by M. Malone
And Bennett could only think, This is completely wrong.
Maybe it had just taken the shock of feeling how utterly wrong being in another woman’s arms felt but in that moment, Bennett’s entire relationship with Katie flashed through his mind. He saw her shy and uncertain whenever she talked about her prior relationship. Most importantly, he saw the sincere joy in her eyes when she’d laughed at one of his jokes or when they were just sitting quietly and soaking up each other’s warmth.
After a lifetime of being around people who were just tolerating his presence, Bennett would like to think that he could tell a genuine reaction from a fake one. Katie had not been faking it around him and she definitely hadn’t been faking it in the bedroom. Bennett’s thoughts raced as the pieces all fell together. He’d reacted on instinct and allowed his past hurts to dictate his actions but looking back with a clear head, he couldn’t believe that Katie would have said those things behind his back. Or at least not after she’d gotten to know him. Her ex-husband had obviously just been looking to get a reaction from him and Bennett was ashamed that he’d fallen for it so easily.
Thinking back, he remembered that he’d been carrying flowers when he showed up that day. If he was Donald Mason and he’d lost an amazing woman like Katie, he’d probably lash out and be a jerk, also. He didn’t like that the man had been leaving her house so early in the morning but he trusted there was a good explanation. Even if Katie didn’t like him as much as he'd thought, there was no way she’d just go back to the guy who’d cheated on her and told her lies.
Bennett had made a grave mistake. And he needed to fix it. Immediately.
Olivia’s arms loosened around his neck. “Bennett? Take a breath.”
He coughed. His mind had been moving so quickly that he hadn’t even been breathing. Everything inside of him was focused on one goal. I have to get home. I have to find Katie.
“You didn’t feel anything either, did you?” Olivia sighed.
Bennett couldn’t even lie to spare her feelings. He’d experienced what it was like to have a kiss completely rearrange your world. As convenient as it would be if he had that kind of chemistry with Olivia, it just wasn’t happening. And he wanted that for her, even if he’d lost his own chance at it.
“No, I didn’t. I’m sorry. I would never want to hurt your feelings, Boo.”
“You didn’t. I’m in love with someone else. But I wanted it to be you. Stupid, huh?”
“No, it’s not stupid. You’re one of the smartest people I know.”
“There’s no way that’s true. You’re surrounded by literal geniuses all the time.”
“Understanding science isn’t the only way to be intelligent. For years, you’ve been the one person I could count on to accept me as I am. You’re that person for a lot of people, Livvy. Somehow you know how to be a great friend to everyone in your life, which seems pretty smart to me.”
“God, I love you so much, you know that?”
It was a bitter pill to hear those words coming from the wrong woman. But love was love and Bennett was grateful for it, no matter where it came from. Even if Olivia wasn’t The One, she would always be the woman who’d loved him before any other.
“I love you, too. I always will.” Bennett pulled her closer and kissed her gently on the forehead. They stayed like that for a long time before Olivia smiled up at him gently.
“Go. I can take a cab home.”
Relief swept through him followed immediately by guilt. He didn’t want to just leave her here on her own.
Olivia smiled. “I’ll be fine. And someday soon, I want to meet her.”
He blushed. “I just hope she hasn’t changed her mind about me.”
Bennett took one last look at the sparkling hedges. It wasn’t a shooting star but he decided to make a wish anyway.
If he was going to have even a chance of getting Katie back, he could use all the help he could get.
♥
Katie rearranged the throw blanket covering Ridley’s legs. They were downstairs in the living room relaxing in front of the window that overlooked the backyard. It was a beautiful day, sunny and bright, but Katie didn’t mind staying indoors with Ridley who was on voluntary bed rest.
If she was at home, she’d only be puttering around the house trying to find things to take her mind off where she really wanted to be. Katie picked at a loose thread on the knitted blanket. Maybe she should take up knitting. Isn’t that what perpetually single women did, knit things and play with their cats?
