Chapter 17
Bruno had intended to drop off Marissa and then call a car to return to the restaurant, but after he parked in the lot, he didn’t feel right about leaving. He followed her into the pediatric emergency room of the hospital, filled almost to capacity with parents and their children.
Some of the kids cried while others leaned heavily against their mothers’ sides looking sickly and forlorn. One kid kept coughing while her father rubbed her back in a soothingly repeated motion.
Marissa hurried to the counter where several women sat behind a glass. “Hello, my name is Marissa Liburd, and my son is Theodore Shaw. He arrived here with my babysitter maybe ten minutes ago.”
Her voice shook a little, and Bruno sympathized with her concern. Getting a phone call that one of his nieces or nephews had been rushed to the hospital would be devastating, so getting that call about a child must be doubly terrifying. On the ride over, he had asked Marissa what was wrong with her son, and she’d told him the babysitter rushed him to the hospital because he was horsing around, fell, and busted his head open.
“He’s always jumping on the damn furniture playing Spiderman, and I’ve told him a million times not to do that,” she had said, sounding angry and fearful at the same time.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Bruno had said, though he knew no such thing. He had hated to see her distress in the car, her forehead wrinkled, and her hands held tightly together in her lap.
As the woman behind the glass did a search, he stood silently behind Marissa.
The woman made eye contact with Marissa. “They took him to the back. He had a pretty nasty gash over his eye. You should go back there now.”
Marissa took off for the double doors. Before she went through, she stopped abruptly and turned to face Bruno, as if she suddenly remembered he was with her.
“Go. I’ll wait out here,” he said.
She nodded and hurried through the door.
He found a seat at the back of the room next to a woman cradling a crying infant that she gently rocked from side to side.
Alone now, he had time to think. Marissa is a mother.
In the past, he hadn’t had positive experiences with single mothers, but that history didn’t concern him at the moment.
At The Wine Cork, Marissa had been downright skittish after the kiss, but there was no doubt she had enjoyed it. He did, and his body stirred at the memory of how she felt in his arms and the way she tasted, like forbidden, sweet nectar.
He wanted more of Marissa, but their business relationship was a problem. She was the type of woman who did the right thing. Kissing her had forced her to break the rules tonight, and he imagined she was the kind of person who would have major regrets for doing something she considered wrong.
Then of course, there was the glaring piece of information he had learned tonight. Marissa is a mother.
During the next couple of hours, he watched the stream of parents coming in and going to the back, concern and worry on their faces for their little ones—the same expressions that had been on Marissa’s face.
Bruno kept busy on his phone, twice walking outside to make calls. After he finished the second conversation, he walked down the street to a sandwich shop and ordered sandwiches. When they finished with her son, Marissa might be hungry since they didn’t get to finish their meal at The Wine Cork.
Fifteen minutes after he returned to the waiting room, Marissa exited holding the hand of a little boy with dark red hair wearing a Spiderman costume. Right behind them was a fair-skinned Black woman with short hair that fell to right below her ears.
Bruno stood at his new spot in the front row, and when Marissa saw him, her eyes widened and her steps faltered. After she caught herself, the three of them walked over to him.
“You’re still here.” She sounded surprised.
“I told you I would stay. I wanted to make sure you and your son were okay.”
“Thank you.” She appeared genuinely surprised. “Carla, this is Bruno, one of my friends. This is Carla, my babysitter, and my son, Theodore. Theo, this is Mr. Santana.”
Bruno gazed down at the little boy.
“Hi, Mr. Santana. I got stitches.” Theo pointed to above his eye, where a gash through his eyebrow was held together by sutures. Otherwise, he appeared to be in good spirits.
Bruno bent closer and peered at the doctor’s handiwork. “Wow. How did that happen?” he asked, though he knew the answer.
Marissa answered. “Climbing the bookcase that I’ve told him a thousand times not to climb.”
“Not a thousand times, Mommy. Only five times.”
Marissa pursed her lips, and Carla covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Bruno himself had to bite back his laughter.
“Carla, thank you for staying, though you didn’t have to.”
“No way was I going to abandon my little buddy.”
“I appreciate you, and I’m sorry for all the trouble.”
“No trouble at all, Marissa. Nice to meet you, Mr. Santana.”
