Rescue of Love (Bachelor Billionaire #4)

by Sharon Cummin

  “What do you mean?” Kelly asked.

  “She had just walked in the door and stopped and talked to us. Then she walked right back out. Why was she even here?”

  Kelly thought for a moment.

  “When she saw me, she stopped. Do you think she came in here to talk to me? Why would she? It doesn't make any sense.”

  “Maybe she was going to order something but changed her mind,” Sandy said.

  Why was she there, Sandy wondered?

  Chapter 14

  John was just about to turn his phone off when Julie's name appeared on the screen.

  Julie: Are you coming home today?

  John: Yes.

  Julie: Is it okay if I pick you up. Ethan has to work late.

  John rolled his eyes, as he read the message. She would ask him a million questions on the way home. Ethan would ask one or two.

  John: I can call a cab.

  Julie: What? Why? I'm not good enough to pick you up?

  Oh shit! He hurt her feelings.

  John: Of course you are. I just thought I could save you time.

  Julie: No way. I'm picking you up.

  John: Okay. The plane's on time. I'll see you then.

  Julie: Who's Sandy?

  John: The woman from the accident. Why?

  Julie: That's bullshit. Who's Sandy????

  John felt his eyes widen and sweat instantly appear on his face. His hand was shaking as he read the text again. There was no way he could deal with Julie through text. He had to think. What was he going to tell her? He had already agreed to her picking him up. It wasn't like he could back out. It would definitely give him away. He had to think of something before the plane landed.

  John: I'll talk to you when I get home. I'm shutting my phone off. Bye.

  The flight seemed to go buy fast. Of course it did. He knew Julie was waiting on the other end. Still unsure of how he was going to get out of the conversation, he made his way off of the plane. Maybe he should just book another flight and never come back, he thought. She was a persistent woman. He knew she wasn't going to let it go. When he collected his luggage, he made his way out of the airport. She stood next to her car with a huge smile on her face. He got the feeling she was enjoying the torture he was going through. She was like having a real sister. He laughed as he got closer to her.

  “What's so funny?” she asked.

  “Just thinking about what it would have been like to have a sister growing up,” he said.

  “I'll make up for all of the years you never had one,” she said with a smile.

  “I have no doubt you will.”

  He threw his luggage in the back. They got into her car, and she pulled into traffic.

  “I was thinking,” she said.

  “Yes.”

  He wasn't sure what was going to come out of her mouth.

  “Since you're with me.”

  “What?” he snapped.

  “Can I go as fast as I want?” she asked.

  The road was clear and she hit the gas hard. Her car sped up and she laughed.

  “No,” he said. “You can't. If you get pulled over, I'm telling them to give you a ticket.”

  They both started to laugh, as she slowed down.

  “So,” she said. “What's up with Sandy? I haven't forgotten.”

  John grunted.

  “Can you please let it go?” he asked.

  “This from the guy who dug into my personal business for his brother,” she snapped.

  “That was to help you. I'm glad he didn't drop it. That's not the same thing as what you're doing,” John said.

  “What if I'm trying to help you?” she asked.

  As much as he wanted to be pissed at her, he couldn't. He knew she cared about him and wanted him to be happy. Between her and his brother, they were going to drive him crazy.

  “I'm moving as far away as I can from you and Ethan.”

  “We care about you, John. He loves you so much. You're my brother too now,” she said.

  “Now I can see why Gavin made that comment about being your favorite. He really does put up with a lot of shit from you, doesn't he?”

  “Sandy?” she asked again.

  “Where's my brother?” he asked.

  “He has to work late on something with Gavin and Chris. He's eating with them. I told him I was going to have dinner with you. You know how he acted about that.”

  “He's protective because of the way our dad treated women. You have to understand what he went through. Stop and pick up some food on the way to my house. We can talk once we get there,” John said.

  “Thank you for taking care of him. I know you gave up love to do it. That couldn't have been easy. You have no idea what you did for him. I really do believe you saved his life.”

  “We'll talk when we get there,” he said sternly.

  “We're taking about Sandy when we get there. Are you just trying to shut me up. We can't talk about anything now,” she stopped talking for a moment. “Wait, does Sandy have something to do with you and Ethan?”

  Again, she stopped talking and her eyes widened.

  “John,” she said with a gasp.

  “Zip it until we get to my house and I'll talk about it. If you say one more word before then, I am locking you out and never speaking to you again.”

  Julie didn't make a peep the rest of the drive. He told her to go to the pizza place. She did without a word. He never even asked her what she wanted on the pizza. It was kind of fun torturing her. If she was willing to be quiet for that long, he would talk to her about Sandy. He just hoped she could keep it between them and not spread it through their group of friends.

  They pulled into his driveway. John handed her his house keys and the pizza and grabbed his luggage out of her trunk. He dropped his stuff in the living room and walked into the kitchen. John grabbed some plates, napkins, and drinks and went back to the living room. She was quietly waiting on the couch. Damn, she really did want to know. It was probably driving her mad not to talk. He put a huge smile on his face, as he served them each some pizza.

