A Father's Promise

by Marcia Evanick

  "I've been ready." Sydney reached for him, only he was quicker. He grabbed her hand and avoided her touch. Sydney glanced at their clasped hands and then at his arousal already sheathed in protection. "Why?"

  "If you touch me, Syd, it's all over before it even begins." He moved up her body, letting her breasts press against his chest. Berry-hard peaks poked their way into the hair covering his chest.

  The tip of his arousal pressed against her slick opening and she immediately wrapped her legs around his hips, dragging a low and powerful groan through his body.

  He felt himself sinking into her warmth and captured her mouth as he lost the battle against his control and plunged as deep as she could take him. The tight hot walls cradling his shaft sent him higher and higher. He pulled back and plunged again.

  Sydney matched his every thrust, sending him to the brink. He might be losing the battle but he'd be damned before he'd lose the war. He broke the kiss and gazed down into her flushed face. "Open your eyes, love."

  Eyes brighter than emeralds stared up at him. "Ellis?"

  He pumped his hips faster and ground his teeth. He could see how close she was to the brink by looking in her eyes. She was teetering precariously over the abyss with him. He refused to go without her. He needed her with him.

  "I…"

  "Shh … I know." He thrust harder and prayed for strength. He knew what was holding her back, fear of the unknown. He couldn't blame her. This wasn't like the prologue in the den. This was something else. He had never experienced this deep-seated need before. He didn't understand it, all he knew was Sydney had to be with him when he reached the center of the vortex pulling him in.

  Ellis slipped his hand in between their bodies and cupped her breast. The rigid nub pressed against his fingers and he gave it a gentle squeeze as he thrust deeply once again. He saw Sydney's climax in her eyes before he felt it in her body.

  As she shattered beneath him, he gave one last thrust and allowed the maelstrom to pull him over the edge.

  Chapter 9

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  It was late the following afternoon when Sydney glanced over at Trevor and grinned. "Are you sure you haven't done this before?" Ellis's son was helping her unload a cart of red geraniums onto a table in one of the greenhouses connected to the store. His little hands were positioning each plastic pot just so.

  Trevor shyly shook his head and placed another plant onto the table. "What are these called again?"

  "Geraniums." She knew he was trying to memorize the names of some of the plants so he could impress his father with all his newfound knowledge. "If you get stuck later trying to remember the names, I'll help you out."

  She reached for another tray, packed with fifteen blooming plants, from the top of the cart, and transferred them to the middle of the table. The tables were too wide for Trevor to reach the middle, so he was doing the rows closest to the edge. The huge cart that was used to transfer the plants from the back greenhouses, which were off-limits to the customers, to the greenhouses connected to the store was nearly empty already.

  Trevor glanced at the table behind them. "They're pansies, right?"

  "Right." She couldn't help but be impressed. Trevor was indeed one very smart little boy who picked things up quickly. The sweet yellow and purple faces of hundreds of pansies nearly overflowed the table. Within the next week or so the weather would be warm enough to plant the bright flowers outside. "Next week, if you're still here, maybe you would like to help me plant some of them around the house." Her mother's gardens were mostly perennials but she had peppered them with a few of her favorite annuals. Pansies had been one of her mother's favorites.

  "Really?" Trevor's dark eyes grew wide with excitement.

  "Really." She reached out and ruffled the top of his head. She had seen Ellis do the same gesture and had wondered at its significance. Now she knew. Touching Trevor, even if it was only the top of his head, made her feel as if they had connected on some level. By the gleam of interest still sparkling in his eyes, Trevor appeared to be interested in gardening. Maybe it was the idea of digging in the dirt that sparked that gleam, but that was okay too. Every gardener loved to dig in the dirt. "I'm sure your dad won't mind if you get a bit dirty."

  She hoped that was correct. Over lunch, Ellis had seemed a little leery of allowing her to bring Trevor to work. She could understand his overprotective attitude. If she had a critically ill child, she would probably never let him out of her sight. It had been the bored expression on Trevor's face that made her combat Ellis's unease with assurances of his son's safety.

