A Soldier's Promise (Crystal Lake Series Book 2) (14 page)

“What about faith?” Merry persisted. “Don’t make the same mistake you made with Andrew.”

“Granted, Derek didn’t attend church with me, but he participates in prayer, so I think there’s hope.” When Merry opened her mouth again, Julie held up her hand. “Don’t, Merry. Derek and I are friends, nothing more. So leave it alone, okay?”

“Okay,” Merry agreed with a sigh. Her pager went off, and she read the message with a grimace. “Looks like another ambulance is on the way in.”

Julie returned to work, glancing frequently at the clock as the last hour of her shift passed by with excruciating slowness. When her co-worker came in to relieve her, she headed out to the parking lot, happy to be going home.

To see Derek. And of course, Lexi.

True to his word, Derek had brats and hotdogs ready for the grill when she arrived. “Smells delicious,” she said as she stepped out on the patio.

“It’s nothing fancy,” Derek said. “Although I did make potato salad, too.”

“Wow, a man who can cook,” she said lightly, Merry’s concern echoing in her mind. Was she reading too much into Derek’s kindness? Was it possible this was all just a big act he was putting on for her benefit?

“Sit down. I’ll bring the food over in a minute,” Derek said. The relaxed smile on his face only emphasized his handsome looks. If this really was an act, the guy deserved an Academy Award.

Derek brought the tray of food over and set it in the center of the table. When they were all seated, Julie bowed her head to pray. “Dear Lord, thank You so much for providing us this food we are about to eat. Also, please keep watching over Grace as she heals in the hospital, as she very much needs Your strength and support. Amen.”

“And please watch over Grandma and Grandpa, too,” Lexi added. “Amen.”

Grandma and Grandpa? Julie raised her head. The stricken expression on Derek’s face confirmed he’d lied to her that night in the hospital about how he and Lexi were alone.

She felt sick to her stomach as she wondered what else he’d lied about.

Chapter Eleven

Derek swallowed hard as Julie went pale, her gaze full of reproach as she stared at him. He couldn’t very well chide Lexi for including her grandparents in their evening prayer, because for one thing, Claire’s parents needed prayers in a big way. And for another, this abrupt revelation wasn’t Lexi’s fault.

It was his.

“I’ll explain later,” he murmured, trying to reassure Julie with a half-hearted smile.

Julie frowned but thankfully didn’t say anything in front of Lexi. And he mentally kicked himself over and over again when Julie did little more than pick at her food.

He should have confided in her before now. Before she’d grown close to Lexi. Before they’d become friends.

Before he’d kissed her.

His own appetite vanished along with Julie’s, but he made an effort for Lexi’s sake. But no matter how hard he tried, there was no way to ease the strained atmosphere.

When they’d finally finished, he pushed his chair away from the table. “Lexi, help me clear the dishes,” he said.

“I’ll do it,” Julie said abruptly, jumping to her feet. He sensed she wanted to get away and wished he could think of a way to make her realize...what? That he was sorry he’d led her to believe that he and Lexi were all alone in the world? That he hadn’t intended to mislead her at all? That all he wanted was to help Lexi get out of that strict private school and recover from the shock of losing her mother?

For a moment, he dropped his head into his hands, feeling almost as helpless as the night Claire’s parents had informed him they were going to take him to court in an attempt to gain custody of Lexi. He’d been completely alone then.

But somehow, he felt even worse now. Because despite everything Julie had done for them, he’d let her down.

Guide me through this, Lord. Show me the way.

When he felt Lexi’s soft hand on his arm, he pulled himself together. His daughter’s expression was troubled, and he wished more than anything for her to be happy again. The way she’d been on the boat ride or swimming in the lake. “I love you, Lexi,” he said softly.

“I love you, too, Daddy.” Instantly, Lexi was crawling into his lap, and he held her tightly, almost afraid to let her go.

After several long moments, he kissed the top of Lexi’s head and eased away. “Come on, baby-doll, we need to help carry these dishes in for Julie.” Since Julie hadn’t returned after escaping inside, he figured it was the least they could do.

“Okay.” Lexi grabbed the ketchup bottle with both hands as he stacked the rest of the dirty plates and they both went inside.

The kitchen was empty when he set the dirty dishes on the counter. Should he try to find Julie? Or give her the privacy she deserved?

As he went back outside to pick up the last of the dishes and condiments, his chest tightened with panic. What if Julie planned to ask him and Lexi to leave? She had every right to kick them out if she wanted to.

How much would her sweet, Christian nature tolerate? He suspected he’d already pushed her past the breaking point.

His thoughts whirled as he cleaned up the after-dinner mess. Since Julie was still nowhere to be found, he decided he should wash the dishes, too.

It was the least he could do to make amends.

Sensing he’d intruded enough, he left the dishes to air dry and made his way outside onto the patio. The sun was low on the horizon, and he wished Julie were here to share in the wonder of the beautiful sunset over the lake.

And then he saw her, sitting on the grassy bank of the lakeshore, hugging her knees to her chest. She must have gone out the front door and slipped down to the lake without his noticing.

He needed to talk to her even though it was too early to send Lexi to bed. Thankfully, his daughter happened to be preoccupied with a video game. “Stay here, okay, Lexi?”

She gave him a tiny nod.

Derek took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he walked down to talk to Julie.

___________

Julie heard Derek’s footsteps swishing against the grass and mentally braced herself as he dropped down beside her.

“I’m sorry,” he said in his deep, soft voice.

She didn’t turn to look at him. “Your personal life is none of my business,” she said in a frosty tone.

There was a brief pause, but she kept her gaze focused on the setting sun. She wasn’t in the mood to talk, and hopefully, Derek would get the message and leave her alone.

