Ties That Bind

by Heather Huffman

  Following the marathon from point to point was a great way to tour the city. They started near the Bay Bridge, did some shopping with the street vendors near Fisherman’s Warf, explored the Presidio, got some great shots of the Golden Gate Bridge as Tom crossed back over, played with Ty in Golden Gate park, meandered along the bayside and planted themselves back at the Bay Bridge in time to cheer Tom onto victory. She sent Gavin a text when Tom crossed the finish line a full 10-seconds before the second place marathoner.

  At each stop, they ran into Justin. By the second or third, it was painfully clear to Kate that she had a sticky situation on her hands. She hadn’t tried to lead Justin on, certainly none of her other contacts had taken her attention the wrong way. Liz and Jessica ascertained the situation and started running interference. Kate felt like she gushed over Gavin even more than usual, trying to get the point across that she was in a relationship. By the fourth stop, they started actively avoiding Justin. As much as Kate hated to lose a perfectly good contact at a major paper, she was determined to rectify the situation somehow. Maybe it could wait until after the launch party, though.

  Monday they played hooky and loaded up in a rented car to head for Napa, eager to help Kate in her quest to uncover the past and even more eager to get a peek at the vineyard she was a fifty percent partner in. Kate knew that she would have to tell Jessica and Liz who Jack was after this or they’d unwittingly give her secret away.

  They stopped at the cemetery first and Kate placed flowers on the graves of two strangers who shared the same blood as she. Kate’s nerves started acting up the nearer they got to Blue Valley. She wished she had waited for Gavin. His voice had a way of soothing her. She told herself that the odds of running into Joan were slim. She was almost convinced–until they walked through the front door of the immense wine-tasting room and she came face to face with her aunt.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kate froze, belatedly realizing she should have put more thought into what she was going to say. She could see the shock on Joan’s face, and that she was trying to decide just what Kate knew and why she was there.

  “Aunt Joan,” Kate put on her happiest face. “It’s good to see you.”

  “You too.” Though Joan smiled, Kate was pretty sure she was lying.

  “I want you to meet my friends….” As Kate introduced Liz and Jessica, they enthusiastically greeted Joan in turn, adding to her wary confusion.

  “Have you taken the tour yet?” Joan asked for lack of anything else to say.

  “Not yet, we plan to though. I was actually hoping I could maybe speak to you first.”

  The wary confusion turned to sheer panic but was quickly masked by a fixed smile.

  “Sure. Why don’t we take a walk?”

  Jessica caught Kate’s hand to give it a quick squeeze before she followed her aunt out the door. Kate caught Liz’s smile of encouragement and felt bolstered by the love of her friends.

  “I know about Jack,” Kate began once they were out of earshot. She took only a moment to let her aunt absorb the shock before diving headfirst into the story of the past two months. She left nothing out – not Gavin, the trip to London, or her conversation with Jack just a few days prior. When she was done she stopped and held her hands up as if to say “and that’s all I got – help me from here”.

  “Wow.” Joan bit her bottom lip in a gesture that reminded Kate of herself. “I don’t even know what to say.”

  “I don’t want to take half of your vineyard away from you,” Kate blurted. “It’s beautiful and I hope you’ll allow me to be some part of it someday, but it’s rightfully yours.”

  “Okay,” Joan replied slowly. “What do you want to know?”

  “Tell me the story of my parents,” Kate pleaded.

  “It wasn’t an unusual story,” Joan smiled a little ruefully. “Jack was so good looking, and so carefree. We lived in a world of cotillions and starched dresses. It was easy to see why Danielle fell head over heels in love with him. Of course our parents didn’t know.”

  Kate tried to picture this version of her mother and Jack. She could almost see them in her mind’s eye.

  “When she found out about the baby, about you I mean, she went straight to Jack. He was so worried Daddy would fire him. He begged your mother to have an abortion. He said they’d get married after he finished college. He knew he’d never finish with a baby to support and no job.”

  “Oh,” Kate tried to process that fact. Jack had wanted her aborted. Kate wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It stung a little. Actually, it stung a lot.

  “Danielle wouldn’t hear of it, though. She already loved you so much. So she left. Didn’t tell any of us where she went, she just left.”

  “Oh your poor parents, they must have been beside themselves.”

  “They were, but she was right to have left. They wouldn’t have taken her situation well at all.”

  “Oh,” Kate repeated.

  “She started writing to me from time to time, so I knew she’d ended up in Albuquerque. When I graduated from college, I followed her there. I just missed her. She got mad because I led Mother and Father to her. It was terrifying when they first saw you. Brutal.”

  “How old was I?” Kate tried to remember any scary old people from her past.

  “Seven. We were at the state fair. You were playing with friends and ran up to ask for more money. You ran off again before anyone said a word. You probably missed the whole blow up that ensued after that.”

  “I remember that fair. I thought I’d hit the jackpot when Mom handed me a ten.”

  “I always felt stuck between two worlds. I wasn’t able to cut Mother and Father out like Danielle could, but I couldn’t just ignore her like our parents could. So I just kind of existed somewhere in the middle of the two.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Kate hugged her impulsively. “I always just assumed you didn’t like us very much. I never knew.”

