I walked until my feet hurt. Geneva Key wasn’t huge, yet by the time I’d made it from the diner to the edge of the island, I felt like I’d climbed Mt. Everest in sandals. She infuriated me; everything about her just rubbed me the wrong way. I should have figured she’d try to paint my dad out to be the villain when he wasn’t here to defend himself.

When I finally removed my sandals and started to make my way back to the Carpenters’ house—via the sand instead of the sidewalks—each step lessened the frustration I felt toward my grandmother and brought me a tad bit closer to understanding. She was my only option for answers. There was no one left who knew anything about my parents. I either gained what information I could from her, or when she passed away, it would be lost forever.

I tried to believe I’d be able to discern the truth from lies, but it had been a lot of years since I’d heard my father’s voice or held my mother’s hand. I wasn’t sure I’d recognize the difference between her story and theirs, and no matter what happened, I didn’t want to lose what my parents had given me. I clung to their memories like a safety net that would prevent me from ever falling.

Without sunscreen on, I feared my fair skin would cook in the Florida heat. I’d already been outside too long in nothing other than a strapless dress, so when I got to the Carpenters’, I went inside hoping no one was home. To my dismay, not only did I find James in the kitchen when I thought he’d be with Legend, but his parents were there as well.

“Where’s Legend?” I asked as I rinsed the sand off my shoes in the kitchen sink.

“He’s upstairs taking a nap.”

I glanced at my watch and gathered it was almost three in the afternoon. “I didn’t realize how late it was. He must have been really tired.”

“He fell asleep in the car after we went to the playground and had lunch. I’m glad you’re home, though. I was hoping we could all talk about our options.” James was apprehensive. I wasn’t sure if it was because he and I hadn’t discussed this or because he worried about what his parents would think.

“Okay.” I set my shoes on the rug near the door and took a seat at the bar with him and his parents. “What’s on your mind?”

“We need to figure out what we’re doing. How long are we staying in Geneva Key? What are we doing with Legend? How does Dottie fit into that picture? How do my parents fit into it? This is different than us having a baby, and I can’t figure out which way is up. Right now, it’s all new and fun, but at some point, life has to resume.”

“What do you want to do?” I shouldn’t feel like I was being hit upside the head with this. We’d both known it was coming; James had just been the first one to say it out loud.

“I think what I’d prefer and what Legend needs are vastly different scenarios.”

“Son, Legend needs to be with his dad. The rest will work itself out.” His father believed it was all cut and dry. I knew that wasn’t true.

“Brock, don’t make things so simplistic. There’s more to consider than James’s presence in the boy’s life. His home is here, the only family he’s had his whole life is here, we’re here. The thing missing is his mother who won’t be back. If James and Cora take him away right now, that could be detrimental to his well-being and forever alter his personality.”

“Cora?” The way James said my name told my input was far more valuable than anyone else’s in this kitchen. “You’re the only one who’s been where Legend is. I need you to tell me what to do.”

People always thought there was only one answer to every problem. Yet the truth was, I could see good and bad in what my grandparents had done with me. “I wished my grandparents had left me in New York after my parents died. That was where my friends were, my school, Faith—my life. I didn’t know my grandparents, and Geneva Key was a lifetime away from the things that mattered.”

“So you think Legend needs to stay here?”

I shook my head. “James, if my grandparents hadn’t made the choices they did, I never would have met you. So looking back, I can’t say their decision was wrong; it just hurt at the time they made it. I also think they could have been more involved and helped make the transition easier, which they didn’t do.”

“So you think we should go back to New York?” Confusion marred his face.

“No, I think we have to consider both sides, make the best decision we can, and hope we don’t screw him up in the process.” It wasn’t any more of an answer than he’d had before he asked the question.

James pulled on his hair in frustration, and his blue eyes looked weary. I’d never seen him this way; decisions had always come easily for my husband. As long as I’d been by his side, he never hesitated.

Susan chimed in softly, “Where do you think Legend needs to be, James?”

