Between the Lies (Between the Raindrops #2)

by Susan Schussler

  “Thank you so much. I’m still trying to figure out how to manage two kids,” she said, stuffing her keys, phone, and a pacifier into her bag. “I guess I need to unbuckle the baby before Charlie.” Settling the newborn in one arm, she looked up and her eyes widened. “You’re…You’re Jonathan Williams.”

  Jon smiled. “You must be Charlie’s mom.”

  “I can’t believe you caught him. He’s so fast. He always takes off running. I should have known better. Thank you so much.”

  Jon slid the boy to the ground, hanging on to his hand so he wouldn’t take off again. Bending down, he said, “Don’t give your mom any more trouble, Charlie.” The toddler looked at Jon trying to fake a serious expression before breaking out in giggles again.

  “You’re so good with him. You definitely should have one of your own.” The woman’s eyes scanned Sarah as she added, “You are, right?”

  He saw how Sarah tensed at her words. “Someday,” he said. “Well, we should get going.” He placed the boy’s hand in the woman’s so he wouldn’t take off running again and said, “Be good, Charlie.” The woman thanked him again as he and Sarah turned toward Jack’s stone. “My pleasure,” said Jon.

  When they were out of hearing distance, Sarah asked, “Do I have a baby bump?” She spun sideways as they walked, flattening her sundress over her stomach. “I’m going to have to work harder at Pilates.”

  Jon grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arms around her. His hand splaying across her stomach as he pulled her against him. “I wouldn’t mind if there was. I’d love it,” he whispered centimeters from her ear. He felt a shiver rake through her body before she wiggled out of his grasp. Her expression said, “You’re crazy.” He grabbed her hand.

  “I’m not crazy, Sarah. You would look so hot with my baby growing inside you.”

  “Oh my god! Did you just say that?”

  “What? You would.” He released her and bent down to pick up the empty beer bottle.

  “Should we even be talking about this in a cemetery?”

  “Are you afraid the dead people will hear us?”

  “No,” she answered, though she said it as if she didn’t want to admit the answer was yes. “We’re not even married yet.”

  He knew she wanted to wait until they were married, but he also knew life was too short to worry about social etiquette. Jack’s death had taught him that. He wished they could sneak off and get married. It would be easier. And faster. He couldn’t wait to move forward in their life together. “You’re right,” he agreed. “But it won’t stop me from dreaming about it.”

  “Shut up.” She playfully hit his abdomen with the back of her hand. “You’d think you were sex-starved.”

  She wasn’t taking him seriously, but he was serious. He wanted to live for the now. He’d known her for a year, and she’d already been in a car accident and been abducted by a crazed lunatic. He didn’t want to wait, but he’d planted the seed in her brain, and he would let it germinate before bringing up children again.

  When they reached his BMW, he opened her door and waited for her to settle in her seat before kissing her cheek. “You know I love you, right?”

  She smiled and nodded. He could tell she understood his need for the declaration. It was just something he had to say. In the cemetery where his brother lay, it hung in the air: life can change in an instant.

  Chapter Eight

  Sarah

  SARAH STARED OUT the window at the setting sun as Jon drove out through the cemetery gates. She hadn’t thought about Tyler Rainer in a long time. She hadn’t sat in a cemetery for a long time either. It had been ten years since Tyler’s death, and he hadn’t crossed her mind much in the last five. She had no pictures, and she didn’t even remember much about what he looked like, other than his hair color and the fact that she thought he was cute. She remembered being so mad at him for not telling her about the cancer. Then she felt guilty for being mad at him. She felt guilty for not getting him treatment—not that an eleven-year-old girl could do anything. In reality she probably didn’t even know him until it was too late to save him, and he never told her he was sick. She didn’t know until he had stopped showing up to ride bikes and she knocked on his door to find out why. She thought he was just blowing her off, and she wanted him to explain. It wasn’t like they were dating. They mostly just rode bikes. Even though they had only kissed the one time, she thought she deserved an explanation.

  Tyler’s mom was the one who told her he was dying. Tyler refused to see her after that, and Sarah remembered feeling utterly helpless and guilty. She knew her experience with Tyler made her understand Jon’s feelings about Jack’s death just a little better. Her loss was nowhere near the loss Jon felt, but it still gave her understanding.

