Midnight Promises (37 page)

“Thank you for saying that. I’ve realized a few things myself in the past couple of days. We’ll have to have one of our date nights soon and talk about all that. You free tomorrow night?”

“I’ll make sure of it,” she said, then gestured around the gym. “After tomorrow, who knows when I’ll be able to get on your schedule again.”

He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head. “I will always make time for you,
querida.
Always.”

* * *

After the day’s success, Maddie invited everyone over to her house for a private celebration for the gym’s partners. Since kids were included, it was a mob scene in the backyard. Cal and Ronnie were flipping burgers on the grill, an activity usually claimed by Erik, but he was on duty in the kitchen at Sullivan’s tonight.

Elliott joined the two men at the grill. Ronnie grinned at him.

“You must be feeling good about now,” he said to Elliott.

“I feel a whole lot better than I did this time yesterday,” he admitted. “Memberships are a lot stronger than we projected and I’m completely booked for the first six weeks we’re open. I think we may need to hire another trainer, at least part-time. Jeff could probably spare a couple of hours a day, though he’s picking up the slack for me at the spa, so maybe not.”

“Up to you,” Cal said. “We’re just innocent bystanders from here on out. You and Maddie are running the place.”

Elliott glanced around the yard, looking for some sign of Katie. She was nowhere in sight. “I don’t mean to meddle in something that’s none of my business, but are things okay with Katie? I don’t see her here.”

“Grounded,” Cal said succinctly. “She’s allowed down to eat when the food’s ready, but otherwise she has to stay in her room. We’ve cut off access to her cell phone and her email. She’s one unhappy teenager at the moment.”

Ronnie looked surprised by the news. “What happened?”

“She cut class,” Cal said.

“Any idea why?” Elliott asked.

Cal shook his head. “She’s covering up something, but she won’t give either Maddie or me a clue. And I haven’t heard any rumors at school, so I can’t put the pieces together, either. Maddie’s beside herself since this is so unlike Katie. I can’t say that I blame her.” He shrugged. “We’ll get to the bottom of it eventually. Sooner rather than later would be good. I don’t like seeing Maddie so upset.”

Just then Elliott spotted Karen coming through the kitchen door carrying a tray of hamburger buns. “Duty calls,” he said and went to help her.

“Hey, haven’t you done enough food service for one day?” he asked, taking the tray from her.

“I don’t mind pitching in.” She glanced around. “Where are Daisy and Mack?”

“Mack’s in the front yard with some of the boys. Travis is out there keeping an eye on them. Daisy’s right over there helping Helen look after the little kids.”

Karen smiled at the sight of Daisy, sitting close to Helen on a bench under a tree. “I think Helen still misses her and Mack. Those weeks she took care of them for me formed a bond none of them are likely to forget. It was really hard on Helen when it was time for me take them back. I was so relieved to have them home again, I don’t think I understood how difficult it was for her to let them go, but she did it without a single complaint. She truly is remarkable.”

“She is, and she knew there was never any question that they belonged with their mom,” Elliott said. “She understood that from the get-go. She just pitched in during a crisis.”

“And I will always owe her for that,” Karen said with emotion. She waved her hand. “Look at me. It still makes me cry thinking about how generous and unselfish she was. I’m so glad she has a daughter of her own now. She and Erik are wonderful parents. Sarah Beth is very lucky.”

Elliott held her gaze. “So are Daisy and Mack.”

She smiled at that. “They’ll be even luckier when they officially have both of us.”

Elliott stared at her. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I’m saying that I want to move forward and have you adopt them legally,” she said. “It’s time.”

Elliott pulled her into his arms. “Ah,
querida,
I thought today couldn’t possibly be any better, but you’ve just made it the best day of my life.”

* * *

Karen and Elliott managed to find a few minutes alone with Helen before the end of the evening to fill her in on Karen’s decision. A smile immediately broke across her face.

“I am so happy you’ve decided on this,” she told them. “I’ll get to work on it first thing on Monday morning.”

Karen regarded her nervously. “Any chance there could be some kind of a glitch or is it okay if we tell the kids?”

“I can’t foresee any problems,” Helen assured her. “Legal matters can always take an unexpected turn, but I think it would be safe enough to tell them.”

