by Loraine, Kim
She sighed then and opened her beautiful green eyes.
“Morning,” she said, through a stretch.
“Hello, there.”
“What are you doing?”
“Admiring the view. You make a pretty picture in my bed.”
She giggled and covered her face with one hand, making his breath catch. “No, I don’t. I’m always a mess in the mornings.”
He sat next to her and finally gave in to the urge to touch her hair. “I’m so glad you’re back. I’m . . .” He took a deep breath. “I know we’ve both said and done things we can’t take back now.”
“You didn’t do anything. Stop being so diplomatic. It was me, all of it. I’m sorry for how I treated you. I was wrong and stupid. I said so many awful things.”
He lowered his eyes to his bare feet on the hardwood floor. Could he tell her about the days after she’d ripped his heart out? The time he spent in this very bed replaying the scene over and over, or the endless unanswered phone calls from his dad, Sarah, and even Annette Tilly. Friends from his football team had tried stopping by to see him, bringing take-out, movies to watch, and beer; but they couldn’t get him to budge. He was living in a pit of misery and nothing was going to bring him out of it. The one person who’d forced him from his miserable state was his dad. When his phone calls had gone unanswered, his dad had pushed his way through the stacks of pizza boxes and take-out containers to find him.
“Boy, get your sorry arse up and out of this house and get moving,” he’d boomed from across the room.
“Oi, Dad! Leave me be.”
“The hell I will. What are you doing in here all day? You come back from America and stick your head in the sand.”
He’d turned his face to his father, his eyes burning. “She’s chucked me. Never really fancied me, anyway.” He took a deep breath and swiped his hand across his unshaven face. “Did you know I had a twin?”
David’s eyes went wide as he took a seat next to his son, ready to listen.
“Drew? Are you okay?” Grace’s voice was soft in his ear.
She brought his focus back to the present, to happier times.
“Yes, love. I’m fantastic.”
Her answering smile pushed away all of his memories from the last few months. The hurt and heartache boxed up and filed away to be forgotten. It seemed strange to forget so quickly the deep wound she’d willingly dealt him.
When Sarah had crushed him, the feeling had been so different. Their relationship had been built on a foundation of anger and betrayal, but not entirely unexpected. He’d always known deep down that Sarah wasn’t forever, that she’d eventually find someone better. Losing her was like going off cigarettes. It was hard, he craved her attentions, but he knew she was bad for him.
Grace’s rejection had been a deeper blow. The air around him was a crushing weight and his need for her was more than just a craving. It didn’t matter what she’d said, he couldn’t remove her from his heart no matter how he tried. The minute he saw her, standing on the footpath outside his house, her face bright, eyes shining, the hurtful moments of the past suddenly disappeared. He needed her.
They shared a late breakfast at his kitchen table. Both sat silently, observing the other. He was bursting with questions about the baby; how long she would be here and what her plans were for the future. He was afraid to overwhelm her with his manic-loaded questions, but he had to know the answers.
“Twelve weeks.”
He raised his eyebrows in question. “I’m sorry?”
“That’s how far along I am. Twelve weeks.”
Pride bubbled up in his chest. “When will the baby arrive?”
Baby. The baby. My baby. A slight knot of panic began worming its way between his shoulders.
“My official due date is November twenty-sixth.” She laid a hand against the small bump. “Right around Thanksgiving.”
“Have you told anyone yet?” He held his breath, hoping desperately that she hadn’t.
“No. Val knows, but she figured it out on her own. She’s got lots of brothers and sisters, so she spotted it pretty easily. Now that I look back on it, I can’t believe I didn’t know.”
“Were you very sick?”
“Almost daily. I thought I was dying, that I had stomach cancer like my grandma. I felt like such an idiot when the doctor asked me if I might be pregnant.”
She laughed and he reached over to run his fingers along the fine bones in her wrist. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
Grace met his eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sorry my stupid self-obsession kept you from being there.” She laughed.
“What’s funny?”
“We’re both sad that you missed out on seeing me sicker than I’ve ever been. That’s just weird.” She continued laughing until tears sprang to her eyes.
“You’re a loon.” He stood and pulled her to him.
“Might be, but I think you fancy me.” She cocked one eyebrow, her beautiful eyes all he could see.
“You might be right, Miss McConnell.”
Chapter 30
Grace was happy. She and Drew were back together, her project was in full swing, and she was feeling more like herself than she had in weeks. In the few days they’d been reconciled, Drew had already integrated himself into her daily life. Any free time was spent with each other and she smiled at the thought of seeing him for lunch today. As she rounded the corner, headed to her cottage, she grinned to herself. I can’t believe I’m here.
Her runs were getting slower as the days passed, giving her more time to ponder and worry over the future. She’d been so prepared for rejection, that she wasn’t ready for acceptance. She was ready for Drew to have moved on, chosen to keep her at arms’ length, or to be hateful and angry. He’d surprised her, as he always did.
