From Dare to Due Date

by Christy Jeffries

  They didn’t need to make any decision tonight, but she would have to bite the bullet soon and tell Garrett that their child would eventually need stability. Whether they provided that individually or together was a choice they would both need to be comfortable living with. Once that choice was made, though, she wouldn’t be jumping back and forth between roles.

  It could wait until after he talked to his father and they hashed out their issues. She picked up a dish towel and started drying dishes so she would be forced to stop staring at him and wondering what he was thinking.

  She wanted to know whether he was doing any of this for her because he thought that was what she wanted. She’d already had to face her world—the town of Sugar Falls and her mother—with the announcement of her pregnancy and the paternity of her child. But he had yet to face his world, which would be much more judgmental and unforgiving.

  She wanted to tell him that things in his life would be so much better once he explained his feelings to his dad. But Mia was just barely learning how to take control of her own life. How could she try to tell him how to control his? Then she would be no better than her mother or Dr. McCormick Sr.

  But just as her friends had once dared her to come out of her shell, maybe Garrett just needed a push in the right direction.

  * * *

  It wasn’t that Garrett was nervous about talking to his father. He just doubted the effectiveness of their conversation. He’d overheard most of Mia’s phone call with her mom and was proud of how well she’d handled herself and how she’d stood up to the woman. But putting Rhonda Palinski in check was probably an afternoon frolic in the kiddie pool. Dealing with Gerald McCormick was like being dunked into deep, shark-infested waters.

  Garrett watched Mia as she put dishes away and wondered if she doubted him as much as he doubted himself.

  She’d been quiet as she’d helped him clean up the kitchen, and Garrett was trying not to draw attention to how useless he felt.

  Normally, he was a proactive man—someone who got stuff done. People entrusted their lives to him. Hell, he had been an officer in one of the most elite branches of the military. Sitting back and waiting until the camera crews left town so that he could confront his father made him feel like a coward.

  Even if it did mean guaranteeing the privacy of the woman he loved.

  He stroked his forehead. It was true. He loved her. He didn’t know how that had happened or when he’d let his heart even consider the possibility. But this gut-twisting agony and the decision he knew he had to ultimately make was definitely because of love.

  Watching his father bring wife after wife into their lives had done nothing to cement the concept of matrimony in Garrett’s young mind. In fact, before his twelfth birthday, he had sworn off the idea of marriage altogether. He told himself it was a sham, that it was for suckers, or that it had a failure rate to rival any property division percentage his former stepmothers had ended up relinquishing. If his beach-loving, ultrasuccessful father couldn’t make it work, then how could he?

  But Garrett wasn’t a failure and he sure as heck wasn’t his father. He knew that he could make a marriage with Mia work. But the unfortunate irony of the situation was that now that he’d finally realized it, he would never be able to make it happen.

  After the kitchen was back in order, Mia walked around the house making sure the outer doors were secured and bolted. He wondered how often she’d followed this same procedure in an effort to ensure her safety. All Garrett had to do was avoid some cameras if he didn’t want to be seen. But a few photos or some video footage never truly endangered him. What did it feel like to live in a state of fear such that her very life depended on whether or not she locked a door?

  Maybe there wasn’t much of a threat with her attacker now in prison. Still, he couldn’t marry her and risk exposing her and their child to unwanted attention, but he also couldn’t live without her.

  He was so angry at his selfish father for putting them in this situation and he was just as pissed at himself for not telling his old man where exactly he could stick his reality show and its ratings sooner.

  When he’d been surprised at the restaurant earlier, he’d reverted to his standard operating procedure. It had always been easier to just take off and leave. But what worked back when he was a teenager no longer felt like an effective solution now that he had so much more to lose.

  Mia yawned as she made her way toward the stairs. “I’m exhausted,” she said, reaching for her suitcase.

  “Here, let me carry that up for you.” Garrett jumped out of his chair. He needed to feel somewhat useful. “Any idea what the sleeping arrangements are like upstairs?”

  “I, uh, well.” A pink blush spread up Mia’s neck and blossomed over her cheeks. She hadn’t been ashamed earlier when she’d taken charge of their lovemaking on the sofa. Tonight, a lot of questions had arisen in his mind about which direction their relationship should be headed in. And he was willing to bet she’d been thinking about some of the same issues.

  In his heart, he knew they would have to end things eventually. But maybe for just one more night, the magic could last a little bit longer. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her toward him before kissing her deeply. When he felt her respond, he knew she’d come to the same conclusion as him.

  “There’s a guest room at the end of the hall,” she said breathlessly.

  It was all he needed to hear. He lifted her into his arms and had to remind himself to go slowly. To savor every detail of tonight. Because when this was all over, he would have to let her go.

  He carried her past both the master suite and one that was decorated as if a slew of adolescent boys stayed over frequently. By the time they made it to the guest room, Garrett wasn’t concerned about who normally slept where in this house or whether there were even sheets on the bed.

