by Kaitlyn Rice
Hadn’t Josie heard her say that she’d be right back?
Was she coming right back?
What the heck was going on?
She asked this last question aloud to Ethan when he came out to stand beside her. Before he’d had a chance to offer his opinion, Luke began to cry.
They both rushed inside the house, but Ethan beat Callie to the carrier. He bent down to unbuckle the restraints, then lifted the baby into his arms.
Callie backed away, trying to avoid Luke’s line of vision. Ethan needed a chance to calm him.
Ethan appeared relaxed, and he made all the right moves. He paced and bounced and soothed. Despite his efforts, Luke kept crying and asking for “Mum-mum.”
Callie didn’t think she’d ever been happier to hear her son crying for her. She stepped forward and took Luke in her arms, then sat on Ethan’s sofa and hummed lullabies until the little boy grew quiet.
Then he leaned against Callie’s chest, glancing around Ethan’s living room with golden-brown eyes that were unusually wary.
Maybe Luke was more aware of the situation than Callie had realized. When her guy finally sat up in her arms, reaching for the toy bear he’d noticed in the carrier, Callie smiled.
Luke was fine. And she hadn’t been easily replaced.
She handed Luke to Ethan, then bent down to grab the bear and hand it to her little boy.
“He’ll be okay,” she said. “He usually awakens in a great mood. Maybe he got scared when he woke up trapped in his seat, alone, and in a strange place.”
“I’m sure,” Ethan said, and turned his attention to Luke. He walked around his living room and made a running commentary on the teddy bear, the red-and-blue football-type jersey Luke wore today, and his plans for their afternoon together.
When Ethan rounded the corner beside the sofa, Luke looked down and pointed. “Dat-dat!” he said, bouncing excitedly.
Ethan chuckled, then wheeled out a colorful plastic push-and-ride toy from behind the sofa. “You found your train. Do you like it?” he asked, in an animated tone Callie had never heard him use before. Crouching down, he helped Luke stand next to the toy and grip its shiny green handle.
Ethan let go of him, and Luke stood for a moment opening and closing his fingers on the toy. He might have been content to do that for a while longer, but Ethan prompted him, “Now go, Lukey. Push the train!” He nudged the toy slowly forward.
The little boy’s face crunched into a concentrated expression, and he wobbled forward. After two steps, his frown dissolved and he cackled as Ethan laughed.
They were fine. And Callie felt dismissed.
She didn’t belong here, anyway. “Guess I’ll go wait on the porch,” she said.
Ethan glanced up. “Why?”
Because she felt too tied to both father and son, and watching them play from her spot outside the circle might break her heart.
“If she knows what’s good for her, Josie will return quickly,” Callie said. “Maybe she just went around the block or to the corner store for a soda.”
“Think so?” Ethan lifted a brow.
“Maybe Isabel will force her to come back,” she said. Pulling the diaper bag off her arm, she remembered the envelope on top.
She’d meant to hand Ethan the divorce documents, suggest that they each contact a lawyer, then leave.
Heaven knew how long she’d be stranded here. She couldn’t offer the papers and leave, and she didn’t want to force the discussion in front of Luke. What if the little boy sensed the tension between his mother and this new man he liked so much?
She wouldn’t hurt Luke that way, so she waited until a squeal caught Ethan’s full attention, then yanked out the envelope. Quickly, she folded it in half twice lengthwise, then slid it into her jeans pocket and pulled her T-shirt down over it.
“Here are his things,” she said, setting the diaper bag on an arm of the sofa. “I put in plenty of diapers and a box of teething biscuits for a snack. If he doesn’t want those, there’s also a jar of fruit and a spoon.”
“Will he be hungry?”
“Possibly later, but he just ate lunch an hour ago.”
Ethan glanced up. “All right. I think I can handle it.”
“See you later.”
“Okay,” Ethan said. Then, “You can let yourself back in when you get hot.”
