Christopher and Jaime (Pianos and Promises #1)

by Jennifer Peel

I crawled back to Franklin, where my brother lived, in my old, beat-up car I’d had for the last seven years. It got me from point A to B. I was buying my piano before I spent money on a new car. Christopher disagreed with my course of action. Anyway, I needed a house big enough to hold my piano. Which meant I needed a real job, and more private lesson students.

  Each of Chris’ words spun around in my head. I wondered if he was lonely. He hadn’t dated anyone since Bianca’s death a year ago. I wasn’t even sure why he pined for her. Guilt surrounded that thought.

  Should I have told Chris the truth about Bianca? I thought he found out the night he called to tell me she had died in a car accident along with a business associate. I had mistaken his anguished cry for anger instead of grief. What I never told him was that I had seen her that night at a piano club I used to play at once in a while. She and her “associate” were anything but business that night. I confronted her and said if she didn’t tell Chris, I would.

  “You’ve been waiting for this moment, haven’t you?” she had sneered. I wanted her as far away from him as possible, but not like that. I didn’t want Chris to be hurt. Every time he mentioned her now, I cringed internally. I knew what kind of person she was.

  I crept into my brother Caleb’s home, hoping not to wake anyone up, especially my niece, Emeline. Caleb and Bree were good enough to let me pay them cheap rent, but I was sure they were ready for me to be out of their hair. My parents lived too far away in Fayetteville, and rent was at a premium close to Christopher’s loft.

  I tiptoed into the kitchen where the stairs to the basement were located. All my stealthy moves were for nothing; Bree was at their small kitchen table downing a slice of cheesecake.

  “Rough night?” I asked.

  She rolled her eyes. “Emeline wet the bed again.”

  I joined her at the table. “Sorry.” Emeline was six and still wet the bed frequently. I had decided to keep Allie in pullups even though she was potty-trained. I didn’t think Chris would know what to do if she wet the bed.

  She shoved another large bite of chocolate cheesecake in her mouth. I could see the tension leave her face as she savored the dessert. Once she came back to reality, she looked me over. “Do you want a fork? It looks like you could use some sweet ecstasy.” Food was her drug of choice.

  “Sure.” It couldn’t hurt.

  She was up and back with a fork in no time at all. “You look like you’ve been sucker-punched. Spill.” She was never one to mince words.

  I took the fork and eyed the decadent dessert in front of me. I blew out a large breath and told the truth. There was no use hiding it. “Christopher asked me to marry him tonight.”

  She didn’t look surprised at all. She filled her fork up again. “About time.”

  “What do you mean? We aren’t even dating.”

  “Who needs to date when you already act like a married couple? You act more married than most couples I know, come to think of it.”

  “Except we aren’t in love with each other.” What a depressing thought. I took a large bite of the cheesecake.

  She finished swallowing and tilted her head. “I wouldn’t be so sure it’s one sided.”

  “Have I been that obvious?”

  “Everyone knows you’re in love with him. I could tell nine years ago when I met you both for the first time.”

  I had been twenty-two and just starting school at the time. Chris had already graduated with his undergrad and was ready to start his MBA program.

  The chocolate wasn’t helping; my stomach was too queasy. I set the fork down. “He only asked because I’ve decided to take the teaching position in Carmel.”

  “You don’t think he cares about you?”

  “Sure he does. We’ve been best friends forever, but that doesn’t make a marriage.”

  “I wish Caleb . . .” She hesitated. “I wish we would have been friends first. I think it would have made things easier.”

  I knew she and my brother had some issues, but they were working through them. I had been privy to some of their heated discussions over the last year. It wasn’t anything major, but I think day-to-day stresses had piled up and caused some strain in their relationship.

  “Besides, Christopher is fooling himself if he thinks he’s not in love with you, too.”

  “Then he’s doing a good job fooling both of us. I’ve waited for him to love me for longer than I care to admit.”

  “Love is a choice. Believe me, it’s one I have to choose every day.”

  I placed my hand over hers. “I know Caleb appreciates that, and he loves you very much.”

  “I know. Sometimes I wonder why he puts up with me.”

  “Because you’re terrific.”

  She flashed me a rare smile. “So are you, and Christopher knows that.”

  “So, you think I should hang up my idealistic dreams and give in to him?”

  “Not at all, but I don’t think you should discount his intentions so easily.”

  “I’m pretty sure he only wants to sleep with me.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure he does, but that’s because he’s male. I’m positive that isn’t the only reason.”

  “He’ll get free babysitting.”

  “No, he’ll get the only real mother Allie has ever known.” Neither of us had been impressed with Bianca.

  I came close to tears again. Allie. I loved her more than words could express. I had never known that kind of love was possible until her. I pushed the cheesecake out of the way and lay my head down on the table.

  Bree wasn’t a touchy-feely sort of person, but she reached out and stroked my hair. “Men. They complicate the hell out of everything.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?

