Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set

by Elizabeth Bevarly

  “Tim?”

  “You expecting someone else?”

  “Obviously. And since you’re not him—” She started to hang up. She didn’t want to waste even a minute on the man who’d abandoned her.

  “Hold up, Meg.”

  She blew out her cheeks. Looked like she’d have to spare him at least sixty seconds. “What?”

  “Can we talk?”

  “Isn’t that what we’re doing?”

  “I meant in person.”

  This time, she sucked in a breath. Talking to Tim wasn’t high on her to-do list. It wasn’t even low on her to-do list. She’d rather smear her entire body with honey and stand in bear-infested woods than spend an hour with her ex. “Do we have to?”

  “I think so.”

  Meg sighed. Tim apparently had something he wanted to say. After so many months together, she owed it to him—and the Pea—to listen. Her baby’s parents should probably be able to carry on a simple conversation.

  When the thought surfaced, her hand flew to her stomach. At fourteen weeks, she was just starting to look pregnant. How could she meet Tim when she wasn’t sure she wanted him to know about the baby?

  Matt’s voice sounded in her head. “He still has legal rights.” For that matter, so did she. She had the right to child support. Not that Tim made much money playing poker, but the baby deserved a cut.

  Might as well get this over with. Aloud, she said, “How about if I meet you at Pizza Hut in an hour?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  It wasn’t until after she hung up the phone that she remembered she was supposed to be on her way down to Matt’s place in an hour. She cursed.

  Well, Matt had been the one who wanted her to tell Tim about the baby. He’d just have to understand.

  ****

  “What do you mean you’re going to have to cancel our date?”

  Matt knew he was roaring, but he felt justified. It was his first day back in town after a five-day road trip and he’d been looking forward to seeing Meg. They’d been spending every spare moment together for weeks now, and he didn’t understand her sudden attempt to change that.

  “I wish I could be there.” They were the right words, but she sounded distracted. “But an old friend just came into town and asked to meet me.”

  “Anyone I know?”

  “I don’t think so.” Her response was less than convincing.

  He didn’t understand why Meg was suddenly distancing herself—and he didn’t much like it, either. Unfortunately, short of driving up to Flagstaff to spy on her, there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot he could do about it.

  “Are we still on for tomorrow?”

  Her tone warmed. “Of course.”

  “See you then, then.”

  He hung up the phone, still wondering why Meg was brushing him off. She’d never done that before, and he didn’t much like the feeling of not being first in her life.

  The arrogance of that statement made him snort. The baby had to come first.

  As for spying on her… He turned the idea over in his mind. There was no reason he couldn’t drive up to Flagstaff to escape the heat. The temperature was in triple digits, after all. If he just happened to stop at some of Meg’s favorite haunts while he was there, so what? This was a free country.

  He could use some company, though. Matt called his brother. “Hey, Stan, you busy tonight?”

  “Raul and I were going to stay in with a bowl of popcorn, mai tais and The Devil Wears Prada. Why?”

  Matt sighed. He couldn’t tear Stan away from that exciting plan. “Never mind. Enjoy your night in.”

  “Matty, what’s wrong?”

  Never let it be said his brother wasn’t perceptive. “Meg canceled a date on me.”

  “So?”

  Taking a deep breath, Matt voiced the doubt that had been on his mind since her call. “I think she’s seeing someone else.”

  He heard Stan’s sharp intake of breath. “Surely not!”

  “There was something weird in her voice when she called—like maybe she was upset with me.”

  “What have you done?”

  “Nothing except be on the road more than I’m home.”

  Stan chuckled. “Meg’s not the type to let a little absence faze her.”

  “Maybe not—but it’d sure give her a lot of time to find someone else.”

  Stan’s reply was sharp. “Matty, you can’t keep comparing girls to Lana. That girl was a slut with a heart of ice. Meggy has as much in common with her as a monkey has with a parrot.”

  “In other words, nothing,” he finished for his brother. “I hope you’re right.”

  “I know I’m right.”