Karen turned to Elliott. “We should do it when we get home.”

“You’re sure about that?”

She nodded. “I know how badly they want it. They should know.”

Elliott’s delighted expression was proof that she was making the right decision.

As soon as they arrived at home, she stopped the kids from running off to their rooms.

Daisy and Mack exchanged a worried look.

“Are we in trouble?” Mack asked.

Karen regarded him with a stern expression. “Is there any reason you should be?” It was amazing the things she sometimes found out by bluffing.

Mack shook his head. “Honest, Mom, I was good tonight.”

“Me, too,” Daisy said.

“Okay, then,” Karen said, making a show of relenting. She smiled at them. “Elliott and I have good news we wanted to share with you.”

“You’re having a baby,” Daisy said, bouncing up and down with excitement.

Karen stared at her, startled by her enthusiasm. “You want a baby brother or sister?”

“Well, sure,” Daisy said. “I want a sister.”

“A brother,” Mack corrected. “Being a big brother would be cool. I could teach him stuff.”

“So, is that the news?” Daisy asked hopefully.

“Not this time,” Elliott said. “Your mom and I have spoken to Helen and we’re going to move forward with me officially adopting you. Once the paperwork is handled, I’ll be your dad.” He studied each of them. “I hope that’s what you both want, because it’s what I want more than anything.”

Mack was the first to launch himself at Elliott, but Daisy was right behind him, tumbling Elliott back onto the sofa in their exuberance.

Karen watched the three of them with tears stinging her eyes. “I gather you’re happy,” she said, laughing at the sight.

“This is the best news ever!” Daisy declared.

“The very best!” Mack concurred.

“Will I be Daisy Cruz now?”

Elliott glanced at Karen for confirmation, then nodded. “If that’s what you want. How about you, Mack? Do you want to change your last name to Cruz?”

“Uh-huh,” Mack said eagerly. A moment later a puzzled expression passed across his face, followed by unmistakable concern. “Will that make me Latino?”

Karen regarded him with surprise. “Why do you ask?”

“Because sometimes people say mean things about being Latino, like Petey Millhouse’s dad did.”

Elliott sighed at the comment. “Changing your name won’t change who you are, Mack. It won’t make you Latino. That comes from your genes. You know me. You know my family. Do you think there’s anything wrong with being Latino?”

“No way,” Mack said with conviction.

“Then that’s what matters,” Elliott told him.

Karen ruffled her son’s hair. “Sometimes people say mean things about other people for all sorts of reasons. It’s usually because they’re scared. What’s important is what you know in your heart to be true, just like Elliott said. Cruz is a name you can be very proud to have.” She held her husband’s gaze. “I certainly am.”

“And best of all, it means we’ll be a real family,” Daisy said. “We’ll have a dad who’s never ever going to leave us.”

Elliott beamed at her. “You’ve got that right. You’re stuck with me.”

“Cool,” Mack said.

Daisy’s grin spread across her face. “Way cool!”

Seeing how secure her children clearly felt with the knowledge that Elliott was in their life for keeps, Karen regretted she hadn’t taken this step sooner. Right now, this moment was the best thing she’d done for them since the day she’d married Elliott.

21

W
hen Adelia got home after picking up the younger children from school, she found Selena locked in her room, her music playing so loudly it nearly shook the house. It was a sure sign that Selena was upset about something, no telling what. She pounded on her daughter’s door.

“Turn the music down and let me in,” Adelia commanded.

When there was no response, she took out the extra key she’d had made for just this situation and opened the door herself. She found Selena facedown on the bed, sobbing. When Adelia sat down next to her, Selena stilled for a heartbeat, then launched herself into her Adelia’s arms.

“Shh,” Adelia murmured, holding her close. “It’s okay. Whatever it is can’t possibly be so bad. We’ll work it out.”

She felt Selena’s faint shake of her head. “Not this. You can’t fix it.”

“Of course we can,” she insisted. “We’re very good problem-solvers in this family.”

Selena sniffed and sat up, her eyes red-rimmed, her cheeks damp with tears. “It’s too late. If you could make it better, you’d have done it before now.”

