“An orphan?”
“His name’s Lucas and he lives at the orphanage Kate’s helping organize a Christmas party for. He’s six and has struck up a friendship with Kate.”
“Competition, dear brother? For your attention, that is,” Charles added.
“Hardly. But the boy is the same age as her son would have been had he lived. I think she’s transferring her feelings onto this child.”
“So what if she is? Is that a bad thing?”
“I’m not sure.”
No, Edward wasn’t sure of anything concerning Kate. He hadn’t spent any time with children since he’d been one and wasn’t sure how to handle her newfound friendship. It certainly wasn’t going to make it easier to resolve things with her—not that he’d be able to regardless of the boy.
“A wise person once told me to ride things out with Meghan and see what happens.”
Edward tilted his head back and closed his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, don’t use my own words against me. What the hell did I know?”
“Apparently enough because I took your advice and it worked.”
“You and Meghan were meant to be together. I’m not so sure about Kate and me.”
“Give her some space. Based on what you’ve told me she can’t feel pressured or coerced into a relationship with you. She needs to come to that realization herself.”
Yeah, he could use some space as well—both physically and emotionally.
“You’re right. We both could use some time apart right now. I was thinking about heading out to Vegas for a few days this week to check on the Morrison account. Is there any new business out there you want me to work on while I’m there?”
“I think something came across my email late on Friday. I’ll check and let you know.” Charles patted him on the shoulder. “Come, if you’re going to Vegas, you’d better practice your game, otherwise you’ll lose your shirt.”
****
“The final gift and it’s a huge one, too.” Kate pushed a large box over to Karen, who was perched in a white wicker chair decorated with pink and blue tulle. The box was so big that both Kate and Meghan had to help Karen unwrap what turned out to be a double stroller, a gift from Karen’s parents.
Finished, Kate returned to her seat and poured coffee from the carafe in the center of the table. She picked at the piece of cake that had been placed there while gifts were being opened. Thank goodness the baby shower was over. The weekend had been exhausting and she felt drained. All she wanted to do was to lie in a hot bath with classical music playing in the background. Later, she would call Lucas.
Meghan slid into the seat next to her and took a sip of water. “Whew, I’m glad that’s over. Now we can wait for the men to get here and haul all this stuff over to Karen and Mark’s place.”
“I think she got most of what was on her baby registry, although I don’t have a clue where they’re going to put all the stuff,” Kate said.
“I know. It’s a good thing they have two houses.”
“Have you started thinking about your registry yet? It won’t be long before we’ll be having your shower.”
“Not yet. I wanted to wait until after the ultrasound, which is in a few weeks. I’m hoping to find out the sex of the babies so I can decide what colors to make the room.”
“Let me know if you want any help. I can’t see Charles going with you to pick out breast pumps,” Kate said with a laugh.
“He would if I asked, but I promised him I wouldn’t subject him to all that. He did agree, insisted actually, to help pick out the furniture for the nursery. I’ll wait until after the beginning of the year to start all that planning.”
Kate nodded, leaned her head back against the back of the chair, and closed her eyes.
“You all right, honey? You seem out of sorts today,” Meghan said.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve had an emotional couple days, that’s all.” She ran a hand through her tumble of curls and gave her friend a sideways glance. “I told Edward about Tony and my marriage to Mario.”
Meghan’s eyes opened wide. “You did? I’m glad you finally came to your senses.”
“I didn’t have a choice. My meddling mother had him follow me to the cemetery yesterday morning.”
“How did he take it?”
“The part about the abuse bothered him much more than he let on. But he was very comforting about the whole thing.”
“Didn’t I tell you he would be?”
Kate shrugged. “I don’t know, Meg. I hoped once he learned about my past he’d understand why I can’t see him.”
“But let me guess, he didn’t understand.”
“No, he got very angry and terse with me. He has a way of shutting down so it’s hard to know what he’s thinking.”
“Charles is the same way. They both have this capacity for controlling their feelings and compartmentalizing them. I guess it was their coping mechanism while growing up.”
“It’s the damnedest thing. I’m used to people yelling so you’re completely clear about what they’re feeling. But he closes himself off and retreats.”
“Don’t give up on him. Charles has gotten a lot better in the short time we’ve been together.”
“I know I hurt him, but I don’t want to lose our friendship.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“He didn’t exactly give me the chance.”
Meghan’s gaze shifted over her friend’s head. “Well, you’ll get it now. He just came in with Charles and Mark.”
Kate didn’t need to turn around in order to feel Edward’s presence, and her heart quickened with his nearness. Mark crossed the room and planted a long kiss on Karen and caressed her stomach, their love apparent with every tender look and touch.
She tried to remember if it had ever been like that in the early years of her marriage but couldn’t recall Mario ever looking at her with so much love and adoration. And if she were honest, she hadn’t felt that way toward him, either. Theirs was a love that started in high school. They lost their virginity to each other and it seemed only natural to get married after being together for so long.
