Rachel Laine (The Women of Merryton Book 3)

by Peel, Jennifer

  His laugh was laced with exhaustion. “And you belong in the hot moms club.”

  “Do you subscribe to that?”

  “Why do think so little of me? Of course I don’t. I was paying you a compliment.”

  “Well, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Before I forget, I talked to someone tonight who is upset that you haven’t called her.”

  “Are you talking about me?” I could hear both the panic and pleasure in his voice.

  “You should know that Merryton has a far-reaching grapevine. The citizens here are intrigued when people such as yourself show up in town.”

  “People like you?”

  “No.”

  “I should have known.”

  “Anyway, I have a friend and she is particularly interested in you.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Oh yes. She says she gave you her number and you’ve never called. Is that the kind of man you are?”

  “It all depends on the woman.”

  “She’s right up your alley—beautiful, blonde, ample chest. Do I need to go on?”

  His laugh rumbled through the phone. “I told you, it’s brunettes from here on out.”

  “You may want to rethink that for her.”

  “Who is she?”

  “Her name is Cheyenne Fairchild.”

  It was quiet on his end for a moment. “You’re friends with her?”

  “You do remember her.”

  He cleared his throat. “How do I put this … She’s a little too pushy for my taste.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “That sounds like Cheyenne.”

  “Are you trying to set me up with women?”

  “No. Who you date is your own business.”

  “Unless you don’t approve.”

  “Unless they do anything to harm my son.”

  “Our son,” he corrected.

  “Yes, our son. Speaking of which, you will be meeting my parents tomorrow.”

  Complete silence.

  “Would you like me to get my original babysitter back?”

  “No.” He didn’t even think about it. “I want your parents to know that I don’t run away from my responsibilities.”

  “Hmm. I’m not sure they will ever see it that way.”

  “I don’t blame them, but I’m more worried about how you see it.”

  I set down the towel I had been folding and thought about how I saw things. “Andrew, I want to like you for my son’s sake. I want to believe you had valid reasons for not taking care of my sister, for not believing her. I want to believe you now when you tell me that your reasons are credible for not telling our son who you are, but I don’t know if I can.”

  “Rachel Laine … I promise you, I will deserve the title of Drew’s dad.”

  “I hope so.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I didn’t know what I was more nervous about. Leaving Drew with Andrew, or my parents and Andrew intersecting. It wasn’t really a contest—leaving my son with his dad all day was killing me. I was so sick over it, I couldn’t eat breakfast. It wasn’t that I was worried that any physical harm would come to Drew with Andrew watching him, but I worried about the emotional side. I worried about how rapid the two were becoming attached. I worried that eventually Drew would love Andrew more than me. That he would fill an unknown need that I didn’t know existed.

  Andrew was thirty minutes early. I was surprised, since he had gone to bed so late. We were up talking until almost midnight, and he had an hour drive to get here. He texted me to open up my garage. I hated all this sneaking around. He walked in from the garage door with a box of donuts in hand. Drew was going to be excited.

  “You’re early,” I said.

  He grinned. “I guess I was anxious.”

  I was zipping my boots up when he walked in. “Drew is still sleeping.”

  “How are you this morning?” There was care and concern behind his words.

  I took a deep breath. “I’m not really sure.”

  In a few short strides I found him next to me on the couch. He set the donuts down and took my hand.

  “Do you touch everyone this much?”

  “No.”

  “Andrew,” I turned toward him and met his eyes. Those eyes I adored and could usually read, but not now.

  “I’ll take good care of him. I promise.”

  My eyes stung with tears. I couldn’t get any words out, but a tear escaped and rolled down my cheek.

  Andrew reached up and brushed it away. “You have such beautiful eyes.”

  “Did you say those things to Sydney?”

  “No. She didn’t have the same eyes as you.”

  “Of course she did.”

  He shook his head to disagree. “I never saw the same light in hers as I do in yours.”

