by Beth Ehemann
My stomach dropped. I knew these scans were normal and just a precaution, but I got anxious every time she had to have them. Though I would never admit it to her, I had never completely let go of the fear that her cancer would come back. I’d feel better in a couple weeks when she got the all clear from her doctor.
“Of course, Mom,” I said flatly.
She sensed my tension. “Honey, relax. These are just routine scans.”
“I know, I know. This will be fun. I’ll grab a bunch of movies and cook you dinner.” I tried to sound upbeat.
“That sounds perfect, actually.”
“Great. I’ll pick up Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Night of the Living Dead… Wait, do you like Freddy or Jason?”
“Anything with Meg Ryan in it.”
“Mom,” I whined. “She’s in chick movies. I don’t want to watch chick movies, especially not with my mother.”
“You want Toll House bars?” she threatened with a laugh.
Mmmm. Toll House bars.
She knew my weakness.
“Evil, Mom. That’s evil.” I sighed. “You’ve Got Mail or Sleepless in… wherever?”
Completely exhausted from work, I came home and made dinner for everyone, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. My mom never batted an eye when I asked her if she would watch the girls for me while I worked, so cooking dinner was the least I could do. Things would be easier in a couple weeks when school started for them.
I tucked the girls in and collapsed on my bed, hugging my cell phone while I waited for Brody’s call. I’d gotten so used to having him at the inn, it was hard not being able to run up to his guest room and snuggle up with him for a bit.
My text alert went off and I jumped, not realizing I’d dozed off.
B: YOU STILL AWAKE?
I didn’t waste time texting back, I needed to hear his voice.
“Hey.” A big sigh sounded in my ear as he answered the phone.
“Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good.” My heart sunk.
Does he know something about Zach? No, there was no way. Right?
“Sorry, just a long day.” He yawned. “I’m glad you’re still awake.”
His yawn was contagious. “Barely.”
“How was work?”
Awful. Terrible. Horrendous.
“Good. There was a five-car pileup. That was exciting.”
His husky laugh tickled my ear. “Sometimes I think I should be worried about the weird things that excite you.”
I giggled. “What about you? How was practice?”
“It was okay. I probably won’t be able to walk tomorrow. My quads hurt so bad.”
“Mmmm, sounds like you need a good rubdown.”
“You have no idea. I would sell my soul to the devil himself to have you here with me right now.”
“Me too, Brody. This is harder than I thought it would be. How are we going to make it seven, eight months?”
“We’ll just have to make more of an effort to carve out time for each other. Maybe tomorrow, as soon as practice ends, I’ll grab D and head straight up there?”
I paused for a second, excited at the thought but not sure we had space. “I’ll have to check with Mom; I don’t know if there are any rooms available.” The girls knew that Brody and I were together now, but I still didn’t think it was appropriate for them to know we were sleeping in the same bed, so Brody still stayed in a guest room when he was here.
A suspicious laugh filled the line. “You check with her and get back to me.”
“I feel bad, though, making you drive all that way for just one night.”
“Kacie, I’d drive twenty hours for just one kiss from you.” Hearing him say that made my belly warm. How was I so lucky to snag the greatest guy in the world? “I’d expect a little tongue with that kiss, but you get my point.”
I laughed loudly. “There’s the Brody I know and love.”
“I want to see you, though. It’s only been a couple days and I already miss my girls—all three of you.”
“We miss you too. I’ll check with my mom in the morning and get back to you, okay?”
“You do that.” I could tell he was smiling.
“Okay, I’m off to bed.”
“All right, babe. Dream about me. I love you.”
“I love you, Brody.”
“Good morning!” I bounced into the kitchen.
“Hi?” Mom said, turning to face me from the stove. “What’s with you today? You’re unusually perky.”
“Nothing. Just excited to see Brody tonight.” The girls had already finished eating and were coloring at the island as I walked over and kissed them on the tops of their heads.
Mom rolled her eyes and chuckled. “It’s only been a couple days since you two have seen each other.”
“I know.” I went over to the stove and scooped up some scrambled eggs on my plate before I sat with Lucy and Piper at the island. “I’m pathetic.”
“A little, but it’s sweet.” She winked at me.
“Wait! Before I get too excited, is there a guest room available tonight?”
Mom turned back from the stove with a blank look on her face and stared at me. After a second she pulled her brows in and tilted her head to the side suspiciously. “Did he not tell you?”
I was confused. “Tell me what?”
A slow grin grew on her face and she slowly shook her head. “Oh, that boy. You better hold on to him, Kacie.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When he told me about you being uncomfortable, um…” She glanced at the girls and back at me. I could tell she was trying to speak in code because of them. “…being roommates at night, I told him that he was welcome to a guest room anytime he wanted one. I said I’d save one for him.” She walked over to the island and put her hand on her hip while I continued shoveling eggs into my mouth. “He insisted I not be out any money because of all this, so he prepaid for one guest room for an entire year. Three hundred and sixty-five nights.”
My mouth fell open as my fork dropped to the plate, making a horrible clanging noise. “He paid for a whole year?”
She nodded. “A whole year. He’s crazy about you, girl, and clearly confident in your relationship—at least for a year.”
