by Regan Black
“Okay.” He pulled out his phone. “What’s your number?”
She gave it to him and he entered it into his contacts. “I’ll text you mine,” he said.
“Thank you.” She unlocked her car.
Feeling out of sorts, he watched her while she buckled little Jacob into his infant carrier. She barely looked at Kyle once she’d done that, getting into the driver’s side, starting the engine and buckling herself in. Finally, she waved before driving away.
Fool that he was, he watched her go and wondered how he could both love and hate someone at the same time.
The next morning, while he drank a cup of strong black coffee made in his new coffeepot, he texted Nicole his number. Thirty minutes later, she texted back, asking him if he had some free time to sit down and talk. She’d prefer to come to his place. When he asked why, she texted that she had a strong suspicion someone was watching her house.
He gave her the address and told her to come over in about an hour. That’d give him time to shower and get dressed.
Exactly fifty-nine minutes later, the black BMW pulled up in front of his little house. He watched from the front window, keeping his eye on the street so he could see if she’d been followed.
When no other vehicle showed up, he opened his front door and went out to help her. She unlocked the trunk, asking him if he’d mind getting the portable Pack n’ Play. While he wrestled this out onto the sidewalk, she handled the baby and a large diaper bag.
Inside the house, he set down the contraption in the middle of the living room. To his surprise, once he opened it, the thing practically set itself up.
“Thank you.” Nicole smiled at him, and the entire world shifted.
He blinked, turning away until he could ground himself back in reality. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked, his voice gruffer than he intended.
Barely looking up from getting her baby settled, she responded. “Water would be great.”
Listen to them. Talking in careful platitudes as if they were complete strangers. In a way, they actually were.
Except that only one year—one stinking year—had passed since he’d kissed her goodbye and gone off to serve his country. How could so much have changed in such a short period of time?
But it had. Returning with two bottled waters, he handed one to her before taking a seat in the armchair, leaving the entire couch for her.
“Nice place,” she commented, glancing around the small room.
“Yours is much nicer,” he pointed out. Not to be cruel, but because it was. But her smile faltered and for one second she looked sad.
But then she lifted her chin and willed herself out of it. “Thank you. It isn’t what I would have chosen, but it’s a decent house.”
Decent.
A flash of anger ripped through him. He realized he couldn’t just sit there and act as if they were casual acquaintances, like nothing had ever happened between them. As though she hadn’t been his entire reason for living.
“I can’t do this,” he growled. “I know you’ve moved on—I get it. For you, it’s been a long time. For me, it feels like it was just yesterday when you kissed me and told me you’d love me forever.”
She took a shaky breath. “I understand,” she began.
“Do you?” Though he kept his voice low so as not to disturb Jacob, he didn’t bother to hide his anger or his pain. “I don’t think you do. I want to be part of my son’s life. But right now, I don’t think I can be part of yours.”
One single tear slipped down her cheek. She used her hand to swipe it away. “Won’t you even let me explain?”
“Explain?” He wanted to bellow, to rant and to rave. To throw things, punch something, to use his broken, battered body to vent the overwhelming flood of emotions consuming him. Of course, he did none of this. He’d find a gym later and work out his frustration. Right now, he just needed Nicole to go. It hurt too damn much to have her so close to him and not be able to touch her.
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice broken. “There were reasons for everything I did.”
“I’m sure there were.” He forced himself to unclench his teeth. “But I don’t want to hear them. Because in the end, none of them matter. You did what you felt you had to do. You can live with yourself. That’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“I thought you were dead,” she cried, loud enough to startle the baby, who made a few halfhearted sounds of protest. Nicole gave him his pacifier and returned her attention to Kyle. “I was pregnant. My parents threatened to toss me out on the street. I had no money, no place to go.”
“So you did what you had to do,” he finished for her, his heart hard. “Did your husband think you loved him?” Despite himself, his voice cracked. He forced himself to go on. “Did you pass off Jacob as his? Because that would have meant you had to sleep with him right away.” The image had tormented him ever since learning of her betrayal.
“Do you really think so little of me?” Anger and anguish colored her comment. “You who know me better than anyone else.”
“Knew you,” he corrected. “Or thought I did.”
She pushed herself up off the couch. Moving with quiet dignity, she picked up her baby and placed him where she’d been sitting so she could close up the portable crib. Once she’d accomplished that, she grabbed the diaper bag, her son and the Pack n’ Play.
He expected her to storm out of there, but instead she faced him. Her beautiful hazel eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I’m sorry to have bothered you,” she said with quiet dignity. “It won’t happen again.”
And then she marched to the front door, opened it and exited both his house and his life.
CHAPTER 5
Driving home with Jacob, Nicole tried to understand. Kyle had changed. The ordeal he’d suffered through had been bad enough, but then he’d returned home to find the woman who’d promised to love him forever married to another man. When she tried to put herself in his shoes, the bitterness and anger was more than understandable, it was justified. To him, no amount of explaining would help him understand.