  She bent forward and turned the music down so Jon could hear her. “You’re not so different from Jack after all.”

  He glanced at her with one eyebrow raised as he did when he was trying to figure out what she was thinking.

  “You rescued that toddler from certain peril just like Jack rescued Liam’s dog and the kids in the burning car. You’re cut from the same cloth.” When his smile met her eyes, she knew her words had made the impact she wanted.

  “Charlie would have been fine, but thanks,” he said, reaching out to touch her cheek. “You seem pretty quiet. Are you OK?”

  “Just a little tired.” She didn’t know what more to say.

  When she got home, she told Jonathan that she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to get to bed early. She wasn’t sure if it was the emotions the cemetery visit uncovered or if she was getting sick, but she was drained. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and curled up with her favorite pillow on the bed.

  Within minutes she fell asleep, but it was not restful. She tossed and turned as images flashed in her mind—Tyler’s twelve-year-old body lying in a casket. She was kissing him for the first time on the lawn of the cemetery. Then, she and Jon were in the cemetery and Jon was kissing Sarah’s rounded pregnant belly—his breath warming her skin. Hmm. Jon was kneeling in front of Mia, talking softly to the baby growing in her stomach as her fingers tangled in his hair. Arrgh. Sarah was eleven again. She and Tyler were riding their bikes, laughing, and then a car came out of nowhere. The driver was taking pictures of them and no matter how fast they rode, they couldn’t get away. Sarah looked over and now it was Jon on the bike next to her and Mia was driving the car. The scene morphed again showing Jon and Mia lying on a bed, while a little boy with a single dimple on his right cheek jumped on the pillows between them. “Catch me, Daddy. Catch me.” The little boy giggled as Jon’s arm wrapped around him, pulling him to his chest.

  Sarah awoke with a shiver. She sat up and brushed the hair out of her eyes, waiting for her heartbeat to slow. There was no way she was going back to sleep. She slid her feet to the floor and started for the stairs, but she stopped when she heard Jonathan’s voice. She had on a tank top and sleep shorts, and she wasn’t going to change. If someone was here this late, it had to be someone they knew, but her hair was probably a disaster. She bent over, running her fingers through her hair to straighten it and then flipped it back as she stood upright.

  “Why would I do that?”

  She couldn’t help eavesdropping, but when no one answered Jon’s question, Sarah realized he was on the phone.

  “Mia, she’s smart. She’ll realize that the second she finds out you’re pregnant.” She froze midstep. What the hell?

  “No. That’s not fair to her.” His pause stretched long, and Sarah wished she could hear what Mia was saying. The house was quiet, no music blaring and no TV spewing commercials in the background. Sarah tried to calm her breathing—afraid Jon would hear her.

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “It can’t be that hard. You’re not even showing.”

  He laughed.

  “I didn’t see a baby bump. You looked stunning as ever the other night. I don’t know why you are so worked up about it.”


  Jon tapped a foot on the floor.

  “I’ve got to go. Warn me before you send out any press releases.”

  Sarah waited until she was sure that Jon was off the phone before moving off the top step. Her heart hammered against her chest wall again. She only heard half the conversation. Maybe it wasn’t what it seemed. Maybe she wasn’t the “she” Jon was talking about. She closed her eyes, recalling the words Jon had spoken, not wanting to follow where her mind was pushing her. She needed time to process the phone call, so she quietly snuck back to her bed and texted Jessica, making sure she closed the door behind her.

  Sarah: R U home?

  Jessica: The flight got in early. Crazy drama happening downstairs with Alli’s parents. I’m hiding in my room.

  Sarah: I get that. Just overheard Jon talking to Mia. I was supposed to be sleeping.

  Jessica: What did she want?

  Sarah: I only caught the end. Something about notifying Jon before sending out press releases about her pregnancy.

  Jessica: What???

  Sarah: She told him at the club that she’s pregnant. I heard her. I don’t think they know I know.

  Jessica: I’m calling you!!!

  Sarah answered it the second Jessica’s picture flashed on the screen.

  “What the hell? Why didn’t you say something when we were there?” Jessica huffed, and Sarah imagined her scowling with her arms crossed.

