Yeah, she was unique all right. No wonder she’d gotten to him. And there was the irony. She made him want to open up. “I’ve always done my best not to think about him,” Mike heard himself say.
“Rex,” she whispered.
“Yeah.” He rubbed his burning eyes with the back of one hand and thought about the judge’s words. “I can’t say I’m shocked that the guy who abandoned my mother and me was into something shady. At least he’s stayed out of our lives, and I’ve been grateful for that.”
Though sometimes, when he was younger, Mike had wished his real dad would come back and say he’d made a mistake, he’d never meant to leave, and Mike would have both Simon and Rex in his life. But then he’d grown up and realized that only a coward ran off on his commitments—like he’d run from Tiffany. He’d hurt her, but she hadn’t been pregnant, and he’d made his escape before things got any more out of hand.
By getting Ella pregnant, Rex had an obligation he’d ignored. Mike had vowed never to be like him, and after coming too damned close, he’d kept his promise by keeping women at arm’s length. He was better off without Rex Bransom anywhere in his life.
“But he’s got the answers you need,” Cara said, getting to the crux of the issue.
“Yeah.” And the thought of tracking Rex down after all these years turned Mike’s stomach.
“You could try talking to Simon again.”
He nodded. “I thought of that. But he already clammed up on Sam, and that means he must know something about the money in the evidence locker, or Rex, that he wants to keep to himself. And I don’t want him overstressed during his treatment.”
“You love him,” Cara said softly.
Mike couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah. He put up with me.” To Mike, that meant everything. “So what are my choices? Track down my wayward real father or harass a sick man for answers.” He blew out a breath in disgust.
Cara reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You aren’t in this alone.”
“I appreciate that, but yeah, I am.” He’d always been alone or felt that way.
“No, that’s in here.” She tapped his head. “You’ve got a family that loves you. They don’t consider you adopted or not one of them. Do you understand how lucky you are to have siblings? A mother you can go to? A father you love who will get through this?” Her voice cracked.
And he realized it was because she had none of those things. As shitty as his life felt at the moment, she was right. He had a support system, even if he didn’t always feel like he deserved them.
He lifted one long curl of her hair and twisted it around his hand. “You’re a pretty wise woman.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know about that. I just think I’m an honest one.”
He grinned. “Well, what you said about family? That’s given me an idea. Before I have to face looking for my old man, maybe I’ll ask my mother what she remembers about that time.”
Cara blinked, startled. “Your mother? Why?”
Mike narrowed his gaze. “Because she was around, she knew Rex and Simon, and maybe she can shed some light on things. I know she can handle talking about the past. She’s tough.” But Cara’s wide-eyed stare made him uneasy. “Any reason I shouldn’t ask?”
Cara looked out the window at the empty residential street ahead of them. “No. Of course not. You should talk to your mom. You’re right. She may remember things.”
“Good.” Talking to his mother would buy him time to come to terms with the fact that sooner or later he’d have to track down his father and face his past.
“Before I visit my mother, I’ll bring you home so you can get over to Havensbridge.”
“You’re going so soon?” she asked.
“Why put it off? Unless Dad’s awake and we aren’t alone. Then I’ll hang with him for a while and talk to her next time he goes to chemo on Monday.”
“Okay.”
He pulled the truck onto the street and headed back to Cara’s. The townhouse community where she lived was new, the units not too large or too small, the yards in the back private enough to keep all residents comfortable. He liked that she had a place of her own, away from the turmoil with her parents.
He parked in front of her condo. “I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow night for dinner with Ethan and Faith.”
“Oh! Right.”
He tugged on her ponytail. “Did you forget?”
She faced him with a sheepish grin. “Of course not! I just wasn’t thinking about it at the moment. And now that you reminded me…”
“What?”
“I need to go into town and buy something to wear.” She bit down on her lower lip, and he wanted to pull it into his mouth and nibble for himself.
“Don’t make yourself crazy. They’re old friends and they’re just like us. Ask Dare.”
“Okay, fine.” Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.” She turned and reached for the door.
“Cara, aren’t you forgetting something?”
She swiveled back to him. “What?”
He leaned over and cupped his hand behind her head, pulling her close. “This,” he said, sealing his lips over hers.
She moaned and responded immediately, opening her mouth and sliding her tongue against his. God, she was so damned responsive, easing the ache that had been present in his chest since Judge Baine’s outburst about Mike’s real father.
“I’ve got to go,” she murmured against his mouth. But she didn’t back away.
“You sure?” He licked at her already moist lips.
“No. Yes. Yes.” She sat up, blue eyes glazed, cheeks pink, ponytail messed from his hand.
He couldn’t tear his gaze from her pretty face.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she said, reaching for the door once more.
“Cara, when I bring you home tomorrow night, I’m staying over.”
“Is that a promise?” she asked, her eyes gleaming with desire.
He nodded. “Now go.”
