Free Keepers: A Timeless Novella by Laura Kreitzer Page A

know that
what I was about to say wasn’t because I felt like I had to do it,
but because I wanted to be Jules’s dad. “Jenna, I want to adopt
Jules.”
    Silence.
    Her eyes went wide, the
only reaction. She stared at me in shock.
    “ Now would be a good time
to say something,” I said nervously, followed by a strange little
chuckle I couldn’t believe just exited my throat.
    Jenna still didn’t say
anything, but her mouth moved as if she wanted to. I didn’t know
what to do. Was she upset? My stomach twisted at the thought. Was
she afraid I was trying to replace a dad Jules had never known? I
felt sick, and now I didn’t know how to back pedal from this
conversation. I didn’t want to take it back, but I certainly didn’t
want Jenna to think I was trying to replace Dave.
    “ Jenna? Did I say the wrong
thing?” My voice didn’t sound like mine. It was shaky and afraid. I
couldn’t remember ever feeling so anxious around someone before, so
unsure of where I stood.
    “ Y-yes,” Jenna spluttered.
“Yes. Yes! I want you to be her father.” The words came out all
flustered and breathy.
    I eyed her carefully,
trying to determine if her agreeing was because she truly wanted me
to fill that void in Jules’s life, or if she felt obligated to say
yes.
    “ Are you sure?” I barely
whispered. I was giving her an out. If she didn’t want me to adopt
Jules, now was her chance to say so. If she said no, it would break
my heart in ways I didn’t know it could be broken, but I had to
know for sure that this was what she wanted too.
    “ Jenna?” I prodded when she
didn’t respond.
    Her lip quivered, and her
eyes watered. Suddenly, she burst into sobs. My mouth flew open; I
didn’t know what to do. Women and tears were something I’d never
dealt with well, so seeing Jenna that way nearly broke me in half.
Hell, it almost made me cry.
    “ What’s wrong?” I demanded.
“Is this about Dave?” I mentally went over the conversation again,
making sure I hadn’t said something to offend her.
    She shook her head. “No,
that’s not it. I just never thought you’d ask.” She barely got the
words out between her tears. “Yes, I want you to adopt Jules,” she
cried. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
    “ So these are happy tears?”
The words tumbled out on a laugh, relief flooding into
me.
    “ Yes, you idiot!” she
exclaimed. “Of course they’re happy tears.”
    That was when I became the
speechless one, but Jenna didn’t care. She practically tackled me,
hugging me with all her strength. I held her close, hardly able to
believe how perfect everything was. I’d thought my life had burned
to ashes along with my house, but as I soaked up the moment,
feeling more joy and love than I could ever remember, I finally
understood the statement: home is where the heart is. She was home,
not the brick and mortar house I used to have back in
D.C.
    I couldn’t believe I had
this woman and her—my—beautiful daughter. They were going to be in
my life forever. The mere thought sent me into euphoric
laughter.

CHAPTER 10: NOT PLAYING
WITH A FULL DECK
     
    My sleep was rudely
interrupted when I fell to the floor with a thud, taking part of
the blankets with me. Standing over me was Lucia, the last person I
expected to see in my bedroom. That was when I realized she had
shoved me off the bed.
    “ What’d you do that for?” I
mumbled, still half asleep. “What do you want?” That came out angry
and grumpy. Shaking off the last remnants of sleep, I’d finally
come to grasp the fact that Lucia being in my room wasn’t a good
omen. “What’s wrong?” I demanded, fully awake now.
    Lucia cocked her head to
the side and glared down at me, sprawled on the floor. “It’s about
time you woke up. Director Morris has been trying to call you for
fifteen minutes.”
    “ Okay,” I said caustically.
“Then why are you in my room? Ever heard of knocking?”
    Lucia gave me a look that
clearly showed how big