“I can see that.” Tobias looked to her. “He looks like both of us.”
She sniffed and nodded. “He does.”
“I’m so sorry,” Tori said, taking his left hand in both of them. “Please forgive me for keeping this from you. It was horribly unfair of me. Your mother asked me several times over the years to tell you, but I guess it was too hard.”
Her cell phone rang and she looked to the display. Tori answered. “Hey, Allison. Yes. Everything’s fine. We’ll talk tomorrow. Yes. I’m sure.”
“Wants to make sure we’re not choking each other?” Tobias said, attempting at lightness.
Tori smiled and wiped her eyes. “Yeah. She sounded shocked to not hear you screaming in the background.”
They went through the rest of the items in the box. There was a stack of pictures, some of Thomas alone and a few with her and her mother holding him. Tobias asked for a few and Tori gave them to him.
The birth certificate, death certificate and several other items were also in the box. There was a small jeweler’s box lastly and Tori handed it to Tobias. “I had this made for you, but was too chicken to ever give it to you.”
It was a chain necklace. On the end was a small vial with ashes. “His ashes,” Tori said in a whisper. “You don’t have to wear it. I don’t wear mine anymore. I keep it on my nightstand.”
He lifted the necklace. “I want to put it on.” Tori had to help with the clasp since his arm was still in a sling.
“Mom and I spread his ashes at St. Peter’s Catholic church, at the butterfly garden.”
“Thank you.” Tobias touched the vial. “This is all new to me. I’m not sure what to think.”
“It will take time.”
Tori placed a hand on his forearm. “Will you ever forgive me for not telling you?”
“Yeah, I already did.”
Tobias stood and took the stack of pictures and one of the baby’s hospital bracelets. “I better get going.”
He studied her for a long time. “I’m sorry you had to go through it alone. If I’d known, I’m not sure I would have been able to be here. The military wouldn’t have sent me back so soon after arriving, especially not during wartime. So I screwed up. I should’ve talked to you before joining.”
“It’s over now, Tobias. I’m just glad you know now. I imagine you will have to grieve since you just found out. So give yourself time and be patient. With your accident and all, you need to relax for a bit.”
With a wedding coming up the next week, he wasn’t exactly giving himself much time. Tobias wondered if he should tell Tori, but then decided it wasn’t her concern. Although they’d always be connected with the past, it was best to break all contact with her.
Her nose was pink from crying and he fought against it but, in the end, he gave up. He hugged Tori against him, a farewell to the one woman he’d never stop loving.
“Goodbye.”
Her eyes searched his. “Yeah…bye.”
Chapter Fourteen
Halfway to his ranch, Tobias pulled over and climbed out of his truck. He hobbled to the front of the vehicle and leaned on it, the entire time searching the sky. It wasn’t as if some sort of angel would appear in the darkness and give him a message, but he needed something.
How could it be that he’d missed something so monumental? Although he’d told Tori all was forgiven, anger and resentment circled like buzzards over his head.
A part of him wanted to keep driving and get away from it all.
In the distance, headlights appeared. As they got closer, he realized it was a red Jeep and moving fast. He almost laughed. Not exactly an angel headed his way. Most people, upon first seeing his twin, would probably think him the opposite.
What the hell was Luke doing? The man was driving like a bat out of hell.
Tobias reached into his window and flashed the lights. The Jeep skidded to a stop and his twin got out of the car and hurried to him.
“What happened?” The hollowness in his eyes made Tobias think twice and not utter a stupid comeback. It didn’t take much for Luke to go into flashback mode some days.
“Heading home from visiting Tori. Learned some shitty news and needed an explanation.”
Luke didn’t say anything. Luke’s gaze roamed over him as if to assess if he lied. “What news?”
This was the first time he’d talk about what happened, about Thomas. First, he ran a shaky hand through his hair.
“Found out Tori was pregnant when I went overseas. She lost the baby. A boy.”
When his brother didn’t speak, he continued. “Tori says I don’t have to feel guilty. But damn, she had a nervous breakdown because I left and that may have caused her to lose the baby. It kinda makes it my fault.”
“I would feel guilty if it was me. Why did she pick now to tell you? That was like over twenty years ago.”
Tobias shrugged. “We were arguing as usual. I said something stupid and she let it slip. I don’t think she ever planned to tell me.”
Luke came and leaned against the front of the truck with his arms crossed over his chest. “Damn. I guess the truth always does come out.”
“Yep.”
“I suppose you and I aren’t ever going to have kids,” Luke said.
Tobias thought about it. “Mimi wants to have a couple. I’m not so sure. Hell, I’m almost forty-six.”
“Me, too,” Luke said with a chuckle.
“Where were you headed?” Tobias asked, wondering why Luke wasn’t in a hurry to leave now.
“To find you. Tori called and said you might be upset.”
They stood in silence for a long time. Luke allowed him time to think and get his shit together. Finally, Tobias convinced his twin he was okay and headed home to rest.
The house was quiet when Tobias arrived. He figured Ernest and Henry had gone to bed. Both went to sleep early and got up unnaturally early as well.
