The Girl He Left Behind

by Patricia Kay

  He was glad he’d asked the owner of the shop where he’d purchased the gifts to wrap them, because the flat velvet box looked prettier in the silver paper and matching bow than it would have looked unadorned.

  Now all he had to do was wait.

  * * *

  Eve sighed in her sleep. She knew she was dreaming, but it was such a lovely dream she didn’t want it to end. In it, she and Adam and the twins were having a picnic. It was a beautiful summer’s day, and they’d spread a big quilt out next to the river—she recognized the river, it was the one running through Crandall Lake. They’d finished eating and now the twins were dangling their bare feet in the water while she and Adam lay on the quilt watching them.

  They were so happy, all of them. Adam loved the twins and they loved him. They had a perfect life, just the four of them. How this perfection had come about, Eve didn’t know, and she didn’t care. They were together. That was all that mattered.

  “Hey, sleepyhead.”

  Eve frowned. She closed her eyes tighter.

  “It’s time to get up. It’s almost five o’clock.”

  Reluctantly, she opened her eyes to see Adam smiling down at her. “Five o’clock?” she said. “Really?”

  “Really. You slept more than two hours.”

  She stretched and yawned, then rubbed her eyes. Darn, she hated to let go of her dream. “So what’s the plan?”

  “Well, first you’re going to open your present. After that, we’ll decide what we want to do.”

  “My present?”

  “It’s right there.” Adam inclined his head toward the end table next to her chair.

  Eve’s eyes widened as she saw the beautifully wrapped box. “That’s for me?”

  “Yes, it’s for you.”

  “It’s not my birthday.”

  “I know that. But it is a serious wooing day.”

  She laughed, delighted.

  “Open it,” Adam said eagerly.

  She carefully removed the silvery paper, and when she saw the gray velvet box, her heart began to beat faster. Almost afraid to open it, she hesitated.

  “It won’t bite. Open it!” Adam said.

  “Oh,” she said as she saw the gorgeous strand of graduated pearls nestled inside the satin interior. The diamond clasp winked under the afternoon sunlight.

  “As soon as I saw these I knew they’d look perfect on you,” Adam said softly. He lifted them out of the box and walked around behind her. “Let me put them on you.”

  “I—I don’t know what to say.” The pearls were way too expensive. She knew that. She hoped he didn’t think she was hinting that she wanted jewelry when she’d said she wanted to be wooed. Because that wasn’t what she’d meant at all.

  Adam fastened them around her neck, then reached for her hand and brought her to her feet. “Go look in the mirror. They look beautiful on you.”

  They were beautiful. Eve could hardly believe how beautiful.

  “Do you like them?”

  “Like them? I love them, but, Adam, I—I’m not sure I can accept them.”

  “Of course you can. They were made for you. You were made for beautiful jewelry. And I have something else to go with them.” He reached into his pocket and took out a small box, also wrapped in silver paper.

  Her hands were shaking as she unwrapped the second box. She was terrified that inside she’d find an engagement ring. Surely not. Surely he wouldn’t just spring something like that on her, would he? But it wasn’t a ring inside. Instead, there was a pair of exquisite diamond earrings. “Adam, this is too much. I can’t take these.”

  “Well, I’m not taking them back. And they’ll look a heck of lot better on you than they would on me.”

  “I didn’t mean for you to buy me things when I said—”

  “I know you didn’t. I wanted to. I want to buy you everything, Eve. Everything you’ve never had. Everything you’ve ever wanted.”

  All I want is you. And I’m afraid that’s something I’ll never be able to have.

  Some of what she was thinking must have shown in her eyes, because Adam’s eyes softened and he reached for her. “You deserve these, Eve. Don’t spoil the pleasure it gives me to give them to you. Just wear them and enjoy them, okay?” He kissed her then, slowly and sweetly, and when he said, “Why don’t we shower together while we get ready for the evening?” she didn’t have to be asked twice.

  Eve had never showered with Bill. He’d suggested it once, but she’d begged off with some excuse and he hadn’t pushed her. Showering with Adam was a revelation. After last night, she hadn’t imagined she could be any more turned on by lovemaking than she had been already, but she’d been wrong. There was something so erotic and sensuous and almost wanton about the sensation of the hot water cascading over them as Adam simultaneously soaped her and explored her body that it elicited responses she hadn’t known she was capable of making. She clung to Adam, weak and trembling and satiated, after another powerful orgasm shuddered through her.

  Afterward, he tenderly dried her and smoothed lotion onto her body. “Now me,” he said.

  She happily obliged, enjoying the ripple of his muscles as she massaged in the lotion. She gave special attention to the insides of his thighs, especially when she saw his reaction. “Not again!” she said, laughing. “I can’t.”

  “I didn’t think I could, either,” he said ruefully. “But as you see...”

  “It’ll just have to wait until later.” When he would have caught her to try to persuade her otherwise, she managed to dart away.

  “Oh, okay,” he said, pretending to be angry.

