Chapter 31
Thirty-One
While Kara battled brutal morning sickness that seemed to last all day most days, Dan helped Jared and Lizzie James get custody of a baby who had been left in their care, and assisted Jared’s younger brother Cooper with the establishment of his bachelor and bachelorette party business on the island by drafting an airtight liability clause that Cooper desperately needed.
He helped Hope Martinez manage her incarcerated ex-husband’s request to see his son before he permanently signed away his parental rights to the boy so Hope’s husband, Paul, could adopt Ethan.
Needless to say, Hope was not eager for Ethan to see his father. Her ex-husband had been convicted of having sex with underage girls at the school where he worked.
“You have a lot of anger toward him, and rightfully so,” Dan said. “But asking a man, even one who’s made huge, terrible, unforgivable mistakes, to sign away his paternal rights—permanently—is a big deal.”
“So, you’re not surprised by this.”
“Not as much as you are. I’ve seen it before in cases like this, with a parent asked to do the right thing by their kid balking at the last minute.”
Hope’s expression was full of anxiety that Dan hoped he could assuage somewhat. “Do you think he’ll still go through with it?”
“He’s already agreed to Paul adopting Ethan. This is one final step to get us where we want to be.”
“I spoke to a friend about it, and she said it ought to be Ethan’s decision.”
“I tend to agree with your friend. He’s old enough at this point to have some say in it.”
“Ugh.” Hope dropped her head into her hands. “I hate that this is happening. Why can’t he just leave us alone to live the lives we had to make for ourselves after he ruined everything?”
“All I can say is that you’re asking him to legally terminate his paternal rights, and he’s agreed to do so. Him asking to see Ethan once is a request, not a demand. I think that matters.”
“Why do you have to be so sensible about this?”
Dan laughed. “That’s my job—to get you to the finish line as painlessly as possible. This isn’t what you wanted to hear, and I’m sorry about that, but it’s nothing more than a wrinkle.”
“It’s going to be way more than that if it upsets my son’s happy new life. Or mine.”
“Don’t let it, Hope. He’s asking for an hour with Ethan. After that, he’s out of the picture for good. That seems like a small price to pay toward the ultimate goal.”
“I’ll talk to Paul and Ethan.”
“Let me know what you decide.”
“If we say no, do you think he’ll stop the adoption?”
“If it comes from Ethan, I don’t see that happening.
He’s asked to see his son. If his son doesn’t wish to see him, he can’t exactly force him, especially with you having sole custody.
Can he get vindictive and decide to withhold support of the adoption?
Yes, that’s possible, but from what his attorney has told me, he’s concerned about Ethan’s best interests. ”
“Then he ought to leave him alone.”
“I think he will. After he sees him.”
“Thank you for your advice, as always.”
“I’m happy to help, but I hated having to call you with this news earlier. I knew it would be upsetting to you.”
“It helps to know that you don’t think he’ll try to stop the adoption. I’ll talk to Paul and figure out our next step.”
“I’m here if I can help.”
“Thanks again, Dan.” Hope signaled for Rebecca and insisted on paying their check over Dan’s objections. “The least I can do is buy you a coffee and a corn muffin.”
After Hope left, he got a cup of chicken noodle soup to go, along with extra crackers and delivered it to Kara at the dock in North Harbor.
“My hero,” she said, looking pale and a tad bit green around the gills, as she often did these days.
Soup and crackers were the only things she could eat without immediately wanting to puke.
Victoria had told them the nausea was normal, which he found hard to believe. What mattered was that Kara was gaining weight, and the baby was right on schedule.
“How’s Hope?”
“Wound up about the ex.” Hope had told Kara what was going on with Ethan’s father, so he could talk to her about it. “As you can imagine.”
“What’s she going to do?”
“I’m not sure, but I think she might be leaning toward letting him see Ethan so they can move on.”
“Ugh, what a difficult decision. I don’t envy her that.”
“Me either.”
“How’s your day going on the water?”
“It’s been busy. This is the first break I’ve had, so you timed your arrival perfectly.”
“I pride myself on my perfect timing.”
Kara groaned, as he’d known she would. “I set you up perfectly there.”
“As you always do.”
She took a few tastes of the soup and ate a couple of the crackers before pausing to make sure they would stay down.
“I hate seeing you suffer like this.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Dylan will be worth it.”
They’d chosen not to find out if Dylan was a boy or a girl. Either way, they were set on a name.
“I can’t wait to meet our baby,” he said.
“Me either.”
“Forty weeks takes forever.”
“Especially when you’re nauseated the whole time.”
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you’re a stud, Kara Torrington.”