“Be right back!” I jumped off the stool and ran to my bedroom, grabbing my phone off the nightstand.
YOU PAID FOR A WHOLE YEAR?!?!?
My foot tapped impatiently for two minutes as I waited for his response. Finally, my phone beeped.
B: YOU TALKED TO YOUR MOM, HUH?
WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?
B: WHAT? AND MISS THIS MOMENT? ARE YOU KIDDING? SURPRISING YOU IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN THE WORLD, KACIE. WELL, THAT AND WATCHING THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE WHEN YOU COME.
My stomach flipped as I read his last text. That man was perfection.
B: YOU STILL THERE?
Oh, shit.
SORRY, I’M HERE. JUST THINKING ABOUT… YOU. EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE FOR ME, THE SURPRISES, THE GESTURES. I HAVE NO WORDS. HOW CAN I EVER REPAY YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR ME?
B: WELL, YOU COULD REPAY ME TONIGHT BY SHOWING ME THAT LOOK I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
UH, ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY. YOU MIGHT SEE IT MORE THAN ONCE. ;)
B: HOLY SHIT! THE WINKY FACE! I’VE BEEN WORKING FOR THAT ELUSIVE LITTLE BASTARD FOR MONTHS NOW!
What?
WHAT?
B: NEVER MIND, I’LL EXPLAIN LATER. GOTTA TAKE POOR DIESEL OUT. HE’S STANDING AT THE FRONT DOOR WITH HIS LEASH IN HIS MOUTH, GLARING AT ME.
OKAY, LOVE YOU! CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU TONIGHT!
B: LOVE YOU TOO, KACIE.
I went back out to the kitchen with a smile cemented on my face. Mom was bent over, loading the dishwasher as I sat back at the island in a daze, happily eating cold eggs.
“Give me these. At least let me warm them up,” my mom hissed playfully when she stood up. She put them in the microwave and turned back to me, trying not to laugh. “What has ha
ppened to my little Kacie? She’s all grown up and madly in love.”
I felt my face flush, but I didn’t care. “I totally am, Mom.”
“I can tell. You’re glowing. Happiness looks good on you.” She walked over and kissed my cheek as she set my plate down in front of me. “I’ve never seen you like this, not even with Zach.”
My stomach rolled as I tried to force the eggs to stay put. His name used to freeze me in my tracks and annoy me, now it terrified me. The first year after he left, I prayed every day that he would realize his mistake and come back for us. The last five years, I’ve prayed every day that he would stay far away, and that the girls would belong to just me forever. The room started to spin as my breathing increased.
“Uh oh, what’s with the face?”
“What?” I tried to sound as normal as possible.
“Don’t ‘what’ me, Kacie Jensen. I know you. You clam up when I mention him, but you don’t look ill.”
My brain started arguing with itself. I didn’t want anyone to know I’d seen him. If I said it out loud, it made it seem more real. I wanted to take that secret, lock it in a box, and bury it in the middle of nowhere. Maybe then it would stay hidden forever and my life would never change. On the other hand, I desperately wanted someone to talk about it with. I hadn’t seen Alexa yet, and I knew she was going to lose her mind and try to kill him. Telling Brody was out of the question right now. Lauren knew I’d seen him, but she lived on the other side of the world for the next year. I couldn’t just grab the phone and call her every time I needed to talk about it.
“Where are the girls?” I craned my neck, looking for them in the family room and down the hallway.
“When you were in your room, they got dressed and went outside to rake leaves with Fred. Spill it.”
“I saw him,” I said in a barely audible voice.
“Him? What him? Zach?” Her eyes opened so wide I thought they might fall out of her head. “When? Where?”
I sighed. “At work. He works there. Well, kind of. He’s an EMT, so I’ve seen him a couple times.”
She didn’t speak. Her mouth hung open, her green eyes still wide as can be, her face completely frozen in shock.
“I saw him my first day. I was in a room waiting for a patient and two EMTs brought her in. He had his back to me—I didn’t recognize him from behind. When he turned around, I almost died.”
“That son of a bitch,” she growled. “Have you talked to him since you saw him? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this sooner, by the way.”
“I ignored him the first time I saw him. Actually, I freaked out and hid in the bathroom. Then last week, the day Brody brought the girls to the hospital to have lunch with me, Zach saw them. Us. Sitting together, having lunch.” She sat at the island across from me with her chin resting on her hand, mesmerized by every word I was saying. “Anyway, on my way back to the ER, he grabbed me, pulled me into a janitorial closet, and asked me about them. He wanted to talk to me, even offered to buy me a coffee.”
“Wow,” she said, shaking her head back and forth. “You should’ve taken him up on it.”
“I should have?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Yes. You should have ordered the biggest, hottest coffee on the menu then thrown it in his face.”
“Mom.” I let a slight giggle escape as I rolled my eyes. “Fun as that would have been, it’s slightly violent.”
“But fitting.” She curved her lips into an evil smirk. “What does Brody think about it?”
I covered my eyes with my hands, ignoring her question.
“You didn’t tell him yet?”
I just shook my head, still hiding from her.
“Kacie! What are you thinking?” She crossed her arms across her chest.