  Trevor had watched cartoons and played with his animals the entire morning while Ellis and her father pored over the yearbooks she had brought down from the attic before she left for work. The little boy had jumped at the chance to spend the afternoon at the nursery helping out. She had enjoyed the pint-size company and the hundreds of questions that came with him.

  As for the boy's father, she didn't know what to think. Ellis had her spinning so fast she still hadn't had time to catch her breath. She didn't want to catch her breath. She wanted to feel his touch again.

  Making love with Ellis last night, not once but twice, had been the most incredible experience of her life. There was no other way to describe it. She didn't want to describe it. She wanted to experience it again.

  Sometime before dawn she had fallen asleep in Ellis's arms only to wake up alone to the shrilling of her alarm clock. The sheets had still been warm from where his body had lain, but he was gone. She had missed his warmth, but she had understood his reasons. There were two reasons, and they both had names—Thomas and Trevor.

  The fact that she had taken a lover while living under her father's roof told her how desperately she had wanted Ellis. She had never so much as kissed a boy while in her father's house. Ellis had been the first, and they had done a heck of a lot more than just kiss.

  Her father respected her as an adult and hadn't been too happy with her when she had given up her apartment to move back home to be with him after the accident. Thomas had insisted that she needed privacy and independence. She had assured him she wasn't about to give up either and that they would both have some adjusting to do.

  Taking a lover to her bed hadn't been in her plans, but that was what she had done. Ellis was now her lover.

  She wasn't going to change that fact. She couldn't even if she had wanted to. What was done, was done, but it didn't mean she had to flaunt their relationship in front of her father. They could be discreet.

  She didn't believe in carrying around a bag full of regrets through life. The desire that flared between herself and Ellis had to be explored. She didn't have one regret. Well … maybe one. She was dying to know what it would have felt like if Ellis would have…

  "Here you two are." Ellis reached out and swung a grinning Trevor up into his arms. "I've been looking all over for you both."

  The sensual vision that had been filling her head erupted into a thousand shattering pieces. The object of her fantasy was standing less than two feet away with a five-year-old boy clinging to his neck. This was Ellis the father, not Ellis the lover from last night.

  He gave her a smile that curled her toes and dropped her stomach down to her knees. Maybe she was wrong about that. His smile had lover written all over it. She was thankful that none of her employees were in the greenhouse to see that smile. They would have known what their employer had been up to in the middle of the night.

  She reached for another tray loaded with plants and busied herself arranging them onto the middle of the table. "Trevor and I are getting out the first bunch of geraniums for the year."

  "First bunch?" Ellis glanced at the other three tables overflowing with white and pink geraniums. "It looks like you have enough here to beautify every house in Coalsburg."

  "This will be picked nearly bare the first really nice weekend we get." She placed the empty tray back onto the cart and reached for the last full tray of plants. "Trevor's been such
a big help."

  Trevor scampered out of his father's arms and reached for another plant. "I did all the outside ones myself." Little fingers carefully placed the pot next to the last one he had set out.

  "You did!" Ellis appeared suitably impressed. "When we go back home, how about if we take some of these plants with us? I think they might look real nice by the front door. What do you think, Trev?"

  Trevor positioned his last plant before answering. "Wayne won't let me plant them." Big brown eyes stared up at her as if seeking her help. "Sydney said I could help her plant some around her house."

  "Yes, I did." She placed a hand on Trevor's shoulder to reassure the boy that she hadn't changed her mind. "If you and Trevor are still here in another week or so when the danger of frost has passed, I told him he could help me in the gardens at home." She met Ellis's gaze head-on. "If that's okay with you, that is."

  "It's fine by me." Ellis took the tray Trevor had just emptied and placed it on top of the other trays. "Maybe I could lend a hand and get some tips from a professional. I didn't realize Trev would be interested in flowers."