  “Okay,” John said, as he handed her a plate.

  She let out a huge breath.

  “You know I was in love with my high school sweetheart. We went to college together. I planned on marrying her.”

  Julie nodded. Her being quiet was pretty nice.

  “When I chose to take care of Ethan, she wasn't willing to go with me. She broke it off with me. I was devastated. We never saw each other again. The last I heard, she stayed in that area after college. I've never looked her up or asked about her. My goal was to give my brother a life he deserved to make up for the shitty one he had before me. I hung out with the guys and went on trips with them. Of course, I hooked up here and there. I never got into a relationship. There was no way I was going to trust someone like that again. She never even tried to talk to me again. I thought we had something special. She was my forever. I made sure Ethan never did anything stupid and watched him the best I could. I was so worried he was going to screw his life up. There was no way I was going to let his past dictate his future.

  He could see tears in Julie's eyes, but she remained silent.

  “Nobody knows what I am about to tell you, not even my brother. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

  She nodded again.

  “Her name was Sandy,” John said.

  He sat silent for a moment.

  “The Sandy from the accident?” she asked.

  He nodded his head.

  “That makes so much sense,” she said.

  He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes.

  “Why?” he asked. “What did you do?”

  “Remember the woman who served us at that restaurant?”

  “Yes,” he answered in a stern tone.

  “She was acting strange. It seemed like she wanted to ask you something. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I went back to the restaurant.”

  “Julie,” he snapped.
“She doesn't know that I know her mother.”

  “Sandy was there. They were having lunch together.”

  “Oh, shit,” he said, as he ran his hands through his hair.

  “I mentioned the accident and how you left dinner. Sandy looked sad. She asked if I was your wife. You should have seen her face. She asked if you were working. Something about asking you a question about the report. Her daughter even looked at her like she was crazy. Sandy asked if you were married. I asked her is she wanted me to fix you up. She looked like she was going to crawl under the table. When I asked her, she acted like she didn't know you. I'm not that stupid.”

  “I can't believe she looked sad. She's married and has kids,” John said. “She broke things off with me.”

  “How old's her daughter?” Julie asked.

  “I'm not sure,” I answered, not wanting to look stupid since she was sleeping with someone not long after I left school.

  “Sandy has it bad for you. I couldn't believe it. You told me at Lisa's shower that you have only ever loved one woman. I thought you said that you didn't believe in love. She's the only one you've loved, isn't she?”

  “Yes, she is,” John answered. “I loved her more than I could ever love anyone again. It doesn't matter though. That was my past. She's married and has a life without me.”

  “Do you still love her?” Julie asked.

  “I think a part of me always will. She was an amazing woman. I just think she was afraid of taking on a ready-made family. There's no way I could be upset with her. It was a lot to take on. She wanted to have fun and start a career.”

  “She's pretty. I wonder what she looked like when you were together. Do you have pictures of the two of you?” Julie asked.

  John looked at her but was unsure what to say.

  “Come on,” she said. “Just show me. I won't tell anyone that you're really a softy at heart.”

  John stood up, grunted at her, and walked down the hallway. When he came back, he had a shoebox in his hand. John tossed it onto the coffee table and sat down.

  “I've been thinking about things,” he said. “I'm thinking about retiring from the force.”

  Julie's eyes widened, and he heard her gasp at his words.

  “What? Why?” she said.

  “Ethan has you to watch out for him now. I really enjoyed my time in Florida. It's time for me to enjoy my life. I can keep working, or I can live for me. I love my job. It's not that. I'm just ready for something different. I was thinking of buying a place somewhere warm and going back and forth between here and there. Don't say anything to anyone. I haven't made up my mind yet.”

  “Wow,” Julie said.

  He took the lid from the box and placed it next to him.

  “I spent my whole life thinking about her and wondering what we could have had. Finding out she hadn't done the same kind of hit home. She moved on right away. I know Kelly's birthday. Sandy slept with someone else not long after I left. She even married him. That stings like you wouldn't believe. I wasn't good enough to have a family with when we had been together for so long. Obviously, someone else was.”

  He handed the box to Julie.

  “This is what I still have. I know I shouldn't have held onto it, but there was part of me that still hoped we would be together one day. It's time to get rid of the stuff. I need to move on now.”

  Julie went through the pictures. She laughed when she saw how young they were.

  “You were so adorable,” she said. “Look at you.”

  “Shut it,” he said. “You're a pain-in-the-ass sometimes.”

  She continued through the pictures, making comments along the way. When she was finished, she put them back in the box and handed it back to John. He noticed her fidgeting in her seat but wasn't sure why.

  “Could I ask you something?” she asked.

  He shook his head.

  “What if I said no?” he asked.

  Julie's phone buzzed, and he looked down at it. She ignored it completely.

  “If that's your husband and you don't check it, he's going to send out a search party,” John said.

  “Shut up,” she said with a laugh. “He's not that bad.”

  She checked her message and typed something before setting the phone back on the table.

