A Man for Mom

by Gina Ferris Wilkins

  The kitchen table was already set for two. The morning paper rested beside one of the plates. Seth pushed it aside, uninterested in anything that wasn’t taking place in Rachel’s kitchen. Deciding to let her make the next overture, he sipped his coffee and watched her while she cooked the waffles.

  The silence in the room must have bothered her. She cleared her throat and asked, “Did you sleep well?”

  “For the most part. Did you?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  She was lying. Seth could tell by looking at her heavy-lidded eyes that she hadn’t slept particularly well at all. Had she lain awake worrying about the major step forward they’d taken in their relationship? About his expectations for the future? Had she thought about her late husband? Even worse, had she felt any regrets?

  Rachel slid a well-filled plate in front of Seth and set another at the other place. Seth waited until her hands were free, then caught her wrist and tugged. She blinked in surprise when she found herself suddenly sitting on his knee. He kissed her before she had a chance to comment. He was pleased when her mouth automatically softened beneath his, when her lips moved to return the kiss.

  “Good morning,” he said, smiling when he finally lifted his head.

  Rachel’s answering smile was a bit tremulous. “I thought we’d already said that.”

  “This way is much nicer,” he assured her, brushing another kiss across her lips. And then he lifted a hand to touch the colorful bruise on the right side of her face. “Does it hurt?”

  “It’s sore,” she answered honestly. “But not too badly.”

  “And the other bruises?”

  “The same.”

  He stroked his thumb slowly across her lower lip, his gaze focused on her unpainted mouth. “Any other discomfort this morning? From, er, I mean, I know it’s been a long time for you...”

  Her cheeks pinkened beneath the bruises. “No, I’m—I’m fine.” She sounded embarrassed by the question.

  “No regrets?” He kept his voice light, his gaze on her mouth. He didn’t want her to see quite how important her answer was to him.

  Her lips trembled a moment, but her voice was steady. “No. No regrets.”

  He looked up, meeting her eyes, searching for equivocations. He found none. He let out a small breath of relief. “I’m glad,” he told her simply.

  She held his gaze for another moment, then glanced away. “Your waffles are getting cold.”

  He didn’t try to hold her when she slipped off his knee. He was satisfied with what he’d accomplished while she’d been there.

  “Do you want syrup, honey, powdered sugar or strawberries to top your waffles?” she asked, opening the refrigerator door.

  He chuckled at the extent of the choices. “I’d call this a full-service place.”

  She laughed softly and threw him a teasing glance over her shoulder. “You just remember that when it’s time to leave a tip.”

  “You can count on it,” he promised her gruffly. God, he loved it when she laughed with him. Her whole face brightened with her smiles.

  There was no longer any doubt in his mind that he loved her. Or that she had the power to break his heart.

  “The strawberries sound good,” he said, refusing to dwell on any negative thoughts during this rare time alone with Rachel.

  He made a special effort to keep her smiling during breakfast, and was quite proud of his results. As long as he kept her thoughts off the recent developments between the two of them, Rachel was easy enough to amuse. She loved talking about her children, and she soon had him chuckling with funny stories about things one or the other had said or done.

  Seth didn’t mind hearing about her children. Far from it, he thought indulgently; he was crazy about her kids. He had already accepted their place in his future. He’d even begun to wonder if Rachel might be interested in having another one or two. It might be nice.

  Not that he’d mind if she didn’t want more children. Paige and Aaron were great kids, and he’d be proud to claim them, once he convinced their mother that the four of them belonged together.

  He didn’t even attempt to share those particular thoughts with Rachel. He was well aware that her smile would vanish in an instant if he started talking about the possibility of making babies with her. She still couldn’t even bring herself to talk about last night without panic.

  The telephone started ringing almost immediately after they’d finished their breakfast. Seth hadn’t realized Rachel knew quite so many people in town, though he supposed he should have. She’d lived there almost all her life, after all, and was an established member of the business community. The Percy grapevine had been very active that morning. Everyone wanted to know if it was true that Rachel had been attacked by a former employee at her place of business.