  "It's not the flowers so much." She pushed the cart back out onto the wider center aisle. "It's the digging in the dirt that has him so excited about gardening." Trevor hopped onto the front of the cart as she carefully pushed it toward the doors. It was the game they had been playing all afternoon. She pushed, Trevor rode.

  She glanced at Ellis as he automatically started to follow them. "Who's Wayne?" She wanted to know not only who he was, but why he wouldn't let Trevor dig in the garden.

  "Wayne's the man I hired to take care of the lawn. He cuts the grass, rakes leaves and mulches." Ellis shrugged his shoulder as if he had never really given any serious thought to Wayne or the gardens at his house. "You know, stuff like that."

  She frowned. Stuff like that. What in the world did that mean? "What kind of flowers do you have at home?" She glanced at Trevor to make sure he was holding on tight and wasn't in any danger of falling.

  "Flowers?" Ellis held open the door as she pushed the cart outside and toward the greenhouse nurturing all the geraniums. "We don't have any flowers."

  "You don't have any gardens?" What kind of house did Ellis and Trevor live in? She had imagined Ellis living in some great big modern home filled with expensive furniture to match his expensive car.

  "Of course we have gardens." Ellis walked beside her and watched his son, who was glancing around in total awe.

  "Well, if you don't have flowers, what's in them?" She stopped in front of a greenhouse and Ellis graciously opened the door.

  "I don't know." Ellis followed her into the greenhouse. "Bushes and—" his arms waved into the air as if he was going to pluck the answer from the sky "—green things."

  She had to duck her head to keep from laughing. Ellis had green things in his gardens. "I see."

  "Don't you dare laugh."

  She bit her lower lip and tried picturing something sad. She pictured Ellis's fancy house surrounded by gardens without a single flower in them. The green things sprouting were little martians with big heads and six round glowing eyes. She couldn't hold it in a minute longer. She burst out laughing.

  "Sydney," Ellis warned as he took a step closer.

  "I'm sorry." She glanced at his face and saw the smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. "It's just that I've never seen a house without at least one flower in the yard somewhere."

  "We have flowers." Trevor hopped off the cart now that she had stopped pushing. "They're pretty yellow ones."

  "We do?" Ellis looked perplexed.

  "Do you know their names?" Trevor had picked up on quite a few names this afternoon. Maybe he knew what kind of flowers Ellis obviously couldn't remember owning.

  "Yep, Wayne told me what kind they are."

  "What kind are they?" she asked.

  "Damn dandelions." Trevor appeared quite pleased with himself. "Wayne calls them damn dandelions. I remember because I like lions, but they don't look like lions."

  Sydney tried to cover her laugh with a cough and failed miserably. Ellis seemed to be having the same trouble. "They're just dandelions, Trevor, and they aren't a flower. They're weeds."

  Ellis reached for Trevor's hand. "I think it's time I took you back to the house so Sydney can get some work done around here."

  Trevor looked ready to cry. "But, Dad…"

  "I'm sorry, Trev, but you need to take a bath before we go out."

  She glanced at the dirt smearing the front of Trevor's jacket and hands. A little dirt never hurt anyone. "Out? Where are you two going?" Hopefully it was someplace Trevor would like.

  "It's not just the two of us, it's the four of us." Ellis smiled at his son. "Thomas wants to go out to eat, so you need a bath before dinner tonight."

  "My father wants to go out to eat?" First Thomas was visiting his friends at the police station, and now he was going out for dinner: Thomas hadn't eaten in public since the accident. When she had suggested going out to eat months ago, he had declared he wasn't going to be someone's evening entertainment. When his frustrated jabbing at the plate to locate his food had settled down to a gentle probing, he had finally decided to eat something once in a while. And since Ellis's arrival, her father's appetite had improved tremendously.

  "There's a steak house about twenty minutes away that's owned by a guy who went to school with my mother. Thomas called him and he said to stop in tonight and he'd not only guarantee a great meal, but he'd answer any questions your father might have."

  "Do you mean Josh's Place?"

  "That's the name. Josh has us down for reservations at seven."

