The O'Connells Box Set

Chapter 19

Marcus didn’t stop at home as he normally would have done before pulling up in front of his mom’s place, where he saw Harold’s Kia, Tessa’s compact, Luke’s pickup, and Jenny’s Jeep.

“Hey, Marcus.”

He took in Brady and his wife, Cassie, holding hands, walking across the grass, both dressed casually in blue jeans. Cassie wore a red cardigan, her dark hair a mass of curls, her dimples poking from her smile.

“You two walk here?”

Brady shrugged. “It’s a nice walk, not that far…”

Marcus heard a vehicle and dragged his gaze over to see Ryan pulling in, parking across the road in his park ranger’s pickup, and getting out to stride toward him.

“You know what?” Marcus said. “I’m going to have a word with Ryan. See you inside.”

He started walking and closed the gap just as he heard the door open behind them. Suzanne’s seven-week-old baby boy, Arnie, was crying inside. Then the door closed, and he could hear nothing else.

Ryan stopped in front of him and shook his head. “I was going to call you today, but I’ve been dealing with a lost hiker. Just finished. Is Reine here?”

Marcus pulled his arms across his chest and turned back to his mom’s house, where sheers covered the living room window. It was something they had done for so long so that anyone walking by couldn’t see right inside the big picture window. The unease of having the community spotlight on them had never gone away.

“I just got here and haven’t been inside, so I don’t know,” Marcus said. “So how did it go this morning with her?”

Ryan winced as he glanced away. “It didn’t,” he said, and Marcus could feel that knot in his stomach again.

“What do you mean, it didn’t? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Ryan gestured toward him. “Look, after you left, I asked her to come over to our place so I could make her some breakfast, have a talk. But she ran out the door. I went to go after her, even called out to her, but she was running up the street. Now, I don’t know if it’s because she thought I was going to warn her off, but I could see her face, the expression. She was scared. The way you came at her, Marcus, you and Charlotte… But, in all fairness, I don’t know what I would do in your place.”

“What are you saying, Ryan, that this is my fault? So you didn’t talk to her?” He let out a heavy sigh, remembering the address he’d memorized from the paper tucked in his pocket. The place was owned by Wade Wright, a man he didn’t know, but he’d spent the afternoon piecing together everything he could about Reine Colbert.

“I never said this was your fault, but I saw a woman who loves her daughter so much, and the anger between the two of you was like sparks. Maybe I’m seeing both sides, but I’m telling you she wasn’t having anything to do with me, not to talk or anything. When she ran off, there was something about her hollow expression. I can’t remember having seen that in someone’s face before. I feel for her, Marcus. It didn’t go well this morning, so a word of advice? Keep your distance from her tonight. Don’t say anything here. Just let Eva see her, spend time with her. What would Eva do if she knew you’d tried to keep her mother from seeing her? I saw that little girl this morning and the way she hung on to Reine.”

Marcus pulled his hand over his face. He knew his brother was saying this because he cared, but this was his family. “I hear you, but Reine signed away her rights. She asked us to adopt Eva. If she wants to work out something to see Eva now, I’m open to that, but not to her showing up on my doorstep, demanding we give her back. It doesn’t work that way, and I won’t have that.” He lifted his hand, feeling the fury again deep inside, burning. Ryan winced.

“Hey, what are you two doing out here?” Charlotte called out, stepping outside in faded jeans and a yellow T-shirt. Barefoot, she walked across the grass toward him.

“Ryan said Reine ran off and he didn’t talk to her. Is she here?” He gestured to the house, not missing the worry still in his wife’s face.

“No, she’s not, but Eva is inside, telling everyone her mom is coming tonight. Iris pulled me aside and asked me what happened, and so did Luke and Suzanne, so they all know. I’ve been waiting and worrying because I don’t know what to say to her. Do you think we’ll get lucky and she won’t show?” She stopped beside him and touched his arm, then pressed her hands to her face. “Okay, that sounded awful. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Marcus wasn’t sure what to make of the way Ryan was watching both of them. He slid his hand around her shoulder and turned her, nodding toward the door. Ryan had already started walking.

