Sean had left Asia’s place in Chicago and had caught a flight back to Boston. Not wanting to spend New Year’s Eve alone, he had called Liz to go out with him to celebrate. She had agreed and they first had dinner at a restaurant on the Harbor before going to a party. In fact, they had gone to several parties.
Before midnight, they had made it back to her apartment, where they would share a drink to bring in the New Year. He had been determined to enjoy the night and had refused to wallow in self-pity. He and Liz had made a toast for a better new year. Then they’d done something they had never done before—they’d kissed.
That kiss had let loose a secret, uncontrollable passion between them, and they’d ended up making hot, spontaneous, mind-blowing love. He had been the first to awaken and when he’d realized what they’d done--what he’d done--he had gotten dressed and left while she slept.
When she’d called him later, he had apologized for taking advantage of her and asked if she’d been on any type of birth control, since in his rush to get inside of her, he hadn’t thought of using any. She assured him she was and not to worry about an unwanted pregnancy.
Although Liz had tried maintaining their friendship, the guilt of what he’d done to her that night, using her body to get over Asia, had clawed at him every time he saw her. She hadn’t deserved what he’d done. His apology hadn’t been enough.
So, he began avoiding her, not taking her calls, refusing her invitations to spend time doing things they used to do--jogging together, going to the movies or out for dinner, like old times. In his mind, things couldn’t be the same. He’d destroyed the best friendship he’d ever had. Things had only become worse when a few days later, David had called to let him know that the announcement of Lance Montgomery’s and Asia’s engagement had appeared in that morning’s Chicago Tribune. His brother, of course, had taken the time to gloat with numerous, “I told you so’s.”
Sean rubbed his hand down his face. He hadn’t slept with another woman since spending that night with Liz. Being with her had erased his desire for any other woman from his mind. That’s when he finally had to admit the truth. He loved Liz. A part of him believed he’d loved her even when he’d fancied himself devoted to Asia.
If nothing else, Bergman was thorough. It wouldn’t be long now before Sean would get the information he had asked for.
Elizabeth Howard glanced down at the shopping list for her daughters’ birthday party, and then looked over at her dad and shook her head. “Honestly, Dad. Barbeque ribs for the twins’ birthday party?”
Dr. Phillip Howard shrugged, refusing to take his eyes off the football game highlights on ESPN. Liz knew what would grab his attention. “Oh, by the way, I got a call from Boston Harbor MC. They want me to come back.”
Just like she’d figured, her father’s head jerked around toward her and he click the television on mute. “Are you serious?”
She smiled. “Yes. Now that I have your attention, what about the ribs?”
“And what about you finally going back and doing the job you were trained to do? You’re wasting your medical skills working at that clinic. Please tell me you’re thinking of going back, Elizabeth.”
Liz didn’t say anything. The girls were down for their nap, so she’d decided to relax a little and go over the menu for this Saturday’s party while enjoying her father’s visit. He had come from Memphis for the girls’ birthday a few days early, and she was thrilled to have some extra time to spend with him—even if it meant adding his favorite food--spare ribs—to the menu.
“Elizabeth?”
She knew that tone. Her father always used it when he required her direct attention. She glanced over at him and decided to be honest. “I’m thinking about it.” She surprised herself in admitting it. When she’d left Boston three years ago, she had no plans to return, ever. At least, not as long as Dr. Sean Crews was working there.
The story went like this…
When she’d left, she just discovered she was two months pregnant. The children’s father was Sean, who was in love with someone else--a woman named Asia. What was even sadder was that Asia had been in love with someone else, too--a man named Lance Montgomery. In the end, Asia ended her engagement to Sean to marry Lance, leaving Sean hurt and heartbroken. He’d found comfort in Liz’s arms and unknowingly, in the process, had planted his seed inside her womb.
End of story.
No, not really. Sean had been her best friend, but the night they slept together had changed him. When she had awakened on New Year’s Day, her bed had been empty. He had left sometime before daybreak.
She hadn’t been the woman he’d wanted in his bed, and he had let her know it by his words and his actions after that night. When she finally managed to force a conversation with him, he told her that their night together had been a mistake. She’d been too hurt to disagree with him. And then she’d noticed that he’d begun putting distance between them. He’d been her best buddy and they would often do things together, but he’d stopped answering her calls. When she did manage to see him, he always had some flimsy excuse for not wanting to spend any time together. It had gotten so bad, their mutual friends had picked up on it.
When she’d discovered she was pregnant, she knew there was no way she could remain at Boston Harbor General. She’d learned of an opening for an administrator at a clinic in Belfort, and she’d applied for the position. All they’d been looking for was a general practitioner, and believed her to be overqualified. But somehow, she’d convinced them she was looking for a change.
She’d been upfront about the fact that she was pregnant and single. They hadn’t judged and she appreciated that. So now, she ran the town’s only hospital that had less than a hundred beds. It was so small, most people considered it an overnight clinic. The town had grown on her but she missed Boston.
“Yes, Dad, I’m thinking about it. I love Boston, you know that. But moving back means telling Sean about the twins.”
