by Maddie James
“We’re good together, Kelly,” he said when she sat back.
She glanced away, her heart hammering with recurring fear. “I’ve got to go.”
“Yes,” he murmured. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Sure.”
Kelly opened the door and climbed out of his Beemer. Almost sprinting to the house, she didn’t want to think about his sudden declaration. She also didn’t want to do this wedding thing. She wanted to run and hide. Turning the key, she let herself into her mother’s cluttered living room.
Arms folded across her chest like a disapproving schoolmarm, Grace stood in the hallway blocking the way. “You didn’t come home last night,” she said.
Kelly hesitated, blinking with confusion. “I’m forty years old, Mother, for heaven sakes.”
“You’re in my house as a guest. I was worried about you.”
“I was okay,” Kelly said, brushing past her mother and stomping up the stairs to hide in her bedroom as if she was seventeen all over again.
Why did she turn into a blithering, idiotic teenager when she came into this house? Why did she act like she had never lived on her own and successfully raised a child? Kelly felt suddenly ill-equipped to deal with her emotions. She sat down on her bed, shoulders slumping, and fought real terror that bubbled up from within.
Her mother came up the steps and stood in the doorway. This time her arms weren’t folded. She looked sad and unhappy. Guilt raced through Kelly’s heart. She shouldn’t react like this with her mother. If it had been C.B. out all night, she would have been just as upset.
“I am getting married today,” Grace said quietly. “It is the happiest day of my life, but I don’t like seeing you so unhappy, Kelly.”
“I’m not unhappy,” Kelly replied suddenly on the defensive.
But her mother would have none of it. “You most certainly are. I didn’t have the strength to do anything about it when your father was alive, but I do now.”
She joined Kelly on the bed and put a gentle hand on her daughter’s bare knee. Kelly tried not to shrink at the touch. Where was this going? She fought down the compulsion to spring to her feet and flee the room.
“I want to apologize to you,” her mother said in a voice so hushed that Kelly could hardly hear her words.
“Whatever for?” Still on the defensive, she didn’t want to hear an apology.
“I didn’t stick up for you when you got pregnant.”
Kelly made a dismissing gesture with her hand. “That was a long time ago, Mother.”
“But it’s still eating away at you, dear. I know it. You don’t have to say anything for a mother to know.”
“Well, it’s my problem.” Kelly tried to sidestep the issue. “I’ll deal with it.”
Grace’s fingers pressed Kelly’s knee. “It’s my problem as well. I want to start my new life with the demons from my past exorcized.”
“Oh, come on, Mother,” Kelly scoffed. “You don’t have any demons.”
“I have secrets just as you do, Kelly.”
Kelly’s lips parted in surprise. “You’re the most self-effacing woman I know. What possible demons can you have to hide?”
“Your father was a hard man, but a good man.” Grace cast her gaze downward. “But I didn’t love him.”
“That’s your secret?” Kelly wasn’t shocked by her mother’s admission. She had found her father hard to love as well.
Grace withdrew her hand to rub her temple. “Your father loved you, Kelly. That’s why he was strict when you were growing up. He thought if he could control your clothing, your friends and activities, he could protect you.”
Kelly crossed her arms as if to shield herself from old anger and resentment. Her mother was right. It still churned in her belly as roughly as it had been over twenty years ago.
“And then you got pregnant,” Grace’s voice died away.
“Best mistake I ever made,” Kelly said sharply, tired of defending what had turned out to be the most wonderful thing in her life—her daughter.
“But you see,” Grace said, “that’s exactly what he was trying to prevent.”
“I’m sorry I disappointed him.” The sarcasm rang in her voice because Kelly wasn’t sorry. She was defiant in her anger.
Grace’s eyes brimmed with tears. Her lower lip quivered. “But he was disappointed, you see, because it’s just exactly what had happened to us.”
Kelly’s heart stilled. She turned to stare at her mother.
