“Tell me again. That way there won’t be any question.”
“Okay, fine.” She took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. “You told me you broke up with Melanie, but now you say you’re still friends. You spend as much time with her as you do with me, and . . . well . . . I think you’re still in love with her.” There. Now it was out there for him to dispute. But would he?
“I do love her,” he said, nodding.
Jessica gasped at his bold admission.
Kyle held up his hands. “But as a friend, Jess. Just as a friend.”
How could she know if that was true? She couldn’t. That was the problem. “What if I’m uncomfortable with that?”
His lips formed a straight line and he was quiet, but after a moment he said, “I don’t know.”
This conversation was getting much deeper than she had intended, but she had to know where she stood. “What about me, Kyle?” Her voice dropped to a near-whisper. “Where do I fit into your life?”
He gazed at her a moment. “That’s a good question, and you have a right to ask it, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t have an answer yet.”
That was not what she wanted to hear.
“We’ve just barely started dating again.” He reached out and stroked her face. “I know that I love you, Jess. But I just don’t know where this second chance will go.”
“Second chance,” she echoed.
He dropped his hand to his side. “Yes. Don’t you feel like that’s what this is?”
“Of course, but . . .” She couldn’t say it. She couldn’t tell him that she’d never gotten over him, and that she couldn’t contemplate them not ending up together. She wasn’t ready to hand that kind of power over to him. If he knew the way she felt, deep down, he wouldn’t feel any pressure to put Melanie into his past.
“But what?”
She cleared her throat, trying to come up with something to say. “I don’t think I can be with you as long as you keep seeing her.”
He was quiet as he seemed to consider his next words. “I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise me that you won’t freak out.”
Jessica held very still, trying to prepare for what could only be bad news.
“Promise?” he said.
She nodded, but just barely.
He inhaled sharply, released his breath, then a smile exploded onto his face. “I’m going to adopt Avery.”
“What?!” The word flew from her mouth before her brain had finished digesting his statement. Then more calmly. “Wait. What?”
He nodded, clearly pleased. “That’s right. And it was Melanie’s idea.”
Why did that not surprise her? “I don’t understand.”
“Yesterday? When you said I’m not Avery’s father? Well, it really bothered me. I mean, I’ve been in her life since she was just a few months old. In so many ways I feel like a father to her. Especially since her birth father is nowhere in sight.” He hesitated, then said, “I needed to talk to Melanie about it, to see how she felt. You know, did she feel that way too?”
Oh boy, she thought. What have I wrought?
“So I invited her to lunch,” he continued. “I told her how I was feeling, and that’s when she made the suggestion.”
Jessica felt like her world had tilted at a crazy angle. Was this her fault? She was the one who had put the doubt in his mind. But the result was the polar opposite of what she had intended. This was not what was supposed to happen. “This is what Melanie really wants?” What am I saying? She thought. Of course she does. That would bind Kyle to her as if they were married.
“Yes. I mean she’s wanted it for a long time.”
Jessica recalled the conversation she’d had with Kyle on the night he told her he still loved her. At that time, she’d thought Avery was his child. He’d told her that she wasn’t. But now his words on that night took on a new meaning as they clanged through her head: Melanie wanted me to adopt her. That is, if we were to get married. That was Melanie’s plan, Jessica now knew. To use his desire to be Avery’s father to get him to marry her. I have to put a stop to that, she thought frantically. Then, as if it had a will of its own, her head began to swivel from side to side in a wild gesture of denial. “No, Kyle. No. That’s a terrible idea.”
“You promised you wouldn’t freak out.”
“That was before I had any clue about this insane scheme Melanie cooked up.” Her voice sounded frantic.
“Don’t put this all on Melanie. This is something I want too.” He paused, then with obvious derision said, “And it’s not a scheme. It’s a long-term commitment to a child who needs a father.”
“Yes, it’s a long-term commitment. That’s the problem.” She forced herself to calm down, knowing she would sound more reasonable that way. “Don’t you see? One day you’ll have children of your own. How will you explain to them that they have a sister by a woman you were never married to, a child that is not even yours, biologically?” Then a new thought occurred to her. “Is that even legal? You adopting her when you have no real ties to her?” She wondered if he realized Melanie’s ultimate plan—to snag him into marrying her. Somehow she didn’t think he did.
He shook his head. “I don’t want to talk to you about this anymore, Jess. This is between Melanie and me.” He frowned. “It doesn’t involve you.”
She could feel him slipping away, could feel Melanie winning. She was using her child in this battle. It was so unfair.
I could offer to let him adopt Hudson with me, she thought, then felt hysterical laughter rising in her throat, but it came out as a chocked sob. “You’re right,” she managed to say around the lump that had formed in her throat. “This has nothing to do with me.” She gazed right at him. “Unless you want a future with me.” She paused. “But I guess you’re not sure about that, right?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen, glanced at Jessica, then rejected the call.
“Is that Melanie?” she asked, her voice a monotone.
After a brief hesitation, he nodded.
