Chapter Fifty-Eight
Later that day, Maya and Josh took the dogs out to her property to let them burn off some energy in the newly fallen snow. The storm had left about eighteen inches and then moved out.
Josh pulled out some blueprints he’d picked up from their builder when he had gone to court.
They were for their new house, and Maya couldn’t wait for the contractors to break ground.
As soon as the weather improved, they were going to start in.
The architect had included the original stone chimney in the plans, which made Maya happy.
It made it feel like an original part of the cabin would always remain.
A reminder of the good parts of the past.
“I wish I had their energy,” Josh said, watching the dogs run laps.
Maya laughed. “I knew Finn was going to be full of it since he didn’t work, but I wasn’t expecting this much energy out of Juniper.”
“You should know better.”
“I should. Okay, let’s look at these plans,” Maya said.
They unrolled the sheets and Maya imagined what the cabin would look like.
Not her cabin anymore, but their cabin. They’d decided on a wraparound porch and adding on some rooms for visitors or even, down the road, kids.
Josh had mentioned this, gauging her reaction.
Maya didn’t know what to say. She’d never imagined wanting to be a mother, but she also had never imagined finding one person she wanted to be with.
She wasn’t sure, but she had finally agreed that having extra rooms was good.
They were talking through other ideas when she heard a car pull up. The dogs heard it too and started barking. Maya called Juniper and Josh called Finn. They put leashes on both. The car parked and Elena stepped out. Maya almost didn’t recognize her cleaned up.
“Hi,” Elena said, on the shy side. “I hope it was okay to stop by. I’m getting ready to drive to Denver and go home.”
“No, I’m glad you stopped in,” Maya said.
“Me too,” Josh said.
“I just wanted to thank you for everything you did to help me,” Elena said. “I don’t know that I would have made it without you.”
“I feel like I should be thanking you too,” Josh said. “You helped me put some of my past behind me. What’s next in this case on your end?”
“I’ve talked with my boss. We’ve made a deal with Ref to testify in the other case but get out on parole. He’s served his time, and we have a great work-release program that I’ve nominated him for. He can help kids who are getting into gangs. He’s perfect for it.”
“Sounds like he’s really turned his life around,” Josh said.
“I feel like he has. Of course, it’s all up to him.
And I’ll be helping with the prosecution of each of the Bradfords for their involvement in Sydney’s death.
I’m glad she can finally have justice. I’ll also be helping with the indictment for Amber’s death and their attempt on my life, among other things.
There’s a laundry list of charges we need to sort through. ”
“Chicago is lucky to have you,” Maya said. “But if you ever decide to move to Colorado, keep our county in mind.”
“I think I’ve seen enough of Colorado,” Elena said with a chuckle. “But I’ll let you know if I need a change of scenery. When I was first out in the mountains, I was scared to death, but I found an inner strength I didn’t know I had.”
“Keep in touch, okay?” Josh said.
“You got it. I better get going so I don’t miss my plane.” Elena gave a wave as she climbed in her car.
They waved to her as she left. Maya turned to Josh and held his hands. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Anything,” Josh said.
Maya took one hand and pulled a note out of her pocket. “Eric left this for me. I found it taped to the back door this morning.”
“He’s getting braver,” Josh said. “He doesn’t know when Juniper might be out. He’s lucky to not have her hanging off his arm.”
“I agree, but we also know that my father is smart, and maybe I inherited some of my impulsiveness from him.”
“You? Impulsive?” Josh said in a teasing tone.
“Yeah, I know, but I think this time he’s left the state, at least for now.”
Josh took the note from Maya and read it. She had it memorized and thought through what her father had written.
Dear Maya,
I know you want me to do the right thing and turn myself in, and someday, I will keep that promise for you. Know that for now, I can’t. There’s still things left undone and I need to finish them.
I don’t want to put you in a bad spot so I’ve left the state and won’t be back for a while. I will come when I know you, your brother, sister, and niece are safe. Your niece is strong-willed and tenacious, much like her aunt. I hope someday you can all meet.
Know that I am proud of you, and I’m so glad I’ve been able to reconnect with you even if it’s not in the way we’d like. I love you.
Love,
Dad
Josh handed her the note. “I think he wants a relationship with you. Did you notice how he signed it?”
“I did. He finally signed a note ‘Dad.’ I would love to have a relationship with him too,” Maya said. “So why does this feel so conflicted? I mean, not just because he’s on the run and I’m a law enforcement officer.”
Josh wrapped her in his arms and held her tight. Maya closed her eyes.
“I can’t answer that for you, but I can tell you that no matter what, I’ll be here for you.”
“Thank you,” Maya whispered. She didn’t want to let go, but the dogs, finally annoyed at still being on leash, started to whine.
Juniper slapped Maya’s thigh with a paw and she smiled. Right now she had everything that made her happy, and for that she was grateful. Whatever happened next, she knew she would be okay and be able to handle it with Josh by her side.
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