Chapter Twenty

 

 

 

Stephanie

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I finally left Jared’s place shortly before midnight that evening, my lips were sore, my chin was slightly red from his scruffy jaw, and I was walking in a daze.

He stayed true to what he said and never tried to take it beyond kissing. When I told him I needed to go, he frowned but didn’t verbally protest. Instead he walked me to his door, gave me a long, sweet kiss, and kept his eyes on me until the elevator doors had closed.

“Holy hell,” I muttered, staring up at the mirrored ceiling above me. My cheeks were red, my hair was a mess, and the smile on my face seemed permanent.

If someone had told me that my evening would have ended with me making out with Jared Hart, I would have laughed in their face. When I had seen that woman flirting with him in the elevator, however, I had barely been able to contain my jealousy.

And now? Well, letting that jealousy bubble over in his condo had apparently been a good decision because it led to a four hour make-out session with the man I’d been pining after for months.

Score one for losing my impulse control.

Angelo, the third doorman who only worked overnight shifts, nodded his head at me. He and I had only encountered each other a few times and those interactions were limited.

“Would you like me to walk you to your car, ma’am?” he asked and I just shook my head.

“I’ll be okay. Thank you, though. Have a goodnight.”

The lights were all off when I got home so I was surprised when Alyssa, dressed in her pajamas, stepped out of her bedroom just as I reached mine.

“Hey.” She reached up to rub her eyes with a long yawn. “Been at Jared’s?”

I nodded my head and tried to hold back my smile but Alyssa’s eyes widened anyway.

“You look like you just had the best sex of your life, Steph.”

“Well, I didn’t have sex,” I replied as I stepped into my bedroom. My best friend followed and flopped onto my bed. She just stared at me with raised eyebrows as I began to undress. “But he is a damn good kisser.”

She let out a small huff of laughter and got settled on one of my pillows. “Jesus, it’s about time. Did you finally tell him that you love him and want to have more of his babies?”

“Why are we friends?” I asked after slipping into my sleep pants and Alyssa just laughed again.

“Because you love me.”

I went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, and she was still in my bed when I came back into my room. I climbed under the blankets so I was next to her and she looked at me through heavy eyelids.

“Are you guys together now?”

“I don’t know.” I closed my own eyes and sighed. “We didn’t get into semantics.”

She slipped her hand into mine but didn’t say anything else and we eventually fell asleep that way.

When a trilling ringtone woke me up sometime later, the room was full of sunlight and I was alone in bed. I reached over to grab my phone and answered it without bothering to look at the display.

“This is Stephanie.”

“Steph, It’s Kevin.”

I sat up, immediately awake, and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “Kevin? Is everything okay?”

The heavy sigh on the end of the line spoke volumes. “Can you come down to the QuickTrip on Southern Avenue?” He paused and I closed my eyes because I knew I wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. “I have Bettina Kelly here.”

“Damn it,” I muttered as I stood from the bed rapidly. “What happened?”

“Seems she showed up here at little after five this morning and was caught shoplifting as much candy as she could fit in her pockets.”

Damn that girl. I had no doubt in my mind that her intention had been to get caught. If that wasn’t a cry for attention, I wasn’t sure what was.

“I’m getting dressed now and then I’ll be on my way.”

“Thanks, Steph.” Kevin ended the call and I rushed to put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

My teeth were brushed, hair was in a ponytail, and sneakers were on when I made it out to my car. I spent the whole drive getting my emotions under control and when I pulled into the parking lot of the service station, I had a brilliant poker face on.

One police car and an unmarked car that I knew Kevin drove were parked out front but I didn’t see anyone when I stepped inside. The man behind the counter looked at me and I offered him a smile.

“I’m looking for Officer Kevin Pick.”

His smile instantly dropped and he gestured to a door on the side wall. “He’s in the office with the little delinquent.”

I managed to bite my tongue so I could politely thank him and headed towards the door. I knocked twice and pushed it open, revealing someone who looked to be a manager, a uniformed officer, and Kevin. They were all standing with their attention focused on the young girl sitting in a chair by the desk.

Bettina’s eyes met mine and I saw shame cloud them for a split second before she schooled herself. She defiantly crossed her arms, brought her chin up, and dared me to say something.

I gave her my best look of uncaring before glancing at Kevin. “So, are you taking her to Durango then?”

“What?” Kevin looked confused for about five seconds and then caught on to what I was doing. He nodded his head and gave Bettina a stern look. “I guess so. This is her second offense in six months so juvenile detention is our next step.”

“Okay.” I shrugged my shoulders with mock indifference. “I’ll call her foster parents and let them know she’s not coming back.”

“What?” Bettina’s voice sounded slightly panicked and I arched my brows as I looked at her.

“That was the plan, right? To get caught and get our attention?”

It broke my heart to see her eyes tear up but I didn’t show it. When Bettina looked at the floor sadly, it took everything I had not to wrap my arms around her. Instead, I looked to the three guys.

“Can I have a minute with her?”

All of them nodded and the QuickTrip manager said, “Sure. Take as long as you need.”