“You already know Lexi’s mother died about four months ago,” he said. “I was still in Afghanistan, trying to fight through the red tape to return stateside when Claire told me she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. They gave her six months, but she didn’t last that long. I missed her death by a full month, and by the time I returned, Claire’s parents had taken over Lexi’s care.”

She couldn’t pretend indifference to his story. “I’m sorry. That must have been awful for you.”

He nodded and shrugged. “Even though I’d been gone for almost seven months, Lexi remembered me and latched onto me like I was her rock amidst the storm. Turns out that Claire’s parents had very distinct ideas about childrearing, and in fact, they’d enrolled Lexi in a super-strict private school that she absolutely hated.”

Her heart squeezed for the little girl. “At least there’s no school in the summer,” she murmured.

Derek let out a harsh laugh. “There was for Lexi. It was clear Claire’s parents didn’t want her underfoot all day, but when I took Lexi out of the program, they went nuts. Claimed I had no idea how to raise my own daughter. They were...so angry.”

She glanced over, feeling sympathy for Derek and the awful situation he’d found himself in. “I’m sure they were just grieving their daughter,” she said.

“Maybe,” he allowed. “But you have to understand, they never liked me. Obviously because I was irresponsible enough to get their daughter pregnant but mostly because I was nothing more than a soldier in the Army. When I discovered Claire was pregnant, I begged her to marry me, but she refused. I’m sure the last thing her parents wanted was me as a son-in-law. I spent as much time with Lexi as I could and sent most of my paycheck to Claire to help pay for expenses. Right before I was deployed to Afghanistan, I thought Claire was softening toward me. That she might even give a more permanent relationship a try.”

“What happened?”

“Four months into my deployment, she told me she had pancreatic cancer.” Derek’s expression was so bleak she longed to comfort him. “I couldn’t believe it at first, because she seemed so healthy before I left.”

She was all too familiar with the way cancer sneaked up and stole a life when you least expected it. “Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose, and once you have symptoms, it’s almost always too late.”

Derek let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, that’s exactly what happened. Anyway, Claire begged me to look after Lexi when she was gone. She arranged for me to have custody and told me that Lexi needed her father more than ever now. I gave her my promise that I would.”

“Oh, Derek,” she murmured. “Of course you and Lexi belong together. I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell me this sooner?”

“You didn’t let me finish,” he said dryly. “I think Claire’s parents expected me to drop Lexi into their laps and return to Afghanistan. When I told them I had custody of her, they were furious. Claire’s parents are rich and prominent members of society. They’re best friends with several judges. When they told me they would fight for custody and win, I believed them. So I cashed in what was left of my savings and took off with Lexi.”

“Ohhh,” she said as the picture became crystal clear. “So you’re running away from Claire’s parents.”

“I’m protecting Lexi from Claire’s parents,” he corrected sharply. “They have this, I don’t know, strange idea of what Lexi should be and are determined to mold her into their image of a perfect granddaughter. They buy her all kinds of frilly things and girl toys that Lexi could care less about. They just don’t understand Lexi is perfect the way she is.”

His defensiveness regarding Lexi made her want to smile. “Of course Lexi is perfect the way she is, but Derek, don’t you think Claire’s parents have a right to be a part of Lexi’s life?”

“Not if they threaten to take her away from me,” he muttered harshly.

She sighed and shook her head. “Derek, do you really think a judge, even one who might know Claire’s parents, would take custody away from a child’s biological father?”

“Yes, I do. Especially since the only job offer I had was from Claire’s father, which, of course, magically disappeared when I took Lexi out of that ridiculous school.” Anger shimmered in Derek’s tone. “You can bet they’d take custody away from me in a heartbeat. Which is why I’m asking you to keep this quiet for now. I have to believe that Claire’s parents didn’t call the police on me yet, since Deputy Armbruster didn’t seem at all suspicious. But I also think it’s just a matter of time. And if I can get this job, then I’ll be one step closer to keeping Lexi.”

She had to admit his logic made sense. How could she deny him the opportunity to keep his daughter? Especially since she really didn’t want him to leave.

For selfish reasons, not necessarily noble ones.

“I won’t say anything,” she promised.

Derek nodded and rose to his feet, still favoring his right side as he placed a hand over the right side of his chest. “Thank you.”

She watched him walk back to Lexi, hoping and praying that Derek wasn’t still in love with Claire. Because she was already starting to care about him.

Far too much.

___________

After a restless night, Julie dragged herself out of bed to get ready for her twelve-hour shift in the ER. A quick shower made her feel a little better, although she desperately needed coffee to kick-start her brain.

When she trudged into the kitchen, she was brought up short by the sight of Derek and Lexi sitting at her kitchen table eating bowls of cold cereal.

She blinked owlishly at them. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Derek’s voice was tentative, as if unsure if she was still upset with him or not. “I made coffee. Hope you don’t mind.”

She forced a smile. “I could use about a gallon,” she said, making her way over to the steaming pot. “Thanks.”

Several sips later, the rush of caffeine cleared her mind. When she turned back toward the table, she realized there was a bowl and spoon already set out for her.

“Um, is the offer of driving you to work still an option?” Derek asked hesitantly. “I thought it would be nice to take Lexi to the parade, but we can always walk if you’d prefer.”

“No need to walk, you can use the car today,” she assured him. It wasn’t necessary for him to keep tiptoeing around her, but she wasn’t sure how to get their former camaraderie back. “We’ll have to leave in about fifteen minutes, though.”

“No problem. Finish your breakfast and leave the dishes. I’ll take care of them.”

She nodded, feeling a little bit like she was taking advantage of him, but there wasn’t time to do anything about it now. As soon as she finished her breakfast, she stood and grabbed her stethoscope. “I’m ready.”