Page 73 of Key West Promises

“You did great, honey.”

Kaitlyn hugged her mother and then pulled away. “Thanks, Mom, I think so too.”

Kaitlyn turned and went to join Sarah as Gretchen stayed in the courtyard, waiting for her chance to talk to Jeffrey alone.

After the girls retired to their suite, Gretchen found Jeffrey standing alone in the hotel's side garden, staring at the fountain.

"They look so much alike," he said without turning around.

"They're both struggling with trusting you…trusting us," Gretchen said, keeping her distance. "And I don't blame them."

Jeffrey turned to face her. The years had added silver to his temples, lines around his eyes, but his tendency to look away when confronted hadn't changed. "I know I've made mistakes."

"Stop." Gretchen's voice was firm but controlled. "I'm not here to rehash our past. I'm here about your daughters’ futures. Both of them."

"Joanna—"

"I don't care about Joanna's feelings right now," Gretchen cut him off. "This isn't about her. This is about two girls who deserve better than what we've given them. Sarah is your daughter with Joanna, and so I had no control over what has been said to her all these years, but Kaitlyn is our daughter, and I’m going to make sure she never gets hurt like this again."

She stepped closer, making sure she had his full attention. "I want to be very clear about something, Jeffrey. If you're going to be in Kaitlyn's life again, if you're going to try to build something with both your daughters, you need to be all in. No more choosing what's comfortable. No more letting Joanna dictate the terms."

"It's not that simple," he said.

"Actually, it is. You saw Kaitlyn tonight. Really saw her. She's built a life here, found her purpose. She's strong, but that strength came from surviving your absence." Gretchen's voice caught slightly. "I won't watch you hurt her again."

Jeffrey was quiet for a long moment. "How do I fix this?"

"You start by listening to them. Both of them. And then you do what's right for your daughters, not what's easy for you or your wife." Gretchen turned to leave, then paused. "They deserve that much, Jeffrey. They deserve everything we should have given them years ago."

She left him standing there, the fountain's whisper a quiet witness to words that needed to be said, to changes that needed to be made, to healing that needed to begin.

Before Jeffrey could retreat to his room, Chelsea stepped out from the shadows of the veranda.

"My turn," she said, her voice carrying the kind of authority that had made her successful in the art world. "You don't get to just walk away."

Jeffrey sighed. "Chelsea?—"

"No, you listen to me, Jeffrey Miller. That girl in there? The one you abandoned? She's extraordinary. No thanks to you. And that other girl, who was brave enough to drive here alone because she needed her sister? She's extraordinary too. Again, no thanks to you."

She moved closer, her presence commanding despite her small stature. "You've got two daughters who somehow turned out remarkable despite your best efforts to keep them apart. And now you have a choice to make."

"I'm trying."

"Try harder," Chelsea snapped. "Because let me make something very clear. There are four Lawrence sisters watching you. Four women who have helped raise Kaitlyn, who love her, who would do anything to protect her. And now that includes protecting Sarah too."

Jeffrey started to speak but Chelsea held up her hand.

"I'm not finished. You think Gretchen was tough? You think I'm being hard on you? You haven't seen anything yet. You hurt either of those girls again, you let that wife of yours come between them, and you'll have all four of us to deal with. And trust me, Jeffrey, you don't want that."

She straightened her shoulders, every inch the successful artist, teacher and part gallery owner who could reduce artists to tears with a single critique. "Those girls deserve better than what they've gotten from you. It's time to step up. Be the father they deserve or stay out of their lives completely. There's no middle ground anymore."

Without waiting for his response, Chelsea turned and walked away, her heels clicking sharply on the stone path, leaving Jeffrey to consider just how many formidable women were now involved in his daughters' lives.

CHAPTER 29

Tess, Leah, and Gretchen spent the night at Tess and Leah’s home, promising to return early the next morning for breakfast. True to their word, everyone gathered in the garden courtyard for breakfast, rather than in the dining room.

As soon as they settled at the table, Sarah began describing her evening with Kaitlyn. Her words tumbled out excitedly, interspersed with bites of fresh fruit and pastries.

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