  “She was always troubled, though most people were never able to tell.” I barely held back the emotion I felt. I missed my sister.

  “I’m sorry, I took advantage of that—of her—in a weak moment for both of us.”

  I pulled my hand away. “Yes, well. We can’t change the past.”

  He took my hand back. “No, we can’t, but we—I—can do better in the present and the future.”

  I shifted and pulled my hand away again. “We should probably wake up Drew.”

  “I make you uncomfortable.”

  “Very,” I admitted.

  “I’ll have to see what I can do to change that.”

  We walked up together to wake up Drew. We found Jake curled up next to him. I never wanted the dog to sleep on the bed, but those eyes got their way more often than not. And there wasn’t anything much sweeter than a boy and his dog sleeping together.

  Jake was alerted to us first. He jumped off the bed and went straight to Andrew, the traitor. Andrew rubbed his head and Jake lapped it up.

  “Go outside,” I said to Jake.

  He obediently trotted down the stairs and out the dog door.

  I sat on the edge of Drew’s bed and swiped his hair off his forehead. It reminded me he needed a haircut. “Hey, handsome boy, it’s time to wake up.”

  He curled back into himself and pulled the covers up tighter.

  Andrew came and sat next to me. “I brought donuts,” he announced.

  Drew popped right up. “Andrew!”

  That was annoying.

  Even in his sleepy state, he high-fived Andrew. Two peas in a pod.

  I stood up. “Please get dressed. Grandma and Grandpa will be here soon to pick me up.”

  “We’re going to have so much fun today. Mom bought me a new Lego set we can do, and we can play ball in the back.”

  Andrew stood up to follow me back downstairs. “Can’t wait.”

  We both settled in the kitchen.

  “There are emergency numbers on the fridge, and there are hotdogs in the refrigerator for lunch if you want to roast those with Drew, or sandwich meat. Feel free to help yourself to whatever you can find in there. Try to get him to eat some fruit, though. I’ll be back around six, so don’t worry about feeding him dinner.” I looked around to see if I was forgetting anything. I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. It was already hard to leave Drew for a whole day, but leaving him with Andrew added a whole new layer.

  “Rachel Laine.”

  I stopped and stared at him from across the breakfast bar.

  He was grinning, but not in a playful way as was his usual. It was more like, this is going to be okay. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this covered. I brought stuff to make dinner.”

  “You never asked if you could stay.”

  His grinned turned playful. “Do I ever?”

  “Just don’t introduce him to firearms or swords while I’m gone.”

  He laughed. “I’ll save that for next time. Relax, okay?”

  I blew out a large amount of air.

  “By the way, you look great. I like your hair natural like that.”

  I ran my fingers t
hrough my wavy hair that I had let fall naturally this morning. “I suppose you don’t want me to take that the wrong way?”

  “No, I don’t.” His tone was different than I expected, and there was no laugh. I was taken aback.

  “Call me if you need me today,” I made my final plea.

  “You know how I love to call you, but really, we’re going to be fine.”

  I held onto the counter and nodded. “Okay,” I eked out in my high-pitched, I’m-stressed-out voice. Just when the stress was getting to me, there was a knock on my door before it opened.

  My parents walked in and they didn’t look all that happy. Drew’s timing was perfect. He came running down the stairs to greet them. He flew into my dad’s arms. “Grandpa!”

  That appeased my parents for the moment.

  I looked at Andrew, who finally showed that he too could be nervous. I wondered if he had ever lacked confidence before now. At least I knew he was really human. I gave him a small smile to try and reassure him it would be all right, or at least that it would be short-lived. He tried to smile back, but it came out more like a strangled smirk.

  I met Andrew around the breakfast bar and we walked over together to greet my parents at the door.

  My parents both looked between Drew and Andrew. I could see the awe in their eyes.

  I tried to be cheerful for Drew’s sake. “Mom and Dad, this is a friend of ours, Andrew Turner.”

  “He played for the Bears!” Drew added in.