  ~*~

  I stayed curled up in bed as long as I could Saturday morning. I hadn’t slept well at all, but my music was calling to me. I needed it to help me sort out this mess Christopher had thrown at me. I tore off the covers, brushed my teeth, threw my hair up, and sat in front of my digital piano. I missed having a real piano, even the old, out-of-tune upright at my parents. I looked over at my piano jar on my dresser. It held a few thousand dollars. Enough for a used upright, but I didn’t have anywhere for it to go. Besides, I was going to own a grand piano.

  I turned the volume down as low as it would go before I poured my heart out into the keys. I got lost in every note, so much so I didn’t hear Christopher come in.

  “Moonlight Sonata?”

  I only jumped a little, but I didn’t bother facing him. “Which movement?”

  He thought for a moment. “Second?”

  “Third.”

  “I was close.”

  “Your grandma would be disappointed.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  I turned around to find a thoughtful looking Christopher casually dressed in tight jeans and a gray, pressed t-shirt. He always made my heart skip a beat. “What are you doing here? And where’s Allie?”

  He looked around my cramped room that held all of my personal belongings. The walls were covered in pictures of my adventures and souvenirs from all the countries I had visited. “She’s upstairs playing with Emeline and Bree.” He approached and knelt in front of me.

  “Please don’t do this again.”

  He smiled before running his hand up and down my bare leg. “I’m sorry about last night.”

  “We’ll forget it ever happened.”

  “Good, because I want a redo.”

  I tried to stand up. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Please Jaimes, hear me out.”

  I lowered myself back down and narrowed my gaze. He should have shaved this morning. He looked too good with a layer of scruff on his sculpted face.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar ring. I covered my mouth with my hand. I had admired the antique pearl gold ring for as long as I had known the man that now possessed it. I remember watching Allison McKay’s fingers glide across the ivory keys.
She made playing the piano look like breathing. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. Not only was she a world-class pianist, but she treated everyone with kindness and respect, even a young girl whose parents could hardly afford piano lessons. She made me feel like I held the world in the palm of my hands and that I could do anything. As the years went by, she began treating me more like a granddaughter than a student. She encouraged my feelings for her grandson, the son she had raised since he was seven years old, the apple of her eye.

  I stared at the ring Christopher held between his fingers. It looked as it always had. A large pearl in the middle, with two tiny diamonds on each side of the inlay. She wanted it to be given to the woman Christopher chose to be his wife. She wanted it to be mine. She died not too long after Christopher married. The only time his grandmother had been disappointed in him was in his choice of bride.

  He held up the ring. “I know I came off as a jerk last night. I didn’t ask you to marry me so you would sleep with me, although I hope that’s part of the package if you say yes.”

  I tried my best not to roll my eyes.

  “Jaime,” he lowered his voice, “Gran wanted this to be yours. We’ve been together for so long, I can’t imagine my life without you.”

  I’m not sure he had ever spoken so tenderly to me. My heart fluttered. “We’ve lived apart lots of times. That’s not going to change our relationship.”

  “This time, we both know it will.”

  He was right.

  “I like coming home to you every night, and Allie has already lost her mom. I don’t want her to lose you, too.”

  I didn’t comment on Bianca’s mothering skills; I knew he wasn’t that blind. “Chris.”

  He reached up with his free hand and ran it across my cheek into my hair. It landed back on my cheek. I leaned into it. I loved the feel of his hands. I loved him, but he didn’t feel the same way.

  “Tell me something?”

  “Anything,” he responded.

  “Why did you ignore me for days after you kissed me?” I had been thinking about it since last night when he brought it up.

  “That was forever ago.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  He dropped his hand and stared at his grandmother’s ring. “Because I didn’t want to fall in love with you and ruin everything. I didn’t want to risk our friendship.”

  “And you do now?”

  “No. This will only make it better.”

  “I want a real marriage, and I’m not just talking about a physical relationship. I want a faithful husband and more children. I don’t want to be your glorified nanny. And I want a house and maybe a dog or a cat.”

  “Jaimes, I would never cheat on you. We’ll be a real husband and wife.”

  “What about more kids?”

  He had to think about it. I watched as he rubbed his neck, cheek, and chin. I could see the internal conflict in his eyes. I didn’t understand why this was so hard for him. When we were younger he talked about having children, in the plural. He didn’t like being the only child and always said he wanted to have more than one.

  “Give me two years and then I promise we’ll make babies and move to the suburbs. I need this time right now to focus on my career. It’s important to my . . . our financial future.”

  “I didn’t say yes.”

  He took my left hand and slid his grandmother’s ring on my finger.

  I looked down at my long, slender finger. The ring was a perfect fit, but I met Christopher’s gaze. Why was I even contemplating this?

  As if he knew what I was thinking, he pulled me to him. My leg caught on my piano chair and we fell over. I landed on top of him—just like he planned, I’m sure. With our bodies so close together I could hardly breathe. His blue eyes took in every inch of my face. His hand reached up to my neck where he drew my face closer to his.

  “Marry me,” he whispered.

  I licked my lips and he took that as an invitation. His lips met mine, but they froze in place. He took a moment to breathe me in. I soaked him in as much as I could. I had longed for this moment. Dreamt about it, craved it.

  I released his lips and looked into his eyes. “What are we doing?”

