Ragan sat at the table and stared into her drink as the band finished the song. When they played the opening riff for Dreaming of You, one of Adam’s hits, she casually looked in his direction and caught him staring at her before he hopped up on the stage. “Sorry guys, but you know the rules. I’m the only one who sings that song in my bar.”
Ragan couldn’t believe what she’d heard. This is Adam’s bar? She wondered why no one thought to mention that to her. As he started to sing, Ragan allowed her subconscious to take her back to an earlier time; one when she was happy with him. At that moment she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She didn’t even notice her brother staring at her as she watched; Adam’s stage presence drowned out everything else. Mesmerized by his voice as he sang about searching for his destiny, she recalled the first time she’d heard him sing that song in person; it played in her mind like a video. Oh, so many years ago… you started to haunt my dreams…
Chapter 11
Her mind trapped in the past, Ragan recalled the day she sat on the bed next to Cassie and stared at the photographs spread out on the quilt around them. “How am I going to pick which ones to send to New York for the show?” She looked over at Cassie when she didn’t receive an answer, dismayed to see tears streaming down her face. “Cass, what’s wrong? Is it the baby?”
“N… n… no,” she stuttered as she wiped at her cheeks. “I always thought I would be there when you had your first show, and I’m going to miss it.”
Dropping the photograph in her hand, she wrapped her arms around Cassie, “I’m so sorry! I was so excited about the chance at an exhibition, I didn’t even think about you not being able to make the trip.” Pulling a tissue from the box on the nightstand, she pressed it into Cassie’s hand. “Dry your tears; I’ll call my agent and tell him they have to change the date.”
“No, you can’t do that. They might decide it’s too much of a hassle. Besides, these damn hormones have me blowing everything out of proportion. You’ve worked too hard to take a chance with this. I’m just tired of being on bed-rest and it’s only been a few weeks; I’ve got three months to go.”
“Hey, what’s with the tears?” a deep male voice interrupted them.
Ragan’s heart skipped a beat when she looked over to find Adam standing in the doorway. “Cassie’s upset she’s going to miss my show in New York. I offered to have them change the date, but she won’t let me.”
“Maybe a change of scenery will help. Want to go downstairs for a while, Cas?” he offered jovially.
“Yes! If I look at these walls for another minute, I’m going to go stir crazy!” she announced, tossing her covers aside.
After Adam had carried her down to the living room and settled her on the couch, he picked up his guitar and strummed it, tuning it until it sounded just right. “Grab your guitar, Logan. This is the perfect time to work on your left hand.” The slight paralysis from a stroke was almost gone, in large part due to the guitar playing exercises.
Pulling his instrument from the front closet, Logan looked at Cassie and smiled. “Let’s play Dreaming of You for my beautiful wife.”
Adam played the opening riff, “Did you know that Logan wrote the lyrics to this song, Ragan? They were based on the dreams he had of Cassie before he ever met her.”
Ragan blushed, wishing she had something to do with her hands. Adam’s attention on her made her nervous and fidgety, but she soon became lost in the melody. She watched as Adam and Logan sang the chorus, smiling at the look passing between the newlyweds.
Ragan fought to keep her breathing even and controlled. She had been attracted to Adam from the moment she met him at the hospital, and the feeling grew stronger each day. As soon as they strummed the last chord, she shot up out of the chair. “Who wants some iced tea? I made some earlier and it should be cold by now.”
Hardly waiting for their replies, Ragan made a bee-line for the kitchen. Forcing the jealousy out of her heart, she pulled out the stepladder and used it to reach the tall glasses at the back of the cupboard. The passionate look that had passed between Cassie and Logan made her want to cry out in frustration; she hadn’t found her true love and felt as if time was running out. Her heart sank every time Adam looked her direction; he never seemed to catch on and ignored her flirting. She imagined his hands, so sure and steady playing the guitar, pulling her closer to him. Closing her eyes for a moment, she dreamed how it would feel to be in his arms.
