She had a point, but I’d come to respect Jonathan Wade. He loved his daughter and would take care of her forever if he had to.
He didn’t have to.
It was my job now.
“It would be disrespectful for me to sleep in here with you, baby. You know that.”
“Yeah, I know,” she relented. “The guest room is right next to this one. I hope there are sheets on the bed.”
“If there aren’t, I’ll find something. Don’t worry about me.” I rolled off the bed and grabbed my clothes. “Come on. Get under the covers.”
“I should put some pajamas on.”
“Yeah, good idea. I’ll get them. Where are they?”
“Top drawer of my dresser.”
I opened the drawer and pulled out what appeared to be a nightgown. “This?”
“That’ll do.”
I gave it to her. Once her beautiful body was covered, I gently tucked her into bed. “Holler if you need anything. Try to get some sleep. Your mom is in good hands.”
She nodded and closed her eyes.
I walked out, flipping the light switch.
I found the guest room, and there were sheets on the bed. I put my underwear back on along with a T-shirt and slid under the covers.
“Brad.”
A low voice.
I jerked upward.
“It’s me. Jonathan.”
My eyes adjusted to the dark. Jonathan Wade stood in the guest room.
“Is everything okay? Lucy?”
“She’s going to be fine,” he said. “Come downstairs. We need to finish our talk.”
“What time is it?”
“Six a.m.”
I got out of bed. “No problem. I get up at five on the ranch.”
“I’ve already brewed a pot of coffee and checked on Daphne. She’s sleeping soundly.”
I pulled on my jeans and followed Jonathan downstairs to the kitchen. He’d already poured two cups of coffee.
“Black, right?”
I nodded.
“I thought that’s how you took it last night. I wasn’t sure, though. Seems like a lifetime has gone by since then.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” I swirled the coffee in my cup to cool it and then took a sip.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk at length with a doctor about Lucy.”
“Of course not. It was the middle of the night.”
“Yeah, and today is Sunday. I’ll make an appointment first thing tomorrow.”
I nodded. “What exactly happened? Daphne said they pumped her stomach.”
“Yeah. Just to get the drugs out of her, but most of it had gotten into her bloodstream by that time. Turns out it’s nearly impossible to die from overdosing on Valium. You’d have to take way more pills than Lucy had.”
“Thank God.”
“Still, she’s not out of the woods. She had a lot of alcohol in her system as well as some barbiturate sleeping pills. I don’t know what she was thinking.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing.
“Honestly, Brad, I had no idea she was suffering so much.”
“If it helps, I don’t think Daphne did either.”
“Daphne hasn’t been here for the last month. I have been. I should have seen the signs.”
“Not if they weren’t there.” I cleared my throat. “Daphne is blaming herself.”
Jonathan’s eyebrows shot up. “Why would she do that?”
“She thinks her pregnancy sent Lucy over the edge.”
“I hope you told her that’s not true.”
“I did. Whether she believes me is another story.”
Jonathan shook his head. “Daphne doesn’t need this. She has enough to deal with.”
I nodded. She did, even if she didn’t know part of what she was dealing with.
“I’ve been thinking,” Jonathan said. “Lucy had to be so strong after what happened to Daphne. She could never falter, never let our daughter see the pain she was carrying. Now, with Daphne gone, Lucy’s had time to dwell on things. In retrospect, I could see her declining. I should have been more attentive.”
“Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.” How well I knew. “Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t force those pills down her throat.” I winced at my own words. Had I gone too far?
Jonathan seemed okay, though. “I understand that. But I could have prevented this, and I didn’t. I don’t know how I’m supposed to live with that. Not after everything else.”
I had no words of wisdom for the man across from me. I was twenty-two years old. Twenty-two! Jonathan needed advice from someone more experienced than I.
He continued, “I need to focus on Lucy.”
“Of course.”
“I’ve been distracted. Distracted by work. By Daphne.”
“She’s your daughter, and she’s been through a lot. Of course you’ve been concerned.”
“I have been. Maybe more than I should be, or maybe not enough. I never expected her to…”
“Get pregnant?”
“Get involved in a relationship so soon. I believe that the pregnancy was an accident. I’ve told you that.”
“I know. Trust me, I wasn’t looking for a lifetime commitment either when I met Daphne. But she’s the one. I knew it before the pregnancy. I can’t explain it.”
“I hope you’re right. I hope you truly do love my daughter.”
“I do.”
He nodded. “Because I’m counting on you, Brad. I’m counting on you to take care of her now.”
Chapter Ten
Daphne
Running.
Fear pulsed through me as I ran.
Panting. Can’t catch breath. Running. Got to get away. Away, away, away….
I jerked up in bed, my heart racing.
The dream.
The damned dream.
Again.
I didn’t scream. Why?
A moment passed before I realized I was home in my own bed. I’d come home for the weekend. Brad had come with me. We’d told my parents about our child.
And my mom had overdosed on Valium.
I didn’t scream because I was home. I’d trained myself not to scream when I woke up. I didn’t want to upset my mother.
But my mother wasn’t here. She was at St. Joseph’s hospital being treated for a drug overdose—a drug overdose that I’d likely caused.
Dawn was breaking. I eased the chills on my arms, rose from my bed, and walked to my window.
I could watch the sunrise this morning.
That would chase the nightmares away. I loved the sunrise—the beginning of a brand-new day. The aurora. The beauty that told me anything was possible.
I put on my slippers and padded out of my room. The door to the guest room was open. I peered in. “Brad?”
His bed was rumpled, but he wasn’t there.
I looked down the stairs. “Brad?” I called.
“Down here,” came his voice. “Your dad and I are having coffee.”
I raced down the stairs. “Daddy? How’s Mom?”
Brad and my father sat at the dining room table. Our galley kitchen wasn’t big enough for a kitchen table.