  “Seriously,” she said. “I need you to promise you won't get mad at me. It was something I thought at the restaurant the other day and even more now that I've seen these pictures.”

  “Okay,” he said.

  “You won't get mad?” she asked.

  “No,” he said.

  She adjusted herself in her seat and played with her hands in her lap.

  “Is there any chance that Kelly could be your daughter?”

  John took a deep breath and looked down at his own hands.

  “Of course not,” he said. “Why would you ask that?”

  “I don't know. There's something about her that resembles you and Ethan. I know that sounds stupid to you, but I can see it. Remember, I'm not a detective in real life.”

  She chuckled hoping to lighten the mood she had just created.

  “Her last is Robinson. She has her father's name. If she was my daughter, Sandy would have told me. She wouldn't have married some other guy. Besides, if she wasn't sleeping with someone else, he wouldn't have believed the child was his.”

  “True,” Julie said. “I'm sure you're right. I'm sorry for bringing it up.”

  Julie stood up. She must have been ready to leave.

  “I'll see you later. You can talk to me, John. I just want you to know that. I've learned first-hand that it's not good to keep things to yourself when you have people to help you. Even if it's just listening you need. You're my brother now too.”

  He nodded with a sad look in his eyes.

  “By the way,” she said with a smile. “We're going on a double date with my friend this week. You're going to love her.”

  His head fell back as he looked at the ceiling and a low growl came from deep in his chest.

  “Fine,” he said. “I'll give you one double date. You better make it good. It's the only chance you're going to have at setting me up.”

  Chapter 15

  John woke up refreshed Monday morning. He worked out, took a shower, and headed off to work. When he walked into the station and looked at his desk, he groaned. There were papers stacked up on the corner. At least they weren't all over the place, he thought. He sat down and began going through them. Most of them weren't that important. A couple were messages. He froze when he saw Sandy written on one of them. Please call me. There is something I need to talk to you about was written above her name and number. John thought about what Julie said about Kelly. He couldn't help but wonder if she was right. Was it possible? Did he have a daughter? There was no way Sandy could have kept something like that from him could she? No, he thought. There was no way.

  As the day went on, he thought more and more about everything. Maybe he should hear her out. It couldn't hurt, right? He already spent most of his time thinking about her. Now he was wondering about her daughter. If he gave her the chance to talk to him, he could get all of the answers he needed and move on. That was exactly what he needed to do.

  He took her number home with him. That was not a call he wanted to make from the station. He grabbed some food on the way and plopped down on the couch with a cold beer and a plate of spaghetti. He wasn't sure what he would say to her or what he wanted to hear from her. It took him two hours and five times of dialing her number before he actually called her. Her phone rang a few times before she answered.

  “Hello,” she said nervously.

  Was she nervous because he was calling, or did she think it could be someone else?

  “Hello,” he said.

  She didn't respond for a moment. He looked at his phone to see if she was still there.

  “This is John,” he said.

  “I know,” she responded.

  “There was a note on my desk to
call you. Did you have a question about the report?” he asked.

  He tried to keep is voice steady and all business. What if she just wanted to ask him something simple? What if it wasn't about them at all?

  “No,” she said. “I wanted to talk to you about some stuff. Is there any way I can see you in person? As much as I would like to take the easy way out, I need to tell you face to face.”

  “I'm not sure,” he said. “When?”

  “Now,” she said.

  “I already had a beer. I won't drive. What about tomorrow?” he asked.

  “I can come to your house,” she said. “Please.”

  “I guess.”

  John nervously rattled off his address. She said she would be there shortly and they hung up. Why was she so adamant about talking right then, he wondered? He wasn't sure that he really wanted her to see his home or know where he lived. Another part of him wanted her to see that he was doing well for himself and that he was just fine without her.

  ***

  Sandy quickly changed into a pair of jeans that showed off her legs and curves. Her legs were one of the things he really liked about her body all those years ago. She grabbed a nice sweater and pulled it over her head. Her hair was still done from earlier in the day, but she fixed her makeup. Why she was so worried about what he thought? She took one last look in the mirror before grabbing her purse, phone, and keys and leaving her apartment.

  The drive to his house seemed to take forever. She wasn't sure what exactly she was going to say to him. There was a huge chance he would have bad feelings toward her by the end of their conversation. She knew that, but she had to be honest with him. It was something she had been holding onto for so many years. There was so much guilt in her life. She needed to get it out in the open and move on. It was the most important thing she needed for her new life.

  When she arrived at the address he had given her, she was a little shocked. He wasn't married. Julie offered to fix her up with him. That meant that he wasn't in a serious relationship. Maybe he was divorced. His home was beautiful. The yard was perfectly landscaped. She wondered if he paid someone to do it for him or if he did it himself. She loved yard work. It was one of the only things that kept her sane during her marriage. He had a two story, brick home. It was very impressive in size. She wondered if being a police officer made enough income to pay for it. It didn't matter. She didn't care about money or nice things anymore. If living out of her car was what she had to do to keep her freedom, she would do it. Once she finally walked out of her husband's life, she realized she should have done it so long ago.