But now she realized how naïve she’d been. She hadn’t gone through her first heartbreak like most girls did in school. If she’d had more experience she might have been able to identify him as the weak, spineless wife beater he became. Instead, she remembered him as the sweet boy who gave her a tissue when she fell off her bike and scratched her knee when she was six years old. He brought her chocolates from his parents’ corner store. Even when he slapped her, it was hard to comprehend her sweet Mario was the one doing it. She’d been in complete denial.
Over the years she’d watched her two best friends on their own journeys of heartbreak and love. First Karen when she fell hard for Mark. Then Meghan who’d had to endure her own bad relationships before finding true love with Charles. Could Kate overcome her failed marriage and the loss of her child and feel secure in trusting another relationship? Kate didn’t know and worse, was afraid to take the chance.
“Looks like the party was a smashing success,” Charles said, as he and Edward approached from behind them.
“Yes, I think Karen was pleased with everything. Come, I want to show you the cutest wall hanging her cousin made for her.” Meghan rose and pulled Charles toward the gifts.
“Well, she couldn’t be more obvious, now could she?” Kate said with a sigh. She pointed to the chair Meghan had just vacated. “Come, take a load off. Would you like coffee?”
“Only if I can have a piece of that mouth-watering cake,” Edward said with a forced grin.
Kate grabbed the carafe and poured him a cup. Subconsciously, she fixed it the way she knew he liked and pushed her untouched slice in front of him.
“Not as good as your mother’s cannolis or cheesecake, but pretty damn good,” he said, between mouthfuls.
“Have you always had such a sweet tooth?”
“Growing up we weren’t allowed sweets too often. But
the cook always snuck us stuff. I suppose after being deprived a good portion of my life, I do have a soft spot for things that are sweet,” he said with a pointed glance at her.
“Can we talk about what happened yesterday?”
He watched her over the rim of the coffee cup. “I’m not sure what else there is to discuss. Now that I understand your past I’m supposed to erase thoughts of anything intimate with you from my mind. Wasn’t that pretty much the message?”
His words and the cold tone in which he said them stung. Not because they weren’t true, but hearing him say it that way made it sound even more horrible.
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I don’t know how to explain how I feel in a way that doesn’t sound awful.”
“No need to apologize, Kate. I’m a big boy. And like you said yesterday, it would only be a matter of time before I got restless and moved on anyway, right?”
She slouched back in the chair and rubbed at her temples. “Edward, I didn’t mean that as badly as it sounded.”
“It might have sounded bad, but you were spot on. It’s the cycle of my involvements.” His blue-gray eyes met hers and held. “Why would it be any different with you?”
When he looked at her with those soulful eyes, so full of regret, Kate could almost feel things would be different with her—if only she would allow it. Despite her nagging subconscious, which told her she was making a big mistake in pushing him away, she held her ground and broke his gaze.
Edward finished his coffee and rose. “Anyway, I’ll be in the office tomorrow morning but I’m leaving in the afternoon for Vegas.”
Surprised, she sat up straighter. “Oh, did something come up?”
“I want to check on the Morrison account, and Charles may have some new work out there.”
Bullshit. The Morrison account was fine. They had one of their best men out there overseeing the work. He was going there to avoid being near her. Damn him.
“Okay. Do you need me there with you?” she challenged with a sweet smile of her own.
“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll email you notes for things I could use help with while I’m gone.”
As if being withdrawn wasn’t enough, now he was giving her the brush off. She figured it was only to be expected and maybe it would be better if they didn’t have to see each other in the office for a few days.
“Sure. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“What else could I possibly need from you, Kate?”
She struggled to retain her composure from the bite of his harsh words. A challenge considering she wanted to pull his mouth to hers and give in to her desire—her need—for him. She didn’t like leaving things like this between them.
“Edward, I—”
“I think they’re getting ready to load up the gifts. I’d better go help. Thanks for the coffee and cake.”
And with that, he strode away. She lifted her chin and shook her hair back. Well, I guess I deserved that. But that didn’t make her feel any better or ease the bitterness of regret that had settled in her stomach.
Chapter Seven
With Edward gone most of the week, Kate was able to relax at work. She used the time to put the finishing touches on the color schemes for the restaurant. She ordered the new table linens and wall sconces her parents had agreed to. During a shopping excursion last weekend, she and her mother found a gorgeous satin fabric to use for curtains. Kate had spent the past two nights tracing and cutting the material and planned to start sewing them that evening.
She juggled a bag of groceries as she stood outside her apartment door and searched her purse for her keys, which always managed to find their way to the bottom. Before she located them, her door swung open. She jumped back and shrieked, almost upending the contents of the bag.
“I wondered how much longer you would be,” her brother Nick growled from the doorway. He grabbed the bag of groceries and peeked inside. “Flowers, for me? You shouldn’t have.”
Anger now replaced the surprise of him being there as she followed him into the apartment. “I didn’t, you jerk. How’d you get in? You didn’t sweet talk old Mrs. McGinty into unlocking the door for you again, did you?”