I already knew this answer, but my husband had to come to it on his own. Working out the logistics afterward was just a matter of phone calls and paperwork. James’s hesitation didn’t come from what he believed was best for Legend—he worried about me.

“Geneva Key.” His eyes cast down to the counter, and when he blinked, a tear slid down his cheek. He was afraid I’d leave him if he chose to stay.

I looked at Susan and Brock. “Can you guys give us a few minutes?”

I waited for them to leave before lifting his chin. “Why are you crying?”

“I know you hate it here. I just don’t think we can move him…not right now.”

My thumb stroked his cheek, and I got lost in my love for the man he’d grown in to. We’d come so far since we lived in this town, and nothing would ever hold us back. James was my world, and it wouldn’t be long before Legend sat in the number one seat. I’d do whatever I had to in order to keep them both happy. And if that meant Geneva Key, then we were moving to Florida for the foreseeable future. I wasn’t keen on selling our house in New York and had no clue what James would do about the business, but if we wanted it to, it would work itself out.

“If this is where we need to be, then this is where we stay.” The words came out with more conviction than I felt, yet they were still true.

“God, I love you. I’m so sorry you’re going through all this. It must be like reliving your own personal hell.” His lips pressed against mine in an intimate apology that wasn’t necessary, although, it felt good just the same.

“I love you, too. Maybe this is how my own demons will be laid to rest. You never know what’s in store for us or what we might learn by putting someone else first. We both have to be open to whatever life throws our way in the next few months.”

“You going to extend that same attitude toward Dottie?”

“Don’t get crazy.” I giggled and hugged his neck.

“Maybe you should hear her out. I get the impression by the blisters on your heels that you didn’t spend much time talking to her this morning. It looks like you spent more of it pounding your aggression out on the pavement. How many miles did you run?”

“No running, just a lot of walking. And I will, in my time. I’m just not ready, yet.”

“Don’t wait too long, Cora.”

“When did you go all carpe diem on me?”

“The day I gained a son and realized what all I stood to lose.”

I couldn’t handle much more of this; I needed levity but couldn’t find one smartass thing to say or one snarky comment to make.

We sat in silence for several minutes before I finally asked, “Do you think your parents will let us stay here while we figure things out?”

“The better question is, do you want to stay here while we figure things out. It feels weird sleeping in the same bed with you under their roof, and I’m not sure how long I can go without having sex.”

“Why can’t we have sex?”

“What if they hear you? You’re not exactly quiet when you scream my name.”

“Last I recall, it was you begging me to bring you release, not the other way around.”

“Just because you get off easier than I do doesn’t mean you’re not loud. My mother will get scared when she hears you wailing like a banshee. Even worse, what if she calls the cops because she thinks I’m hurting you?”

“You’re far too full of your sexual abilities, Mr. Carpenter. I think I’ll take my chances staying here. If you get the heebie-jeebies frolicking in your parents’ house, then I guess we’ll just have to get creative.” I moved to stand between his legs and pulled him close.

He was so easy to arouse and fun to play with. There was no doubt in my mind that if I tried to get him to play right here and now, James Carpenter wouldn’t turn me down. Testing the theory, I cupped his balls in my hand and made love to his lips. And just as I thought, being in his parents’ home, in their kitchen with them only feet away, had done nothing to his drive—he’d hardened in my hand and been as responsive as he always was.

I pulled away, breathless, only to find he had pitched a tent for all the world to see. Through my giggles I told him, “Put that thing away. You don’t want your parents to see it.”

“I’m pretty sure they assume I’m attracted to my wife. I’d be willing to guess they even think we have sex.”

“No need for them to see the evidence.” I winked and went to find his parents.

They hadn’t gone far—just around the corner. There was little doubt remaining that they’d heard everything we said. Brock couldn’t stifle his laughter, and Susan was seven shades of pink—all of which looked good on her.

***

It had taken a few days to iron out details with Neil about the business. Most of what he did was by phone and computer anyhow, so the clients weren’t aware of the difference. The one who picked up the slack was Neil, although he hadn’t hesitated to do what was needed. There were only a few weeks left before Legend started school, which also meant, we only had about a month to decide whether we were staying in Geneva Key or going back to New York. Neil couldn’t manage the business this way forever.

