Chapter 30
30
Karen watched Mark disappear down the hallway. She heard Olivia and Zannie still giggling, their youthful energy undiminished even at this late hour. Their laughter was light, carefree, a sweet reminder of how resilient children can be. A softer voice followed—the tender good night from Laura, quieter but filled with the same contentment. Karen smiled to herself, her heart swelling with affection for these girls, so willing to embrace the chaos of the day with open hearts.
Her day had not turned out to be anything like she expected. Some surprises in life were chaotic and messy, but others, like this one, filled her with a deep sense of purpose. Offering them shelter had felt right, like the missing piece of a puzzle she hadn’t realized was incomplete. She sent up a silent prayer of gratitude, thanking whatever forces had shaped her daughters into such kind, giving souls. They had accepted the sudden shift in their lives with effortless grace, their hearts wide open to the changes.
As she thought of her daughters, her mind drifted to Jeffrey. His memory always lingered at the edges of moments like these, bittersweet and tender. He would have been so proud of them, proud of how selflessly they’d welcomed Marty and Zannie. Karen imagined his smile, the way his eyes would have softened with pride, and felt a quiet ache in her chest.
But her thoughts didn’t linger in the past for long. They drifted, instead, to Benji—Mark’s son—and the easy friendship he had struck up with Marty. It had been so natural, like they had known each other for years rather than days. Watching them, Karen couldn’t help but be struck by how seamlessly Benji had shared his father’s attention with these two children, who had never had the kind of steady, positive male figure that Mark embodied. It spoke volumes about the kind of man Mark was—generous, kind, and quietly strong.
Karen sighed softly, feeling the weight of the day settle into her bones, but it wasn’t an unpleasant heaviness. It was the feeling of things shifting into place, of new beginnings taking root. And as she finally turned toward her own room, her heart was filled with a sense of peace, a hope for what the next days might bring—both for the children and for herself.
“Miss Karen?”
She jolted as Marty’s soft voice interrupted her musings. Quickly walking over to him, she sat on the bed where Mark had just sat. “Yes?”
“I wondered what the rules were.”
“The rules?”
“Yeah. Mama always said there were rules whenever she had a new boyfriend.”
Uncertain precisely what he meant, she tilted her head. “Can you tell me what some of the rules were?”
He shrugged and looked down at his hands on top of the navy comforter. “Don’t eat the food he’d bought, only what Mama brought in. Don’t touch his stuff. One of her boyfriends didn’t want us to leave our room at night except to go to the bathroom. Once, Zannie got sick, and he got mad when I tried to wake Mom.” He shrugged again and looked up at her. “You know. Stuff like that.”
Having worked in nursing for years, Karen had often seen families come in all shapes and sizes. Good families had nothing to do with socioeconomics. It was about the love parents offered a child, modeling how to be a caring adult. She’d seen families with money and status who were horrible at caring for each other and families that had very little, but the children felt loved. She also knew the toll that addiction could cause.
Pushing all that down, she blew out a breath. “Well, if we want to talk about the rules in this house, I will say we respect each other. We listen to each other. And we help each other.”
He stared at her for a long moment as though waiting.
She reached out and cupped his cheek. “Other than that, Marty, I just want you to let me know if there is something you need. My job is to look after you, your sister, and my girls.”
“What about Mr. Mark?”
She pressed her lips together, suddenly wishing Mark was there to answer that question. “He’s my really good friend.”
“Like a boyfriend?”
“Yes. Like a boyfriend.”
“But he doesn’t live here?”
“No. He has his own house where he lives with Benji and Mr. Robbins.”
“How come you don’t live together? We always lived with Mama’s boyfriends, or they lived with us.”
“We’re still new to each other.” She could see the confusion in his eyes, and she licked her bottom lip as she carefully considered her words. She had a feeling that Marty and Zannie had lived in a lot of different places with a lot of different men as his mom’s boyfriends. She wondered what all they had been exposed to that would have been inappropriate for children. She added talking to the school counselor to the growing list of things she needed to take care of tomorrow when she dropped them at school. “For many people, it’s a good idea to take time to get to know someone really well before sharing a home.”
