“You’re a better person than I am,” Caterina said. “I’d probably refuse to let them see her after what they threatened.”
“I considered it, believe me, but if they did decide not to pursue their plans, denying them any visitation with their granddaughter would probably just set them off again. I don’t know the law on these things, but if I refused to let them see her, they might be able to get legal visitation rights that go beyond her once a month weekend visits. You never know how a judge might rule, and I don’t want to risk finding out. Besides, despite what happened the last time she was there, she’s enjoyed her visits with them in the past. They are her grandparents, and although they might despise me, I believe they do love her.”
“If they do, they’ll think of what’s best for her, and that’s being with her father. And they need to stop making her feel like she’s bad and wrong because she can’t remember her mother, who died when she was two years old, for God’s sake. If they keep up with that kind of crap, they’ll destroy any chance of having a good relationship with her when she’s older and can decide for herself if she wants to see them.”
“I appreciate your vehemence on my account,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.
“It’s just…” Cat breathed a sigh of frustration. “Riley’s such an amazing kid. Anyone who sees the two of you together would know what a great parent you are and how much Riley loves you. Her grandparents must be so unwilling to accept that their daughter could have been responsible for her own death that they’re unable to take an honest look beyond their own skewed beliefs to see what a good father, and person, you are.”
“Whatever the case, my daughter shouldn’t be the one paying for it. I called her grandmother before taking her this weekend to tell her that Riley told me about what happened the last time she was there, and that she didn’t want to come this time because of it. I also told her that I didn’t care if she and her husband liked me or not, but if they wanted a relationship with their granddaughter, they better stop making her feel bad for something she neither understood nor had control over, or they were going to turn her against them.”
“How’d that go over?”
He shrugged. “They didn’t respond, but I’m sure they didn’t like it. I don’t really care; I had to say something. Riley’s four, for Christ’s sake. I probably should have left it at that, but I also told them that if I found out they made her feel bad about herself again, they wouldn’t like the consequences. I’m not going to let her suffer because of their bitterness toward me.”
“No, I think you were right to call them. They need to know what they did to hurt Riley. If they care about her, hopefully they’ll realize they were wrong and it won’t happen again.”
“I guess I’ll find out when I pick her up tomorrow.” Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “This conversation’s starting to weigh me down. Let’s talk about something else.”
Their pizza arrived a few minutes later, and they turned to lighter topics, but Liam’s revelation about Riley’s grandparents lingered in the shadow of her thoughts, scrabbling around for attention, like an itch she couldn’t quite reach to scratch.
LIAM STIRRED. HE’D dozed off again after their early morning lovemaking, but he was awake now and likely to stay that way. Caterina lay in his arms, warm, all soft curves and satin skin. She felt right there. Righter than anyone ever had. He loved her. Plain and simple. It had taken him a while to take off the blinders and see her for who she really was, a while longer to build a bridge between them, but he was a builder, he was good at building things.
The conversation they’d had at dinner the night before disturbed his thoughts, a restless review that scrolled through his mind like an old movie reel. Had Sylvie’s parents given up on their idea to try to take Riley away from him? If they thought they had a chance, his gut told him they’d pursue it. It wouldn’t matter what Riley wanted. They’d find a way to justify whatever they did, despite their granddaughter’s feelings.
So, had their lawyer advised them that they’d be wasting their time and money? Or had something else happened to change their minds?
Caterina shifted against him, lifted her head, and regarded him through eyes not quite awake.
“A nickel for your thoughts,” she murmured sleepily.
“I thought it was a penny.”
“Inflation. Everything costs more these days.” She scooted up higher and laid her head on the pillow next to him. “So, what has you looking so serious before the sun has even had a chance to poke through the shutters?”
Liam stroked her arm, her skin a satin expanse under his work-hardened hands.
“Just wondering how Riley’s doing. I can’t forget the image of her wiping her tears away with her coat sleeve, looking at me like I was betraying her or something by not letting her stay home this weekend.” He leaned his head back, stared at the ceiling. “Christ, I hope I didn’t make a mistake letting them see her after what happened last time. For all I know, they could still be planning to try to get custody, and I wouldn’t put it past them to ply Riley for information they could use against me.”
Caterina slid an arm around his waist. “You did what you thought was best for everyone in the moment. I don’t have to be a parent to understand how hard it is to know if you’re making the right decisions for your child. Even if it is the right one, that doesn’t mean everyone’s going to be happy about it. And—” She shifted again and propped herself up on one elbow, looked down at him. “As far as Riley’s grandparents are concerned, the only thing they’d be able to learn by asking her questions is that she thinks you’re a great dad and that she loves you. I doubt any judge would hold that against you.”
“You’re probably right. I can’t imagine what grounds they’d use if they tried to do anything. I’ve got a steady income, a home, she’s well provided for, and she’s a happy kid. I don’t have a criminal record, I’m not out partying all the time or parading a stream of new lovers in and out of her life constantly, and I’m her father! That’s got to carry a lot of weight. So, short of them pulling some incriminating pictures out of thin air, since there’s nothing in my life worth chronicling that they could use against me, they can’t have anything.”