For herself at least, she needed to try. To make him comprehend the depths of the grief that had slayed her when she’d been informed of his death. She’d sunk so low she hadn’t cared if she ever saw another sunrise. Only the knowledge that their baby grew inside her had kept her going. She’d had to force herself to eat food that had become tasteless, so their child could have nourishment.
When she’d longed to drown herself in drink, she’d abstained—because she’d known doing so would harm their baby. Their baby. Her only reason for continuing to draw breath.
And then, when her parents had learned of her pregnancy, the rage, shame and disappointment they’d showed her rather than unconditional love and understanding had made her desperate for an escape. She’d wanted to flee, to seek out another, better life for herself and her child. Only she had no funds. The meagre amount she’d made waitressing at the café had gone for the essentials—clothing, food, medicines—that her parents had refused to buy for her once she’d turned eighteen.
She had nothing. And no one. Just herself and her unborn child.
And the man who’d wanted to marry her since they’d been in middle school. Bill Mabry.
Terrified they’d lose standing in their church and the community, her parents had offered her a choice. Get out of their house, leave town, with no help from them, or marry Bill Mabry, the man they’d chosen for her.
In other words, they were more than willing to throw her, their own daughter, along with their unborn grandbaby, out in the street if she didn’t go along with their plan.
Truth be told, she really hadn’t a choice. She’d do anything to protect her child, including marry a man she didn’t love.
At first, when he’d been told of her willingness to become his wife, Bill h
ad been over the moon with happiness. But Nicole had insisted on one thing. She’d told Bill the truth. All of it. She loved Kyle Benning and would carry that love with her to her grave. And she was pregnant with Kyle’s baby. It would be Bill’s choice whether or not he still wanted to marry her after she told him this.
To her surprise, he listened, and agreed. Though he’d promised her earnestly he’d love and protect both her and her unborn child, Nicole believed he’d begun to hate her a little, deep inside.
This hate had begun to manifest shortly after their rushed wedding. While on the outside, Bill Mabry was a business leader and an upstanding member of the town’s largest and most fervent church, at home he drank heavily. Nicole suspected that recently he’d also begun using drugs and visiting topless bars and maybe even hiring hookers.
The doorbell rang. Peering out the peephole, Nicole saw her in-laws, Theresa and Dan Mabry. Her heart skipped a beat. After that last horrible phone conversation, maybe they’d come to apologize, to say they’d changed their minds. Though Nicole doubted it.
One thing for sure, she wasn’t letting the two of them anywhere near her son.
While she debated what to do, they pressed the doorbell again. And again. She realized since Bill’s BMW was parked outside the garage, they knew she was home.
Finally, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Instead of inviting them in, she stepped outside. “Yes?” she asked.
Dan frowned. “Can we come inside?”
Before Nicole could answer, Theresa stepped forward. “You’re showing your true colors now, aren’t you? Don’t worry, we know what kind of person you are. And if we find out you were the one who killed our son, we’ll make sure there’s not a judge in the state who will show you any mercy.”
“That’s it,” Nicole said, surprising both herself and them. “I’ve had enough. I have not done a single thing for you to treat me this way. I’ve been a good wife to Bill and a great mother to Jacob. Yet you’ve called me a murderer and stated you intend to file for custody of my son. My son. Not yours. So excuse me for not being welcoming when you show up on my doorstep with more crazy accusations.”
Theresa glared at her. If looks could kill…
Meanwhile, Dan appeared shocked. “What are you talking about?” he began. “We most certainly did not—”
“You didn’t,” Nicole interrupted. “But Theresa did. And I won’t stand for it anymore.”
“I want you out of this house,” Theresa declared, her voice dripping venom. “Bill owned this before you were married. I don’t care what state law says, we’ll be taking you to court to get it back.”
“Theresa!” The shock in Dan’s voice revealed he truly hadn’t known about any of the other phone calls. “What is wrong with you? Bill wouldn’t want you to act this way.”
“Wouldn’t he?” She spun on her husband so fast, it reminded Nicole of a snake about to strike. “He talked to me, Dan. He wasn’t happy. He wouldn’t tell me why, but it wasn’t hard to guess. And since he hadn’t made a will, we can go to court and make sure she doesn’t get a thing.”
“Come on.” Expression as firm as his tone, Dan grabbed his wife’s arm. “Let’s go.” He glanced back at Nicole and shook his head. “She’s taking this hard,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare apologize to her,” Theresa screeched, allowing herself to be dragged toward the car. Before she made it even halfway, she broke down in sobs. Dan hustled her inside the car, before going around to the driver’s side. He jumped in and sped off without another word.
Wow. Clearly, her son’s untimely death had made Theresa go a little bit crazy. The mother/son relationship had always seemed overly close, at least as far as Nicole was concerned. But then what did she know? Her relationship with her own parents had always been strained at best.
Shaking her head, she went inside and locked the door behind her.
After Jacob’s nap, Nicole bundled him up in his infant carrier and they went into town. Previously, when it was time to buy groceries, they went on Saturday since they only had the one car and Bill always insisted on accompanying her. She’d often wondered what he thought she would do there in the middle of the produce aisle. Flirt with other men over the cantaloupe?
