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“Chris.” Dayne’s voice stopped the agent midsentence.
“Yeah?”
“You’re fired.” He waited, but Chris remained silent. “My attorney will send you a letter later today. My agent has to be someone I can trust.”
Chris hung up without saying another word, and instantly Dayne felt relief.
There were other agents, people who wouldn’t try to control his actions, shape his image. He was who he was. One of Hollywood’s top leading men, whose personal life had done an about-face.
Whoever his next agent might be, that was all the personal information he needed to know.
Dayne wanted to sort through the pictures, take them from the album, and read the names and ages the way John Baxter had suggested in his letter. But he had more to do first.
He contacted the airlines. It was Friday, and the next available flight into Indianapolis didn’t leave until early in the morning. He would go, and he would make sure the paparazzi didn’t follow him. Even if he only met John Baxter and not the others, he had to go-if nothing else, so he could look him in the eyes and apologize for the things Chris Kane had told him.
Once his reservation was booked, he decided his next call would be to John’s cell. No telling who would answer at his office. He dialed the numbers, and after four rings a voice came on the line-the voice of his father.
Though it was just a recording, a few simple sentences asking him to leave a message, Dayne was mesmerized by the sound. The tone of his voice, the timbre of it were the same as his own. He swallowed hard and hesitated at the beep. “Uh .
. . this is Dayne. I received your letter today from Mitch Henry.”
His words weren’t coming easily. They were bottled up in his heart and throat.
“Chris Kane, my agent, gave you some bad information, John. I’d like very much to meet you. I’ll be on a plane first thing in the morning.” He looked at his notes. “Arriv
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ing in Indianapolis around one o’clock. I’ll rent a car and drive to Bloomington.”
His mind raced. “I’ll be at the … at the park. The one by the downtown theater. You can call me on my cell, but I’ll be there. I’ll try you again tomorrow afternoon.” What else? How should he end it? He stared out at the ocean. “Thanks for the letter. It meant… more than you know.”
He snapped his phone shut and looked at the other numbers. John lived alone now, right? All Dayne’s siblings were married and raising families, and with Elizabeth gone, John would probably be the only one home. Late on a Friday morning, he might still be home getting ready for work. It was worth a try. He opened his cell and tapped in the numbers.
On the third ring, a girl answered. Or maybe a woman. “Hello, Baxter residence.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but then he changed his mind. It was probably Ashley, stopping by with her little boy. His cellphone number had a feature that blocked the caller ID, so he wasn’t worried about that. “Hi. John Baxter, please?”
The girl sounded puzzled. “He’s not here. Can I take a message?”
“No.” His answer was quick. “That’s okay. I’ll try him again later.” He hung up before she had time to ask another question. His heart pounded so hard he could feel it in his throat. He needed to be careful. Just because John knew about him didn’t mean it was time to put the rest of the family at risk, to make it public knowledge that he was their older brother.
Dayne picked up the photo album and returned to the first page. It was still impossible to believe what Chris Kane had done, that he’d been so callous to John Baxter. If John hadn’t taken time to write this letter, to try and find a way around his agent, they might never have connected at all.
God … this was Your doing, wasn’t it?
I know the plans I have for you, My son.
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The quiet whisper no longer caught him off guard. If he listened, if he focused on the very real presence of God Almighty, he could almost always sense His response being breathed into his soul. Yes, God had plans for him. Some days that was all that kept him from hopping on a plane and showing up at Katy’s front door. He missed her so much, missed everything about her.
But with her and with the Baxters, he had promised to wait on God’s leading. He stared at the photo again. Now that’s exactly what God was doing. Leading him to make a connection he’d wanted as long as he could remember.
It was hard to believe. Tomorrow-if God allowed it-Dayne would meet his birth father, a man he had thought about and imagined for half his life. If his letter was any indication, John Baxter was a kind man, warm and loving. By the sounds of it, the act of giving him up had been as hard on him as it had been on Elizabeth.