“I know you didn’t, but here we are,” he said. “I honestly don’t know what to do, but I do know we’re going to have to sit down with Reine and talk to her, set some ground rules, something…”

Ryan was inside now, and Charlotte followed behind him, heading to the kitchen. Marcus could hear the voices of his family and spotted Suzanne sitting in the corner of the living room, nursing Arnie. The light was dim, and Jenny was on the sofa, sitting, talking with her, just the two of them alone. He walked down the steps into the living room, hearing voices from the kitchen and from the backyard.

“Heard about your visitor this morning,” Suzanne said as she rocked the baby.

Marcus spotted his dad walking toward them, holding two beers, wearing blue jeans and a red and white T-shirt. His dark hair was short and seemed to be lightening more and more every day. Raymond held out a beer to Marcus, who reached for the cold bottle and took a swallow.

“Thanks,” he said.

His dad only nodded and kept walking over to the big stool behind him to sit down. Marcus took a step over, feeling his sister and Jenny watching him.

“Owen is barbecuing ribs and chicken,” Raymond said. “Will be a while. So is Reine Colbert coming over? Eva is out back, telling everyone about her mom coming over tonight. She’s very excited.”

Just hearing the way his dad said it, he felt the twist of the knife in his stomach again. There seemed to be an anvil hanging over his head. He let out a heavy sigh and pulled his hand over his face again.

“I told her not to come,” he said, “and Ryan was just filling me in on the talk he didn’t have with her.”

His dad gave him that pointed look of his, and he knew he was waiting for more. “I was watching out the window and saw the way she ran off,” he said. “Ryan called out after her, and when he came over before leaving for work, he said she was spooked and just ran off.”

“But not before telling me she wants Eva back,” Marcus said. “It doesn’t work that way. We’re her family now. She can’t just take her. And do what with her? She’s an ex-con with a record, on probation, living in some shithole—and, what, she thinks I’m just going to be okay with her dragging my daughter to live there? She seems to forget we adopted Eva. She has no rights here. Not anymore.”

He knew he needed to get a grip. In the heavy silence, Jenny and Suzanne exchanged a look. He didn’t want to hear anyone’s perspective, but he knew he was going to get it.

“Marcus, I can hear your frustration,” Raymond said, “but you need to dial it back a bit. That little girl out there is so excited about seeing her mother, yet you’re already jumping to a fight about keeping her away. I spoke with Karen, and she said she talked to you about the situation. She wanted to come down tonight, but with her being eight months pregnant, Jack has been hovering, and he’s insisted on waiting until this weekend. She’s worried you might take it too far with Reine. She said something about you paying a visit to her parole officer, maybe finding out where she lives and digging into her life? She’s worried you’ll stir up trouble for her.”

He hadn’t expected that from his dad, and he had half a mind to call Karen and tell her to stop sharing everything with him. He knew there was a special bond between the two, and they’d become closer since Raymond had basically returned from the dead.

He shook his head, not missing the matching horror in Suzanne’s and Jenny’s expressions. “I did pay a visit to Manny, and I have the address where she’s living, who she’s working for. The rules for her probation include staying away from me, my family, and Eva. She’s already violated that…”

“Marcus, no…” Suzanne cut in and winced.

“I told him I don’t want it used against her, and that wasn’t why I was there. It was just to—”

“To find out everything about her because she has your back to the wall,” his dad said, cutting in.

Marcus was beginning to feel how sideways this could go. He glanced over to the front door, wondering when she’d knock and show up. His control was slipping away. He didn’t know how to explain to Eva that her mom couldn’t just show up there.

“You make me sound horrible,” he said. “I’m not unfeeling. Look, Reine should never have gone to jail to begin with, but I couldn’t control that outcome then. And, unfortunately, she got dealt a shitty hand. But that’s what she has, and she has to live with it. Eva is now our daughter, so there’s no way in hell I’m letting any part of this go forward with her thinking she can somehow get her back. She willingly asked us to adopt her…”

His dad gestured to him, and he knew he was getting loud. He glanced behind him to see Ryan walking his way with Luke, whose hair was shorter again, dark and wavy. Those O’Connell blues didn’t miss anything, and his white T-shirt showed his bulked-out arms.