Suddenly she was exhausted. This battle was taking so much out of her. More than she’d bargained for. Melanie was good at this, while she was a novice. “You know, Kyle, I don’t think I can go out with you tonight after all.” Was she surrendering already? She wasn’t sure, but she needed some space.
“Jess, I’m sorry this upsets you so much.” He reached towards her, but she stepped back so that he couldn’t touch her. “I do love you, you know.”
She shook her head, not able to accept anything from him. He was on his way to being all-in with Melanie. Why couldn’t he see that? “I’ve got work to do,” she muttered, then turned and fled the room.
She closed her bedroom door, then collapsed on the bed next to Hudson, who was stretched out in a puddle of sunshine. “He’s blind to her plans, big guy.” She ran her fingers across his silky fur, then laughed. “I even thought of offering you as a kind of alternative. But don’t worry. I didn’t.” Hudson stretched out even further, his legs shaking with the effort, then started purring.
What am I going to do? She thought as she shook her head. I can’t compete with that woman. I just don’t have as much to offer.
Sighing with discouragement, she leaned against the pillows and opened her laptop, knowing she had to work despite how she was feeling.
A while later, when she was sure Kyle must have left, she looked out the window to confirm his truck was gone, then went downstairs to talk to her aunt.
“Are you going out with Kyle again tonight?” Ellen asked as she dusted in the living room.
“We were going to, but I cancelled.”
She stopped dusting, and looked at Jessica. “Why is that?”
Still having trouble believing what he’d told her, she shook her head. “Because I can’t take it anymore.”
Ellen set the dust rag on a side table, then sat on the couch, patting the spot next to her. “Take
what? What’s happened?”
Jessica sat on the cushion next to her aunt, glad to have someone to talk to. “I didn’t tell you before, but when we were driving home from lunch, I saw Kyle and Melanie talking outside an office building.”
Ellen’s eyebrows rose.
“Yeah. So I asked him about it. Evidently the two of them went to lunch and Melanie came up with the brilliant move of suggesting that he adopt Avery.”
“Oh my,” she said.
Jessica let her aunt absorb this latest development for a minute, then asked, “It’s crazy, right?”
“It’s certainly not the best idea,” she said. “I wonder what he’s trying to prove.”
“Trying to prove?” Jessica frowned. She hadn’t thought of it like that. “What do you mean?”
“It just seems to me that he’s trying to make up for something. I have no idea what, and I’m sure he doesn’t even realize it. But why else would he want to do this?”
She didn’t know why, but her aunt’s comment made her feel better. As if there was a reasonable explanation for why Kyle wanted to do this. And if there was a reasonable explanation, then there was a way to convince him that it wasn’t a good idea. “Ellen, once again, I’m so glad I talked to you. You always come up with a perspective I’d never come within a mile of considering.”
Obviously pleased that she’d helped, Ellen smiled. “I’m glad. Now, what are you going to do?”
“For now, I’m going to play along with the idea of him adopting Avery. Act like I’ve come around to supporting it. Not only will that throw Melanie off, but more importantly, I’ll still be close to Kyle, and maybe I can figure out what it is he’s trying to prove.”
“You certainly seem like you feel better than you did when you came downstairs.”
“All thanks to you.”
“Well, if you’re that thankful, maybe you can finish dusting in here, and then you can vacuum. Kyle’s demolition work kicked up a lot of dust.”
Jessica laughed. “I’d be happy to. Especially since I don’t have any plans tonight.”
“Maybe you should stop by Kyle’s house.”
Grimacing, she shook her head. “I don’t know. I did that last Friday night, and that didn’t go so well.”
“If he’s home, then take him out. Don’t stay at the house. If you go out with him, Melanie can’t drop by and interrupt.”
“I like how you think, Ellen.”
“I’ve been known to be devious now and then, my dear.”
Jessica laughed. “Thank goodness for that.”
“Oh, and you can clean later. Right now you need to go get ready for your date.”
Her smile grew. “Yes, ma’am.”
In her room, she dug through her closet and pulled out a couple of dresses that she’d brought back with her after her brief trip home, and chose a form fitting black number that always made her feel sexy. She touched up her hair and make-up, put on a pair of her highest strappy heels, then went downstairs to show her aunt what she’d chosen to wear.
“If that doesn’t get his attention, I don’t know what will,” Ellen said, smiling with approval.
Excited now, Jessica drove to Kyle’s house, but she held down her expectations. After all, she didn’t know if he’d made plans with Melanie after she’d cancelled on him. But she hoped he would be home. Alone.
Chapter Fourteen
As she turned onto his street, her palms began to sweat, and she started to doubt her ability to draw him away from Melanie. When his house came into view, to her surprise and pleasure, his truck was in the driveway. And Melanie’s car was nowhere to be seen.
“First obstacle,” she said out loud, “Cleared.” Smiling at the image of herself jumping over Melanie to land neatly in front of Kyle, she parked next to the curb in front of his house and walked to the porch.
She rang the bell and waited for him to answer, and a moment later he swung the door open, a smile on his face. But when he saw Jessica standing on his porch, his smile faltered as if he’d been expecting someone else.
“Jess, hi.” He wore a pair of slacks and a blue-gray shirt that made his green eyes stand out.