“Hey, baby,” my husband cooed into my ear just before he wrapped his solid arms around my waist and pulled me in close. “What are you looking at?”

I pointed at his mother and Dottie down on the beach with Legend. Never in a million years did I imagine I’d be standing on the island watching James’s son play in the surf, much less with Susan and my grandmother. “Just thinking how ironic it is that she was never able to be a grandparent to me, yet she’s so amazing with him.”

“Maybe our being here is the universe’s way of giving the two of you a second chance,” he spoke with his mouth tucked next to my ear as we continued to watch from the kitchen.

“Then I guess the universe is a sadistic bitch because I don’t see that happening before hell freezes over.”

He stood straight and turned me in his arms, pressing my back against the counter. “Cora, she means a lot to Legend. We’re going to have to find a way around your animosity.”

My jaw dropped in shock. I understood where he was coming from, but the woman had basically abandoned me when my parents died after forcing me to move to Florida. He already faced enough with his job and child; adding my drama to the mix wasn’t fair. I was an adult, and he was right…I needed to find a way around my disdain for Gwendolyn.

“I don’t know how to do it. I want to get back to the woman I was a week ago—the fun one you adored.”

“I still adore you. I just hate seeing you so torn.”

“My emotions are all over the place. One part of me is head-over-heels in love with this fantastic child we get to keep. A child I had no desire for until he hung upside down on the monkey bars in the sand giggling. Another part is stuck on the animosity I feel for my grandmother. And then there’s this part I wasn’t expecting at all that wishes I’d met Chelsea, or at the very least, could thank her for that.” I pointed out the window to Legend and tears gathered in my eyes.

“She must have been a great mom.”

“Right? He’s the poster child for perfect kids.” I swallowed hard before continuing. “We have to keep Chelsea alive in his memories, James. She promised him we would love him, and it’s our duty to remind him daily how much he loves her so his memories don’t fade. My grandparents never did that for me—”

“I’m glad I found you both together,” Brock’s voice boomed from the other side of the kitchen, interrupting our conversation. “I wanted to talk to you about a proposition I have.”

James groaned behind me. “This ought to be interesting.”

I smacked him playfully, wondering why he didn’t think he should be making the same effort to build bridges with his parents when I had to make concessions. If Legend was our priority, then that not only left me finding a way to close gaps—James had to as well.

“Hey, Brock. What’s up?”

He took a stool in front of us, and for some reason, the large kitchen seemed to dwarf him where he was normally a captivating, or even intimidating, part of a room. I’d grown to really like both of James’s parents in the week or so we’d been here—time had softened them greatly.

“I understand the two of you haven’t made any final plans about whether you’re going to stay in Geneva Key or go back to New York, but I wanted to offer you a job, James. I don’t need you to give me an answer today; just be aware that the offer is on the table, so that it’s not a consideration in your choice to stay in New York or move back to Florida.” He sat there smiling as though he were proud to be able to provide his son a viable solution, not as though he held something over our heads.

James’s silence indicated he was equally dumbfounded. Their relationship had grown leaps and bounds in the last few years, but neither of us expected this. While we hadn’t figured out the best plan, having one major problem solved, if we chose to stay, was monumental.

“Thanks, Dad. I’m kind of speechless at the moment.”

“If you stay in Geneva Key, your mother and I want to do everything we can to make the transition easier. Employment is hard to come by here—at least anything you could live on—and you don’t need to face that burden. You could live off your trust fund while you work things out, but based on how infrequently you’ve made any withdrawals, I assume you won’t do that. And I don’t think you should—a man should provide for his family. The two of you need to do what’s best for you and not be forced into either place.” He smacked his hands on his thighs just before he stood. “Just something to think about.” And he turned and left as quickly as he’d joined us.

“That was unexpected,” James said to no one in particular.

“Your parents are really trying.”