A car pulled into the parking lot, and Dayne watched it, watched the driver move slowly toward him. Paparazzi, no question. A few of them knew he liked this spot, and since his Escalade was easy to identify, they probably had Pepperdine on a list of places where they regularly looked for him.
He turned the key in the ignition, backed out, and sped away. The car followed him, staying close behind until he pulled into his garage. Dayne waved out the window at whoever was chasing him, then closed his garage door behind him.
That’s fine. They could sit out there all day.
Just as long as they didn’t follow him to Bloomington come morning.
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It was time to say goodbye.
Ashley had been released from the hospital a couple days ago, and now she rested on her parents’ living-room sofa. Bags were packed, and the vans loaded with suitcases and strollers and car seats. Brooke would drive her van and her dad would drive Ashley’s. Kari was staying with Ashley to help care for the baby and to watch the other kids.
Everyone was gathered in the living room, more somber than they’d been all week.
John had Malin cradled in one arm and Tommy on his knee. “Well, I don’t think any of us imagined a reunion like this one.”
“Definitely not.” Luke was standing nearby. He put his hand on their father’s shoulder. “I think we’ll be talking about it forever.”
Reagan looked at Ashley. “I’m so glad everything worked out.”
“We were worried about you, Ash.” Erin had a baby on her hip and another one playing near her feet. Her two older girls were at the kitchen table playing cards with the big kids. “I don’t think I’ve ever prayed that hard.”
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“I’m amazed at how the town looks after only a few days.” Brooke shook her head.
“You can already see the cleanup efforts of all those working around town. Only that one trailer park and Autumn Trace were really leveled.”
Landon was at work-his first shift since the baby had been born. He had said the same thing. His buddies at the fire department were amazed at how fast road crews had come through and cleared away trees and building parts. Across town, churches and work groups and families were pitching in and beginning to repair and rebuild the homes that were lost.
Ashley cuddled Devin closer to her and looked at him. “It could’ve been so much worse.”
“Okay …” Luke glanced at his sisters. “So when are we doing this again? I think we waited too long for this one.”
“Christmas, maybe?” It was Sam’s suggestion. He stooped down, grabbed a pacifier from the floor, dusted it off, and put it back in the mouth of the baby in Erin’s arm. “Most of us have time then, right?”
“My mom’s having her college girlfriends out to New York.” Reagan frowned. “Sort of a reunion she’s been planning.”
“Us too. Peter’s family in California wants us to fly there for Christmas.”
Brooke shrugged. “I know it sounds like a long time, but next spring might work best for everyone.”
“Maybe so.” Erin’s eyes grew watery. “It just seems like such a long time away.”
“We’ll keep in touch.” John kissed Malin on the cheek. His voice told them he was struggling with goodbye, but he was trying to stay upbeat, happier than he felt. “We can have the conference calls over dinner, like we’ve done this past year.”
“Right.” Luke messed his fingers through Tommy’s light brown hair. “And I’ll keep everyone posted about the big Los Angeles trial coming up in May.”
“Yeah, do that, Luke,” Erin said. “I wanna know every detail before I see it in the magazines.”
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They shared smiles and a few easy laughs.
John looked at his watch and drew a long breath. “Well… it’s about that time.”
Ashley felt herself grow sad. She didn’t like having Erin and Luke so far away, not being a part of their daily lives, not having the chance to know their kids better. The mood changed, the sorrow there for everyone.
Erin came to her first. She leaned down, and they hugged for a long time. “Take good care of Devin.” Erin pulled back, her eyes shining. Then she kissed the baby on the cheek and did the same to Ashley. “I’ll call you.”
Ashley’s throat was tight. She hated saying goodbye, not knowing when they might all be together again.
Sam brought the other kids into the room, and Ashley gave kisses to all four of their girls. Erin did the same with Kari and Brooke, and then she and Sam led the girls outside toward the vans.
Reagan came to her next, and the two hugged. “One of these days, we’ll have to find a way back to Bloomington.” She tickled Devin under the chin. “Tommy can’t stop talking about Cole and his little brother.”
