Broken Build (44 page)

“How can that be?” Jen grabbed the photo. “It’s obvious that Abby is Emily!”

Mathews’ eyes widened as his lips thinned, and he sighed. “Emily matches Jocelyn and Rodrigo.”

Jen’s shoulders slumped, and a weight dragged her heart to her gut. “Did Dave know?”

“Who knows?” Matthews patted her shoulder. “It all makes sense now. That love poem ‘Looking Back’ to Eurydice was not written to you because you were never dead.”

Jen had just read it. Nope, definitely not her. She was the bear lady.

“Jocelyn was Eurydice,” she said. “And the apparition Rod was granted was Abby. What’s Dave going to think?”

“The doctors say he’ll wake up soon. You ought to go see him.”

“I want to, more than anything. But…” Jen wrung her hands. “He might not want to see me.”

Mathews made a humming sound. “He’ll forgive you. I’m sure of it.”

Jen hugged herself and shuddered. She wasn’t so sure. “Well, at least he’ll get Abby back. She’s still legally his daughter.”

“That’s true.” He stepped toward the door. “And thanks to you, we got some big fish. Craig Pearson, racketeering. He was paying the chop shop boys, the ones you called Snakehead, Scraggly, and Bandana, to harass businesses by stealing code and threatening lawsuits. Your roommate was the lookout for them. She must have called them when Rey showed up. They trailed you and Rey to that restaurant, then the soccer field, and finally to Shopahol.”

“How did they know I had the code?”

“Rey told them he was getting it from you that evening. But Sherry and Bruce killed Rey and left his body for the chop shop boys to find. They took advantage, mugged you for the code and stole Rey’s car, making them prime suspects. Truly idiots. But Sherry was the culprit. The discharged stun gun traces matched the one she used on Dave, and the wide wheels on her sports car fit the measurements of the crushing on Rey’s body. She removed the ground effects before running him over, then replaced them so that her car wouldn’t appear like the one on the video.”

Jen shook his arm. “The low-riding muscle car! I saw it that day when I went jogging.”

Mathews looked her up and down. “Maybe next time you should go jogging with a dog. Your ex-roommate’s dog is in the pound and tomorrow’s his last day.”

“I’ll take him. Where is he?”

He gave Jen a card to the Animal Control Shelter. “You’re a good woman.”

Jen’s insides twisted. What Mathews didn’t know was the dirt Sherry had dished into Dave’s ears.

Chapter 42

Jen opened the ring box for one last look. The diamond smiled, sparkly and so hopeful. Champagne colored, a rare treasure. She snapped a picture with her cell phone camera and slipped the box into a padded envelope.
I love you, Dave, but you’ll never be able to look at me without thinking how you could have had Abby all these years.
Add to that Sherry’s lies: the supposed abortion and how they paid her off to allow them to take Abby. No way could she take the look of regret he’d pin on her at having asked her to marry him. It was better this way. He had Abby back, and he didn’t need Jen around to remind him of all the pain he went through.

Jen plucked the boarding pass from the printer. One-way to New Orleans. Max wagged his tail and buried his wet nose into her palm.

“Of course, I’m taking you, boy. Pop loves dogs, but you better be a good huntin’ dog.” Sighing, she packed her belongings and labeled them. Owen would drive her and Max to the airport and mail her things. Christy didn’t need her anymore; she had a real family now, including Dave as her brother. She rubbed Max’s back. “It’s just me and you, boy.”

Her cell rang. Her father was on the line.

“Hey, baby doll.” A gravelly voice coughed. “Ya got everything ready?”

Jen sniffed and blew her nose. “Yes. It’s a red-eye and I should be in early tomorrow morning.”

“Sure… And… well, I guess before I see ya… I’m uh… sorry.”

“It’s okay, Pop. I understand now why you left. You couldn’t look at Christy.”

He snorted. “It weren’t that. I missed you though. But… yer mama, she made me lie… tell everyone Christy were mine.”

“Christy has her father now and a new brother and sister.”

“Yep, that she does.”

Jen cleared her throat. “Umm… Pop? How come you never came to see me?”

“Couldn’t stand lookin’ at yer mama.”

“You hated her?”

“No, I loved her, still do. But I wanna remember her the way she was, before… I guess she stopped lovin’ me. I don’t blame her.”

“Oh, Pop. She missed you too. I’d wake up in the middle of the night and she’d be weeping, all heartbroken.”

“She weren’t weepin’ for me, baby doll.”

