Darby's Decision, page 15
The rideshare pulled up, the driver asked for Gage. He gave the cop a nod, then opened the door for Darby.
“Can you please take us to Asbury?” Darby asked.
“Yep. Any place in particular?” The driver pulled away from the country club.
Darby thought for a moment. “There’s a restaurant called Karen’s Kitchen. Could you take us there?”
“Sure.” The driver plugged the address into his built-in GPS.
Gage didn’t think they’d been followed, but he couldn’t help looking frequently out through the back window to scan the traffic behind them. No sign of the black Ford pickup truck.
No sign of anyone else following either.
Darby pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call Edith, let her know we’re on our way.”
He nodded and listened to her side of the conversation. Darby’s voice choked up when she spoke to Leo.
“I love you, Leo. Mommy will be there soon.” She sniffled and brushed tears from her eyes. “Be good for Oma.”
Darby put her phone away and sat back against the seat cushion. “I can’t believe we’re finally safe.”
“I know.” It had been a long haul getting here, but he was glad they’d made it out of East Knoxville without a problem.
“Gage, what if we can’t go back?”
Darby’s question caught him off guard. “What do you mean?”
“If they don’t catch Reyes, we’ll never be safe.” She turned in her seat to face him. “Unless we disappear forever.”
He looked into her clear gray eyes. “We?”
She flushed and nodded. “You need to be safe too, Gage. And I know you want to spend time with Leo.”
It was his turn to choke up. He was grateful she’d included him in her plans. But he really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He still had three months of probation that required him to stay in Knoxville. “Let’s take it one day at a time. I’m really hoping the police will find Reyes.”
“But if they don’t,” she persisted, “I’m not going back to East Knoxville. Not if there’s even the remote possibility of Leo being in danger.”
“I know.” He truly understood where she was coming from.
Their driver pulled up at the restaurant. Edith and Leo were standing outside waiting for them. Darby bolted from the car, rushing over to scoop Leo up and into her arms. “Oh, I missed you so much,” she said.
Gage added a tip for the driver, then grabbed the bags and crossed over to join her. Edith eyed him warily. He offered a smile. “Hi, I’m Gage Killion.”
“Edith Schroeder,” she responded. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Darby finally set Leo back on his feet. “Leo, I’d like you to meet—” she faltered, then said, “your daddy.”
Leo stuck his fist in his mouth, clutched his mother’s leg, and looked up at Gage through green eyes.
His green eyes.
And in that moment, Gage knew he’d go wherever Darby wanted, even if that meant breaking his probation, as long as they could all be together.
Chapter Thirteen
Darby heard Edith’s soft gasp at the news that Gage was Leo’s father. Still, she kept her gaze on Gage, who looked at their son with a mixture of hope and love in his eyes. The emotion shimmering from his gaze squeezed her heart.
She was surprisingly glad Gage knew about their son.
Leo was acting unusually shy, so she put a hand on his blond hair and tried to reassure him. “It’s okay, Leo. Say hi.”
“Hi.” Leo’s voice was so soft she wasn’t sure Gage could hear him.
She gave Gage credit for dropping down into a crouch so he looked less intimidating. “Hi, Leo. I’m really happy to meet you.”
Leo clutched her leg tighter. She wasn’t sure why he was acting so timid and gently eased his grip from her leg. She knelt beside him. “Leo, your daddy was gone for a while, but now he’s back. It’s okay, he won’t hurt you.”
Gage’s gaze shot to her as if wondering if their son had been exposed to abuse. She frowned and shook her head. He smiled at Leo. “Have you been swimming?”
Leo finally removed his fist from his mouth. “Yeah, will you swim with me?”
“I’d love to,” Gage assured him. Darby’s heart melted at the glint of tears in Gage’s eyes.
“Maybe after lunch,” Edith said. “He spent most of the morning in the pool.”
“Can I have chicken fingers?” Leo turned to look up at her hopefully.
