21. Raina

Raina peeked out the sidelight window, recoiling at the sight of her ex-husband raising his arm to slam the front door again. He was in work clothes, but his tie had been loosened, his shirt was disheveled, and his thick hair looked like he'd run his hand through it a thousand times.

Which was what he did when he was really, really mad.

Mad about what?

"Raina! I know you're hiding my mother in there!"

About that. Hesitant to open the door, she turned to Val, who was leaning forward now, her eyes bright with concern.

"Raina!"

"He's going to kick the door in if I don't open it." She flipped the deadbolt and turned the knob, half expecting him to smack the door in her face before she got it open a crack. He'd never been a violent man, but—

"Let me see her!" he demanded. "Now or I'm calling the cops!"

She couldn't resist a slight laugh as she inched the door wider. "You're the intruder, Jack. And she's right here."

He looked past her, his eyes flashing. "Mama!"

Before she could stop him, he threw the door open and rushed by Raina.

Wait. Mama? Had he ever called her that?

"Are you okay?" He practically dropped to the floor in front of the sofa. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

Raina winced. He had a point and a right to know his mother was sick. But it was Val's call, so Raina stayed put, arms crossed, watching the interaction.

"I'm fine," Val said sharply, accepting his hug with stiff arms. "What do you want?"

"To help you!" He threw his arms in the air as if that was obvious. "And to find out what's wrong! A neurosurgeon called Eileen because she's on your contact list. A bill came back that they'd sent to you, and the nurse asked how you were doing like…like she expected you to die."

"Not yet," Val said quietly.

So that's how he found out. Eileen was a HIPAA-approved contact, and the doctor or nurse up there told her, and Eileen told Jack.

Val let out a very put-upon sigh, her large frame folding a bit as if this whole day was just too much for her. And Raina felt the same. Couldn't he have just called?

She took a step closer, her only goal to make him leave and let poor Val rest.

"Look, Jack, it's not a good time. She has to—"

He spun on Raina, pinning a fiery glare on her. "You have to stay out of this, Raina. You're not family. You have no right to steal my mother and hide her here."

"I didn't—"

"Do you have to get everything?" He spat the question. "Taking my kids, wrecking my business, and squeezing half my money out of me wasn't enough? I'm over you, Raina, and I came up here to tell you that and take my mother back to her family!"

Her jaw slackened. She didn't even know where to start with this stunning revision of history.

She took his kids? He signed them away. He wrecked the business—and their home—with an affair. And he agreed to give her the rightful share of a business they'd started and built together as part of a divorce that could have been gruesome but for her willingness to compromise.

"I'm dying," Val said quietly, bringing everything to a standstill as Jack stared at her. "I have an inoperable brain tumor and the doctor says I'll be lucky to see the end of this summer."

Jack froze, rocked by the news, taking deep breaths as the truth hit. "Then you need to come back to Miami with me."

"Over my dead body," she scoffed, wrapping the blanket tighter around her. "And I guess I mean that literally."

"You're really dying?" he asked.

"Maybe not," Raina said quickly. "We might have a solution to that."

He jerked around to her. "Oh, you're God now? The great Raina Wingate will fix anything and everything, so don't dare get in her way. Please."

"She's saving my life! So don't even think about getting in her way, Jack!" Val stood, the blanket falling from her vibrating body, scowling at him. "She has found experts and researchers and family and friends and driven for hours and stayed by my side and given me…everything." Her voice cracked as she looked at Raina, her whole expression softening. "And I didn't deserve one second of it."

"Oh, Val, that's not true." Raina went to her, lifting the blanket that had fallen and trying to ease her back to the sofa. "Don't get upset, Val. Not after today."

Val's whole face dissolved as she refused to sit down. "I didn't deserve it, Raina. I was so mean to you and all you've shown me was…mercy."

"Oh, for God's sake," Jack growled.

"Yes!" Val exclaimed. "It is for God's sake. That's exactly who has His hand in this, and I know that now. He's showing me…" She blinked, tears flowing. "What real grace is."

Raina shook her head, not even knowing how to reply to that.

Jack threw both hands up as if he couldn't take another word. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's a saint. But I know her better than you do, and she wants something." He narrowed his eyes at Raina. "Just to kick me in the nuts again?"

"Kick you?" Val scoffed, looking like she might be the one doing the kicking. "You cheated on her, you heartless son of a—"

"Val, please don't get worked up." Raina reached for her, hating how blanched her skin looked.