Silence stretched between me and the twelve-year-old once we were alone and I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I crouched down in front of her and sighed.

“Betts.”

She tilted her head so we were eye-to-eye and the tears running down her cheeks about killed me.

“They’re moving.”

“Who is?” I asked, reaching out to take her hands in mine. “Who’s moving?”

“Bryson and Carin.” She sniffled and freed one of her hands so she could wipe her face. “I heard them talking last night. He’s being transferred to Utah and that means they’re leaving. And we all know that means they can’t take me.”

Understanding and sadness washed over me as the tough girl demeanor disappeared completely, leaving Bettina looking younger and more vulnerable than I had seen in a long time. I reached out and pulled her to my chest as sobs began to wrack her little body. I held her while she cried for a few minutes, allowing her to release emotion in a way she always tried not to. When her cries had tapered off, I pulled back slightly and grabbed a tissue from a box on the desk. She had no idea that she was close to legally being a member of the Lampkin family and it wasn’t my place to tell her.

“So, what? You decided to act out and get sent away before they sent you to a new home?”

Her chocolate colored eyes met mine briefly when she shrugged. “I guess.”

“Oh, Betts.” I pushed some hair off of her face. “You need to talk to Carin and Bryson. You overheard a conversation you weren’t supposed to hear and jumped to conclusions.”

“I know what I heard!” Bettina’s face twisted angrily. “I’m not stupid, Stephanie.”

“I know you aren’t, kiddo. That’s not what I’m saying.” Before I could continue on, my phone rang from my pocket and I pulled it out. When I saw the display, I sighed. “It’s Carin.”

I didn’t have a chance to greet her before Carin spoke frantically.

“Bettina’s gone, Stephanie! We just woke up and she’s not here.”

“I know,” I replied softly, squeezing Bettina’s knee before straightening up. “She was caught shoplifting at the QuickTrip by your house. I just got here.”

“What?” Carin was silent for a moment. “Why would she do that? Why would she sneak out of the house in the middle of the night again, put herself in danger, and steal? What are we doing so wrong with her?”

By the way Bettina’s eyes filled with tears, I knew she could hear her foster mother perfectly. I cleared my throat and tried to give the girl a reassuring smile.

“I’ll bring her home as soon as I can, Carin, and then we can all talk.”

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and looked at the girl in front of me. “You stay here. I need to speak with the police.”

She just nodded and I walked out of the office. Kevin and the manager were still there, although the patrol officer had left. I spoke with everyone for a few minutes and after explaining the situation, the manager agreed not to press charges. I thanked Kevin, made Bettina apologize, and drove her back to Bryson and Carin’s home.

They burst out of the front door when I pulled into the driveway. Bryson reached us first, hugging Bettina close to him. Carin, who was now sporting a tiny baby bump, basically shoved him away so she could hug the young girl herself and when she finally let Bettina go, Carin gave her a look.

“What were you thinking? You could have been hurt, Bettina. Why do you keep doing this?”

Bettina glanced over her shoulder at me and I gave her a nod of encouragement. She turned back to face her foster mother and let out a long sigh.

“I heard you. I know you’re moving to Utah. I know you’re leaving me behind.”

“What?” Carin glanced to Bryson, who shared her confused expression. “Is that what you think? That we would leave you behind?”

Bettina threw her hands up in the air. “Well, aren’t you? You can’t take me with you and this is the job Bryson has always wanted, right? You’re going to have your perfect baby and perfect job and you’ll forget all about me.”

Tears ran down Carin’s face while she shook her head quickly but it was Bryson who stepped up and placed his hands on Bettina’s shoulders.

“Oh, Betts. One day you’re going to have to believe that we love you.” He smiled and bent down so they were eye-to-eye. “We aren’t going anywhere without you. In fact, we have an appointment with Stephanie on Monday. Everything has finally settled and we can begin the process to adopt you.”

Bettina’s eyes went wide and her mouth open and closed several times before she could form words. “You… You want to adopt me?”

Strangled laughter escaped between Carin’s sniffles as she came to stand next to her husband. “You’re such a smart girl, baby, but you refuse to see what’s in front of you. We love you. You are our child just as much as this new baby will be. You belong with us.”

Bettina threw herself at both of them and Bryson absorbed the impact while they both wrapped their arms around her.

I stayed at the Lampkin home until almost four that afternoon, going over everything we would need to proceed with the adoption. Bryson had received a promotion but the position wouldn’t start until that summer and since Bettina had been with the Lampkins for so long, I knew we would be able to expedite the adoption.

The afternoon wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, however. Bettina was given some pretty heavy consequences for sneaking out and shoplifting, but I had never seen a child accept their punishment so readily. Honestly, I had never seen Bettina look so happy. That little girl had been through so much in her short life and it finally looked like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Thank you, Stephanie,” Bryson told me when he walked me out to my car. “I don’t know how the three of us would have managed without you.”

I smiled and gave him a quick hug. “I should be thanking you guys. You changed her entire life.”

“Just as much as she changed ours.”

He went back inside once I was behind my steering wheel and I pulled my phone out. I had missed a few calls and text messages but I ignored everything and pressed Jared’s name, who had called me three times.

