Reconnecting the Dots

"Don't you two have work to do?" Jake asked, once his laughter died down somewhat.

Garrett wiped the tears from his face. "Uh, yeah. But we wanted to give Ashley here a little glimpse of who her dad really is."

"Yeah, boss," teased a still chuckling Sophie. "She needs to know what she's getting into."

Ashley giggled, which caused Garrett and Sophie to start all over again.

What am I going to do with these two?

"Isn't there a picture from that night?" asked Garrett.

Both Ashley and Sophie's eyes bulged in shock.

"That's enough," Jake said a bit forcefully this time. He tried to keep a straight face, but Garrett's smug grin caused Jake to chuckle again. He could never control Garrett when he started up. "All right, I'm serious, you two. Back to work. We'll be leaving in a few. Happy Hour starts soon. Now get."

Garrett stood up. "All right, all right, we're goin'." He looked at Ashley. "I meant what I said. It was nice finally meetin' you."

"Yeah," Sophie said, going over to Ashley and giving her a hug. "We like to kid your dad over here, but he's one of the good ones. Don't you forget it."

Ashley returned the hug. "I won't. And thanks for everything. Both of you."

Sophie released Ashley, gave Jake a wink, and followed Garrett towards the kitchen.

"They're really nice. I like them," Ashley said, sitting down.

Jake grinned. "Yeah, they are. They're the best. Garrett's been with me from the beginning and Sophie's been here almost five years." Then with mock exasperation, he added, "But they don't know when to keep their mouths shut."

Ashley chuckled slightly and then her face turned serious. "So, we're leaving soon?" she asked tentatively, referring to what he just told Garrett. There was a question in her eyes.

He had an idea of what was on her mind, but she seemed scared to bring it up, so he decided to take Claire's advice and just go for it. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I just got off the phone with my wife."

Ashley's eyebrows shot up. "W...wife?" It was obvious she didn't know Jake had a family and was scared of what that meant for her. He needed to allay her fears immediately.

"Yes. Her name is Claire and she really wants to meet you."

Now that did shock her. "Bu...but...I...I..."

Jake reached over and took her hand again. "Calm down, sweetheart. Yes, I have a wife and two kids. Well, step kids actually, but I adopted them," he thought to add to ease her fears a bit more. "Kara's actually only a couple of months younger than you and Carter's sixteen. You see, I met Claire about eight months after I signed the papers, and she helped me." Jake paused to gauge Ashley's reaction. When she didn't say anything, he carried on: "After your mom took you for good, I...I was a mess. I was angry all the time. I didn't want to live anymore. Money was tight, but I was able to stay with my mom for a while and then some friends. And then I met Claire," he added with a smile. Thinking of Claire always brought a smile to his face. "Her husband had left her with two small children. She got me back out into the world and showed me that I could be loved again." He paused, took a deep breath, and said, "She saved me. I wouldn't be here without her. And she wants to meet you."

"She wants to meet me?" Ashley asked as if she couldn't believe it. "Bu...but why?" Tears started filling her eyes.

"Yes. She knows all about you. And so do Kara and Carter. They would all love to meet you."

"They would?" she asked in wonder.

He smiled. "Yeah. Claire's exact words were, 'Tell Ashley I can't wait to meet her.' So, will you come with me?"

She looked back at him with a look of hope on her face. So he carried on: "And more importantly, I want you to come home, Ashley." There he said it. He wanted his daughter home, but was this what she truly wanted?

He saw it didn't escape her notice that he used the word home. He wanted her to come home, and if there was any doubt in her mind about what he wanted, it just went out the window. Holding his breath, he waited for her answer.

She didn't say anything for almost a minute. The gears were spinning in her head. It got to the point where he realized he'd been holding his breath. When he exhaled, it caused Ashley to come back from wherever she was. Her tearful eyes locked onto his own, and she said, "OK." Then the tears started falling down her cheeks.

Jake didn't think. He stood up and grabbed his daughter, engulfing her in another huge bear hug. This time she didn't fight it. She accepted it without hesitation. Ashley held onto him like her life depended on it. He was curious to know if she remembered what it felt like to be hugged by a father figure. He couldn't see that asshole Kevin hugging her like this. But that didn't matter now. His little girl was coming home where she belonged.

Lost in the moment, he said the first thing to come to mind. "I love you."

