The Christmas Vigil (14 page)

The thought of Marguerite sent another pang racing through him. He needed her by his side. He needed her gentle touch. He needed her to soothe away the pain and to reassure him everything was going to be all right. The pounding in his head hadn’t lessened and he was terrified it never would.

Where was she?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Declan

Grafton, New South Wales

Declan jammed his hands in his pockets and kicked at the loose stones on the well-marked gravel path that skirted the bank of the Clarence River. The wide expanse of water sparkled in the afternoon sun, sending shards of light dancing across the surface, but he was mostly oblivious to its beauty.

He’d stormed away from Tom after failing to convince his oldest brother yet again that the facts didn’t lie.
Tom should know better.
He’d been a cop longer than any of them. None of them wanted to believe their father had been cheating, but the evidence plainly indicated it was true.

It was just like he’d yelled at Tom: The facts didn’t lie. There was no other possible reason for his father to be in a hotel room with champagne, roses, massage oils and lingerie and not be expecting a woman. It was ridiculous to think otherwise and Tom darn well knew it. So what if the woman hadn’t surfaced? If it had been any other man but their father, no one would have questioned the evidence. It was just that the man involved was their much loved and admired father. It was only for that reason they’d forced themselves to voice their sometimes heated denials.

Declan had wanted to voice his, too. It had been his first instinct when Clayton had told him, but no matter which way he looked at it, the facts remained the same. It infuriated him that Tom stubbornly refused to see.

His phone vibrated against his chest and he tugged it out. He’d turned it on silent in anticipation of entering the hospital, but so far, he hadn’t been able to calm down enough to go in. Glancing at the screen, he couldn’t help but smile.
It was Chloe.

He’d spoken to her the night before, but the phone call had been brief. She’d been tired and distracted and he’d heard Jessie crying in the background. It hadn’t been the time to tell her the truth about his father, no matter how much he wanted to. But now, it was all he could do not to blurt it out the moment he answered her call.

Instead, he drew in a deep breath and greeted her with a smile. “Hello, gorgeous wife. What are you up to?”

Chloe giggled. “Hello, yourself. You’re sounding a little more chipper this morning. I take it your father’s awake?”

Declan immediately sobered, his belly once again churning with dread. “No, at least, not that I know of. I haven’t seen him, yet.”

The laughter in Chloe’s voice faded. “Declan, what do you mean, you haven’t seen him yet? The day’s half over.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, it is and I think the morning visiting hours are, too. I’ll have to wait until this afternoon to see him.”

“What’s the matter, Declan? What’s happened?”

He heard the fear and confusion in her voice and hastened to reassure her. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Well, it’s not nothing, but it has nothing to do with
me
.”

“Talk to me, darling. Please. Something’s not right.”

Declan’s shoulders slumped on a heavy sigh. Up ahead of him, he spied an empty park bench and made his way over to it. He threw himself down and sighed again. “You’re right. There’s no other way to tell you this, so I’m going to say it straight out: Dad’s been having an affair.”

“What?”
Chloe’s shocked response reverberated deep inside him.

“I didn’t want to believe it, either, but the evidence was there in plain view. Dad was found in a hotel room. The police who attended the scene told Riley what they found. While there was no woman there, apparently it was more than obvious he’d been expecting one and it sure as hell wasn’t my mother.”

“I don’t believe it,” Chloe murmured, her voice still laced with shock. “What kind of things did they find?”

Declan rattled off the items as quickly as he could. Every time he thought about them, his anger and embarrassment bubbled higher.

Chloe remained silent. A moment later, she spoke slowly, as if choosing her words with care. “Things aren’t always as they appear, Declan.”

His temper leaped into life. “Oh, come on! Not you, too! It is what it is! The facts don’t lie. Why am I the only one who has the guts to acknowledge it?”

“All I’m saying is that I don’t think you should be so quick to jump to conclusions. Okay, I hear what you’re saying and it certainly doesn’t look good, but I remember a time only a couple of years ago when I was also convinced the facts didn’t lie.”

Declan’s jaw clenched and he breathed in deeply, forcing the air out of his nose. She was referring to the time he’d been wrongly accused of illegally accessing child pornography. She’d been the senior Internal Affairs Investigator on his case and all of the facts had pointed to his guilt. If it hadn’t been for his own belief in his innocence and Chloe’s dogged determination to look behind the obvious, he’d have been convicted of a heinous crime—a crime he hadn’t committed.

He bit his lip and conceded her point. His father hadn’t done anything illegal, but the principle was just the same. When Declan had been under the spotlight, his father had been nothing but supportive. In fact, Declan wouldn’t have withstood the turmoil and devastation the whole situation wrought, without his father’s unwavering belief in his innocence, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Declan bent over at the waist, suddenly flooded with guilt. He, of all people, should have known better. He knew firsthand what it felt like to be presumed guilty without ever having been given the chance to set the record straight. If it hadn’t been for Chloe’s persistence, the truth might never have come out.

His father was in a coma and was in no shape or form to defend himself. He was relying on his wife and family to come to his defense in his hour of need, to believe in his innocence no matter what the evidence dictated. And Declan had let him down. A sob caught in Declan’s throat and his chest heaved.

“Oh, Christ, Chloe. You’re right. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been so blind? My cop instincts kicked in and I refused to consider any other possibility. He’s my
father!
How could I forget his loyalty? How could I forget his love? I’m a complete and utter jerk. And Tom. Shit, the things I said to Tom.” He shook his head, burning with shame.

