by Sherri Hayes
Since Brianna’s departure, I’d only been to Sunday dinner at Richard and Diane’s once. I had to admit my uncle had been making a real effort lately. He was even somewhat sympathetic over my plight. I hated fighting with him, and I was glad that appeared to be behind us. Maybe we could begin working on rebuilding what we’d lost since Tami had driven a wedge between us with her lies. They were the only family I had left.
“Hello, Stephan. I trust everything is good with you or else your aunt wouldn’t have given up the phone so easily.”
“Nothing newsworthy.” Although my relationship with Richard had improved over the last few months, I wasn’t sure I was ready to bring up my renewed connection with Brianna yet.
“That’s . . . good, I suppose.”
I could hear the curiosity lurking behind his words, so I decided to get to the point. “I got your message. There was something you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Oh. Yes. I was wondering if you’d be home this afternoon. I wanted to stop by and speak with you about something.”
“You can’t discuss it now?”
There was a pause. “I’d rather do it in person. Will you be home?”
Now I was curious. “As far as I’m aware, I should be home. Do you have any idea what time?”
“I’ll head over after dinner if that works for you.”
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “That’s fine.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
The phone went silent as Richard disconnected the call from his end. Perplexed, I removed the cell from my ear and stared down at it. The last time he’d called me out of the blue needing to talk with me, we’d argued for two hours and didn’t speak afterward for six months. What in the world did he want to talk to me about that was so urgent?
Figuring it was best to put it aside for now—after all, I’d find out what all the mystery was about in a couple of hours anyway—I grabbed my things and headed upstairs.
The downstairs of my home was empty when I entered. That wasn’t unusual—Sarah spent most of her time in her room if I wasn’t home. “Sarah?”
She bounded down the stairs toward me. I was still amazed she could do that with her growing belly. Sarah was in good shape, though. She’d worked out in my gym every day she’d been here. “Hey. You’re home.”
I smiled at her.
Her expression went from worry, to shock, and then a sly smile crossed her features. “I guess I don’t have to ask what . . . or should I say who dragged you away from me last night.”
“You don’t?”
She laughed and rubbed her stomach lovingly. “Nope. You saw your lady love last night.”
Although I hadn’t planned to deny it, I wanted to know how she’d come to that conclusion. “Why do you think that exactly?”
Sarah ambled into the kitchen, shaking her head. “It’s written all over your face.” She glanced over her shoulder at me as she took a glass from one of the cabinets. “You’re practically glowing. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were the one that was pregnant.”
She winked at me, and I laughed.
“See. That. If I’d said something like that yesterday, you would have rolled your eyes at me.”
That only made me smile wider. Although I could feel the separation, seeing Brianna had given me hope. “Yes, I saw Brianna last night.”
Sarah strolled into the living room with her water and folded herself onto the couch. “Well, at least I know you ditched me for a good reason.” She patted the cushion beside her. “Come on. Spill. It’s the least you owe me after abandoning me at your foundation’s charity dinner.”
Reluctantly, I set my things down outside my bedroom door and joined her on the couch. She was right about one thing—I did owe her an explanation. Sarah had been my date, and my dad would have ripped me a new one if he knew I’d ignored a woman like that, no matter what the reason. A gentleman never did that to a lady.
There was a light in Sarah’s eyes I hadn’t seen since she’d arrived. I wondered if there was a part of her that was living vicariously through my love life.
“So come on, did you go meet her somewhere?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly. She was upstairs in one of the hotel rooms.”
“Oooh. So a late-night rendezvous, then. Romantic.”
Again, I chuckled, and it felt good. “Something like that.”
“And?”
“And what?”
She huffed. “That’s all you’re going to give me? That you met her in a hotel room? I mean you were there the whole night.”
Instead of being angry, for some reason I was amused. It had to be the aftereffects of being with Brianna. “I’m not giving you the sordid details.”
“Aha! So you admit there were sordid details.” She moved both eyebrows up and down suggestively.
Shaking my head, I pushed myself up off the couch and stood. “I think that’s enough information for you. I should check in with Lily and make sure something didn’t come up last night that I need to address.”
Sarah pouted as I walked away.
Leaning down to retrieve my things, I glanced back at her. “By the way, my uncle will be stopping by in an hour or two.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“That’s not necessary. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She paused. “Oh, and Stephan?”
I waited.
She leaned forward, resting her chin on her forearms against the back of the couch. “I’m glad you got to spend some time with your girl.”
My conversation with Lily mimicked the one with Sarah in a lot of ways. Lily, however, wanted to know more than just if Brianna and I had sex last night—not that I shared any more information with Lily on that front than I had with Sarah—but Lily also wanted to know how Brianna herself was doing. Their meeting had been brief, and other than seeing that she was physically fine, Lily hadn’t gotten much more in the way of an update on Brianna’s life. I shared with her what I knew, although it wasn’t much. The little bit of talking Brianna and I had done last night had been on more personal subjects, not her life in general.
