“Forever’s a long time, sport. Do you like Adeline?”
He nodded. “Is she going to be my mommy?”
There was the manipulative question, except it was not really manipulative. More direct than that. His son’s young eyes met his with his innocent, heartfelt question.
“Let’s talk about that later, okay?” Jeremy said, glancing at Alastair’s amused face and then over to Adeline. He couldn’t tell what kind of reaction Jamie’s question elicited in her.
Alastair slapped his thighs. “Well, I’ll leave you alone now.” He stood.
“You don’t have to go so soon.”
“It’s getting late. You’re probably about to go home for a family dinner, aren’t you?”
Jeremy was sure he’d injected the word family on purpose. “That was the plan.” Adeline would meet here at the end of Jeremy’s workday and they’d drive home together. He wanted to be with her as much as possible, in case someone tried to hurt her again. And Jamie...
Alastair headed for the door with a greeting for Adeline.
“Think about going to Bluewood,” Jeremy said.
Alastair paused in the entry. “You know I’m more of a city man. I’m no cowboy. What’s there that would interest me?”
“Fresh air and horses. Get a flavor for Shadow Creek. You might take a liking to it. Besides, what else will you do while we wait for the investment briefings?”
“Work.”
“Precisely.” Jeremy put Jamie down and stood to get ready to leave. “You do too much of that. Stop working for a while. Relax. Go to Bluewood.”
“I’ll think about it.” He gave a salute and left.
Alastair worked hard and didn’t play hard enough. While Jeremy had always had hard work in common with his friend, he recognized the need for downtime. Maybe the difference was Jeremy had a son at home.
Jeremy began packing up his laptop while Jamie went over to Adeline and took her hand.
Tipping his head up at her, he asked, “Can we have pancakes for dinner?”
She smiled big. “We had pancakes for breakfast.”
“Why can’t we have them again?”
Adeline laughed lightly. “Because that’s too much syrup and chocolate for a boy your age. You need to grow into a strong young man and that’s done with a balanced diet.”
Jamie just stared up at her with a pouting lower lip.
* * *
That night, Adeline finished the last of a child’s memory game. With eight pictures on each card, the object was to match one image with the same on another card. So far Jeremy had beaten her and Jamie the most. He’d let Jamie win once, though, and Adeline had beaten him once. Right now. She tossed down her last card with a picture of a pair of glasses.
“I don’t like this game,” Jamie complained.
“It’s your bedtime, anyway,” Jeremy said, standing. “Come on. Let’s tuck you in.”
“I don’t wanna go to bed. I’m not tired.”
“Upstairs.” Jeremy lifted him up over his shoulder, letting his head dangle down on his back, pulling laughter from the boy.
Adeline followed, going upstairs and down the hall to Jamie’s bedroom, watching Jeremy swing Jamie down and back up again. In the room, he lay the boy on the bed. Already in his PJs, Jamie wiggled himself under the covers and Jeremy pulled the blankets up.
Adeline stayed in the doorway, watching as Jeremy read a little from a book. He didn’t have to read long. Jamie slipped into sweet sleep moments later. Jeremy kissed his son’s forehead and turned out the light.
Then he walked back toward her. Adeline felt the lightness of love mushroom inside her. Not for Jeremy. For Jamie. She couldn’t subdue the feeling. With her hand on the door frame, she left enough room for Jeremy to pass by. He did but stopped in the hall when she continued to look at Jamie. She couldn’t believe she’d created such an angel. She felt a strong bond to him, one that kept growing the longer she spent with him.
A sinking feeling chased the lightness away and logic took over. She was in this too deep. She had to get out of there, get away before it was too late.
Turning from the door and the sight of her precious son, she hurriedly walked past Jeremy toward her room. Compelled by rising panic, she retrieved her suitcase from the closet and put it on the bed, flipping the top open.
As she went to the dresser, she saw Jeremy in the doorway.
“Adeline?” he said, his voice full of concern.
He should be concerned. She brought handfuls of socks to her suitcase and dumped them inside. She could investigate from her own house.
She went back to the dresser. “Don’t try and stop me.” She opened another drawer and took out some jeans. Why had she packed so many clothes, anyway? Wishful thinking?
“What are you doing?” He came into the room as she carried the jeans to the suitcase.
He took her hand and she dropped the jeans. They landed haphazardly inside the luggage.
She looked at him. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what? Investigate Tess’s murder?”
“We don’t know if she was murdered yet.”
“I do.”
She pulled her hand away and went to get tops from the closet. Way too many clothes.
“Why are you packing? I don’t want you to leave. Tess’s accident...”
She hurried back to the suitcase. “Well, what you want isn’t important to me right now. I can’t stay here anymore. I can investigate Tess’s accident from my house. You and I can talk on the phone.”
He stood aside and watched her pack for a few seconds. A quick glance confirmed his perplexity.
Really? He didn’t get it? She turned from the luggage and put her hand on her hip.
“Jamie is my son, Jeremy.”
He stared at her blankly. She began to realize he hadn’t completely thought about that, not outside her being a surrogate and donor. He hadn’t thought of how she might feel spending time with her biological son. If he had, he must have blocked it out.
