Cross My Heart Read online

“We’re nonprofit, so we don’t actually get paid. We depend on foundation grants and only charge on a sliding scale. The city and state have been very generous in the past.” She decided to omit the part that their assistance would no longer be forthcoming.

  “We have a lounge area, which is mostly for our preteens and teens,” she continued. “There are video games, television, music and other entertainment activities. We also have teen tutoring, mentoring and college-prep programs in the computer lab. The only requirement is for them to maintain a good academic standing in school.”

  “And the younger children?” he asked.

  “They’re down the hall here—middle school on one side and elementary school on the other. Fun learning is our top priority. My aunt was a schoolteacher and she set up the incredible programs we now follow.”

  “Is she here at the center? I’d like to meet her.”

  “No, she owns and operates day-care centers in Marathon, Florida.”

  “This place is really amazing. Two stories, it’s a lot larger than I expected. I can see why you love it. I can also see you all over here. It’s warm and inviting. How do you do all this plus work as a social worker for the city and raise two boys?”

  “I manage,” she said.

  “You were wrong. You are most definitely Wonder Woman,” he said softly.

  “We had planned on starting a parenting skills program this summer. It’s something we’ve been trying to launch for some time now. We’ll be implementing that next year.”

  “What’s stopping you from starting it this summer?”

  “Our finances are…”

  “Take the grant, Natalia,” David insisted.

  She turned to him. “You know I can’t do that.”

  “Because we slept together or because you’re sabotaging your success here?” She looked up at him, then looked away. He’d obviously gotten her attention. “It looks to me like the center could use the money. What do you have—some kind of code-of-conduct rule around here?” he asked.

  She turned to him. “Yes, there is a code of conduct and that means that I can’t sleep with a man who then gives me money.”

  “Somehow I don’t think this code applies to two single, mature adults.”

  “It’s a code of conduct I have for myself.”

  “Is this about you and Clay Sullivan?” he asked. She looked at him, surprised. “Yeah, I know about that. As I said before, my assistant is very good at what she does. This isn’t the same thing. Neither one of us intended this to happen. There were no plans or preconceived notions. Natalia, I’m not him. I would never hurt you like that.”

  She looked at him, but didn’t say anything. He quietly pulled her over to the side. “Why are you punishing the center because you have needs?”

  She moved away and continued walking down the hall. “We’ll be implementing the parenting skills program in the fall,” she said, continuing with the tour—all business.

  “Will you be teaching the parenting skills program?”

  “No,” she said. Then she led him into the tiny-tots room. A small boy ran up to her as soon as she entered. He had a crayon-covered drawing and was excitedly telling her about what he had done. Then he looked up, seeing David smiling down at him. Natalia looked at David.

  “Hi,” Brice said. “Wanna see my picture, too?”

  “Yes, I’d love to see it.” David knelt down to be on Brice’s eye level, just as the parenting books suggested. “Did you color all this?” he asked.

  Brice nodded exuberantly. “And I did all this, too. I like to draw. This is a tree like me.”

  “David, this is my son Brice. Brice, this is a friend, Mr. Montgomery.”

  “We’re going to the playground. Wanna come?”

  “No,” Natalia spoke up quickly. “Sweetie, Mr. Montgomery is a very busy man. I’m sure he doesn’t have time to hang out at the park with us.”

  “Why not?” Brice asked him.

  David smiled. “You know what, Brice? I’d love to hang out at the park with you,” he said, smiling at his son. “Do you think Jayden will want to come, too?”

  He nodded his head vigorously. “Uh-huh. He likes the slide when Mommy goes down with him. I can go down the slide by myself. He’s over there in the little baby crib.”

  David turned around, seeing a little face peeking above a mesh screen playpen. He was laughing and jumping up and down. He tossed a plastic ball then squealed with delight, repeating the action next with a plastic square. Natalia walked over to pick up the toys and his eyes lit up as he looked up at her. His smile brightened even more. David’s heart melted, realizing for the first time that there was no way he could walk away from his sons, his family. It didn’t matter how they were conceived; they were his and that was all that mattered now.