After I hung up with Lily, I made myself some lunch and joined Sarah in the living room. She was watching some old movie. It was black and white, and there was a lot of dancing. Not really my thing, but she seemed to be enjoying it. I’d observed over the past month that while Sarah was still very active, she wasn’t as full of untamed energy as she used to be. Whether that was due to the baby or something that had happened over time, I didn’t know.
Almost two hours on the dot since I’d spoken with my uncle, the security panel lit up, announcing we had a visitor. I stood and went to let Richard in.
“Stephan.” He smiled, but it was tentative, which made me all the more curious as to the reason for his visit.
I stepped back and motioned for him to come inside. “Richard.”
My uncle removed his overcoat and folded it neatly over his arm.
Across the room, Sarah switched off the television and stood. “Hello, Dr. Cooper.”
“Hello, Sarah. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You, too.” Sarah glanced over at me and then back to my uncle before picking up her water and the chips she’d been snacking on. “I’ll head upstairs and give you two some privacy.”
I waited to see if my uncle made any move to tell her that wasn’t necessary, but he didn’t. Whatever he had to say to me, he must have wanted to do so in private.
Once Sarah disappeared up the stairs, we made our way into the living room. He took a seat on the couch, and I lowered myself into my chair. I wouldn’t ever be able to sit in my chair again and not think of Brianna. My arms always felt empty without her in them.
Not wanting to get too lost in my memories, I tried to focus on my uncle. He was looking out the large bank of windows at the Minneapolis skyline, appearing to be deep in thought. I considered asking him what he n
eeded to talk to me about, but I decided to wait. He’d tell me whatever was on his mind eventually.
A heavy silence filled the air as time passed. Still he didn’t speak. I noticed his jaw twitching and realized he was trying to find the right words to say whatever it was he’d come to say.
When he did finally speak, he didn’t look at me. “Stephan, I need to ask you a question, and I know you will probably tell me to go to hell, but I need to know.”
That wasn’t exactly a promising opening.
He turned his head to look at me, his eyes guarded. “Is it yours?”
I was genuinely confused. “Is what mine?”
Richard’s expression hardened, but I could tell he was trying to remain calm. “The baby.”
“What are you—” My eyes widened as I realized what he was talking about.
He must have realized the moment I’d put the pieces together. “I’ve been a doctor for almost twenty years. Even with her efforts at concealment last night, it was impossible for me to miss. How far along is she—four, five months?”
“About four,” I answered, still attempting to wrap my mind around what my uncle had just implied.
“What about Brianna? I thought you loved her. You loved her so much you immediately fell right back into your ex’s arms and got her pregnant?”
There was no mistaking the disapproval in his voice, and I knew I needed to clear up his misconception immediately. “Sarah isn’t carrying my baby.”
“What?”
“It’s not mine.”
It was his turn to look confused. “Then why is she here—living with you?”
“Sarah is here to support me.” I paused, not sure how much I wanted to share of Sarah’s story. “And she needed some time away. I offered her a place to stay while she was here.”
He didn’t answer right away. “You have to know how this will look, don’t you?”
“What are you talking about? She’s a friend who needed a place to stay while she’s in town. Nothing more.”
Richard looked at me in disbelief. “Stephan, don’t be so naïve. You have a young woman—one you used to date, no less—living with you, who happens to be pregnant with no other man on her arm but you. How exactly do you think that is going to look to the outside world?”
My gaze drifted to the stairs. “I hadn’t really thought of it.”
And I hadn’t. Sarah had needed my help, so I offered it. She was a friend. Why wouldn’t I provide what she needed when it was in my capacity to do so?
Richard was right, though. The outside world wouldn’t see it that way. Even if they did, the local reporters wouldn’t. They would see this as a scandal to sink their teeth into.
“Does Brianna know?”
My uncle’s question brought my attention back to him. “No.”
He shook his head. “How did your life get so complicated, Stephan?”
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I have no idea.”
Richard leaned forward and clasped his hands over his knees. “What are you going to do?”
I sighed and mirrored his position. “I don’t know that either.”
To my surprise, Richard stood and picked up his coat. He strolled over to me and patted me on the shoulder. “You’re a smart man. You’ll figure it out.”
Looking up, I met his gaze. “Thanks.”
Richard walked over to the door, shrugging his coat over his shoulders. “Let your aunt and I know if you need anything. We’ll help if we can.”
I nodded, and then he was gone.
The severity of what he’d said weighed on me. I didn’t want Sarah to leave, not when she didn’t have anywhere else to go, but I wasn’t sure her staying was a good idea anymore either. Richard was right. Sooner or later the press was going to catch wind of who Sarah was and that she was living with me. It was inevitable.
Still lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear Sarah come back downstairs until she was almost beside me. “He’s right, you know.”
I didn’t bother to turn around to face her. “You heard?”
“I shouldn’t have listened, I know, but I was curious.”
“It’s fine.”
She lowered her voice to almost a whisper. “I’ll go back to the hotel. I’m sure they’ll have a room.”
“No.” I turned to face her. “You are not going back to that barely functioning hotel. Especially if it means you’re going to be staying there for any length of time.”
