Divorced, Desperate and Deceived

by Christie Craig

  Kathy turned away.

  He moved so she’d have to face him. “I blamed myself. Then, when I confronted Sandy about the abortion, she said it was my fault. She said she did it because I wasn’t there for her. And while I’ll never forgive her, I knew she was right. And that hurt. It hurt so badly that I buried it inside, just like you buried what happened to your dad all those years ago…”

  She said nothing.

  He walked over and reached out to touch her, but she stepped back. “What do you want from me?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Leave.”

  He had nothing else. No words to offer. Nothing. So he did what she asked and walked away.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Kathy went to the sofa. She dropped down and hugged herself. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there feeling numb—thirty minutes, maybe more. Then she heard his words again: “It hurt so badly that I buried it inside me, just like you buried what happened to your dad all those years ago.

  “We’re alike.”

  She looked up and saw the book. She’d known it existed, but she’d never read it. Why go there? Why deal with crap when she didn’t have to?

  “We’re alike.

  “I didn’t tell you about my divorce. I didn’t tell you because it still hurt me to talk about it.”

  What the hell was she doing? What was she doing letting him walk away?

  She fell to her knees and raked out the pregnancy sticks from under the sofa, then dropped them in her purse. Where had he gone? His car wasn’t out front, so he must be walking. If she hurried, maybe she could catch him. Oh God, if he got away, she didn’t even know how to find him, where even to start to look.

  She ran out the door and got as far as the steps.

  “You going somewhere?”

  Kathy swung around. Luke sat on her porch swing—just sat there, one arm outstretched on the back of the swing, as if waiting for someone to come and take the spot beside him.

  Forcing herself to breathe, she took a few steps closer. “I thought you’d left.”

  “I thought I had, too. But this is as far I got, because I realized everything I want is still right here. An obstinate redhead with a heart of gold. A damn dog who pisses on my shoe. A boy with freckles and his mother’s smile.”

  Kathy bit her lip. “So…what was your plan? Just going to sit out here forever?”

  “I figured if you wouldn’t let me inside, I’d live right here.” He pointed to the side of the house. “I happen to know a water line runs right through there. I figured I could tap into it, put me up a shower.”

  She felt a few more tears run down her face, and she wiped them away. “You were going to shower on my front porch? The neighbors might complain.”

  “Oh, I was planning on putting up a couple walls.” He pointed behind him. “And I envisioned running a few lines from your bathroom and puting a toilet over there. Then I could throw a few blankets and pillows on the swing to sleep. I could stay here…I don’t know, maybe forever. Or until you came to your senses.”

  “You had all that planned?”

  “It beats the hell out of the other option.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Leaving. I don’t think I could do it.”

  She walked over and sat down beside him, in that spot that seemed to be waiting for her. The moment her side touched his, an emotional pain rocked inside her. But it faded into a sense of rightness, of being where she should.

  Slowly, she leaned against him. He dropped his arm down from the back of the swing and let it fall around her. Leaning in ever so slightly, he pressed his face into her hair and she heard him sigh, as if he’d been holding his breath. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent, and they just sat there and rocked.

  Back. Forth. There was something cathartic about the movement.

  “He…my dad threw out his gun. When he stepped out of the truck, he didn’t have his gun.” She felt Luke’s arm tighten around her as she began to explain. “I know that doesn’t change what he did,” she went on, “and I know that when he picked me up that day, it was because he knew the cops might come after him. He was wrong. I know that he was a bad person. But…” She pressed her face against his chest until she heard his heartbeat. “But I was crying, and he said he was sorry and told me it would be okay. He gave himself up for me. And”—her breath caught—“they shot him anyway. They shot him so many times.”

  She felt Luke draw in a deep breath. When she looked up, he had tears in his eyes.

  “They were wrong,” he said. “What they did was so damn wrong.”

  She nodded, wiped her face and leaned back against him. He set the swing in motion again and they just sat there, softly swaying. Having him beside her, things just felt right. Better than right, they felt perfect.

