Deep Dixie (45 page)

“
Waiting with open arms, no doubt.
”

“
Just waiting, Marcia. And hoping.
”

“
Hoping what?
”
She rose slowly and turned to face him.
“
That I
’
d fall off the face of the planet and make everything easy for you to take my child away from me forever?
”

He met her hard gaze.
“
You know better than that.
”

“
I know that
’
s what you
’
re trying to do, take my baby away from me but good.
”
She looked away in a dramatic pause worthy of a character in a telenovella.

“
She
’
s not a baby anymore, Marcia.
”
Riley kept his cool and his voice calm.
“
If you
’
d ever bothered to come around, you would see that. She
’
s a little girl with a grandmother whose health is beginning to fail taking care of her.
”

Was he wrong, or did the reference to Momma bring a flicker of emotion to his sister
’
s hard, hateful expression?
“
Wendy needs the psychological security of knowing she belongs to someone, that the man she has always looked to as her father is willing to make that a reality in every way.
”

Fulton spoke quietly at that.
“
Speaking as a father and as your brother
’
s lawyer, it
’
s his legal duty to pursue this avenue, Ms. Walker.
”
Fulton did not move a muscle, and Riley felt he was an anchor of reason in the current of emotions prickling around them.
“
The child in question deserves the safety net that having a permanent, legal parent provides.
”

“
Riley already has guardianship. He has legal custody,
”
Marcia argued.
“
I
’
d say there is a certain amount
of psychological security
—
”
she threw Riley
’
s own words back at him with a sneer—
”
in keeping a mother and daughter bond intact.
”

“
There is so much wrong with that statement, I don
’
t know where to start dealing with it.
”
Riley held up his hands.

“
Then deal with this.
”
She whirled around and stepped toward him the same way she had when they were little and he had something she wanted.
“
I left my baby with you and Momma because you were the only people on earth I knew I could trust
not
to do this very thing to me.
”

But unlike when they were kids, he wasn
’
t going to give up to make her shut up.
“
Oh, please, don
’
t try to convince me that any forethought went into your abandonment of your baby. You didn
’
t leave so much as a note behind when you packed up and left the hospital. Without Wendy.
”

“
I didn
’
t have to leave a note because I knew I had the world
’
s most perfect big brother to step in and take charge of everything—
”

“
That
’
s it, isn
’
t it?
”
The whole thing began to make sense to him now.
“
Why didn
’
t I see it before?
”

You
’
re a good man, Riley. Maybe too good
. His mother
’
s assessment echoed in his mind.
You don
’
t think like Marcia. You can
’
t.

“
Why didn
’
t you see what?
”
Challenge colored Marcia
’
s question, as though she doubted he really had an answer for her or, if he did, that he had the nerve to say it aloud.

“
This isn
’
t about you keeping your rights to Wendy because you so desperately want to preserve some bond you
’
ve romanticized exists between you two. This is about you keeping me from getting those rights. This is about punishing me for some grudge you hold against the family because we stopped making excuses for your behavior. You
’
re using Wendy to get back at the family, aren
’
t you?
”

“
Maybe I
’
m using Wendy to try to hang on to my family. Have you ever thought of that?
”
she rushed to ask.

“
Using
Wendy is never going to accomplish that.
”
Despite the raw emotion of the moment, he did not raise his voice.

Marcia gave no answer.

Someone else might have taken that as disdain, but the fact that Marcia did not even try to refute Riley
’
s point gave him a ray of hope that he might be able to reach her yet.
“
What is it you want to see happen here, Marcia? Do you envision some kind of joint custody arrangement where Wendy ping-pongs back and forth between us?
”

“
Riley, listen to me.
”
Fulton stepped forward.
“
Don
’
t say something here that might come back to kick you in the pants later.
”

“
Is that legal consequence, counselor?
”
Riley couldn
’
t hold back his amusement.

“
That a judicious warning, my friend.
”
Fulton was not laughing.

