Chapter Five
CHAPTER FIVE
J ack pulled his rented sedan up in front of the Boudreau homestead and parked. Wiping his sweaty palms against his jeans, he drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He’d been awake all night, his mind going over everything from two nights before and the new information he’d shared at the sheriff’s station. Chance had laid out everything he’d been able to gather concerning Salem’s potential custody battle with the Amir family. While it wasn’t a cut and dried scenario, things could take a turn nobody wanted.
Throughout the sleepless night, he’d pictured Salem’s face as Chance outlined the pros and cons. Unfortunately, Amir’s family had one thing that usually spoke louder than facts or the best interest of the child in question—money—and lots of it. Plus, they wanted Chloe to learn the customs and traditions of her father. That was usually taken into consideration by the court system. Salem struggled to keep her head afloat holding down two part-time jobs while working toward her degree. Ms. Patti had mentioned that Salem had gone back to school, after deciding to go back to college and get a degree in graphic arts. It was obvious to anybody who knew Salem that she was a good mother who adored her daughter. But, sometimes, loving somebody wasn’t enough.
Rafe had been uncharacteristically quiet, listening to Chance talk, letting Jack know how serious the situation truly was. Not that he took Salem’s struggles lightly. Just the opposite. He found himself scrambling to come up with a solution, something that would keep Amir’s family from snatching Chloe out of her mother’s arms.
And he had—he just wasn’t sure she’d go for it.
Ms. Patti and Douglas were determined to help Salem, and Jack knew they’d move heaven and earth to keep mother and child together, but they were in the same untenable situation as he was—they had no familial ties to Chloe. While Salem had tons of friends, he’d discovered the divide that caused Salem to run away from her own parents when she was pregnant and in danger had not only continued, but apparently had gotten worse. Though they lived in New Orleans, the same city where Salem resided, they rarely interacted with her, maintaining a cold fa?ade whenever they were together. Salem’s brother was really the only family still part of her life, but he was currently in the Middle East with his Army unit.
Climbing from the car, he took the front porch steps two at a time, quickly made his way to the front door, and rapped on it hard. He knew Salem was here. He’d made a point of checking with Ms. Patti before heading toward the ranch. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure why he was here, except he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling he needed to be close to her. Let Salem know he’d help in whatever way he could.
Earlier that morning, he’d made several calls, contingencies he’d put into place, because if everything went according to plan, after talking with Salem, he might need to make some life-changing decisions, and he wanted to have laid the groundwork—just in case.
The front door swung inward, and Douglas stood framed in the opening. “Jack. Patricia mentioned you might be coming by.”
“Afternoon, Douglas.”
“Come on in. Salem’s putting Chloe down for a nap. Why don’t we grab some sweet tea while we wait? Shouldn’t be more than a couple of minutes. That little girl’s had a rough night. She’s teething and in pain, which makes her grumpy.” Douglas grinned. “Which makes my wife grumpy, too, because she can’t stand seeing that baby hurting. All she wants to do is pick her up and carry her around, rocking her.”
“I seem to remember somebody mentioning Chloe was teething.” Jack followed Douglas into the kitchen and watched as he filled three glasses with ice and tea, handing one to him.
“Watching Patricia with a baby in her arms again brings back memories of her with Nica when she was little. When we got all our boys, they weren’t infants or even toddlers. Until our daughter was born, she never got to experience holding a baby in her arms. Now she’s a grandma, and loves her grandson to pieces, but he isn’t here all the time. Having Chloe here, well, it’s bringing up feelings she hasn’t had in a long while.”
“My mom’s the same way around babies. If she walks into a room and there’s an infant there, she makes a beeline straight there, and insists on holding it.”
“You were an only child, weren’t you?”
Jack nodded. He knew his parents had tried for another, but hadn’t been lucky enough to get pregnant again. Then his dad had been killed, and his mother hadn’t remarried, so he’d ended up as a one and only.
