by Kim Loraine
Kate sighed, her expression relieved when Mitchell detached from her and took Michael’s hand.
“You want coffee?” Michael asked her.
She nodded and followed the two of them into the house.
It didn’t take long for Mitchell to make himself comfortable. As soon as he’d seen the toy cars on his bed, he’d started racing them; creating pile-ups, and narrating the races to himself.
“He really likes cars, doesn’t he?” Michael stood in the doorway, watching.
“Like his daddy.” Kate’s tone was wistful.
Pride welled in his chest along with grief for all the years he’d missed.
“I wish you wouldn’t have kept him from me.”
She didn’t acknowledge his statement, just turned and walked toward the kitchen. “You said there’s coffee?”
He had so many questions for her. Things he needed to know, things he’d convinced himself he didn’t want to hear. After pouring a cup for her, he slid it across the counter. “Still take it black?”
She grinned before lifting the mug to her lips and taking a sip. “Still drink yours like a girl?”
Unable to keep the laugh inside, he chuckled. “Cream and sugar is not girly.”
Her hand brushed against his in a familiar gesture. “I’m sorry for hurting you.” The statement sparked unease in his chest, and the feel of her fingers touching his hand sent a tingle of wrongness over his body.
Shifting away, he cleared his throat and poured his own coffee, doctoring it until the liquid turned from black to a pale, creamy tan. “Lena’s sorry she’ll miss Mitchell’s time with us. I told her we’ll have lots more in the future though.”
Shrugging, Kate stared at her cup. “We’ll see how this goes.” She tapped the tip of her fingernail on the edge of the mug and took a deep breath. Then her gaze snapped up to his. “I can’t believe you married her. She’s so . . . different.”
“What do you mean by that?” His hackles rose at the hint of disgust in her voice.
“She’s gone all the time. How can she be there for you? With your schedule, you need a woman who can care for you when you come home from a bad call. Someone who knows what you need.”
Anger boiled close to the surface. “Like you?”
Her eyes widened at the undisguised venom in his words. “No. Not me.”
Frustration had him pacing the kitchen and gripping the back of his neck with one hand. This wasn’t what they needed right now. “Look, let’s just focus on getting you better and moving forward. The past is over and done with. I want to move on. Build a family.”
She nodded. “Okay. I’m going to say goodbye to Mitchell. You’ll call and check in?”
“Yeah. Do you want me to bring him for visits or anything?”
A worried look crossed her face. “Oh, um. I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I don’t want him to see me in a place like that.”
“Sure. That makes sense. I’ll give you a call after a couple of days, okay?”
Lips tight, she nodded again and walked back to Mitchell’s bedroom. As Michael waited, the soft sounds of Mitchell’s voice floated down the hall, followed by Kate’s placating tone.
“Come on, baby. I have to go. You need to let go of mommy.”
Kate walked out of the room with Mitchell attached to her leg, holding on for dear life. She shot Michael a pleading look.
Not knowing what to do, he took the boy’s hand and carefully pried him off his mother. Big tears streamed down Mitchell’s face. Terror gripped Michael’s chest for a moment. How was he going to do this? Scooping Mitchell up into his arms, Michael hugged him.
“All right, little man. Let’s tell Mommy goodbye and get those cookies we talked about.”
Mitchell nodded and held on tight as they watched Kate leave.
Standing on the beach on the other side of the world, Lena let the cold water of Sagami Bay lap at her feet. The sun had just sunk below the horizon, leaving the backdrop of Mt. Fuji across the bay. Watching the mountain standing, a lonely silhouette against the purple sky, she couldn’t contain the emotions bubbling up inside. Her mother had spent summers on this very beach as a child. She’d played, swam, stared at the mountain in awe, right in this very spot. Pulling her camera out of its bag, she snapped photo after photo, documenting this moment in time so she could share it with her mom.
A familiar ache took hold in her chest as she walked along the beach. She wanted Michael. They hadn’t spoken again since their video call three weeks earlier. She’d been gone over a month already. They just couldn’t seem to hook up. Pulling out her phone, she checked the time. It would be five in the morning for him right now. If she could get somewhere that had a Wi-Fi connection, she might be able to talk to him. She really needed to hear his voice.
As she walked along the streets of the beautiful town of Hayama, she smiled when the familiar green and white Starbucks logo came into view. Starbucks always had Wi-Fi. Heading inside, she smiled at the baristas, ordered a chai tea latte and grabbed a table in the corner. Her knees bounced uncontrollably as she connected to the internet. As soon as the all-important signal was available, she called.
Michael’s handsome face appeared almost instantly and her heart swelled.
“Hey, baby.” His voice was sleepy, quiet, and tender.
“Did I wake you up?”
A soft smile turned up the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, but it’s fine. Hang on a sec.”
She watched the screen as he got up, the form of a sleeping child visible on her side of the bed.
“How’s Mitchell doing?” she asked.
Lights came on in the kitchen as he walked away from the bedroom. “Good. It took a while, but he’s settled. For the first week he wouldn’t even talk to me. Now, I can’t get him to stop.”