“You’re going to pull a hole in that blanket,” Ridley said.
Katie dropped it and sheepishly tried to push the loop she’d snagged back into the blanket. “Sorry. I guess I’m a little distracted. Is this warm enough?”
Her friend gave her a wan smile before waving her away. “No need to fuss. I’ll just get hot in ten minutes and throw it off again anyway.”
Katie didn’t take offense at her friend’s grumpy mood. As Ridley described it, she was about thirteen months pregnant at this point and very over it. She was bloated and achy and tired of waiting for her due date which was still three weeks away.
“I’m exhausted,” Ri moaned. “I just want this baby to come out already so I can sleep with no one kicking my ribs and without getting up for the bathroom every five minutes.”
Katie didn’t point out that in a few weeks, Ri was still going to be exhausted because she’d have a newborn to deal with. Her friend would discover the joy of taking care of a newborn soon enough. Although considering that Ri had the most supportive husband in the world, she’d likely be able to sleep. Katie had mainly been on her own after the birth of each of her sons since her mother had only been able to come stay for a week afterward each time.
“Maybe we should watch a movie?” Katie suggested. “Or I can read to you so you can close your eyes for a while.”
She was on Ri-watch for the next few days until Raina got back. Raina had a business meeting scheduled in D.C. and Ridley had encouraged her not to miss it. She’d argued that Katie and her mother-in-law would watch her like a hawk anyway so it wasn’t as if she’d be alone. Katie could tell that Raina hadn’t wanted to leave so she’d promised to stick extra close to Ridley today. Jackson had taken all the kids out for ice cream so they could have a little quiet time.
Secretly, Katie thought he’d just wanted to get them out of the house and away from Ri’s cranky mood.
“No. I don’t want to watch a movie. I want to know if you’ve made up with Bennett yet?” Ridley glowered at her.
Katie sighed. “He’s out of town, remember?”
“Both of you have phones. You haven’t called him?”
“I’m not going to call him. He made his feelings very clear when he fired me.”
“He didn’t fire you. He gave you a week of paid vacation.”
When she raised her eyebrow, Ridley huffed. They both knew that getting a paid vacation was simply Bennett’s way of avoiding her. No doubt as soon as he got back from the award ceremony, she’d get another voicemail message offering her severance pay. He was probably just trying to figure out how to let her go. Bennett hadn’t done any paperwork since she’d been hired.
“It’s just so odd that he would do that without even talking to you again. It isn’t like Bennett to be petty. Why would he fire you just because of one argument?”
Katie sighed. “He probably thought it would be easier than having to see each other every day. He’s a good person and he wouldn’t want us to be uncomfortable working together.”
“He is a good person.” Ridley smacked her fist into her palm. “Which is why this doesn’t make any sense. Bennett is not the two-timing sort.”
“I don’t think he thinks of it that way. In his mind, Olivia is just a friend and he thinks he’s being loyal. But the reality is that he’s in love with her. We have fun together but they have history I can’t compete with. I’m tired of competing. If a guy is meant for you then you shouldn’t have to comp
ete for him at all.”
Ridley visibly deflated. “I’m sorry, Katie. Now I feel bad for encouraging this. But I saw the way he looked at you that day at dinner. I’ve never seen him look at a woman that way before.”
“Well, I guess that’s because Olivia isn’t here. Although I'm sure you’ll be seeing her around soon since they’re spending the weekend together.”
“I’m still not giving up on you two. Sometimes things aren’t what they seem. Look at me and Jackson. I was worried about him cheating for nothing. Once I talked to him, I realized it was a misunderstanding and we worked it out. Two people who love each other can work through anything,” Ridley insisted.
“He doesn’t love me, Ri.”
“Are you sure? Because I know what an Alexander man in love looks like.”
Ridley struggled to her feet. Katie jumped up and helped support her back until she was upright.
