Chapter 37
Blake lay on his side and wished he’d gone home with Paradise. He’d stayed around to put the boys to bed so Mom could run
to town with Frank for a root beer float. The kids would have wanted to go if they’d heard the plans, but Blake had diverted
their attention by getting out the Monopoly Junior game. He’d kept them entertained until he put them to bed, then had watched
TV until Mom got back.
He’d been back in his apartment for an hour but still wasn’t sleepy. He started to reach for the phone to call Paradise when
he heard a noise on the steps to his apartment over the garage. It sounded like someone was climbing them. He leaped up and
grabbed his gun before easing to the door and looking out the viewer. The stairwell was dark. Had the light gone out, or had
someone turned off the power?
A light tap came at the door, then Paradise’s voice softly called, “Blake, are you awake?”
He flung open the door and pulled her inside.
“What are you doing skulking around in the dark so late? I could have shot you. Was the light out when you got here?” He pulled her into an embrace and felt her trembling.
She smelled of fresh coconut shampoo. Her hair was back in a damp braid, and she wore the sweats and tee she usually slept in.
“I’m sorry, did I scare you? You nearly gave me a heart attack. ”
“I didn’t mean to.” She nestled against his chest. “The light was out. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to tell you the news.
My brother is coming tomorrow!”
He shut the door. “Whoa, hold on. Tell me what’s happened.” He led her into the tiny living room where they settled on the
sofa and she showed him the messages from Drew. The unease that had begun to crawl up his spine subsided a bit at the news
he was a detective. Or at least claimed to be.
He took her laptop and did a search for an Atlanta police detective named Bartley. The man popped up on the city’s website,
and Blake studied his face. “He’s got your eyes and coloring. His hair is redder than yours, but I can see he’s related to
you.” She went quiet, and he glanced down at her.
Her hands were clenched together, and she was taking deep breaths. “I—I was afraid to hope he was real, but he has Mom’s eyes
too.” Her voice wobbled. “I have family, Blake. A real brother. I can’t quite believe that after all this time of being alone, I have a brother who wants to see
me. And he knew all about me. Why would they tell him about me but not say a word to me about having a brother? It doesn’t
seem right.”
Her euphoria stung a little because he’d thought he was enough. But of course she wanted a connection with someone who was
her own flesh and blood. Just like Levi and Isaac rooted and enriched him, her brother would fill an empty spot in her life.
He wouldn’t give up his little brothers for anything, and he wanted the best life possible for the woman who was everything
to him.
“Maybe you’ll learn more about that when he comes tomorrow.” He studied the messages again. “Not a clue there about why he’s so eager to see you in person. What kind of urgent matter would have him ready to hop a plane at a moment’s notice?”
She shrugged as if it didn’t matter. And maybe it didn’t. The most important thing was he was coming to see her. She’d meet
her brother for the first time, and he would get to see it. “I’ll meet him with you. I assume he’ll come to the registration
window to ask for you.”
“I gave him the address. I should give him my number too. I’m not afraid now that I’ve seen how we look alike. I’m glad you
thought of doing a search for him.” She took back her laptop and sent out a message with her phone number. He answered a minute
later with his.
This was really happening. “I wonder if he knows about your mom and dad’s murders. Maybe he’s investigating them.”
“Or maybe he’s trying to find his birth father. He didn’t mention him, and maybe he doesn’t know his identity.”
“That’s possible, but it doesn’t seem as urgent as a murder investigation.”
“You think he’s trying to track down the murderer too?” She tensed and edged away. “I’d love to have him help us, but what
if it’s dangerous? I wouldn’t want to lose him as soon as I found him.” Her voice took on a bite. “I wish I knew what he wanted
to talk about.”
“Babe, he’s a police detective. He faces danger every day.
” He lifted her chin and leaned in for a lingering kiss.
The tension eased out of her as she kissed him back, and he pulled her close.
“Whatever it’s about, we’ll know in a few hours,” he murmured against her mouth.
When she was relaxed and pliable in his arms, he pulled back and cupped her face in his palms. “Let it go until tomorrow, babe. No sense in getting strung out over something we can’t know. ”
She nodded. “You always do that.” She pressed her lips against his neck. “You have a way of soaking the fear and anxiety right
out of me with one touch. That’s why I came tonight. I needed you.”
The words struck a chord in his soul. He wanted to be the one she turned to, the one who anchored her and kept her safe. The
one who held her when she cried or soothed her when she was afraid. Being with her did all those things for him too. Even
when they faced the uncertainty of the park’s future, he’d never envisioned a moment when she wasn’t by his side, facing all
these trials together.
He kissed her again. “I’ll be grateful forever that you came back to town and gave me a second chance.”
Paradise checked her hair in the window’s reflection for at least the fifth time as she stood with Blake outside Jenna’s cottage.
She tried smoothing the flyaways, but it was a useless attempt. Why did her hair have to react like this in humidity? She’d
texted Drew this morning and told him to meet her here at the house away from curious stares. They could sit on the porch
and talk.
Blake slipped his arm around her waist. “Relax,” he whispered. “You look gorgeous. He’ll be proud to call you his sister.”
