The Marriage Auction: Book One(57)
She shook her head. “Papa and Mimi, please,” she begged, as tears fell down her cheeks in huge drops I couldn’t stand seeing. If it was Penny, I’d buy her a pony, a car…hell, an island to remove the depth of sadness this small girl was showing.
Faith held up three fingers. “How many is this, Eden?”
“Three! Like me.” She pointed to her belly sniffing against the tears that fell unimpeded.
“That’s right. Though you’ll be four very soon. And Mimi will be back to live with you in three.” She lifted her fingers again. “Three years,” she croaked, the emotion getting the best of her.
I shook my head. “No, no you will not,” I announced to the room, my heart lurching at the sight of such extreme devastation. I would not have it. Anyone could see how deeply Faith was invested in this child and her well-being. There was no need for her to wait years upon years to be with her family again. Not when I could better the situation so easily.
I turned to Faith’s father. “Mr. Marino, I understand you take care of this child while running a business?”
Faith’s father nodded and lifted his chin. “I do.”
“Joel, what are you doing?” Faith asked, her arms still wrapped around the small girl.
“What would you say if we took on the brunt of caring for your grandchild?” I offered.
“I…I…I’m not sure I understand.” Mr. Marino’s brows furrowed, and a leeriness overcame his expression.
Faith stood up and put her hand to my elbow. “Joel.” Her tone was beseeching and filled with fear.
I clenched my jaw. I’d not have her fear me. That was the first thing I intended to cure prior to our wedding.
“Who is the guardian of this child?” My tone was direct and unflinching. In business, I got right to the center of the issue regardless of what emotions and feelings lay under the surface.
“Legally, Faith. Due to the danger surrounding my daughter, I’ve been the primary caregiver on and off since Eden was a year old.”
Faith closed her eyes and dropped her hand from me as though the truth fileted her wide open. She’d had to leave her niece with her father because her ex-fiancé was a despicable excuse for a human being. Wrath slithered through my frame, the desire to ruin Aiden Bradford and everything he’d ever loved a palpable throb against my temples. I inhaled sharply, focusing on my breath for a single moment in order to calm myself. It wouldn’t do for any of these people to see me lose my cool.
“If you would be agreeable, I’d like to take Faith and Eden to my home in Greece. Get to know them both before the wedding. Of course, you are welcome to come on my personal jet. My home has plenty of empty rooms. I will take care of everything.” I stretched out my arms and adjusted my cuffs, feeling far more at peace making bold and important decisions that I knew would be better for everyone.
Her father shook his head. “I have our family restaurant. The staff… They need me. And I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t feeding Las Vegas each night. And of course, there’s Grace…”
“Joel, you can’t be serious,” Faith interrupted her father while lifting the girl and placing her on her hip. The child snuggled against Faith’s neck, and I imagined my own daughter doing the same. Having a woman in her life to cling to other than my mother would be such a gift. Something I could have never even hoped for. But all of it was possible now. With Faith.
“I am always serious. You will learn that about me soon enough.”
She swallowed and cleared her throat. “Eden has medical needs. She has to be monitored and supervised all the time.”
“You spoke of blood sugars in your conversation in the car. I am to assume she is diabetic?”
Faith nodded. “Type 1. Insulin dependent.” She kissed the girl on the forehead.
“Do you have enough medication for a trip to Europe? In the meantime, I will have my people get in touch with her doctors and secure what she needs. We will have her checked immediately upon arriving at my home in Santorini.”
“Joel, you didn’t sign up for this,” Faith whispered, her eyes giving away how very much she wanted this to be real.
I reached out and cupped her cheek, gratified when she leaned into the gesture instinctually.
“No, I didn’t. I also didn’t expect to find you at that auction tonight, Faith. And you did not expect me.” I slid my thumb across her reddened cheek, wanting to kiss away her worries. “And I certainly did not expect for you to have a niece who seems to need you as much as I…” I let my words fall away. I wanted to tell her that I believed I needed Faith ju st as much. That my daughter Penny did as well. Except it was a lot for one day. Too much.
Turning to her father, I clasped my hands in front of me, ready to make a deal. Business had always been my wheelhouse, and negotiating an exhilarating challenge I never shied away from.
“Mr. Marino, I’m offering to take your granddaughter and daughter into my care. I will give them all they need, and all they desire. In a month’s time, when we are to be wed, if you feel that this situation is not acceptable to you, we will reconvene and discuss further options.”
Faith’s father shoved his fingers through his thick hair and rested his hand at the back of his neck. “Eden really misses you, cara mia. She needs a woman in her life. And having her locked away in the office at the restaurant or with the babysitter while I work is getting very trying.”