  Andrew held out his hand to my dad first. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

  Dad looked at my excited son before reluctantly shaking Andrew’s hand. I was holding my breath and silently begging him to play nice. I knew how hard this was for them, but for Drew’s sake, and all of our sakes, we needed to be cordial.

  My dad shook Andrew’s hand. “You can call me Douglas.”

  “Thank you,” Andrew said with trepidation.

  Dad released his hand and gently moved my mom forward. “This is my wife, Claire.”

  I had always loved how he said my mother’s name with tenderness. They got on each other’s nerves, but I never doubted how much they loved each other.

  I watched my mom take Andrew’s hand. I think she was shaking a little.

  Andrew not only shook her hand, but he clasped her hand with both of his, as if he was showing deference toward her. “Claire, I’m so pleased to meet you.”

  Mom studied him for a moment. I think she, like me, had a hard time feeling ill toward him because he reminded us so much of someone we loved and adored. And there was something about Andrew. He possessed a charm that was all his own. It was easy to see why people liked him so much. It was easy to see why Sydney fell for him.

  “Nice to meet you, as well,” she managed, albeit strangled.

  I appreciated my parents putting on a good front.

  “We better get going.” Dad clapped his hands together.

  My mom took Drew in her arms and squeezed him extra tight.

  I grabbed my coat and leather satchel. I stood there awkwardly for a moment, not sure what to do. I knew I needed to go, but I didn’t want to.

  Andrew placed his hand on the small of my back. “Have a good day. I’ve got things covered here.”

  Both of my parents eyed him carefully. His physical contact with me was not lost on them.

  I ignored him for the moment, bent down, and grabbed my little guy who wasn’t so little anymore. I hugged him fiercely. “Be good, and listen to Andrew.”

  “I will, Mom.”

  “I love you infinity.”

  “I love you infinity plus one.”

  I squeezed him once more for good measure, and kissed his head.

  “You’re not supposed to kiss me in front of people,” he reminded me.

  “My mom still kisses me,” Andrew said.

  Drew looked up to him. “Really?”

  Andrew nodded.

  Drew shrugged like maybe it was an okay thing then.

  My parents walked out first, and before I could follow, Andrew grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. We faced each other with our hands between us. “Breathe. I’ll have dinner ready when you get home.”

  I let out a huge breath. “Take care of him.”

  “Always,” he whispered.

  I waved to the happy pair while holding my flood of emotions in, and walked out to meet my parents. The cold morning air actually helped. I noticed they brought the Cadillac instead of Dad’s old truck. I wasn’t too surprised, Mom hated that thing. Besides, the Cadillac was more comfortable for all of us.

  Dad opened Mom’s door and then mine and we all situated ourselves in the car. I watched out the window until my house was out of sight.

  “Are you okay, honey?” Mom asked.

  “I’ll survive, I think.”

  My dad’s stiff posture screamed that he was unhappy. “Drew certainly likes him.”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Mom added with reluctance.

  “I suppose.”

  “The question is how do you feel about his feelings for you?” Mom asked.

  “I’m confused. What feelings?”

  “You aren’t that naïve, are you?” Mom replied.

  I leaned up from the backseat and rested against my mom’s seat. “I’m thirty years old and a mother myself; I’m hardly naïve.”

  “You are if you think Andrew Turner is only interested in Drew,” Dad chimed in.

  I sat stunned at the accusation for a moment. “Andrew and I are trying our best to get along for Drew’s sake.”

  “That may be, and it’s commendable, but don’t sell yourself short. Andrew is quite taken with you.” Mom remarked.

  “I don’t think so. I’m not his type.”

  “Hmm …” said both of my parents.

  Mom turned and faced me. “How do you feel about him?”

  That was an uncomfortable question for me to answer. I wasn’t sure how I felt or should feel about him. Sometimes I found myself liking him … a lot. Other times, I wanted to punch him. There were so many complexities surrounding that one little question. “Mom, he was with Sydney. Besides, he’s filling my life with craziness and uncertainty. I’m doing my best to make sure he doesn’t feel the need to get some judge involved.”