She kissed him. “You always say the sweetest things. I want to invite him to stay for lunch—is that okay?”
“Of course. Mom will likely come out with the invitation herself. Or the boys will. You know they’ll all be watching from
the window.”
She spotted them inside the house and waved. Jenna smiled and led the boys off for their lessons. While she was curious, she wasn’t going to be obnoxious about it. Paradise’s phone read 9:05 a.m. “He’s a little late.”
“Unfamiliar roads and traffic.”
She nodded and caught sight of a white Toyota Sienna driving slowly toward where she stood with Blake. Her pulse moved up
into her neck, and she couldn’t breathe. It had to be him. The vehicle rolled to a stop and a tall, broad-shouldered man got
out. Their gazes locked, and she saw the certainty in his eyes.
“D-Drew.” She choked out the name. My brother.
“Paradise.” His gaze never wavered as he came toward her.
He wore dark wash jeans that fit his muscular thighs well and a navy tee that showed off the biceps he’d likely hit the gym
to maintain. Was he married? While she could have checked out his left hand, she couldn’t look away from his awe-filled face.
She couldn’t wait to find out if she had a sister by marriage too. And maybe a niece or a nephew. The thought of an extended
family hadn’t crossed her mind—it had been enough to have a brother.
She didn’t realize she’d stepped forward until they were a foot away from each other. Though she’d told herself she would
be reserved and circumspect, she went into his arms without thinking. He hugged her back, a welcoming embrace that didn’t
want to let go.
Her eyes were wet when she stepped back. “We look alike, Drew.”
“I noticed—I’m a detective, after all.” His amber eyes twinkled with good humor and his gaze roamed over her face.
“You still look like the last picture I got of you.” He dug in the pocket of his shirt and pulled out a faded snapshot of her when she was about eight.
Mom was French braiding her hair, and they were both laughing.
Pain and longing stole Paradise’s breath. “She’d just hit me with the brush for squirming and told me I couldn’t go to school
looking like a ragamuffin. I didn’t know what the word meant, so she started reciting the poem ‘The Raggedy Man,’ and it made
me giggle every time she said, ‘Raggedy! Raggedy! Raggedy Man!’ I have no idea why. Mom loved poetry and would quote it every
chance she got.”
“I wish I’d known her,” he said softly. He held out his hand to Blake. “Detective Drew Bartley.”
“Blake Lawson.”
“Blake is m-my fiancé.” She stumbled over the word because he hadn’t formally asked her to marry him yet, though they talked
about the future often. She covered her left hand with her right and wished she hadn’t said the word.
Blake must have sensed her discomfort because he slipped his arm around her waist. “We’re glad you’re here, Drew. Paradise
has been overjoyed at the thought she has a brother.”
Drew smiled and nodded toward the yellow cottage with its white trim and red door. “What a pretty cottage. Is it yours?”
“My mom lives here with my little brothers. We can sit on the porch and chat.” Blake took Paradise’s hand, and they walked
to the house with Drew on her other side.
There was so much to discuss, but she couldn’t articulate the words in her heart. She ached to hear of his life, of his family,
to be part of all that she’d missed through the years. Maybe it was abnormal to feel such an immediate bond with a stranger,
but somehow she knew him. Their souls had an instant recognition—that sounded insane but was authentic.
They went up the two steps to the porch and she settled onto the glider beside Blake. Drew stood with one sneaker resting on the bottom rung of the porch rail. “I think I’ll stand for a few minutes. I’ve had to sit for several hours and I’m not used to it. I missed my gym workout this morning.”
“I have so many questions,” Paradise began.
Drew’s smile faltered, and he gazed around the park. “I do, too, but how about we save it for over lunch? I have an urgent
matter to talk about.”
She sensed how important this was to him. “We have time.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “I’ve been trying to find out who murdered my dad.”
She gasped. “Your father was murdered, too, just like Mom and Dad?”
“He died just before they did. I think the murders might be connected.”
“Who—who was he?”
“I don’t know. I was hoping you did.”
She studied his expression. “All I was able to gather about your dad was he was older than Mom and she got pregnant with you
when she was still in high school. He drove in from out of town in a fancy car, so everyone assumed he had money. But if you
don’t know who he is, how do you know he was murdered?”
“My parents told me, but they wouldn’t give me his name. I know the month he died, but that’s all. My dad let that slip accidentally.”
“It was suspected he was married and was sneaking around on his wife with Mom,” Paradise said.
“That’s what my parents said too. I find it way too suspicious they all died within a short time of each other.”
“Do you know how your father died?” Blake asked.
“I was told he was bludgeoned to death, but I’ve combed through the records and never found a report of a man being killed that way in the necessary time frame. But I did find the autopsy report for your parents. There’s something here, and I mean to find out what it is.”
An ally. Paradise rose. “Let me get the box of things from the attic. Maybe it will give you something I missed. You can take
it with you to Atlanta.”
By the time lunch was over, she knew he was single with no siblings, like her. He loved his job, and she had no doubt he would
help her find her parents’ murderer. She could wait for more direction from him and concentrate on saving The Sanctuary.