She rolled her eyes, then walked outside and sat on his front porch step. She might have hidden the envelope in her purse, but she’d left her purse in Josie’s truck.
Dammit.
What great ideas she’d had yesterday.
To come to Wichita with her sisters and shop for Isabel’s new range—really, the last big task her sister had left to accomplish. To leave Luke at his dad’s house, and continue to behave magnanimously. To drop off those papers and propel their lives forward, hoping to find a solution that would appease everyone.
Her ideas, every one.
Except she hadn’t managed to accomplish a single one. What a waste of an afternoon.
ETHAN PLAYED with his son for twenty minutes, then picked him up and stepped out to his front porch. “Think she’s had time to get around the block?” he asked Callie, who was sitting on the top step.
Callie glanced at him, then used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun’s glare. “I don’t guess they’re returning any time soon.”
“I don’t guess so, either.”
“If I had my purse, I’d call a cab and head home,” she said, sighing as she returned her gaze to the street. “But then you’d miss your time with Luke.”
There it was again—another display of that fair-mindedness.
Yesterday, LeeAnn had dropped by his house to return a jacket he’d left at her apartment. Even after he’d stated with certainty that their relationship was finished, she had stuck around to talk awhile.
He had told her how Callie was bringing Luke by all the time to give him opportunities to get acquainted with his little boy, and LeeAnn hadn’t acted surprised.
She had warned him to watch out. Of course, Callie would be fair right now, she had said. Luke’s custody arrangements would soon be determined by a judge, and she’d want to look good. She’d also want everyone concerned to forget about the whopping lie she’d kept going during the past two years.
Those insights had made sense. Wouldn’t anyone try to present themselves in a good light? LeeAnn had certainly been on target about one thing: it was important that he maintain caution around Callie.
Last Saturday night, he might have thought himself ready for a reconciliation.
Last Sunday morning, Callie had proven that she still didn’t trust men. Him, specifically.
It was hard to believe she couldn’t know how much he loved her.
Had loved her.
He should distance himself. It would be smart to be wary, as LeeAnn had said. It might also be smart to leave Callie sitting on the porch, but he didn’t intend to do so. They’d been close once. He couldn’t forget that, even if Callie could. “Your sisters will come for you eventually, right?” he asked.
“Sure. This was just a ploy to get us talking again.”
“We have been talking.”
“Have we?” she asked, glancing back again. This time she didn’t shield her eyes, and the sun lit them to a dazzling silver. He saw a lot of pain in those gorgeous depths. And he understood her question.
They might have talked, but not about anything significant.
Touché.
“Come on inside,” he said, shifting Luke around to his other side so he could grab the door handle. “I can’t have you sitting here glowering at every car that passes by. God only knows what my neighbors will think.”
She sighed, scowling down the street again for a second, then she stood up. “If you have a book somewhere, I can find a quiet place to read.”
“Why would you do that?”
“This is your time with him,” she said, smiling at Luke. “I’d get in the way.”
/> Another act of fairness.
Ethan pulled open the storm door and motioned for Callie to go in ahead of him. “Suit yourself. I have plenty of books in my office.”
“Great. Where’s your office?” She glanced toward the hall that led to his bedroom.
“The other way,” he said. “The office and second bedroom are at the opposite end of the house.” He put Luke near the new train toy and pointed the way for Callie. “Through that hallway, then right. Guess we spent most of our time in my bedroom the last time you were here.”
Now why had he said that? It had revived memories he’d rather not recall. It hadn’t been all that long since she’d been in his bedroom.
And in his arms and in his heart.
As Ethan watched her walk away, a new surge of desire for her surprised him. He couldn’t be all that distant if he wanted her, could he?
The phone rang, saving him from contemplating his own question. It was Isabel, asking if Callie was still at his house. The question might seem silly, but Ethan knew Isabel pretty well. She was sharper than she let on. A determined Callie might have found any number of ways to get back to Augusta. Two years ago, she might have taken off on foot.
