A Family Made in Paradise by Tina Beckett

Author:Tina Beckett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-07-14T20:41:37+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

WHY HAD HE said that?

He had no idea. But once the words were out of his mouth, he couldn’t retract them. And he wouldn’t even if he could after seeing the anguish on her face. But at least her separation from her daughter wasn’t forever.

When she’d turned suddenly, she hadn’t let go of his hand. And her grip was strong and fierce. As if, despite her angry words, she needed to hold on to something—even if it was a fake promise.

“You said you know firsthand. How?”

He had a choice. He could evade the question by acting like he was talking about one of his patients. But he didn’t want to do that. And unlike the faceless acquaintances who cut his hair and backed away from the subject almost as soon as they asked that fateful question about children, he had a feeling she wouldn’t. And he had no idea why.

“I had a son who died.”

There was silence for several seconds, her eyes searching his as if working through what he’d said.

“Oh, God, I should have realized.” Her head tilted, fingers tightening further around his. “That sea turtle. It’s like the one on your shoulder. That toy didn’t belong to a patient, did it?”

“No.”

“Oh, Seb. I am so sorry. I had no idea.” Her mouth twisted. “I remember implying that only someone with children could understand what it was like to worry about them. Only you did know, didn’t you?”

He remembered that moment with shocking clarity. She hadn’t used those exact words, but he’d been right about her meaning. “Not your fault. I rarely tell anyone about him.”

A couple of beats passed in silence.

“Can I ask what happened? If you don’t want to tell me, I’ll completely understand.”

He shouldn’t want to tell her. He’d actually never wanted to tell anyone. Until now.

But this was Rachel. Someone who’d feared for her own daughter’s life. If he could trust anyone to understand, it was her.

“He died of brain cancer when he was a year old.”

A thousand emotions went through her eyes. And he was right. She would understand exactly what it was like to hear the terrible words Your child has cancer.

She took a step closer. “Tell me.”

And so he did. Told her how his baby’s eyes had stopped looking into his. How he regressed on his milestones. How he became more and more difficult to console. And finally the results of that MRI that dropped the last of the puzzle pieces into place.

The process of telling Bleu’s story was both terrible and cathartic. He talked until he had no more words.

“I never would have guessed. You’ve always seemed so...optimistic. Even when talking about this storm.”

“It was either that or give in to the grief and go in a direction that helped no one. But believe me, I remember him each and every day of my life.”

“Oh, Seb.” She grasped his other hand and held it. “What was his name?”

“Bleu Zacharie Deslaurier.”

“Bleu. I should have guessed.” The words were soft, almost a whisper and said with a reverence that surprised him.

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