This would be her first time since the marriage when she’d taken Jacob and gone shopping on her own.
She made a list out of habit. Bill had despised wasting time, so she’d learned to live by lists. Stores she needed to visit as well as items she wanted to purchase in each one. Then finally, the longer, more detailed grocery list. Bill had required she learn each aisle and mark those on the list as well.
Her first stop was the dry cleaners. Last week, she’d taken several of Bill’s suits and dress shirts in. She’d need to pick them up, as well as let them know what had happened to her husband.
Clearly, she’d forgotten how fast news traveled in a small town. Carolyn Jenkins greeted her warmly, expressing sympathy for her loss and then exclaiming over how big little Jacob was getting. When Nicole handed her the ticket, Carolyn wasn’t in a hurry to retrieve her items. Instead, she wanted to discuss the possibilities of who might have murdered Bill and why.
Of course Nicole explained she had no idea. When she reiterated that she was leaving the crime solving up to the sheriff’s office, the frizzy-haired older woman looked over her glasses and sternly admonished Nicole to become more proactive. Then, while Nicole struggled with how to respond to that, Carolyn stepped into the back and returned with Bill’s suits.
“Will one of these by his funeral suit?” Carolyn asked as she rung up the total.
Appalled, Nicole told her she wasn’t sure yet. As soon as she paid, she grabbed her baby and the dry cleaning and fled.
At least the large grocery store would be more impersonal. But when Nicole spotted one of Theresa’s friends waiting in line at the meat market, she turned and rushed off in the opposite direction. She had no idea how many people Theresa might have spewed her hate-filled accusations to, and she had no desire to find out.
Shopping, Nicole started out with checking each item off her list. This time, without Bill’s disapproving gaze to deal with, she soon found herself adding extras, things she’d always loved to eat. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and lots of fresh fruit. As for meat, she bought lean protein—chicken and fish. Bill had preferred red meat and potatoes. She bought neither of those things.
When she managed to pay the cashier, and wheel her groceries out to the car without encountering anyone, Nicole felt grateful. Some of the tension knots in her shoulders loosened the slightest bit.
She sang along to the radio as she drove home. By the time she reached the house, she felt a renewed sense of optimism. Theresa had said Bill hadn’t made a will. While that might be true, she needed to educate herself in the Texas law to find out what exactly she as his widow would be entitled to. If the Mabrys truly took her to court, at least she’d have access to her and Bill’s joint savings account. She’d start out by finding an attorney who could help her file probate.
After putting up all the food she buckled up Jacob again and drove to the bank. She asked to speak with an account manager. A tall dark woman with long ebony hair took Nicole back to her cubicle. “I’m Halia. What can I help you with today?”
Handing over her idea, Nicole explained her situation. “Do you have a copy of the death certificate?” Halia asked.
“Not yet. We haven’t even had the funeral yet.”
Halia raised one perfectly arched brow. “Okay.”
“I just need to know how much money is in our savings and how much in our checking,” Nicole said. “I don’t have access to the online account. Here’s my ID.”
“Let me check.” After entering all the information into her computer, Halia waited. As she peered at her screen, her eyes widened. She looked from her computer to Nicole and back ag
ain. Finally, she shook her head. “I have to be the bearer of bad news, but your husband emptied out this savings account three weeks ago and closed it. Do you think he moved it to another bank?”
Nicole’s stomach dropped, though she managed to keep her composure. “Are you sure?” she asked, even though she knew Halia wouldn’t have given her false information. “Maybe it’s some kind of computer error?”
Expression grim, Halia typed something else. “No, not an error. He came in and did this in person. Closed this one and the checking. You might review his records at home, since it sure sounds like he might have changed banks.”
“I will.” Striving to sound reasonable, Nicole glanced down at her sleeping baby before meeting Halia’s gaze. “If you don’t mind me asking, how much money are we talking about here?” She hated to admit it, but she honestly had no idea how much had been in her and Bill’s savings account, never mind checking. Bill had always simply doled out a weekly allowance to her in cash. She used it to buy groceries and diapers and whatever else she or Jacob needed.
Halia took a deep breath. “Let me print this out for you,” she said. A moment later, her printer whirred. She plucked the sheet of paper from the tray and handed it to Nicole.
Reading it, Nicole gasped. Forty-five thousand dollars. “This can’t be right,” she muttered. When she looked up, she saw pity in the other woman’s gaze.
“I’m sorry,” Halia said. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“No. Thank you.” After folding the account transaction summary, Nicole put it in her purse. She stood, collected Jacob and left the bank.
After buckling in her son, she drove home, making sure to carefully stay within the speed limit. The way things had been going, if she got stopped for speeding, instead of a simple ticket, they’d haul her off to jail.
Back at the house, little Jacob woke. He needed a diaper change, plus wanted to be fed. Glad to have this to keep her occupied, she took care of her baby. Once he’d been burped, he drifted off to sleep. As soon as she’d gotten him settled in his little bassinette, she began a thorough search of Bill’s home office.