  “You have to admit some of the stories have been interesting,” Rachel said wearily, after about the twentieth call. “The last rumor had it that I shot and killed Holder as he was advancing on me with a bowie knife. I don’t know what made anyone think I actually keep a gun at my office.”

  “Rachel, you’re worn-out,” Seth scolded gently, study- ing the smudges beneath her eyes. “Why don’t you put the answering machine on and get some rest?”

  She shook her head. “I’m afraid one of my friends will be worried if I don’t answer. I’m perfectly capable of answering the phone, Seth.”

  “Then you take a nap and I’ll handle the calls.”

  She rolled her eyes at that. “And wouldn’t that start the rumors flying!”

  “I don’t care.”

  “I do.”

  He sighed.

  The doorbell chimed just as the telephone rang yet again. Rachel looked torn.

  “I’ll get the door, you answer the phone,” Seth said, nudging her toward the den extension.

  She bit her lip but reached for the phone when it rang again. Seth opened the door without checking to see who was on the other side.

  Celia Carson smiled when she saw him. “I rather expected to find you here,” she commented. “Did you stay the night?”

  He didn’t quite know how to answer. What would Rachel want him to say?

  Celia laughed. “Never mind. I think you’ve already given me an answer. And I have to tell you I’m delighted.”

  “Your sister’s going to kill me,” he muttered resignedly, standing aside to let Celia in.

  “Don’t worry about it. She talks a tough game, but she’s really a marshmallow,” Celia assured him rather obscurely. “Oh, there you are,” she added when Rachel appeared. “What—”

  She suddenly gasped. “Oh, Rachel. Your poor face,” she wailed, clutching her sister’s arm. “Oh, I could kill that man!”

  Seth shook his head. Rachel’s siblings apparently harbored surprisingly violent impulses behind those laughing blue eyes. “You’re going to have to get in line behind your brother,” he told her. “And probably some guy named Vinnie.”

  Celia and Rachel both looked at him blankly. “Vinnie?” Rachel repeated.

  “Cody says Adam will probably hire a Vinnie to take care of Holder for you,” Seth explained.

  Rachel groaned. “I do not want Adam told about this,” she said fiercely. “If he finds out—”

  Celia cleared her throat and tried to look innocent.

  Rachel glared at her younger sister. “You’ve already told him, haven’t you?”

  “I called him this morning, right after I talked to Mom and Dad and Gran. I didn’t want them to hear about it from a stranger or in the newspaper or something,” Celia answered hastily. “Mom would have been hysterical if I hadn’t called to assure her that you’re all right. And you know how Adam gets.”

  “Yes, I know how he gets. That’s why I didn’t want him to know,” Rachel said crossly. “He’ll probably try to have Holder executed or something. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to have me hospitalized for my bruises.”

  Celia giggled. “Maybe he’ll offer to ‘do yo
ur face’ for you. You know, a little nip here, a little tuck there...” She bit back the rest when Rachel only glared at her again.

  “I take it Adam’s a bit overprotective of his family,” Seth commented, remembering what Cody had said the night before.

  “You can say that again,” Celia said fervently. “And he fully expects everyone to do what he says when he starts giving orders. It’s the way he was raised, I guess. His father died when he was very young, and his mother is a—”

  “Celia,” Rachel warned quickly.

  “I was only going to say that his mother is practically a helpless invalid,” Celia retorted. And then she made a face. “Or at least, she pretends that she is. Really, she’s just lazy and overdemanding and I can’t imagine why Adam continues to put up with her, myself, but—”

  “Celia, would you like a cup of coffee or something?” Rachel interjected determinedly, making Seth smile at her exasperated expression.

  Celia nodded. “Yeah, a soda sounds good. I’ll get it. You sit down and rest. You probably didn’t get much sleep last night,” she added over her shoulder.