Why was Ethan so damn glad that she hadn’t?
“Sure. She’s still here,” he said. “Just a moment.”
Luke was playing with an activity console on the front of the train, so Ethan left him in the living room for just a moment and went to his office.
Callie had already gotten comfortable in his leather office chair. She’d pulled an older mystery novel from his bookshelf and opened it to the first page.
He cleared his throat. “Izzy’s on the phone for you,” he said, pointing to the phone on his desk.
Leaving again, he lifted the receiver on the living room phone, waiting to hear Callie’s voice before he hung up. Their conversation was none of his business.
Five minutes later, Luke glanced up from his play and said, “Mum-mum!”
Ethan realized that Callie had come to stand in the opening to the hallway. “Looks like I’ll be here awhile,” she said, shrugging. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Where did they go?”
She sighed. “Appliance shopping, without me. Josie swears that we need time to work things out.”
Right. Well, for Josie, life was uncomplicated in that way. She was honest with herself and everyone else about what she required. Except for a tendency to be blunt, she was nothing like her mother.
Callie had never been so easy. Marriage to her had been sometimes wonderful and sometimes painful.
Ethan hadn’t responded to Callie’s statement, but he must have looked skeptical, because she held his gaze for a moment, then said, “I know.”
Sighing again, she entered the living room and pulled something from her back pocket. “Listen, I meant to leave these with you earlier. I didn’t sign them.”
Ethan took the envelope, which he recognized as the divorce papers.
“I’m sure we’ll need different documents that indicate the presence of a child in the marriage. And I’ll have to hire my own lawyer, too.”
Thrown by the mere mention of the divorce, Ethan scowled at Callie for a moment. Then he said, “We can call my attorney. I have his home number.”
“We shouldn’t use the same one, Ethan.”
No, they shouldn’t, Ethan decided. Initially, he’d thought that he and Callie could divorce amicably. But then, he was the same fool who’d believed that their marriage would last forever.
“We don’t have to make any decisions today,” he said. “But we need to find out if these papers are completely worthless.”
“Don’t contact him now,” she insisted. “Not with Luke here. I want him to enjoy an afternoon with his dad. With you.”
Ethan nodded.
“I should return to BioLabs soon, though, so we need to deal with this,” she added. “Maybe tomorrow, one of us could contact a mediator.”
Ethan merely nodded and watched Callie disappear into his office again. She was right. They shouldn’t get into that particular discussion in front of Luke. In fact, they should vow to never argue in front of their son.
The little boy would have it hard enough, growing up in two different states with parents who had plenty of sizzle between them but not enough trust.
Callie had been taught to be wary of men, and he hadn’t been able to convince her that males were no more or less disreputable than females.
And now he didn’t trust her.
As if on cue, the little boy looked at him and said, “Mum-mum?”
“She’s reading, Son. She’s okay and so are you. I’m your daddy and I’m here for you this afternoon.”
Luke squinted as if considering the many complexities of that statement, then he pulled himself up to stand next to the toy train and reached for Ethan.
Hurrying across the room, Ethan lifted his little boy into his arms, then walked to his kitchen table and set the envelope with a stack of mail.
Callie had been right not to sign the documents, too. A simple divorce wouldn’t work, since they had a child.
Heaven knew what would work.
For now, Ethan intended to concentrate on his little boy. He glanced out the French doors. It was hot and sunny today, but two massive oak trees shaded the backyard. Ethan thought it might be nice to get Luke into the fresh air. To get himself outside, too, and perhaps forget about the confusing woman sitting in his office.
After retrieving the train, Ethan carried Luke outside and spent almost an hour watching the little boy play.
Luke sat on the train’s seat, chuckling merrily while Ethan pushed it around in a dirt patch beneath one of the trees. When the child fell off, he didn’t cry. He spent long minutes investigating the dirt. A butterfly flitted by, and he chased it across the grass on his hands and knees. Then Ethan held his hands and helped him walk all the way to the back gate, where he gripped the chain-link fence and watched a neighbor’s cat slink through the alley.