“I agree. I know it doesn’t take away the worry or the concern about how their behavior impacts Riley, but with no evidence to show why they should—”
“What’s wrong?” Liam asked, when Caterina stopped short and her eyes widened as if she’d suddenly remembered something important.
“I…nothing,” she said, hesitating. “I lost my train of thought. I’m just upset, that’s all. You’re a good father. You shouldn’t have to go through this.”
Liam squinted. Caterina averted her eyes. Odd, but he got the feeling whatever made her lose her train of thought, as she’d said, wasn’t something she wanted him to know about.
“And that’s it?” he probed.
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I get the sense there’s something else bothering you besides me worrying about Riley.”
“No.” She swallowed. “Isn’t that enough?”
It might be, if she didn’t look so evasive, and his gut didn’t tell him there was more. So what didn’t she want him to know?
“Hey,” she said, rolling over and getting up off the bed. “Why don’t I make us something to eat before I have to leave? You hungry?” She started pulling on her clothes.
Quick change of subject. And convenient, since she obviously had no intention of telling him what was really on her mind.
“Yeah, sounds good.” He’d let it go for now, but she was keeping something from him. Something, he sensed, that wouldn’t make him happy when he found out about it.
“Great. I’ll just go poke around your kitchen to see what I can turn into breakfast.”
She turned, then hurried toward the door as if pursued by a demon. Liam frowned. He didn’t want to doubt her, but her behavior troubled him, and after everything
he’d gone through with Sylvie, he needed to be able to trust her.
CATERINA WHISKED SOME cream into the eggs she’d already cracked into a bowl. Liam didn’t have much in the way of herbs or fresh vegetables, but she’d found some sliced American cheese she could use to make omelets and a package of frozen turkey sausage to cook up on the side.
She flicked her wrist without thinking about it. Her mind was consumed, roiling over what she should do. She’d already decided not to tell Liam about the pictures before finding out why Damien took them. Her sister was falling in love with the man. What if the pictures didn’t mean anything? Were harmless?
If she told Liam now, he might jump to conclusions and confront Damien before anyone had a chance to explain. But if Damien didn’t have a satisfactory explanation, what then? Had he taken the pictures for reasons none of them knew about? Reasons that could hurt Liam? The possibility they might be related to Riley’s grandparents trying to get custody turned Cat’s stomach. But why would Damien be involved in such a thing? He was a professional photographer, yes, but she wouldn’t have thought he’d hire himself out for that kind of side work.
Did Damien know Sylvie’s parents? Was he a friend of the family—a relative maybe? Had they asked him to try to get incriminating pictures of Liam as a personal favor? That would be a colossal coincidence. He just happened to be staying at the winery’s guesthouse while covering the holiday tour, and Liam just happened to be the contractor for Serendipity…and her lover? Unless, of course, it wasn’t a coincidence that he’d stayed with them.
Caterina shook her head. None of this made sense. She liked Damien. He seemed like a good guy. There had to be some other explanation.
She hated to think what it would do to Eliana if they discovered Damien had chosen to stay at the winery for reasons in addition to his story. Her sister avoided commitment, running from it faster than a gazelle being pursued by a cheetah. But El had discovered something in Damien that she’d been willing to walk out on that limb.
God, she hoped Damien had a good explanation. Because if he didn’t, if by some chance it turned out the suspicion that crept into her head earlier that morning when Liam had commented about pulling incriminating pictures out of thin air played out, then it meant they’d invited Damien into their midst with open arms, and he’d betrayed them all. It also meant it could break her sister’s heart.
“WHY DON’T YOU and Riley come by the winery after you pick her up this afternoon? Maybe we can play a game, and I’ll make an early dinner.” Cat threw out the suggestion as she got ready to leave a couple of hours later.
Liam and Riley were in the habit of going out for an early dinner when she came back from weekends with her grandparents. But since Caterina was his daughter’s newest hero, she’d probably turn cartwheels at the idea. “I’ll leave it up to Riley,” Liam said. “If she says yes, why don’t we order out, though? That way you won’t have to cook, and no one has to do dishes.”
Cat set her purse down on the edge of the entryway table to put her coat on. Liam held it up, and when she turned around, he slipped it on.
When she spun back to face him, she accidentally knocked the purse off the table. Some of the contents spilled out and scattered across the floor.
“One of the problems with having long arms.” She looked at Liam and rolled her eyes in a self-mocking gesture. “They can turn even the most graceful among us into klutzes.”
She got on her knees and started picking things up, stuffing them into her purse. No doubt, she’d dump it all back out when she got home and organize it in whatever system she’d designed for it. He knew she had one, but probably didn’t want to take the time to do it now since she knew he had to leave soon to go get Riley.
Liam just shook his head and grinned, then stooped down to help gather things up.
He snagged a tube of lipstick that had rolled onto the tile entry, then picked up a small plastic bag. He held it up and tilted his head. His breathing slowed. Icy fingers snatched him from the moment, hurled him into another shadowy place.
