by Jane Slate
After three rings, by the grace of god, Stella answered. Trig appeared momentarily surprised, but was quick to speak up.
“Hey baby it’s me. Listen, I really miss you...”
Stella interrupted him. Kade strained to hear what she was saying but it was useless.
“I know, I know. It’s just I really would love to see you and Beth,” Trig continued.
“No I ain’t drunk sweetie. I promise.”
Well...that was a lie.
Still, Kade couldn’t have been more grateful for what Trig was doing. He watched as he fell silent, waiting for Stella’s response. Finally, he sat up a little straighter and shot Kade a smile.
“Tonight is great. See you then baby.”
He hung up the phone then, stuffing it back in his pocket and pointing to Kade.
“You owe me one, kid.”
Kade smiled. He stood up, bending to pull Trig into a hug, but he remained stiff and relented, waving a hand to a game of chess on the coffee table in front of him.
“You know how to play?” he questioned, looking down at his watch.
“We got a couple hours to kill before they get here. A good game of chess always helps me sober up.”
Kade nodded and slid back down into his spot on the couch.
“Kind of. I mean...I know the basics anyway.”
Trig nodded.
“Well, it’s pretty easy. It’s just about strategy. Every action has an affect...”
He looked up at Kade.
“Kind of like with life if you want to get symbolic.”
Kade chuckled and cracked his fingers. For a bitter old drunk...Trig sure did have a lot of wisdom.
Chapter Thirteen
Stella arrived at her father’s house at 5 P.M. on the dot with a pep in her step and her daughter wrapped around her back. She was finally going to do it. She was going to tell the man who had given her so much turmoil growing up that she didn’t want anything to do with him.
Better late than never.
“Honey, that’s too tight for mommy,” Stella said, reaching up to loosen her daughters grip on her neck.
Piggyback rides were Beth’s favorite thing, but for a five year old, she was pretty heavy. Not to mention strong.
Stella climbed Trig’s creaking front steps and entered his house without knocking. She was taken aback immediately by Kade’s presence.
Figured.
How had she missed his bike outside?
“Grandpa!” Beth squealed, running into her father’s arms.
Trig flashed both girls a smile and welcome his granddaughters bouncing body onto his. She pounced onto him, pressing sweet kisses against his flesh. Then, she pulled away and scrunched her nose, poking him in the chest.
“Ew grandpa! You stink!”
Stella sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. Trig chuckled and stood up, pulling his daughter into a reluctant hug.
“Trig,” she said evenly, avoiding formalities and stepping away from him.
She nodded at Kade, whose eyes were glued to his daughter. She was every bit as breathtaking as he had imagined.
“Want to tell me what this is about?”
Beth examined Kade, sinking into her grandfathers overstuffed armchair.
“Who is that grandpa?” she questioned, pointing at Kade.
Stella and Kade exchanged an unsure glance. Kade started to speak but Trig was quick to interrupt.
“Honey,” he said, bending down so that he was eye level with his granddaughter.
“How about you and I go feed the birds outside while your momma and...”
Trig paused. Kade fidgeted. Stella sucked in a deep breath.
“Her friend talk for a few minutes,” Trig finished.
Beth stood up happily. Trig offered his back to her and she climbed on. Moments later, the front door slammed shut, leaving Kade and Stella alone in each other’s presence for the second time since she had returned to Falls Creek.
Stella shifted on her feet.
“What are you doing here?”
Her tone was dry and void of any emotion but there was a flash of something in her expression. Something Kade couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“I wanted to see her.”
Kade nodded in Stella’s direction. Motherhood befitted her in a beautiful way.
“I wanted to see you.”
Stella was quiet.
Kade studied her as memories of their brief time together came flooding back to him all at once. The scent of her favorite perfume. The way she rung her hair dry after a shower and only ever styled it when it was wet. The gentle touch of her hands. All of it came back with an intensity Kade wasn’t prepared for. He felt his eyes sting and told himself to man up. Tears weren’t what she needed.
“She’s really beautiful,” Kade spoke up, nodding at the window.
Stella followed his gaze. Trig and Beth were in a patch of matted grass throwing pieces of stale bread at a few lone birds. It was only March. Winter had barely come to a close. But Stella appreciated her father’s efforts to distract Beth, even if this situation was one he had a hand in causing.
“I told you I didn’t want you coming around,” Stella said evenly, changing the subject.
“What was so hard to understand about that Kade?”
Kade stood up and took a step forward. Stella started to back away from him but he reached for and lightly grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
“Mel and I are over,” he whispered.
“We were just lonely. We latched onto each other but it wasn’t love. I just...I was trying to forget you. I thought marrying Mel would help me do that...”
Kade swallowed down a lump in his throat.
What he didn’t say was that he could never forget her. Even if he had made the jump and married Mel, there would always be a part of him that would have wondered what could have come with Stella. And he couldn’t do that to Mel. She deserved a husband that loved her. Not one that had settled for her.
“She’s my kid,” Kade continued, nodding out the window at Beth.