“I see he snagged my place in bed.”
He rubbed at his stubbled jaw and a wave of longing ran through her. She wanted to feel the scratch of his five o’clock shadow on her skin. “Yeah, he has pretty bad nightmares when he’s by himself.”
“How’d your family take it?”
“Pretty good. Mom wants to dote on him constantly. Dad’s a little less invested. Oh, and Alex and Roxie are having a baby.”
“What? Wow, that’s great.”
“Yeah, he’s freaked out.”
Laughter colored with tears threatened to escape and she had to take a deep breath and paste on a smile. “I miss you. I don’t know why this time is so much harder.”
“Me, too. I’m sorry we haven’t been able to talk.”
“Do you have duty today?”
Shaking his head, he flicked his eyes away. “Nah, I’m going to uh, visit Kate.”
She couldn’t keep the frown off her face. Why was he going to see her? “You are?”
“Yeah. I’ve been visiting her a few times a week. It’s good for her to feel supported. She doesn’t have anyone else, you know?”
“Well, it didn’t seem like she cared too much about supporting you five years ago.”
His eyebrows drew in at her words. “She needs me. Kate’s always going to be a part of my life. We’ve got a kid together. I can’t just abandon her.”
A sick feeling took hold as she pondered his statement. Kate will always be in his life. Always.
“Hey, I’ve got to go. I’m about to run out of battery.”
Disappointment clouded his features, bolstering her mood a little bit. “Okay. Thanks for calling, baby.”
“I’ll try and call again in a few days. Maybe you could email me your schedule?”
“Sure,” he said, his head turning away from the phone at the sound of Mitchell crying. “Shit, I’ve gotta go get him.”
“Michael?”
His face
stared back at hers as he moved toward the crying child. “Yeah, baby?”
“I love you.”
With a smile, he started to speak but the connection timed out and the call disconnected.
“Damn,” she whispered, unable to quell the niggling worry in her head. Something was different with him, and it wasn’t just Mitchell. The way he talked about Kate, the look on his face, proved he wasn’t over her.
Chapter 16
“So, this is a high-speed train. Huh. I’ve seen more impressive things.” Rhett’s unenthusiastic voice grated on her nerves as they rode the Shinkansen from Yokohama to Kyoto.
“We’re going over two hundred miles per hour and cutting our travel time in half. I think that’s pretty impressive.”
He shrugged and Lena turned her attention back to the scenery which flew past at breakneck speed. She almost mourned not rolling slowly through the little towns, then remembered she’d have to do that with Rhett right next to her and said a prayer of thanks to the gods of high-speed travel. The best part of the bullet train was the free Wi-Fi. Michael was on duty right now, but she knew he’d like to see a picture of the train. Snapping a quick selfie, she sent it to him and sat back in her seat, smiling. Her phone buzzed as a message came in, causing her smile to widen.
Beautiful.
Her heart fluttered as she imagined the sound of his voice.
Aren’t you working?
Just got back from a call.
You okay?
Scenarios ran through her mind of him being injured, struggling with the aftermath of a bad call, needing her.
Yeah. Tired though. I need to get to sleep.
She let out a tense breath.
Okay. We’re heading to Kyoto. I’ll call when I can. I love you.
He didn’t respond. She figured he’d probably fallen asleep with his phone in his hand as she’d seen him do countless times before. Resting her head on the cool glass of the window, she closed her eyes and willed herself to clear her mind. Another buzz from her phone made her jump, and she glanced down at the screen, hoping for more from Michael.
Come baaaack!!!
It was Hallie. She’d attached a picture of herself, mouth open wide in a mock scream, blond hair frizzy and unkempt.
Nah, you look good.
She waited for her friend’s response, chuckling to herself as she looked over the photo again. Another text arrived, but this one caused her to frown due to its seriousness.
Things are falling apart here. Valerie is a hot mess. I know she’s not my friend, but someone needs to set her straight. Donovan is gone and she’s dating that douchebag doctor. I’m pretty sure you’re the glue that holds this town together.
Lena thought about that for a moment. She was the least together of anyone in Golden Beach, and she knew it. Even Tommy Klipper had it more under control than she did.
Valerie told me what’s going on. They’ll figure it out. Those two just need time.
Knowing the conversation wasn’t over, she watched her phone, waiting for another tidbit from Hallie.
Who’s the kid? Her message came along with a photo of Michael walking down the boardwalk with Mitchell, hand in hand.
Her heart simultaneously swelled and sank at the sight.
Remember Kate? The girl I told you about that he almost married? That’s her kid.
She sent the message, then continued typing,
Their kid.
Holding her breath, she picked at her fingernail polish. Hallie’s reply came almost instantly.
WTF? He’s got a kid?!
Wincing, she typed furiously.
Don’t say a word to anyone. I know him. He’ll want to do that on his own.
Fine. Killjoy. You know I love a good piece of gossip.
A smirk curled up her lips.
Who do you have to gossip with? I’m gone.