  Dad gripped the steering wheel. “Has he given any indication that’s where this is headed?”

  “No,” I said quickly to put them both at ease. “He says he would never think about taking Drew away from me.”

  My mom looked skeptical. “And you believe him?”

  “I don’t have any reason not to.” I leaned closer to my dad. “You know, I remember once upon a time, Dad, when you considered Andrew a stand-up guy, ‘a real class act,’ I think you said.”

  “That’s before I knew he took advantage of my daughter and left her for dead. And now he has his sights set on you.”

  I tried to remember Andrew’s parting words, and I took several deep breaths. “Dad, he didn’t leave Sydney for dead. And as much as we all loved her, we know that she knew what she was doing when she went after someone like Andrew.”

  My dad’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror and they didn’t look happy at all.

  “I’m not saying that Andrew doesn’t bear some of the blame; he knows that. He hasn’t tried to excuse himself for his actions back then, but it wasn’t him that went after her.”

  My dad gave me an icy glare. “So he says.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this. Let’s enjoy our day together,” I said.

  My mom tried to smooth it over. “We’re sorry that you have to go through this, honey.” She also reached over and placed her hand on Dad’s thigh, trying to calm him down.

  “Drew’s happy, and that’s all that matters to me,” I stated.

  “We want you to be happy, too. Whatever form that may come in.” My mom sounded like she was resigning herself to a terrible fate.

  Chapter Fifteen
>
  How’s Drew?

  How many times are you going to text me and ask me that? He’s doing great since the last time you texted me thirty minutes ago. Are you even paying attention to your class?

  Don’t worry, I will get my continuing education credits. I can multi-task.

  Beautiful and smart.

  Stop.

  You texted me first.

  A mistake I will try and avoid in the future.

  For that, I’m taking Drew to the shooting range.

  I’ll call your bluff. I would love if you would take him out in public.

  Soon, Rachel. I promise.

  But not to the shooting range, okay? I wasn’t ready for that.

  No guns on our first outing.

  Thank you.

  I was having a hard time focusing on the instructor droning on about the new laws regarding long-term care policies. I had already read about them, and his voice was so monotonous, I could hardly stand it. I kept thinking about Drew and Andrew. I kept picturing the great time they were having without me, roasting food, tossing a baseball and football around, and building Legos. Drew was probably ready to move in with him.

  Focus Rachel, I thought.

  I probably texted Andrew five more times before the class was over, but it helped keep me awake and sane. Andrew finally texted me a picture of Drew so that I could see he was alive and well.

  By the way, how spicy do you like your food? He texted toward the end of the day.

  Depends on what you’re making.

  How does garlic shrimp sound?

  Delicious, but I’m not sure if Drew would like it.

  I already thought of that; I’m making him BLT’s.

  He’ll love you for that. Bacon is his favorite food ever.

  I know.

  I did appreciate that Andrew was really trying to get to know Drew, and so far he was succeeding. Thanks for handling dinner.

  You’re welcome. We’ll see you when you get home. Drive safe.

  I sighed. Sometimes I really longed to share my life and responsibilities with someone, a partner in the truest sense of the word. I wanted someone I could come home to every night, someone who cared for me, and would have dinner ready sometimes. Someone I could do the same for. Such a simple thing, but it seemed so far out of my reach.

  The car ride home was less heated, probably because we let my mom do most of the talking. She caught us up on her friend’s life. From the sounds of it, she had at least a dozen grandchildren, five diseases, and ten cats. I halfway listened, but I thought more and more about our conversation earlier that day. I wondered what was making them think Andrew was interested in me. Like I said before, had circumstances been different, and had he not been so well known, I think he’d be the kind of man I would be interested in. Not that it mattered, I knew I wasn’t his type. He wanted the Cheyenne’s of the world, minus the over-the-top forwardness.