The dogs roused at his arrival and he walked to the back deck with them. The animals took off into the darkness, probably searching for critters to chase and he lowered to a chair.
When his phone buzzed, he answered it.
“When are you getting here? I have to finish packing and make sure to have all my documents. Did you find your birth certificate?” Mimi started peppering him with questions and he waited for her to take a breath.
“We’ve gone over this several times. I’ve got everything I need. We don’t fly out for two days. I’ll throw stuff in the overnight bag and head there the day after tomorrow.”
“Head where? To my place or to the airport.”
Tobias rolled his eyes. “Mimi, we just talked about this specific topic earlier today. You said you would hire a car since you live out of the way.”
“No, maybe you should pick me up. That way we arrive at the airport together.”
“The Billings airport is not that big,” Tobias replied, becoming annoyed.
He could hear rustling and then Mimi crunching in his ear. “I’m so hungry. I spent the entire day shopping.” She sighed. “You know what, maybe I’ll just hire a car.”
Tobias’ finger lingered over the button to end the call. “I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”
“Wait,” Mimi interrupted and he felt bad. If she was about to tell him she loved him, he wasn’t sure he could respond in kind.
“Yeah?”
“Oh, shoot, gotta go. I have to answer this call I’ve been waiting for it. I’ll see you. Don’t forget your birth certificate.” She giggled and ended the call.
He stared at the cell display. What the hell was wrong with her? The woman was half-crazy at times. If it weren’t for the long day he’d had, Tobias would have laughed.
Two days later, morning came way too soon. Tobias trudged to the front room with his overnight bag. He looked in the direction of the kitchen to find Ernest drinking coffee. His cousin lifted his gaze to him. “Ready to go? We need to get going.”
“That might be why I’m carrying a bag a
nd headed to the door,” Tobias snapped.
“No coffee? Oh, hell. We are not driving to the airport with you in a bitchy mood.”
This was his life. Damned family. “Let’s go, please.”
Ernest’s eyebrows lifted and then his gaze narrowed. “I’m only going to ask you this once. Are you sure, absolutely sure, about this?”
Tobias turned away and walked out the front door, the dogs trotting along. He looked down to the two trusting faces. “I’ll see you two in a couple days. Be good.” Both wagged their tails as if understanding. He knew they didn’t, but it was nice to see them rush off barking, tongues hanging out upon spotting the horse trainer arriving.
The trip was about an hour and a half. He called Mimi several times, but she did not answer. Tobias figured she was headed to the airport and didn’t hear the phone.
They arrived two hours before his flight since Ernest was always a stickler for being early to things. Once again, Tobias called Mimi.
“Why isn’t she answering?” He looked around.
Ernest looked across the lobby. “Maybe she’s going through security.”
“Yeah. That’s possible. Thanks for the ride.” Tobias held out his hand. “See you when I’m married.”
His cousin took his hand. “I wish you the best. See you in a few days.”
Since he didn’t have to check a bag, Tobias went directly to security, but then decided not to go through just yet.
He waited for another half-hour and called. Still nothing from Mimi. Finally, an hour before the flight when they began to announce boarding, he couldn’t wait any longer and he went through security.
His heart plummeted when he arrived at the gate. There were only about twenty people waiting to board. Mimi was not among them. He went to the gate.
The man behind the counter looked up. “How can I help you, sir?”
“Can you tell me if Emmaline Murphy has checked in for something? We’re traveling together and she’s not here.”
He shook his head. “No one by that name has approached the counter and I can’t give you any information about any ticket changes.”
“Thanks.” He turned away as the same guy announced the first zone for boarding.
Tobias was watching the plane taxiing away from the gate when his phone dinged. Tobias was too furious to read it. If Mimi was angry because they didn’t swing by to pick her up, he was going to lose it.
“Where are you?” he said without preamble.
“I’m sorry,” Mimi said, sounding more petulant than sorry. “Remember that call I got yesterday?”
How could the woman be so irritating? “What call?”
“The call last night when I hung up. It was my lawyer. My ex didn’t sign the divorce papers right. Then I found out it would take a few weeks anyway. I thought once he signed the papers we would be divorced.”
“You’re married?” he hissed into the phone, already heading back toward the exit. “What the fuck?”
She huffed. “We met at a restaurant weeks ago and he signed the papers. Don’t cuss at me. I told you when we met.”
“You said you were recently single.”
“Anyway,” she continued ignoring his comment. “Want me to pick you up? We can set another date.”
“There won’t be another date.” Tobias’ hand was shaking so bad he had to tap on the display twice to finally end the call.
When he went down the escalator toward the exit, Ernest was standing by the baggage claim. He waved at Tobias.
“What are you doing here?”
“Your mom had asked Eric to do some checking on Mimi. He thought she might still be married, but we couldn’t find out for sure. Mimi called me a few minutes ago to ask if she could still get married in Vegas if she was married in Montana. I figured she wasn’t going to show up, so I turned around.”
“Don’t say another word.” Tobias pointed at Ernest’s face. “I mean it.”
“Can I laugh?”