  And by the time they finished making love and fell asleep in each other’s arms, Garrett wasn’t concerned about anything beyond the people inside this lake house.

  But the sun streaming in through the windows was a cruel reminder of everything in his life he hadn’t concerned himself with before now. His cell phone vibrated and he saw a text message pop up on the screen from Cooper.

  Just saw your pops walk into the Cowgirl Up Café. He was driving a nondescript sedan with plates registered to a rental company. I called the Snow Creek Lodge and confirmed that his crew checked out earlier this morning. So my guess is he’ll be on his way out of town after breakfast. I’ll keep you posted.

  Garrett should be thrilled. He should be elated that he finally had the chance to confront his father without anyone video recording what he needed to say. But what about the next time his old man came to town? And knowing his dad, there would be a next time.

  “Morning,” Mia said, stretching like a cat in the sunlight. Man, that woman could sure move her body into the most alluring positions. But her smile fell and she asked, “What’s wrong?”

  He answered by handing his cell phone to her so she could read the text.

  She sat up, her beautiful shoulders poised perfectly straight. “But this is good news, right?”

  “Is it?”

  “Didn’t you want the chance to talk to him alone?”

  “I honestly don’t know what I want.”

  She pulled the thousand-thread-count sheet higher under her arms. “Do you want me?”

  This was it. This was his opportunity to tell her that he didn’t. His opportunity to let her go. To keep her safe.

  She didn’t deserve to be lied to, but she also didn’t deserve to keep living in fear. This was a woman who’d done everything in her power to protect herself. So why couldn’t he make the decision to do whatever he had in his power and do the same?

  “You know what? You don’t need to answer that.” She stood up, letting the sheet fal
l to the floor as she walked toward the door.

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her exactly how much he wanted her. But maybe it was better this way. Why give her false hope?

  He resisted the urge to rush after her, to stop her from reaching the suitcase she’d left downstairs. He’d already dealt with having her sneak out of his life once, and this time she wasn’t sneaking.

  Damn it.

  He stared in anger at the black screen mounted to the wall.

  Television and his father’s stupid shows had shaped his life, but he couldn’t allow it to shape Mia’s. She deserved to live her dreams, even if it completely ruined his.

  He walked to the hallway, but when he heard the zipper of her suitcase, followed by the sound of little plastic wheels rolling along the hardwood floor, he froze.

  She was leaving. And he had to let her go. For her own safety and peace of mind. Outside, the engine of Cessy’s Lexus shot to life. Garrett didn’t know if it was the powerful engine or all the frustration he felt toward his father that was causing the roaring in his ears.

  Mia might be gone, but it was still up to Garrett to keep his old man from making things worse.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mia wasn’t one hundred percent sure that taking Cessy Walker’s car had been the best idea. She couldn’t even operate the CD player, let alone figure out how to turn off the squawking GPS, which was directing her away from Sugar Falls and toward the shopping mall in Boise.

  Yet she’d had no other choice.

  Hearing Garrett’s deafening silence after she asked him if he wanted her had been worse than taking a golf club to the knee. But seeing the aching look in his hazel eyes had been a crippling blow to her heart.

  She knew his answer. And she knew how to fix this. She hoped.

  Mia ignored the blinking triangle on the screen and drove straight to the Cowgirl Up Café.

  As much as she wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming confrontation, she didn’t want to cower and she didn’t want to be protected.

  She made a right turn onto Snowflake Boulevard and took a deep breath just as Barry Manilow belted out about being ready to take a chance again.

  Her brain flashed back to that stupid text her friends had sent her when she’d been sitting in that bar in Boise.

  Even though she’d had no intention of accepting their dare, that one spark of confidence had changed the entire course of her life.

  And now some crooning love ballad stuck on Cessy Walker’s car radio was daring her to put her love on the line.

  Garrett better not be pissed that she was about to fight his battle for him. But seeing the way he’d looked at her back in the bedroom, she knew he’d go to battle for her if the situation was reversed.

  Now all she could hope was that the stubborn man would come to his senses and follow after her.

  The downtown city street was a bit more busy than usual and she’d had to drive around the block twice before she’d become impatient and created her own parking spot.

  By the time she walked across Sugar Park, a spot opened up right in front of the restaurant.

  Garrett’s truck pulled in at an angle and Mia was relieved the cavalry had arrived. Or else he’d come to stop her.

  “What are you doing here?” Garrett said after doing a double take of her walking toward him.

  She stood up straighter, hoping her initial instinct had been right. “When I asked you if you wanted me, your eyes gave me your answer. I’m pretty familiar with the I’m-doing-this-for-your-own-good look. So I decided to rescue you before you made the mistake of attempting to rescue me.”

  At his confused expression, she went on. “I planned to catch your father before he left town.”

  “You were coming to see my father?” Garrett asked, walking toward her.

  She tried not to think about the fact that they were having what should be a private conversation in a very public location. But that seemed to be a habit between the two of them.