Clearly Fulton took this very seriously, and Riley appreciated that...but if he backed down now he might never get the chance to make his point like this again. He turned back to Marcia.
“
What do you say, little sister? Are you ready to petition for visitation rights? Will you make the big move to be near our new home so you can play a role in Wendy
’
s day-to-day life?
”

“
Riley, be careful.
”

Riley loved Dixie even more for her whispered warning, but he wouldn
’
t listen. He couldn
’
t.
Careful
—in this instance—was for men who live in fear. That was not who he was
. “
Or do you think that Wendy will come live with you? That you
’
ll take over seeing to it that she has food, shelter, clothing, an education, spiritual guidance, and the million other things a child needs to grow into a healthy, self-sufficient adult?
”

He sensed Dixie stiffening behind him, but he kept his gaze fixed on Marcia.

She shifted, looking from him to Fulton, then back again.
“
I don
’
t...that is, I can
’
t...I
’
m in between jobs right now and I
’
m living with...a friend, so I can
’
t...
”
She scowled at him, but for just a fleeting moment, Riley thought he saw tears in her eyes. She looked down and when she lifted her head, any trace of tears were gone.
“
But just because everything isn
’
t sunshine and rainbows in my life right now does not mean it never will be. I
’
m working on myself all the time and someday—
”

Riley reached out to her, touching her arm lightly.
“
Someday will be too late. Wendy needs security right now.
”

“
My retaining my parental rights is no threat to that.
”

“
Pardon me for saying this, Ms. Walker, but allowing Riley to go through with this adoption is the only thing that guarantees that.
”
Fulton patted his hand in the air like someone soothing an agitated animal.
“
Otherwise the
threat
—your words not mine—is very real, and Wendy and her father have to live under the
threat
that any day you could come in and alter her entire way of life.
”

“
More than that, Marcia.
”
Riley searched her wary eyes for any sign that they were getting through to her.
“
Don
’
t you understand that if anything would happen to me, with the way things are now, Wendy might have to go into foster care? At least temporarily, because Mom just can
’
t take care of her? If I adopt her, I can name a guardian in my will, or—
”

“
Why would she need that?
”
Marcia yanked her arm away from Riley.
“
She has me.
”

“
You
’
ve got to be kidding!
”
Riley glanced at Dixie in time to see her cover her mouth, her eyes wide with chagrin at her outburst.

Marcia glowered at her, and Riley could tell she wanted to say something cutting and cruel.

He stepped between the two women. He was prepared to take the full brunt of his sister
’
s contempt, but he would not let her make this about anything other than the truth. All Marcia
’
s life they
’
d made excuses for her, let her divert the blame, let her spew her own misery over her poor choices out onto anyone that got in her way. Not now. He would make no allowances for her today, not where Wendy was concerned—and certainly not if she made Dixie the target of
her venom.
“
Even you can
’
t believe what you
’
re saying, Marcia.
”

She opened her mouth, her cheeks flushed, her lips so taut against her teeth that they had almost no color at all. She looked so filled with rage that her shoulders actually shook from it and her fingers coiled into white-knuckled fists. When she spoke, she seemed to force the words out, her breathing ragged and shallow.
“
What I can
’
t believe is that you would do this to me, Riley. My own brother, taking my child away from me?
”

“
Like you
’
ve ever spent a day of that girl
’
s life caring for her, teaching her, loving her—
”

“
I have spent every day of her life loving her, Riley!
”
Her eyes flashed. This time the tears did come, rolling down her cheeks unchecked as Marcia raised her chin and whispered,
“
Every day
”

He believed her, but he wondered if that was because he just wanted to so badly.

No...as she stood there, so alone in her silent sorrow, he had to believe. Riley stepped forward and put his arm around her shoulders.

Marcia tensed under his embrace, looked up to meet his gaze, then shut her eyes and sighed, relaxing just enough to put her hand lightly on his back.

He fought the emotions sweeping over him, threatening to steal his voice, his resolve. He drew a deep, steadying breath and said what he knew he had to say.
“
Severing your rights does not mean we are cutting you out of our lives, Marcia. We love you.
”
He paused to clear his throat so that he could go on.
“
We will always love you and there will always be a place for you in our family, it just can
’
t be as Wendy
’
s mother.
”

His sister
’
s response came out small, muffled against his shirt front.
“
If I don
’
t fight for Wendy, I
’
m afraid she will think that I don
’
t love her.
”