Startled from her daydream, Ragan sensed when Adam walked into the room. Distracted, she lost her balance and toppled off the stool. Adam caught her and pulled her firmly against his muscular chest as he lowered her to the floor. “Why did you run out of the room so fast? Was my singing that bad?” he asked with a boyish grin.
“Umm, I just wanted to give you all some time alone,” she answered as she stared at her feet. “You can let go of me now, Adam,” she said, but hoped that he wouldn’t. Being wrapped in his embrace felt like heaven, and she never wanted to leave it.
Instead of releasing her, he continued to hold her, his gaze landing on her lips. She self-consciously licked them, and then smiled nervously. Adam lowered his mouth, softly rubbing against hers to gauge her reaction. Her lips parted instinctively and he groaned as he deepened the kiss, exploring with his tongue. After what seemed like hours, he ended it, and she rested her head against his chest, where she felt and heard his heart racing.
“I had to see if your lips tasted as good as they looked,” he remarked. “It’s been driving me crazy watching you today.”
Chapter 12
The memory of that first kiss was so real… as if it had just happened. Her hand went to her lips as she relived the moment. Without another glance around the room, she stood and worked her way towards the ladies’ room, hoping no one noticed her staring at Adam as she avoided walking past his table.
The smaller room empty, no one saw how Adam’s performance had affected her. She splashed cool water on her forehead and chin, fixed her makeup and fluffed her hair. Get a grip, Ragan. He’s moved on and you should, too. Her hands shaking, she gripped the edge of the basin to steady herself while she breathed deeply. After five minutes or so, she had regained some control and limped towards the exit. The door swung open as she reached for the handle, forcing her to step back and almost lose her balance.
“So you’re Adam’s ex,” the woman before her announced. “I’ve always wondered what he saw in you. I’m glad I ran into you; now I can let you know that Adam is mine, and I don’t like to share.” The blonde wore too much makeup, a dress two sizes too small, and a nasty smirk on her face.
“You can retract those claws any time. I don’t want him. Having Adam rescue me from my car the other day was not high on my to-do list.” Ragan stepped around the woman, wanting to get out of there fast. “By the way, Adam doesn’t like possessive women. You might want to tone it down a bit before you scare him off.” Ragan opened the door and hobbled out.
As she entered the hallway, she heard a commotion at the end. “You son of a bitch, you used her like one of your groupies and then left her to raise your son by herself.” Robbie stood in front of a red-faced and obviously pissed-off Adam. Ragan saw Robbie punch Adam in the eye, and she stood frozen in disbelief.
Adam held one hand over his eye and pointed at Robbie with the other. “Who the hell are you and what are you talking about? You need to calm down before I have the bouncers escort you out.”
“Robbie, don’t,” Ragan yelled. How did he know?
Robbie took another swing at Adam, “You won’t even take responsibility for your son? You bastard; I’m talking about Ragan and Skylar. You sent her off to the Congo pregnant with your kid, as if no one would notice or make the connection. You’re a pig!” he bellowed.
All the blood drained out of Ragan’s face and she couldn’t breathe. Surely everyone in the bar had heard the argument and the entire town would know. Ruined, she finally found her voice. “Robbie, what the hell are you doing?” Sti
ll holding his wound, Adam stared at her in disbelief. “Robbie, it’s not his fault,” she said, barely above a whisper; “He didn’t know.” She bowed her head, not wanting to look at her brother when she told him it was her fault, not Adam’s. “How did you know? I never told you who Sky’s father was.”
Robbie glared at his twin in disbelief. “Did you really think you could keep it a secret? The whole town has probably figured it out. Skylar looks like him and has his eyes.”
Before they could continue the conversation, the bouncer and James each grabbed Robbie by an arm, flanking him and leading him out of the hallway. Ragan looked for somewhere to sit down, feeling utter exhaustion as all the strength left her legs, and she leaned against the wall to keep from falling.