  She swallowed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn in the house earlier.”

  “Then you wouldn’t be you.”

  She heard the smile in his voice and gave him a little nudge with her elbow. “You were right. We’re alike.”

  “Are you calling me stubborn?” His hand stirred in her hair.

  “Yeah.” She took a breath and found comfort in his scent—still mint and fresh-cut grass. “How’s your shoulder?” she asked.

  “Still throbs, but it’s going to be okay.”

  Minutes passed. They didn’t speak, but the silence brought peace.

  Then his words came. “Maybe we could stop keeping secrets.”

  No more secrets? “Okay.” She sat up. He looked at her as she picked up her purse and turned it upside down on his lap. Tumbling out came her wallet, her change purse, a couple of pens, a tampon, and then…

  His brow crinkled, and he looked at her like she was crazy. “What…?” His expression changed as he noticed all the pregnancy sticks. He picked up one that had fallen between his legs, and he looked at it. He breathed in. He breathed out. “Please tell me you were always planning on telling me about this.”

  “I was.” She looked up at him. “I thought you were married, so I wasn’t planning to ask for anything from you. But I was going to tell you.”

  His arm found its way around her again. “I’m not married. Yet.” He pushed a strand of red hair from her damp cheek, leaned in close and kissed her cheek. “Will you marry me, Kathy Callahan?”

  She ran her palm over his chest. “That depends.”

  “On what?” His right eyebrow arched.

  “I don’t want you living on my porch.”

  His eyes crinkled into a sexy grin. “And where would I live?”

  “I think I could make room for you inside.”

  “Can I sleep with you?”

  “It’s a big bed,” she answered.

  “Do I get my own drawer?”

  “I think I could spare one or two.” Their smiles met. “Oh, and I’m keeping Goodwill—I don’t care if he does pee on your shoe or bite your toes.”

  “I think I can handle that.”

  He started filling her purse back up; then he stood and held out his hand.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, standing beside him.

  “First, I’m hooking your phones back up.”

  “Back up?”

  “I was afraid you’d call Chase and Jason again.”

  “Oh,” she said.

  “And then I should probably hook the wires back up in your car.”

  “My car?”

  “I was afraid you might try to drive away.”

  “Oh.”

  “And then I’m calling Chase and Jason and telling them I’m not a dead man walking. Those jerks had no faith in me.”

  “They said that?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “So they gave you the key to my place?”

  “I can’t answer that one,” he said.

  She grinned. After a moment she asked, “And then what are we doing?”

  “Then you’re keeping your promise to me.”

  “W
hat promise?”

  He shot her his sexiest grin. “To do that thing again.”

  “What thing?”

  He waggled his brows and held up the pregnancy stick he still carried. “The thing that caused all these test sticks to turn pink.”

  “Oh, that thing.” She laughed and leaned against him, loving how it felt. Which is when she realized she hadn’t said it yet: “I love you.”

  “That’s good,” he replied. “Because I’m kind of crazy about you, too.”

  Kathy walked him inside her living room and shut the door. Then she released the first three buttons on her blouse. “You know…I’m very disappointed with your priorities. I thought I’d come first on your to-do list.”

  Smiling, he moved in and tilted her head up for a kiss. It seemed Jason and Chase’s advice would come in handy after all.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was wrong. You are right.” He cupped her face in his palms. “I love you.”

  Epilogue

  Twelve months later

  “There they are,” Kathy told Luke as she saw Lacy and Chase and then Sue and Jason pull up in their cars. They all met outside in the parking lot: six adults, three babies—all girls—and an eight-year-old boy.

  Today was the celebration of the completion of Sue’s novel—a book that shamelessly included a dead John Doe in a porta-potty and the mysterious assassination of a high-profile drug lord. It was called The John’s Secret. Sue didn’t deny that the book was inspired not only by events in the Richard Lorenzo case but also by several unanswered questions. One of which was: Who killed Lorenzo? The US Marshals didn’t know…and from what Luke told her, they didn’t care.