She laughed before hopping out of the truck and running to her front door. He waited until she was safely inside before driving away.
Nine
Mike strode into his parents’ house with dread. A real case of need to know, don’t want to know. His mom had asked him to come on Saturday instead of Friday, so he’d put off any confrontation or discussion until today. Kojak greeted him in the foyer with yapping barks, and Mike scooped the little dog into his arms.
“Michael!” His mom met him in the den, ready with a hug and a kiss on his cheek.
“Hi, Mom.” He hugged her back.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
He smiled. “I’m glad I’m here too. It’s nice to see you more than every couple of months.”
“Really?” she asked, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
He leaned back against the comfortable sofa cushion and paused to think. Not because he wasn’t happy to be here but because he knew what she meant. Was he happy to be in Serendipity, living here and not in the city?
“I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would,” he admitted.
“The job? Or being here?” His mother was dressed in a chocolate-brown sweat suit, looking as sharp as ever, despite the tiredness drawing deeper lines in her beautiful face.
“Both,” he said easily. So far he had no signs of antsiness or wanting to leave the small town where he’d grown up.
“That’s good!” His mom sounded as surprised as he felt. “Does Cara have something to do with that?” she asked, leaning forward and pressing personal issues as only a mother could.
He grinned indulgently. “Have I ever discussed my private life with you?”
She laughed. “As long as she makes you happy,” Ella said, putting her own interpretation on his words.
The correct interpretation, but Mike wasn’t about to tell her that. She’d be pushing him for more than he was ready to think about or admit. For all he k
new, he’d wake up tomorrow needing the freedom of getting lost in Manhattan.
“Mom,” he said in a warning tone.
“Fine. Just so you know, your father and I approve. In case you were wondering.”
He wasn’t. He never had before. But a funny warmth spread through him now. Mike cleared his throat, reminding himself that he was here for a reason. “Where’s Dad?” he asked.
“Taking a nap. But he’s doing well with his treatments, and the doctor is really pleased.”
Mike let out a long breath. “I’m glad.”
“Me too. They say this exhaustion and weakness will go away after he finishes chemotherapy. I hope they’re right.”
“I’ve heard it takes a while for people to come back to themselves,” he cautioned her. “Some people are never quite the same.” He spoke gently, but wanted to prepare her.
She nodded, swallowing hard. “I know, honey. But I need to think positively to get through this and your father, and his will to live and get better…it’ll be fine.”
“I agree.” He sat forward, elbows on his knees. “Mom, I need to talk to you.”
“Of course. What is it?”
Mike broke into a sweat. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d broached the subject of Rex. Though he meant it when he’d told Cara his mother was strong, neither one of them would enjoy this talk.
Better to get it over with, he thought. “I have questions about Rex Bransom.”
The color leeched from her face.
Mike rose and was beside her in an instant. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting…”
“I know. But something’s come up from years ago, and there are things I need to ask you.”
She nodded slowly, color returning to her cheeks. “You can ask me anything, you know that.”
Assured she’d recovered from the shock, he returned to his seat on the couch. “Here’s the situation.” Mike explained everything: the mayor’s request to clean up corruption, how it had led to the evidence room and the money, and how he and Cara had ended up at Judge Baine’s house and the man’s Alzheimer’s-induced ranting. “But there’s truth to some of what he said. There has to be. At the very least, he linked himself to Rex and admitted holding out on Simon. And Dad—well, Sam tried to talk to him about that time right before he got sick and he shut down completely. Wouldn’t say a word.”
Ella rose and paced the room.
Mike let her absorb his information before asking, “Mom, was Rex involved in anything back then?”
She turned, but didn’t meet his gaze.
“Mom?”
“Look, back then I was so absorbed in being pregnant and Rex’s reaction and then his leaving…I’m telling you the truth.” She clenched and unclenched her hands. “But I can tell you this,” she said softly. “Rex liked a challenge; he skated on the edge.”
“Like me,” Mike muttered, more to himself than to her.
“You don’t skate on illegalities, Michael. There were good parts of Rex, and those are the things you inherited from him. Don’t do this to yourself.”
He shook his head, agreeing with her on some things, not on others. “So I’m back to where I started. Either I push Dad, which I can’t do while he’s so weak, or I find Rex and get the answers myself.”
His mother swayed on her feet.
Mike muttered a curse, rose, and wrapped his arms around her, leading her to the sofa. “Sit.”
She did as he instructed.
“I’m getting you something to drink. Hang on.” Mike went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of orange juice. “Here. Drink this.”
He sat next to his mother while she drained the glass.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry to do this to you now.”
She shook her head. “Work or not, you have every right to ask about your father.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, until she looked up at him. Reaching out, she touched his hair, running her fingers through the too-long strands in a motherly gesture he remembered from childhood. “You look so much like him, you know.”
He glanced away. He didn’t know. Wasn’t sure he wanted to.
“I’m sorry I didn’t keep any pictures. It was thoughtless of me, but I was young and I didn’t want Simon to think I still held a torch, you know?”