“I didn’t consider that when I hired you,” he finally admitted.
No, he’d thought of Jamie as his and Tess’s. That hurt. Now that she felt like Jamie’s mother all the way through her soul, she disliked the thought of any other woman posing as his mother. Tess hadn’t posed. Back then, she felt she’d done the right thing and Tess would make a wonderful mother. But now...now she wanted Jamie all to herself. And maybe... Jeremy, too. And that was just too dangerous.
“What were you thinking?” As soon as she asked, she regretted doing so. “Never mind.” She lowered her hand and returned to packing.
Jeremy took the handful of underwear from her and put it in the suitcase, which she found rather funny. He was trying to stop her from leaving and he’d just helped her pack her underwear.
He put his hands on her arms. “Adeline. I was thinking you were a private investigator and you were Jamie’s biological mother. I thought I’d give you a chance to see what a great kid he is and help me prove Livia killed Tess.”
She moved back from him, out of reach. “But you were married to Tess. You loved her. How could you bring me into your home and let me get close to Jamie?”
With that, Jeremy ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “Yeah. That part confuses me, too.” Rubbing his hand down his face, he looked at her as though what he were about to say would be difficult.
“What do you mean?” She had to know.
After a long hesitation, he finally said, “After Jamie was born, I kept thinking of you pregnant and then the way you looked at him when you held him for the first time. I never forgot that, even after Tess and I brought the baby home.”
Stunned he’d confessed such a thing, Adeline had to take time thinking it through. Was he
saying he’d had some kind of feelings for her when she was pregnant? Or had the idea of her pregnant with his child beguiled him? He’d had a complete family with Tess and Jamie. Maybe that had satisfied him until Tess died. Did he miss having a family unit? Mother, father, baby? By having Adeline in his house, did he get some kind of relief from his grief?
That made her even more apprehensive about staying. She wouldn’t stay and be a surrogate mother, not again.
“Don’t go,” he said.
“Why?” She still didn’t understand why he’d brought her into his home. “Why show me what a great kid he is when you know I’ll have to leave some day?”
“You gave him to me and Tess. You’re someone I can trust, and...” He hesitated. “And... I couldn’t stop remembering.”
Remembering her pregnant and never forgetting who Jamie’s biological mother was. On a subliminal level, he had desired to have her with him and Jamie. He did miss having a complete family.
“Can you see now why I have to leave?” she asked. “I can’t stay here and fill a void for you. I deserve more than that.”
After several seconds, he finally said, “I don’t want you to fill a void.”
“Then you see why I have to leave.”
“Yes, but I’m asking you not to.”
“I’m starting to have feelings for you and Jamie.” She had to be honest. “I don’t trust you with that. You’re still mourning Tess.”
He didn’t respond, which told her he could say nothing to reassure her, nor could he say he felt anything for her. She saw his confusion, which marginally made her feel better. He wasn’t 100 percent certain he had no feelings for her.
Was it guilt that held him back? Did he still have a sense of loyalty to Tess? Adeline felt his attraction to her, but attraction had little meaning on the surface. What lay deeper inside mattered most, but therein lay the problem. He couldn’t sort out what he felt deep inside. His only certainty was his loyalty to Tess, and the loss he felt. He needed closure, and who knew how long that would take?
“Stay,” he said.
“Aside from loving my son, that’s too much for me to handle,” she said.
“I’ll respect your space.”
Would he be able to do that? Their physical desire for each other might interfere.
“It’s too dangerous for you on your own.”
She smiled. “That’s part of my job.” She carried a gun. She could probably do a better job of protecting herself than he could.
“Then stay for me. I’ll go crazy worrying about you alone at night. The security here is good.”
He did have something of a point there. Her house didn’t have a security system. She needed more assurances, though.
“Will getting answers about Tess’s accident help you move on?” she asked.
“Yes.”
He sounded confident. Adeline felt a flicker of hope. If he could move on from Tess’s accident, he’d be free to open his heart to other women. They’d have a chance to test their physical attraction for each other. As the prospect of being with Jeremy expanded, she leashed in the temptation. A chance wasn’t enough for her. She wouldn’t take any chances on love anymore.
“I also can’t help thinking having you here is good for him. Even if you eventually have to go, his time with you is needed. Surely you’ve seen how he responds to you.”
Adeline agreed having a mother figure around did benefit Jamie. But taking that away in the end would cause him pain. Could she mitigate that? The sooner she solved Tess’s accident, the sooner she could go and therefore minimize the impact on Jamie. Despite the flimsy excuse that gave her, being a mother figure overruled. She could not turn away from that.
While logic and apprehension compelled her to finish packing, the promise of spending more time with Jamie prevented her. She had a chance to get to know him, the baby boy she gave birth to and held in her arms only once. She’d stayed away from him as much as possible that first year, and even after Tess died. Now she didn’t have to.
Her heart gave in.
She’d see this to the end. If something developed between her and Jeremy, she would have no regrets. She had a chance to be with her son. She’d risk anything for that.