Ashley tensed in his arms. He held still. He didn't know what to do. Did he just ruin the moment by opening his big mouth? He could kick himself. And then his anxiety fled when she sighed and relaxed back into him. He waited to see if she would say it in return, but she didn't. It was understandable, but he would have loved to hear it. Give it time, he told himself. They had a lifetime to make up for everything that was stolen from them.

"You OK?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah."

"Why don't we get out of here and go home?"

Ashley pulled back, looked up into his face, and nodded.

Releasing her, Jake was surprised to see Ashley reach under the table and pull out a small, carry-on sized suitcase. He hadn't even known it was there. She met his surprised gaze and smiled sheepishly.

Grabbing her hand, he led her through the room, nodding to a grinning Garrett, and out the back door where his truck was parked. Throwing her suit case in the back, he helped her in, got into the driver's seat, and set off towards home.

Jake couldn't remember when he'd been this happy. It wasn't like he'd been unhappy. There was just always something missing. But now that something had been found. Everything was as it should be.

He glanced over with a smile only for it to instantly vanish. Ashley looked like a nervous wreck. He'd been so wrapped up in his own musings he failed to remember she was moving into the unknown. He knew his family would welcome her with open arms and accept her immediately—but she didn't. He could kick himself. Here he was, happier than a pig in shit, and his daughter was scared. He reached over and grabbed her hand. She squeezed it back, glanced his way and gave him a small smile, but her nervousness was palpable. Sighing, he concentrated on the road, realizing they weren't out of the weeds yet. They'd only broached the tip of the iceberg.

-----

"Wow," a wide-eyed Ashley said, as they pulled into the driveway.

Jake smiled at her reaction. He was proud of his home.

"It's beautiful," murmured Ashley. Jake couldn't disagree. His home was beautiful.

Pressing the button overhead, the garage door started rising on the large, five bedroom, three and a half bath, white-washed Spanish style home, with dark orange ceramic roof tiles. Pulling in and shutting off the engine, Jake nudged a still shocked Ashley. "Come on. Let me show you around."

She nodded.

If Ashley was shocked by the outside, she was floored by the inside. They entered into the family room with its wall to wall terracotta floor tiles, tastefully decorated with a large area rug; wood, fabric, and leather furniture, and large flat screen T.V. Jake couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Come on. Follow me."

Grabbing her bag and placing it on the floor by the couch, Jake led Ashley on a tour. He showed her the adjoining kitchen, with its granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The dining room, with its stylish dark wood buffet, table and chairs. The formal living room they never used, and his favorite area of his home: the backyard. Stepping outside, Ashley took in the beautiful pool, surrounding patio, large grilling area, and the simple, yet tasteful landscaping.

"Wow," she said in wonder.

Jake beamed proudly. Between his bar, and Claire's job as office manager at a construction company, they were pretty well-off and were able to afford such a beautiful home. Jake took extra pride in maintaining it, and since he didn't have to go into work until noon, and was an early riser, he spent most mornings working around the house. And the backyard was his pride and joy.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go back inside. I'll show you your room."

Ashley came up short. "M...my room?" she tentatively asked, as if she couldn't believe all this was happening.

"Of course. You can have the spare room. It's got your name written all over it."

A wide-eyed Ashley just nodded and followed a still grinning Jake back into the house. Picking up her bag, he led her to the front foyer, and up the stairs. When he reached the top, he realized Ashley wasn't behind him anymore. She had stopped on the way up to look at the family photos Claire had hung in sequential order from bottom to top. Placing her bag on the floor, he turned back around, and joined her. She was looking at a photo—a quarter of the way up—of a pretty, dirty blonde-haired petite woman, wearing a tasteful one piece blue bathing suit; a dirty blonde-haired little girl, of about nine or ten, wearing a pink one piece bathing suit; a bare-chested, brown-haired little boy, of about seven or eight, in green swim trunks, and a shirtless, tattooed, younger Jake, in black swim trunks.

"That picture was taken a couple of years after we were married," Jake said, causing Ashley to look his way with a wistful look in her eyes. He reached over and put a comforting arm around her. He didn't know exactly what was going through her mind, but he could guess.

She turned back to take in the picture again, when something caught her attention. She leaned forward to take in a tattoo over Jake's heart. The photo wasn't overly large, which caused her to squint, but it was clear as day what the tattoo was. It was a word, but not any word: A name. Her name.