“Duh, I know.”
“Dan is stealing from the bank,” Grant said. “That’s the only possible explanation for how he’s beating all of us so badly.”
“Is that what you think?” Dan sipped from a glass of whiskey as he surveyed his kingdom on the Monopoly board. “I hate to break it to you, chump, but what you see before you is raw skill and financial wizardry.”
“More like chicanery,” Grant muttered.
“Oh my God,” Kara said on a moan. “Will you listen to him? How does he come up with such bullshit?”
“I only speak the truth, my love.”
“Whatever,” she said, throwing her shoe token at him.
It hit him square in the forehead, which set off a wave of hysterical laughter among Grant, Stephanie and Kara.
Dan frowned as he rubbed the red spot on his forehead. “That hurt.”
“Boo-hoo, ya big baby,” Grant said.
“This is the worst hurricane party I’ve ever been to,” Dan said indignantly.
“This is the only hurricane party you’ve ever been to,” Grant reminded him.
“Well, they’re overrated if this is how it goes.”
“I quit,” Stephanie said, standing to stretch and peek out the window at the storm.
Grant came over to put his hands on her shoulders to knead out the tension.
“Are you sure this place won’t fall down around us?” she asked for the umpteenth time that day.
“I’m sure. We’re well protected this far inland. Nothing to worry about, except for maybe you took down too many walls.”
“I only took down two.”
“We’ll find out if that was two too many.” He kissed her neck. “Just kidding. We had the house surveyed before we bought it, don’t forget. They said it was solid as a rock.” Despite his reassurances, her shoulders were still tight with knots. “Do you want to try to get some rest?”
“I guess.”
The wind was making the house shake, and the rain was coming down so hard, it sounded like a freight train coming for them.
“We’re going to turn in,” Grant said to Dan and Kara. “Do you guys have everything you need?”
“We do,” Kara said. “Thanks again for taking us in for the storm.” Their house was so close to the coast that they’d been afraid to stay there.
“Happy to have you,” Grant said. “Him? Not so much.”
“Hey!” Dan said, sputtering. “You wouldn’t even know her if it wasn’t for me!”
“And you would’ve blown it with her if it wasn’t for me.”
“That’s hurtful but true.”
“Don’t leave me alone with him,” Kara said pleadingly. “We’ve got enough problems with wind without the windbag making it worse.”
“You love me,” Dan said, grinning at his wife.
“On that note, see you in the morning,” Grant said.
“Night, guys,” Stephanie added.
“Hope you can get some sleep,” Kara called after her.
“You, too.”
“Have you ever had hurricane sex?” Dan asked Kara when they were alone in the living room with only the candles Stephanie had lit earlier for atmosphere.
“What if I say I have?”
His brows lifted almost to his hairline. “Who is he, and how do I have him killed?”
Kara laughed helplessly. She did that a lot with him.
It was the thing she loved best about their relationship.
Well, that and the great sex and the tender love and his total devotion to her.
That last one had annoyed the hell out of her at first. Now she wondered how she’d ever lived without him and his kind of devotion for the first thirty years of her life.
“I’m serious. Who is he, and more important, where is he?”
“You don’t know him, and I have no idea where he is.”
“But you shagged him during a hurricane?”
“I did.”
“This is truly shocking news. How old were you?”
“Eighteen.”
“Where did your parents think you were when you were shagging some limp dick during a hurricane?”
“At my grandmother’s. I told a lot of lies in those days.”
“So you’re a liar and a charlatan. I want my money back on this marriage.”
“You do not, and PS, his dick wasn’t limp.”
“This is an outrage!”
Again, she laughed so hard, she made no sound. Had she ever had more fun than she did pushing his buttons? Nope. Never. “Does this mean you don’t want hurricane sex?”
“When did I say that?”
“You only seemed interested when you thought it was my first go-round with hurricane sex.”
“I’m always interested, as you well know.”
“But you asked for a refund. How am I supposed to know you’re still interested?”
“The refund has been canceled.”
“I see how it is.”
Smiling, he said, “I love you, Kara Torrington.”
“For some strange reason, I love you, too, Dan Torrington.”
“Nice how that works out, huh?”
“Very, very nice.”
“Nicest thing ever,” he said, kissing her. “Why don’t you take me to bed and have your wicked way with me?”
“We can’t do that here.”
“Uh, yes, we can.”
“They’ll hear us.”
“We don’t hear them, and PS, if I’d known that hurricane sex was off the table if we came to stay with them, we’d still be at the cabin. And PPS, this is further proof that we need to buy a real house here.”
“PPPS, stop with the PS.”