Chapter Twenty-Two
Complications and Calamities
We were greeted by silence when we returned to the house, all traces of Odette gone. As we approached the stairs, I saw the light on in the parlor and let go of Hale’s hand. He paused and looked over his shoulder.
“Do you care if I…”
“Go ahead. I’ll see you upstairs.” He pressed a kiss to my temple and left me to talk to Remington.
I walked slowly toward the parlor, unsure what I wanted to say when I got there. As I stood at the entrance of the room, he lifted his eyes from a stack of papers. “Long day?”
I shuffled across the carpet and took a seat across from him. “The longest.”
He held up his glass, offering me some of whatever he was having.
“No thanks.” My mouth sort of tasted like the 1700’s and my head felt like an apple that wanted to be a watermelon.
Remington continued to watch me with those assessing silver eyes that never missed much. “Did you talk to Hale?”
I nodded, not that he had any idea how an honest relationship worked. “Yes, but not about our fight.”
“Keeping that one to yourself?”
I gave him a measured look. “Remington … why don’t you fix this for him? You said you could.” Part of me believed Remington could fix anything.
“Hale would never allow that.”
“Like you’re one to wait around for permission.”
He tilted his head, his gaze calculating. “I could make it go away, but not the way he’d want. He wants to be the shining hero in a terrible situation. If I interfered he’d be just as angry with me as he was in the beginning.”
I wasn’t sure if that was possible. “Do you think your way is better than what he’s doing?”
“Of course. It’s my way.”
“I’m serious.”
He sighed and took a long sip of his cocktail. As he placed it on the table there was nothing left but ice. “When you have children, Meyers, you always want to protect them, even if it means endangering yourself. My way would protect Hale.”
Then why was it even a question? “Then do it.”
He raised a brow. “You’re asking a lot. There’s always a cost. Burdens don’t just disappear. They’re passed off to others.”
“I’m tired, Remington. I’m tired of the games, the maneuvers, and the drama. Hale just wants a peaceful life and I want that with him, but on our terms. He’s not a puppet and he doesn’t do well with strings. If you honestly believe your way is best, then do it—for your son.”
“He’ll never see it as a favor.”
Showing how much this mattered to me, I folded my hands and rested my arms on my knees, leaning in to look him right in the eye. “I’ll see it as a favor—to me.”
He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. With a nod, the conversation was over. I wasn’t great at reading people, but something told me this was one of those conversations that never happened and would never be mentioned again—like in the movies.
I returned his nod and stood. “Thank you.”
Once upstairs, I stopped at Elara’s room. Pressing open the door, I stilled at the sight of Marta giving her a bottle. “Is she up?”
“Just a little hungry, Nena.”
I crept softly into the room and leaned over the rocker to see Elara’s silver eyes twinkle behind the nipple of the bottle. She opened her mouth and smiled widely when she saw me.
“She loves you. Look at that smile,” Marta commented.
That smile was worth so much. “I can take her. You can go back to bed.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Thanks for taking care of her today.”
“She is a pleasure, Nena.” Passing the little bundle to me, I settled into the upholstered rocker and lifted Elara on my lap.
“I missed you today, pudgy butt.”
She cooed and grinned, mouth full of milky gums. I nuzzled my nose to hers, breathing in her innocent freshness, and lowered her into my arm, cradling her as I reached for the bottle.
“Let’s get you back to sleep.”
Elara drank and fell asleep shortly after she finished the bottle. The rocker was a newer model with wide upholstered arms and a cushioned back, the sort that sucked you in with the contours of a beanbag chair. I stared at her until my eyes grew heavy and then I fell asleep holding her in my arms.
I woke up the next morning, startled from sleep by some sort of commotion coming from downstairs. Elara must have heard it too because her eyes opened and she let out a long babble of syllables.
“You have no fucking right to get involved!” Hale’s voice roared from below.
“Uh-oh.” I glanced at Elara, who held a fistful of my hair. “Let’s get you a fresh diaper and find Marta.”
I quickly changed the baby, as the shouting grew louder on the first floor. Something slammed and shattered and then more yelling followed. Taking the stairs quickly, I raced to find Marta in the kitchen. She was mumbling in Spanish and rolling out dough.
“What’s going on?”
“Mr. Davenport and Mr. Hale are having another argument. Last time they fight like this they break half the house.”
My eyes widened. “Can you take Elara?” Not giving her a chance to object, I shoved Elara into her flour-covered arms and went to find the two idiots tearing the house apart.