Marty stared at her silently, then finally nodded. She could tell he had thought things over carefully. “That makes sense. Sometimes we just get to a place, and then Mama and her new boyfriend start yelling, and then next thing I’d know, she’d grab Zannie and me, and we’d go somewhere else.”
“You don’t have to worry about that for now. All you need to do is sleep in your bed tonight, have fun at school tomorrow, and then come back here. I’ll do everything I can to make it a good day.”
“You work as a nurse during the day when we’re at school?” he asked.
She nodded. “That’s right. I have lots of people who I visit just like Mr. Roscoe.”
“Alan asked about you one time.”
At that, her head jerked back. “I’m sorry? Alan? Your mom’s boyfriend?”
“Yeah. He saw you there and asked Mr. Roscoe what you were doing. I was playing outside, but I heard Mr. Roscoe say you were a nurse.”
“Oh…” she muttered, embarrassed to have caught Alan’s attention.
“But I knew about nurses when we had a career day at school and from the school nurse. Nurses are nice. That’s how Zannie and I knew you’d be nice to talk to.”
A smile easily slipped out. “Thank you. Then I’m glad Alan asked so that you knew you could talk to me. Mr. Roscoe is one of my favorite patients, and he always loved it when you came around. Maybe sometime we can go visit him.”
Marty’s face brightened. “Yeah, I’d like that!” He held her gaze, then asked, “What about Benji? Will we get to play with him again?”
“Absolutely! Plus, you’ll probably see him at school occasionally, even if you’re not in the same grade.”
Marty’s expression eased as though the cares of the world had fallen away. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “I’ll get you up in the morning in time for breakfast. You won’t have to catch the bus because I’ll take all of you to school. I need to talk to the principal and counselor to let them know you are with me.”
She stood and smiled down at him. “Sleep tight and sweet dreams.”
The smile of wonder on his face made her suspect he’d never had sweet dreams before. Leaving his room, she left the door ajar so the night-light in the hall would give illumination if needed. She popped her head back into Olivia and Zannie’s room, reminding them to stay quiet so they could sleep. She had already taken time, when Zannie was having a bath, to check with Olivia to see how she was doing with having to share her room. Her daughter assured her it was wonderful, but Karen also knew it could be because it was new. She had no idea what would happen when the girls had a fight.
She stepped into Laura’s room and walked over to her beautiful teenager, who was sitting in bed reading. “Hey,” she greeted softly.
“Are you making the rounds?” Laura asked, just as softly.
“Yeah. I figure it will take time for everyone to settle into a routine.” Sitting on the side of the bed, she dipped her head to hold Laura’s gaze. “Are you okay? I know this was a lot to spring on you and your sister.”
Laura leaned forward, placing her hand on Karen’s. “Mom, it’s cool. Our house isn’t the biggest, but that’s okay. We have room for everyone and can offer them a better place.”
Overcome with emotions, she nodded, but Laura wasn’t finished. “Their place with their mom was really bad, wasn’t it?”
Wanting to protect Laura, it was hard to admit the truth. But at fourteen, she was well on her way to becoming the woman Karen knew she could be. Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, she let it out slowly as she nodded. “Yes… it was bad.”
Laura grimaced, then mimicked her mom when she inhaled deeply before nodding. “Then it’s good they’re here with us.”
“God, I love you, sweetheart,” Karen said, leaning closer to place her lips on Laura’s forehead. Standing, she said, “See you in the morning. Sweet dreams.”
“Love you, Mom,” Laura said in return.
Karen stood in the hall for a moment, stunned at the turn of events of her day. It started with her wondering about her coworkers in light of the recent burglaries and ended with a whirlwind of activities in fostering two children she’d come to know.
Before allowing her mind to continue the path of strange occurrences, she hurried to the kitchen, where she found Mark wiping down the counters and taking the clean dishes from the dishwasher.
“Oh, Mark, you’ve done so much,” she said, moving straight to him.
He turned, grinning, and scoffed. “Me? I’d say your day was filled with more than mine.”
Chuckling as he set the final plate in the cabinet, then turned and wrapped his arms around her. She encircled his waist. “I’d say our days were both fairly nutsy.”
“Nutsy? I like that,” he said, leaning closer until his mouth hovered over her lips.
Suddenly, she wanted to forget for a few minutes that her household of children had doubled. She just wanted to stand in the arms of the man she was falling for and feel his mouth on hers.