“She died with your name on her lips. Why didn’t you come see her?”

“Dunno. Guess I ain’t man enough. Easier to run, ya know. Never look back, that’s what I says. See ya tomorrow.”

“Sure, Pop.” Jen hung up, pulled the ring box out of the envelope and kissed it. Her heart breaking into a million fragments, she wept.

* * *

Dave’s heart jolted him awake. Jen! Where was she? The tires screeched. Had that been a speed bump? No! He flung his arms to his face. Jennifer!

Pain threaded through his veins, his arms tangled in an array of tubes. Someone fluttered to his side. He blinked.

“Davey, you’re awake.” His mother pushed the call button.

He opened his mouth, but couldn’t form any words.

A nurse walked in and shone a bright light in his eye.
Stop that.
He tried to duck. He moved to rub his eye, but his hands were tethered with tubes.

The nurse handed him a plastic cup with a lid and a straw. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

He sipped and wet his throat enough to speak. “Jen! Did she make it?”

The nurse glanced at his mother. His stomach hollowed, and his heart contracted, and a lump rose to his throat. “Tell me.”

His mother kissed him. “Have you nothing to say to your dear mother who waited by your bedside to be the first to see you open your eyes?”

“I love you, Mom. You know I do. But where’s Jen?”

She stood and turned her back. Oh, God. Had something bad happened? A tight ache constricted his chest. “Tell me she’s alive. Please.”

The nurse patted his pillow and left the room.

“Mom? What happened to Jen?”

His mother pursed her lips. “She’s fine, a bit battered, but her sister says she’s leaving. I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Dave tried to prop himself up. “I have to speak to her.”

“You need to take care of yourself. You’ve been in a coma.” She pulled out her knitting. “Be a good boy, and Mommy will take care of you.”

He’d been in a coma, and Jen would leave without saying goodbye? Dave plopped his head back on the pillow and squeezed his eyes shut. The rhythmic clicking of the knitting needles pricked his heart, ticking like a time bomb, and the vacuum in the pit of his stomach sucked the air from his lungs and the hope from his soul. What if Jen no longer loved him? Sherry had revealed all his dirty secrets. When she told him she was pregnant, he didn’t know what to do. He was only nineteen.

* * *

Jen clutched the padded envelope and entered the hospital. She’d hand the package to his dad. She glanced at the text message from Christy:
We’re in the cafeteria. Dave woke up.

Thank, God! She rushed to the cafeteria.

Christy jumped from the tables and ran to her, arms out. “We just saw Dave. Are you going to see him before you go?”

“I can’t. I have a plane to catch.” She hugged Christy for a long time. “I love you, Christy. Come and visit, okay?”

Dave’s father approached, holding his daughter Vivian’s hand. “He’s been asking for you. We didn’t know what to tell him.”

 “Just… tell him I’ll always love him. And… give this to him.” She gave the envelope to Dave’s father before she could change her mind. “You take care of him, okay?”

They exchanged hugs and said farewell. Jen looked after them. Dave’s father stopped at the security desk, and Christy bought a candy bar at a vending machine for Vivian. They were his family, and she didn’t belong.

Jen glanced at the time on her phone. She flicked to a photo of her and Dave sitting in front of the fire at the cabin. Tears misted her eyes as she walked toward the exit.

“Miss!” A voice called. “You left this envelope.”

A guard rushed to her side and handed her the padded envelope addressed to Dave.

“Thanks,” Jen mumbled. She wanted to see him so badly. Maybe she could slip the envelope under his door, take a peek to make sure he was okay. She still had time.

She turned a corner and spotted Dave’s mother. Jen ducked at a drinking fountain. His mother walked past and entered a door.
Must be Dave’s room.

Jen craned her neck and looked around. Nobody paid attention to her so she stepped closer to his room. Her pulse quickened. He was so close, right behind that wall. Should she at least say goodbye? Might he give her another chance? Would his face shine or cloud at the moment of recognition?
Easier to run, ya know… Yes, I know, Pop. That’s all I’ve been doing, running.

Jen waited, her heart doing jumping jacks. Dave’s mother came out of the room and stopped to chat with a nurse. Jen took a deep breath. Time to stop running. No more regrets. Going in. She slid through the door and shut it behind her.

Dave turned to her immediately. His mouth split in a crooked grin. “You came?”

She placed the envelope on the tray table. “I uh… well, wanted to say goodbye.” A jittery flush overcame her. “I’m so sorry.”

