Sunlight crept through the blinds, weaving a pattern over the white cotton coverlet and metal bars of the hospital bed. Katherine leaned forward, watching Paul intently, as she had since the moment they'd brought him into the room.
He had passed the first crucial hours in intensive care. Just before dawn, they'd wheeled him into a private room in the critical-care unit. Katherine hadn't left his side since. The nurses frequently checked on him, and he was hooked up to an impressive monitoring system. But Katherine wanted to make certain that nothing was missed. She didn't have to worry about Dustin, knowing that Jessica would be especially tender with him after the traumatic incident.
Paul was so still, Katherine thought as she rose to stand next to the bed. So terribly still. Even when the nurses checked him, he didn't move. She had tamped down her own restlessness, her need to do something, anything, to help him. Instead, she waited and watched … and hoped and prayed.
But he hadn't moved. His eyelids remained closed.
What if she never had a chance to tell him how she felt? How important he was to her? Overcome with sadness, she closed her own eyes.
"Katherine?" Paul's weak whisper reached her.
At first she thought she'd imagined the sound. "Paul?" she asked shakily.
"It's me, funny face."
Unable to stem her tears, she turned away. Within moments she felt a tentative touch. Amazed, she looked down to see Paul's hand on her own. Lacing her fingers with his, Katherine lifted his hand to her mouth, kissing his fingers gently.
"I thought I'd lost you," she told him. "I was so scared."
"Wishful thinking," he teased weakly.
She gripped his hand. "Don't even joke about it. I've been so stupid. I know now you did what you had to – because you loved Matthew. Before, I couldn't see past how this affected me. I never considered what it had done to you, how hurt you were. I shouldn't have—"
"Hey," he interrupted gently. "Does this mean you forgive me for impersonating Matthew?"
She nodded. "I think we're beyond that."
"I know I hurt you and I'm sorry I ever came up with such a lamebrain idea. All I ask is a chance to show you how much I love you."
Tears shimmered in her eyes. "How could you ever show me more than you already have? You gave me the life of my child." Katherine trembled, knowing she had so much more to tell him. "You gave me a kind of love I'd never known before." She met his eyes, wanting to be certain he understood. "And you made me love you in a way I didn't know was even possible." Her dark hair fell against his chest and draped over his arms as she bent close to him, her body shaking with sobs.
His fingers grasped a silky curl. "You're sure I'm still alive, funny face?"
She lifted her head, frightened that she'd caused a setback. "I'm sure. Do you need a nurse or a doctor? Or—"
"All I need is you, Katherine." His hand rested gently on her cheek. "Just you."
* * *
Away from the breaking surf of the rugged shoreline, shell-topped roads wound through the lush inland countryside. Sparsely populated, the land was filled with tupelo trees and gloriously flowering camellias. Honeysuckle vines wound mysteriously around the trunks of saw palmetto trees, and Spanish moss draped the wild arbor. The late-afternoon sun poked through the leafy canopies, hinting at the beauty of the approaching sunset. As the road curved, it opened suddenly onto a long avenue of ancient towering oaks.
The trees, planted centuries earlier by a young man for his bride-to-be, created a passage as exquisite as the home they led to. Aged pink brick, flanked by ivory pillars, soared upward with unassuming grace. It might have been a touch of whimsy, but the chandelier seemed to sparkle in unprecedented fashion, as did the leaded windows leading into the marble entryway. The house reeked of romance, even mystery.
Rose Plantation. It was the house Katherine loved. Sounds of laughter resounded gently off dusky-pink walls. Sounds from people she loved.
Standing next to the wedding cake she'd designed and created, Katherine met the eyes of her groom. The man she loved.
For a moment she wondered if this was all a dream. Paul stood so tall and straight. So very strong. For weeks after the shooting, she had been terrified, wondering if the bullet that had nicked his spine had ended those days. But his determination to recover was as strong as the rest of him.
Katherine thought briefly of the past few weeks. It had been a time of harrowing discoveries, sadness and joy. They learned that Rod had fed the information to the Falgettis, which had allowed the criminals to place a temp at the reception.
To his dubious credit, Rod had ignorantly believed they were competitors, not killers, and he seemed genuinely horrified to learn what he'd been drawn into. He thought he was selling corporate secrets, not helping set up a murder. Paul had agreed that many people unknowingly involved themselves with the mob. Rod wasn't the first, but it was the most personal.
Jessica had been devastated to learn that her association with Rod, and her key to the building, had been used in such a terrible way. She had stumbled through apologies to both Katherine and Paul. Katherine assured her that nothing would ever destroy their precious friendship. Paul, in his strong quiet way, had been equally generous, enfolding Jessica in a hug and telling her that her friendship was the only key they cared about.
And John had helped the healing process. The night the Falgettis snatched Jessica and the children had been a wake-up call for all of them. To Katherine's delight, John had revealed his growing feelings for Jessica.
Now, looking at their maid of honor and best man, dancing closely with eyes only for each other, Katherine believed Jessica and John's wedding would be next. It was better than the dream Jessica had wished for. This was reality, one that wouldn't vanish.
Katherine's gaze skipped over to her son, who was being watched by Jessica's mother. Dustin was dressed in a miniature tux exactly like Paul's for his role as ring bearer. Not wanting to exclude Brian, Paul had suggested they forgo the traditional flower girl. Instead, Brian, also dressed in a tux, had walked down the aisle with a second pillow. Each boy carried one of the rings. The small duo had charmed the guests.
"If you keep smiling, your face is going to freeze like that," Paul teased, slipping an arm around Katherine's waist.
Her smile widened. "That bad?"
"Damn near giddy," he replied, nuzzling her neck.
She shivered in anticipation as his breath warmed her bare shoulder. "I think I like giddy."
His lips trailed across her collarbone, pausing at the hollow of her throat. Her pulse gave an erratic leap. "Paul."
His eyes met hers. "I'm not Elliott to you anymore, am I?"
"I'm not sure you ever were. Some part of me knew almost from the start."
His gaze drifted over her upswept hair. She had dispatched with the traditional headdress, opting to weave pearls through her hair, along with two flawless gardenias. A few defiant curls escaped. She was so damned beautiful it made him hurt. He knew it was time to give her his wedding gift.
He took her hands. "I tried to think of something to give you today, a gift that would let you know how much I cherish you. I searched, but there weren't any jewels to compete with the ones in your eyes." He paused. "And nothing could compare to the sweetness in your soul." Paul tightened his clasp on her hands. "And I couldn't wrap what I settled on."
"Which is?"
"A full-time husband and father." As her expression became faintly puzzled, he smiled. "I'm leaving the CIA. It's no life for a family man. It's not the kind of life I want to give you and Dustin."
Tears of joy shimmered in her eyes. "I have something special I was saving for you, too."
"You've already given me everything I could ever ask for," he replied.
"Maybe not quite everything," she told him, gratitude and love rolling through her. "I'm glad you want to be a full-time father, because our family's growing."
"Growing?" Realization dawned. "You mean…"
"Yes!" she cried. "
And I'm almost certain it's a boy."
Their eyes met. Together they said the name. "Matthew."
Paul swallowed, the mix of emotions overpowering him. "It almost doesn't seem right that I'm so happy."
The ghosts of remembrance lingered between them. And Katherine smiled softly. "He'll be with us in our hearts always."
Their lips met in a gentle promise – a promise of joy, to be carried along into their forever.
* * * *
THE WRONG BROTHER Page 20