Adelia had a terrible feeling about where the conversation was headed. “Does this have something to do with your father?”

Selena nodded. “I saw them,” she said.

It was unnecessary for her to explain to whom she was referring. They both knew.

“Together,” she added indignantly. “He brought her to my school when he came to pick me up. He said he wanted me to get to know her. He said he knew I already knew about what was going on and that I was old enough to understand.”

She regarded Adelia with a dismayed expression. “But I
don’t
understand. How can he do this to you? To us? It’s so wrong!”

Incensed by Ernesto’s insensitive behavior, Adelia had a few thoughts about that, none of which she could share with her daughter. She couldn’t help wondering if subconsciously her husband was testing her, trying to see how far he’d need to push before he broke her.

She chose her words carefully, though. Whatever happened between her and Ernesto, she wanted her children to come through it believing their mother and father both loved them. “I suppose from his point of view he was paying you a compliment by thinking you’re mature enough to handle this,” she said, stroking Selena’s long, dark hair. “But I’ll talk to him, sweetheart. I’ll make him understand that what he did made you uncomfortable.”

“Not uncomfortable,” Selena said furiously. “He made me mad. You’re my mom, and she’s
nothing
to me. I don’t want to get to know her, not ever.” She gave Adelia a disappointed look. “You know what else I don’t get? I don’t get why you’re letting him get away with it. That’s not right, either.”

Adelia shrank at the hint of her daughter’s disdain. She would not allow Ernesto—or her own actions—to ruin her children’s opinion of her. “I told you I’ll talk to him. He won’t try to force this woman on you again.”

“I don’t mean what happened today,” Selena said with impatience. “I mean all of it, the whole affair. He acts like it’s normal to treat you like this, and you’re letting him. Cheating is wrong, Mom. Even I know that much.”

For a moment Adelia couldn’t even form a coherent thought. As low as Ernesto had sunk up until now, she’d thought he would protect their children from having to deal with his infidelity. She was at fault for this. Apparently her revelation that Selena had already figured it out had given Ernesto the absurd notion that an introduction to this other woman would be acceptable.

Seeing the hurt and the lack of respect in her daughter’s eyes just now was the final straw. Selena was right. If she continued to pretend that Ernesto’s behavior was acceptable to her, then she didn’t deserve her children’s respect, either. And it was a terrible lesson for Selena to learn that women just sat back and looked the other way when it came to their husbands cheating on them.

“I’m done,” she murmured under her breath.

Selena stared at her, clearly shocked by the implication of those two simple words. “Mom? What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you’re right about me putting up with your father’s outrageous and disrespectful behavior. And I won’t have him trying to draw you into the middle of it, either. I’d hoped…” She shrugged off the thought. “Never mind what I’d hoped. I’m finished.”

“Like, you’re divorcing him?” Selena asked in a small, scared voice. “What will happen to us?”

Clearly Selena hadn’t expected her tirade to push things in that direction. She’d apparently hoped Adelia would view it as some sort of call to arms and force Ernesto back into line.

“I’m not sure if it will come to divorce,” Adelia hedged, though she knew in her gut that was the only likely option. “But I am giving him an ultimatum. Then, we’ll see.” Again, she ran a hand over her daughter’s hair, swept it away from her face. She cupped her chin and looked into her eyes. “And no matter what, we’ll be just fine. I promise.”

Selena sighed and looked away. “I hate that he’s doing this to us,” she murmured.

“Me, too, sweetheart.” Adelia held her a little longer, then stood up. “Can you watch your brothers and sisters for an hour? I want to see your father, and it’s best that we not have this conversation here.”

Selena nodded.

As Adelia was about to leave, Selena called after her. “Mom, I just want things to be the way they used to be.”

“I know, sweetheart. I’m just not sure that’s possible,” she said with real regret.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Adelia breezed past Ernesto’s protesting secretary and interrupted a meeting in his office.

He scowled at her entrance.

“Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?” he said tightly.

“I’m in the middle of something myself,” she responded. “Unless you want me to share it with your associates, I suggest you make a little time for me now.” She gave the other men an apologetic look. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“No problem,” one of them said as they all rose and departed quickly, clearly not ready to sit in on a marital dispute of some kind.