“No one is contesting any of that, Marcus, but here’s the thing—and maybe I can say this because I had to watch you all grow up from the sidelines, which was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I have an idea of both sides here. That little girl is part of our family, but Reine is still her mother, and that’s a bond you can’t break. She’s going to want a relationship, and the best outcome is working something out so everyone is happy.”

His brothers said nothing. Suzanne had finished nursing Arnie and was now burping him, sitting with an overstuffed pillow on her lap.

“I hear you,” Marcus said. “Maybe I didn’t handle it well this morning. I’ll talk to Reine.”

Ryan said nothing, and Raymond looked over to Luke. The exchange told him they’d already discussed something.

“Actually, that’s something we want to talk to you about,” Luke said, cutting in.

“Oh, am I going to want to hear this?” He took in his family in the living room, hearing the tick of the clock and the seconds of silence.

Ryan dragged his hand over his head, ruffling his hair. “You shouldn’t talk to her,” he said. “I think at this point, Marcus, after this morning, it would be best if we talked to her for you.” Maybe Ryan knew he was about to lose it then, as he lifted his hands in the air as if to surrender.

Raymond stood up. “Marcus, you have every right, but think about it. If she’s so angry with you and determined to fight you, it would be better if she talked to us. She may just be more willing to listen and be reasoned with. I see your anger, and I understand it, but all you’re going to do is butt heads with a woman who’s hurting, and that will not make her reasonable, or you. You’ve got to think about Eva in this. Yes, she’s yours, and you adopted her, but that first six years she had with her mom…”

“He’s right,” Luke said. “And you know it, Marcus. Right now, isn’t it about finding a solution everyone can live with?”

Marcus didn’t want to agree. He squeezed the cold beer in his hand.

“Marcus, is my mom here yet?” Eva came running in, her long hair in a ponytail. She’d grown from that little girl he’d taken the call for help from. He rested his hand on her head and rubbed it as she reached for his arm, and he could see the joy in her face.

“Not yet,” he said. “You know, something could have come up, and…”

“No, Marcus, she wouldn’t do that. She said she would come. Is she in trouble or hurt?” She wasn’t smiling anymore. From the way everyone was watching him, he knew they were right.

“I’m sure it’s nothing like that. She has a job and works. Maybe she had to work longer. How about this? If she doesn’t come, I’ll go and find her and talk with her…”

“You could pick her up?” Eva was hopeful, staring up at him, and he could see the worry lingering.

“Why don’t we just wait a bit? The night’s not over yet.” He knew the worry she had, and he knew what he’d pulled her from, the nightmares she’d had for so long.

She didn’t say anything at first. Then, “You promise?”

He’d never lied to her. He found himself forcing a smile to his lips and running his hand over the top of her head. He gave a tender, teasing yank on her ponytail, which had always brought a smile to her face before. “Go on and have fun with the dog, and let’s not jump all the way to worry. If she doesn’t come, I’ll find her and talk to her. Now go, get your fill of playing with the dog, and tell Owen not to overcook the ribs.”

Eva just stood there and looked over to the window with its closed sheers.

Raymond walked over and pulled back the drapes, looking out. “I’ll keep an eye out, Eva. Don’t worry.”

Evidently, that was all she needed to hear, as she walked away. But she turned back in the archway to the kitchen, where he could see Charlotte lingering, chopping something and glancing over to him.

“Marcus, could you make sure Mommy is okay?” she said.

The knot only tightened more in his stomach, because his family was right: He was too close to this. He forced himself to nod. “I will, Eva.”

Then she walked away, and his brothers, his dad, Suzanne, and Jenny were all staring at him.

“What?” he snapped.

“Nothing. Just, what’s the plan when she doesn’t show up tonight?” Ryan said.

Marcus shook his head. “Then I guess you all get your wish and get to talk to her.”

He made himself look back over his shoulder to Charlotte, who was watching, listening, and he knew from that one look that this was the thing she’d secretly feared.

Losing Eva.