  After she’d put on her undergarments and was looking through the clothes she brought to decide what to wear, he said, “How about the black dress? We’ll go somewhere fancy.”

  “Are you getting dressed up, too?”

  “I’ll wear a suit.”

  “Really?” For some reason, this delighted her.

  “For you, sweet cheeks, anything.”

  Later, as they enjoyed excellent steaks at Sullivan’s, which had been recommended to Adam, Eve thought how she could get used to this life. But that was dangerous thinking. Because no matter how she wrapped her mind around it, she couldn’t come up with a solution to her problem. She had kept something important from Adam, something that would have changed his life had he known about it, and if he ever discovered what it was, he would no longer have any desire to be with her. He would probably despise her and never want to see her again.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Eve started. “Nothing’s wrong. Why do you ask?” She attempted a smile, but knew it wasn’t very successful.

  “You looked awfully serious. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m sure.” He was so thoughtful. She thought about the beautiful pearls, and the diamond earrings, both of which she was wearing tonight. No one had ever pampered her like this. If only she could be totally honest with him.

  “There’s that frown again. Something’s bothering you, Eve. I wish you’d tell me what it is.”

  Eve sighed. She’d have to say something. “I guess I’m worried that someone is going to recognize you...and Bill is going to find out where I am. I should have told him.”

  “Why do you feel so obligated? Hell, he remarried, didn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he tell you what he’s doing every minute of the day? And who he’s with?”

  “No.”

  “Then, I don’t get it. You don’t owe him an explanation.”

  But I do. And if you knew why, you’d hate me. “I’m sorry. I’m being silly. Let’s not talk about this anymore, okay? I don’t want to spoil our evening.”

  He started
to say something else, then stopped. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. You’re not being silly. There’s always a chance we’ll be spotted by the paparazzi and you’ll see yourself on the cover of one of the tabloids. So far they’ve been leaving me alone, mainly because Aaron spends a lot of time on Twitter and Instagram and that keeps fans thinking they know what I’m doing.” He frowned. “I hate that part of my life, Eve. All I really want to do is write music.”

  “But you like performing, too.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t like all the crap that comes with it.”

  Eve nodded, glad he was no longer worrying about her. She finished her steak and sank back in her chair, replete. “That was a wonderful meal, Adam. Thank you.”

  He reached across the table and took her hand. “You’re welcome.” Their gazes met. “But the best is yet to come.”

  When he looked at her like that, she felt it all the way down to her toes. The promise in his eyes made her heart skitter, and suddenly she didn’t care whether they went club hopping or did anything else. All she wanted was to go back to the condo and spend the rest of the weekend in that lovely king-size bed of his. Since these weeks while the twins were away would probably be the last time she’d ever have with Adam, she wanted to make the most of them and store up as many memories as possible. “Does that mean what I think it means?” she said softly.

  “It can mean whatever you want.”

  “Then, let’s go back to the condo.”

  His smile was all the answer she needed.

  * * *

  The rest of the weekend was spent making love. In bed, out of bed, in the shower, standing up, lying down. They couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. And in between the really amazing sex, they ate and slept and cuddled on the couch and occasionally got dressed and went out for a long walk. They never did hit the music scene on Sixth Street, but neither of them cared.

  The idyllic weekend couldn’t last forever, though. Too soon it was Monday and time to head home again. Eve was just thankful that no one had spied them in Austin and that no photographs had been taken. At least now she wouldn’t have to worry about upsetting Bill or having a confrontation she wasn’t ready for.

  She felt sad as they prepared to leave. She would never forget this place. Never forget this weekend. Although no promises had been made and no words of love had been spoken, she’d never felt so treasured—and yes, loved. Adam had shown her, in every possible way, that she was important to him, and that he wanted nothing except for her to be happy.

  She wished she could tell him how she felt and how much this time away with him had meant to her. But she couldn’t. She was just grateful to have had these wonderful days and nights. When she was a very old woman she would take out these memories like old photographs, and they would remind her she’d once been deeply loved.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” he said as they looked around the condo, making sure they hadn’t forgotten anything.

  “I’m sad to leave,” she admitted.

  “We’ll do it again.”

  She smiled, but inside she was thinking, No, we won’t. Soon all of this will be over and you’ll go back to your real life.

  The drive back to Crandall Lake went far too fast. By the time they reached the mall and the garage where she’d left her car, tears were clogging her throat.

  Adam took her bag out of his car and put it in the back of hers. Then, since no one was around to see, he pulled her close and gave her a long, lingering kiss. “Thank you for the weekend,” he whispered as he released her. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  She nodded.

  He waited until she was in her car before getting back into his. Then, with a smile and a wave, he drove away. When he rounded the corner and was out of sight, she finally let go, putting her head down on the steering wheel and letting the tears come.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Mom, we went to the San Diego Zoo yesterday! It was so cool! You should have seen all the flamingos!”