Liz and her father had a close relationship and he knew Sean was her babies’ father. He also knew she’d loved Sean from the first time she’d met him, and how her crush for him had transformed into something more. Sean hadn’t known how heartbroken she’d been when he’d fallen in love with another woman.
It was her father’s broad shoulders she’d cried on. It had been her father’s calming words that had comforted her and had helped her to accept her loss. He had convinced her there was a man out there worthy of her affection. If Sean wasn’t that man, then she needed to not give up on love.
“I think it’s time for you to tell him anyway. The girls are almost two. He has a right to know,” her father said. “Besides, the girls will start asking questions about him soon.”
She lifted a brow. “What makes you think that?”
“Because you began asking questions about your mother when you were only slightly older than they are.”
Liz didn’t say anything. It still amazed her how any woman could walk out of a hospital and leave her baby behind. Paula Wells had done just that. She wasn’t married to her baby’s father, and had no intention of staying with him because of an unwanted pregnancy. Nor did she intend to let that pregnancy stop her from being the party girl that she was.
With the help of Liz’s live-in widowed grandmother, who’d taken care of her while her father worked, Liz had grown up surrounded with love. The first time she’d seen her mother had been when Paula had shown up unexpectedly at Liz’s grandmother’s funeral when Liz was eighteen. When Paula saw that neither Liz nor Phillip had any plans to welcome her with open arms, she had left again for parts unknown. And she’d never been heard from since.
Liz had promised herself that she’d be a better mother to her girls than Paula had been to her. Any decision she made was done with Haylee and Kaylee in mind. They were her pride and joy, and their grandfather’s too. That was why it bothered him that she still hadn’t told Sean about his daughters.
She knew from her friends in Boston that S
ean had tried to find her. But she’d sworn people to secrecy about her whereabouts. Still, there was a chance he already knew about the girls, since she’d run into his brother David last year in New York. She’d had the girls with her. She thought her daughters favored Sean a lot and she could tell from the expression on David Crews’ face that he’d put two and two together rather quickly.
But instead of acknowledging the girls as his nieces, David hadn’t wasted any time informing her that Sean had bounced back from his breakup with Asia and was now serious about some woman he’d met while visiting a friend in California. According to David, the relationship was so serious that their family was expecting a wedding announcement soon. That had been a year ago. Chances were, Sean was married by now. Still, married or not, her father was right. Sean deserved to know he was a father.
“I’ve decided to tell Sean. You’re right, Dad. He should know.”
“What made you decide to tell him?” he asked.
“I’ve always known he should know, but I was hurt, and his deliberate avoidance of me didn’t help. I honestly thought his brother would have told him. For all I know, he did. Maybe Sean decided he didn’t need to know his girls.”
“Do you honestly believe that, Elizabeth?”
No, she didn’t. At least she didn’t want to. “He might be married, Dad.”
“Maybe. But he has a right to be a part of his daughters’ lives, married or not. And if he’s married, you will deal with it--for your daughters’ sake. Haylee and Kaylee’s needs come first. You’ve always known how to contact him, but he never knew how to contact you.”
True, but Liz never thought Sean would want to. “The hospital offered me a new position--Chief of Surgery in the Cardiology department. The salary is nice and I will be the first female in that position, and the youngest person, period. Not bad for a thirty-three-year-old, huh? Besides, I need to start thinking of the girls’ future. I will have two in college at the same time.”
“And medical school, I imagine, will be even more expensive,” her father added.
Liz grinned. “Med school? What makes you think your granddaughters will want to go into medicine?”
“Their mother and father are doctors, and so is their grandfather. I can’t see them wanting to be anything else,” he said, laughing. “But all jokes aside, I’m glad you’re telling Sean. I felt bad for him when he showed up in Memphis looking for you. The only reason I didn’t tell him anything was because I promised you that I wouldn’t. I always liked him.”
In a way, she felt bad about putting her father in that position, especially when she’d known how much her father had liked Sean and vice versa. Liz could clearly remember the day they’d met. Sean had flown with her to Memphis to attend the ceremony when her father had been recognized as Doctor of the Year at the hospital where he was now chief administrator.
“Yes, Dad, Sean will finally learn he’s a father.”
“So, when will you tell him?”
She drew in a deep breath. “I plan to contact him next week to let him know I’m returning to Boston Harbor, and the new position I’ll be taking on. I’ll tell him about the girls then. I don’t want him blindsided.”
She paused for a minute. “If he’s married, hopefully he and his wife won’t have a problem with me and the girls invading their space.”
“And if he does?”
She lifted her chin with a stubborn slant. “I guess then they’ll just have to get used to it.”
15
LOGAN
So, what do you think?” Claire asked as they walked across the threshold of the Airbnb that would be their place of residence for the next eleven days. The balloon festival was a nine-day event, but they decided to arrive early to take in the sights before the rest of the tourists got there. Neither of them had ever been to New Mexico before.
Logan let out a whistle. “Nice accommodations, Claire, and I love that view.”