“I had two brothers, Gator, and Hank. I was the middle boy. Gator’s the oldest, and he was always the most responsible. The most adventurous too. Hank was the baby, and we all tended to spoil him. It was different, having ready playmates, never being alone. Though sometimes,” Douglas chuckled, “you desperately prayed to be alone.”
“I had friends growing up, but I imagine it’s not the same.”
“You’re right, it’s not. My brothers were my best friends, even though we fought like cats and dogs a lot of times. But something we discovered along the way was that family means everything. Family comes first and foremost in every decision, every important event. But the biggest thing we discovered was that families come in all shapes and sizes, something Patricia and I discovered when we were told we’d never be able to have a biological child.”
“You have Nica.”
“And I thank God every night for giving me my precious girl. But she didn’t come along right away. My Patricia, bless her, wanted a child with all her heart, and it nearly broke her when we found out we couldn’t have one. Truth be told, it almost killed me too. But sometimes providence steps in and changes your path. That’s what happened with us.”
Years ago, Rafe had told Jack about how he came to be a Boudreau, including legally changing his name when he turned eighteen. He hadn’t been able to be legally adopted by the Boudreaus because his biological father had refused to relinquish custody, even though he’d been in prison at the time, doing life without parole. That Rafe had ended up with a family who’d come to love him had been solely because of the man sitting across from him and his big heart. Rafe had been the first son Douglas and Ms. Patti had brought into their family, though he’d been far from the last.
“You and Ms. Patti are an example others should follow about how to raise a family, Douglas. And I know your sons are proud to be called Boudreaus.”
He watched Douglas closely, the play of emotions on the big man’s face easy to read. A proud man, his family meant everything to him, and he wasn’t ashamed of people knowing how he felt about them.
“I love the whole lot of them. Wanted to wring their necks sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade a single moment with any of ’em for anything. What I’m trying to say, in a roundabout, rambling way, is blood ties aren’t the only way of having a family or making a difference in a child’s life. Sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith, taking that first step. It can be scary, it can be exhilarating, but every step is worth the risk. But the hardest part—besides making the decision to help—is realizing that everything is uncertain, and you don’t hold all the answers. Heck, we don’t hold even one of the answers, that lies with the Almighty. But sometimes, taking one small step forward can change your life.” He smiled. “It did mine, and I have never regretted one single minute.”
Jack wanted to laugh because he’d spent the whole night agonizing over how he could help Salem, running scenarios through his mind, each one more outlandish than the previous, until he’d landed on what he’d figured as the best and brightest solution. Hour after hour of figuring out how he would approach the problem, and with a couple of sentences, Douglas handed him the answer.
“Rafe’s told me how he came to live with you, Douglas, about how you sat beside him at the hospital when he was so scared. He had nobody, but you were there at his side. You didn’t have to be, you’d done your job as a volunteer firefighter, but because a small boy asked you not to leave him, you stayed. Made him feel safe when the whole world made him feel alone. He’d lost his mother and his father in one horrendous ordeal, but he had you. You didn’t know him, had never seen him before the accident. It would have been so easy to walk away, turn his care over to the hospital and then to Child Protective Services. Instead, you made him your son.”
Douglas got a faraway look in his gaze, and Jack had the feeling he was remembering, reliving those hours of sitting by a child’s hospital bed, knowing that when the morning came, his fragile life would be upended by tragedy. His mother was dead, killed in an accident that his father deliberately caused, and he had nobody else. No one to champion him, to make sure he didn’t fall through the cracks of an overburdened system, or worse—end up in a neglectful or abusive foster home.
“Far as I could see, I didn’t have a choice. You don’t turn your back on a child who needs you, not when you’ve got the capacity to help.” When Douglas’ eyes met his, Jack knew his mind was made up. Not that there was any real doubt. After weighing all the pros and cons and listening to everything Chance said, he’d come up with a plan. Wild and crazy and so far out in left field it might as well be out of sight, but it was a plan.
Now he simply had to convince Salem that it was a plan that could work.
