I quickly looked over to Charlie, who had a smug look on his face. “You knew everything she was going to say?” I asked, and he nodded his head. I grumbled, “And you just let me lay into her like that?”
“You deserved what you got back,” he stated casually.
I looked over at Raegan, who had moved back to the chairs where Braden was sleeping. She wouldn’t look at me while she ran her fingers through his hair, and I began to let my mind consider the fact that maybe I had been wrong all these years. I mean, could she truly be guilty of such a crime when she seemed genuinely crushed that Ash had passed away?
Dad lowered his voice so only I could hear, “Son, this little girl only knows those two people over there,” he said, pointing toward Raegan and Braden.
I interrupted, “No, Dad, somehow she knows me. She lets me hold her and she talks to me as if we’ve known each other all along.”
“I see that she appears quite comfortable with you and I couldn’t be happier. But that’s not going to comfort her all the time. Raegan has raised her, kept her safe, and loved her. Don’t force that separation too quickly.”
“You don’t think Raegan had anything to do with all of this?” I tried to keep my voice as quiet as possible.
“Son, look at her. I mean, actually look at her. Do you honestly feel like she would be capable of something like that?”
I stared at her hunched figure and watched her eyes droop slightly from exhaustion. She’d never once looked frantically around the room or sneered at police like the criminals I had seen in the past. She only seemed to care about the kids and their well-being.
I sighed loudly and looked down at Kate in my arms and then over to Raegan, who was still concentrating on her son. Could I be enough for Kate alone? It was supposed to be a learn-as-they-grow type of thing, not a jump-into-it-four-years-later type of thing.
“I have no idea what I’m doing… Ash used to tell me what to do.”
“Let Raegan teach you,” he offered softly. “Remember the girl that used to help you and Ash tremendously? The one who used to get up with Kate in the middle of the night while she was trying to care for her own son, just so you two could sleep. If she didn’t stay the night with you guys, she was there bright and early every morning, ready to handle two babies…all to help you.”
“Dad, we were paying her,” I smarted.
“Oh yeah, below minimum wage. Trust me, she wasn’t living a profligate lifestyle, by any means. Quit making her the bad guy, son.”
I leaned my head forward over Kate and squeezed my temples firmly. I just couldn’t seem to get the idea out of my head that Raegan had something to do with it. Maybe it was just the parent in me that needed answers. But how could she have had a conversation with Flores’ wife one day, and the next day Flores stole my baby right out of my own home?
“Look…” Dad patted my shoulder and I winced at the treacherous blow. At least that was what my shoulder thought of it. “What the hell happened? You know what, you’re here, you’re alive, just tell me tomorrow. I’m tired.” He spoke louder so everyone could hear now. “I got you guys adjoining rooms at the Marriott close to the bridge. You can work out your sleeping arrangements between the four of you.”
Raegan smiled weakly and stood on feeble and tired legs. “Thank you, Mr. Parker.”
Dad made his way for the door and looked back at me, saying, “Oh, and son? This hotel ain’t cheap. Work out your situation and find a more permanent location. You know you still have your apartment. Your mother’s been dusting it every week since you left it.”
“Got it, Dad,” I said, quickly shutting down that conversation.
“Raegan, dear,” my dad said, looking across the room at her. “I’m not sure how all of this will be handled. I know we’ll need to do psych evals on all three of you, probably even Lane. There will be a lot of annoying questions. Just be patient, please, and I’ll try my damndest to rush the process along. From there, we can help you find a place to live.”
She swallowed harshly and nodded her head while looking away. I swore I saw a wet gleam in her eyes before she could completely turn from my sight. I stood with Kate wilting over my shoulder, still lightly snoozing. Raegan scooped up a backpack, but before she could link her arms through the straps, I reached out and grabbed it from her. She whipped her head around quickly, and I found myself on the receiving end of a death glare from two beautiful, bright green eyes.
“I’ll carry your things,” I said lightly. “You’ve got your hands full with him.” She slowly released the straps of the bag and I draped it over my forearm. “Is this it?” She nodded her head and I laughed, “Between the three of you, there’s only one little backpack?”
She bent over and struggled to pick up Braden without waking him. Raegan was petite, and it looked like Braden would be taller than her before she knew it. When he was finally snuggled in close to her neck, she straightened and headed for the door.
“Yes, that’s our only bag. Next time I plan an escape, I’ll remember to pack more.”
Although normally I would have smiled at her saucy mouth, her words sliced through me like a rusty, jagged knife. I began to wonder what she meant by escape and was once again reminded how little I actually knew about what brought us to this moment.
I caught up to her right before she headed down the stairs and scooped up my bag along the way. Before I could say a word, she immediately held her hand up, halting me. “Not now. I’m too tired. I can imagine your questions, but just... not now, please.”
“Okay...I can do that. As long as you promise to answer all my questions tomorrow.”
She stepped out into the warm night air and looked back at me. “As long as you stop accusing me of kidnapping.”
I kept quiet because I couldn’t get the image out of my head of her laughing on that park bench with Mrs. Flores. The longer I looked at her though, the harder it was to imagine her stealing a child or even aiding, someone who did. I watched as she stroked Braden’s back lovingly and looked back to check on Kate’s sleeping form. She cared about them, that much was obvious.
She stood at the curb, looking at me expectantly. I then realized it was the middle of the night and I didn’t have a car to take us to the hotel. And there was no way in hell my child was getting in a disgusting patrol car tonight.
“Uh... I’ll go to the corner and see if there are any cabs,” I told her. She nervously looked around her at the darkened streets. Just then, another officer stepped out of the creaky, old front door. I recognized him from my training days. “Sergeant Williams, can you do me a favor?” He inclined his head my way but didn’t respond. “Can you keep an eye on her for a second? I need to run down and catch a cab.”
I began stepping away when Raegan hurried to my side and said, “I can come with. No need for a babysitter.”
“Don’t worry about it. I know you’re tired and you don’t need to walk all the way down there. Just wait here.” When I tried to step away again, she latched onto my forearm and gave Sergeant Williams a frightened look. She didn’t seem very trusting of others. Except me, the guy who had called her a kidnapper... she trusted.
“Alright then...never mind, man, thanks though.” I waved off the sergeant, who seemed less than pleased that I had just wasted two measly seconds of his life.
I used to be like that. Always go, go, go. No wasting time. No looking at anyone when you were shoving your way down the street. No time for dawdling. That was my New York life. But then I moved and realized that there were more important things along the way, and sometimes it was okay to actually look up and smile at the people around you.