He fought not to crack a smile. “No.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Allison held her wine glass halfway to her lips. “You don’t look good.”
Just because she felt like bawling her eyes out and screaming didn’t mean she wasn’t fine. Anyone in her shoes would be hysterical. Tobias, the only man she’d ever truly loved now belonged to a blonde who had less sense than flattened road kill. Tori took a shaky breath.
“Stop staring at me. I’m just a bit overwhelmed at the idea of the whole wedding thing.”
“You should have told him how you feel. Maybe he wouldn’t have gotten married.” Allison took a sip of wine and slid a look to the couch where Taylor was. He’d been watching a movie but, by his soft snores, he didn’t find it to be interesting.
Tori leaned forward and refilled her glass. “I couldn’t do that. We don’t get along. Just because you love someone doesn’t always mean you belong together. He made a choice to marry that woman, so he must be in love. He’s moved on.”
“True,” Allison replied with a sigh. “But I think he’s still in love with you.”
“There are different types of love,” Tori said and flipped her agenda open. “Let’s set a schedule for the next two weeks. We have a few things to accomplish before the book event that you volunteered me and Leah for.”
They talked for a few minutes and made plans. Allison called Leah and had her on speakerphone as they set a schedule for the event that was to take place at Tori’s restaurant. The distraction was good. For those few moments, she didn’t have to think about Tobias and what was happening in Las Vegas.
But her mind kept going back to what happened that day. Tobias was married now. It felt surreal.
Allison closed her agenda. “I feel good about our time table. I think the cake theme is so cool. I have a great recipe in mind for mine.”
Ding. Ding. Tori pulled out her cell phone and looked at the message. It was from Alec, the veterinarian.
She texted back that she’d call him in a few moments.
Just then, Taylor’s phone rang and he reached for it. “Yeah, what’s up?”
He sat up and looked over toward them. “Give me a second. I have questions.” He stood and stretched. Then with his phone to his ear, he went into the bedroom.
Allison watched him. “I wonder who’s calling him. He always gets the best gossip but doesn’t always share. I have to beg, borrow and steal to get him to tell me anything.” Her friend’s brow crinkled as she continued to look toward the bedroom.
“You are so nosy,” Tori teased. “It’s probably something only guys would find interesting.”
“That’s true,” Allison said with a giggle. “If it’s one of his cousins, they only ever talk about cows and dogs. Sometimes they plan a get-together to do something exciting like grill hotdogs.” Allison’s flat tone was comical. Obviously, her friend didn’t consider the Hamiltons the most exciting family when planning gatherings.
An hour later, Tori walked into her place and lowered to the couch while calling Alec.
His voice was deep and soothing. Tori closed her eyes and envisioned his face. He was nice and definitely someone she could see dating long term.
“I want to see you again.”
Tori nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “I’d love to see you as well. What do you have in mind?”
“I can cook dinner if you wish?” There was hesitancy in his voice. “Or a movie would be cool, too.”
Tori made a decision. If she was going to move on, it was best to do so full-heartedly. “You know what? Dinner at your place sounds perfect. What time?”
Her phone dinged. It was Allison. She didn’t bother reading. This was the time to consider what to do and perhaps take some time for herself and make some decisions.
The book club was a good beginning. She’d also joined a local hiking group and was considering teaching cooking classes to local teens.
She went to the couch and began typing plan
s into her laptop. Things were going to change. Soon, she’d be too busy and satisfied with her own life to care what happened in other people’s lives.
The next day went by fast. It was their busiest in a long time. People who were traveling through to go to the next town over for a conference stopped in Laurel Creek for lunch and dinner. The restaurant barely had a table empty as they seated more people. Whenever there was a short lull, Tori and Jessie took advantage and helped prep in the kitchen.
Just before the dinner rush, Tori stepped outside for a short break. She noticed Allison was also doing brisk business. Her flower shop always attracted the attention of visitors to Laurel Creek. Planters overflowing with bright flowers and hanging baskets with long, bright green vines spilling over their sides made an inviting entrance to the shop.
Down the street, the café’s door was open as a group of people entered. Just then, two couples came to the restaurant and Tori followed them in. Three more hours and she’d be free to head home.
By the time she arrived at Alec’s apartment, Tori was tired but energized at the same time. Wearing a simple green shift dress and off-white cardigan, along with beige flat sandals, she felt pretty and ready to spend time with a good-looking man.
Alec opened the door. Dressed in jeans and a navy polo shirt, he looked handsome and casual.
His gaze roamed over her and his lips curved. “You’re always a lovely sight.”
“Thank you.” Tori held up a bag with two bottles of wine. “I wasn’t sure what you were cooking, so I brought white and a red. Pinot Grigio and Cabernet.”
“I’m grilling. How about steaks and asparagus.”
He took the wine from her and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips.
Deciding not to decipher how she felt about the kiss, Tori followed him into the kitchen. When he put the bag down, she moved closer and then wrapped her arms around his neck. “What time is dinner?”
The corners of his lips moved. “How about I let you decide?”
Ruined: Tobias Page 10