Ashley laughed, but it was tinged with tears. “That would be amazing.”
“Yeah.” Reagan took a step back. “Maybe after Luke finishes law school.” She ushered Tommy close and instructed him to say goodbye.
Cole was waiting off to the side, his eyes red and swollen.
After a few more kisses and hugs, Reagan took both her kids outside.
Only Luke remained. Ashley had known from the beginning that his goodbye would be the hardest of all. They shared a special bond, one that had been there since they were little kids. No matter how much distance or time separated her from Luke, when he came around she would always feel like a little girl again.
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“I can’t stand this part.” Luke shoved his hands in his pock and stood beside the sofa.
“Yeah.” She ran her thumb over Devin’s blond brow. “Y and I were going to have houses next door to each other, reme her?”
He gave her a sad smile, his eyes shining more than befo “Maybe someday.” He leaned down and wrapped his arms arou her. “I love you, Ashley.”
“Love you too, Luke.” She held on to him. “Maybe we’ll coi see you in New York.”
“Okay.” He pulled back and sniffed, brushing quickly at) eyes so she wouldn’t see his tears. “Tell Landon bye for us.”
“I will.”
Her brother waved one last time, turned, and walked out the room.
And just like that, the house was quiet. Kari had the kids the kitchen for a snack, and only she and Devin remained in t living room. It would be easy to give in to her tears, to cry a grieve the fact that life had taken them away from the days wh being together was something they took for granted. But inste; Ashley smiled at her newborn, at all that lay ahead of them. L was full of seasons. In this one-where she and her siblings liv in different states—she wouldn’t be sad for what she was mi ing but grateful for the time they had together.
Even if a week was never quite long enough.
John’s eyes were dry as he drove home from the airport. Brooke had left a few minutes before him-in a hurry to get back to her office. But John wanted to take his time. The weather was clear and warm. It was hard to imagine how terrible the storm had been until he saw the evidence of destruction that still remained.
In all, it had been the worst tornado outbreak the area had ever 311
seen. Not since 1925 had a series of tornadoes caused so much damage to Indiana, and tornado season had just begun. Experts were on the news every day talking about the tragedy, the efforts that had already begun to rebuild the areas of devastation, and how amazing it was that so few people had been killed or injured.
A newspaper story in this morning’s paper explained how the CKT families were donating all door receipts from their upcoming show to help the Reed family rebuild their house. Bloomington had pulled together, and as always with a town like theirs, what hadn’t killed them would make them stronger.
Luke was right. They would never forget their time together, huddling in the basement while Ashley was in labor, praying for a break in the storm, praying for Ashley to breathe, praying for the baby. God had answered all their prayers and given them days of laughter as they had repaired the broken windows and a couple areas on the roof.
Goodbyes were always hard, but this time John felt somewhat relieved. The storm had given him a reason to dodge the thing he’d dreaded most-the meeting with his kids, the one where he would’ve told them about their older brother. Now that moment would have to wait-maybe a year. And in the process, he could only pray that Dayne would change his mind.
He was halfway home, anxious to spend an afternoon with Ashley and Devin. The newborn was so precious. John agreed with his kids-the baby looked just like Cole had as an infant.
John was about to turn on the radio when the phone on the console between the two front seats began to vibrate. He picked it up and read the message in the window. Three new messages.
“Crazy phone.” He shook his head. He’d had the thing with him the whole morning and all of yesterday. How could he have missed a call? Maybe it was time for a new phone, because this had happened before. He’d get no messages for several days and then-as if some switching station just realized he had messages waiting-several would be thrown his way at once.
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He sighed and punched in the numbers for his voice mail. He entered his code and pressed the phone to his ear. The first message was from Elaine, congratulating him on the birth of his latest grandchild. He smiled. He’d call her as soon as he was finished with the messages.
The second was from one of the doctors at the office, calling to check on Ashley and the baby.
There was a beep, and the third message kicked in. “Uh … this is Dayne. 1
received your letter today from Mitch Henry.”