John wouldn’t have been so accepting. He would have run the other way if she’d been pregnant, until he thought about it and realized that a baby wasn’t a bad thing. John was the type of person who cringed at the domestic life, always the thrill-seeker and adventure-lover. Settling down, having kids, and keeping house was his definition of killing an adventurous life.
“What are we doing today?” she asked Drew from behind his seat at the kitchen table. She poured herself a cup of herbal tea and sat next to him.
He raised his eyebrows and chewed on his lip in thought. “Well, I’ve got a football match today. Would you like to come?”
“Yes!” The thought of watching him play football, no matter how terrible he said he was, made her eager and more than a little turned on.
“Really?” His eyebrows rose and his face split into a wide grin. “I didn’t think you’d be likely to waste your time watching a bunch of nutters run around chasing a ball.”
“What can I say? I have a thing for soccer players.”
“I thought you fancied Scots.” He dipped his head for a kiss.
“Scottish soccer players. Even better.”
The field was still wet with dew as they walked hand-in-hand to where Drew’s team was gathered. He dropped a light kiss on her forehead and jogged off to take his place. While she watched him move and stretch before the match started, she felt peaceful. She marveled at the fact that her life had changed more than she’d ever imagined it could in a little less than a year. She’d lost her love—the person she thought she would grow old with—moved across the world, then found love again. She’d found the person she was truly meant to be with.
Tears burned her throat as she was overcome with the realization that John had been the path leading her to Drew. Without loving and losing John, she never would have found Drew.
The match was a humiliating loss for Drew’s team. He played goalie and was definitely not lying when he said he was terrible. They all were.
She didn’t care one bit. Watching him, engaged in the game, laughing and happy, made her smile and forget about everything else going on in her life. In that moment, there was no looming deadline, no devastating losses, no waiting emails from Bidwell. There was just Drew.
He smiled up at her from his bench as he removed his cleats. While she waited for him to finish saying his goodbyes and gathering his stuff, a shadow fell over her.
“Well, well. You must be Grace.” A woman’s husky, seductive voice came from behind.
Grace turned to find an angelic beauty. She shook her head and raised her eyebrows in question. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“I’m sure Drews has told you.”
Drews? Who was this woman?
“Sarah Tensley. Drew’s wife, of course.” She reached her hand out in greeting with a wicked smile on her face.
“I think you mean ex-wife.” Grace crossed her arms over her chest to conceal the trembling of her hands.
“Drew hasn’t ever truly given me up. He may push me away, but he always comes crawling back. This time might have taken him a bit longer to come round, but he did. I have you to thank for that one.”
“What do you mean?” A sick feeling took hold at Sarah’s words.
“After you broke his heart, we had quite the wild time of it in Surrey.” Her face was smug and prideful.
Grace snuck a glance at Drew, who was walking toward them, his face burning with anger.
“Hello, lover,” Sarah purred as he approached.
“I told you, Sarah, I’m not your lover,” he snarled, his eyes not meeting Grace’s.
Sarah handed him an envelope and turned on her heel, calling out a taunting, “Ta-ra!” over her shoulder.
Grace turned her eyes on Drew and searched his face for enlightenment. She watched as he turned the envelope over and over in his hands.
“What is that?” she asked, not wanting to know the answer.
“I’ve no idea.”
Drew’s heart hammered in his ears as he looked over the envelope.
“What is it?” Grace asked him for the second time.
His stomach twisted and churned as he sat on the bench and shook his head, worrying about the potential bomb Sarah had just dropped.
“Grace. There’s something . . . I don’t-”
“You spent the night with her while we were apart.” It was a statement. Clear, clean, and painful.
He looked down at his shoes, trying to focus on the scuffs marring the white ends of his old trainers. “I did. But it’s not what you think.”
She sucked in a sharp breath and sat on the bench next to him. “Okay.”
He raised his eyes to hers, searching their depths for her true feelings. “Okay? I know you’re thinking the worst of me, but all you have to say is, okay?”
“I don’t like it. I hate it, actually. I hate her.” She let out a breath, as if trying to release her frustration. “I’m the one that broke things off. Whatever happened is my fault. Just promise me she’s out of your life now. As long as you’re with me, she’s not anywhere near us.”
“I promise, Grace. She’s gone. I let her get to me, but I shut her down. You’d just sent me home and I was a right mess. I drank too much, Sarah started circling, and I woke up with her naked in the bed.” Her expression darkened at his last words. “Nothing happened. I couldn’t go through with it. She wasn’t you.”
He stared down at his hands. “But I know she’s up to something.”
Grace trained her gaze on the still unopened envelope. “So? What’s in there?”