  Eve couldn’t help smiling at the exuberance in Natalie’s voice. She’d known they were going to the zoo. She’d talked to the twins every day since they’d left. That was the beauty of cell phones. You could be in Alaska or Russia and no one would know the difference, so they’d had no idea she wasn’t at home the past few days. And being kids, they hadn’t been curious about what she was doing anyway. They were too full of what they were doing.

  “When are you going to come out here and visit?” Natalie was asking now. “Dad said maybe this weekend?”

  “Yes. I’ll be there Friday.” It would be good for her to get away. Very soon, she would once again have to get used to a life without Adam, and this would be good practice. “Now let me talk to Nathan.”

  Later, after they’d hung up, Eve’s thoughts returned to Adam. He had texted her this morning, suggesting they go for a drive when she finished work today. If she had any brains, she’d beg off. Say she was tired or had to work tonight—or something.

  “You won’t do that, though,” Olivia had said earlier when they’d talked.

  Eve had sighed. “No, probably not.”

  And she hadn’t. When Adam called her late in the afternoon, she said she’d be ready by six. She told him she’d leave her car in the newspaper parking lot, so he could pick her up there.

  At six, when she emerged into the hot afternoon sun, he was again waiting for her by leaning against his car. When he saw her, he straightened, grinned and opened the passenger door. And even though they were normally discreet, he couldn’t seem to resist dropping a quick kiss on her mouth before helping her into the car.

  Eve heard the telltale click of the camera before she saw the dark young man across the street. Oh, God. Someone had taken a picture of her and Adam, probably when he’d kissed her. The man was continuing to take pictures as Adam walked around and got into the car with her.

  “Damn bloodsuckers,” Adam muttered. He gunned the motor and they took off down the street.

  Eve’s heart was pounding. Where would those photos end up? And would Bill see them? Why had she let Adam kiss her? She knew better.

  “I’m sorry, Eve,” Adam said as they headed for the highway. “I guess I got complacent. The newspeople have left me alone since I’ve been here, and I guess I thought they’d continue to.”

  “What do you think they’ll do with those pictures?”

  Adam shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they’ll just show up online.”

  “Instead of the tabloids, you mean?”

  “Yeah.”

  Eve guessed all she could do was pray that was the case. And that the photographer didn’t know who she was. Because if her name was published along with a picture of Adam kissing her, a phone call from Bill was going to be the least of her problems.

  * * *

  “I guess your promises don’t mean much.”

  Eve closed her eyes. Bill was furious, and she couldn’t blame him. The photo of Adam kissing her had been splashed on the cover of Star, which graced every supermarket checkout line in the country. And the story accompanying the picture had made Eve cringe, suggesting she was the real reason Adam was spending so much time in his hometown. “What’s the story between these old friends?” the article asked. “Is there more than meets the eye? Is blonde beauty Eve Kelly the real reason behind Adam Crenshaw’s breakup with Bethany D’Angelo?”

  Whoever had written the article had done his or her research, too, because they’d given a short biography of Eve, including the fact she had two children. Fortunately, their names and ages weren’t included, and for that Eve was grateful. Still, she knew Bill had good reason to be upset and she also knew she deserved his anger.

  “I’m sorry, Bill,” she said after he’d finished his initial venting.

  “I don’t understand you, Eve. I though
t we had a meeting of the minds.”

  “We did. We do. I just—”

  “You just, what?”

  “I wanted to spend some time with him before he leaves for good,” she said quietly and with as much dignity as she could muster.

  “And where does that leave me, Eve? Are you going to go back on your original promise, too?”

  “No! Of course not. I—I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “I don’t know how I can believe you.”

  “Bill...”

  “Just tell me one thing. Are you in love with him?”

  Eve bit her lip. How could she answer that question?

  “That’s what I thought,” Bill said tiredly.

  Neither spoke for a long moment. Finally Eve said, “Do you still want me to come out for the weekend?”

  “Not if those damned photographers are going to follow you out here.”

  Eve’s mouth dropped open. She’d never thought of that. “They...they wouldn’t.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “It’s Adam they’re interested in, not me.” But her heart had sunk. What had she done?

  “Maybe you should forget about coming out,” Bill said. “I’ll figure out something to tell the twins.”

  “Don’t punish me for this, Bill. I want to see them. I’m coming. I—I’ll stay at a hotel.”

  “I guess I can’t stop you. But, Eve? Just make sure you come alone.”

  * * *

  Adam was thoroughly pissed off by the picture splashed not only on the cover of Star, but repeated again and again on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, then picked up by People, In Touch and Us Weekly. In the space of twenty-four hours, it seemed every gossip rag in the country had latched on to his relationship with Eve, calling her the “mystery woman” from his past and the “forbidden love” he’d been hiding by pretending his mother’s health was the only reason he’d continued to stay in Crandall Lake. Entertainment Tonight even did a story on his life before he became famous and speculated that Eve might be “the girl he left behind,” might even be the girl he’d been thinking of when he wrote “Impossible to Forget.” That this was true didn’t help his mood.