He must have felt the same thing because as his lips landed on hers, the fireworks began. Soft and strong, the combination ignited against her mouth, and she felt the warmth blossom throughout her body. Their heads twisted and moved as noses bumped and tongues tangled. This was no delicate kiss of new lovers. This was raw and rough… the kind of kiss that two people who know what they want and know that time will not be their friend. Responsibilities loomed, but for a few moments, they could steal a kiss, and neither wanted to waste a second.
Her hands fisted in his shirt just before she slipped them underneath the material and let her fingers trail upward over the taut muscles in his back. He groaned, and she swallowed the sound. His arms pulled her tight, and she felt his cock thicken as it pressed against the softness of her belly. Her hips shifted intuitively, seeking the pressure, and she wished there were no layers of clothes between them.
One hand fisted in her hair, and the slight sting now had her moaning. He angled her head and held her in place as his mouth sealed and his tongue plundered. She welcomed each invasion, wanting him to drink her in as she feasted on the flavors and scents that were all Mark.
Far too soon, they slowly separated. First, their lips as they both gasped and panted for air. Then his fingers ungripped her hair, and her hands glided from his satin skin to where they rested on his leather belt. Their long exhalations combined, and their chests moved apart as their arms loosened. Finally, their hips separated as they took a step backward. His erection was still prominent, and she wondered if it was painful.
Holding his gaze, she felt a smile slip over her face. “Thanks. I needed that.”
He chuckled, and the deep rumbling moved from his chest straight through her. “My pleasure. Anytime you need me or my body, just let me know.”
At that, she giggled and then rolled her eyes. “I can’t remember the last time I giggled.”
“Did it feel good?”
Nodding, she now laughed. “Yes. Giggling felt good.”
“There is nothing wrong with a giggle sometimes, but after a day like today, I’m glad you can find some lightheartedness.”
Thinking about the day, she sobered. “Tell me what happens next, Detective Robbins?”
His brow lifted. “Detective Robbins?”
“Yes. When you’re my boyfriend, it’s Mark. But right now, I need you as a detective to let me know what is happening.”
He sighed heavily, and she tried to ignore how his chest moved. She failed. What she really wanted was to know how his chest would feel pressed against hers again. His words cut through her musings.
“Tonight, we sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll start work on finding their mom and Alan. We’ll arrest them on endangerment, neglect, and abandonment. Brad will help me with this, but so will John or Elizabeth. Brad will also be working on the thefts.”
“I’m sorry you’re off the case.”
“I’m not,” he stated definitely.
She cocked her head to the side. “Really.”
His hands held hers tightly between their bodies. “Yes, Karen. Being off the case means I can be here like this with you. That’s where I want to be, and it’s a helluva lot better than just being on the burglary case and alone.”
Karen nodded slowly, understanding and gratitude filling her. “I know that you know I had nothing to do with the thefts. But just this morning, I was thinking about my staff or the others who work at the ESHH. And I felt that none of them could be doing something they shouldn’t, or at least, letting someone have the information to use.” She sighed heavily. “But honestly, now? All my energy is going into helping my family, the kids, and you. Brad can have his burglary case, and I’ll just worry about what you find out and how it will affect Marty and Zannie.”
He kissed her lightly and murmured, “I think that sounds like a good plan.”
She kissed him but kept it gentle, knowing he needed to leave. As they separated again, she said, “I’ll take the kids to school tomorrow and talk to the principal and the counselor. I not only need them to be aware of what’s happening in case there are problems at school, or their mom tries to come get them, but also, something Marty said to me tonight has me worried.”
Mark’s brows lowered. “What was that?”
“He mentioned they had moved a lot and talked about their mom's boyfriends. I just want to make sure that if there was any abuse, we can find out about it.”
Mark nodded, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he walked to the front door. “Right now, just focus on the fact that the kids are safe, warm, fed, and have beds to sleep in. All thanks to you.”
Scoffing, she reminded, “All thanks to us and a bunch of friends!”
At that, he kissed her again, then headed out the door. Flipping the lock, she watched from the window as he pulled out of her driveway. She soon went to bed, exhaustion pulling at her, but sleep was fitful as strange dreams filled her night.