  “You lived in a safe little bubble created by your mom, who had the best of intentions. I don’t really blame either of you.”

  “Is there any way I could come again sometime?” Kate hesitated.

  “Anytime.” This time it was Joan who hugged Kate. “I’ll give you the real tour of the grounds. I’ll even show you where your mom’s room was.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “You look very much like her you know.”

  “I’ve been told that before.”

  “Except you have your father’s eyes.”

  “I know.”

  “How do you think he’s going to react to you not telling him?”

  “It seemed like a good enough idea at the time. Then it just sort of got out of control,” Kate stared intently at her hands.

  “Why don’t you hang on to your fifty percent of the vineyard just in case that doesn’t end so well?” Joan grinned a little.

  “Maybe that’s a good idea,” Kate agreed quickly. She really had intended to give back her share, but this place was just so peaceful, so idyllic, she couldn’t seem to part with her claim to it.

  “Come on; let’s go find your group. There will be plenty of time for us to catch up. Maybe you can come back next weekend.”

  “I’d like that,” Kate agreed. She hugged Joan before they parted ways. Everywhere she looked, she was amazed that her story had led her here. It was like something from a fairytale.

  Hours later, Kate sat across the table from her friends. They’d toured the grounds and she’d shared the story of two young lovers kept apart by circumstance. She’d told them everything, except her father’s name. And now it was time to do just that.

  “I have a confession to make,” she began softly. “I took the job at the magazine because I suspected Jack was my father. Now I know it’s true.”

  “Oh. Wow,” Jessica processed that information. “You know, I can see that.”

  “It certainly explains why you cared about the age difference between him and Tara.” Liz smiled then paused. �
��Wait a second, Jack doesn’t know about this, does he?”

  “No, and I don’t want to tell him. Not now, with the wedding so close. I didn’t know about Tara when I came here; now I don’t want to come between them.”

  “You’ve got to tell him,” Liz argued.

  “He’ll be furious if you don’t,” Jessica agreed with her.

  “But he doesn’t need this right now. And what if he still doesn’t want me? What if he sends me away? I don’t want to leave you guys yet.” Kate panicked a little.

  “Okay, we’ll wait until after the wedding,” Liz assured her.

  “But you have to tell him as soon as he’s back from his honeymoon.”

  “The week after the wedding,” Kate promised, her stomach in knots. Knowing for a fact that he had rejected the very idea of her once wasn’t helping her confidence that he would welcome her now.

  Kate was suddenly anxious to get home to Ty. She made herself wait to call Gavin. She really was trying to be a functioning human being without him. Sometimes she wondered what she did before he came along.

  “It wasn’t you personally he was rejecting, Katie,” Gavin assured her that night on the phone. “It was the disruption of his plans.”

  “And I wouldn’t be disrupting his plans now?” She countered, absentmindedly scratching Ty’s belly.

  “Yes, but you’re a person now. I mean, one he can see.”

  “I hope you’re right. Jessica thinks he’ll be mad I didn’t tell him sooner.”

  “Probably. If anyone can convince him not to be, it would be you.”

  “I think you’re biased.”

  “There’s no good way for me to answer that.”

  “True,” Kate smiled. She could almost see his facial expressions on the other end of the line. “How’s your mom?”

  “Doing really well. I mean, the treatment is rough, but she’s been amazing.”

  “Tell her I’m thinking of her,” Kate couldn’t imagine going through all that Ellen was. At least she was surrounded by an adoring family. That had to help, and it was that knowledge that kept Kate from begging Gavin to come back to resume their love story. Even though every fiber of her being ached to be back in his arms again.

  “I miss that electrified feeling I get whenever I’m about to touch you,” he said suddenly, as if he could read her thoughts. “And I miss smelling you. And seeing you flush when you’re mad at me.”

  “I miss you too,” Kate murmured. “I don’t know how I thought I could avoid falling for you.”

  “I wondered that myself,” he teased. “I’ll be home soon.”

  “I know it’s selfish to say, but I’ll be glad when you are.”

  Kate had a new routine. Work filled her days. Ty filled her home. Gavin’s sweet voice came to her each evening over the phone. Saturday she drove herself up to Napa for an overnight stay and brought Ty with her, much to his delight. She stayed in her mom’s old bedroom and spent two days wandering around Blue Valley. She even braved a horseback ride with her aunt Joan, figuring Gavin would be proud of that one. For the first time in her life, she spoke more than two words to her uncle Mason. He seemed an affable enough guy, if not effusive.

  Her routine took her right up to the day of the wedding. She was up at 5:30 to walk Ty and take him to Gaston’s for the day before heading to Nob Hill. She hated to impose, but she knew this was going to be a long one.

  The Ritz was eerily quiet when Kate arrived, coffee in hand. She enjoyed a quiet walkthrough before workers started to trickle in. It was an early wedding, which meant an even earlier set up. She was soon deeply embroiled in directing dozens of workers as they came and went. Kate still remembered the first event she had ever coordinated, the panic that had set in when she found herself peppered with a hundred different questions at once. She had long since learned to juggle the melee.