  “I’m still driving up tonight to do a little reconnaissance.”

  Stan clucked his tongue. “You stay right there and wait for me. I’m coming with you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tim was lounging outside the door to the pizza place when Meg pulled into the parking lot. Not quite ready to face him, she swung the Bug into a space as far as possible from the door. After cutting the engine, she sat there, motionless, and took a few deep breaths.

  “You will be civil for the Pea’s sake.” She repeated the sentence to herself a couple of times, until she started to believe it.

  Not that it would be easy. Hearing Tim’s voice on the phone an hour ago had dredged up the anger she’d thought was dead and buried. How dare he disappear by leaving a note stuck to the refrigerator! He’d left a white strip of paper beneath her Gumby magnet, so the green guy waved a cheerful goodbye. She doubted he had the mental acuity to have done it on purpose, but it still had added insult to injury.

  Later, she realized it was scrawled on the back of a receipt from the pharmacy, for her birth control prescription. Weeks passed before she discovered the irony.

  After taking one more deep breath, she got out of the car and crossed the parking lot to where Tim held up the wall.

  He didn’t speak at first. That wasn’t so unusual with Tim, who fancied himself the strong, silent type. His gaze roamed over her, lingering much too long on her breasts, before he met her eyes. Finally he leered at her. “Lookin’ good.”

  Meg suppressed a shudder. What she’d ever seen in this guy? Right now, the way he was looking at her made her skin crawl.

  Still…civility was the order of the evening, for the baby’s sake. She forced a smile to her lips. “You too.” She couldn’t help adding a sarcastic “not” in her head before continuing. “We might as well grab a table before the dinner rush starts.”

  Tim gestured at the door and she realized he was waiting for her to open it. That was typical of their entire relationship. She did the work and he reaped all the rewards.

  She turned away from Tim to hide the roll of her eyes, and then led the way into the restaurant. She half hoped the oversized sweatshirt she wore was enough to hide her condition from Tim. Since she still wasn’t sure she wanted him to know about the baby, she’d grabbed one of the shirts Matt had left at her place. Plus, wearing Matt’s shirt made her feel like he was there with her—and she needed all the support she could muster to deal with Tim.

  As she slid into the booth across from Tim, it hit her that in a few more months that simple act would be next to impossible. She intended to enjoy the mobility while she could.

  Too bad she couldn’t say the same about her talk with her ex. She just wanted to get it over with—fast—without him finding out about the Pea, if possible. “So what brings you back to Flagstaff?”

  “You.”

  “Me?” She scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

  “I had to see if it was true.”

  She froze. With Tim saying that, it sounded almost like he already knew. “If what was true?”

  “You’re pregnant.” She wanted to smack the smirk off his face when his eyes strayed back to her breasts. “Obviously.”

  She settled for crossing her arms over her chest. “I
don’t suppose you’d believe it’s not yours?”

  His lip curled. “Maybe I left too soon.”

  Her jaw dropped. Did he think she was desperate enough to let him back into her life just because he’d fathered her child? No way. “I’d say you left just in time.”

  “Don’t be like that.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You left me, Tim. You ran away while I was at work, leaving me a six-word note. ‘Gone to Vegas. Not coming back.’ Believe it or not, behavior like that doesn’t give you a free pass back into my life.”

  For once, Tim gazed steadily into her eyes—not at her chest. “The baby gives me a pass.”

  A sudden wave of panic washed over her and made it hard for Meg to reply. She didn’t want this man in her life. Or her child’s, not with Matt on her side. She knew he’d make a wonderful father. “We don’t need you. I’ve moved on.”

  Tim’s soft laugh, the one she used to find sexy, turned her stomach. “Name’s Matt, right?”

  “How’d you know?”

  “He came to see me in Vegas. Told me the news.”

  Blood began to pound in Meg’s ears. Matt had gone to see Tim? And told him about the baby? After their talk, she’d thought he understood she didn’t want the guy around her baby.

  Apparently, he’d decided he knew better than she did what was best for her and the Pea.