“Care for a sandwich? I bought five. Two roast beef, chicken salad, and turkey club.”
“I’d love a sandwich. I’ll have roast beef. I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner.”
Bruno handed the sandwich to her.
“Thank you.” Carla shot a curious look between him and Marissa before she turned her attention to Theo. “I’ll see you next time, Spiderman.” She gave the little boy a quick kiss on the forehead and left them alone.
“Thank you for coming with me. I thought the situation was way worse.”
“No concussion, I guess?” Bruno said.
“No, thank goodness. They did a scan, and he’s fine, but I swear, this boy…” She shook her head.
“I suppose this is the norm for people with kids. I’ve seen my parents panic plenty of times because of crazy things my siblings and I did. With so many kids in the house, there was never a dull moment. Growing up, there were broken bones, minor concussions, and for some reason on two separate occasions, my sister Audra stuck a toy up her nose.”
That brought laughter to her lips. “I’ve lived through that. Theo stuck an eraser in one nostril while at school. The nurse took care of it, but they called me at work to let me know what happened.” She shook her head again.
Bruno let out a small laugh. “Now that I know he’s fine, I can head back to the restaurant.”
“I can give you a ride?—”
“Not necessary. You should go home with your son. I’ll call a car.”
“No, I insist. You came all this way.”
“Willingly,” Bruno said in a firm voice.
“I appreciate it,” Marissa said quietly.
Bruno walked them to the parking lot where he’d left the vehicle. Theo skipped the entire way. Whatever fears he might have experienced before had disappeared now that his mother was there, and he was feeling better. Clearly an energetic boy, he no doubt kept Marissa busy.
At the car, she turned to him again. “Are you sure you don’t need me to take you back?”
“I’m positive.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the car keys. “You’re going to need these.”
“Right,” she said with a little laugh.
“And these sandwiches are for you. I figured you might be hungry since we didn’t get a chance to finish dinner.”
She took the bag. “You didn’t have to do that. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Marissa and Theo climbed into the car, her son in the back seat. She waved as she pulled out of the parking lot.
Bruno removed his phone and called a car to take him to the restaurant. When he arrived, he packed up the food and then took the long drive home, his mind unsettled, a tightness in his chest the entire way.
At home, the quiet hit him harder than ever. His house was empty. There was no music, no laughter, no sounds of movements in other parts of the house. He was alone.
He disliked that feeling. The emptiness of the house seemed especially noticeable now, and he knew why. He had spent time with Marissa laughing, talking, teasing, learning more about each other. A stark contrast between then and now.
He put away the food. He didn’t want to eat alone. He didn’t want to be alone. He wanted someone to talk to.
Marissa.
As he strolled to his bedroom, he dialed her number.
“Hello?” The sound of her voice filled his gut with tension and forced him to stand still. This woman had him in a chokehold.
“Hi. How is your son?” He paced the carpet at the foot of his bed.
“In bed. The whole ordeal tuckered him out. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but the entire ride home, he talked about the stitches and how cool they are. I’m almost afraid he’ll do the same thing again tomorrow so he can hit his head again!”
“You have your hands full with him.”
“Yes, I do,” she said with a laugh.
“Well, I’m glad he’s okay.” Pause. “I didn’t know you had a son. You never mentioned him before.”
Another pause.
“I didn’t think my family situation was any of your business.”
“What about the trust we discussed? That doesn’t mean anything to you?”
“Of course it does.”
“Yet you kept your son a secret.”
“He’s not a secret. I didn’t mention him to you, that’s all.”
That’s the part that stuck in his craw and twisted like a knife. Why had she excluded him from the knowledge of her son?
“Is Theo’s father in the picture?”
“He’s in Theo’s life but not mine. Our relationship ended a long time ago. That doesn’t change what I said to you, Bruno. There’s too much at stake if you and I become involved. It will complicate my life, and as a single mother, my life is complicated enough.”
For the first time in his life, Bruno wanted to pursue a woman and couldn’t have her. Even more frustrating, she obviously wanted him, so his brain couldn’t compute that they couldn’t be together.
“I don’t want to complicate your life, Marissa,” he said.
“Good. Then we’re on the same page.” She sounded relieved. “I’ll let you go now. Good night, Bruno.”
“Sweet dreams, Marissa.”