  Natalia picked Jayden up and stood him on the floor in front of her. He held on to her legs a second then let go. He wobbled at first and then he got his balance and went toddling over to Brice. He got halfway there then plopped down on his butt and crawled the rest of the way. “He’s a baby,” Brice whispered loudly close to David’s ear. “He falls a lot. It’s okay. He doesn’t get hurt a lot.” When Jayden got to him, Brice gave Jayden his crayon. Natalia walked over quickly to take it away, but David eased it away from him first. They looked at each other. She nodded appreciatively, and he smiled.

  “Do you like my mommy?” Brice asked.

  David smiled and nodded while looking up at Natalia. “Yes, Brice, I like your mommy a whole lot. I love your mommy.”

  Natalia looked at him without responding.

  “Cross your heart?” Brice asked, crossing his chest with his little fingers. “Yes.”

  “No, that’s not the way you gotta supposed to do it. Mommy says that if you really, really mean it you have to do this, too.” He took David’s hand and crossed his finger over his heart.

  David smiled and nodded. “You know what? Your mommy is a very smart lady and she’s absolutely right. Yes, I love your mommy. Cross my heart,” he said, repeating the action of crossing his heart while looking up at her.

  Then David felt the tug of Jayden pulling up on him as Brice grabbed hold of him, too. He stood with both boys in his arms. His heart nearly burst with joy. He looked at Natalia and smiled. “Ready to go to the playground?” he said excitedly, anxious to spend the evening with his family.

  Natalia nodded. How could she not?

  Chapter 13

  As soon as they stepped outside, there was an ominous roll of thunder in the distance. David looked at Natalia, questioning their next move. She shook her head and shrugged. It was obvious that the evening’s activities would have to be postponed.

  “It looks like we’re going have to take a rain check on the picnic and playground idea this evening,” she said. He nodded slowly. Clearly, this was the last thing he wanted to hear. By the time she strapped the boys into their car seats, it had begun to drizzle. The picnic and playground idea was officially abandoned.

  “It’s raining,” she said needlessly.

  “Yes, it is.”

  She looked back to the two-story building then up at the gray sky. “I guess we’d better say goodbye. Thanks for helping me load the car.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Well, we’d better get home. The boys are probably hungry.”

  He nodded. “Probably.”

  “Okay.” She shrugged. “I’ll see you later.” She turned toward the driver’s door. David stopped her and spun her around. Before she could think or speak, he kissed her. She held tight as her mind spun in a million different directions. When the kiss ended she leaned back against the wet car as he opened the driver’s door for her. She got in and drove home just as the rain began to come down. Jayden fell asleep and Brice had on his toddler headphones, listening to his music.

  “See you soon,” David said watching the car exit the small parking lot.

  Natalia pulled into her garage just as lightning streaked across the sky
. The sound of thunder roared closer as the rain started pouring down heavier. The boys were anxious, so she held them tight reassuring them as they hurried inside. With less drama than expected, she got them settled in the house and was just about to start dinner when her doorbell rang. She hurried, knowing that whoever was there was outside getting soaked. She opened the door to see David soaking wet. “David, what are you doing here?” she asked.

  He held up a picnic basket. “I thought we could have our picnic inside,” he sputtered.

  She chuckled and hurried him into the house. He dripped everywhere.

  “I can’t believe you came back out in this weather. That’s insane. We usually have flash floods when it storms like this.”

  “Yeah, I know. I just drove through one. The water was nearly halfway up the side of my car door.”

  “You’re wet. Did you just take a bath outside? What’s that?” Brice asked, seeing David standing in the foyer, soaking wet.

  “This is a picnic basket,” he said.

  “We can’t have a picnic, ’cause it’s raining out. Mommy says no picnic in the rain.”

  “Mommy’s right. But I had a better idea, if Mommy says it’s okay.” Both Brice and David turned to her.

