Page 170 of Keep This Promise
No, there’s not, and I have a feeling Eden’s questions won’t end after telling her this once. “There are many hard conversations ahead of us, aren’t there?”
Like when I talk to her about Holden’s place in her life.
He reaches his hand out, covering mine. “I’m in no rush, Sophie. Whatever is best for Eden is what’s best for all of us. Do I want her to know that I’m her father? Of course. Do I think now is the right time? No. She had a dad, and she lost him. That’s hard enough. I think we take this one day at a time and go from there. Besides, it’ll happen over time. We don’t have to even address it.”
Holden James is a wonderful man. He makes me feel as though everything just might be okay.
“And if it’s weeks or months? How do we explain this to people?”
“We don’t owe anyone an explanation. I think you’ll be amazed at how Mama James works. She’s one of the wonders in this world with gossip. She’ll put the rumors to bed, and we’ll go on telling our story the way we want.”
“Your aunt is honestly a lovely woman.”
“She is. She’s why I moved back to Rose Canyon this year.”
“You mean you weren’t always here?” I ask.
“No, I was a big shot doctor in L.A. and loved it there. Really fucking loved it there. The weather is a million times better than this, but it doesn’t have Mama James. I came home for a visit maybe once a year until Emmett called and said she fell and broke her leg. I rushed up here, got her settled, and the last visit, when Isaac died, I noticed some things that concerned me.”
“Like what?”
He sighs. “She wasn’t going to the doctor, and I worried it was her memory, but she remembers every damn thing. It’s her heart, though. She had issues when she was younger, which she had a successful surgery on, but the walls are weakened and her cardiologist said her blood pressure needs to come down. It was enough for me to come back and be close to keep an eye on her.”
“Are you truly this perfect?” I ask. “I have heard of men like you, but they always seemed like a myth.”
“I am not perfect.” Holden gets to his feet and moves around the room. “She’s my only family, and she deserves not to be alone. I do what I think is right.”
That right there solidifies what I thought. How does he not see it? It’s rare that anyone would give up their career for anything, let alone come care for an elderly relative, yet he did.
Without thinking, I get to my feet and stand in front of him. “I spent the last four years wondering about the man who I made a child with. I’d fantasized about you, dreamt of the kind of person I hoped you were. Now I know, and I can’t quite believe you’re real.”
Holden’s lip pulls up. “You’re making me sound heroic when I’m not.”
“To her you are. I believe that heroes are selfless. They risk for others, regardless of the cost to themselves. Is that not what you did when you gave up your life in California?”
When you welcomed Eden and me into your home without hesitation?
He shifts his weight, and it’s clear this is making him uncomfortable. While I don’t know all the sordid details of his past, I don’t need to in order to see the good in him. The way he’s given Eden and me whatever we needed and not even thought twice about it is all I need. That’s the mark of a hero.
That’s the mark of a man that I’ve prayed for.
“Let’s not talk about this. I came in because I have a surprise for you.”
“For me?” I ask, feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Come on.” He extends his hand, and I place mine there. We walk toward the back of the house, and he pushes a door open.
The room that was his office is now completely redone. It has a large bed with a nightstand beside it. There is a lovely chest of drawers and sheer curtains on both sets of windows.
“This is lovely,” I tell him.
“You both need your own space, and we can redo the room Eden’s sleeping in to be a little more appropriate for her now that you have this room.”
I walk around the space, feeling so much gratitude that it is overwhelming. “You really didn’t have to do this.”
“I did. I want this to be your home, Sophie. Both of you should feel comfortable here.”
“We are, and . . . thank you.” Without thinking, I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him.
