by Marina Adair
Silence.
“Mom?” Gage leaned against the counter, showing her he had all the time in the world.
“If you must know, it’s that woman! She’s been back in our lives for less than a few weeks. A few weeks!” Margo’s eyes were watery, but fierce. “Already the deceit and lies have begun.”
Margo didn’t do tears. It was an action she couldn’t seem to find the energy for after losing Kyle. But she did guilt like any good Catholic mother—lovingly and with pizazz.
“No one is trying to deceive you,” Gage said, pulling his mom into his arms and resting his cheek on her head. Margo might have the attitude of a rhino when riled, but she only came to Gage’s chest. “Darcy was as surprised to see me as I was her when I showed up for the first meeting.”
“First meeting?” Margo pulled back. “You make it sound like there was more than one.”
At Gage’s silence, she began pacing, her heels clicking on the slate tile as if she were giving voice to every thought racing through her mind. “Secret rendezvous! Missing members at family dinners! Outrageous demands!”
“There haven’t been any rendezvouses.” Although, there had been a brief moment yesterday where it had felt like exactly that. A secret rendezvous, with a special lady, that had the potential for magic. “And if anyone has issued outrageous demands, that would be me. She is letting Rhett rent the venue, working with his security team, and she even agreed to go away for the evening of the wedding.”
Margo laughed. “Of course she did. The girl couldn’t see a good thing through even if it was attached to her glasses.”
“We don’t know what all happened between them. Those were their issues, not ours,” Gage said, and for the first time he didn’t feel like he was betraying Kyle. He felt as if he were defending the mother of his niece. “Darcy has been more than generous.”
With everything.
His mother spun around, her face pale and drawn. “There you go, already taking her side.”
Jesus.
“There are no sides.” Although, right then, he wasn’t sure which side he’d pick. “Stephanie wants to get married at Belle Mont. Darcy owns Belle Mont. Unfortunately, for all involved, Stephanie wants to walk through the rose garden with an Easton.”
Margo clutched her heart, as if Gage has personally invoked a heart attack. “Watch your mouth, Gage Matthew Easton. Stephanie is lucky to land a man like Rhett. He’s successful, charming, honorable—”
“He didn’t seem to mind throwing me under the bus last night at dinner.”
“—loving, and voted one of the world’s sexiest people.”
“I’ll be sure to add that to the list of things to say in my best man’s speech.”
She ignored this. “And Darcy should be honored to host their union. Just like she should have been honored to marry Kyle. But she always wants more.”
“Whoa, Mom, let’s not take this there.” Because there is exactly where Darcy was afraid it would go. And watching his mom get all upset and red in the face, he was starting to see her point.
“I will take it wherever I like. That woman will never be happy with what she’s given. It was always more, more, more.” Margo shook a finger. “I blame it on her upbringing. Who could go the distance when they spent their entire formative years moving from house to house? I told her she wasn’t Kyle’s match, and she didn’t fit within our family’s character.”
Gage’s heart literally stopped. “Hold up, you told her that?”
He could only imagine how that must have hurt, especially since Darcy always questioned her own mother’s love for her.
“Of course I told her. Why wouldn’t I? She was complaining about Kyle, saying she wasn’t happy.” She threw her hands up. “Who couldn’t be happy with a man like Kyle? After everything he’d done for her and her standing in the community, and she still wasn’t happy. I chalked it up to a chemical deficiency, but Kyle had made his choice. What was a mother to do?”
“Besides making her feel inferior to the family she was supposed to be marrying into?”
Darcy must have been in a bad way if she’d gone to Margo for advice. Darcy wasn’t one to talk badly of anyone, especially Kyle. It was why her actions at the wedding had been such a mystery. She’d never said boo about not being happy. And then to reach out for help, only to be shoved further under?
“Did you ask her why she was upset?”
“Oh, you know.” Margo flicked her fingers dismissively. “Not enough quality time, needing to be the center of Kyle’s attention, wanting different things. She said something about Kyle and his secretary, or maybe it was his intern. Who knows anymore? The point is, Kyle gave her everything, and she accused him of sneaking around.”