“Come, talk to me.” He held out his hands.

She stepped to his bedside. “I just wanted to see that you’re okay.”

“I was so worried about you. I didn’t know if Sherry ran you over. I couldn’t remember anything but the car flipping and turning. I’m so sorry… I never told you about her. Everything she said was true. I was a jerk.”

“Sh-sh…” Jen caressed his cheek, fuzzy with a few days growth. A pain traversed her chest and radiated to her fingertips. “You were young.”

“It’s no excuse.” He took her hand and touched her empty ring finger. “I’ve put you through all this and blamed you when you were innocent.”

“Sherry said some awful things about me.”

“She was lying.” He squeezed her hand. “You would never have done the things she said.”

Flashes like fireworks skittered over her face and warmed her chest. “You… you didn’t believe Sherry?”

He struggled to sit. “I know you, and I love you.”

“Oh, Dave.” Jen sat at the side of his bed and melted into his arms. “I’ll always love you.”

He kissed her cheek. “Tell me you’re staying.”

“I found Abby. I did.”

“Yes, you did. Thank you.” He slumped back on the raised bed and exhaled deeply. “My mother told me. How Emily was Abby and that Rodrigo fathered her.”

“I’m sorry.” Jen’s heart fell heavily over the knot in her stomach. How could Jocelyn have done this to him?

“Did Jocelyn ever confide in you?”

“No, but I overheard her parents saying she should have married Rodrigo, and I didn’t understand it at the time. I’m so sorry.”

His head jittered, and he dragged a hand across his stubbled jaw. “I guess I traveled a lot, took her for granted. Oh, Jen. I wasn’t the man I should have been. And Alex, he’s my son.”

“I know. Detective Mathews confirmed it. You know Sherry’s dead?”

He nodded slowly. “I feel really bad about it.”

The look of contrition on his face tore at her heart. She wanted to hug him, to make everything better, but she held back.

“Jen, don’t leave.” His voice was barely there.

“Can we really make it work?”

“Yes. Please, stay with me. I need you.”

“But the six years.” A dull sense of loss overflowed her. “If only I hadn’t been so gullible. I should’ve been more suspicious and spied on Rod. I could’ve saved Abby.”

“We can’t turn the clock back. Come here.” He drew her into an embrace and held her, rubbing light circles on her back. “I forgive you about everything. Can you forgive yourself?”

He kissed the side of her head and traced his finger from her temple to her lips. His heart beat steadily, faithfully, assuring her that he forgave her. If only she could believe it herself.

“Can you ever forget what I’ve done?” Jen’s voice wavered.

He raised her face level with his. “We won’t ever forget, but that doesn’t mean we can’t move past it. Accept it and put it behind us.”

She trembled, hope sneaking over doubt. “Are you sure you won’t throw it at me when you’re angry?”

“I won’t, ever. When I thought I’d lost you, that Sherry killed you, I-I wanted to die. Or sleep and never wake up. I drifted in a fog, waiting for you to come to my side. But you turned your back, and I asked God to take me. Nothing matters if I don’t have your love.”

Jen swallowed hard, her throat almost closing from the growing lump. “I feel the same way.”

“An angel whispered your name. I looked up and saw a pinpoint of light. And I wanted to reach it, so I swam against the currents and kicked my way to the surface. And now that I’m holding you, I never want to let you go. I love you so much.”

 “Oh, Dave. I love you too.” She squeezed him in her arms. He had come so close to dying. Overcome by tides of love, Jen choked back tears. Thank God, he hadn’t given up. The tubes tangled as he wove his fingers into her hair, and the pulse monitor ticked faster. Poor boy. She had promised not to ever break his heart.

Dave tilted her chin to stare in her eyes. “Jen, will you be my wife? Will you stay with me forever? Will you be my Jennifer Jewell?”

“Yes, yes, I will.” She touched her nose to his, her breath intermingling with his minty, antiseptic scent, her eyelashes fluttering on his.

“My wife, my lovely Jennifer.” His eyes crinkled, bright as a summer day. “We’ll have a real family, won’t we? Abby, Alex, and more little ones, a dog, camping, 4
^th
of July fireworks, Labor Day picnic, and Thanksgiving—”

Jen cut him off with her lips and climbed into the hospital bed. She swept aside his gown. No underwear. He groaned into her mouth as she pressed her body against him. The alarm bells rang, the earth was off axis, victory was within reach, and Jen finally had a man to call her own.