  Tara greeted Kate with an enthusiastic hug, which she happily returned. It was hard not to feel her excitement.

  “Don’t forget to get yourself changed before the wedding,” she half-sang.

  “I won’t,” Kate promised. “I’ll be up in a bit to check in on you.”

  Her phone chirped and she smiled, shooing Tara away.

  “How’s the big day?” Gavin’s smooth voice made her stomach flutter.

  “So far so good. I have to go make sure the chairs are set up right then I’ve promised to be a good girl and get myself dressed.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re running around in your skivvies and I’m missing it,” Gavin gasped.

  “My wedding clothes, silly. I happen to be in jeans and a t-shirt right about now.”

  “Which t-shirt? That could be almost as good.”

  “You’re incorrigible.”

  “And you love me.”

  “Yes, I do love you.”

  “I never get tired of hearing that.”

  “And I never seem to get used to saying it,” she admitted.

  “Give it fifty years or so,” his voice grew husky with promise.

  “Don’t go making me all starry-eyed right now. I need all my faculties to pull this off.”

  “Ah, you’ll be grand. I’m sure of it.”

  “Kate! The groom needs you. There’s a problem with the tux.” Jack’s younger brother Sam– her uncle, actually–grabbed her hand and began pulling her along.

  “Gotta go. I’ll call you later,” she hung up the phone and obediently followed.

  “Kate, I don’t think they altered this correctly. I can’t get it to button right,” Jack looked at her in a pathetic plea for help. Sam took that as his cue to leave, eagerly handing the problem over to Kate.

  “They’re the best tailors in San Francisco. They did a fine job. Either you’ve had too many cappuccinos or you’re doing something wrong.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “Just hold still,” she ordered, suppressing a laugh. He’d made quite a mess of his tux. “I have no idea how you got this so twisted up.”

  “It’s harder than it looks.”

  “Mmm,” Kate eyed him speculatively. “Okay, here we go.”

  Less than five minutes later, she had him reassembled properly. She stepped back to take stock of the finished product, and moved back in to straighten here and there, making a slow circle around him. He held perfectly still, allowing her to work her magic.

  “See how handsome you are?” She came to a stop behind him, turning his body so he could see himself in the mirror. She studied his reflection with him, brushing the shoulders of the coat smooth. It took her a few seconds to realize that his frigid stance was no longer one of compliance. An incredulous look was carved on his face.

  “You…” he whispered.

  “Jack?” She asked quietly, cautiously, like one might speak to a wild animal they were trying to calm.

  “Who is your mother?” His whisper was harsh.

  “Danielle Yager… I guess you probably knew her as Danielle Williams, though.” Kate’s eyes never left his in the mirror.

  “Who?” He took a ragged breath. “Who is your father?”

  “You are.”

  The world seemed to slow down agonizingly for a heartbeat. Kate gulped in a breath. Jack closed his eyes, the pain etched into every line of his face.

  “Jack, I,” Kate began softly. Jack held up his hand and she stopped short. The moment seemed to drag on for an eternity.

  “Come,” he finally barked, grabbing Kate by the hand and dragging her out the door.

  Kate tried to smile at the people they passed to assuage the confused expressions on their faces. Still, she was filled with a certain amount of fear. The look on his face was murderous. She’d never seen him so furious.

  He all but tossed her into his car before stalking around to climb in. She wanted to ask where they were going. Maybe he’d just leave her beside the road in the country like an unwanted puppy. People didn’t usually kill the unwanted puppies; they just left them for nature to take care of. If he did
that, she stood a chance. She did have her cell phone after all. She could call… someone. Gavin wouldn’t be much help from London. Jessica? Liz? Gaston? Surely one of them would come to her aid.

  Her musings were interrupted when he parked the car and stalked around to jerk her to her feet. He stood there for a moment, staring at her as if he were trying to form the words only to come up empty. He finally turned and walked away. It took Kate a second to realize they were at Huntington Park. There were enough witnesses she was fairly certain he wouldn’t kill her. That was a plus. She hurried to catch up with him, sure he would eventually find the words.

  “Why are you here?” He stopped abruptly in front of a large fountain, speaking over his shoulder as if he couldn’t bear to face her.

  “That’s kind of complicated.”

  “Give me the simple version.”

  “I wanted to know you.”

  “I’m not wealthy, you know. It’s all Tara’s. There’s nothing for you.”

  “I’m pretty well set without you, pops,” she snarled. How dare he assume that’s what she was after?

  “Why now?”

  “Because I only found out about you a few months ago. When my mother died,” she told him softly, very aware of his sudden intake of breath at her words.

  “I always wondered what happened to her,” he hung his head.

  “She lived a good life,” Kate took a tentative step towards him.

  “I wondered if she went through with it—having the baby. Wondered if it was a boy or a girl.”

  “It was a girl,” Kate tried to smile.

  “She just left, you know. She didn’t even say goodbye. She chose it over me.”

  “I have to admit I’m kind of glad she did,” Kate scowled. “It would have been nice if she hadn’t had to make that choice at all.”