Jo Leigh - Confessions Bundle

She’d meant well. And that fact didn’t do anyone one bit of good.

Her gaze stretching so far her eyes ached, Juliet took in the beach for at least the hundredth time. Where was he? Had he found her?

She looked and saw nothing. Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes again. She’d fallen apart a couple of times since Marcie had announced that Mary Jane was gone.

For once in her life she felt completely powerless. There was no way she could fix this one. She just didn’t know what to do.

Except check out front again to see if anyone was coming.

No one was. Juliet’s head dropped against the front window as sobs shook her shoulders.

“Oh God, Mary Jane. Please come home. Please, baby. I didn’t lie to you. I didn’t tell him about you. I love you, baby. Please come home…”

At first the words just played over and over in her mind. But eventually, as she stood there, a dead weight against the window, she started to talk to her daughter out loud. The words were sometimes indistinguishable, broken up by almost animalistic moans of pain, but she continued to talk to Mary Jane. Maybe the little girl would feel the power of her need.

Or maybe she was losing her mind.

“I didn’t lie to you, imp. I’d never lie to you…”

“I know.”

Juliet froze, her forehead wet and sticky against the window.

“I know you didn’t lie. Blake told me.”

She spun around and then, with huge, gulping sobs, grabbed up the child who had miraculously appeared in the room behind her. If she was demented, so be it. She didn’t want them to ever bring her out of it. Freedom was barking like crazy.

“Mary Jane?” She couldn’t let go long enough to look at the child’s face. But she knew the heart beating against her own. “Thank God. Oh, thank God.”

She had no idea how many minutes passed before she noticed the man standing behind their daughter, watching her. No matter what happened from there on out, how much he hated her, how horrible he was to her, she would always be grateful to him. Blake had brought her baby back to her.

The irony in that didn’t escape her.

IT WAS ANOTHER TWO HOURS before Juliet had a chance to be alone with Blake. Once she’d assured herself that, while Mary Jane might look a mess, she was none the worse for her escapade, Juliet had the wherewithal to call the cell phones of the other searchers and tell them that Mary Jane had returned. She owed them all more than she’d ever be able to repay.

And she called off the cops.

Everyone, including the pair of officers she’d spoken with earlier, stopped at the house, just to see for themselves that the little girl was fine. They all wanted to hear the story of how Blake had heard her whimpering behind a rock several miles from home, and then carried her all the way back.

Sitting at the kitchen table eating a peanut butter sandwich after her bath, with Freedom sleeping under the table at her feet, Mary Jane held court with her visitors, telling them about her adventure. The little girl would have to be punished, Juliet knew that, but not yet. Not tonight. Tonight she was home and safe, and needed all the nurturing she was getting.

It wasn’t every day that, with no warning, a girl came face-to-face with a stranger who also happened to be the man who’d fathered her.

And when Mary Jane’s eyes started to droop, everyone except Blake said their goodbyes.

The neighbors had given the tall, good-looking man several curious looks. Duane Wilson was going to be grilling her like crazy when she got to work on Monday, asking why her client had been on her beach in the first place.

“It’s past your bedtime,” Juliet announced as soon as the front door closed. She needn’t have bothered. Mary Jane was already off her chair, hugging her aunt Marcie good-night. Juliet waited to walk with her down the hall and tuck her in. Tonight, of all nights, she wasn’t going to miss that.

She had to blink back more tears when Mary Jane stopped in front of Blake.

“Thank you for finding me,” the child said solemnly, staring up at him.

His eyes glistened as he gazed at his daughter, as though enraptured. “You’re welcome.”

“And I’ve thought over what you said and it’s okay for you to see me again. But I still don’t need a father.”

He bowed his head, whether simply to accept her offer, or because he was hiding emotion he didn’t want them to see, Juliet didn’t know. “Thank you.”

Mary Jane reached out one small hand and patted his. “Good night.”

Hands on the table in front of him, Blake said, “Good night, sweetheart.”

Juliet had a feeling he’d have given his life for a hug, and felt her heart break a little bit more when he didn’t push the little girl.

HE WAS WAITING alone in the kitchen when she returned from the bedroom.

“I’m so, so—”

“Don’t.” He held Freedom’s leash. “I don’t want to hear it. I just stayed to let you know I intend to see her as much as possible over the next couple of weeks.”

There was no softness in his voice, and no warmth in the eyes staring back at her. Cold and withdrawn now that Mary Jane was gone, Blake was more of a stranger than he’d been the moment she’d first met him nine years before.

“As long as it’s okay with her, it’s fine with me.”

“You don’t really have much choice in the matter. You owe me eight years and I’m not aware of any way you’ll ever be able to pay that back.”

She could feel the tears filling her eyes again and could do nothing to stop them. She didn’t blame him for his anger and wouldn’t blame him if he never spoke a civil word to her again.

“If you’re ever ready to listen, I’m here and will tell you anything you want to know.”

He tapped his leg for Freedom. Put the dog on his leash.

“Would you like me to drive you to your car?”

His eyes were hard as he glanced over at her. “I’ll walk,” he said. “I need the air.”

And being in the same car with her would be far too confining, she read between the lines.

He opened the back door and was halfway through it before she spoke.

“Blake?”

He turned.

“Do you want to find a new attorney?”

He frowned, gave a derisive sigh. “There’s hardly time, is there?”

Probably not. The paper trail was too extensive for anyone to have time to come in cold and get up to speed.

“I’ll do my best.”

He nodded. Walked out. And closed the door behind him with obvious finality.

OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, Juliet saw Blake but spoke to him only briefly, to make arrangements for his visits with his daughter and to update him regarding his case. She tried a couple of times to speak with him about the past—and a future. Each time, he reminded her that he was her client and any kind of personal interaction between them would be unethical.

They both knew his words were more a slap in the face than a demonstration of concern over legal ethics. While they certainly couldn’t embark on a relationship while she was representing him, they’d already had some highly personal conversations.

Mary Jane was still claiming she didn’t want a father, but after her first dinner with Blake—a dinner she almost backed out of—she agreed to see him every time he asked. She didn’t say much to Juliet about what they did or where they went, or even what they talked about. For the first time, her daughter wasn’t sharing everything with her.

Juliet tried to talk with Mary Jane about her growing feelings for her father, whatever those feelings were, wanting her to know that she supported them, but Mary Jane wouldn’t discuss Blake with her. Nor did she seem to want to talk about Blake’s upcoming trial.