“I know, I know.” I sighed. “I’m going to tell him. Soon.”
“You better,” she demanded.
“Anyway, I don’t know what to do. I can’t exactly ask for a transfer or it’ll delay my graduation. I just have to do my best to avoid him until I’m done.” I swallowed a huge lump in my throat as tears stung my eyes. “I’m so scared, Mom. I don’t want him back in our lives. Can he take the girls?”
Mom got up and hurried around to my side of the island, pulling me in close. “Honey, he will never, ever take those girls. Do you hear me? He hasn’t been around for five years. No court in their right mind would grant him any sort of custody. The most he could hope for would be minimal visitation, but if I have to sell this damn inn to hire the best lawyer in Minnesota, so be it.”
Court. Custody. Visitation.
Those were things I hadn’t even thought about. The knot in my stomach was so big and heavy, I felt like it might crush me. I thought telling my mom about Zach would make me feel better, but she had brought up things I wasn’t prepared to deal with. The last thing in the world that I wanted right now was a court battle.
My head dropped down to my folded arms on the island and I sobbed.
After another mediocre practice, I was frustrated and stressed and decided I needed to take care of something that had been disrupting my focus.
I showered at the rink and drove straight to Andy’s office. My palms started to sweat as the elevator stopped at the forty-second floor and the doors opened. The Shaw Management sign stared me right in the face. I hadn’t spoken to Andy since he showed up at my condo right after Piper’s accident. Everything between us was fine that day, but it wasn’t like us to go this long without even a harassing text. I also couldn’t remember a time in my whole life when I was nervous to talk to him.
Andy’s secretary, Ellie, was sitting behind the large granite desk.
“Brody!” she sang cheerfully as I walked out of the elevator.
“Hey, Ellie. How are ya?”
“Really good, thanks.” She smiled and batted her fake eyelashes at me. I had never seen teeth as big as Ellie’s. They were like white Chiclets in her mouth. She glanced at her computer screen and frowned slightly. “Is Mr. Shaw expecting you? I don’t have anything on the schedule.”
“Nah, he has no idea I’m here. Is he busy?”
She looked down at her watch. “He’s in a meeting with Brice Foster, but they should be just about done. Do you want to wait a minute?”
“Sure.” I walked over and slumped down in one of the oversized black leather chairs.
Before I even had time to pick up a magazine, his office door swung open and the hottest up-and-coming college baseball player walked out.
I stood up and rubbed my damp palms on my jeans when I caught Brice’s eye. He was a little over six feet tall, but skinny as hell. Someone needed to plump this kid up if he was going to make a run at a professional sports career. He had long hair, brushed off to the side like that annoying Bieber kid, and a baseball hat propped on the very top of his head.
Who the hell taught this kid how to dress?
“Brody Murphy?” He said my name excitedly as he extended his hand.
I smiled politely and shook it. “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard great things about you.”
He grinned as his eyes went wide. “Wow! That’s awesome. Can I take a picture with you?”
“Sure. Ellie, would you mind?” I called out, but Brice shook me off.
Brice waved at Ellie to sit back down. “I got it. We’ll just do a selfie.” He held the camera out in front of us. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I sighed, putting my arm around his shoulder and flashing a quick smile.
“Thanks so much!” He grabbed my hand and shook it quickly before rushing off.
I looked at Ellie who watched Brice walk into the elevator. When he was out of earshot, she looked back at me and rolled her eyes. “Cute kid.”
“If you say so.” I laughed.
I heard Andy on the phone, so I turned the knob quietly and slipped inside. His back was to me as he stood looking out the window with his phone at his ear. Being the boss had its perks, especially when i
t came to offices. You could’ve played a full-court basketball game in there. A seating arrangement off to my right looked more like a high-end living room than office furniture. I parked my ass on the brown leather couch and propped my feet up on the coffee table while he paced back and forth, still oblivious that I was there.
“No. You have more than enough. Send the bill to my assistant and I’ll pay it, but I’m not giving you any more cash, Blaire.”
Wait. What?
I cleared my throat to get his attention. When his eyes snapped up and caught mine, I grinned at him and flipped him off. He rolled his eyes and pointed toward his phone. “Look, I gotta go. A client just walked in, a real pain in the ass.”
I picked up the Sports Illustrated with Brice Foster on the cover and threw it across the room at him.
“Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. Set it up with my assistant. Bye.” He turned the phone off, tossed it on his desk, and ran his hands through his hair. “Jesus, how did I deal with her all these years?”
I laughed loudly. “I’ve asked myself that about a hundred times.”
He walked over and offered his hand to me as I stood up. He got closer and I swatted his hand away. “Fuck your handshake,” I said, pulling him in for a hug. We both sat down and, for the first time, I could see how exhausted he was. He looked pale and had dark lines under his eyes.
“You look like shit. What’s going on?” I linked my fingers and tucked them behind my head.
He rubbed his eyes with his palms and shook his head. “Being a single dad is tough.”
“Single dad?” He officially had my attention.
“Yep. We’re done.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Actually, I’m done. I left. If she loves that ridiculously ugly castle house so much, she can have it.”
