Chapter 20 Evangeline
EVANGELINE
Evangeline tried her best to stop her crying. She didn’t want Leo to sense that something was wrong. But her sadness over her brother made her feel like her heart was being carved out of her body.
Why do the best of men have to suffer?
Between Grayson’s story last night, her brother’s plight, and even the knowledge that Grandpa had been faced with a choice between operating a business without a license or losing his grandchildren, she felt like the world as she had always pictured it was falling to pieces.
Don’t good things ever happen to good people? Isn’t hard work and sacrifice enough to at least earn survival?
But it didn’t matter how much those thoughts swirled in her mind. She knew that wasn’t how the world really worked. And the only reason she might have ever thought it did was because Rory had sheltered her from so much ugliness all her life.
Maybe it was wrong for her to judge him for doing what he had to do now.
But not if you end up hurt or in jail, my sweet big brother. No house is worth that, nothing is…
The sound of a door slamming downstairs got her attention. She hopped up from the chair where she was sitting with Leo and took him to the front window to see if Grayson’s SUV was there.
“I think your daddy might be home,” she told the baby softly, hating that her voice was rusty from crying.
But when she got to the window, his SUV was pulling out of the driveway, jolting away from the house at an alarming speed.
She moved down the stairs on instinct, wondering what emergency would have him tearing out of here without even telling her he was home.
But when she reached the kitchen with Leo and saw the monitor on the counter, her heart sank.
He overheard me talking to Rory. He overheard everything.
She had no idea where he was rushing off to, or what he was doing, but now that he knew her family story, there was no way he was going to let her stay.
Leo wiggled against her chest and she took him to the windows that spanned the back of the house. The baby usually loved all the light and the contrasting shadows.
Sure enough, he smacked his lips and smiled at the sight of the sunlight filtering through the window and leaving shapes of sun and shadow wherever it landed.
She nuzzled Leo’s thatch of soft hair, trying to memorize his scent and the feeling of holding him in her arms.
Evangeline had watched over many children, but she had never had this feeling before, like she couldn’t bear the thought of letting go.
But this situation was too good to be true, and she had known it deep inside from the very start. Grayson had been so kind to her. Kinder than she deserved.
She felt tears prickling her eyes again at the thought of the pain he carried with him. He had done all he could to help her, even when he was suffering himself.
I have to do something to help him—to save him from himself.
She paced the back of the house, letting Leo enjoy the sunlight while she racked her brain.
She probably didn’t have much time. Wherever he was going, the first thing Grayson would do when he got back would be to ask her to leave.
She needed a friend, but more than that, she needed someone who knew more about Grayson.
“Sam,” she murmured to herself.
She grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialed the center, hoping her friend would pick up.
“Homecoming Heroes,” Sam’s familiar voice said brightly. “This is Samantha.”
“Sam,” Evangeline said, relief washing over her. “I need your help.”
The rest of the day passed in a haze of worry and activity.
After Sam called back and Evangeline did a little groundwork, she tried to focus on keeping Leo occupied until his dad returned.
But her nervous energy was eating away at her, so she put him in his bouncy seat where he could see her and started making a batch of gingerbread from scratch.
By the time dark fell over the house, the dough had been chilled, rolled out, cut into shapes, and baked. Hundreds of cookies cooled on every surface of the kitchen.
Evangeline had stopped her baking a dozen times to tend to Leo, but she had somehow managed to make enough cookies for a block party back in the city.
And still Grayson was nowhere to be found.
She was sorely tempted to text him. But she had a feeling it was better to leave him alone. Nothing good could come of talking to him now. Maybe she was only delaying the inevitable, but she wasn’t going to leave this place one minute earlier than she had to.
After cleaning up the kitchen and giving Leo his last bottle of the day, she got him bathed and snuggled up in his crib in a fresh pair of pajamas. There was nothing left to do but head to bed herself.
She took his monitor to her room since Grayson wasn’t home yet, and got ready for bed quickly, hoping she would have energy for Leo tomorrow, if she was still his nanny then.
She had just crawled into bed when she heard the front door close, more quietly this time.
A moment later the monitor crackled and Grayson’s big form came into view on the tiny screen. He didn’t say a word—just stood over the baby’s crib. Evangeline watched him watching over his son for a long time.