Chapter Twenty-six
Mia arrived in time to see Maisie start to recover. Her screams had Mark speeding in right behind her. Jack could see Maisie’s eyes spring open. Knowing the person she needed most, he lifted her toward Mia.
Distraught, shaking, crying hard, Mia scooped her up and held on for dear life, rocking, hugging, saying over and over, “Thank God! You’re all right, baby. You’re okay, now. Jack saved you. Don’t cry, Mia’s here.”
Clinging tightly, she rocked the little girl, trying to calm Maisie’s fears and dissolve her own nightmarish panic.
“I’m sowwy, Momma Mia. I’m so-sowwy.” Between hiccups and her wails, Jack clearly heard the message Maisie needed to share. She’d done wrong, been bad and knew it.
Finally, after many minutes of hugs and kisses, Mia took the towel Mark held ready and wrapped the little girl in it.
Engulfing her like a mummy, she held her away and began to speak.
“Maisie, saying sorry isn’t going to cut it.
Not this time.” Mia’s face took on a stern look, and as much as Jack wanted to intervene, he knew better.
Obviously, so did Mark, who’d crossed his arms and stepped back.
Jack caught the man’s small head shake and appreciated the warning. Biting his tongue, he waited.
Mia made Maisie lift her head off her breast where Maisie had tried to hide and shook her to get the child’s attention. “What did Mia tell you about the pool?”
Maisie looked at Jack for help, but all he did was nod encouragingly. Then, she finally met Mia’s glare, and her head dropped like a wilting flower on a tiny, slender stalk. “You said I’m not allowed wifout Jack.”
“Yes, I did. And why do you think I said that? No, don’t look at him to save you. Look at me, young lady. Why?”
“Because I’m a bad giwl?”
“No.”
“Because I can’t swim?”
“Yes. Do you understand now why I said that?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“’Cause I dwownded and an angel had to save me.”
“Yes. Jack is an angel, but he’ll not always be around.
” Mia’s voice firmed. “You need to go to your room until I come to you and think about what you did… and no playing with your toys. Either make up your mind that you will listen to me and never go to the pool without an adult. Or, we’ll roll the cover over the pool, close it down and no one will swim.
Promise me you won’t pull another stunt like today… and mean it.”
Jack figured Mia knew darn well that the cover was automatic, and it could be opened or closed by pushing a button anytime. They kept it open so it didn’t heat up too much.
But the little minx didn’t understand mechanics, and he saw where Mia was heading. As much as he just wanted to reach for the princess and cuddle away the tears drenching her eyes, he knew Mia was acting in the best way possible. Neither him nor Mark had any right to intervene, and so they didn’t.
After Maisie was taken to her room, Mark left to begin setting up the sewing machines and Jack headed for the kitchen to get a cold Guinness from the fridge that Angie always kept on hand for him.
He heard someone enter and turned to see that Mia had come in the room, maybe in search of Mark, or to let loose her emotions out of Maisie’s hearing, only he'd ruined her haven.
The shock when she saw him showed she hadn't expected to find him here. Seeking a hidey-hole, he'd foiled her plans.
The woman was a mess. Her bottom lip quivered noticeably.
Her hands wrapped around her chest and gripped her elbows, holding on tight as if afraid her heart would flip out of her body.
And the look of desperation on her face let him know the shock had dissipated, reality had sunk in, and all the “what if’s” had begun to take over.
She began to back away until he spoke.
“Don’t.” The yearning he couldn’t hide sounded in his plea.
“Oh, God! How can I ever thank you?” Tears filled her eyes and she blinked furiously so they wouldn't flood. She looked so forlorn and in need of a hug he couldn't stop himself.
Not wrapping her up in his gentle arms and hauling her close would have taken a stronger man than him. Besides, he needed a hug just as bad. At first, she stiffened – tried to pull away.
“Please,” he pleaded.
“Oh, God,” she whispered.
“Don't,” he said again.
A sob broke loose, and she gave in to her need of solace. Her arms went around his waist, and her head drilled into his chest as she tried to hide her emotional breakdown.
Low words he could barely hear broke the silence. “I saw you praying. I can't tell you how much that meant to me, knowing you were doing everything you could, and you still turned to a higher power.”
Jack had to stop himself from blurting out that he wasn't praying, he was talking to an angel called Lucas. The very angel who had saved Maisie's life.
A sudden truth broke through. He had been praying. What else do you call it when you have a conversation with a spiritual guardian? Although, he didn’t think of Lucas that way – more like a friend.
“I don't know how to thank you.” Her voice sounded distraught, worried… almost sad.
“Thank me? Are you serious? You should be kicking my ass for being late, forcing the princess to take matters into her own hands and disobey your rules.”
She pulled back so she could see his face.