“You’ve had them every day,” Edith protested.
Darby glanced at Edith and shrugged. “It won’t hurt him. Yes, Leo. You can have chicken fingers for lunch.” She kissed the top of his head before rising to her feet. “We’ll all sit together.”
“Okay.” Leo let go of her leg, seeming more like himself. He glanced at Gage. “Do you like chicken fingers?”
“I love them,” Gage declared. “Especially with ketchup.”
“Me too,” Leo said, skipping ahead of them.
Darby suspected Gage would eat mud pies if Leo asked him to and made a mental note to remind Gage that raising a child didn’t mean always agreeing with him. Granted, she’d given in on the chicken fingers, but that was a minor concession in the big scheme of things.
And she hadn’t wanted to create a fuss while Gage was trying to establish some sort of connection with their son.
Despite the fact that she and Gage had already eaten, the four of them entered the crowded restaurant. They took a seat at a table so she could get a booster seat for Leo. Gage was on one side of Leo while she took the other side. Edith was across from him.
“So, Gage.” Edith eyed him over the rim of the plastic menu. “Where do you live?”
“West Knoxville. I work for Morehead Construction. We build houses.”
“Oh, that’s nice.” Edith glanced at Darby. “Is everything taken care of?”
“Not exactly.” She wasn’t the least bit hungry. “We’ll fill you in later, okay?” Darby wasn’t going to have this discussion in front of Leo. Not that he’d likely understand it, but she wasn’t taking the chance. Leo picked up on things she said far too easily.
“That’s fine,” Edith agreed.
Their server took the order for Gage’s and Leo’s chicken fingers and Edith’s salad. Darby was happy enough to sip water.
Gage did his best to draw Leo into conversation, asking him about his friends at preschool and what his favorite movie was. Soon Leo was chattering away, all hint of his previous shyness having vanished. She noticed Gage kept his attention centered on the little boy.
It would be good for Leo to have a relationship with his father. And maybe it would be good for her and Gage to work together to raise him. She glanced at Edith, who appeared wary of the situation.
“It’s fine, Edith,” Darby murmured in a low tone.
“Is it?” Edith leaned closer. “Didn’t you tell me Leo’s father was in jail?”
“Yes, but Gage has been out for two years now and is doing great.”
“How do you know that won’t change?” Edith asked.
“I don’t,” she agreed. “Any more than I know I’ll never relapse. I certainly don’t plan on going back to my old ways, but none of us can predict the future, can we?”
Only God knows that.
The words popped into her mind as if someone whispered them into her ear. She almost glanced over her shoulder to see if someone was back there.
Only God knows the future. It was something Gage believed with his whole heart.
And maybe he was right. Maybe God did have a master plan for them. Looking at her small family seated around the table, she couldn’t help but smile.
Never had she allowed herself to consider being reunited with Gage. If she were honest, she’d admit to staying away from men and relationships in part because of her feelings for him. Despite the fact that things hadn’t been very good back then, Gage had remained the bright spot in her life, especially after she’d gotten the courage to dump Aaron.
There was also the fact that she didn’t have a lot of spare time to date. And the most important factor that had kept her from seeing anyone was her need to stay sober.
She hadn’t wanted to risk trading drugs for alcohol. And most guys didn’t understand her desire to drink water or fruit juice.
Frankly, it hadn’t been worth the hassle.
That was something she didn’t have to worry about with Gage.
When they finished eating, Gage looked upset at not being able to pay. “There must be a cash machine nearby, right?”
“It’s my turn,” she reminded him. “And yes, we’ll both need more cash.”
“We should head back to the hotel.” Edith glanced at Gage. “Unfortunately, I have a single room with two beds, not a full suite.”
“We can upgrade to a two-bedroom suite if one is available,” Gage offered. “Or I can sleep on the floor.”
Edith nodded and led the way outside. Darby took Leo’s hand and was surprised when Gage took the boy’s other hand.