  “This.” His lips captured mine and this time he didn’t hesitate. We fell into a wild kiss as if we had been saving up for this place and time for years. Our bodies molded together as our mouths explored every inch of each other’s. I didn’t want the moment to end. The last piece of our relationship puzzle had fallen into place. He was all I ever wanted.

  In a swift move with our lips still welded together, Chris turned us over so he hovered over me. His lips glided off mine only to find them once more. I opened my eyes. This wasn’t a dream. This was my Christopher taking me in.

  His eyes were peering into my own. They looked alive and hopeful. He rested his forehead against mine. His labored breathing matched my own. “What do you say, Jaimes?”

  “Promise me this will work out.”

  “I promise.”

  Chapter One

  Two Years Later

  “Jaime McKay? Mrs. Christopher McKay?”

  “Yes,” I answered. But not for much longer. I did my best not to scoff at the unknown caller. How could he have known that I was in the middle of divorcing the man who had made me Mrs. McKay? Or that those words felt like lemon juice in a paper cut?

  “Ma’am, this is Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital.”

  I stopped unpacking my box of dishes.

  “Your husband’s been in an accident. You need to get here as soon as possible.”

  I held onto the counter for support. “Is he okay? What kind of accident?”

  “I can’t give that information over the phone.”

  “Please, tell me anything.”

  “Ma’am, I can’t. Go to the emergency room entrance and give them your name.”

  “Is he alive?” I could barely mutter the words. No matter what we had been through, I couldn’t stand the thought of him not existing. I looked at Allie pretending to play my digital piano and singing at the top of her lungs on the living room floor. My heart was thumping out of my chest.

  “Yes.” He hung up.

  The bated breath I had been holding came out in a rush. I looked around my small home at all the unpacked boxes, trying to formulate a plan. I had to get to Christopher—that I knew—but I felt like I couldn’t function. I focused on our little girl. For Allie, I had to hold it together.

  “Baby doll, how would you like to go play at Grandma and Grandpa’s?” I hoped they could take her.

  “You said we could go to the park after you put the dishes away.”

  “I know, honey, but I need to go see . . . your daddy.”

  Her hands released the keys she had been pressing down. “So that you can love each other again?”

  She was ripping out my wildly beating heart. The separation had been hard on her. Me too. Little did she know, that was the problem—her daddy had never loved me. I shook my head.

  Her tears started up again. I hated this. I ran to her and took her up in my arms. She wrapped her whole little body against my frame. Her tears bathed my shoulder.

  “Allie bug, I love you so much. That will never change. I’ll always be your mommy. But right now, I need to go see Daddy.” I prayed silently he was still alive and okay.

  “I want Daddy to live here with us.”

  “I know, baby. Let’s talk about that later.” I grabbed my bag and car keys and ushered her out the door and into the blazing end-of-July weather. The Tennessee humidity smacked us in the face on our way out to the car. I got Allie buckled in her booster seat and called Ruth on the short drive over to their place. I tried to keep the panic out of my voice, but she asked what was wrong anyway. I couldn’t say anything in front of Allie, not until I knew exactly what was going on. The man from the hospital couldn’t have been more vague. Did they understand what those kind of phone calls did to people? I was shaking.


  It didn’t help that Allie was sniffling in the back. I knew she was trying to be brave as her dad and I sorted out this mess we had created. It wasn’t fair to her. We would be shuffling her between his place and mine. And I was starting a new job and she was starting kindergarten. The only bright spot was that she and I would be together at school. I had filled the music teacher position at one of the elementary schools near my new little place, and the district allowed your child to go to school wherever you taught. I never wanted to teach elementary education, but I did it for Allie. And I needed whatever job I could get. I had used up most of my piano jar money on my new rental, furniture, and a retainer for my lawyer. Again, I hated doing it, but Allie deserved to be in a good home where she could play and run around outside. It was what Christopher had promised, but . . . well, did it matter?

  Her well-being was more important than my dream. Someday, though, I would have my piano.

  But pianos and broken promises were a worry for another day. I needed to get to Chris. I hated that he still had so much power over me. That the thought of losing him was like losing a part of myself. I looked at Allie in the rearview mirror. She couldn’t lose both of her parents—not that she remembered Bianca. I was her mommy, or like the divorce papers stated, joint custodial parent. Thinking about it made me ill. I was sticking with Mommy.

  I pulled up to the Ingrams’ modest brick ranch home. I had Allie out in no time flat and we were flying up the walkway to their house. I wasn’t sure how I hadn’t lost it yet, but that was how I rolled. I had a freakish ability to keep it all in even when it was better to let it all out. It was how I survived my two years of marriage. I let things roll off my back until I hit a breaking point.

  Ruth’s face lit up when she saw Allie walking toward the front door where she stood waiting for us. My little bug had that effect on everyone. She was a ray of sunshine, even if she was blue. I knelt down to Allie’s eye level and hugged the air right out of her on the concrete steps. “I love you so much. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I ran my hand through her baby-soft curls.

  “Can we still go to the park?”

  “Maybe tomorrow. I don’t know how long I have to be with Daddy.” I looked up to Ruth’s concerned eyes.