Page 30 of A New Year Baby

CHAPTER 19

Stella

We are back at the house for the cake tasting, but Jack and I have too much to say to each other. And too much need to constantly touch and kiss each other. So, we stand in the kitchen talking privately while Luna and everyone else samples cake.

“Mary told me about your brother being killed on the oil rig,” Jack says to me. “I called the oil company and they said they’d never heard of him. I called every single oil company and asked about Samuel Valentine, and no one had ever heard of him.”

“What?” I ask in surprise. “So why do I have half a million dollars sitting in my bank account, from an insurance settlement?”

“Well, I don’t know, Stella. But something isn’t right,” Jack tells me.

“Oh, God,” I say quietly. “How could they not have heard of him? Who called me then? Who sent the money?”

“Sam must have sent the money,” Jack suggests. “It’s possible that your brother didn’t work for any oil company at all. I thought you were in on it—back then. I thought you must know. But if you really didn’t know… it’s possible he’s in some kind of witness protection situation. It’s possible he’s in prison, or a wanted man, and he didn’t want to bring any danger to you.”

This all sounds so crazy to me. After years of believing that Sam was dead. “You think he’s alive?” I whisper.

“I don’t know, Stell. But if he’s alive, I promise you that we will find him.”

“How?” I ask him tearfully.

Jack clucks his tongue. “You have no idea the things I’ve been through, the things I’ve seen. I’m not the man I used to be. That weak, pathetic boy who ran away from you. I learned a lot about the world in the last few years. I think I know people who can help.”

I wrap my arms around Jack’s waist, and bury my face in his chest. “I don’t know if I should let myself have any hope… but I can’t help it. I thought I lost him forever. Then I thought I lost you forever, but here you are, standing in the kitchen with my cake samples.”

“You never lost me, Stella,” he assures me. “And I didn’t deserve for you to say yes to me back then. I wasn’t finished growing. Doctors Without Borders was something I longed to do since I was a little boy. I wanted to really make a difference in the world. I wanted to perform medicine where people reallyneededmedicine. Not treat scraped knees and boo boos that needed a Band-Aid. I wanted to really save lives, you know? And now I come home to learn that while I’ve helped thousands of children over the years—I’ve completely neglected mine. It’s a slap in the face.”

“Well, we can’t do it all,” I tell him. “And it definitely made a difference that you saved so many lives. Luna—she’s been fine. I kissed her boo boos better, and put the Band-Aids on her scraped knees. There’s no malaria or cholera here.”

“But I still should have beenhere,” he tells me. “For god’s sake—I let that little girl grow up thinking her father was Santa Claus. I feel so terrible.”

“You didn’t know,” I tell him.

“It doesn’t matter. I should have communicated with you.”

“Yes,” I say firmly. “You should have. You were supposed be my friend, Jack. The lack of communication was what hurt most of all.”

“Stella, I’ll spend my life making it up to you. I am so sorry.” He pulls me close and kisses my forehead. “I hope to God that I’ve come home a better man.”

I sigh. “Jack, you idiot. You were always a wonderful man. I am just thankful that you came home at all. But you better not ever leave me like that again,” I say, poking his chest, “or I will come to Africa and hunt you down, and cut your nuts off and feed them to the lions.”

“Deal,” he says, with a laugh. “Now let’s go help my sister choose a cake.”

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