  Rachel immediately turned on Seth. “What did she mean by that?“ she demanded.

  “I haven’t the faintest idea,” he soothed her. “To be honest, I’m never quite sure what Celia means.”

  Looking only slightly mollified, Rachel nodded. “A common enough problem,” she agreed. “You didn’t tell her that you—that we...er...”

  “I didn’t tell her anything,” Seth replied. He didn’t add that Celia had formed her own, quite accurate conclusions. He was sure Rachel would find that out soon enough.

  “The kids were really good last night, Rach. And they were looking forward to seeing the movie with Cody. He said he’d have them home at around three,” Celia said as she rejoined them with a diet soda can clasped loosely in one hand.

  Celia was wearing a green knit sweater that came almost to her knees, along with a pair of black stirrup pants and several long strands of colored beads. Her near-black hair fell in a shaggy mane to her shoulders, not quite hiding the huge earrings that dangled against her neck, and her blue eyes were dramatically enhanced with makeup. Seth thought again of how different Rachel and her sister were, and yet the bond between them was obviously a strong one.

  “Did the children ask why they were spending the night with you? What did you tell them?” Rachel asked Celia.

  “I told them you’d had a little trouble at the office,” Celia reassured her. “I didn’t give them any details, and that seemed to be enough to satisfy them. You can tell them whatever you want them to know when Cody brings them home.”

  “I’ll have to tell them the truth, of course. Or at least part of it. The way the rumors are flying around town, they’ll probably hear it from their friends at school if not from me.”

  “They’d want to know what happened to your face, anyway,” Seth noted.

  Rachel sighed. “I know. I’ll think of some way to tell them about it without frightening them.”

  “They can handle it, Rach,” Celia insisted. “They’re very mature for their ages. They were really cute at the mall last night.”

  “The mall?” Rachel repeated.

  “Yeah. I took them shopping. Well, they had to have something to sleep in.” Celia defended herself quickly before Rachel could chide her. “And you couldn’t expect them to wear the same clothes two days in a row.”

  “I hope you didn’t overdo it,” Rachel said fretfully.

  “Just pajamas and one casual outfit each,” Celia informed. “And new toothbrushes, of course. It was really fun. You know how I love shopping for your kids.”

  “You just love to shop,” Rachel retorted, though she was smiling now.

  Celia had to agree. She looked at Seth with a smile. “You should’ve seen Aaron choosing his new clothes. As much thought as he put into it, you’d have thought he would be modeling them for the cover of GQ.“

  “A little clotheshorse, eh?” Seth grinned. He liked sharp-looking clothes, himself. Nice to know he and the kid had a few things in common besides a mutual respect for video games.

  “Yeah. And he hates the color yellow with a passion. Even a yellow thread makes him shudder.”

  Seth laughed. Rachel smiled in response to Celia’s teasing about her son’s pronounced tastes. Seth was glad she was smiling again. Now if only Celia didn’t say anything to—

  “Yes, I really enjoyed having the kids stay over,” Celia commented cheerfully. “Tell me, Rachel, did you do anything special last night? I would hate to think you wasted a whole night’s worth of free baby-sitting.”

  Rachel’s face flamed. Her smile disintegrated.

  His own cheeks warm, Seth could willingly have spanked Celia Carson. Maybe that was something that should have been done more often in her childhood, he mused half-seriously.

  Celia was laughing at their expressions. She patted Rachel’s arm. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist teasing you. Especially after all the lectures I’ve had about Damien Alexander during the past few months,” she added archly.

  Seth’s eyebrow rose. Damien Alexander? Could Celia possibly be talking about the racy hotelier who so often made the scandal sheets with his high-rolling life-style?

  “That is an entirely different situation,” Rachel insisted. “You and Damien are—and Seth and I aren’t—”

  Both Celia and Seth waited with interest for Rachel to untangle the sentence.