  Shades of her father. Meg heaved a sigh. She’d have to have another talk with Matt about that.

  But first, she had to deal with Tim. “Matt sought you out?”

  “Yup. Punched me out, too.”

  She had to hide a smile. She was sure Tim had deserved whatever Matt dished out.

  He frowned. “Wasn’t funny. I had to wear makeup all the next week to hide the bruise your boyfriend left behind.”

  Well, if he wasn’t going to let it go… Meg laughed. “You deserved what you got.”

  “Probably.” Tim nodded. “I told him the kid wasn’t mine. But you and I know otherwise.”

  Her stomach did another flip-flop. It almost sounded like Tim was going to step up and accept responsibility for the baby. She gulped, still not sure if that was what she wanted. She didn’t relish eighteen more years of conversations like this one. “It’s yours all right.”

  When he scowled, her heartbeat picked up speed. Maybe he wasn’t going to insist on being involved. His words confirmed her not-so-sinking suspicion. “Dammit, Meg! I don’t want a kid.”

  “It surprised me, too.” She’d never say she didn’t want the baby, though. Even if the timing—and the father—were all wrong, she could never wish the Pea away. She pressed her hand to her stomach. She had more than enough love to give the tiny life growing inside her, and all the rest would sort itself out.

  Tim’s lip curled into a sneer. “I don’t suppose you’d consider—”

  On the off chance the baby understood what they were saying, she didn’t even want him to finish the sentence. “Absolutely not.”

  They were at an impasse. He stared at her and she gazed steadily back at him. “Don’t worry, Tim, I don’t want a damn thing from you. Matt has already told me he’ll adopt the baby when we get married.”

  Marriage? The word rolled off her tongue easily enough. Even if he was sometimes overbearing, she planned to marry Matt—as soon as he got around to asking. She loved him, and he could be trained. Already he was trying not to order her around. Another five or ten years and she was pretty sure she could break him of the habit.

  Relief bathed Tim’s features. “What do I have to do to keep my name off the birth certificate?”

  “I’m pretty sure I have to put you on the birth certificate—but you can sign away your parental rights.”

  “And that’ll resolve me of any financial obligation?”

  Meg stared across the table at the man she once thought she loved. Had he always been such a low-down, runty weasel of a man? And if so, what did it say about her that she’d put up with him for six months of her life?

  That was something she didn’t care to contemplate right this minute. “I’ll have my lawyer get in touch with your lawyer.”

  Her ex beamed at her and signaled to the waitress. “That’s settled. Let’s eat.”

  Unwilling to acknowledge his joy at being let off the hook, Meg looked away. After arguing with Tim for the last twenty minutes, she didn’t feel much like eating. But the Pea needed sustenance. A slice of pizza or two and the salad bar was as good as anything else, especially now. Why go to the trouble of cooking something for herself when she had no desire to eat?

  “I’ll have the salad bar and buffet,” she told the waitress, who jotted it down on her notepad and left the table.

  When she rose to get her salad, Tim eyed her speculatively, his gaze lingering on her stomach. “You think all-you-can-eat’s a good idea?”

  “You just agreed you don’t want anything to do with us, so you don’t get a vote.”

  “Fine.” He snorted. “I was just sayin’—”

  From behind Meg’s shoulder came Matt’s voice, low and menacing. “Nothing. You were just saying absolutely nothing.”

  Meg whirled around. Matt stood behind her, his hands curled into fists. Stan was at his side, hands fluttering in front of his chest. She was glad to see them, even if she was peeved at Matt. This whole scene with Tim was his fault, after all. If Matt hadn’t sought him out in Vegas, he’d still be in blissful ignorance of her condition.

  She threw her arms around Matt, hoping to avoid a scene. She did like to eat here from time to time, and wanted to continue to be able to do so. “You didn’t have to come up here.” She leaned closer to whisper in his ear. “But I’m glad you did.”

  ****

  Matt pulled away from Meg and sized her up. Was that the truth?