Riley sat on the floor, playing with her dolls. She looked up at him and put a finger to her lips. “Shhh. Mommy’s sleeping.” He looked from his young daughter to the woman lying next to her. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks ashen, and her mouth hung open as if in shock over whatever reality came to collect her.
He dropped to his knees, knew terror when his trembling hand touched the cold, dry skin of her face. Dead skin. His mind reeled. On the coffee table was a plastic zip-bag holding several small pills, a spoon. They rested on top of a saucer from the china pattern with the gold flower border that her parents had given them as a wedding gift. Riley continued to play beside him. She combed one of the doll’s hair, held it up for him to see, and smiled. How long had she been sitting there waiting for her mother to awaken?
Outside, the wind called to him. Liam. Liam.
“Liam!”
Liam shuddered. His breath wheezed out in a gush. He looked up. Caterina stood above him, staring at him, her purse hanging open on her arm.
“Liam, are you okay?” She reached down and touched his shoulder.
He brushed her hand away, stood up slowly, clutching the baggie he’d picked up off the floor. He’d picked up a similar bag of pills once, seen the powder residue on the saucer where his dead wife had crushed them, next to where his two-year-old daughter had been playing when he found them. He felt the same fear he had then, and the same guilt. What if Riley had found that bag before he’d gotten home?
“Liam,” Caterina repeated. “What’s wrong with you?”
He held out the plastic sandwich bag, dangled it in the air. “Is this what you were trying to keep from me?” His words bit across the short distance between them. He couldn’t believe this. He should never have gotten so involved with another woman before knowing, without a doubt, that he wasn’t putting Riley at risk.
Cat glanced at the plastic bag. “What are you talking about? And why are you so upset?”
Liam jerked his head to the side, looked away from her. “Jesus!” He balled his fists, fought the urge to hit something.
“Talk to me,” she said. “I don’t understand what’s—”
“You don’t understand!” He clenched his back teeth. “That makes two of us, sweetheart. I should have trusted my first instincts. I knew you’d be a mistake. Told myself a dozen times, but did I listen?”
Giving in to his frustration, he turned and punched the doorframe. “Damn it! And now Riley’s…” He closed his eyes and dropped his head, stood there a moment before acknowledging her again. She was the kind of woman men wrote love poems to. Witty. Beautiful. The object of his heart’s desire, and an illusion. He couldn’t bear to look at her standing there, looking so confused when he held the evidence of her secret in front of her. Clearly, she didn’t think he’d find out about her little habit, but he had, and it changed everything.
“Get out, Caterina,” he said tonelessly.
“But—”
“I said go, before I do something I’ll regret.”
She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “Oh, just like that. You flip out, tell me to go, and I’m supposed to leave without any explanation? I thought we were in a relationship, Liam. In good ones, people talk, they don’t kick the other one out with no reason.”
He rolled his jaw.
“I thought we’d moved beyond the point where you glare at me and do that thing with your jaw.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Look, I don’t know what sprung out of nowhere to crawl up into your boxers and bite you, but I suggest we deal with it before you and Riley come over later.”
Liam let out a derisive laugh. “You think I’ll let you anywhere near my daughter now that I’ve discovered your secret? After what happened with Sylvie, the last thing Riley needs in her life is another drug addict to rip it apart.”
Caterina’s mouth dropped open and she gaped at him. “A drug addict?
”
He waved the bag in the air again, and she glanced at it. After a moment, her eyes widened. “You think—”
He wasn’t interested in a cover story. She’d been holding something from him, and when he’d tried to find out what, she hadn’t wanted to talk. Funny, now that he’d found her stash she wanted to clear the air. Part of him wanted her to stay, to convince him he was wrong, but he held the proof in his hands.
“Caterina, I…” He pushed his fingers through his hair. He was a fool. It didn’t matter how he felt about her. He had more important things to think about than himself.
He reached for the door handle, pulled it open. “Just leave. I’m done with this. And you can take these with you.” Liam held the bag toward her. “Maybe it’s good your old boyfriend’s in jail. It looks like you’re running low on these. If he can’t keep supplying you like he did Sylvie, you might end up living a while longer.”
He knew it was harsh, but he wasn’t feeling very benevolent. Just the thought of the destruction Mitch Gregory had wreaked on so many people’s lives made Liam’s blood boil. That Caterina had fancied herself in love with the bastard at one time, well that, he couldn’t deal with at the moment.
Cat hiked her purse strap over her shoulder. Liam saw her raise her chin and swallow. She took a step toward the door.
“I don’t know what Mitch has to do with this or your wife’s suicide. I thought we left those ghosts behind us. Apparently, I’ve either missed some pieces to the puzzle along the way, or there are a few things you haven’t told me about that have shown up to haunt you.”
She walked forward and stopped right in front of him. Got in his face. “Whatever the case, you’re wrong. Wrong about whatever you think I’ve done, or did. You’re wrong about me. I love you, Liam, but I won’t be held accountable for your, or your dead wife’s, mistakes. I hope you realize that, before it’s too late for us to put things back together.”
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