He was talking about the mountains they could see out the living room window. This particular home, located in the Rio Grande Valley, was spacious, but then, if they were staying for eleven days, the space might come in handy. A huge fireplace of white brick was erected in the corner of the room and she could imagine a fire blazing in it on a cold night. The floors were a marble tile that had a just polished look. A loveseat and sectional sofa faced the hearth, as well as a huge throw rug with pillows, in case someone was inclined to relax on the floor in front of the fire.
The kitchen was massive and so were all the other rooms. There were four bedrooms in all, and three bathrooms. Like the lodge, it also had a split bedroom concept. She had reserved this place before they left DC, long before she’d decided she wanted to indulge in an affair with Logan.
The flight from Arizona had been enjoyable. And she’d learned that planes weren’t the only means of transportation he had a fondness for. He’d told her of his love for boating and how much he liked his home on Tampa Bay. He’d even invited her to visit him. But she put that down to friendship. He wasn’t yet aware of what she had in store for him.
“So, what do we do first?” he asked.
She glanced over at him. That was definitely a loaded question. “I guess we should unpack. The weather is nicer than what I thought it would be. I might have to go shopping for lighter clothing.”
“You might want to wait a day,” he said, still glancing around. “I understand the days might be warm with a little wind, but the nights can get rather chilly.”
She nodded. “I can’t wait to see all the balloons fill the sky. I bet they’re beautiful.”
He glanced at his watch. “How about if we unpack, then rest up a bit before dinner.”
She smiled over at him. “Sounds like a plan. I understand downtown Albuquerque is the place to be at night, with all the clubs, theaters and restaurants. Think you’ll feel like going dancing later?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure I can handle it. I’m only forty, Claire. Not one hundred and forty.”
“Just checking,” she teased. She then glanced at her own watch. “You want to meet up back here in a couple of hours? That will give us time to unpack and grab a nap.”
“That sounds good to me.”
“Great!” She then headed for the bedroom she would be using.
Claire wasn’t sure why she was still reeling with excitement after unpacking. Maybe it was what Asia had said--she’d taken her blinders off and was seeing Logan through different eyes. She’d always known he was handsome and that he was someone whose company she enjoyed, but now there was more to it. And she was discovering just how much more there was to him.
He was a master pilot and she enjoyed seeing how he navigated the plane. Watching his capable hands work the numerous instruments had been a total turn-on…especially when she thought of those same hands touching her.
And he was a great conversationalist. He was well-versed in a number of topics and so was she, which meant they always had interesting conversations. They didn’t always agree on things, but she enjoyed debating and sharing her thoughts with him.
Her phone beeped, letting her know she had a text coming in. Grabbing for her phone, she saw it was from Asia.
Back in DC?
She texted back. No. Just arrived in New Mexico.
It took a few moments before Asia texted back.
I hope U know what U R doing.
Claire responded.
I do. Next time I will call U. Bye.
She then placed her phone aside, hoping what she’d just told Asia was the truth.
She pulled out the outfit she intended to wear tonight--a dress she’d brought along on a whim, not sure she would use it. It was perfect for dancing and she couldn’t wait for Logan to see her in it. If this didn’t get his blood simmering, she didn’t know what would.
“How do I look, Logan?”
Logan turned and had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping. “Wow.” She looked good. Then he decided she looked better than good, sh
e looked amazing. He’d seen her dazzled up before at Lance and Asia’s wedding, then again at Lyle and Monique’s. However, the dress she was wearing now was definitely designed to call a man’s attention to certain things. Like her legs.
He’d always known she had a gorgeous pair, but this dress, with a hem-line just above the knees, placed an emphasis on just how stunning they were. And the dress itself was designed to accentuate her every shapely curve. The bodice of the sleeveless off-white embroidered dress highlighted the firm shape of her breasts, showing just how lavishly endowed she was. Not too much and definitely not too little. She looked sleek, sophisticated and sexy. He would even throw svelte in, for good measure.
“Well, aren’t you going to say anything?”
Logan bit down on his lip, thinking there was a lot he could say, but thought it best to play it cool. Besides, he was sure his expression, and the way his eyes had roamed over her, said it all. Evidently not. “You look great, Claire.”
“Thanks,” she said smiling. “I feel great. You look good, too.”
He looked down at himself. He was wearing a pair of black slacks, a white shirt and blue jacket. “Thanks. Just a little something I threw together.” He checked his watch. “Ready?”
“Definitely. I just need to grab my purse.”
“And I suggest you snag a jacket. It’s a bit cool outside.”
She walked back toward her bedroom and he watched as the mass of beautiful dark hair cascaded around her shoulders. He doubted if she had any idea what she did to him. He was trying to take things slowly, but that outfit was making it hard.
His plan was to take things moment by moment. If he picked up any vibes coming from her tonight, he would act on them. If not, he wouldn’t. He believed her when she’d told him that she was not interested in having a serious relationship with a man. Then again, when she’d told him, he hadn’t had a chance to change her mind. Now, he was determined to win her over, and the time they were spending together was crucial in him reaching that goal.
AT LONG LAST (The Playas Series - Book 4) Page 13