Amity Steffen - Reunion On The Run

“I can tell.” His eyes no longer held the haunted, hollow look. “I’m happy for you.”

“I take full responsibility for how badly things ended with us.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I should’ve faced my problems, worked on our relationship. But when I needed the most courage, I ran.”

Claire felt all of her old arguments rising to the surface. He didn’t need to run. She would stand by his side always. They could get through anything, if only he would let her in.

It was too late for all of that. Though it surprised her to hear him admit to his past mistakes, she couldn’t get sidetracked by that right now.

She tamped down thoughts from the past, deciding to focus on the present.

“Does Gretchen know Mia is your daughter?”

“If she does, she figured it out on her own. At the time I sent her, I’d only known a few hours, having just run across an article stating you had a three-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. I was still grappling with the information and didn’t feel I had the right to claim her as my own.”

“And now?”

“Now that the shock has worn off, I want more than anything to meet my little girl.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “If that’s okay with you.”

She swallowed the lump of emotion rising in her throat. When she’d first found out she was pregnant, she’d tried to track Alex down. She had wanted nothing more than to be a family. But now, so much time had passed. They’d gone their separate ways, were living completely different lives. Yet Mia was still his daughter and she couldn’t deny either of them the relationship they deserved. “We’ll need to discuss some ground rules,” she said firmly. “I don’t want you flitting in and out of her life. It will only confuse her. She’s been through enough. I won’t allow you to hurt her.”

“You think I’d hurt my own daughter?” Alex asked, his tone incredulous.

“Not intentionally, no,” Claire said. “But if you disappoint her one too many times, if she realizes she can’t count on you—”

“So what you’re saying is that you don’t think I can be a good father,” Alex said, cutting her off.

“That’s not what I said,” Claire argued. “What I am saying is that to be a good parent you need to be present. You need to be involved.”

His jaw clenched as he thought that over. “Look, I get where you’re coming from,” he finally said. “I understand why you might have concerns. But I will be a good dad.”

Claire studied his face for a moment. His gaze was intense, his expression determined. In that moment she believed he wanted to be a good father, but he knew nothing of how demanding a young child could be. He didn’t understand how one too many broken promises could lead to broken trust.

“Claire,” he said, his tone softening, “I realize you don’t have a lot of faith in me at this point. But if you let me, I’ll make Mia a priority in my life.”

Claire forced a smile, trying to ease some of the tension hanging over them. She wasn’t necessarily persuaded by his words, but she needed to give Alex the chance to know his daughter, without her old hurts clouding her judgment. “We’ll see.” Her tone was clipped and she wasn’t sure what more she could say right then. There would be time to figure it out later.

“You don’t sound too convinced,” he said in annoyance.

“I guess time will tell,” Claire replied.

Alex nodded curtly. “Fair enough.”

He glanced down at the photo he still held. Claire heard his breath catch. “She really is beautiful.”

“She is,” Claire said. “She has your eyes.”

“She has your smile.” Alex finally lifted his gaze to meet hers.

“You should have this.” Claire took the plastic sleeve from him and slid one of Mia’s photos from it. She’d looked at it so many times she had it memorized. “It seems only fair that I should share.”

Alex didn’t argue, confirming Claire’s suspicion that he wanted it badly.

“Thank you.” He gave it a long, hard look before taking out his wallet and sliding it inside.

* * *

“The sooner we get your name cleared, the sooner I can meet my daughter,” Alex said. His heartbeat sped up at the thought. There had been a time when he couldn’t wait to start a family with Claire. That dream had vanished like vapor when he’d allowed his past to own him. Yesterday, when he’d run across the article mentioning Mia, he’d had to reread the line countless times before the words made sense. Even now, he wasn’t sure the news had completely sunk in.

A full day later and it still seemed so surreal.

He fought to tamp down the frustration he felt. He wanted to tell Claire that he wasn’t the person he used to be. Like her, he’d found a connection with the Lord and it had changed him. He didn’t want to see the look of doubt in her eyes. He was pretty sure she wished just about anyone else had come to her rescue. He’d be lying if he said that didn’t hurt, at least a little.

“Did you look through the information I gave you?” Claire asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

“I did.” He was impressed. She had compiled detailed information regarding sales made by Xavier. She had buyers’ names, dates of sales, pickup sites and purchase prices. “You’ve built a very good case against Xavier. I don’t think there’s any disputing he’s fencing stolen antiquities. Why haven’t you taken this to the police?”

“Does anything in that file prove he murdered Jared?”

He frowned. “No.”

“Exactly. Having him locked up for fraud wouldn’t get me off the hook for murder.” She fidgeted with her coffee cup. “I was hoping to tie him to Jared’s death using the information in the file I gave you. I haven’t been able to do that yet.”

“You’ve compiled a lot of information on the antiques Xavier was fencing,” Alex said. “How were you able to get the documentation?”

“Jared.” She winced. “I took most of it from him.”

“He was involved?”

“Yes. It’s what got him killed.”

Alex could use another cup of coffee, but he wasn’t about to walk away from this conversation, not even for a minute.

“In order for me to help you, I need the whole story. Can you start from the beginning? You need to tell me everything.”

“‘The beginning’?” she echoed.

Claire was strong and determined, always had been. Now she seemed hardened, world-weary. It was a burden Alex was familiar with and never wanted Claire to have to carry. She’d always been welcoming, open, quick to smile. Now she seemed closed off, cynical.

“I’m supposed to tell you all about how awful my marriage was?” She squeezed her eyes closed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

She looked defeated as she slumped into her chair. If there was a way he could spare her from this, he would. But if he was going to help, he needed the facts. All of them.

“I am at fault somewhat,” she said. “I rushed into the marriage. After you left, I was angry. I was hurt. I was missing you terribly. I had a new baby and I didn’t want to be alone. Jared was charming. He treated me well at first.” She picked up her coffee cup, realized it was empty and set it back down. “Looking back, I realize he was too charming. Too perfect. But after we were married that changed. I have no doubt he wanted a wife because it fit the image he was trying to create. His investors were more comfortable with a family man. Many of them saw him as altruistic, taking in a child that wasn’t his own. He doted on Mia in public, putting on a wonderful show, as always. But in private, he ignored her. It was probably for the best, but it was very confusing for Mia.”