"She wants to steal you," Jack said, sounding like a petulant toddler. "Just like she stole my children."

"Well, I hope she does." Val plopped back onto the sofa like it was all too much for her. "Because I've been a Wallace by marriage and a Wingate by association. And Wingate is better."

Jack's chest rose and fell with a strained breath, his eyes enraged like a bull in a ring.

"And I think that's your cue to leave, Mr. Wallace."

They all turned at the sound of Chase's voice. He stood in the arched entryway of the living room with a baby in each arm, the picture of serenity and strength, like the babies he somehow had calmed.

"What the holy hell are you doing here?" Jack ground out.

"I live here," he said, walking behind the sofa as if he wanted a large barrier between Jack and the babies. "What are you doing here?"

"You…you…live here?" He practically choked on the words. "And you show up at my clients' to take my business and now you're walking around like the cock of the walk with my kids in your arms?"

Raina rounded the sofa to join Chase, reaching for Lily. Chase did the handoff without taking his eyes from Jack, both of them moving with the practiced choreography of experienced parents. Then they stood side by side behind Val in total solidarity.

That wasn't lost on Jack, who seethed. And he didn't, she notice, spare so much as a look of curiosity for either of his daughters.

"They aren't yours," Chase said simply. "You signed away any right to even be in the same room as they are. So, do us all a favor, Jack, and leave."

Jack stared at all of them, his face contorted by hate and jealousy and resentment and all the ugliness that had taken up residence inside him.

As the seconds ticked by, they stared at each other, the standoff of a newly made, unconventional family versus a man who didn't understand the meaning of the word.

Very slowly, she saw the wind fade from Jack's haughty sails as he took in the tableau.

Jack's gaze finally settled on his mother, both hands balling in fists. "You're making a mistake choosing this over me."

"You chose Lisa over me," Val responded. "And over Raina. And over these babies. If anyone has to live with their choices, son, it's you. Goodbye."

He exhaled noisily and stayed right where he was, his nostrils flaring with each breath. "I could get that termination of parental rights reversed, you know. I could—"

Chase cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes. "You try that, and you'll have to answer to me."

The warning sliced through the room, delivered so calmly, chills prickled Raina's arms.

Jack's shoulders slipped slightly in defeat as his hands unfisted and the last bit of fight left his body.

He finally leveled his gaze and exhaled. "Please let Eileen and me know how you are," he said to Val. "Maybe, in time, we can get past this."

"If there's one thing I learned on this sojourn to Amelia Island," Val replied softly, "it's that everyone can be forgiven. I have hope now, Jack. Real hope. I'll call you when the reports come in and if I'm dying, we'll say goodbye. And if I'm not? Then we'll start over."

He shuttered his eyes in silent agreement and walked out, his footsteps quick on the stairs, his car's engine growling over the sand and gravel as he took off.

The minute he was gone, Raina turned to Chase. "Thank you," she sighed, leaning into him, vaguely aware that tears of relief and exhaustion and gratitude sprang to her eyes.

He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her as close as he could with each of them clutching a baby.

Val twisted on the sofa to take in their embrace. "Please make an old woman happy and tell me you two are the real deal that's going to last forever," she said softly.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, holding on to each other and the babies, Val's words hanging in the air. It was time. It was time to give in and tell Chase exactly how she felt, no matter who was in the room.

"It is the real deal and could last forever," Raina whispered, staring up at him. "Because I love you, Chase. With everything in me, my whole heart and soul, I truly love you."

She watched the words hit his heart as a smile broke over his face. "Raina. I love you, too. So much. So much." His voice cracked as he kissed her, their lips meeting just as Lily whacked her cheek and Charlie kicked her chest, making them laugh.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Val muttered.

Lily gave a good squawk and Charlie cooed and whimpered and…the babies came first.

"We have two hungry munchkins," Raina said on a laugh, her body humming from the kiss. "I better get them fed."

"And three hungry adults," Chase said, tearing himself away, "who need pasta and comfort."

"I'll help you with the babies," Val said.

"But you will rest," Raina insisted. "Let the medicine work its magic."

A few minutes later, Raina settled against the sofa next to Val, nursing Charlie while her former nemesis cooed at Lily and gave her a bottle. The aroma of Italian food and the soft notes of Chase humming floated out from the kitchen.

"Miracles do happen, Val," Raina said softly, dropping her head on Val's shoulder. "Never stop believing that."

"I know, Raina." Val reached over and patted her hair. "Just the fact that you and I are sitting here is proof of that."