Salem stared at Jack, eyes wide, trying to process the words he’d just spoken. Either she’d lost her mind, or he’d just asked her to marry him.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
Jack gave a self-deprecating grin, ducking his head so she wouldn’t notice the blush on his cheeks, at least that’s what she guessed. “I know it’s a crazy idea, but gimme a second to explain.”
“What’s to explain? I understand perfectly what you’re trying to do, Jack. Just like when you came to help rescue me when Tarik tried to take me back to the U.A.E., you’re looking to be the White Knight, riding in to rescue the helpless princess.”
Jack shook his head. “There’s nothing helpless about you, Salem. I might not know you as well as the Boudreaus do, but I watched you when Tarik held a loaded gun on you and Gabi. You kept your head, came up with a plan, and managed to outsmart him, even though you were several months pregnant, and he was stark-raving nutso. You’re raising a beautiful little girl alone, and from what I’ve heard, you’re working two jobs as well as taking online classes to get your shot at being a graphic artist. That’s not helpless, princess, I call that pretty darned amazing.”
Warmth spread through the center of her chest at his praise. She wasn’t doing any of that for herself, she did it for Chloe, but nonetheless it was nice having somebody acknowledge all her hard work.
“Then why, Jack? Why are you proposing? I realize you’re a nice guy and the Boudreaus love you, but we barely know each other. It’s extreme, to say the least.”
He drew in a deep breath, his expression swiftly morphing from concerned to serious in the amount of time it took her to finish the question. Seeing him last night had been a shock, one that left her more confused than ever. Though she’d run into him a couple of times when she’d been visiting the Boudreaus, they’d kind of been drive-by encounters, a quick hello and he’d be gone, or she’d be headed toward wherever she’d been going. Only once had they spoken more than a handful of sentences to each other, except for that one time. Heat raced into her face at the remembered interlude. She couldn’t deny they had chemistry, and she found him attractive, but she’d ignored it, because she wasn’t ready to even think about getting serious about anybody. Might not be for a long time.
Now, suddenly, out of the blue, he’s proposing marriage? It didn’t make sense. Then again, nothing about this whole situation made sense. Tarik’s family with their demands. Chloe being thrust into the middle of an acrimonious custody battle with complete strangers wanting to control her wellbeing. Salem knew the Amirs had an agenda; she simply hadn’t figured it out…yet.
When had her life become so screwed up? She was beginning to feel like she was starring in a TV movie of the week, one of those mysteries where the heroine was always in danger, and she hadn’t been given the script.
“You heard what Chance said last night. One of the things the Amir family will go after is the fact you’re a single mother, working two jobs. That means most of your day you’re away from Chloe. She’s either with a sitter or in daycare. Then you’re studying. Yes, I know you don’t hit the books until after Chloe’s asleep, but it’s another black mark against you.”
“Lots of women run single family households, hold down multiple jobs, and go to school while they have children. How fair is it to try and take away my daughter because I’m trying to give her a good life, a better life than she’d have had with the monster who sired her?”
Jack grabbed her hands with his, and she realized she’d been wringing them over and over. His gentle touch had her breath catching in her throat when she realized how close he was sitting beside her. It had been far too long since she’d been comfortable with a man getting that close. Max and Remy kept their distance whenever she was in the office alone with either of them, knowing without her telling them she was skittish around men, an aftereffect of Tarik’s abuse.
“I’m well aware many women are heads of households and raise children without a man around. My mother was a single parent after my dad died. She did an amazing job, and you’re doing one too.” Jack racked a hand through his dark hair, and Salem swallowed, watching the movement. The soft waves seemed to have a mind of their own, falling back across his forehead. “I know what I’m suggesting is sudden, Salem, and seems like a crazy scheme, but hear me out. For Chloe’s sake, we can make it work. I wish we had time for you to get to know me, but I promise I’ll never treat you the way Amir did. I have never raised my hand against a woman in anger, and I never will. I abhor any kind of domestic violence, and actively work to stop it as part of my job. I also promise I will do everything humanly possible to keep you and Chloe together, which is why I’m proposing we get married.”
