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Chapter 28
When it shitstorms, it pours. When you have to get somewhere fast, everything goes wrong.
He had never cursed the aviation industry in its entirety as he had when the pilot announced that they were going to land in Colorado to switch aircraft due to a minor technical issue.
Jordan’s mind raced, and he could already picture the tabloids inventing that he had landed in Colorado to confront the scorned husband of the woman whose child he had fathered.
He finally landed in San Francisco in the afternoon and, from there, he had a four-hour drive, if Silicon Valley afternoon traffic wasn’t worse than usual.
All this time, he checked his phone time and again, updated his mother and Ava that he landed, spoke to Luke briefly only to hear that Libby was trying to get Hope, and read the only two words that injected some hope into the perimeters of his heart. “I will.”
Waiting for the rental car, he skimmed through the sites. The credible ones hadn’t gotten into it yet, but more tabloids were gleefully covering it. His heart, that felt like a stone in his chest, a rock only chemistry could melt, sank to his stomach when he saw The Whisperers promise to look into the months that he had spent in California. He knew how Hope would take it if she saw it.
That was one of the things he feared—that he would implicate her.Maybe it was wrong of him to even go to her now. He wanted her, but here was the proof that he had been right at first to avoid her. Now it was too late. Now he would explain so she would know the truth. He owed her that. But, if she asked him to leave her alone, he owed her that, too.
Him and her—he shouldn’t have let it happen, for her sake.
Speeding on the 101, Jordan tried to form the right words, sentences, speech in his head. Nevertheless, he had gotten to know Hope enough to expect that planning might not work, that she would surprise him with some curveball that he wouldn’t know what to do with.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And a curveball it was.
It started raining as he reached Riviera View, and he wondered if that was a sign.
Just when the stone in his chest pounded until it hurt, as he pulled up next to her house and walked up the wet lane to the front door—the door that he had stood at with a living, thrumming heart just two weeks ago, the one he had kissed her against—it was thrown open.
Through it rushed out a painfully beautiful redhead who made the stone stop its throb for a moment. Her arm was wrapped around Hannah, who was holding a bloody kitchen towel against her mouth. In her other hand, Hope held an open umbrella. Behind them, a Hello Kitty umbrella with legs ran, a little voice beneath it calling, “Hannah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d try to eat it. Mommy, I swear I didn’t.”
Jordan halted, and Hope, who until then had her eyes on the two girls, raised her gaze and noticed him.
“What’s the matter?” he called, taking a step forward. The rain wasn’t more than a steady drizzle.
“Oh, my God, I can’t do this right now, Jordan,” Hope said.
“Hope, Hannah, what happened? Can I take you to the hospital or—”
“We’re going to the dentist. She broke a tooth on a marble. A marble that someone wrapped in a candy wrapper,” Hope said, turning her head toward Naomi.
Hannah looked at him and attempted to smile. “Hi, Jordan,” he thought she said.
“Jordan, tell Mommy I didn’t mean to.” Naomi ran to him, shifting her umbrella back and grabbing his leg.
He looked below at the little face, automatically caressing her head.
“To the car, right now!” Hope exclaimed.
“I don’t want to go,” Naomi wailed. “You’re mad at me.”
“I’m angry with what you did, and you need to help me now, Naomi. This isn’t the time. We’ll talk about it later.”
“Hope, let me drive you.”
“No, that’s okay. My car’s over there. Thanks. They said they’ll wait … at the dentist’s.” She pointed at a blue Prius that was parked on the other side of the street. “I leave it outside … The garage door, it’s broken, and I didn’t get around to it. Sorry, I have to go,” she added in true Hope form.
“I’ll see you to the car.”
He then looked at Hannah. “Hey, Hannah, you’re a champ, you know that? You’re taking this much better than I would have, and I’m twice your size.”
