No, that couldn’t be. Jenna had just destroyed that particular organ-again. His temper surged, as it had all day long. He’d had no idea he could be so angry!
But watching Sara giggle and gush over the things she’d done with her grandparents
“She’s wonderful, Stone.” Lara’s smile was bittersweet. “And we’ve been such fools. I hope someday you come to believe me when I say how-”
“Don’t apologize again,” Stone ordered, perhaps too roughly. “I know how you feel.”
“Do you? I doubt it. I doubt you’ll ever understand how much I regret some of my choices, how much I have denied myself.” She lifted her chin regally, but spoke with undisguised hope. “But I won’t regret the present, Stone. Not unless you’re against this.”
Stone turned from her to Sara. “Go unpack, honey,” he told the girl.
She started to go, then stopped and faced her grandparents. “Thanks,” she said softly. “I love you.”
Then she was gone.
His mother dabbed daintily at her eyes, which Stone ignored. “What would I be against?”
“We want to see more of her.” His father spoke with a quiet determination, yet with something else, too, something Stone thought never to hear again from him-respect.
But he didn’t need it, not anymore, not from him.
“We know you’re alone. We’re hoping it’s not too late to help you with Sara.” His mother touched his arm for the first time in years, beseeching him with solemn eyes.
“What about Sara’s mother?”
“Her mother?” Lara asked, her tone casual, her eyes anything but. She dropped her arm from his. “Jenna’s been gone for years.”
“What if she’s not gone?”
“I…Oh.” Lara studied her son carefully, as if she could read his oblique thoughts. “You know where she is. You’ve been in contact.”
“Does it matter?”
His father sighed and nudged his mother, giving her a pointed look and a slight shake of his head.
Lara’s lips were pinched with strain. “I already admitted I was a fool, Stone. That includes how I treated her.”
“And she would be welcome, as welcome as Sara or me?” He had no idea why he pushed, for he couldn’t care less about Jenna.
Annoyed at lying to himself, he sighed and rubbed his temples. He cared all right; he just had no idea why he cared.
“I wish you’d tell us what’s going on,” Lara said quietly.
“I’ve been on my own for some time now,” Stone said as kindly as he was able to, while lingering fury at Jenna still raged through him. “And quite honestly much of what I’ve done is none of your business. It’s my life. And Sara’s.”
“And we haven’t earned the right to be included.”
At her anguished expression, he softened his voice, but didn’t give in. “Not about this.”
His parents’ bitter disappointment was clear.
“I understand,” Lara said, her voice a mere whisper. “Good day, son.”
They thought he was turning them away, and he wasn’t cruel enough to let them think that. “Wait.” Stone sighed when they both turned back eagerly to him. “I just meant that I’d like to let Sara call the shots for now.”
“That’s fair,” his father said quietly.
“This is all new to her and very exciting,” Stone admitted. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with you, but I just wanted you to know, at this time, I’m going to leave it up to her.”
“Like I said, that’s fair.” His father grasped his mother’s hand. “Thank you, son.”
“And Jenna?” Lara asked. “What about her?”
“We’ll see,” Stone said. How could he explain what he didn’t understand himself?
Long after his parents had climbed into their car and driven away, Stone stood there, staring at his empty driveway.
He couldn’t have been more thrilled for Sara about the happy reunion, even though he himself felt reserved and not quite rid of his resentment. He wanted this enough for her that he could put aside his own hurt.
He would not deny his daughter what he’d always wanted for her. Family.
But at the moment he had a far bigger issue to face-the fact that Sara was no longer motherless.
Jenna had come back.
“He’s there, Kristen.” Jenna whirled away from her office window in a mixture of panic and hope. “Oh, God. He just opened up his shop. I think I’m going to be sick.”
Kristen laughed when Jenna pressed her hands to her stomach. “Honey, relax, or you’ll have a stroke before you even go try to talk to him.”
“That might be better. He’d have to feel sorry for me then. Maybe I can just stop breathing and he’ll have to give me mouth-to-mouth. You can’t stay mad at someone whose life you just saved, can you? I don’t think that’s possible.”
“Jenna,” Kristen murmured in sympathy, rising and taking her hand. “For Sara, remember?”
How could she forget? “Yes, for Sara.” For the beautiful, wary and wonderful child she wanted to get to know with all her heart.
But first she had to get Stone to forgive her.
“You know, there is one thing to consider here.” Kristen tucked a strand of Jenna’s hair behind her ear and smiled with love. “If he didn’t care so much, he wouldn’t have been so furious.”
“You didn’t see his face, Kris.” Jenna closed her eyes against the memory of Stone’s destroyed expression, but the image was imprinted on her brain to torture her forever.
“Well, you have to admit it had to be a shock,” Kristen said. “Finding out the woman he just fell for is really the woman he’d already fallen for
“Yes.” Miserable, Jenna slipped bonelessly into a chair. “And now he hates me all over again. And I’ll never get a chance to make it up to Sara.”
“Oh, I doubt it. He may want to think he hates you, but believe me-I found this out the hard way-Stone is one of the fairest men on this planet. He’s also one of the most honest. Even he will have to face the truth-he still cares about you. Too much. Otherwise this wouldn’t have been such a bombshell.”
“Well, it certainly was that.”
“He cared for you as Jenna, and he was starting to care for you as Cindy. It was a double whammy. Can’t blame him much.”
Jenna sighed. “Are you trying to make me feel better? Because I have to tell you, it isn’t working.”
Kristen’s smile was sympathetic. “You came to me and told me the truth. Was it so awful?”
“No.” Jenna swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat. “It was wonderful. You were wonderful.”
“And so are you.” Kristen smiled gently. “Go to him, Jenna. You can do this.”
“Think so?”
“You came up with a great plan. Now toughen up and go for it.”
“Just march down there, announce I’ve found him a great clerk and start working?”
“Yup. You’ll whip his office into shape and prove you’re genuine both at the same time.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one putting your heart on the line.”
Kristen studied her for a moment, and when she spoke, the amusement in her voice had been replaced with strength and affection. “It’s about time you put your heart on the line, Jenna. Whether or not you want to