Ashley gasped, turned his way, and looked directly at him. "Is...is...th...that—?"

"Yes," he answered before she could finish. "I have a tattoo of your name over my heart. Got it right before I got remarried. Claire actually pushed me to get it." He finished by taking her hand and placing it over his heart.

Once again, Ashley was speechless. That was happening a lot today.

"Come on," he said. "Let me show you something else." Not waiting for an answer, he grasped her hand, and led her to the last photo at the top of the stairs. It was a photo of a younger, smiling Jake, holding a laughing, olive-skinned, straight brown-haired little girl, wearing a blue and purple dress.

Jake stared at Ashley as she took in the photo. From his vantage point he couldn't see her expression, so he couldn't tell what she was thinking, but a tear was running down her cheek. Putting a comforting arm around his little girl, Ashley leaned into him.

God, this feels good.

"This was taken on your second birthday," he said. "It's one of the few photos I have of you. I put it in this spot so I can see it every morning when I come downstairs."

Ashley didn't respond. The silence stretched as she continued to stare at the photo. It got to the point where Jake felt like he needed to check for a pulse to make sure she was all right, until she finally turned towards him with an expression he couldn't place. Wiping her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry."

That startled Jake. He stared back with a confused expression, trying to determine what she meant. He didn't know where this was coming from. "Sorry?" he finally asked. "For what? You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes, I do. I...I've thought the worst of you for a long time and now I can see how wrong I was. When I was watching you earlier, before you recognized me, the picture I had of you in my head d...didn't match what I was seeing. Y...you seemed so nice and everyone liked you. You weren't the monster that I thought you were. But even after everything that's happened this afternoon, I...I still had some doubts. So, I'm s...sorry," she choked out, bursting into tears.

"Oh, sweetheart," Jake cried out, engulfing her in another bear hug. "It's not your fault. Please don't say that. Your mother did this. Not you. Sh...sh," he repeated over and over again, stroking her back.

As he held an emotional Ashley, Jake thought back to their talk in the bar. He tried convincing her she wasn't to blame, but didn't know if he was successful or not. And now his suspicion was proven correct. She still did blame herself and it broke his heart.

Damn that bitch. This is going to be harder than expected.

It wasn't until her sobbing subsided that he released her. Picking up her bag, he said, "Come, let's get you set up in your room. And then I want to show you something, OK?"

Ashley nodded and followed Jake down the hallway to the second door on the right. Opening the door, he entered, followed by Ashley. She took in the room. It was beautifully decorated, with cream colored walls, and an off-white traditional style queen sized bed, with matching furniture, and a big oversized upholstered chair in the corner.

"Over here is the bathroom," he said, pointing to the door to the right. Opening the door, Ashley looked in to see a semi large bathroom filled with feminine beauty products. She looked at Jake with a confused expression. He smiled. "It's a Jack and Jill bathroom, so you and Kara will have to share. Her room is through that door"—he pointed to the door on the opposite wall—"and there's also the hallway bathroom that Carter uses."

Ashley nodded.

Stepping back into the room, Jake pointed to a set of double doors on the opposite wall. "And over there's the closet. It's plenty big. There's lots of room for all your clothes. I know how important closet space is for you ladies."

But the embarrassed look on Ashley's face made Jake pull up short. He shifted his gaze to the small suitcase sitting on the floor by the door, and then the truth hit him. There was a reason why she had such a small suitcase. And his mention of clothing, and her embarrassed reaction, brought that reason front and center. Up until now, Jake had been piecing together small clues that painted a picture of her situation, but they had avoided broaching the topic in detail. Thinking back to Claire's advice, Jake decided to do something about it. It was now or never.

"Come here, Ashley," said Jake, sitting down on the bed. She slowly walked over and sat, but refused to look at him. He reached over, cupped her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"You know you don't have to be embarrassed around me. You can tell me anything. You know that, right?" She didn't say anything in response. Not willing to let it go, he carried on: "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, but there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm here for you no matter what."

Ashley looked away. She stared at her small suitcase for a few moments, then looked back. Tears again filled her eyes and her bottom lip started to tremble. Jake could tell she wanted to speak, but the words wouldn't come. He needed to prod her a little more. She needed to get it all out.