He nodded, not wanting to know the answer to that question either.
“So you want to find him?” his mother asked.
“Want to?” Mike let out a harsh laugh. “No. But I need to.”
“I’ve been in touch with him.”
The words came out so whisper soft he thought he heard wrong.
He whipped his head around and looked at his mother. “Say that again.”
“I’ve been in touch with Rex.”
Disbelief and a sense of betrayal ripped through him. When? How? “I thought he was MIA.”
His mother hung her head. “He was. And then a little while ago, he friended me on Facebook.”
“That’s why you got so upset at that family dinner. All that talk about Facebook and old flames.” He shook his head in disbelief. “What did he want?” Mike asked through clenched teeth.
“He was curious about you,” she whispered.
Pain lodged in his chest. “Too little, too late,” Mike muttered. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I couldn’t! Imagine how Simon would feel if he knew Rex was asking about his family. Especially while he’s in treatment.”
“What about me? What’s your excuse for keeping me in the dark?” he asked through the red haze of anger, hurt, and frustration that clouded his thoughts and his vision.
“This. Your anger at him. Your ambivalence about yourself. You’re so afraid you’re like him—I know you personalized that mess with Tiffany, though heaven knows that girl was a clinging vine. But now you’re home and you’re here…I didn’t want to jeopardize your peace of mind.” She closed her eyes, weariness and strain evident in her face and how she’d hunched her shoulders.
He reached out and pulled her close. “You should have told me,” he said, unable to stay furious at his mother.
“I know. Even Cara said so, but I didn’t listen.”
Mike froze. “Cara knows?”
His mother moaned. “Oh God. I’m sorry. That same night, we were talking about her parents, and I said I understood what it was like to doubt your choices. I didn’t plan on telling her, but I guess I needed someone to talk to because before I knew it, I had. And she said you should know, and I made her swear not to tell you.”
“Okay,” he said, to appease his mother.
Cara knew. He thought she understood him. Thought he could trust her in a way he’d trusted no other woman. Yet she’d sat with him at the judge’s house, listened to him say he needed to find the father he hated, and she’d known his mother was in touch with the man. And still she’d said nothing.
“Michael Marsden, don’t you dare be mad at Cara,” his mother said, shaking his shoulders. “I put her in an awful position.”
“Maybe.” But he was sleeping with the woman, revealing himself to her on all sorts of levels. She should have told him.
“Don’t worry about it,” he told his mother.
“You aren’t upset with her?”
“I’m seeing her for dinner tonight,” he said, evading the question.
“That’s not an answer.” His mother’s voice was stronger now. She’d composed herself and was back to her forceful self.
“It’s all I have at the moment.” He rose to his feet. “Where can I find him?” he asked of Rex.
She swallowed. “He’s in Nevada.”
“Vegas?” Mike asked.
His mother nodded.
“Figures,” Mike muttered.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, wringing her hands as she spoke.
He met his mother’s gaze and answered honestly. “I have no fuc
king idea.”
She blanched at his language, but she didn’t correct him, obviously knowing he deserved the outburst.
“I have to go.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Tell Dad I said hi.”
“Mike, please. Calm down and let’s talk again before you do anything.”
He wasn’t making any promises. “I love you,” he said, before walking out the door and into the cold sunshine and bright light of day.
He was numb. Angry. Hurt. Pissed. And he had to work it all out before he picked up Cara tonight and took her out with old friends. Or the night he’d been looking forward to was going to end up being a nightmare instead.
Cara was more excited about dinner than she let herself admit. But before she could focus, she needed to do some grocery shopping because her fridge was empty. She pushed a cart up and down the aisle in the Food Mart, following the list she’d made. She often cooked on Sunday, freezing some meals for the week, so she stocked up on both basics and snack foods.
As she turned into the last aisle, she paused the cart by the milk, looked up, and saw her mother standing with a small basket in her hand, studying the orange juice.
“Mom!” Cara said, before she could think through that she’d been avoiding her.
Natalie Hartley glanced up. “Cara!” She strode over and hugged Cara, her pleasure in seeing her daughter obvious.
Despite Cara’s frustrations with how her mother chose to live her life, Cara adored her and missed her like crazy. She tried hard not to let herself think too hard about how much—or she ended up sad and melancholy. The holidays were especially hard. Cara often ended up at the Marsdens’ or with Alexa and her dad, instead of being with her own parents.
“How are you?” Cara asked, inhaling the floral, fragrant scent she associated with the better parts of her childhood.
“Fine.” Her mother’s gaze darted to the left and right before focusing on Cara. “What about you? Are you well? Happy?”
Cara swallowed the painful lump in her throat. “He’s here, isn’t he?”
Her mother couldn’t even go to the grocery store by herself. She was surprised he’d left her alone in an aisle. “He went to pick up soda we forgot. Talk to me quick, before he comes back. Are you well, honey?”
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