“Wheee,” he cried, lifting up his feet and putting all his weight on their hands.
Gage chuckled and lifted Leo higher. Darby knew they looked like a happy family as they left the restaurant and headed over to the hotel.
There was a cash machine in the lobby, so she and Gage headed over to replenish their cash reserves. Returning to the front desk, the clerk quickly upgraded them to a two-bedroom suite.
“I wanna swim!” Leo demanded.
Gage glanced over toward the gift shop. “I’ll need to get swimming trunks.”
“Go ahead, we’ll meet you up in the room.” Darby handed him one of the keys. “I’ll help Edith pack her and Leo’s things.”
“Thanks.” Gage disappeared inside the gift shop.
As they took the elevator to the fourth floor, Leo looked up at her. “Is Daddy going to live with us from now on?”
“Uh, well, I—don’t know about that.” Darby shot a helpless glance at Edith who shrugged. “He has his apartment, and we have our townhouse. I’m sure you’ll get to see him on weekends.”
Leo’s brow furrowed. “But other mommies and daddies live together.”
She blew out a breath, realizing she should have been prepared for this line of questioning. “Some do, but not all.”
Leo seemed to consider this response. “Jack’s daddy doesn’t live with him.”
“Exactly.” Darby was anxious to change the subject. “Which water ride is your favorite so far?”
“I like the giant slide,” Leo declared.
“Sounds fun.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were all in the new suite located on the second floor. Once Gage and Leo were ready to swim, they trooped over to the water park.
When father and son went over to try the giant slide, Edith put a hand on her arm. “Gage seems like a nice young man.”
“He is.” Darby smiled. “We’re both in a better place now than we were back then.”
“He seems determined to be a role model for Leo.” Edith lifted a brow. “Have you discussed child support and visitation arrangements?”
Darby flushed. “We haven’t gotten that far. And won’t be able to even talk about it until the men who tried to hurt us are arrested.”
Edith’s expression turned serious. “How long will that take?”
Darby sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know. Hopefully soon.”
“We can’t stay here forever,” Edith protested. “What about your job? And Gage’s?”
Being gainfully employed was important, but Leo’s safety trumped all. “I know we can’t stay much longer. I’m hopeful this will all be over very soon.”
Darby watched as Gage scooped Leo up into his arms. The little boy was giggling madly as Gage spun in a circle.
She smiled at how father and son looked together.
And silently prayed that God would help the police find Reyes very soon.
Gage couldn’t believe how blessed he was to have this time with Leo. The little boy’s initial shyness had finally melted away, revealing a gregarious child who thrived under male attention.
Darby had raised Leo very well. He was kind, polite, yet displayed a hint of stubbornness Gage knew came from his mother.
When he noticed Leo shivering, he picked the boy up and carried him out of the pool.
“No, don’t wanna get out,” Leo wailed.
He steeled his heart against the plea. “You’re shivering, and I’m tired. Look, your mom has towels for us.”
“B-but I wanna s-swim.” Leo’s teeth began to chatter.
“Enough,” Darby said firmly. She tossed Gage one of the towels and wrapped the other around their son. “I think it’s time to watch a movie.”
“A movie?” Just that quickly Leo gave up on swimming. “Which one?”
“Hmm.” Darby pretended to consider this. “Cars?”
“Cars!” Leo shouted with glee. “I love Cars!”
Gage hated to admit he’d never seen it. Movies weren’t high on his list of things to do. Work, sleep, eat, and attend church services, plus the Saturday night basketball games were the sum total of his life.
Some of which would need to change now that he had Leo to consider.
They returned to the suite. By the time he’d showered off the chlorine and changed, he found Leo already dressed and snuggled in front of the television where cartoon cars were talking to each other.
“He’ll probably fall asleep,” Edith confided. “He never wants to take a nap, but he’ll end up sleeping anyway.”
Gage nodded. He’d spent plenty of time in the water with Leo but found he wanted, needed more. He wished he could hold the boy in his lap and simply watch him while he slept.