  “Yes. I figured you’d end up confronting him and decided that maybe I could talk to him beforehand and convince him to hear you out this time.”

  “I don’t know if that would be enough, Mia. I’ve been over it several times in my head and I’m not sure anything could convince him that I don’t want my life—our life—to be on TV.”

  “Is that why you were so miserable last night?”

  “You moaned my name out loud several times. I hardly think I was miserable.”

  She blushed, hoping the two horses tethered out front were the only ones who’d heard him. “I meant is that why you were in such a quiet mood in the kitchen after dinner?”

  “Partly. I was angry because I shouldn’t even have to explain all of this to my dad in the first place. But I was also sad because I knew that anything I did would be temporary anyway because it’s not like I can be with you permanently.”

  Her legs grew shaky and her throat threatened to close up. But she wouldn’t cower anymore. Hell, she’d already driven Cessy’s prized Lexus into town and parked it illegally in front of City Hall. Mia was invested at this point and wasn’t going to back down.

  “Why not?” Was there something she didn’t know about preventing them from staying together? Had she misread the protective look in his eyes?

  “Because of my father.”

  “He doesn’t want you to be with me?”

  “He probably doesn’t care either way as long as ratings go up. And him going after those ratings is the problem.”

  She still didn’t understand his line of reasoning. She knew he was strong and that he’d rebelled against his father plenty of times—albeit, his idea of a proper rebellion was up for discussion. So now what was different?

  “Do you want to be with me, Garrett?”

  “Of course I do. I’ve been half in love with you since that night we first met in Boise. The other half of me followed suit the minute you limped into my office.”

  Her heart did a little kick ball change at him finally saying it out loud. “Then what does Gerald McCormick have to do with whether or not we’re together?”

  “Mia, don’t you see? If you marry me, you’ll never be fully safe from the limelight. You worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get away from Nick, that all it would take would be one camera to start all that drama back up again.”

  “Maybe. You’re right that I got away. And if I have to, I’ll get out of it again. But not by escaping. If it comes to it, I’ll face things head-on.” He didn’t look persuaded. “Listen, Garrett, yesterday, after I told you about my past, something powerful came over me. You know what that was? It was the realization that nobody but me was in control of my life. My mom, God bless her misguided heart, tried to shape me into the person she wanted me to be and then that whole thing with Nick crushed my spirits and I went into hiding. But from the second I met you and opened myself up, not only in that hotel room, but also in the doctor’s office when we heard the heartbeat and then yesterday when we ended up at the lake house, I knew that I no longer wanted to stay in that world where I was scared, little Mia.”

  “But what about the baby? How do we keep it safe?”

  “How does anyone keep their child safe? There’re going to be accidents and there’re going to be mistakes. We protect our child as much as we can and we love it unconditionally. But we also need to allow him or her to experience things. Last night, my mom reminded me of how much she’d sacrificed for me. But I never asked her to do any of that. In fact, it was an overwhelming responsibility she’d burdened me with at such a young age. Her happiness was always dependent upon how well I’d done at a rehearsal or performance. I would never put that kind of pressure on our child. So while I don’t condone the whole television producer lifestyle, we can’t keep our baby in a bubble forever.”
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br />   He looked down the street toward the park in the center of town, where two young children were climbing on a slide. “I always hated having my childhood exposed to the whole world due to the life decisions of my father. You’re right. Forcing our child to live some secret existence based upon our choices would be no different. But what if I can’t keep you two out of the public eye?”

  She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “See those kids playing in the park without a care in the world? I want this baby to have the freedom to do whatever it wants. And I also want you and I to be able to have the freedom we need, too. So I figured I could go inside the café to talk to your dad and explain things to him...”

  “Whoa. If anyone’s going to explain things to my old man, it’s going to be me. Lord knows I’ve tried to make him see things from my point of view for the past twenty years. But, like you said, it’s not just about me anymore. My whole life I’ve been talking big, but my actions have been to say my piece and then take off to avoid any further conflict. It’s the only way I knew how to take control of my world. But I don’t want to just talk anymore. I need to stand my ground on this one and make sure he listens to what I have to say.”

  “If you tell me that part about falling in love with me again, I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”

  He pulled her closer and when his mouth claimed hers, she felt his resolve and his promise that they were going to stand together on this and claim a life neither one of them had thought possible.

  * * *

  Garrett held Mia’s hand tightly as they walked into the Cowgirl Up, the jingling horseshoe wind chime not slowing him down.

  He saw his father sitting all alone at a turquoise upholstered booth in the back corner of the restaurant. But before he could march over there, his friend greeted him.

  “Figured this is where you’d end up,” Cooper said from his seat at the counter beside Mia’s two best friends. The man had an uncanny knack for knowing what people were going to do before they even did it. Hell, it seemed everyone in Sugar Falls, especially Mia, knew his mind. “I knew you would be by first thing this morning. We can’t all keep running forever.”