“Mommy?” she asked, the elephant she held falling to the floor seeming forgotten.
“It’s time to go, honey,” Ariel said, trying to take the anger out of her voice. “Say good-bye to everyone.”
“But I—”
“Dani, I said it’s time to go.”
Dani must have heard or sensed how serious she was because she waved at the kids around her and then walked toward Ariel, her chin quivering and tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.
Matilda stopped Dani as she passed and picked the girl up, giving her a tight hug.
“I’m sorry your mommy is making you leave, baby,” Matilda said, glaring at Ariel.
“Mrs. Mallick, Dani is old enough to walk.”
Matilda looked stunned, but she put Dani down, and the little girl walked toward Ariel, swiping at the tears that ran down her cheeks.
“This is the kind of thing, this wild behavior, that might make people think you’re unfit to raise a child,” Matilda said, voice low.
Were it not for the little girl that stood next to her and the baby that was growing inside her, Ariel would have lost it. Hell, the Ariel of ten years ago would have either way, but she held herself, though it nearly killed her to walk away from smug, self-satisfied Matilda. But she reached for Dani’s hand and headed back down the hall without another word.
She got Dani into her car seat and took the long way home, knowing that the drive would put the girl to sleep. She wasn’t up for conversation or tantrums, either one of which was a possibility, so when she looked into the rearview mirror and saw Dani nodding off, she turned toward home. She managed to get Dani inside and in bed without waking the girl, for which she was grateful.
She swept her gaze around the living room and then thought about the dishes that were in the kitchen, determined to get the house into shape. Two steps and she lost her will and retreated to her bedroom. She’d deal with it later.
Right now, she needed to freak out and cry.
Chapter Fifteen
Matt was surprised to find the house so quiet at this time of day. He glanced at his watch. It was barely after eight, which meant Dani and Ariel should have been having their nightly conversation about Dani’s bedtime. Odd, but maybe they were both tired. Ariel had been worn out for the last few weeks, so that was probably it. It had been tough as hell to watch her exhausted, sick, and not be able to do anything about it, but he’d helped out as much as he could, and Ariel seemed to appreciate the gesture.
He unlocked the door with the key he’d been shocked Ariel had given him, and finding the living room empty, he headed toward Ariel’s bedroom, making a quick stop off to check on Dani, as had become his habit.
He peeked in, saw her sleeping, so he headed to Ariel.
Much like her daughter, she lay under the covers, but she wasn’t sleeping, which concerned him. He hurried toward the bed and kneeled beside it, reaching up to touch her forehead.
“Are you sick?” he asked, voice edged with concern.
She turned her eyes down at him, and then shrugged.
“Something like that,” she said, and then she looked away.
“What?” he said.
“Matt, I’m not in the mood—”
“Too bad. What the hell is going on?”
“I had a visitor today,” she said with a sigh. Then she sat up and flipped the covers aside. She looked awful, her usually glowing skin ashen, her eyes swollen and red.
“What is it, honey? Tell me,” he said.
“Cyrus Thornehill and a social worker paid me a little visit today,” she said.
“What? Why?” he said, shooting up to stand.
“My reaction as well. Apparently, they received a report that questioned my fitness as a parent, so they had to investigate.”
“That’s ridiculous. Who would…?”
“Exactly.”
“That old bitch. Sorry,” he added a moment later.
“Don’t be. That’s the nicest thing you could say about her right now,” Ariel said.
His concern edged away and was replaced with anger. One phone call and Matilda Mallick had turned easygoing Ariel into the sad, bitter person in front of him.
“What did they say?”
She shrugged again, the nonchalant motion not at all reflected in her fiercely angry eyes.
“Oh, you know, standard stuff like who am I sleeping with and whether I can take care of my child.”
“They asked you that?” he asked indignantly.
“In so many words. I told them about us.” She glanced up at him then, question in her eyes. “I hope that’s okay,” she said.
“Of course it is.”
“Said they would do their investigation and be back in touch,” she said, her eyes taking on a faraway quality. “So I guess, on top of everything else, I’ll just have to wait.”
He grabbed her hand and kneeled again. “Ariel, there’s nothing to worry about. This is utter crap. Anybody with eyes can see it.”
“You’re biased, and you’re also not one of the long-standing pillars of the community backed by decades of reputation,” she said.
She had a point. For as awful as she was, Matilda still wielded her fair share of influence.
“Matt?” Ariel asked, voice sounding soft and sad and weak.
He squeezed her hand.
“If the offer’s still on the table, I’d like to get married,” she said.
“What?”
She’d been vehement about not wanting that.
“I’m sorry to do this to you. It’s not ideal, and I still believe that it’s a mistake, but I can’t risk it. I need all the support and ammunition I can get, and you’ll help.”
He hadn’t quite understood what she’d meant when she’d rejected his proposal initially, but it was crystal clear now. To hear their union described this way, a utility and not a preference, tore at his heart.
“Yeah. We can do it tomorrow if you want.”
She nodded.
And it was done. He was getting what he’d thought he’d wanted. What he knew he wanted. But the circumstances robbed all but the smallest amount of joy.
He wrapped her in his arms, pulled her so that she was half on, half off the bed. “We’ll get through this, Ariel. Together.”
He felt her nod, squeeze his hand tighter, and then wipe her tears with his shirt.
Chapter Sixteen
“How about pancakes to celebrate?” Matt asked, glancing back into the rearview mirror.
“But it’s the afternoon. We can’t eat pancakes in the afternoon, Dr. Matt,” she said as if she spoke the most inviolable truth.
“I can’t argue with that. So how should we celebrate, Dani-girl?” he asked.