“I’m sorry but you can’t make me stay away Stella. Not this time. I want to be a part of her life.”
Kade swallowed hard.
“A part of your life.”
Stella met eyes with Kade. She tried to find the right words to describe what she was feeling but she came up empty handed. He always did have a way of making her feel miniscule in his presence. But that didn’t change the fact that they weren’t meant for each other.
Not by a long shot.
Stella snatched her arm from Kade’s grasp and stumbled slightly.
“She’s not your kid,” she whispered hotly.
“She’s mine.”
Kade tensed his jaw and looked away.
“Last I checked, I gave birth to her. I breast-fed her. I changed her shitty diapers. I stayed up with her all night when she had the flu. I put ointment on her chicken pox’s. I wrapped her presents from Santa Clause and hid her Easter baskets. I did it all.”
The next words that left her mouth were cruel but there was no stopping them.
“You’re just the sperm donor.”
Before Kade could speak the front door opened and Beth ran inside with Trig in tow.
“Beth! Come back here baby! Your momma is busy right now!”
But it was too late. Beth rushed into the living room breathless and frantic and tugged on Stella’s dress.
“Mommy! We saw a groundhog!”
Stella looked away from Kade and turned her attention over to her daughter, bending down so that she was eye level with her.
Beth had been unofficially diagnosed as a high functioning child but she wasn’t on the Autism spectrum, which Stella had worried about for a long time. Attention Deficit Disorder seemed like the more likely culprit, but the Child Behaviorist Stella had taken Beth to in New York had said that it would be a few more years before an official diagnosis could be made.
Until then, all Stell
a could do was diffuse Beth’s high-anxiety moments as best as possible before they turned into full-blown tantrums.
Stella tucked a strand of Beth’s hair behind her ear and smiled at her.
“That’s great sweetie. But grandpa is right. Mommy is having an adult conversation. Go be a good girl and play. We’ll get some pizza on the way home. My treat.”
Pizza.
It was one of the only things that ever seemed to work when it came to bribing Beth into obedience. She relented and followed Trig back outside, but not before turning around to look at Kade.
“Look,” Stella spoke up when Beth was out of earshot, getting right to the point.
“I’ll think about letting you see her every now and then.”
“But you and I are over, Kade. Why don’t you just respect that?”
With that, she turned on her heels and walked outside.
Chapter Fourteen
The next day, after dropping Beth off at daycare bright and early, Stella arrived to work with a few minutes to spare before her shift started. Anna was waiting for her at her station. When she saw Stella approach she jumped to life.
“Stella!” she breathed.
Excitement was etched across her face.
“Someone left these for you.”
Stella frowned, not immediately registering what she was talking about. Then she noticed the bouquet of white roses perched on her desk.
They were beautiful...
“Here!” Anna said, handing Stella a card.
“Open it!”
Stella plucked the card from her hands but hesitated before opening it.
She had a pretty good idea as to who her secret admirer was but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to take the leap and find out.
“Go on!” Anna urged.
Stella sucked in a sharp breath and unfolded the piece of cardboard, flushing as she read the message inside.
Stella, I would love to get to know you. Maybe you can join me for dinner tonight? No pressure. – xo Patrick
“So?” Anna questioned, leaning forward.
“Who is it from?”
Stella glanced up at her and shoved the note into her jacket pocket with a shrug.
“Uh, no one.”
She didn’t want to hurt Anna by revealing the truth of her secret admirer’s identity.
“Just this guy I met at a bar a couple nights ago.”
Anna bought it and walked off to assist a patient at the beckoning of her supervisor. Stella waved goodbye to her and lifted the flowers from her desk, giving them a sniff. She wasn’t sure if she would accept Patrick’s offer, but the gesture was sweet nonetheless.
Stella rubbed her temples.
After returning to Falls Creek, some small part of her had always imagined that she would end up right where she had been when she first left—back in Kade’s grasp. But he was getting married now, to Mel nonetheless, and those days had long since passed.
Stella sighed and felt around in her pocket for Patrick’s note, giving it another read. Beneath his message he had scrawled his cell phone number and the address of a restaurant.
Maybe this was the change she needed.
With a newfound pep in her step at the prospect of courting a wealthy doctor, someone different than Kade Colton in just about every way, Stella made her way toward a set of elevators at the end of the hall and pressed the button for one, stepping inside when the doors slid open and a few medical assistants scurried out.
Next stop: the Cancer Ward.
The elevator dinged and Stella stepped out in search of Patrick. She had seen his car parked in the staff ramp and knew that he was working today. She made her way down a winding haul, towards a set of doors that swung open into the ward.
“Stella!”
Stella jumped at the familiar voice calling her name and turned around on her heels. Patrick stood a few feet behind her. He waved goodbye to the patient he was talking to and made his way over to her, pausing with his hands on his hips and a cocky grin on his face.
“So you got my flowers,” he said, nodding at the note in Stella’s hands.
Stella blushed and stuffed it back into her jacket pocket.
“I did. They were very beautiful, thank you.”
Patrick shifted on his feet.