Logan clamped onto Adam’s shoulder, but he shrugged it off and stepped in front of Ragan. Grasping her wrist as if afraid she’d disappear, he hissed “Is it true? Is Skylar my son?” His grip on her arm grew tighter as she dropped her gaze to the floor and nodded.
She couldn’t look him in the eye. Mortified at how all of this had come out in front of the crowd around them, she noticed onlookers had started to wander back to their tables, whispering among themselves. Adam finally released her and started pacing. She could see he had more questions and was trying to make sense of the news that had been dropped on him like a bomb. Sometime during the fracas, Mark had joined them and gently wiped away the tears on her face.
“Are you okay, Ragan? Want me to go beat up Robbie for you? I could take him,” he teased, coaxing her to smile through her tears.
Adam dodged to return to Ragan, but Logan yanked his arm again and led him into the office, slamming the door behind them.
Mark helped Ragan back to the table, his concern for her showing on his face. He put his arm around her and pulled her in close. “Would you like me to take you home? I understand if you want to cut this date short.”
“No, I’m fine,” she sighed. “Now that everyone in Fairfield Corners knows my deepest, darkest secret, you may be the one who wants to cut our date short. I’m so embarrassed; I’m sorry that you had to witness that.” She turned away and frowned at her hands as if they’d done something wrong.
Ragan scooted back in the booth and Mark sat closer than he had before the scuffle. He leaned his mouth close to her ear and whispered, “I’ve wanted to get you out on a date for years. There’s no way I would cut it short.” His right hand came up and he gently guided her head in his direction so she looked at him instead of her lap. Their kiss was short and sweet, but enough to show her how he felt.
Chapter 13
In his office, Adam paced the length of the room, muttering to himself. “Why didn’t she tell me? Is that why she left without saying goodbye, with no explanation?”
Logan sat on the couch across from Adam’s desk, which stood in front of the window overlooking the pub. “What are you going to do?” he asked calmly.
“I’m calling my lawyer,” Adam answered as he dialed the phone, then realized his lawyer, Greyson Wright, was actually out in the pub. He disconnected the call and used a different device to contact one of the bouncers, asking him to invite Grayson to the office. Adam glanced at Logan, wondering what he thought about all of the news, then noticed through the two-way mirror that Ragan and Mark were back at their table.
As he watched, Mark touched Ragan’s cheek and kissed her. “Why is she still here with him?” he sneered. “Rubbing it in my face? Dammit, he’s got his hands all over her,” he exclaimed as he stormed for the door.
Logan leapt up and spun him around. “You still love her, don’t you?”
“What? No way,” Adam denied flatly.
“Then why does Mark kissing her bother you so much?”
The door opened and Krista entered. “Is it true? You have a son with that woman? I knew you were still hung up on her.”
“What do you mean? I’m not hung up on Ragan,” Adam held his voice even the best he could.
“Don’t lie to me!” she shouted, “I knew something was off with you after the snowstorm. You’ve been acting differently towards me. It was subtle, but I could tell you were starting to push me away.”
“No, Krista. It’s only your imagination.” Adam pulled her into his arms. “I’m with you, and there’s no one else.”
“Just remember, I don’t share,” she purred in his ear before sucking on an earlobe. “What are you going to do about her? You should sue for custody; show her you won’t let her walk all over you.”
Adam stepped back when someone knocked at the door and looked for assistance from his cousin. When he didn’t see him, he guessed Logan had left the office during his distraction with Krista. Taking her hand, he pulled her towards the door as he opened it. Kissing her on the cheek, he gently pushed her through the opening, “I’ll come find you when we’re done.” Turning to the knocker, his tone shifted slightly, “Hey, Grayson. Thanks for coming back to talk with me. I’m sure you heard what happened.”
“My wife was headed for the ladies’ room when it started, so she heard the whole thing. Since I’ve only heard about it second hand, I need to hear your version.”
