale signs of stress showed in his face and in the dark circles under his eyes.
“My two beautiful girls.”
There was a knock at the front door. “That’ll be Alfonse.” He’d likely started knocking after catching me dancing in my underwear. I grabbed my purse and slipped into my sandals.
Dinner was lovely. We were the picture of a high-class family, but for as much as the lure of luxury brought me to the Davenports, that wasn’t what held me there now.
I loved everything that Hale and I were with little Elara at our side. I would never have picked this as my version of perfect, but that’s exactly what we were together.
After returning from the restaurant, I carried Elara upstairs and changed her into pajamas. But rather than lay her in the crib, I held her and rocked her to sleep in the chair.
Hale found me in the nursery sometime later. “Isn’t that a pretty picture.”
Looking up from Elara’s angelic face, I smiled. “I love her.”
Sometimes words like “I love you” were hard to say, meaningful and full of promises people weren’t always able to keep. But confessing that I loved Elara wasn’t difficult at all. She wanted nothing from me and never spoke of expectations. When I made her smile, my heart melted and grew—sort of like the Grinch after he made right with all the Whos in Whoville.
“She loves you, too,” he whispered, coming over to run a gentle finger across Elara’s cheek.
My chest filled with warmth as I stared at her, so unspoiled and dainty. Did she love me? She definitely looked to me when she needed food or wanted something out of reach. It seemed such a gift to have her faith I suddenly wanted to cry.
My lips pressed to her forehead and I whispered, “Sweet dreams, baby. I love you.”
Hale lifted her from my arms and placed her in the crib. Together, we closed the door to the nursery silently and walked to our room.