Page 27 of The Summer We Kept Secrets (The Destin Diaries #4)
T he sea air clung to Kate and Eli as they got back to the Summer House with sandy toes and light hearts. They lingered in the sunlight on the boardwalk, still laughing about the fact that Kate had once again lost her glasses in the sand. And, once again, Eli found them.
Eli gave her a warm smile, affection washing over him. “Now that was medicine,” he said.
“Hours of it,” she agreed, brushing sand off her bare legs.
They’d taken a long walk with towels, water, and an umbrella, getting complete privacy and some alone time on the beach. After an hour on the sand and a swim in the Gulf, they finally made their way home, hot and tired and as close as they’d ever been.
“I warned you we’d lose track of time,” Eli said, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Not that I’m complaining, although I am ravenous.”
“Same.” She tipped her head up and kissed him, quick but sure. Then she drew back and gestured toward the house. “Back to reality?”
“Diapers and client calls and a six-bedroom house that suddenly feels too small?” He sighed. “It’s what we got.”
“It’s not too small,” she assured him, digging out the wayward specs and sliding them on. “It’s just not what you expected this summer.”
“I’m fine if you are willing to run away and have secret beach time with me.” He kissed her this time, much longer than hers. “Because that is the summer I expected.”
Kate brushed her fingers down his chest, and for a moment he caught a glimpse of something in her eyes that made his heart ache. She seemed unguarded, like she was starting to believe in them as a couple.
“I had no expectations,” she said softly. “So I can’t possibly be disappointed. Unless there’s no leftovers from the pasta dinner Jonah made last night. Then I’ll be bereft and hungry.”
“Let’s go find out,” he said, leaning in for one more kiss. “And if everyone is off doing their own thing, we can eat on the deck just the two of us.”
“Mmm. I like the way you think, Mr. Lawson.”
They made their way to the pool level, which was empty, rinsed off their feet in a small shower Eli had installed, and headed inside the hushed downstairs living area. Jonah’s door was closed, and no sound came from his room.
“Jonah’s studying,” Kate whispered.
“Words I haven’t heard very often in my life.”
She smiled. “He only had a lab this morning and said he was going to hit the books all afternoon.”
“Or maybe he’s…” Eli hesitated when he heard a voice behind the closed door, low, in a quiet conversation. “On the phone.”
They’d made it to the bottom of the stairs when Jonah’s door opened.
“Hey,” he said gruffly.
They both turned and Jonah walked closer, unhappiness visible all over his face.
“Either you are studying too hard or something’s wrong,” Eli said, frowning at his son.
“The latter.” He huffed out a breath. “Can you two talk for a minute?”
So much for continuing their impromptu date upstairs. But Eli didn’t hesitate, stepping right back down and, bless her, Kate did, too.
“Of course,” they said in unison.
“What’s going on?” Eli asked as the three of them went into the living area.
While Kate and Eli sat on the sofa, Jonah dropped onto an overstuffed chair with a deep sigh, running his hands through already tousled hair.
“Is Atlas okay?” Kate asked, leaning forward in concern.
“Meredith took him when he woke up,” he said. “She said she’d feed him because I was on the phone.” He swallowed visibly. “With Carly’s parents.”
Eli grunted softly. “What did they say?” he asked.
Jonah barked a joyless laugh. “Nothing terribly nice.”
“But what were the specifics?” Eli pressed.
“Like, they wanted to know where Atlas is, who’s taking care of him, when I’m bringing him back, why I haven’t contacted them. That stuff.”
“You haven’t contacted them?” Eli asked, his voice rising in disbelief.
“I sent Carly’s sister a text and they know I’m here with family. They know he’s fine.”
“That’s all?” Eli drew back and glanced at Kate. Her arms were crossed, her expression unreadable.
“It’s been a couple of weeks, Jonah,” Eli said. “You owe them updates. You should be sending them pictures, reassuring them Atlas is in good hands. You shouldn’t ignore them, son.”
“I’m not,” he shot back. “I don’t know what to say. I mean, their daughter died. Is it right to send pictures and say, ‘Look how cute your grandson is?’ That doesn’t feel right, either. I just don’t know what’s the right thing to do.”
“The right thing to do is not cut them off or antagonize or worry them. They have enough on their hearts right now.” Once again, Eli looked at Kate, expecting her to back him up.
But she remained silent, clearly deep in thought, wearing her most analytical expression.
Finally, she leaned forward. “How did they contact you?”
“They called.”