Gage couldn’t believe he was asking this, but, “Was he?”
“How would I know? I told her that Kyle wasn’t raised that way. He wouldn’t disgrace himself by cheating with a lowly intern. But if she was afraid something was missing in her relationship, maybe she should cut back at work and put in more effort when it came to Kyle and his needs.”
“Jesus, Mom. She’d just landed a job working for the biggest event company in Portland. Her career was taking off. Why should she have to sacrifice her work when Kyle was notorious for burning the midnight oil?”
Kyle hadn’t just worked late into the evenings—he’d taken work trips nearly every weekend leading up to their wedding. Darcy had grown more and more distant from him and his family during that time. Yet, Kyle had acted like everything was fine. Even at his bachelor party, he’d been all smiles and grins.
Then at the wedding, Gage remembered seeing a perky co-ed hanging around the groom’s room. Later he saw her talking with Darcy, and then … that was it. Darcy was gone.
“You knew her suspicions, but you never asked if it was true?”
“Why should I?”
Gage gripped the back of his neck. “You reamed Darcy after the wedding. Had her arrested, tried to sue her, and you never thought to ask if maybe, I don’t know, she called off the wedding because Kyle was cheating?”
“Even if he did stray, men cheat, Gage. Your father, God rest his soul, didn’t have it in his makeup to stray. But some men do.”
“No, Mom, cowards cheat. Men know what they have when they find it and hold tight.”
“Kyle is dead,” she said, her voice sharp enough to fillet marble. “What does it matter now?”
“Because she was pregnant. With Kyle’s kid.” Gage needed to sit down, but was afraid he’d be unable to get back up.
“Is that what she told you? That it’s his?” Margo said, her words laced with anger. “And you believed her?”
“It’s Kyle’s, Mom.”
“How do you know this isn’t some ruse to get money from the family?”
“She hasn’t asked for a penny.” A weird feeling overtook him. It started low in his gut, and moved up to his chest. “Why aren’t you even open to the possibility that it could be Kyle’s?”
“Because Kyle didn’t want kids.” She said in that hoity toity, mom knows best tone that always managed to rub him wrong. “He had a career to build and he promised me he’d wait at least five years before considering kids with her.”
“Maybe he lied.”
“Gage,” Margo said, sounding more hurt than horrified. “Kyle had his faults, but he wouldn’t lie to me.”
A few weeks ago, Gage would have sworn the same thing, but he was coming to understand that none of them really knew Kyle as well as they thought.
Tired of arguing, and not wanting to be there much longer, Gage walked into his room and grabbed his phone. When he returned, he handed it to his mother. It was opened on a picture Darcy had taken for him, of Kylie feeding the ducks. And once again, he was leveled by how much Kylie looked like Kyle—and, in turn, Gage.
“Oh my,” Margo breathed, and slowly walked over to the table to sit. “She looks just like him.”
Gage smiled. “Kylie has his humor too.”
>
“Kylie. That’s her name?” Margo looked up, tears glistening in her eyes. “How old is she?”
“Four, and she’s a great kid.”
Margo looked back at the picture. “Of course she is, she’s an Easton. I can see it in the way she holds herself. So proud and diplomatic. So much like your father. Oh, and those curls, she is an angel.” Margo focused on Gage, her smile full of a yearning so real, he felt his stomach bottom out. “When can I meet her?”
Gage took a seat and let out a breath. “Soon, I hope.”
“What do you mean soon?” Margo demanded. “She is my grandchild. I want to meet her.”
“And you will. Darcy just wants to make sure that we do what’s best for Kylie, and I agree.”
“What’s best for that child is to be with her family.” Margo stood, irate and determined. Not a good combination for future peace talks with Darcy. “And she can’t keep me from her.”
“She can.” And if he couldn’t get his mom to tread lightly, he had no doubt that she would.