  “Hey!” Kathy hugged Sue.

  “I’m telling you guys, I love this place,” Lacy said, walking up holding Chase’s left hand. His other hand held the baby carrier with their daughter, the nine-month-old Marissa Kelly, who had blue eyes and a head full of dark curly hair just like her mama. “It opened last week and the food is fabulous. Best Mexican I’ve ever had.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” Luke said, moving in beside Kathy, holding the carrier of their own sleeping daughter, Kylie Hunter—who, at six weeks old, didn’t yet have a hair on her head. His other hand rested on Tommy’s shoulder. The boy still wore his soccer uniform.

  “Hey,” Luke said to Jason, and pointed to Tommy. “Did you see this boy score two goals?”

  “I did,” Jason said, and gave Kathy’s son a thumbs-up. “It’s because I practiced with him last week.”

  “Oh, bull crap! I’m the one who taught him that move—aren’t I, Tommy?” Luke said.

  Kathy poked him in the ribs. “Language.”

  “Sorry,” he muttered.

  “Who taught you how to play soccer?” Jason pushed Tommy.

  “Uh, both of you?” the boy answered.

  Sue moved next to Jason and started fixing their daughter’s hair bow. The beautiful blonde girl rested her head on her daddy’s shoulder, blissful and content.

  Blissful and content, Kathy ruminated. Sometimes she couldn’t believe how life had changed for them. They had come a long way, from swearing off men to becoming wives and new moms. And loving it, she admitted.

  “Lacy, are the margaritas good?” Sue asked.

  “The best,” Lacy answered.

  “Hey, Mom? What’s the name mean?” Tommy asked, pointing to the sign.

  “It means ‘Shooting Star,’” Kathy told him as they piled into the restaurant. “And this is Lola,” she introduced the pregnant hostess, who also happened to be the owner, and who led them to their table.

  After everyone got seated, Kathy watched Luke set up the high chair to hold their baby carrier. In the corner of her vision, she saw someone step to the table with a tray of chips and salsa. Her stomach grumbled at the smell of food. “Man, it smells good in here.”

  “What would you like to dri…?” The question of the big man setting the chips down in front of Kathy faltered as his gaze smacked right into hers. Not that it mattered, because Kathy wouldn’t have been able to answer, anyway. She was too busy trying to understand why seeing his face made her want to bolt out of the restaurant.

  She finally remembered, and her gaze shot to Sue, who sat frozen, eyes wide, mouth gaping—the same expression Kathy guessed was on her own face: sheer shock. This was the guy who’d put Sue in the closet, the same guy who’d sat in the diner with Lorenzo’s dirty state trooper and who’d let Kathy walk out of the diner that day.

  “What would you like to drink?” the barrel-chested man finished, and he looked down at his pad as if collecting his thoughts.

  “I want a Coke. My sister won’t be drinking anything,” Tommy said. “She only drinks yucky milk that comes out of a can. I tasted it, and it tastes like crap. But Goodwill my dog likes it.”

  Kathy was still staring, and she barely noticed her son’s language.

  Thankfully, Luke was on top of it. “Hey.” Luke nudged the boy with his elbow. “Crap’s not a nice word.”

  “But you use it all the time,” Tommy replied.

  Several chuckles echoed from Jason and Chase, badly disguised as coughs.

  “You even say the F word,” Tommy continued.

  Kathy managed to look away from the waiter, to Luke, who looked horrified.

  “I do?” he said.

  “Yeah, at the game this morning you called Jason a fff-fool,” Tommy said innocently.

  “Oh, I guess I did,” Luke muttered, relieved. Then he looked over at Kathy. “And from the look on your mom’s face right now, I’d say she’s upset about that.”

  Kathy only managed to nod, trying to change her expression. Little did her husband know, her concerns didn’t include his language right now, but rather the big guy wearing an apron.

  The waiter looked up and smiled at Tommy. “So that’s your sister, huh?” He gestured to the carrier.

  “Yup.” Tommy made the perfect big brother face: a mix of disgust and pride.