With as much sympathy as he could muster, he said, "It's OK, sweetheart. Talk to me." As they held eye contact, he tried his best to silently communicate that everything was going to be all right. She was safe with him.

She seemed to understand after a few moments, because she nodded slightly, and then the flood gates opened. In a rush, she said, "I need help. I don't know what to do. A week ago I found out mom's been lying to me. I didn't know what to do, so I looked you up. I needed to know the truth. I have nothing. All my stuff was stolen. I have no money. I don't have anybody. Please help me."

Jake reached over and pulled her into another hug. She started shaking, as once again, sobs wracked her entire body. "It's OK. I'm here for you," he said reassuringly. It was breaking his heart seeing his little girl going through this. This was why he wanted to take it slow. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen somebody cry as much as Ashley had in the last hour or so. He wanted to take her pain away, but didn't know how. So, he did what the only thing he could. He held her.

When her sobs subsided somewhat, he let go, grabbed a few tissues from the nightstand, which she took and wiped her tears. Cupping her face, he forced her to look at him, and said, "Ashley, you do have somebody. You have lots of somebodies. You have me, Claire, Kara, Carter, Garrett, Sophie—the list goes on. You aren't alone. Do you understand me?" The passion in his voice was unmistakable.

Ashley held his gaze, but didn't seem convinced. He could tell she was having difficulty accepting the prospect of so much support from a bunch of strangers. It was obvious his ex hadn't provided a good support system while growing up. The thought of all this support was making her uncomfortable. It would take time for it to sink in. He could tell her until she was blue in the face, but talk was cheap. It would take the actions of his family and friends to convince her.

In disbelief, she asked, "Bu...but how can so many people who don't even know me w...want to help?"

"Because that's what family does. Even though they don't know you that well yet, you're family, and family supports one another."

He could tell she didn't seem convinced. It was time to take the bull by the horns.

Standing up, he grasped her hand. "Come on. Follow me." He pulled her along to the door directly across the hallway to his office/music room. Ashley's eyes widened at the number of guitars hanging on the walls. Jake and Claire had simple tastes, and other than their home, they didn't like to spend much on extravagant things. Guitars, though, were another matter. Jake loved guitars. Especially vintage guitars.

"Sit," Jake said.

Ashley sat down on the sofa opposite Jake's desk which was set between the two windows. Sitting in his chair, he said, "I know it's hard to accept that you have a support system. It must be overwhelming. But it's the truth. It's going to take time for it to sink in, but you have a home here for as long as you want. You're my daughter and this is your home." He said the last bit with as much passion as possible to drive the point home. He didn't want her doubting him.

He could see it wasn't sinking in yet, so he needed to go on and convince her once and for all he'd been thinking about her all these year and that he wanted her here. Opening his bottom drawer, he took out a manila folder filled with papers. He paused for a second to gather himself. He hoped what he was about to reveal alleviated her fears once and for all.

Opening the folder, he pulled out a stack of sealed envelopes all stamped withReturn to Senderin red ink. "Here," he said, handing them over.

She took the envelopes and flipped through all five, one at a time, taking in who the letters were addressed to. He waited for a reaction and when it came, it wasn't what he expected.

"Ashley?" he asked.

"That bitch!"

Jake was caught off guard. Something was going on here and he needed to know.

"Wait here," was all she said, as she stood up, left the room, only to return a few moments later with her suitcase. Seeing his confused expression, Ashley opened her bag and pulled out a stack of her own envelopes. The difference, though, was these envelopes had already been opened.

"Here," she said, handing them over. "I found these last week."

Jake took them, and with a quick glance, immediately knew what he was holding. They were the dozen letters addressed to Ashley he'd sent over a twelve or so month period all those years ago. He knew she would be too young to read them, but he had hoped his ex would read them to her. He knew she probably wouldn't, but it made him feel better to send them. In every letter he put in how much he missed her, how he was thinking about her, and how much he loved her. Even though he never received any replies, he kept sending them, until one day his thirteenth letter was returned and stamped withReturn to Senderon it. He resent it, thinking there had been a mistake, only for it to come back a second time. He didn't know whether they had moved, or if his ex was having them sent back, so he sent four more, only for them all to be returned. That's when he knew it was over. He remembered how devastated he was, and if it wasn't for Claire, he probably wouldn't have been able to go on.