His phone rang before he could act on his thoughts. Recognizing Detective Pride’s number, he quickly answered, moving away for privacy. “Hi, Detective. I hope you’re calling with good news.”
“Not exactly,” Pride admitted. “I wanted to let you know we found the black Ford truck with the stolen plate. It was abandoned in the parking lot of a grocery store.”
A wave of frustration threatened to crush him. “I don’t understand. How is it possible you haven’t found Reyes yet?”
“You said the driver of the truck was a skinny guy, someone other than Reyes,” Pride pointed out.
“That’s correct. But still, that BOLO has been out on Reyes for two days now. He can’t be that hard to find.”
“We don’t know for sure he’s stayed in the area,” Pride countered. “Could be he hightailed it out of town and left skinny guy to clean up after him.”
That possibility hadn’t occurred to him. He wished he’d gotten a better look at the driver of the truck. “What are we supposed to do? Our lives have already been put on hold, and Darby and I both need to get back to work.”
“I know, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”
Gage bit back his annoyance. This wasn’t Detective Pride’s fault.
He was the one who’d worked for Reyes. Who’d turned Reyes and Archer in to the authorities. Now Archer was dead and Reyes was in the wind.
He had no clue who skinny guy was. Could be someone Gage once worked with, or he could be a total stranger, someone he’d never seen before.
“Gage? You still there?” Detective Pride asked.
“Yes. I’m here.” Gage looked over to where Leo leaned against his mother, his eyelids already growing heavy. “Any word on what may have caused Niles Archer’s death? Did the ME rule it a suicide?”
Pride paused for a moment before responding. “Archer’s death was deemed inconclusive.”
Gage frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means the ME couldn’t rule out murder or suicide.”
Gage let that information sink in for a moment. “So, Reyes may have paid someone to murder him.”
“We have no proof of that,” Pride said.
“You have some proof he didn’t die by his own hand,” Gage countered.
Pride sighed heavily. “Leave the investigating to us. Just stay safe, okay?”
“We’ll try.” He felt guilty for the hint of sarcasm and added, “We appreciate the update, Detective.”
“You’re welcome.” Pride disconnected from the call.
He slid his phone into his pocket. Darby eased from a now sleeping Leo and came over to him. “You look upset. What’s wrong?” she whispered.
Gage quickly filled her in.
“Inconclusive,” she repeated. “Maybe Officer Crow is involved?”
“The sheriff’s department runs the jail, but it’s certainly possible Crow has buddies who work there.”
Darby glanced over to where Edith was sitting and reading. “Let’s take a walk.”
Gage nodded. “Are you sure Edith won’t mind?”
“She can relax while Leo naps. I’ll tell her to call me when he wakes up.” Darby crossed over and spoke to Edith who smiled and nodded.
Gage had the impression that Edith liked giving them time together. As if Leo’s Oma was hoping for a rekindling of their former relationship.
He couldn’t lie, he wanted the very same thing. Yet being in danger and hiding out from Reyes wasn’t exactly a good time to discuss that.
They left the hotel room and headed outside. The hotel was busy for a weekday, and with the weekend coming up, he could only imagine the activity would grow exponentially.
His life was solitary and quiet. Playing with Leo in the water had been fun, but the idea of spending endless days here didn’t appeal to him.
“I feel safe here,” Darby said as they walked down to the road.
“Me too.” He glanced at her. “How much longer do you think we should stay?”
She lifted a brow. “How did you know I was going to talk to you about that?”
“It’s been on my mind too.” Gage took her hand in his. “This is fun for Leo, but it’s also not realistic to stay indefinitely. The rooms here are pricey.”
“Tell me about it,” Darby muttered. “I’m using up most of my savings to fund this.”
“Maybe it’s time to consider relocating somewhere new.” Gage hadn’t been ready to do something that drastic when Darby mentioned it earlier, but getting the update from Pride had convinced him there was no end in sight.