“Hello to you, too, dear sister,” he said, giving her a kiss. “And no, I didn’t sweet talk Mrs. McGinty because she wasn’t home. Rather, I used some of the fine police skills I’ve acquired over the years.”
She removed her coat and hung it in the closet. “Great. So you broke in. You have some nerve, mister play-by-the-rules cop. Don’t you have to take an oath that you won’t use your B&E skills to barge in on family members?”
“That’s mister play-by-the-rules detective to you, runt, and no, that’s not part of the oath we take.”
“You got the promotion?”
“Damned straight I did.”
She shrieked and threw her arms around him. “I knew you’d do it. We have to celebrate.”
“That’s why I’m here. What did you buy for dinner? I have a marinara sauce on the stove. You didn’t have much else in the house.”
“I know, which is why I stopped and picked up cutlets to make chicken parmesan and a bottle of Merlot to go with it.”
Nick picked up the bottle and examined the label. “Nice. They must pay you pretty well at that fancy architecture firm.”
“That’s none of your business. Come, open the wine while I get the chicken started.”
Her mother had made sure all her kids knew how to cook, and Kate had always loved cooking with Nick the most. They worked well together in the kitchen and had fun. She stirred the sauce, almost swooning at the fragrant combination of garlic and shallots.
“So what was the other reason you came by?”
He reached for two wine glasses and poured. “Do I really need another reason to visit my favorite sister?”
She studied her brother while soaking the chicken. He looked even more tired than when she’d seen him on Thanksgiving.
“You may be a detective now, but you still can’t lie for shit. At least not to me.”
He drank deeply from his glass. “You’re not going to like it.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty much getting that vibe. Spill it.”
He handed her a glass and topped off his. “Franny called me yesterday to tell me I can’t have the kids for Christmas.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “What the hell! She promised. Why can’t you see them?”
“She said something about her boyfriend taking them all on a cruise.”
“But you had an arrangement. Don’t you have a custody agreement?”
“It’s a temporary agreement pending our divorce. She has primary guardianship and I have to make nice if I’m to get a decent visiting arrangement in the final settlement.”
“Well, that’s bullshit.”
“It’s all a game and Franny just loves playing games, especially those that make me appear like the bad guy.” He took out a frying pan while she gathered the rest of the ingredients for the chicken.
Generally, Kate believed children belonged with both their parents. While she hadn’t always been a fan of divorce, sometimes it was the only choice. Better to raise your kids together but in separate households than to try living together in a hostile environment. If she’d had this way of thinking years ago, maybe she’d have had the courage to leave Mario when he’d started abusing her. Maybe they could have gone into therapy or would have ended up divorced. Regardless, doing nothing hadn’t helped things and had only made her weaker. If she’d handled the situation differently, could she have stopped the chain of events that changed the course of her life?
Watching her brother get jerked around by Franny really grated on Kate’s last nerve. “Is there anything you can do?”
“The kids know about the cruise and are excited. If I take her to court and they force her to keep to our agreement and let the kids spend Christmas with me, the kids will hate me for it. She has me by the balls.”
“That bitch. I’m s
orry, hon.” She’d never been overly fond of her sister-in-law and never understood what her brother had seen in her. Franny had some nerve pulling this at Christmas.
He leaned against the counter and ran his fingers through his hair. “I feel like I’m losing them. Spending last weekend with them was awkward. She doesn’t give them boundaries and they’re becoming spoiled brats. They both have cell phones, which we’d agreed they wouldn’t get until they were in high school. Now all they do is text their friends and play games on the damned things. And when I tell them to put them away, they act like I’ve committed a crime.”
She reached for his hand. “It’s very easy for kids these days to be enticed by all the new gadgets that are out there. Hell, adults are obsessed with them, too. Do you know how many people I see walking down the street while texting? It’s amazing they don’t walk into someone or get hit by a car. But don’t doubt the kids love you.”
He shrugged and appeared the most miserable she’d seen him since he announced he and Franny were getting divorced.
“Is there anything I can do? Do you want me to talk to Franny?”
“Fuck, no. You two never did hit it off. If you talk to her, God knows when I’ll see my kids.”
He said it lightly but she could see the worry in his eyes.
“I’ve always thought she wasn’t good enough for you.”
He snorted. “Well, you were right. And now I have to hand over the majority of my paycheck to her while she dates Daddy Warbucks. Meanwhile, I can barely scrape up enough money for Christmas presents. How do I compete with a cell phone? What’s next, an iPad or their own laptop?”
“You don’t compete. Just be yourself and raise those kids the way we were raised. It may take time, but they’ll come around after they’re finished being dazzled by the gadgets.”
He poured more wine. “Thanks for listening. Come, let’s finish dinner.”
They switched to talk about the restaurant renovations as they cooked and ate. Almost two bottles of wine later, she insisted Nick spend the night. They scanned the new releases on the cable channel and watched a new action movie neither of them had seen. She made popcorn and they were in hysterics while trying to throw it into each other’s mouth like they used to do when they were kids.
Untangle My Heart (Tangled Hearts) Page 8