Chapter 9
For Darcy, a lazy Saturday morning was as rare as a fairy sighting. But with only a small vow renewal on the evening’s schedule, and Kylie still sound asleep, it seemed as if the fairies were sharing some of that pixie dust.
Darcy padded out on the front porch with her sketch pad and Stephanie’s wedding book. She’d spent a good portion of last night poring through her ideas, and laying out what she was sure would be Stephanie’s perfect wedding.
Wanting to make a few more changes and get the layout sketched, she snuggled in the wicker swing with a hot mocha latte—extra whip. The world seemed still and quiet as the sun rose over Mount Hood. She took stock of the week and checked in with herself.
But instead of peace of mind, all of the taking stock and checking in was giving her a headache. Because without the noise and chaos of being a single mom, she was left to focus on Gage. And how she could have sworn he was about to kiss her.
Even more alarming—she would have kissed him back.
Not that anyone would have blamed her, well except his family. Spending an entire day with Gage and not thinking about a little kiss would be like a chocoholic deciding to only window shop at the local candy store.
It was his smile, she decided. Full and a little crooked, with double-barreled dimples that were as sexy as they were flirty, and a hint of kindness. They had the power to render a woman stupid. Which was exactly what she’d have been to even consider kissing Gage.
Kissing Gage would be a bad move.
Allowing any feelings beyond friendship to grow between them would be a mistake of epic proportions. An epically thrilling and totally insane mistake that would result in someone getting hurt. Namely females with the last name Kincaid.
Nope, she’d keep her hormones in check, and Gage strictly in the friend-zone from here on out. If their history wasn’t enough to smack some sense into her, the way he’d burned rubber out of her driveway was.
Darcy rested her head back against the swing and closed her eyes. Stupid or not, she hadn’t been able to get him out of her head. Even now, a day later, she could still smell him—leather, hot summer nights, and enough testosterone to cause flutters.
Everywhere.
“You are in so much trouble,” she said to herself.
“You’re in flannel pajamas with bed bugs on the pants, how much trouble can you get in?” an extremely sexy voice said, moments before she felt the cushion dip.
She opened her eyes and had to stop herself from drooling. Gage sat next to her, his arm casually strewn over the back of the swing, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. His jeans hung low on his hips, his eyes sleep-filled, and his hat hiding what she could only imagine was a great case of bedhead.
He looked tired, tempting, and a little bit troubled.
“You’re up early,” Darcy said, knowing that Gage was one of those people who treasured his time off.
“My roommate keeps odd hours.” He looked down at Fancy, who was curled up on the swing, his head on Gage’s thigh. “Doesn’t understand that not everyone likes to greet the sun with a morning sprint for the best tree.”
Darcy found herself smiling. “And you ran out of trees downtown so you came to my hill to scout some out?”
Gage leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Figured no one would find us here.”
“Sounds like you need a cup of coffee.”
He rolled his head to the side and, with one eye cracked open, took in her breakfast drink of choice and the mountain of whipped cream. By the time he got to her TEAM I DO tank top, a small smile spread across his face.
“Add a shot of scotch in there, hold the whip and the coffee, and we’re good.”
“Out of bed and asking for shots before eight? You must have really ticked some woman off,” she said, feeling oddly weird about Gage waking up with a woman in his bed.
His smile died. “We need to talk.”
Oh God, he was with a woman. Which meant, while she though he was about to kiss her, he had a woman. Lying in wait.
Maybe all of those sparks and compliments yesterday were nothing more than Gage just being nice, sweet, kind Gage. And she’d made something out of nothing.
Just like she had back in college.
Darcy was terrible at reading signals. Like when Kyle said she was the most beautiful woman in the world, that didn’t mean he was giving up his quest. And just because Gage said she looked beautiful and perfect, that didn’t mean she was perfect for him.
Which was great, just great, because she’d already decided that there was nowhere for the spark to go. Not that there had been sparks—on his side anyway.