“I can’t stay here, Stephan. You heard him.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe we were so stupid.”
I stood and pulled her in for a hug. “We weren’t stupid. We just didn’t think.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest. “Same thing.”
“I’ll think of something.”
“Stephan, you don’t—”
I leaned back so I could look her in the eye. “I’ll think of something.”
Chapter 20
Brianna
“I don’t like this.” Cal stood in the doorway of my bedroom, his arms crossed, with a scowl on his face.
Jade snorted. “You don’t have to like it.” She was helping me set up Skype on my computer. I remember hearing about Skype in school, but I’d never had a reason to use it myself. Who would I have talked to?
“Maybe you should set her up on the main computer in the study. It has a bigger screen.”
She stopped what she was doing momentarily and gave him an exasperated look. “Cal, when are you going to accept that Anna wants to have a relationship with Stephan Coleman? He’s who she wants. Deal with it.”
Turning her attention back to my laptop, she let him stew over her words.
“I just don’t want him to hurt her. Why is it that I’m the only one who seems to be worried about that?”
“He won’t hurt me.”
Cal walked over and sat down on the edge of my bed. His movements were slow and steady so as not to frighten me. “I know you insist that’s true, Anna, but what if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not.”
He sighed. “But what if you are? You’ve been hurt so much. I don’t want to see you hurt anymore. I won’t. I can’t.”
The last word barely made it out, and he sounded as if he were in pain. Jade noticed it, too—her fingers hovered over the keyboard as we both turned our attention to Cal.
Cautiously, I stretched my arm until I could touch the tips of his fingers with mine.
Cal slowly turned his palm over and squeezed my offered hand.
Jade moved my laptop to the side, and we both sat waiting for him to explain himself. “Don’t look at me like that.”
Jade scooted closer to him. “How else are we supposed to look at you? There’s obviously more going on here than just your dislike of Stephan. What is it? What aren’t you telling us?”
Cal looked down and sighed before getting up and walking to the window. “It’s nothing.”
Jade and I looked at each other, neither of us believing his denial. She climbed off the bed and went to him.
He barely acknowledged her as she slipped beside him. It was slightly awkward watching them. I felt like a voyeur.
She laid her hand on his arm.
Cal didn’t pull away from her . . . he didn’t move at all.
“Talk to us.”
He shrugged. “I just don’t want him to hurt her. That’s all.”
Jade wasn’t letting it go. “But why? Why are you so sure he’s going to hurt her? He hasn’t yet.”
“I just know, okay?” His voice took on a hard edge.
I flinched.
Jade must have seen me out of the corner of her eye, because she glanced in my direction before turning her attention back to Cal. “No, it’s not okay. This has gone on long enough. Give me one good reason why you think he’s going to harm her.”
“Because I’ve seen it before, all right?” He threw his hands up in the air, and instinctively, I pressed myself back
against the headboard of my bed. “There. You happy now?”
I tried to take in one breath at a time. They were staring at each other. Cal’s nostrils were flared with his agitation. If it were me standing there beside him, I would have been cowering at this point, not unlike I was now. Jade, however, stood her ground.
“No. I’m not happy. I need you to explain what you mean when you say you’ve seen this before. What, exactly, have you seen before?”
He didn’t answer.
“Cal, honey, I need you to explain yourself. You’re acting irrationally, and we need to understand why.”
For the first time since he’d walked away, Cal looked over at me. His gaze met mine, and I realized he looked sad. “Our neighbor.”
He paused, continuing to stare at me.
“We don’t have a neighbor, Cal,” Jade interjected when he failed to elaborate.
“Not here. When I lived with my dad.” He hesitated. “We had a neighbor. She was really nice. She and her husband moved in next door when I was sixteen. Every afternoon when I came home from school, she’d have cookies for me, and I’d help her with things around the house. Mow her lawn and things like that, when her husband was away.”
We waited.
“One night, I heard some noises coming from their house. I couldn’t make out what it was, but it made me nervous for some reason. The next day, though, she was there to greet me with cookies just like before, so I let it go. A couple weeks later, I heard it again. This time, when she brought me cookies the next day, I saw her limping. When I asked her about it, she brushed it off and told me it was nothing I needed to worry about, just husband and wife stuff.”
Cal sighed and ran a hand over his face. It was the first time he’d broken eye contact with me since he’d started talking. “It happened a few more times, so I asked my dad about it. He said she and her husband probably liked it rough and to mind my own business.”
Jade stepped closer to him. “I’m assuming that wasn’t what it was, right?”
“No. Yes.” He sighed. “I don’t know. One day I came home from school, and there was an ambulance there along with a police officer. I only got a glimpse of the neighbor who had been so kind to me, but what I did see left an impression I’ll never forget.” His gaze found mine again. “She had bruises down both sides of her arms—I don’t know about her legs because she was wearing pants, but she was limping again, so I can only assume they were there, too. I heard the medic say something about rope burns.” He paused again. “Back then, I didn’t know what all that meant, but I know now. I won’t let that happen to you, Anna.”