  In his agitated state, he couldn’t tell. He’d just spent a torturous two-and-a-half hours in the passenger seat of his SUV because Stan had insisted on driving. “You’re in no condition to drive,” Stan had told him.

  His brother was right, of course. He spent his time on the road imagining all kinds of scenarios, all of which involved Meg enjoying someone else’s company. The one thing he wasn’t prepared for was reality: Meg having a cozy dinner with her ex.

  He’d spotted Meg’s pale green Bug—with its “I brake for cupcakes” bumper sticker, he’d recognize it anywhere—in the Pizza Hut parking lot on their way into town and ordered Stan to stop the SUV.

  Seconds later, they peered into the restaurant window. There was Meg, having a tête-à-tête with her creep of an ex.

  “Not him,” Matt groaned.

  Stan poked his arm. “Look at Meg. She’s not happy, Matty. This isn’t some romantic tryst.”

  He tried to see what his kid brother saw. But past experiences colored the scene in front of him, and he saw a woman he loved stepping out with someone else. Again. At least Meg was still wearing all her clothes. “Why does this keep happening to me?”

  “She’s not Lana. Monkey and parrot, remember?” Even in the darkening gloom, Stan’s glare was piercing. “Besides, things like this don’t always happen to you, Matty. You rarely let anyone this close.”

  Matt sighed. Sometimes Stan was wise beyond his years. He wondered if his brother’s extraordinary insight had something to do with his sexual orientation. Maybe it was his profession. Stan liked to say the best stylists were armchair psychologists.

  Whatever gave Stan such keen perception, Matt knew his brother’s assessment was correct. Perhaps it wasn’t all the girls’ fault his last few relationships—Lora, Lila, Linda—had been such a disaster. He didn’t let down his guard long enough for them to get close. And he could trace that tendency straight back to Lana’s infidelity.

  “You’re too young to be so smart, Stan.”

  “About time you recognized my brilliance, Matty.” Stan grinned. “It’s also about time we got inside. Meg’s unhappier by the minute. Look at her posture and the set of her jaw.”

  With that, t
hey’d headed into the restaurant. When Matt heard Tim criticizing her weight, he’d wanted to slug the guy again. That jerk had no right to judge Meg, especially when it was his fault she was putting on weight.

  Not that he minded Meg’s extra pounds. Most of it was in her breasts, and that was fine by him.

  Meg gave him a direct look. “Since you’re here, you might as well join us for dinner.”

  Us? Now she and Tim were an “us”? He was about to tell her he didn’t like the sound of that when he felt Stan’s hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at his brother instead.

  His brow arched, Stan delivered a single word. “Monkey.”

  Matt rolled his eyes. Okay, so maybe Meg hadn’t meant anything by her choice of pronouns. It still didn’t mean he wanted to hear Meg refer to herself and Bozo Flush as “us.”

  He followed Meg to the buffet and then took a seat beside her, leaving Stan to share with the bozo. Neither of them looked thrilled by the arrangement.

  Too bad. Matt was already pushing his patience to the limit by sharing a table with the guy. No way could he endure sitting right next to him. He’d end up finishing the fistfight he’d started in Vegas.

  The four of them ate in silence, punctuated by the occasional request to pass the Parmesan. Matt was glad when Tim stood.

  “Gotta go.”

  So the guy still wasn’t good at stringing together more than two words. At least he was predictable. Matt smirked at the thought. He wiped the smile off his face right away, trying to look menacing enough to get his point across. Meg was his, and he didn’t want Tim to bother her again. “I hope we won’t be seeing you around.”

  “Doubt it.”

  “Good.” As he watched the other man’s exit, he wondered how the hell he’d ever thought getting in touch with him was a good idea. He’d make a much better father than that clown.

  After the door closed on Tim, Meg turned on Matt. Her expression wasn’t as welcoming as it had been before. “What the heck are you doing here?”

  Before he could explain, Stan piped up. “I told Matty you didn’t need a baby-sitter, but he was worried about you.”