Hale towered over the dining room table, knuckles pressed firmly into the surface as he shouted at his father. “Stay the fuck out of it! You’ve done enough!”
“Stubborn!” Remington yelled. “You’re wasting time and money dicking around with this lawyer. As much as it hurts your pride to admit it, you know I can get through to her better than you can. I know what she’s after.”
I stepped to the edge of the table since no one noticed when I entered the room. “I think you both need to calm down.”
“Not now, Meyers!”
“Rayne, please, go in the other room!”
I jerked back. “Um, no, that’s not happening. You two are family. Enough with the fighting.”
“Meyers! Not now!”
“Rayne, other room!”
“No!” I shouted back. “I love you both and I don’t want to see you fighting. All of this has to end. Hale, your dad has a solution. At least hear him out.”
I’d never seen a person actually turn red before, but Hale was doing just that—more of a burgundy or burnt sienna. Either way, not good.
“I don’t fucking believe this.” He staggered back from the table. “You know what? Do whatever the hell you want. I’m out of it.” He tossed his hands in the air and stormed from the room.
Remington sighed.
I’d never seen Hale so angry and I wasn’t sure interfering had helped defuse the situation or made things worse. Biting my lip I turned to Remington and pointed a sharp finger. “Your plan better work.”
With that, I went after Hale.
When I entered our guestroom he was throwing clothes into a suitcase. Without looking at me he said, “Is Elara’s stuff together? We’re leaving in a few minutes.”
“We’re leaving now?”
“What did you think, Rayne, that you’d go to him for help and he’d turn you down?”
So much for my theories on this conversation never happened. “He’s trying to help you, Hale.”
“He’s trying to make a point.”
“And what point is that?”
He shook his head. “We’ll need bottles made for the flight home.”
There was no way we could just show up at the airport and hop on a flight. He obviously wasn’t thinking clearly.
“Hale, stop packing. Our flight isn’t until tonight.”
Flustered, he crammed the last of his clothes in the suitcase and shoved it across the bed. “I’ll do it myself.”
As he stormed toward the door I shouted, “Hey!”
His head snapped back and he scowled at me with an expression so cold I hardly recognized him. “What?”
“Why are you taking this out on me?”
He shook his head and laughed coldly. “You went to him. I told you I had it handled, and you went to him anyway.”
“I was trying to help you! I know you were taking care of things in your own way, but this has been so stressful on you and with your constant traveling back and forth and missing your family… You said you just wanted it to end. You wouldn’t be in this predicament if I hadn’t pushed you to change your original agreement.”
“Is that what you think, that you did this?” He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it standing on end. “Rayne … adopting Elara was my choice. Trying to hold onto my portion of the estate was also my choice. Walking out of here right now before I say something I’ll regret… My choice!”
I flinched as the door slammed.
Afraid to follow him, I packed my belongings and closed his suitcase then went to the other room to gather Elara’s things. The house was silent, but I felt the energy pumping through the floorboards. Blinking back tears, I carefully folded Elara’s clothes and placed them in her bag.
This was supposed to be a chance for us to be together. It was supposed to be relaxing, once all the Jasmine crap was handled.
I should have never asked Remington to get involved. He was probably dying for someone to tell him he could handle this better than Hale. How foolish of me to be that idiot. And stupid Hale. Was this all about pride? About who could fix it first? Who cared! Just make it go away.
I carried the luggage to the front door and found Hale buckling Elara in her car seat. He didn’t address me or even look at me. Once she was snug, he stood.
“We’ll be in the car.” He picked up the car seat, the diaper bag, Elara’s bag, and his suitcase, leaving only mine by the door.
I went to the kitchen and found Marta. “We’re leaving now.”
She sighed and came to give me a hug. “You don’t let those boys worry you, Nena. They fight. They make up. It is how this family works.”
I was no longer worried about Hale and Remington. I was more concerned with my relationship with Hale. “Okay.”
“Have a safe trip home. We will see you again soon.”
“Do you know where Remington is?”
“He went out.”
I frowned. “Where did he go?”
She shrugged. “He only said to take care of something. But he drove himself.”
I’d forgotten Remington could drive. He always had a chauffeur take him wherever he needed to go. “Will you tell him I said goodbye?”
“Of course. You better run. Mr. Hale is not so patient when he is upset. Be safe.”
As it turned out, Hale also wasn’t very chatty when he was upset either. He said not a single word to me the entire journey home. And when we got to the house, he carried Elara to bed and went to our room alone.