He tore open the seal and pulled out a sheet of paper. His eyes widened at the familiar legal jargon and he cursed under his breath.
“She’s suing me for sexual harassment.” He didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.
“What? How can she do that?”
“She says I was giving her legal counsel and took advantage of her.”
He watched Grace’s reaction with caution. “Can she do that?”
He shook his head. “She hasn’t got a leg to stand on. This will never see a courtroom and she knows it. She’s hoping I’ll give her money to settle.”
“Why would you settle?” she asked. “You don’t have that much money to give.”
“Well . . . actually, I do. I’ve had a trust since childhood. Ten’s has been successful and my dad made a lot of smart investments over the years. Sarah didn’t get anything in the divorce. You know, adultery and what not.”
Her eyes went wide. “You’re not going to settle, are you?”
He ran his hands over his face and sighed. “Nah. She’ll never get anywhere with it. I know her too well. She’s desperate for money, never wanted to earn her own. I should’ve been more wary when she started phoning me all the time after her latest breakup.”
“So, what are we going to do?”
He grinned as he put the envelope in his duffel bag. “You, dear girl, aren’t going to do a thing. I’ll take care of Sarah.”
He gingerly placed an arm around her waist, worried she’d be hesitant to let him touch her in light of Sarah’s visit.
“Are we good, love?”
She snuggled into his side and wrapped her own arm around him.
“Yes, love. We’re good.”
Grace rolled her shoulders to rid herself of the knot forming on her right side, a constant reminder of the extra weight she now carried. Her running form was suffering and causing more muscle issues than she was used to. The thought of Drew with Sarah weighed heavy on her mind. She knew the truth of the situation. And despite what did or didn’t transpire in Surrey, they’d been separated at the time. It still made her burn to even think of him with anyone else. His eyes continually searched hers, obviously wondering if she believed his side of the story. And she did.
When she reached her porch, she stopped and leaned into a deep calf stretch, feeling the muscle pull and burn. Her belly had been bothering her with a faint ache all morning, but now a sharp twinge accompanied it. She frowned at the feeling of wetness and stood, alarm bells ringing in her head. Her hands shook as she unlocked the door to the house and ran for the bathroom.
Bright red blood swirled in the toilet bowl and stained her panties.
“Oh . . . Oh, no. No-no-no.”
Panic took hold in her chest and she reached for her phone, tears beginning to stream down her face.
“Grace?” Valerie popped her head into the bathroom. “What’s wrong?”
Grace lifted a tear-stained face to meet Valerie’s questioning eyes.
“The baby.”
Valerie took in the scene and jumped into action. “Get up, let’s go. I’ll call Drew when we get to the hospital.”
The hospital room was stark, brightly lit, and smelled of antiseptic. Grace sat on the uncomfortable bed, her belly cramping and her heart breaking. She knew she was having a miscarriage. After all the excitement about the baby, after finally fixing things with Drew, after losing John, this wasn’t fair.
Drew was coming. Valerie had tried to call him three times on the way to the hospital and ended up having to leave a cryptic message on his voicemail. He’d been in London tying up loose ends, and was now driving to meet her at the hospital.
She heard him before she saw him, running down the hallway and yelling her name. He skidded past the room and turned, almost falling before he made it to her.
“Oh Grace, I’m so sorry it took me so long to come to you. What’s happened? Valerie only said you were ill and in the hospital.”
She wanted to cry, his face was so open, expectant. “Drew. I . . . I’m losing the baby.” She worked hard to keep her composure. Her chest burned and her throat tightened as she tried to keep the s
ob at bay.
The light left his eyes as comprehension took hold; the clenching of his stubbled jaw a dead giveaway. He frowned, his eyebrows knitting together and his lips forming a tight line.
“No.” It was just a whisper. He took her hand, so gentle it was as if he thought she’d break, and brought it to his lips.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I did.” She was crying again and hated herself for it.
He took her head in his hands and pressed a fierce kiss to her lips to stop her speaking. “Don’t you dare apologize for this. It isn’t your fault. Where’s the bloody doctor gone?”
“He’ll be back soon. They want to do an ultrasound.” Her voice sounded hollow as she recited the doctor’s words.
Drew clenched his jaw and pulled on his ear in frustration. “How long are we meant to be waiting here?”
The doctor chose that moment to come in. He was a pretentious man, tall and balding, with sharp features and an unfriendly expression on his face. He consulted her chart and raised his eyes to meet Drew’s.
“Are you the father, then?”
Drew nodded.
“Right, then, have a seat.” He motioned Drew to the chair by her bed.
“Ms. McConnell, as you are aware, you were admitted with a threatened miscarriage. We completed a pelvic examination and concluded that there was indeed dilation of the cervical tissue, which is indicative of miscarriage. I’m sorry for your loss.”