“I agree, yesterday was fun. Kylie had fun. Fancy there seemed to have fun. It was—”
“Fun.”
“Yes.” She plastered a smile to her face. “Fun.”
He studied her for a moment, probably trying to figure what she’d spiked her coffee with. “And did you have…fun?”
She should have lied, played it off as a casual day with an old friend. But she couldn’t. Yesterday, had been a day she’d never forget. A day that Kylie would remember for always. And that was because of the kind of man Gage was. He deserved to know how special he’d made them both feel, even if it meant embarrassing herself.
“Kylie talked nonstop about her uncle last night. How you played dress up, twirled her until she got dizzy, and taught her to tie her shoes. By dinner, every single one of my shoes were laced up and double knotted. Even the drapes ended up becoming bunny ears at one point.” She swallowed. “And when you showed up here, I was still riding the high of a great day, of sharing it with someone else who cares about her, and I let myself give in to the romance of it.”
“The romance of it?”
“Watching you with her, remembering how close we used to be, finding that same security that always came with being around you.” She shrugged. “I gave in to it.”
“So, you’re blaming it all on nostalgia?”
“Yes.” God, why hadn’t she spiked her mocha?
“You mean instead of strategizing how to make my first move back in college, all I had to do was give you my class ring and play The Summer of ‘69?”
Darcy looked up, totally and completely stunned. “You wanted to kiss me back in college?”
Gage moved in close enough that he was invading her space, filling the air until every time she breathed and all she could smell, all she could taste, was him. “I’ve been dreaming about kissing you since that first day in calculus when you were in that blue top and black pencil skirt.”
“And pink panties?”
“Nah, it was before I got to discover all of Victoria’s secrets.”
They had been her power panties, bought to make her feel sexy and feminine. The rest of the outfit had set her back a whole paycheck, but Darcy had finally managed to escape her childhood, and she wanted to start her new life off right. Make an impression. And Gage had n
ot only noticed. He’d wanted to kiss her.
“But you were dating Cheryl,” she said.
“Then we broke up, but by that time you had me so far into the friend zone I knew it would take a while to dig myself out. So when Kyle wanted to take you out, I agreed. I didn’t think it would turn into anything serious. You were still dealing with your mom’s death, and Kyle, well he’d never done serious in his life. But then—”
His eyes drifted to her lips, and her body tingled as if he were already kissing her.
“It got serious?” she added.
“Yeah, so I backed off, because he seemed to make you happy. And more than anything, I wanted you to be happy.” He cupped her cheek “But you weren’t happy, were you?”
And suddenly those tingles turned to lead in her belly. “You talked to your mom?”
His expression didn’t change, but his eyes hardened, enough to know that Margo had finally spoken, and Gage needed answers.
“Never mind, it doesn’t matter.” Needing to breathe, she stood and walked to the end of the porch.
The sun was up and cars were beginning to clog the streets of downtown. It was no longer still and quiet on her hill. The world was moving around her, and she was exactly where she’d been five years ago. Carrying a huge secret with only an Easton to confide in.
Gage came up next to her and rested his elbows on the porch rail. She waited in silence—heavy suffocating silence, for him to ask the question she’d knew he’d come here to ask. To hear the story that would force him to rethink the past, question his future, and contemplate the truth.
Darcy prepared herself for the disappointment, because at this point the truth didn’t matter. He would ask her side of the story, then compare it to what he believed Kyle’s to be, so he could come up with his own truth. It was what Margo had done, Kyle’s mistress had done, and for Gage to do it would break her heart.
“It does matter because I should have known,” Gage said softly. “I should have known something was up. You’d never walk out on someone. Ever. Not without a damn good reason.”
Her heart caught. “How do you know I’m not lying?”
“Because I know you,” he said, tilting her face toward his with his finger. And the absolute conviction in his expression forced her throat to close. “I know that Kyle must have really fucked up to lose your loyalty, because you are the most loyal person I have ever met. You’re wary about who you trust, but once you hand over your trust, you go all in.”