“I had to marry your father, Kelly.” Grace paused, letting her words sink in. “Because I was pregnant with you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Friday afternoon
Five o’clock
In a corner of Howie’s living room, a four-piece string quartet played soft chamber music. The furniture had been removed and replaced with folding chairs arranged in a semi-circle facing the floor-to-ceiling windows. The plantation shutters had been shut to provide a backdrop of white, and in front of them, a table held a cascading arrangement of yellow and lavender roses and other flowers Rob couldn’t name.
His aunt and her husband, his four cousins and their spouses, were already seated. The minister and his dad were in the kitchen where Howie was making life difficult for the caterer and her staff. The ceremony only waited for the arrival of Kelly’s daughter and husband who were stuck in traffic on I-65 coming out of Louisville.
“They’re five minutes out,” Kelly said coming down the steps to the foyer.
Rob looked up and for the first time since he dropped Kelly off this morning, he gazed upon the love of his life. The thought resonated for him, seeming right, as if meant to be. Sure, he was taking a giant leap of faith with this relationship. Kelly was hesitant, not committing to him. He knew that. But he had committed last night, if only in his mind, heart, and soul. She was what he wanted. Needed.
He must convince Kelly of that need.
“I’d give you a wolf whistle if it wasn’t for the guests,” he said nodding his head toward the living room where his family waited.
“What?” Kelly reached the bottom of the stairs and peered at him as if not understanding.
“A wolf whistle to let you know you’re beautiful.”
And she was—wearing a royal blue, V-neck, sleeveless dress that hit just above the knee and fitted her figure like a glove. Her legs were bare and she wore black, high-heel pumps. Diamond teardrop earrings dangled from her ears.
She blushed. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Compliment you? You’re the most beautiful forty-year-old woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”
“Now, really don’t!” A glint of humor returning, her eyes flashed. “I don’t like to be reminded.”
He chuckled. “I can’t help myself.”
She grimaced and swatted his arm playfully. “Women don’t want to talk about their ages.”
“I’ll remember,” Rob conceded.
“Oh, good grief. Who dressed you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Who put on that boutonnière? It’s crooked and too low.”
“Howie.” Rob shrugged. “Will you fix it?”
“Of course, I can’t let you wear it like that.”
Kelly stepped nearer and unpinned the white rose on his lapel. She smelled of vanilla, subtle but sweet. His body throbbed with desire at her touch. Could he convince her to come home with him again tonight? Could he make her understand that leaving her years ago was the biggest mistake of his life?
Kelly pinned Rob’s boutonnière to the lapel of his navy Brooks Brothers’ suit, an intimate action that she found disconcerting, to say the least. Her fingers tingled on the finely woven Italian wool as she drank in the subtle masculine scent of Rob’s aftershave. He wore a light blue, traditional shirt with French cuffs and a silk navy and light blue paisley tie. He looked mighty handsome.
But not as handsome as he’d looked in the flesh. She wasn’t bold enough to tell him that. In fact, there was n
othing bold about her at the moment. Only hours earlier, she had come to a sort of closure with her mother. In a small way, she was able to forgive her father and feel sorry for her mother, who had put up with a bad marriage, in part, for Kelly’s sake.
That she could be truly happy for her mother and her upcoming nuptials was a good thing. That they could hug and make up was the best. Yet it had been hard to soften her heart for fear that if she did, somehow her mother would stab it again. But she risked it. For once.
The bad part was to come—when Rob faced his daughter for the first time. The daughter he didn’t know existed.
The doorbell rang almost on cue. Kelly turned. Heart in her throat, she stood fixed in her spot watching Rob go to the door.
“You must be C.B.,” Rob said swinging it open wide. “And you’re Daniel.” He offered his hand to the younger man. “I’m Rob Scott, Howie’s son,”
“I would know you anywhere,” C.B. said in her cheerful, perky way. “Grandma described you to me.”
“She did?”
“Yes, she did. She seems to think you would be just the right man for my mother.”