If I planned to make the most of the opportunity for healing, that didn’t just mean becoming friends with the Carpenters or accepting Legend—that also meant making peace with Gwendolyn and my past.

***

“Daddy, can we have a slumber party tonight?” Legend lay on a towel in the sun with his hands behind his head and his feet kicked out.

Other than his jabbering, the rest of us had been rather quiet. I was sure Gwendolyn and Susan were worn out having spent the day playing on the beach with a rambunctious boy, and I was just lost in my thoughts. I didn’t have a clue what to say when my grandmother was around, and I didn’t care to chance things erupting into an argument if one of us said something the other took offense to. Legend loved her, and I wouldn’t do anything to tarnish that. Although, I had to admit, it was taking a toll on me and bringing me down. I wasn’t the type to hold a grudge—or at least I never thought I was. I’d also never been put in the position I was in with Gwendolyn. In the long run, this emotional back and forth would do nothing other than hurt the people I loved.

“What do you think, Cora? Should we let the little monster crash the Carpenter pad?”

“I’m not a monster. I’m a superhero.” Legend stood and flexed his muscles to show us his power.

I reached out and tickled his sides, turning him back to the giggly mush he normally was. “I think that would be wonderful.” And then I realized, we hadn’t mentioned it to Gwendolyn—just before it dawned on me, we didn’t have to. James had custody and was Legend’s legal guardian, not to mention, father. Yet out of courtesy, I asked, “Would that be okay with you, Gwendolyn?”

She seemed as surprised by my request as I was, but James offered me a gentle smile, knowing how hard it was for me to ask her for anything, let alone permission.

“I’m sure he’d love that.” A tear glistened in her eye, and she turned away to remove the evidence before it fell.

“You hear that, buddy? You get to spend the night with us. What do you want to do?”

“Can we play hide-and-seek? I bet there’s a ton of places to hide in that big house. Oh, can we get pizza? Dottie doesn’t like pizza, and we haven’t had it since my mama got sick. Or maybe ice cream for dinner? That would be cool.”

“How about pizza for dinner and ice cream for dessert?” James tried to negotiate. Legend hadn’t figured it out yet, but if he put up any sort of fight, James would concede.

“Hide-and-seek?” The kid was smart. He aimed to get everything he was after.

“Of course,” James agreed.

“Can we go now? Dottie’s baked like chicken and tough like a shoe. She needs a nap because she’s old, too.”

I couldn’t stop my laughter. “You’re just like your dad. I think you got a few similes mixed up.”

He didn’t have a clue what a simile was, but he beamed at being compared to his father. And I couldn’t stop giggling at this little version of my husband. They looked nothing alike, but even at five, I saw so many of James’s traits in him. The way he laughed, the way he thought, the way he pulled his hair when he was frustrated—it was like a miniature replica of the man I loved, and for the first time in my life, I wondered what our children would have been like.

“Why don’t I run home and pack a bag for you?”

“Thanks, Dottie. That would be great.” James grabbed Legend and ran toward the water with him under his arm like a football.

Gwendolyn gathered her things and shook out her towel. I’d noticed the more time we spent with Legend, the more subdued she became. And as she said goodbye with a promise to return with clothes for Legend after showering, it dawned on me what all she would lose if we took him to New York.

“Do you need help?” My offer came out before I could stop it.

“Thank you. I can manage. I’ll see you both in a little while.” She waved at me and then to Susan before walking up the boardwalk to her car.

Any thoughts I had earlier about the possibility of wanting children were squashed by the end of the night. I was too old to chase multiple kids around an enormous house. By the time we finally got Legend to sleep, I was exhausted, and James could barely move. Legend had so much energy even after being zapped by the sun for hours.

When I finally dropped my weary body onto the bed next to James, I didn’t think I’d be able to keep my eyes open for five more minutes. “It’s a good thing we don’t have more kids. I don’t have a clue how people do this.”

I crawled under the covers with my husband. No matter what the day brought or how it ended, this was my favorite place to be—in his arms. It soothed any ailment and fought back demons. James had been my haven since the day we met. He kissed my forehead, and I closed my eyes. Although, it seemed as soon as I’d drifted off, I woke to frantic cries from the room next door.

