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“By all accounts, they’ve taken beautiful care of her.”
“They have,” Hope said with a sigh, “but it’s so hard for them to see her living this way.”
“I’m sure. My father’s mother had it. We weren’t super close to them like we were with my mother’s parents, but I vividly remember her not recognizing us and how shocking that was.”
“It’s an awful disease. It steals so much from the patient and their families.”
“And how is Miss Scarlett doing?” Cindy asked of Hope’s baby daughter.
“She’s delightful.” Hope called up some photos on her phone and showed them to Cindy as she applied foils to Hope’s hair. “She’s riding shotgun with Daddy this morning so Mommy could get her hair done.”
“Aw, she’s so cute! Who does she look like?”
“Her daddy. She’s all him.”
“I thought so, but I wasn’t sure.”
“Oh yeah, she’s a Martinez through and through.”
“How does your son like being a big brother?”
“He’s wonderful with her, but he’s busy with school and sports and his best friends, Kyle and Jackson.”
Cindy perked up a bit at the mention of Jace’s sons. “You must have pictures of him, too.”
“Yep.” She called up a photo of Ethan. “That’s his school picture, which he hates. He says he looks like he’s going to church.”
Cindy laughed. “He’s a handsome boy.”
“Yes, he is. Soon to be nine years old. I can’t believe that. Here’s one with his best friends, Jackson and Kyle. The three of them are inseparable.”
Curiosity had Cindy looking closely at the two cute blond boys with missing front teeth and freckles on their noses. She could see Jace in them. “They’re so cute.”
“They are, but holy moly are they busy when they’re together.”
“I’ll bet.”
“It’s dogs and kids and chaos when they’re around, but we love it. I’m so happy Ethan has made some wonderful friends and loves living here as much as I do.”
“I’m so glad it worked out so well for you guys.”
“It did. You have no idea how well. I don’t tell a lot of people this, but Ethan’s dad is in prison. He was a high school coach who became involved with a student.”
“Oh, Hope. I’m so sorry. That must’ve been horrible.”
“It was the worst time in my life. He’s due to be paroled later this year.”
“Does he know where you are?”
“Yes. We reached out to him a while back about Paul adopting Ethan.”
“What did he say?”
“He was willing if I send him a yearly update on how he’s doing along with photos. We’ve been waiting for him to sign the paperwork to get it moving, but he hasn’t done it yet. Dan Torrington contacted his lawyer last week to ask about the delay, and I just heard from him on the way over here, which is why I’m rambling on to you about it.”
“I’m happy to listen. What did Dan say?”
“My ex-husband is asking to see Ethan once before he signs the papers. He wants a chance to apologize to him and to let him know how much he cares for him. He wants to do that in person.”