“Now I’m going to take a nap in the office. My back has been hurting all day.”
Katie watched her friend walk down the hall to Jackson’s office. They’d put a daybed in there once Ridley got tired of walking up and down the stairs so much. Once she was out of sight, Katie pulled out her phone. Something about Ri’s crankiness and the amount of swelling in her ankles didn’t feel right to her. She sent a text to Jackson to see how far away he was. When he didn’t respond, she called. After four rings it went to voicemail.
Katie clutched the phone against her chest, the vague unease she’d been feeling all day getting stronger. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Having swollen ankles didn’t necessarily mean something was wrong with Ri. But she knew she wouldn’t be comfortable unless she double-checked so she sent a text to Penny, who was a physical therapist. When she didn’t get a response right away, she finally decided to text Don. He was a doctor and she had no problem swallowing her pride if it would help her friend.
Katie: Ridley has a lot of swelling in her ankles today. Is that dangerous?
Her phone rang immediately. She answered, shocked that Don would call her back so quickly. He’d never answered her calls so promptly when they were married.
“Hey, thanks for calling me. I’m kind of worried.”
“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be. My obstetrics rotation was a long time ago. Did the swelling develop suddenly?"
“Yes. They didn’t look that bad yesterday. And she’s been really tired today. I’m worried.” She lowered her voice to a near whisper.
“Any blurred vision or headaches? Those can be warning signs of preeclampsia.”
Katie bit her lip. “I’ll have to ask her to be sure. Thanks for the help.”
“Sure. I meant what I said about making things up to you. I’m going to do better this time, Katie. I really think we can make things work this time.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. Don, we aren’t getting back together. I have a boyfriend.” Even though that wasn’t technically true, she was sure that even Bennett wouldn’t begrudge her using him to get out of this situation.
“Yeah, I met him. The weird guy you work for.”
Katie’s breath turned to dust in her chest. “You met him? When did you meet him?”
Don didn’t answer at first. Katie could feel her anger rising. He probably hadn’t meant to tell her that. Now she was starting to wonder if Bennett’s sudden and unexplained disappearance from her life wasn’t so unexplainable at all.
“When, Don?”
“Last week. The day I spent the night. He came to the house early that morning with some tired-looking flowers. I told him that I was back now so you didn’t need to spend your days working for the weird Alexander anymore.” He chuckled at his own joke.
Katie closed her eyes, trying to rein in the desire to reach through the phone and choke her ex-husband. Of course Bennett wasn’t talking to her. Her sweet, sensitive Bennett was a superhero in so many ways but even superheroes had their fatal flaws. His was feeling like an outsider. Someone like Don sneering at him and calling him weird was exactly the kind of thing that would hurt him. Especially if he thought that she was back together with her ex-husband and about to leave him.
Katie wanted to cry but also to drop everything and go find Bennett to explain. But first she had to go and check on Ridley.
“Thank you for the information, Don. I’ll let you know if I have any other questions.”
“Wait. You aren’t mad?”
Katie sighed. “Why would I be mad? You were just doing what you always do. It would be like being angry with a snake for biting someone. That’s what snakes do. But if you thought that little stunt accomplished anything, all it did was make me love him more. Because he could have told me what you said to turn me against you and he didn’t. Even when he’s upset, Bennett Alexander is a hell of a man.”
She hung up while Don was still spluttering over his response and immediately went to look for Ridley. Hopefully her friend wouldn’t be annoyed with her for waking her up but if she was, Ri would be mollified with hearing some gossip. The story of the jealous ex-husband who sabotaged her love life was exactly the kind of drama Ridley loved.
Katie pushed open the door to Jackson’s office slowly. The blinds were closed so it was dim in the room. She tiptoed over to where Ridley was sleeping on the daybed. When Katie touched her hand, the skin was startlingly cool to the touch.
“Ridley. Ridley, wake up.”