“C.B.” Kelly exclaimed, horrified.
“Mom!” Smiling, C.B. rushed into the room and hugged her. “You look so pretty.”
“You do too, pumpkin.”
Rob shut the door behind Daniel, who came in and gave Kelly a hug. When Daniel stepped back to take C.B.’s hand in a possessive display of ownership, Kelly got the message. So that was the way it would be between them? Both vying for C.B.’s affection.
“I have to agree with your grandmother,” Rob was saying. “She has excellent powers of observation.”
C.B. laughed and then stuck out her hand. “I’m glad to meet you, anyway, Mr. Scott, and I’m glad my grandmother is going to be in your family.”
Rob took her hand. Their handshake connected them in what they must believe to be a fun-loving conspiracy. But it was more than that. Much more.
Am I the only one to notice the resemblance?
Kelly drew in a breath and held it, fearing Daniel would burst out with the truth because he was watching his wife and Rob closely.
She cleared her throat and said, “I think you two had better take your seats. They want to get started.”
“Oh, yes,” C.B. agreed.
She and Daniel walked hand-and-hand into the living room leaving Kelly alone with Rob. Heart beating fast, she gazed up at him. Did he suspect anything? He would almost have to be blind not to notice.
“You’re daughter is beautiful, Kelly.”
“Yes, she is.”
“You’re very lucky.”
His words pierced her to the core. She swallowed hard. “I don’t know about that,” she said, dismissing him. “I do know if I don’t get back upstairs to the bride, I’ll never be forgiven.”
With that she turned and fled up the stairs, once more evading the truth and what might turn out to be inevitable.
****
The small, intimate wedding concluded without a hitch. Rob stood up for his father, and Kelly—carrying a small, hand tied bouquet of white roses—acted as her mother’s maid of honor. Afterwards, everyone followed the newlyweds outside to the garden where the caterer had set up a dinner complete with a choice of filet mignon or salmon. The string quartet transferred their chairs and instruments to the garden and continued playing the soft, soothing music.
“I see my new stepmother is serious about matchmaking,” Rob whispered to Kelly, who was seated by his side. His engraved place card was situated next to hers.
Kelly paused taking a bite of her Caesar salad. “Maybe she’ll have other things to think about now that she is married.” Her tone was dry and not amused.
“I like the way her mind works,” Rob said.
Kelly swallowed her bite. “She should mind her own business.”
“Ah, you sound upset.” He enjoyed teasing her. “Join me at my house tonight, and we can discuss the cause.”
Shooting him a hard look, Kelly dug into her salad.
“You can’t deny you enjoyed last night as much as I did,” he said.
“I’m ignoring you.” She took a drink of iced tea and deliberately turned her head to speak to her mother.
Kelly couldn’t ignore him forever. Rob let up, hiding a self-satisfied smile, and sat back in his chair. The guests were seated at a large round table covered by a white tablecloth. C.B. and her husband sat on the opposite side of the table so that Rob had a clear view of Kelly’s daughter.
He had expected C.B. to have Kelly’s red hair, but it was blond. She had two cute dimples when she smiled and a pert little nose that was more pixie-like than Kelly’s. As he sipped a vodka and water, he watched her interaction with Daniel and one of his cousins on her right. There was something familiar about her. Something that made him think of his grandmother.
Rob sat up and placed his glass on the table. The question that was forming in his mind seemed so out of this world impossible. He fought for breath and for the quieting of his racing heart.
Could C.B. be his daughter?
Kelly had denied it. He’d flat out asked her, and she’d said no. Now he wondered.
Rob picked up his glass again and brought it to his lips. Slowly, he took a sip and stared at C.B. over the rim as he struggled to tamp down his growing excitement.
It was safe to say C.B. didn’t know who he was. And no, he couldn’t ask Kelly again, not after she’d told him no. What if he got his hopes up only to learn C.B. was not his daughter?
Rob didn’t think he could survive the disappointment.