“Ice cream!”
Ariel could have guessed Dani’s response and from Matt’s chuckle, he could have as well. “Ice cream it is, kiddo,” he said and then he turned, driving toward the exit that would take them to the strip mall with the ice cream parlor.
Dani sang a little song about the upcoming treat, and Matt reached across the console and squeezed Ariel’s hand. The one that now bore a thin gold band.
They had picked it up at the shopping center earlier this morning, the same one where she’d bought a skirt that she’d changed into in the bathroom. By twelve thirty that afternoon, she was officially Mrs. Mathias Poole.
Over breakfast that morning, she and Matt had explained to Dani what was happening. She’d been ecstatic at the prospect of having her beloved Dr. Matt with her all the time and had even proposed that they get a dog. Matt had looked to be considering it, but Ariel had quickly nixed the idea. They’d also considered telling her about the baby, but ultimately decided against it, not yet wanting to deal with months of unceasing questions.
All things considered, the first half day of her married life had gone well.
She was married again, married to Matt. A dream, one that she’d never thought would come true. The circumstances were terrible, but she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t excited about her new life. If Matt felt the same, she couldn’t tell. He was his usual stoic self, but there was comfort in knowing that Matt would be there, would help her through anything. And she’d need him if she was at risk of losing Dani…
As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Matt squeezed her hand again, and she let herself take his strength. His hand in hers, solid, warm, much like the man himself, was the touchstone that she needed, a reminder that she wouldn’t have to face this alone.
When they reached their destination, he parked and then quickly moved to the backseat to unbuckle Dani. With Ariel trailing behind, off they went, her tiny hand in his as they crossed the parking lot, Dani chattering away about ice cream flavors, the two of them together looking so much like father and daughter it made her chest squeeze.
She entered the ice cream parlor after them and was hit by the sickeningly sweet smell of ice cream that made her stomach lurch in rebellion. She caught Matt’s eye and he nodded. With that bit of permission, she retreated to stand outside while she watched Matt pick up Dani and hold her against the glass while she picked out her flavors.
The nausea relented and Ariel’s stomach settled. She usually enjoyed the treat as much as Dani, but it would be a while yet if her reaction to one whiff of the ice cream parlor was any indication. She turned away from the window, looking into the shopping-center parking lot. The day was bright, sunny, a perfect one to start her new life. And it struck her then, that was what this was. Whatever the reason behind it, this was the beginning of her and Dani’s and Matt’s new life. And for the first time since yesterday, she felt like she could breathe.
“Where is my granddaughter?”
There went the milliseconds of relief she had managed to find.
But somehow, she said nothing, didn’t even look in Matilda’s direction.
“I know you heard me. You may be dumb but you’re not deaf. Where is my granddaughter?”
Ariel cut her eyes at Matilda sharply, and if the way she leaned back was any indication, the pure rage and hate Ariel felt was reflected in her eyes.
“The whereabouts of my daughter are none of your concern. Have a nice day, Mrs. Mallick,” Ariel said. It was difficult, the words like little daggers across her tongue, but it was preferable to the alternative. So Ariel focused on pushing Matilda away, treating her with the condescending reserve she saved for difficult customers at the shop, determined not to let the woman get under her skin.
But Matilda was undeterred.
“If you were less selfish, you would see that I only want what’s best for her. And to be frank, Ariel”—she said her name as if it was some dreaded disease—“you aren’t it. You simply cannot provide Danielle the home environment she needs.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Mrs. Mallick. Have a nice day.”
Her voice was almost robotic, but that was preferable to the explosion that bubbled beneath the surface. Only the knowledge of the fact that Matilda was pushing her, counting on a response, helped her rein it in. And when the door opened and Matt emerged holding Dani’s hand while she clutched the biggest ice cream cone Ariel thought she’d ever seen, she was buoyant with relief.
“Hey, Granny,” Dani said between licks.
“Hey, doll. What have you got there?”
“Ice cream. We’re celebrating.”
“Celebrating what?”
“Dr. Matt and Mommy got married. We’re a family now.”
Dani refocused on her ice cream cone, and Matt approached and wrapped his arm around Ariel while he held Dani’s hand, his heavy arm on her shoulders comforting.
Ariel hadn’t thought about how she’d tell Matilda, or whether she’d even bother to, but the look on her face as she watched Matt holding Dani’s hand, then moved her gaze up to where his arm rested around Ariel’s shoulders, pausing briefly on Matt’s own thin gold band, which flashed in the sun, before she looked at Ariel’s, was worth the annoyance. She was sick of being the bigger person and was more than happy to give Matilda a slight taste of comeuppance. Matilda looked like she smelled the most foul thing in the universe, but in her eyes there was hurt and surprise.
Ariel smiled.
Matilda caused the expression and then looked down the sidewalk. “We’ll talk soon, Danielle. Maybe your mother and her new husband will bring you to church on Sunday.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Ariel said.
For once, Matilda had nothing to say. Ariel watched, feeling triumphant as she walked away.
••••
“So maybe three scoops was a little much,” Matt said with a deep sigh as he lay down that evening.
“You’ll get the hang of it, rook,” Ariel said, lying next to him.
He certainly hoped so. After ice cream, he’d spent hours chasing Dani around the yard, and he had aches and pains he hadn’t felt since before he’d gone off active duty. Embarrassing that a kindergartner had beat the crap out of him, but she had.
“Oh, Dr. Matt’s tired,” Ariel said playfully.
“He is,” Matt said.
“How tired?” Ariel asked, placing a hand on his thigh, dangerously close to his instantly burgeoning erection.
“I’m feeling rejuvenated all of a sudden,” he whispered huskily.