As her voice got louder and louder and Ri still didn’t respond, Katie’s fear only increased. She pulled out her phone again and dialed 911, wishing with every part of her soul that she hadn’t wasted so much time talking to Don and had checked on Ri earlier.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
♥
Bennett woke up on Sunday morning exhausted but determined. He rushed through a shower and then downstairs to the main level. Once he had coffee brewing, he mentally evaluated his options.
He didn’t have a plan yet although he’d spent the drive home from D.C. the prior night brainstorming ways to approach Katie. The drive hadn’t been particularly productive since he hadn’t come up with much more than, “I miss you.”
Although it was simple, perhaps simple was best. Bennett still wasn’t entirely sure whether Katie was really getting back together with her ex-husband but either way, he wanted her to know how he felt. Even if it required swallowing his pride and putting himself out there.
Has that ever worked for you in the past?
Bennett ignored the niggling voice of doubt. He’d had bad experiences trusting women in the past, that was true. But he couldn’t believe that what he’d had with Katie wasn’t genuine. Ever since she’d come into his life, everything around him seemed brighter. Better. He had to believe that was based on something real.
But he couldn’t deny that if he found out it wasn’t, the knowledge was likely to break him in half.
A knock at the door interrupted his swirling thoughts. With a longing glance for the still brewing coffee, Bennett walked through the lab to open the door.
“Dad? What are you doing out here? You know you can use your key.” Bennett stood back to let his father come inside. His parents both had keys and his mother certainly didn’t hesitate to use hers.
Mark chuckled. “You’re a grown man, son. And grown men need their privacy. Don’t want to interrupt anything.”
Bennett flushed. His father had said that to him before and he’d dismissed it then. After all, he rarely dated so what was the likelihood of his father walking in on anything inappropriate? However, he knew his father was referring to the fact that he was dating Katie now.
Considering how they sometimes were all over each other in the middle of the day, his father’s comments were actually wiser than he knew.
“Well, I was just about to have coffee if you’d like some.”
Bennett went back to the kitchen, aware of his father trailing behind him. He busied himself pouring the coffee into two mugs. When he turned around, his father stood on the other side of the kitchen counter
watching him closely.
Bennett sighed. “What is it? You might as well just say what you came here to say.”
Mark accepted the mug with a little smile. “Just wanted to check on my boy. You haven’t been yourself this past week.”
He should have expected this. His parents liked to pretend that they gave him privacy, but they paid close attention to everything that happened. Katie’s absence the past week would not have gone unnoticed.
“Katie is back together with her ex. At least I think she is. I’m … well, I’m dealing with it.” Bennett figured there was no point in keeping it a secret. In a town this small, everyone always knew your business anyway.
“I thought it might be something like that. But what do you mean you think she’s back together with her ex? You don’t know for sure?”
Bennett squirmed slightly under his father’s pointed stare. The man hadn’t raised four boys into men without the ability to make them feel like he could see straight through to all their sins.
“Well, I went to her house one morning and he was there. He told me they were back together and she didn’t need this job anymore. Didn’t need to work for the town weirdo anymore. So I left.”
Repeating the scenario out loud was even more embarrassing than it had been when it happened. But unlike last time, Bennett also felt himself get angry. Angry at Donald Mason for being a complete tool, yes, but also angry at himself for allowing himself to be influenced by someone who had a history of being untrustworthy.
When he looked up, he knew without even a word being spoken that his father felt the same way.
“You took his word without even talking to Katie? That’s not like you, son.” He sighed and there was a world of disappointment in the sound.
It settled over Bennett like a blanket, covering him in regret. There was nothing worse than feeling like he’d let down his father in some way. Well, maybe there was. Because spending the last week alone, without Katie around to lighten up the day, had been pretty miserable. The research he loved before seemed stifling without her cheerful interjections. Maybe it would have been better to stay in the dark about how it felt to be a part of a couple. He was happier before he knew.