Ernesto’s scowl deepened. “This had better be damned important.”

“It is, if you expect your marriage to me to last even one second longer,” she said with a calm she was far from feeling. “I’m done, Ernesto. I have no idea what you were thinking by introducing that woman to our daughter, but I won’t have it. This affair of yours ends now and we work on our marriage, or you move out of the house and I file for divorce. Those are your choices. There’s no middle ground. And you have maybe two seconds to decide, because I’m done being patient while you behave like an overgrown adolescent who can’t control his hormones.”

He regarded her belligerently. “I’ve told you before that I’m not walking away from this other relationship,” he said defiantly. “I have needs you don’t satisfy.”

She almost smiled at that arrogantly masculine response. “And I have needs that you don’t satisfy. I haven’t gone chasing around town to fulfill them and deliberately humiliated you in the process.”

“What needs?” he scoffed. “You have the house of your dreams. You have the family you wanted. You can buy whatever you want.”

She leveled a withering look directly at him. “And the last time you showed me the tiniest shred of love or respect? When was that exactly?”

For an instant he looked taken aback by her quietly spoken query.

“I’ve given you everything you ever wanted,” he finally replied, looking genuinely mystified.

“No, you’ve given me everything you thought would keep me quiet and let you get away with doing whatever you want,” she corrected. “Sorry, but those days are over.”

“You’ll never file for divorce,” he said, sounding very sure of himself. “It will give your mother a heart attack.”

“She won’t like it,” Adelia agreed. “I’m past worrying about that. I need to set an example for our children that what’s happening is unacceptable. Men shouldn’t treat women like this, and women shouldn’t accept it. Period. Selena’s already questioning why I allow it.”

“The church doesn’t recognize divorce,” Ernesto reminded her.

“Then I’ll file for an annulment while I’m at it.”

“And turn our children into bastards?” He looked stunned by the possibility that she would go to such an extreme.

“If that’s the only choice,” she insisted, though she, too, was more shaken than she cared to admit by the idea. It was the one thing she’d never understood about the church’s stance, that they would grant an annulment that somehow negated all evidence that the marriage had ever existed, leaving children in some sort of limbo. How, she wondered, was that better than a clean and simple divorce in circumstances such as these?

She studied Ernesto’s face, looking for even the faintest hint that there was one tiny shred of love left between them. He looked beleaguered but not sorry. That was what convinced her that they were out of options.

Drawing in a deep breath, she held his gaze. “I’ll have your clothes packed in a couple of hours. You can pick them up after the children have gone to bed. Come back tomorrow and we’ll explain to them what we’ve decided.”

“But nothing’s been decided,” he shouted as she walked out of his office.

She turned back and gave him a look filled with genuine regret for the life they might have had. “Yes, it has. It’s over, Ernesto.”

“We’ll see about that,” he said, but his voice rang hollow.

Adelia didn’t stop shaking until after she’d reached her car and settled behind the wheel. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. It was over. Done.

And surprisingly, she didn’t feel half as awful about that as she’d expected to. If anything, she finally felt an overwhelming sense of relief that the decision had finally been made…and that she’d been the one brave enough to make it. All that was left was to deal with the repercussions.

All,
she thought wryly. Her personal hell was probably just beginning.

* * *

Karen had Tuesday off. She spent the morning cleaning the house, then ran into Serenity to stop by Raylene’s. She was having a sale, and she’d told Karen the day before that there was a dress at half price that would be perfect for her.

“I’ll put it aside, but try to get by early. If sales are even half as brisk as I’m hoping, I’ll be dragging out every last piece of inventory to meet demand.”

Sure enough, when Karen walked into the boutique, it was crowded with shoppers, mostly women she knew from her rare attendance at PTA meetings at school. She had a hunch Raylene could thank Adelia for that. From what she’d heard, Adelia had been spreading the word about the shop to every committee she served on. Raylene said business had soared since she’d hired Karen’s sister-in-law.

She spotted Raylene behind the register dealing with a long line of customers and Adelia acting like a traffic cop directing people in and out of the store’s three tiny dressing rooms. Raylene beckoned her over.