  “Brice,” Natalia began, “Mr. Montgomery thought that it would be nice to have our picnic inside. What do you think?” Brice nodded and squealed excitedly, then immediately ran to tell Jayden that the picnic was still on.

  “This is very sweet of you.”

  “I’m going out of town again tomorrow. I couldn’t let my boys down.”

  “Come on, I’ll get you some of my brother’s dry clothes. He left them here the last time he helped with the yard. Then we can set up the picnic in the den.” David followed her upstairs to her bedroom. There was a large canopy bed pushed against the far wall.

  David watched her leave then walked over to the bedroom’s fireplace. There were beautiful black-and-white photos of Brice and Jayden playing together and also a baby picture of each at birth. He picked up the photos and smiled, touching the glass gently.

  She handed him a neat pile of clothes and towels. “Okay, you’re all set. Just come downstairs when you’re done.”

  “Where’s the den?”

  She smiled and chuckled. “Just follow the noise.”

  In the den, she gathered picnic essentials and piled them together to create the perfect atmosphere. When David walked in, he found a huge blanket spread out in the center of the floor and a colorful tent placed in the corner with two large ficus and hibiscus trees placed just behind it. There was a scattering of stuffed animals, and wild animal sounds filled the room.

  Natalia was sitting on the blanket with Jayden crawling and toddling into her arms. David paused in the doorway and smiled, overjoyed by the welcoming family scene. This was what his life was supposed to be like. This was his family. He gazed at Natalia, playing with his younger son. He’d known her for only a few weeks, but they were worth a lifetime as far as he was concerned. When he looked at her, he saw what he was missing, what he wanted, his future. She was the woman he’d been searching for all his life. But he knew that telling her why he’d originally come to Key West would break her heart.

  Natalia looked up when he appeared in the doorway. He looked like he belonged there. She realized right then that she was lost. She’d fallen in love. “Hi, we decided to go with a safari theme.”

  “It looks fantastic,” David said, smiling and chuckling. “Perfect.”

  Brice poked his head out through the flap of the tent and called David to come inside. He did. It thundered, stormed and rained outside, but the safari picnic inside was the best ever. The next two hours were spent eating, playing games, telling stories and loving every minute. David was in the middle of a story when Brice fell asleep on his lap. “I think he’s had just about enough fun for one day,” David said.

  “Here, I’ll put him to bed,” she said, grabbing a warmed bottle of milk for Jayden, who was cranky and fighting to stay awake.

  “May I help?” he asked, holding Brice close and gently patting his back to soothe him.

  “Sure,” Natalia answered gratefully.

  Together they put Brice into his toddler bed, then David went back to the den to start cleaning up. He folded the tent and blanket and placed the stuffed animals on the sofa. He rinsed, then placed the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and put the rest of the food in the refrigerator. He turned the animal music off then went up to the boys’ room again. He stood in the doorway and watched as Natalia, having rocked Jayden to sleep, placed him into his crib and tucked Brice in again.

  He couldn’t resist smiling at the perfect scene. Natalia kissed their foreheads and said good night silently. She turned, seeing David smiling at her from across the room. Motioning for his silence, they went back downstairs into the den. She began picking up toys and blocks and books. David started chuckling to himself when he picked up a book. He’d read Brice the book seven times. “Brice really loves this book. Looks like you’re gonna need a new one pretty soon.”

  Natalia looked up with an armful of stuffed animals. “It’s his favorite book this month. The thing is, he’ll have a new favorite in a few weeks. Last month he couldn’t live without Goodnight Moon. The month before that it was The Little Engine That Could and Star Light.”

  When all the toys had been put away in the toy box in the den’s window seat, David and Natalia went back into the living room. “Natalia, the boys—they’re absolutely perfect.”

  She smiled. “Not quite, but they’re really good boys.” She walked over to the mantel above the fireplace and picked a double picture frame with both boys’ baby photos. She handed it to David.

  “I don’t know what to say. You’re an incredible mother. You’re caring and kind—everything a mother should be. Seeing you with them and seeing the love and trust in their eyes is inspiring,” he said, holding the frame as if it were a precious treasure.

