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“The case with the kids you’ve been telling us about?” Sparrow asked her.
Ridge moved next to her and she stepped back so she could talk to them. Jace and Beck sat on the stools by the island, giving her their full attention as she explained the series of events the last two days.
“I heard about the officers being shot, and about a woman who was attacked on the news, but they didn’t mention where,” Beck said to her.
“Well, they can’t say it was at a women’s shelter. It’s bad enough it happened, now the shelter is being evaluated as to whether they’re equipped to handle cases like Roxie’s. Whether some better forms of security need to be in place other than what they had. It’s a mess, but the worst part is the kids. Roxie’s kids are scared and not talking. I met with them yesterday for a short period of time, but then someone from social services was there and deciding what to do with them.”
Ridge caressed her back.
“Those poor babies. Will they wind up in foster care?” he asked.
“Thank God the woman that Roxie attacked at the shelter is going to live. Roxie is going to have to pay for doing that. Samuel is their biological father, but he’s heading to a life behind bars. There are already murder charges pending, and the potential for another one if that police officer he shot doesn’t make it,” she said to them.
“So they become the responsibility of the state. Unless there are other relatives,” Jace said to her.
“There aren’t any. We’ve been looking into both of their families to see if anyone could take the kids, but they haven’t had any relationship with any of them for too long.”
“What’s the next step?” Beck asked.
“I’m going to see them Monday,” she said and ran her finger along the rim of the wine glass.
“That’s what the teddy bears and stuff are for? The kids?” he asked.
She nodded and held his gaze.
“They’re going to have a tough road ahead of them. Tye, he’s the six-year-old, Lena the four-year-old, and even Grace the baby, love to cuddle. I thought the bears would be great for them, and the blanket with the teddy bear attached to it could be great for Grace.” The tears filled her eyes and Ridge pulled her into his arms.
“Oh, baby, I know it’s tough,” he said to her.
Sparrow pressed up behind her and kissed her shoulder as she stepped back from Ridge’s hold.
“Have you looked into asking the social worker if there are people who would take the three babies to try and keep the family together?”
Valentina wiped her eyes and looked at Sparrow. “It’s the beginning stages. Right now they’re keeping the kids at the women’s shelter until next week sometime. Then they’ll transfer them to a location where other kids live until all the legal matters get settled. They’ll look for foster parents, but there’s no guarantee all three will go to the same place. They have to see if there are vacancies. Once the parents are behind bars and are sentenced, they’ll see if they want to remain having custody of the kids or give them up to the state. Then adoption could be an option.” She swallowed hard and then took a sip of her wine. Sparrow kept a hand on her waist.
“Well, let’s hope for the best. Maybe the mother will give herself up, will serve a short period of time, or the judge could work out something and she can still have custody of the kids and raise them.”
“I’m not sure that’s going to happen, since she’s only kept them this long because of their father. It’s a screwed-up situation, and those babies are going to suffer the most. It’s heart-wrenching.”
Ridge felt sorry for Valentina for having to face these types of situations at work. She had a big heart, and it was one of the reasons he found himself falling in love with her. One glance around the room at his brothers and he could see them falling for her, as well.
He liked that they were all gathered here together, talking about her job and giving her support. He wanted more nights like this, and mornings to wake up to with Valentina in their arms.
Chapter 9
“She’s a beautiful young woman,” Scout, one of their fathers, told them. Sparrow smiled.
“Great personality, too, with a sense of humor,” Sarge added, taking a slug from his beer and winking at Sparrow.
“It seems like the four of you are pretty smitten with her,” Ray said and held Jace’s gaze.
Sparrow looked over toward where Valentina was talking to their mom by the herb garden. She looked beautiful today, wearing a light blue sundress that accentuated her figure and was short enough to give them a good view of her toned legs. It was a tease, though, as the bottom fell right above the knees. He thought about later, when they’d get her back to the house, and all the ways they would talk her into staying the night.
“So is this serious?” Sarge asked them and then looked to Sparrow for a reply. He was the oldest and always took the lead on things, but with Valentina it was different. They all led and followed. She was wrapping them around her heart quickly.
“We brought her over here for dinner, and told you all and mom about her a week ago,” Sparrow replied and then leaned back and looked over to find Valentina smiling and talking a mile a minute with their mother.
“You just be sure to take your time. This type of relationship involves a lot of trust and patience, too. She seems like she has a lot on her mind, having to care for her sister and nephew who look scared all the time. Be sure you’re thinking with the right heads,” Scout said to them, and Beck cleared his throat.