“So they’ve had your number,” she said, glancing at Eli. “If they were worried or antagonized, they would have called sooner. My guess is they’re using this time to get their legal ducks in a row.”
“Legal ducks?” Eli scoffed. “Their daughter was tragically killed. I’d be surprised if they made it out of bed or brushed their teeth every day.”
“Exactly,” Jonah said. “And I didn’t want to make it worse by sending pictures of Atlas.”
“It might make things better,” Eli said. “How did you leave it?”
“They want to see the baby.”
“All right,” he said, calm and deliberate. “Then we invite them, and we host them for as long as they like.”
Jonah blinked. “What?”
“They’re grieving,” Eli continued, feeling certain about this approach.
They would offer hospitality, love, kindness, and peace.
That was truly the faithful way to handle the situation, and God would bless them.
“They just lost their daughter. And now they’re trying to understand where their grandson fits into their lives.
We open the door. We show them love. That’s what Carly would’ve wanted. ”
“They didn’t sound very… loving,” Jonah muttered.
“They don’t have to sound that way,” Eli said. “They’re scared. Angry. Hurting beyond description. Of course they have to come and stay here. Let them see Atlas is safe and loved and healthy. Do you want me to?—”
“They might try to take him,” Kate said flatly.
Eli turned toward her, blinking at the statement. “We don’t know that.”
“We don’t know that they won’t,” she replied. “You can’t just open this house to complete strangers.”
“They’re Atlas’s grandparents! They have as much right to love him as I do.”
“They want to take him from Jonah,” she countered. “They’ve said they would. What if they kidnap him in the middle of the night?”
Jonah sucked in a breath and Eli whipped around to look at him.
“Do you think they might?” he asked.
“I honestly don’t know them that well,” Jonah said. “I mean, I don’t think so but, you know, in their minds, I kidnapped Atlas.”
“You brought your motherless newborn to the safety of his extended family,” Eli replied firmly. “You hardly kidnapped him. There are no police at the door.”
Jonah blew a breath, looking from one to the other, scared and confused.
But Eli wasn’t confused. He knew exactly what to do. “We will give them the benefit of the doubt and treat the Danes family like our own.” He dropped his elbows on his knees and locked his gaze on Jonah to underscore his point. “Because they are family, and they deserve respect and kindness.”
“Eli.” Kate took a breath, her tone cool as she put a hand on his arm. “I appreciate your good heart, but we have to be cautious and logical.”
“There’s nothing illogical about this family losing their daughter and wanting to see their grandson,” Eli said, feeling very much on the side of the other family in this. “It’s emotional and gut-wrenching.”
“It is,” she agreed, “but we also have to be smart.” She shifted her attention to Jonah. “First things first. Out of the gate, you need to contact a local lab and arrange to do a paternity test to put any question about that to bed.”
Jonah let out a quiet sound—almost a whimper—and dropped back in his chair. “There’s no question.”
“Then you’ll easily prove that,” she continued.
“Then, we hire a family attorney to draw up whatever paperwork we need to name Jonah as Atlas’s sole legal guardian.
Didn’t you say your name is on his birth certificate?
Perfect. We’ll get custody contracts, power of attorney, emergency filings—whatever it takes.
We need to be in front of a judge before they are. ”
Eli felt his chest tighten. “Before we even meet them?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “Before we let them in the house, before we set a place at the table, or let them hold that baby. Hospitality can come later. Right now, Jonah needs to dot every I, cross every T, and be prepared for a fight. That should be our strategy.”
Eli managed a breath, the pronouncements leaving him reeling, stirring his gut. “I don’t like that strategy .” He hit the word hard. “It feels cold and untrusting, and it’s not how you treat family.”
She rolled her eyes. “Tell that to the person whose child has been kidnapped by an ex-spouse who wants custody and can’t get it. We have to get the law on our side.”
He understood what she was saying, but it didn’t feel right.
“I don’t like doing all that before they’ve forced us into it,” he said.
“It’s not…” He wanted to say biblical , but he knew Kate wouldn’t understand that.
And maybe she was correct about lawyers and tests, but that didn’t feel right, either.
“What do you want to do, Jonah?” he asked, knowing the final decision belonged to his son.
“Part of me totally agrees with Kate, but I also think they just want to see him and maybe the best thing to do is have a relationship with them without, you know, lawyers and contracts.”
“And the test?” Kate asked.
“Yeah, I can do that for sure. I do think that makes sense, but…” He groaned. “I don’t want to get in some kind of legal battle.”
“You might already be in one,” she said. “So you’d best be prepared.”