Don’t remind me. Well, I guess you’ve got a kid now, too. He’s a cutie, even though he doesn’t really look like Michael, more like his brother.
That sent a worm of worry through her. She knew which brother Hallie was talking about and it wasn’t the biological one. John had been adopted as a newborn. Michael had only found out after John’s death, when John’s long-time love, Grace, ran away to England to get over him. Instead, she’d stumbled across his identical twin and they’d fallen in love. It was a crazy story and it turned the Oliver household on end at first. The only people who’d known were Michael’s parents. She was pretty sure most of the town knew the story, people talk and scandal spreads like wildfire.
Shit.
She could be wrong. She’d only spent a little time with the kid. But if she was right, this was big. It would break Michael.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
What was she going to do? How could she tell Michael of her suspicions? Lena chewed nervously on her fingernail as she waited for their call to connect. Should she tell him? Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. She’d only seen Mitchell once and for such a short period of time. Surely the Oliver’s would notice a strong likeness. Marianne wouldn’t just let it lie.
The call finally went through, and Michael smiled brightly at her.
“Hey, baby. This is a surprise.”
Clearing her throat, she forced a smile. “Yeah, well. I just wanted to check in with you.”
“Oh, I’m good. Real good, actually. Mitchell and I have been working on the Impala, getting it ready for our road trip this weekend.”
“Where are you going?”
A high-pitched little voice shouted, “Busch Gardens!” Then, softer, he asked, “Right, Daddy?”
“Mitch, you want to say hi to Lena? She’s all the way in Japan.”
Her heart hammered in her chest as the little boy appeared. A face overwhelmed by big, chocolate brown eyes, unkempt dark hair, and striking eyebrows appeared on the screen. God, she couldn’t ignore the resemblance.
“Hi, Lena.” He couldn’t say his L’s yet, so her name sounded like ‘Wena’.
“Uh, hi, there.”
“We’re fixing the car. Daddy says I’m a grease monkey.”
She couldn’t help her smile. He was pretty damn cute. “Have fun. Can you put your daddy back on the phone?”
He nodded and Michael’s face filled the screen again. “He’s pretty awesome, right?”
Unease worked its way to the forefront of her mind. “Yeah, he’s sweet. Listen, Michael, there’s something about him that we need to discuss.”
Frowning, Michael sighed and looked away. “I’ll be right back, buddy. Why don’t you sit on the porch for a minute, okay?” The scene behind him changed as he walked. “Look, I know you don’t want kids. I get it. But he’s mine. We’re a package deal now.”
“That’s not what I mean,” she said, shaking her head.
“What, then?”
His eyes blazed with defensive indignation. He was daring her to say something. A crash sounded in the background, followed by Mitchell’s wail. “Shit. He fell out of the chair. I’ve got to go.”
The call was disconnected before she could say anything else. A wave of relief washed over her, making her sigh and shake her head.
I’m a fucking coward.
Her blood pounded in her ears as the adrenaline hit her. He was so determined to make her see that nothing was going to get in between him and Mitchell. Was this how she was going to lose him?
Gently closing her laptop, she paced her hotel room. Those enormous brown eyes stared back at her every time she closed her eyes to think. Maybe she just wanted this to be true. Maybe this was her desperate attempt to get out of having a kid in her life. She thought back to the years John had spent with Grace. They’d been so in love, so devoted to one another. There was no way John wou
ld have done anything to hurt her . . . or to hurt Michael.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed a little, thankful she hadn’t been able to share her suspicion with Michael. She knew him well enough to know that a bad word against John was like a slap to the face.
She couldn’t do that to him. Not unless she had proof.
“Remind me what the hell is happening right now?” Donovan rolled his shoulders and sighed as he pushed the shopping cart through Toys ‘R’ Us.
Michael chuckled. “It’s almost Christmas. I’ve got no clue what to buy a kid.”
Shaking his head, Donovan grabbed a football and tossed it into the basket. “Dude, I’ve got teenage sisters. That’s so different from a five-year-old boy.”
Grabbing two Lego sets, Michael held them up. “Which one?”
Raising an eyebrow, his friend laughed. “Well, since he’s five and those are for ages eight and up, I’d say neither.”
“Shit. I suck at this.”
“Yeah, you do.” The younger man clapped him on the shoulder and handed him an Avengers action figure. “Every kid likes superheroes. Get him this.”
Michael collected every action figure he could find and added them to his cart. “You think I got enough?” He surveyed the items as he placed them on the conveyor belt.
“Ha, yeah. You bought the whole fucking store.”
As he watched the numbers total up, his eyes widened. Shit. He’d gone a little overboard. Handing over his credit card, he let out a pained sigh. Donovan just stood back and laughed. Michael’s phone rang as his purchases were being bagged.
“Hey, this is Alex. I’ve got to take this. Can you meet me at the car?”
Donovan nodded and shrugged, as Michael brought the phone to his ear.
“Alex, what’s up?”
At his brother’s harsh intake of breath he knew something was wrong. “She lost the baby.”
His gut clenched at the words. “What? When? Is she okay?”