  Seth and I aren’t...what? he wanted to ask. Lovers? Oh, yes, we are. Serious? One of us most definitely is. What were you going to say, Rachel?

  But whatever it was, Rachel bit the words back, shook her head and lifted her chin. “There’s the phone again,” she said when the instrument gave another demanding buzz. “I’ll get it. Seth, there’s no need for you to hang around now if you have other things to do this morning. Celia can give me a hand around here.”

  “I’ll get the phone,” Celia said quickly, maybe in response to Seth’s suddenly narrowed eyes. “You two go ahead and, um, talk.”

  “Was that intended as a dismissal?” Seth asked the moment Celia left the room to take the call in the kitchen.

  Rachel crossed her arms at her waist and rubbed her forearms through her thick sweater. “Of course not,” she said, though she didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I just didn’t want you to feel obligated to hang around when I know there must be things you need to do.”

  “I haven’t felt obligated to hang around,” Seth repeated clearly. “I’ve been here because I wanted to be with you. And because I thought you were enjoying our time together, as well.”

  She moistened her lips but still didn’t look at him. “Seth, I—”

  He waited.

  She drew a deep breath. What was she going to say that seemed to take such courage?

  “Seth,” she began again. “I think we should slow down.”

  Slow down? “I beg your pardon?” he asked politely.

  She twisted her hands more tightly into the sleeves of her sweater. “We...um...moved too quickly last night. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, really, just a combination of a lot of things, but I’m not ready...it isn’t time... I don’t have time for a, er, an affair...or anything—”

  He’d lost all sympathy for her awkward embarrassment, as well as any patience he might have managed earlier. He took a step forward and caught her forearms in his own hands, pulling her toward him with a little jerk. His face was very close to hers when he said, “Make time.”

  “But—”

  “This isn’t an affair, Rachel. This is a courtship. And you might as well accept that it isn’t going to progress exactly according to your careful time schedule. There are two of us involved here, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  “But—”

  “I’ve been pretty damned patient until now. I haven’t pushed you—well, not as much as I wanted to—and I’ve tried to understand your fears and reservations. But last night changed things, Rachel. Last nigh
t we made a commitment, whether you want to admit it or not. And unless you can look me in the eye right now and tell me you aren’t the least interested in ever making love with me again, I’m holding you to that commitment.”

  “But, Seth, I—”

  He was on a roll, his emotions too raw, too urgent to permit argument. “I won’t expect you to flaunt our relationship in front of your family, your children or your friends. I respect your reputation and your responsibilities. But we have a relationship, and it’s about time you started admitting it. You can begin by admitting it to yourself.”

  “Seth, you—”

  He smothered whatever she would have said beneath a firm I-think-I’ve-made-myself-clear kiss. And then he released her as abruptly as he’d taken hold of her.

  “I’ll leave now and let you think about what I’ve said,” he announced, deliberately cool. “If you’re ready to get on with this thing without all these hot-and-cold games, you know where to find me.”

  She planted her fists on her hips, spread her feet and took a deep breath, obviously ready to tear into him with all the temper now sparking in her shadowed dark eyes. Seth didn’t give her a chance. Ignoring her sputtering, he headed for the front door, jerked it open and moved to step through it. He paused on the threshold to look back over his shoulder.

  Taking one last, calculated risk, he said, “And by the way, Rachel. I love you.”

  He didn’t take another complete breath until he was in his car and headed toward his own home. He spent most of that short trip castigating himself for being an impulsive fool and probably ruining everything.

  Damn, but this love business was enough to make a man beat his head against a wall!

  * * *

  Her mouth open, Rachel stared blankly at her front door, which had just closed so sharply behind Seth. Her fists fell limply to her sides. Had he just said—?

  Suddenly aware that she wasn’t alone, she looked toward the doorway to the kitchen and found Celia standing there looking as bemused as Rachel felt. Celia, too, was staring at the front door. How much of that bizarre exchange had she overheard?