Chapter Fourteen
Would the evening ever end? The newlyweds seemed in no hurry to leave the reception, and the strain of having C.B. and Rob together frayed Kelly’s nerves. She had watched them dance, suffering every step as they twirled around the garden dance area. And then Rob had danced with her. When he took her into his arms, she thought she would melt into the garden path.
Kelly wanted him, but she couldn’t allow herself to give in. Happily-ever-after endings never happened to her. It was enough to know her mother and C.B. were happy. That was as much as she could wish for, given the secret she carried and the mistakes she’d made.
It was approaching eight o’clock when she missed seeing Rob in the garden. C.B. was gone too. Daniel chatted with her mother at the dining table where the twilight was now lit by glowing candlelight. That Rob and C.B. were not in sight troubled her, so Kelly slipped into the house.
She found C.B. in the upstairs guest bathroom repairing her makeup. Joining her daughter at the double sinks, Kelly smoothed down her hair and washed her hands.
“It’s been a nice wedding,” she said. This was the first time she’d been alone with C.B. in a long time.
“Oh, yes! And Grandma is so happy. Howie is such a nice man.”
“Yes.” Kelly nodded. “I expect he’s going to treat her better than my father ever did.”
C.B. looked thoughtful. “Grandma deserves it. She’s put up with a lot.” Turning to the mirror, she said, “You too, Mom. You deserve a nice guy like that.”
“I don’t know. Maybe some day.”
“What about Rob?” C.B. asked. “He seems to like you.”
“I guess.”
“Why don’t you do something about it? I bet if you chase him a little, you can catch him.”
Kelly smiled, hoping her smile covered her uneasiness. “You sound just like your grandmother. Matchmaking must run in the family.”
C.B. returned a pout. “I don’t know why you make a joke about it. You don’t need to worry about me now. Besides, you’re not young any more. You’re forty years old.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“It’s time you do something for yourself, Mom. Stop playing the martyr.”
A tense silence surrounded them. Kelly’s chest felt as if it would burst. “Is that what you think I am?”
C.B. glanced at Kelly’s image in the mirror. “I thi
nk you have sacrificed enough,” she said softly. “I think it’s time for you to let go of me and get on with your life.”
Kelly suddenly burned with anger. “That’s Daniel talking.”
“What if it is?” C.B. lifted her chin. “He’s my husband, and he’s right most of the time.”
“But he doesn’t know anything about me. What right does he have to pass judgment?”
C.B. turned to her. “It’s not judgment. He cares about me, and he cares about you. He knows it’s time for us to change our relationship. I’m all grown up, Mom. I’m married.”
Kelly wanted to run and hide. Her insides felt like jelly, mixed with anger and fear and an extra dose of confusion. “Why attack me all of a sudden? We always had such a good relationship, C.B. It was always you and me and Aunt Bess. What have I done to change that?”
C.B.’s lip quivered, but she stood her ground. “You see the Scott family out there? Happy? Together? Daniel’s family is like that. It’s a big family. I’ve always wanted a big family. Like everybody else.”
Kelly licked her lips. Her hands were cold. She clutched them, her fingernails biting into her palms. “Not everyone has big families, C.B. I did the best I could.”
“Did you? Then why won’t you tell me who my father is? What’s so terrible about him? Can’t you get it through your head I’ve always thought he didn’t want me?”
“That’s not true, C.B. Your father doesn’t know about you.” Kelly’s voice was shaky. “I never told him.”
C.B. straightened her shoulders. “I don’t understand you.”
“I had my reasons.” Kelly dropped her gaze.
“Fine.” There was a new hardness in C.B.’s tone. “One more thing, if you please.” She took a breath. “My name is not C.B. I’m no longer Colleen Baron but Mrs. Daniel Lyons. You can stop calling me C.B.”
Her daughter swept past in a hurry. “C.B.!” Kelly reached for her, but her precious child left the bathroom and didn’t look back.