After pouring them both a drink, Adam took his time before he sat in his chair across the desk from his attorney and ran his hands through his hair, giving himself a moment to collect his thoughts. Starting at the beginning, he filled Grayson in on the whole story, briefly explaining how he got together with Ragan and the events of three years ago. Then he quickly described the scene with Robbie. “I’m not sure what I want to do about this, but I don’t want to downplay it either. What do you suggest?” he finished dejectedly.
“First, you should establish paternity. Once that is done, we can discuss your next steps. I imagine you’ll want to set up child support and visitation. We can discuss that more in depth at my office next week after you’ve had some time to process tonight’s events.”
“Thanks, Grayson. Can you get the paternity papers filed this week? I really don’t want to wait. I’m not sure what she’ll do now that I know. What if she disappears again?”
“If you’re really worried that she’ll leave town, we can hire someone to keep tabs on her whereabouts. Think about it and let me know. In the meantime, an order to establish paternity is fairly straightforward. I can have it ready for the judge to sign Monday afternoon,” Grayson said as he typed the information into his phone to send to his admin.
After Grayson left the office, Adam returned to stare out at the main room of the bar while nervously running his fingers through his hair. “I have a son. Damn.” The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. He had a son.
Chapter 14
Mark and Ragan left the bar at midnight, unable to ignore the stares from around the room any longer. After Logan came back to the table with Cassie, Ragan had felt his glares at her back. She couldn’t blame him after the way she had hurt Adam once again. Ragan finally told Mark that she had a headache and wanted to leave, which by then was the truth.
Instead of taking her home, Mark pulled into his favorite spot at the drive-in. “What are we doing here, Mark?” she asked as she pressed on her temples with her fingertips.
“First, I’m getting you something to drink so you can take a couple of aspirin. The way you’re squinting your eyes, it looks like your headache is getting worse. Then, we’re going to talk about what happened back at the bar.” The carhop came over and took their order for a couple of sodas.
Turning his attention back to the woman next to him, Mark massaged Ragan’s neck and shoulder muscles firmly. She relaxed into his touch, her focus on avoiding outright tears at the situation. Sensing her emotional state, he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. “Let it go, Ragan. You have every right. Then we can discuss what you need to do next.”
That’s all it took and she immediately turned around to face him, sobbing on his shoulder. She tried to stifle the sound of her blubbering when the carhop returned with their drinks, to no
avail. Mark handed her a couple of aspirin when the sniffling tapered off.
After she swallowed the pills and blew her nose, Mark faced her with a serious expression. “You still love Adam, huh? I could see it on your face while you were watching him sing.”
“You saw that?” She fumbled with the handkerchief in her hands, then softly admitted, “I never stopped loving him.” She pulled down the visor and peered into the mirror as she wiped the mascara from under her eyes, stalling about how much to tell Mark. Flipping the visor back up, she said quietly, “I’m sorry if it seems like I led you on. I never meant for that to happen.”
“It’s okay. I’ll just have to work a little harder, won’t I,” he smiled and brushed a stray hair off her face. “I’m not giving up that easy.”
Another tear escaped. “He probably hates me. I don’t really blame him.”
“Tell me why, Ragan. Why didn’t you tell Adam about Skylar?”
“You may not believe me, but here’s the truth.” She told him about what Cassie and Logan went through and why it brought Adam to Fairfield Corners, and how she and Adam fell in love while helping Cassie during Logan’s convalescence. Next, she shared the same story she had given Cassie; about how she left in the middle of the night with no explanation because of the hurt of learning about Adam’s ex-wife and daughter.
When she reached the scene in the bar, her attention turned back towards the handkerchief in her hands while she tried to forget the look on Adam’s face when he found out about Sky. “Thank you, Mark. How is it that no one has snatched you up yet? You’re a young, handsome doctor; every girl’s dream.”
“Simple. I’ve never found the right one. Maybe I have tonight.” He kissed her forehead before straightening in his seat to start the car.
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