Chapter 9
The next day, Jeremy couldn’t stop thinking about his talk with Adeline. When she’d told him she had feelings for him, he’d almost said he had some for her, too. The still fresh loss of Tess had prevented him. He’d known she had grown distant and he’d suspected she’d lapsed back into her addiction, but he had loved her. He’d been attracted to her from the day he’d met her. When he’d married her, he’d devoted himself to her for the rest of his life. He was not a straying man. He took marriage seriously. Maybe resolving his questions over her death would help him move on, but what did that mean? Move on to what? A life with Adeline? A bolt of desire struck him right that instant. Quickly following was guilt. He’d felt the same when Adeline was pregnant with Jamie. Guilty for having such inappropriate thoughts about a woman not his wife.
He wouldn’t betray Tess, even in death. Not until he was sure he was ready for someone new. Honestly and honorably. He’d built his corporation on integrity—and a lot of hard work and determination. Adeline had given Tess a baby, an invaluable gift. How could he start up an intimate relationship with Adeline? Right now he couldn’t. He had to bury Tess first. Once and for all. And he had to think of Jamie. Having Adeline around did help him, but too long would have adverse effects. What if Jamie started thinking of her as his mother?
“Sheriff Colton is here to see you.”
Jeremy looked up to see his assistant in the doorway.
Having caught him in the middle of his wandering thoughts, she eyed him peculiarly. “Are you okay?”
He wouldn’t even cogitate the answer to himself. “Send him in.”
“Also, Oscar isn’t in yet. No one’s heard from him all morning.”
With his marriage likely crumbling, that came as no surprise. “Thanks.”
Knox appeared in the doorway next. He entered the office and shut the door.
“A closed-door meeting?” Jeremy asked. Something must be up.
He stopped near Jeremy’s desk. “I’ve done some checking on Evan and Oscar. Oscar checks out but some interesting things came up from Evan’s background.” Taking a seat across from the desk, he adjusted his light-weather jacket as he got comfortable. “He’s had financial trouble since you fired him. I expected that, but what I didn’t expect is he’s running an escort service now.”
That gave Jeremy a jolt. “As in...prostitution?”
Knox’s mouth curved in a wry grin. “Disguised as a professional escort service. They don’t advertise sex, but you have to assume it’s offered. It isn’t illegal as long as the sex is consensual. Obviously, a hooker will consent. She just works under a different title.”
Jeremy recalled Evan had given Deputy Nicholson money. “Do you think he paid Rusty to protect any illegal activities going on in his business?”
“It’s possible. I’m keeping my eye on him but without proof we don’t have much.”
Jeremy and Adeline hadn’t recorded that transaction. Witnessing it might be enough if they came up with more evidence.
“There’s more.” Knox steepled his fingers together. “I’ve had both Oscar and Evan under surveillance. That woman Claudia saw with Oscar? Her name is Holly Bridgeport.”
“Holly...” Tess’s nemesis from high school?
Knox lowered his hands. “She’s seeing Evan, too.”
Seeing him? Both men were married and having an affair with the same woman. Jeremy whistled. Except, he wouldn’t call it an affair. A business relationship? An illegal relationship?
“I haven’t confirmed it yet, but I think she’s working for Ev
an.”
“As an escort?”
“In a word.”
“Tess’s high school nemesis became a prostitute?” Jeremy grunted with a brief laugh. “I’d have never seen that coming. How’d she end up doing that?”
“She was taken from her childhood home because her parents had addiction and abuse problems. Drinking. Prescription drugs. Dad knocked mom around and got himself arrested. Mom fell apart and checked into rehab. When that didn’t work, Holly was taken in by the state and adopted by a family when she was fourteen.”
That could be tough on a girl that age. How sad. She’d grown up with low self-esteem and then went to work as a prostitute. Had Tess known any of that? Jeremy doubted so, but she’d also kept her drinking from him for a long time.
“If she works for Evan, Oscar must be using his escort service.” Knox hadn’t confirmed it but clearly that’s what Oscar was doing.
“Yes.”
Jeremy had a good enough reason to fire him. Oscar wasn’t the man he thought he was. He presented an ethical picture, but that was only a picture. He couldn’t have men who paid for sex working for him. Aside from inappropriate behavior, his actions could detract from his performance at work and also could scar Jeremy’s reputation. That could cost him some business. But could he give Oscar a chance to clean up his act?
What if there had been more going on between Oscar and Tess? Had she learned of his scandalous behavior and threatened to tell his wife? Maybe focusing only on Livia was a mistake. And maybe Jeremy didn’t know his own wife as well as he’d thought.
“Maybe you’re looking in the wrong direction here.” Knox mirrored his thoughts. “Livia could have died in her accident. She might not have caused Tess’s. What if Oscar has a motive instead?”
“It is worth checking out,” Jeremy had to admit.
“Yes. Let’s not drop the Livia angle, though. Oscar and Tess might have had their time together before you married her, and she might have wanted to rekindle an old romance and met him for lunch that day, but maybe Oscar told the truth. He refused her and she left upset. She went for drinks and got in an accident on the way home.”
Mission--Colton Justice Page 10