  “Thank you. Some days are harder than others, but being their mother for me is the single most incredible job in the world.”

  “You do it well, and I’m totally amazed by your dedication and compassion.” He reluctantly handed the frame back to her. She put it back on the mantel.

  “You were pretty good yourself tonight. Jayden is a very picky eater and he actually ate all his food for you. You fed him sweet potatoes and peas—he hates peas. But he ate them for you. That’s amazing. You’re going to be a great dad someday.”

  “I never thought I’d ever have children. I never even considered it until recently.”

  “Wait, you want kids? I thought I remembered reading an interview with you saying that you’re not the fatherly type.”

  “I guess I was wrong. I never knew my father, and my mother, well, let’s just say I have trust issues when it comes to mothers because of her.” He smiled at her. “You changed all that.”

  “We don’t have to be the type of parents our parents were.” She walked over to the sofa and sat. He sat beside her. “I have a friend whose mother beat her and her sisters repeatedly when they were growing up. She grew up fearful and terrified of a lot of things. My friend now refuses to a lay a hand on her own children. As a result, her children are well-adjusted and happy. Ultimately, we make our own choices and follow what we think is right. My mom and dad were great parents, but I’m raising my boys my way.”

  “You’re doing a wonderful job,” he assured her. “Except whose idea was it to get him a rolling popping toy? It’s so loud.”

  She laughed. “That would be my brother Mikhail. He gave it to Brice a few years ago. Now Jayden plays with it nonstop. He loves the loud noise it makes.”

  He laughed at the memory of Jayden and the toy.

  “Don’t let them fool you, David. They’re not always so nice and polite; they’re boys and brothers. Brice sometimes realizes that Jayden is a baby and treats him accordingly; other times he wants Jayden to play with him as if they’re the same age. That’s why h
e attends nursery school. There he plays and interacts with kids his own age. He enjoys that. It makes him feel like a big guy.” She smiled. “That is, when he’s not causing a riot.”

  “A riot? What do you mean?” he asked. She told him a story about one of Brice’s more exuberant moments. They laughed, enjoying the energy and spirit of his actions. “He’s a great kid. They both are. What do you do when you can’t be here? Do you have a nanny?”

  “No.”

  “Do you need one?”

  “No, not exactly my style,” she said.

  “Do you need anything, I mean for the boys? I can take care of private school, clothes, lessons, college. I can even…”

  “Stop—enough! What is this really?” she asked.

  “What is what? What do you mean?”

  “I mean since day one, you’ve had some kind of agenda when it comes to me. You walked into my office for a reason. Since you and I don’t have a past in common, I can only assume there’s something in the present that concerns me. I’ve tried to let it go, for purely selfish reasons, but I need to know before this gets any more complicated. There’s something else going on here, isn’t there?” she asked. He didn’t respond. “What is it?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked innocently, his expression pinched and curious.

  “Wow, now that had to be the absolute worst line you’ve ever delivered,” she said, then stood up and headed for the kitchen.

  He grabbed her arm to stop her. “Natalia, wait,” he said. She turned back to him. He looked into her eyes and knew that there was no way he could tell her what he knew he had to. His heart wouldn’t let him. He loved her and nothing else mattered to him anymore. But he knew that she would feel differently. It would surely matter to her.

  “You’re right. There is something else. But you’re not ready to hear it.”

  “And you think that you can make that call for me? If it concerns me—and it obviously does—then you need to tell me.”

  He walked away and stood at the bay window. The curtains were open and he looked up at the ominous sky. Heavy, overgrown trees obscured his view, but he knew dark clouds and heavy rain lay beyond the obstructions. Thunder continued to rumble in the distance as he thought and considered his words carefully. “Ever since I was thirteen, I’ve been on my own. I learned the streets young and was smart enough to stay ahead of the drugs, gangs and other drama. I learned to depend on myself and trust no one. In Compton, I had little choice. Not a lot has changed since then. I was still that thirteen-year-old, mistrusting boy when I arrived here a few weeks ago.”