Obviously, he was about to go out. She decided to go on the offensive. “I’m ready to go.”
“Go?”
“On our date.” She smiled. “You did ask me out. You’re not going to stand me up, are you?”
“Uh, no. Of course not.”
“Good.” Knowing that her dress showed off her curves, she spun in a little circle. “I’m ready to have a good time.” When she stopped and faced him again, she could tell he liked what he saw. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door and onto the porch, then slowly snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. When their lips met, she kissed him with all the passion she could muster, and he responded enthusiastically.
“Or,” he said, his eyes showing his desire. “We can stay in.”
Oh no, she thought. I’m not taking a chance on Melanie showing up. Giving her hips a little shake, she said, “I feel like going dancing tonight.”
His hands gripped her waist, and he smiled. “Okay. Give me a second, and then we can go.” He stepped into his house. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll just be a minute.”
She smiled, and followed him into the living room, thrilled that her plan was working so far.
“I’ll be back in a sec.” Then he left the room.
Certain he was calling Melanie, she wondered what he was going to tell her, and for a moment she was tempted to eavesdrop, but decided the risk of getting caught was too great. Instead, she walked around his living room and looked at the books and the pictures displayed on the shelves. There was one photo of an infant sitting on a woman’s lap, and she assumed it was Kyle because she recognized the woman as his mother. She wondered why his father wasn’t in the picture. When she and Kyle had gotten engaged, she’d met his mother, who lived a few hours away, but hadn’t spent much time with her, and had never met his father, who had evidently been out of Kyle’s life since his parents divorced when he was a teenager.
“Ready?” Kyle asked.
Jessica spun around to face him. “Yes.” She walked toward him and he took her hand, then he led her out to his truck where he helped her into the passenger seat.
“I assume you want to go to our favorite dance club,” he said as he backed out of the driveway.
“You remembered,” she said, pleased.
“Of course. It’s been a few years, but we went there enough for me to remember.”
On impulse, she scooted over to the middle of the bench seat, so that their legs were touching, then, after snugging down the lap belt, she rested her head on his shoulder. When he put his right arm around her shoulder, she snuggled closer, and berated herself for almost giving up this opportunity to spend the evening with him. And when he kissed her forehead, she silently thanked her aunt for prodding her to be more assertive.
The warmth of his body pressing against her side, plus the feeling of security with his arm around her, not to mention the powerful love she felt for him, added up to a kind of trifecta of determination to win the battle for his heart. Certain that Melanie felt just as strongly about him, and knowing that Melanie wouldn’t give up easily, she knew she had a difficult task in front of her, but she was committed to winning.
When they arrived at the dance club, Kyle held tightly to her hand as they walked inside, and Jessica loved the feeling of belonging to him.
“Looks like a live band tonight,” Kyle said as they headed to the dance floor.
“They sound good, too.” A moment later they were swaying to the beat, their eyes on each other. As the dance floor began filling, they moved closer, and Jessica swung her hips to the pounding beat. As they danced, she wondered what plans Kyle and Melanie had made, and how she’d felt when he’d cancelled.
Did he tell her he wasn’t feeling well? Would she go to his house, she wondered. Then find him gone and see my
car parked out front? If she did, she’d know I’d won this round, but what would her next move be?
Pushing aside thoughts of Melanie, Jessica locked eyes with Kyle, and knew, at that moment at least, he was hers. Elation surged through her, and when a slow song began, she nuzzled against him as they circled the dance floor. Partway through the song, he pulled back enough to lift her chin, then pressed his mouth against hers. Swept away by his kiss, she almost forgot to keep moving, but his strong arm around her waist guided her and they continued dancing.
They danced for another hour before stopping to have something to drink. As they sat close together at a small table, Kyle put his arm around the back of her chair.
“I’m glad you stopped by tonight, Jess.”
Her smile was radiant. “Me too. I love dancing with you.”
He grinned. “Especially the slow songs, right?”
“That’s right.”
He was quiet for a moment as he watched the other dancers, then he turned to her. “You know, after you cancelled on me earlier, I talked to Melanie and I was planning on spending the evening with her and Avery.”
That’s what I figured, she thought, although she was a little surprised that he was so willing to admit his plans. “I can’t say that I’m sorry that you . . . chose . . . me.”
“I’m not sorry either, but I do feel kind of bad for Melanie. When she’s not working, she’s mostly home with Avery, and I know she gets kind of lonely.”
That’s not my problem, she thought, but tried to be sympathetic. “I’m sure having a child is a lot of work. Kind of puts a damper on going out.”
He nodded, like he hadn’t really thought that through. “Yeah, I suppose it does.”
Enough talk of Melanie. Jessica took his hand. “Let’s do something tomorrow. Like go on a picnic.” She remembered the bike ride Alex had taken her on. “Or how about a bike ride?”
His eyebrows rose. “That sounds fun.” He smiled. “I have a better idea. How about if we go on a hike? There are some nice trails around here.”
“Yeah. We used to do that sometimes, didn’t we? I’d almost forgotten. I haven’t been hiking in ages.”
Second Chances (sequel to Over You) Page 11