“So...dinner?”
Stella hesitated.
On the one hand, the entire reason she had made the journey up into the Cancer ward was to accept Patrick’s offer. But on the other...
“I don’t know...” Stella began.
She cocked her head and smiled at Patrick sideways. There was a flirtatious glimmer in her eyes.
“What’s in it for me?”
Patrick chuckled and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. When Stella had formally met him the day prior, he hadn’t been wearing them, but they only made him all the more handsome.
Stella swallowed hard.
“Well,” Patrick offered.
“How about this? It’ll be all expenses paid. My treat. And I won’t expect anything from you in return.”
“Not even a goodnight kiss.”
He held out his hand.
“Scouts honor.”
Stella snickered.
Why did he have to be so damn endearing?”
“Alright,” she finally agreed, shaking Patrick’s hand.
“I’ll go out with you. But just one date.”
Patrick nodded, flashing Stella a toothy grin.
“Absolutely. No obligations.”
It was then that an idea popped into Stella’s head. She would bring Patrick to the Sons weekly Sunday dinner. Trig had invited her and she knew Kade would be there too. What better way was there to show him that she had moved on than to attend the dinner with a date?
“Forget a fancy dinner,” Stella spoke up as Patrick started to walk away.
“My father is a founder of a Motorcycle Club here in town,” she explained.
“The Sons of War...maybe you’ve heard of them. Anyway, they are doing this dinner tonight and I just remembered that I was invited. It’s kind of a tradition, a weekly thing. Maybe we could go to it instead.”
Patrick mulled the idea over.
“It could be fun,” Stella added.
“I haven’t really been to any club events since I returned home.”
Patrick nodded.
“Sure,” he said with a smile.”
“Anywhere you want.”
Stella gave Patrick her address details and they parted ways. The rest of the workday dragged by. Stella dealt with a child with a sprained ankle, a woman experiencing rare complications to her arthritis medication, and a mother who saw it fit to bring her child to the ER for a run of the mill bug bite. By the time 5 P.M. approached, Stella found herself completely exhausted. She almost felt compelled to cancel with Patrick, but the idea of having a few beers and loosening up while also putting Kade in his place was too enticing of a notion.
After picking Beth up from daycare, Stella brought her home and gave her a light dinner, turning on her favorite cartoon to distract her while she showered and got ready for her date. On her lunch break, Stella had called a babysitter, a teenage girl from her apartment building who agreed to come sit with Beth for a few hours that evening.
By the time 6 P.M. rolled around, Stella was dressed and ready to go. She gave herself a second look in her wardrobe mirror after applying her make-up and smiled at her reflection. She didn’t look half bad. Her hair was curled, her cat-eye eyeliner was perfectly applied, and for once—her lipstick hadn’t bled onto her teeth.
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.
“Mommy!” Beth called.
“Someone’s here!”
Stella sucked in a deep breath and approached the door, looking through the peephole.
“It’s just Mira sweetie. She’s here to watch you while mommy goes out for a few hours.”
Stella opened the door and greeted the teenager, who smiled at
Beth.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice.”
Stella entered her kitchen and Mira followed.
“I’ve already given her dinner but a snack would be fine before bed. She’s allowed to watch another hour of television. Don’t let her manipulate you.”
Mira laughed. She had only been babysitting for Beth for two weeks but she was already quite familiar with the routine.
Stella jumped at the sound of another knock on the door.
“Ok. That’s my cue.”
She waved goodbye to Mira and bent down to kiss Beth on the cheek.
“Be a good girl for Mira sweetie. I’ll come in to say goodnight to you when I get home.”
Beth nodded and practically rushed her mother out the door. Stella stepped out into the hallway of her apartment complex. Patrick was standing in front of her, polished yet relaxed. He wore a pair of loose fitting jeans and a plain black t-shirt, offset by an expensive jacket and a pair of leather shoes. His dark hair was gelled back and perfectly styled, and the cologne he was wearing was intoxicating.
Stella felt light headed in his presence.”
“You look amazing,” Patrick spoke up.
He lifted Stella’s hand to his mouth and, before she could register what he was doing, he pressed his lips against her palm.
Stella blushed. It wasn’t the sort of gesture she was used to, but it was only the beginning.
Patrick was a gentleman.
He held doors open for Stella, walked on the outside of the sidewalk, and he never once interrupted her when she spoke. He was perfect in the way that most men didn’t find necessary, and yet, there was a certain cockiness and air of confidence to him that couldn’t go unnoticed.
When they arrived at the Sons clubhouse, Stella climbed out of Patrick’s sports car and eyed the small building, sucking in a deep breath.
Music was booming, food was cooking, and beer was pouring from the tap. Landon was the first to spot Stella when she entered the dimly lit building and he was quick to give Kade a nudge in the side when he noticed Patrick.
Kade turned around and met eyes with Stella. He looked from her to Patrick and there was a flash of hurt in his expression, which was quick to be replaced by anger.
Stella swallowed hard.
She wasn’t going to allow Kade Colton to make her feel guilty for anything.