  She couldn't detect any hope in Ellis's eyes, only curiosity. "Josh's Place has the best steaks in the county." She wondered if her father wanted to talk to the restaurateur for information or if he suspected that Josh might be Ellis's father. Tonight would tell.

  She smiled at Trevor, who was still holding his father's hand. "You go ahead home with your dad and get ready. I'll be there as soon as we close." She glanced at her watch and frowned. Where had the afternoon gone? It was nearly closing time. "Tomorrow if you want to help, we can start putting out some of the asters and marigolds."

  "Can I, Dad, please?"

  "As long as it's okay with Sydney." Ellis gave her a smile that not only thanked her for being so nice to Trevor, but promised a sweet reward later. "Let's get going so you'll have plenty of time to play in the tub. Say goodbye and thank-you to Sydney."

  Trevor smiled at her. "Thank you and goodbye."

  "You're welcome and I'll see you in a little while." She gave Ellis a look that she hoped conveyed what she'd be doing with him in a little while.

  Ellis's answering smile told her he got her message, loud and clear. "Come on, Trev. On the way home I think it's time we had a man-to-man talk on appropriate language."

  She watched as father and son walked out of the greenhouse and toward the path that would lead them back to the house. One day she would have to watch them walk out of her life, but not today. Not yet.

  * * *

  Josh was a big robust man who looked as though he should have been a cattle rancher out in Montana someplace. Instead, he was born, raised and still lived in Coalsburg. The farthest he had ever been was Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the only thing he knew about cattle was how to cook them.

  Josh didn't remember a whole lot about Catherine Carlisle. He remembered her parents more because his family had been members of their church.

  "Sorry, Tom, but I can't really remember too much about Cathy. She didn't hang out with the gang. Her parents wouldn't allow her to do anything that wasn't related to the church." Josh took a sip of his beer as the waitress cleared the table of the empty dishes. "She had some strict parents. Both of them used to frighten the living tar out of me. Preached about H E double L and damnation all the time." Josh smiled at Trevor, who was busy coloring another kiddie paper place mat the waitress had brought him.

  Sydney knew J
osh was toning down his language for Trevor's sake, even though the boy seemed totally disinterested in the conversation. It had been agreed upon that Thomas wouldn't mention that Ellis was Cathy's son unless it became necessary. Who Ellis really was would be circulating around town soon enough. Pete, Harvey and John down at the police station already knew, and she was sure the news was getting out and about. If Josh didn't connect Ellis to Catherine, then they weren't going to do it for him. They wanted honest answers. Josh might hold back some information or speculation out of respect for the departed Catherine.

  And under no circumstance was Thomas to mention Trevor's illness and the reason for all the questions.

  She glanced at Ellis to see how he was holding up. He seemed more interested in his coffee than in what Josh was saying, though she knew he was listening carefully.

  "Do you remember when she left town?" Thomas seemed to relax more now that dinner was done and the table in front of him was cleared.

  "I don't remember when she left, but I remember the stink her parents put up." Josh sadly shook his head.

  "Her parents were concerned for her safety?" Ellis suddenly appeared interested.

  "Can't say that they were." Josh took another sip of his beer. "Her father preached for months about disobedience of children and breaking of the Commandments, especially the one about obeying thy father and mother. Her mother used to glare around the congregation and claim her daughter had been seduced away by the devil." Josh drained the rest of his glass. "Me, I figured the poor girl couldn't take any more and just split. Why you want to know about Cathy anyway?"

  "Let's just say I'm curious." Thomas rubbed his chin with his thumb. "Do you remember if she was dating anyone back then?"

  Josh shook his head. "Cathy didn't date anyone. She wasn't allowed. Quite a few of the guys asked her out, but she never went with any of them."

  "What about the prom?" Sydney couldn't sit quietly by and watch Trevor's only hope vanish before her eyes. Someone had to have some idea about who Cathy had been seeing. She hadn't gotten pregnant all on her own. "Surely she had to have gone to her senior prom."