“It’s okay, Declan. It’s okay. I’m sure Tom understands. You’ve all had a tremendous shock. Apart from discovering your father might or might not have been unfaithful, he’s lying in a coma and no one knows whether he’ll come out of it. I think everyone will forgive you for being a little…irrational. They love you, after all. Almost as much as I do.”

His heart filled with tenderness and he swallowed the lump in his throat. “Thank you, sweetheart. I really needed to hear that. I love you so much it hurts.”

“I know what you mean,” Chloe whispered.

Declan sat up and drew in a deep breath and then blew the air out on a sigh. “I owe Tom an apology.”

“Yes, darling, you do.”

“I need to see Dad. I owe him an apology, too.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“Christ, Chloe, what would I do without you?”

“I’m not going anywhere and neither are the kids.”

Declan frowned. “Kids? Who are you talking about?”

“Our children. Jessie and…the twins.”

“Twins?” He heard the laughter in her voice and convinced himself she was joking.

“Yes, darling. The twins. I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant? With
twins?
Are you
sure?
”

“As of this morning, I am. I had an ultrasound a couple of hours ago. The doctor happily confirmed it.”

Shock surged through him, followed quickly by elation.
“Twins?”

Chloe’s laughter gurgled over the phone. “Yes, darling, we’re expecting twins. They’re due in a little over six months.”

Declan shook his head, still overwhelmed by the news. “You’re three months along? How come we didn’t know?”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ve both been busy with work and Jessie and everything else that takes up our time. It wasn’t like we were trying. I guess it just happened and I wasn’t paying that much attention. You are happy about it, aren’t you?”

He heard the sudden uncertainty in her voice and hastened to reassure her. “Of course I am! I’m over the moon! I can’t wait to tell the others. Are you okay? Have you been sick?”

“A little,” Chloe admitted, “but not sick in the way of vomiting. More like dizzy and light headed. It was the reason I went to the doctor.”

Declan frowned. “You should have told me about it.”

“You’ve had a lot going on lately. Besides, I didn’t think it was too serious. It came and went very quickly and only happened every now and then.”

“I wish I could have been there with you at the ultrasound. It’s too bad you had to go alone.”

“I was sad you couldn’t be there, but Savannah came along to keep me company,” she said, referring to her good friend. “She and Will are down from Sydney for a few days.”

“Hey, that’s great. What are they doing in Canberra?”

“Oh, I think Will has some kind of work thing on. He didn’t really say. They were booked into a hotel in Civic, but I told them to come and stay here. We have plenty of room for all of them, even little Cole. He’s the splitting image of Savannah and as mischievous as a litter of puppies. He and Jessie are getting on like a house on fire.”

Declan laughed. “He must have his father’s charm. I can’t imagine Jessie sharing her toys with anyone.”

“That’s what I thought, too. We’re going to have to watch the two of them over the next decade or so.”

A chuckle escaped his lips. “That’s if we have the time. With a couple more on the way and Jessie not even two…”

“Yes, we’re going to be busy for a while. There’s no doubt about it. Lucky I know firsthand how good you are at changing diapers.”

He shook his head. “Twins. I still can’t believe it.”

“You’d better get used to it, Daddy. They’ll be here before you know it.”

* * *

Declan spied the hospital straight up ahead of him and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a fair walk back from the river and he was pleased to see it end. He hadn’t noticed the distance when he’d stormed away from Tom earlier, his mind fixed on other things, but now, he picked up his speed. As he crossed the car park and headed toward the entrance, he thought longingly of the hospital’s air-conditioned interior.

Tom’s rental car was still parked where he’d left it and Declan breathed another sigh of relief. At least he wouldn’t be walking home. It was now a little after two, but it was possible Tom was still inside. He might have even caught up with Josie, who’d leaped out of the car in disgust within moments of them coming to a stop.

Not that he could blame her.
He’d been a downright idiot. It was time to find his brother and apologize.

Christmas decorations lined the walkway that led into the hospital, reminding him that the season to be merry was right around the corner. A pang went through him at the thought his father might still be in hospital over Christmas. His father loved to celebrate the season like no one else he knew. He could still remember, that as kids, they’d go with their dad and find the biggest Christmas tree around. They’d cart it home in a trailer and then spend the rest of the day decorating it, their dad in charge.

Christmas had always been a time for celebration, a time for families, a time for peace and goodwill on earth. Outsiders might think it was sappy, but it was the way it had always been. Declan only hoped this year would be no different.

His stomach grumbled and he remembered he hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast, not even a coffee. A café, half filled with diners enjoying a late lunch, was immediately off to his right. He walked over to the counter and surveyed a handful of freshly made sandwiches and wraps inside a glass display cabinet.

“I’ll have a chicken, lettuce and mayo roll, please and a large cappuccino to go,” he told the woman who asked for his order.

“Hey, Declan! Over here!”

Declan turned and spied Tom, Clayton and Josie at one of the round tables. Clayton waved to get his attention. Tom simply looked away.

“I’ll be there in a minute.” He handed over some money to the woman who’d taken his order and collected his lunch at the end of the counter. A moment later, he joined his siblings.

“Take a seat, mate,” Clayton offered, pointing to an empty chair. “Brandon was here a little while ago, but he’s gone out to get some fresh air.”

Declan nodded his thanks and set his lunch and coffee on the table. He took the empty seat next to Tom. His brother studiously ignored him. Declan cleared his throat. His apology was way overdue.

“I’m sorry for the way I argued with you, Tom. It wasn’t right. No matter what anyone else thinks, Dad deserves our loyalty and support. Most especially, mine.”

Tom started in surprise and turned to face him. Josie merely shook her head, her eyes wide with disbelief.