“You know,” he said immediately when he answered the phone. “When a man and a woman take their relationship to the next level and then the woman ignores the man’s calls the entire next day, he starts to get a complex.”

I chuckled softly and dropped my head to the headrest behind me. “I texted you.”

“Only like two hours ago, Vanilla Latte. You left me in suspense until that point.”

“I’m sorry,” I told him, feeling like an ass. “I was just so involved with everything that time got away from me.”

“Well, Chris and I were worried and so we’ve decided that you have to make it up to us.”

“Yeah? And how do I do that?”

“Go to dinner with us.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Chris has never been out to a restaurant so let’s make tonight his first.”

I turned my key to start my engine. “Deal. I’ll be to your place in about twenty minutes.”

“Good. See you soon, sweetheart.”

We ended the call and I pulled out of the Lampkin’s driveway so I could drive across town.

Kenneth greeted me at the door and let me into the elevator. When I made it to the twenty-first floor, Jared’s door was open and I could hear him talking to Chris inside. I crossed the threshold and found both of them on the floor on their stomachs.

Chris was one of those abnormal babies that loved tummy time and his head control was amazing because of it. I watched as his father lay in front of him making faces and Chris just smiled like Jared hung the moon.

“You making Daddy do his tummy time, Christopher?” I asked, closing the door behind me and dropping my bag onto the kitchen table. I lay on the floor next to Jared and the baby gave me a big smile. Jared leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

“We were just killing time until our favorite girl showed up. You hungry?”

I nodded and reached out to jiggle Chris’s cheek with my finger. “I’m always hungry, Hart.”

We both moved to our feet and I scooped Chris into my arms. He had a bit of drool on his chin and it ended up all over my shirt when I cuddled him to my chest but I didn’t care.

Jared grabbed the diaper bag and I kept the baby as we headed to the elevator. Kenneth held the door for us and we went right to Jared’s car. He took the baby from me so he could buckle him in and I chuckled once we were both in our own seats.

“What’s so funny?” he asked and I gestured to the backseat.

“You. Remember when you couldn’t even hold a baby? Now you’re a pro.”

“I’d probably still be holding him like a ticking bomb if it hadn’t been for you.” He reached across the console and grabbed my hand, kissing the back of it before tucking our conjoined hands into my lap.

I forced myself not to swoon and looked out the window at the passing city. I had never been in his car before with the exception of the time I’d checked the infant seat and the few times I had taken Chris out or buckled him in.

It was clean and still had that new car smell, something that didn’t surprise me when it came to Jared. It also had leather seats, something that wasn’t really ideal in the Phoenix heat but I was pretty sure Jared had realized that already since he had a cover over his seat.

We ate at a local Italian restaurant and passed the baby back and forth during the whole meal. He eventually got fussy and drank his bottle in my arms while staring up at me intently. I pressed a kiss to his forehead just as the server showed up to give us the check. She accepted Jared’s card and placed it into the billfold before smiling at us.

“I just wanted to say that you three make the cutest little family.” She gestured to Chris with her free hand. “It’s always nice to see a devoted mommy and daddy in here.”

I shook my head, feeling like a total imposter. “Oh, I’m not his mom.”

“You’re not? Oh.” She gave me a confused look and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. I just assumed. I’ll be right back with this for you.”

When she walked away, Jared chuckled softly. “You just made that so awkward.”

“I know and I feel bad. I shouldn’t have said anything.” I pulled the bottle from Chris’s mouth and used a burp cloth to clean his face. “I just didn’t want to step on any toes.”

“Yeah, because Angela’s toes are so close to the situation that it would be easy to smash them flat.” He reached across the table and squeezed my free hand. “The panic on your face right there was interesting, too.”

“Shut up,” I mumbled, moving the baby so I could burp him. Jared just chuckled and thanked the server when she came back. I made sure to smile at her so that she didn’t think I was a total bitch.

The drive back to his place was quick and we were parked in his spot before I knew it. Jared held Chris in one arm and wrapped the other around my waist as we headed towards the building. Kenneth was waiting, holding the door for us so we could walk in. When Jared thanked him, he just smiled.

“My pleasure, Mr. Hart. I hope you two have a great evening.”

“Hart?” A voice said behind us and we all turned to see a man walk through the general entrance. “Jared Hart?”

“That’s me.” Jared let go of his hold on me and adjusted his grip on the baby. “Can I help you?”

“Man, you made this easy. Here.” The guy thrust a manilla envelope at Jared and once it was out of his hands, offered us a grin. “You’ve been served.”

Kenneth surged forward but the guy turned and took off outside, the doorman on his heels. Jared stared down at the envelope with his brows furrowed. I gently took Chris out of his arms and watched as he opened the flap.

“He’s gone, sir. I’m sorry about that,” Kenneth said when he reappeared and Jared glanced up with a shake of his head.

“If it hadn’t been now, he would have kept trying until he got the papers to me.” He slipped a stack of documents out and began reading them silently. Suddenly, his whole face went pale and his eyes met mine.

“Angela is suing for custody of Chris.”