“Jack, it’s—”
“Impulsive? Spontaneous? Crazy? Yeah, it probably is, but I also think it can work. The Amirs want to come after you for being a single mother? Then we remove that obstacle. If you marry me, you won’t be a single parent. Chloe will have two loving parents.”
“It can’t work, Jack. You live in Austin, I live in New Orleans. Even though we aren’t close, her grandparents—my parents—live there too. I can’t just up and move to Texas. What about work? School?” She shook her head again, beginning to feel like a bobblehead doll.
“I’ve already talked with Samuel Carpenter. He’s willing to hire me at Carpenter Security Services, no questions asked. My background as a Texas Ranger and the recommendation of my current captain makes my moving to New Orleans pretty much a nonissue. My captain waived my having to give notice, so if you say yes, I can move to New Orleans with you immediately. I have impeccable references. And if you’re concerned, I’m sure Ms. Patti and Douglas will vouch for me and my intentions.”
“Jack, you can’t give up your job. That’s crazy!”
“No, it’s spontaneous. And the timing couldn’t be better. I’ve been thinking about making a change. Being a Ranger is stressful, which is why there’s such a high burnout ratio. And I’ve got nothing tying me to Texas. My mom has her own career, her own life, her circle of friends. There’s nobody and nothing else tying me here.” He reached for her hands again, and Salem let him, her mind whirling at everything he proposed. “Salem, let me do this. Let me help save Chloe from Amir’s family.”
She shook her head. What he suggested seemed insane. The courts would never go for it. They’d know it was a ruse, something cooked up to keep the Amirs at bay, and it would only make things worse.
“Jack, are you listening to what you’re saying? Nobody is going to believe this is a real marriage. The judge will throw it out in a heartbeat, and it could make things worse, not better. Have you even run your idea by Chance? What does he think?”
“People get married all the time for reasons that are nobody’s business except their own. What is it the books call it? Marriages of convenience . We get married and get Chloe’s custody settled. You and I, we take things slow. Get to know each other. To the rest of the world, people we don’t care about, let them think that we met before Chloe was born, when you were visiting the Boudreaus here in Texas. We’ve gotten to know each other, kept in touch for the last year, and we’ve fallen for one another. Let ’em think we were having a long-distance relationship, and we moved our timetable for getting married up because of the custody thing. It’s a believable scenario, especially if the opposing side wants to introduce it in court. We can provide a stable family for Chloe with two parents to provide for her, eliminating most of the Amirs’ arguments.”
Salem’s mind raced a mile a minute, mulling over Jack’s suggestions, pulling them apart and scrutinizing each one. Was she really considering this insanity? Once she was free of Tarik’s domination, she’d sworn never to be another man’s pawn, to never allow a man to hold any kind of sway over her again. She’d hardened her heart, not allowing anyone close except for her daughter.
“Jack, I can’t love you.” The words shot out before she could stop them, and she put her hand to her lips, almost wishing she could call them back.
“I’m not asking for your love, Salem. Not yet anyway. I’m asking you to put Chloe first. I care about her. I’ve known that sweet baby her whole life. We don’t have to sleep together to co-parent Chloe.”
He was saying all the right things, but Salem still doubted. Tarik had been a silver-tongued devil-in-disguise. As much as she wanted to believe Jack, his idea still sounded crazy. Yet there was a tiny glimmer of hope, because sometimes the most insane, improbable notions made headlines. And right now she needed something to keep the Amirs from taking her baby.
“Let’s talk to Chance and Ivy. I’m not saying yes,” she paused before adding, “yet.”
Jack stood and held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. “Please, Salem, give me a chance. I swear you won’t regret it.”
Glancing between his hand stretched toward her and his face, she drew in a deep breath, and slowly placed her hand into his, allowing him to help her stand, and hoped she wasn’t making the biggest mistake in her life.