Without thought, I threw the blankets back and dashed into the hall, never waking James. Bursting through Legend’s door, I found him in a ball in the middle of the queen-sized bed. I couldn’t understand anything he said over the crying, but whatever it was had destroyed him. He trembled when I turned the bedside lamp on, and the instant I sat on the mattress to pull him into my arms, my shorts were wet, and it only got worse when he made his way to my lap. Legend had wet the bed, though I wasn’t sure he even realized it at this point.

It seemed more important to calm whatever had him upset than to change either of our clothes. So I rocked him in my arms and tried to quiet him with my touch before bothering him with my words.

“Did you have a bad dream?” I asked in a hushed voice after the tears eased up.

He nodded his little, red head against my chest and clung to my arm.

“Do you want to talk about it?” When he didn’t answer, I kept talking. “I used to have really bad dreams after my parents passed away. They would keep me up for hours, but there was never anyone around to hold me or tell me it would be okay.”

“I miss my mama,” he whimpered.

I still missed mine every day, and she’d been gone for almost half my life, but I couldn’t lie to him and tell him that would stop. It wouldn’t—ever. Instead, I offered him the only truth I had. “I know you do, and you always will. I promise it will get easier. And you have your daddy now. And me. And I promise, we both love you very much.” My hand stroked his hair absentmindedly, although I thought it comforted me as much as it did him. “Can I tell you what I miss most about my parents?”

He finally released the death grip he had on me and pulled back to see my face. “What?”

“My mom’s hugs and the way my dad smelled. She gave the best hugs, and he always smelled like spice.” My meek smile told him of the pain that still lingered from my loss, even if he couldn’t verbalize what he saw—he grasped that I understood. “You give hugs just like my mom did.”

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“What do you miss most about your mama, Legend?” This was the start to never letting him forget.

He thought for a minute and when he finally answered, he said, “Her telling me she loves me. I want to tell her one more time—just to make sure she really knows until I see her again.”

“You know you can talk to her? She can hear you as long as you carry her in your heart. And you can tell her every day how much you love her, and when you do, you’ll feel it right here”—I pointed to his chest—“when she responds.”

“Do you still talk to your mama?”

“Every single day.” Not out loud but in my thoughts. Her and my dad. It kept them both close to me. “And you should, too.” I gave him another squeeze. “How do you feel about a bath?” I didn’t care to draw attention to his accident, but I needed to get him cleaned up.

“Will you make it really warm? And add bubbles?”

“I’ll see what I can do. Come on.” Susan and Brock didn’t have bubble bath in the guest bathroom, but they did have shampoo, and I might have poured copious amounts of it under the faucet to give Legend a foam-filled tub.

I wasn’t sure what the protocol was for little boys being naked in front of their stepmothers, but when I tried to give him privacy, he used my shoulder to steady himself while he pulled his wet pajamas off. Once I had him into the water, I asked, “You okay in here for a few minutes while I go clean up?”

“You’re not supposed to leave kids alone in a bathtub. I could drown in an inch of water.” He stared at me with innocent eyes just before he started laughing.

I exhaled loudly and shook my finger at him. “You think you’re funny. I’ll be back to check on you in just a few minutes. Keep your head out of the bubbles until then.” I winked at him and left the bathroom door open, so I could see him while I stripped the sheets from the bed and grabbed a change of clothes for him. Without waking up the entire house, I couldn’t find another set of linens to put on the mattress, so I grabbed a blanket from my room and quickly changed my own clothes while Legend dried off.

When he finally got back in bed, I pulled the covers up to his chin and kissed his forehead. I’d left the light on beside the bed in case he got scared. His little hand wrapped around my wrist, and I met his sweet, brown eyes.

“Cora, will you stay with me?”

I ruffled his hair and gave him a smirk. “Of course. Scoot over.”

And that’s where James found me the next morning, with Legend wrapped in my arms and owning my heart.