After a time, Luke plopped onto his bottom again and looked mournful, as if he’d exhausted the whole outdoors. On closer examination, Ethan noticed that Luke’s bottom eyelids were pink. He must be tired. Ethan picked him up and went inside, bouncing and humming all the way.
He wanted to learn to soothe Luke, but the baby soon started sobbing. Then squirming. And, finally, calling for his “Mum-mum.”
Ethan poked his head into his office, where Callie had laid the book facedown on the desk. She must have restrained an impulse to rescue her baby. “Is he okay?” she asked.
“He’s tired.” Ethan crossed the room, and Luke quieted as soon as they drew near Callie.
“He slept in the car, but that wouldn’t have been long enough,” Callie said. She grinned when she saw a couple of dirt smears across the boy’s cheek. Grabbing a tissue from Ethan’s desk, she wiped them off. “You wore him out.”
“Are you kidding? He wore me out.”
She chuckled. “Do you have a place for him to sleep?” she asked. “The spare bedroom, maybe?”
“That room’s empty. He can sleep in my bed.”
She nodded. “Perfect.”
Ethan headed for the bedroom, but when Luke cried out again he turned around. “I need your help with this.”
“Okay.” Her voice was bright, and…was that a smile?
“Why are you so happy all of a sudden?” he asked.
“No reason, really.” When she was halfway out of the room, she added, “But it’s nice to feel needed again.”
In his bedroom, she said, “Just put him in the middle and stack pillows on the edges so he can’t roll off.”
But when Ethan put Luke down, the little boy cried.
“He doesn’t know this room,” Callie said. “You might have to lie with him until he goes to sleep.”
“You haven’t spoiled our little boy, have you?” Ethan asked, giving her a stern glance that was only half in jest.
Luke’
s cries got louder.
Ethan decided that now was not the time to try to unspoil the baby. He crawled onto the edge of the bed, lying face-to-face with Luke and patting the little boy’s leg.
Luke quieted. His eyes drooped.
“Okay,” Callie whispered. “He should be all right.”
When she tried to tiptoe away, Luke’s bottom lip stuck out. “Mum-mum?” he said, his eyes filling.
Callie chuckled, then turned right around. “Okay. Maybe I should stay and you should go.”
Ethan slid off the bed so she could take his spot. She lay beside Luke, and the little boy put his chubby hand against her neck and sighed. Ethan backed toward the door.
Luke flopped over onto his tummy, lifted his little bottom high and pushed his arms up. After dropping his knees, he scrambled toward the edge of the bed. He made the funniest buzzing whine, sounding as if he was determined to catch up to his big new buddy.
“Guess that won’t work, either,” Callie said as she caught Luke in her arms.
Ethan returned to the side of the bed, gazing at mother and son. He shouldn’t crawl in beside them. Callie’s long hair was spread across the pillow and her gray eyes glowed with amusement.
LeeAnn would sure as hell tell him he shouldn’t.
But Luke’s brown eyes demanded the presence of both parents.
“It’s all right, Ethan,” Callie said softly. “We’ll stay only until he goes to sleep. Nothing can happen with him right here between us.”
That was how Ethan wound up in bed with Callie again, watching her pat their son’s bottom and sing a medley of lullabies that he had long forgotten.
And that was how he forgot his intention to stay out of love with his soon-to-be ex-wife. Again.
So much for keeping an emotional distance.
When Callie stopped singing a couple of moments later, Ethan started to get up.
She shook her head. “Wait,” she mouthed, pointing at the baby and making a sleeping motion by joining her palms and resting her head against them.
So he waited and tried not to stare. He felt oddly exposed, as if this was his first time seeing someone he cared about. Someone he had hurt.
Ethan shut his eyes.
Surely, that thought was confused. Callie had hurt him. She had withheld the truth about his son’s identity.