Chapter 4 - The Jamestown Inn
The rain began at midnight, washing over the suspension bridge connecting Newport to Jamestown. By 7:00 AM, the fog was so thick that the ocean looked like a vast expanse of white smoke.
Inside a corner room at the Jamestown Bay Inn, seven-year-old Lily sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs back and forth while her twin brothers, Leo and Mason, sat on the rug playing quietly with wooden toy boats.
Mara stood by the window, a mug of black coffee held in both hands, watching the road leading up to the driveway.
She had barely slept. The adrenaline of the confrontation at Castle Hill had faded, leaving behind an exhausting wave of anxiety. She knew what she had unleashed. Lenore Ashford was a woman who used lawyers and money like weapons of war.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
Leo and Mason looked up instantly. Lily stopped swinging her legs.
Mara set her coffee mug on the nightstand, walked over to the door, and looked through the peep hole.
Benjamin stood in the hallway. He looked completely different from the polished heir at the wedding. He wore a simple dark wool sweater, jeans, and a raincoat drenched in ocean spray. His eyes were red-rimmed, but his expression was clear and grounded.
Mara unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open.
Benjamin stood on the threshold, holding a heavy leather briefcase in one hand and a white cardboard box from a local bakery in the other.
"I brought fresh cinnamon rolls," Benjamin said softly, his voice tight with nervous emotion. "I remembered... you used to like them on rainy mornings."
Mara looked at him for a long moment, reading the sheer exhaustion and honesty in his face. She stepped aside. "Come in."
Benjamin stepped into the room. He set the bakery box and briefcase on the small dining table near the window.
He turned slowly toward the children.
Leo and Mason stood up from the floor, holding their wooden boats, looking at him with open curiosity. Lily remained on the bed, her grey eyes tracking his every movement.
Benjamin felt his knees go weak. Up close, without the chaos of three hundred wedding guests, the resemblance was overwhelming. Leo had Benjamin’s jawline and slightly crooked smile. Mason had the exact shape of Benjamin’s hands. And Lily... Lily looked so much like his late grandmother that it made his chest ache.
Benjamin lowered himself down to one knee right on the carpet, bringing himself down to eye level with the boys.
"Hi," Benjamin said, his voice trembling slightly. "I'm... I'm Ben."
Leo looked at his mother, who gave him a small, reassuring nod.
"Are you the man from the picture in Mommy's drawer?" Leo asked bluntly.
Benjamin blinked back tears. "What picture?"
Mara walked over quietly. "I kept one photograph of us from college in my desk," she explained softly to Benjamin. "I never hid you from them, Ben. I told them your name was Benjamin, and that you lived far away working very hard."
Benjamin looked up at Mara, a fresh wave of gratitude washing over him. Despite everything his mother had done, despite seven years of absolute silence, Mara hadn't taught his children to hate him.
"I’m sorry I was away for so long," Benjamin said to the boys, his eyes glistening. "I... I lost the map to find you. But I found it last night."
Mason took a step forward and held out his wooden boat. "Do you know how to fix the sail? The string broke."
Benjamin let out a soft, tearful laugh, taking the tiny wooden boat into his hands. "Yeah, buddy. I know how to tie a bowline knot. My dad taught me when I was your age."
While Benjamin sat on the floor with Leo and Mason, carefully re-stringing the toy boat, Lily stepped off the bed and walked over quietly, stopping right beside his elbow.
She reached out one small finger and touched the dark fabric of his wool sweater.
"Daddy?" she asked softly.
Benjamin froze. He turned his head slowly, looking up at his daughter.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Is Grandma coming to take us away?" Lily asked, her small face serious and filled with unspoken worry. "Mommy was crying in the bathroom last night after the big party. She said Grandma has a lot of soldiers in suits."
Benjamin reached out, gently wrapping his large hand around Lily’s tiny fingers.
"No one is taking you anywhere, Lily," Benjamin said with absolute, unyielding conviction. "No soldiers in suits, no grandmas, no one. I spent seven years being a coward. I’m done."
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Mara watched him from the table, feeling a shift in the air. The indecisive young man who had lowered his eyes seven years ago in his mother's dining room was gone.
Standing in his place was a father ready to go to war.