  “You’re a very lucky boy,” the big man said, and his gentle tone and smile did something to ease the knot in Kathy’s chest.

  “I know.” Tommy reached for a corn chip. “My mom tells me that all the time. I got a dog, a baby sister, a new dad who gets his shoes tinkled on by the dog.” Tommy chuckled along with the men. Goodwill’s continual fascination with Luke’s shoes was a constant joke. “Plus I get to go to Paris every year with my real dad and stepmom. But it’s not a lot of fun, because she spends most of the time in the bathroom.” Tommy leaned closer to the waiter and whispered, “And she’s old, too.”

  Kathy managed to clear her throat in warning.

  Tommy looked at her. “Of course, my mama says I ain’t supposed to say it.”

  All the men at the table laughed. Even the waiter. The sound of that laughter lightened Kathy’s concern a little more.

  “Well, your mom’s right about you being lucky.” The waiter’s gaze returned to Kathy, his smile fading a notch.

  Kathy remembered how he’d perhaps motioned for her to leave the diner that day. Had he saved her life? He had—probably twice, if the things she was now thinking were true. He’d likely shot several of Lorenzo’s goons at the cabin. But why?

  “Hey, don’t hog the chips,” Chase said, joking with Tommy, who’d devoured half the basket.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Lacy piped up. She’d been fiddling with her daughter’s blanket. “I didn’t introduce you guys. This is Joey, Lola’s husband. And a soon-to-be father, too!”

  A round of congratulations echoed up from the table.

  “I guess you are a lucky man, too,” Tommy said.

  Kathy saw Joey look over at Lola, who was talking to a little dark-haired girl sitting at one of the booths coloring pages of a coloring book. “Very lucky,” the big man replied and smiled when the little girl looked up and smiled at him.

  Then Joey’s gaze shifted to Sue, who held Nikki in her lap. “What would you like to drink, madam?”

  Sue
opened her mouth, but nothing came out—and that was a true rarity for Sue, who seldom shut up. “Uh,” she finally eked out. “A margarita.” But when the waiter walked away, she dropped Nikki in Lacy’s lap and jumped up. “I gotta pee.” Her gaze smacked into Kathy’s and she darted toward the bathroom.

  Tommy looked questioningly at Luke. “Why is pee an okay word, but crap isn’t? You do them both in the bathroom.”

  Luke glanced at Kathy. “That’s a good question, and I’m going to let your mother answer it.”

  “Sorry.” Kathy stood. “But you’re going to have to do the honors, because I’ve got to pee, too. I mean, I’ve got to use the restroom.” She dropped her red cloth napkin on the table and followed Sue.

  She heard Luke chuckle as they walked away.

  In the bathroom, when the door had closed behind them, Sue and Kathy both turned and stared at each other. “It’s him, isn’t it?” Sue asked.

  “I think so,” Kathy said.

  “Do you think he…he could have been the one to kill Lorenzo?” Sue asked.

  Kathy shook her head. “I don’t know. But if he is, he’s still the guy who saved both of our lives. Not to mention my husband’s.”

  “And Nikki’s,” Sue said. “He saved my daughter’s life, too. So what do we do?”

  Kathy let the options roll around her head for about two seconds. “I say we go eat Mexican food. And we celebrate the fact that we’re all okay.”

  “Right.” Sue smiled. “And we won’t say a word about this to anyone, because…because, honestly, the man probably just looks like the same guy, right?”

  Kathy nodded. “Right. There’s probably dozens of six-foot-five guys with bright green eyes.”

  “Right,” Sue said.

  They walked out, and Sue immediately joined the others, but Kathy stopped and stared at everyone she loved. Luke, their daughter in his arms as he fed her a bottle, looked up and winked. Her heart swelled with happiness, and she realized just how amazingly blessed she was to have each of these people in her life.

  Suddenly, Kathy realized that the waiter stood beside her. His green eyes met hers. “Is…is everything okay?” There was a touch of uncertainty in his voice.