  “I didn’t think it was any of my business.”

  “Not your business? Is it Jon’s business?”

  “No! Jon wouldn’t cheat on me.” She exhaled defensively and flopped her head against the pillow. In her heart she didn’t believe he would cheat. That didn’t prevent her mind from going there, though. “We went to visit his brother’s grave today and when we got home, I was emotionally exhausted because I was thinking about Tyler Rainer. I guess going to the cemetery just made me think about him. So I laid down for a little bit and had this dream about Mia.”

  “Oh. Are you OK? What happened?”

  “I don’t even remember exactly. Somehow, it transformed into a dream about Jon being the father of Mia’s baby and when I woke up, he was talking to her on the phone. He told her to let him know before she sent out any press releases about the pregnancy.”

  “Why was he talking to her? And why would he care when it’s leaked to the press?”

  “I don’t know what to think. I mean, I get why he wants to know. If she doesn’t come clean about who the father is, then the press will assume it’s Jon’s—and knowing her, that’s the game she’ll play.”

  “Did she tell Jon at the club who the father is?”

  Sarah thought about the conversation at the club. “She didn’t ID him. Jon asked, and she didn’t tell him he was the father.”

  “Jon asked if he was the father?”

  “No. He asked who the father was.”

  “Then, this is good news. Now she’ll stop trying to bed your fiancé. I mean she can’t keep trying if she’s as big as a house, right?”

  “I guess. Except I’m pretty sure she will look great no matter how pregnant she is, and she knows Jon really wants kids.”

  “He wants kids with you, but that doesn’t mean he wants some other man’s kids. It’s like a survival of the species thing. No matter how sophisticated they dress, men are still Neanderthals. They want to pass their genes on.”

  “He wants kids now, though. I’m pretty sure that appointment Leslie scheduled for me is with a gynecologist.”

  “You guys are getting married. Maybe he’s just tired of wearing a condom and wants you to check out your options. Seriously? Men hate those things. I’m surprised he’s been so patient. Stop worrying about Mia. She’s no longer a problem. And take full advantage of her mistake.”

  “How?”

  “The next time you see Mia, make sure you are wearing the skimpiest, most-formfitting clothes you own. As she’s growing bigger with some unknown man’s baby, you will still be your hot little self. You can torture her for months. I know it’s petty, but she’s been such a bitch to you—she deserves some payback.”

  Sarah smiled. “Gloating? It’s tempting. You always know how to make me feel better. Thanks.”

  “Anytime.”

  “Can you do me a favor? Don’t mention the pregnancy to anyone else.”

  “Of course. My lips are zipped.”

  “Thanks.” As she set her phone down, she emptied the air from her lungs. Jon is not the father. What was she thinking? She must have been messed up by the cemetery visit. She needed to talk to him about the doctor’s appointment and figure out where his mind was. Did he want her to get pregnant or just get on birth control?

  As she descended the stairs, she could see Jon sprawled on the couch with his arms crossed over his face and one foot planted on the floor. His phone rested next to him on the ottoman. He looked like he was sleeping. So peaceful.

  She quietly snuck into the kitchen and found a glass in the cupboard to push against the ice dispenser. The cubes clattered to the bottom, louder than she expected, and she pulled back, switching to water. She didn’t want to wake him if he was sleeping. The water cooled her parched throat as she gazed out at the courtyard. Her friends were just there that morning and now it seemed so empty. She felt his eyes penetrate her before he spoke.

  “Are you feeling better?” He hung back tentatively in the doorway with his hands grasping the top of the arched entrance.

  She took a sip of water. “A little.” Watching his reflection in the glass, convinced if her eyes met his he would be able to read her mind, she tried to compose herself. “I guess if I still feel sick on Thursday, I’ll ask the doctor to do some tests. She didn’t really plan on asking the doctor anything, but she wanted to bring up the appointment.

  He entered the kitchen and leaned against the granite countertop next to her. “So Leslie told you about the appointment and you’re OK with it?”

  “I wish you had asked me before you made it. I mean, I am the one being examined.” She understood he wanted children, but to make an appointment for her with an OB/GYN without even talking to her—that was a bit too much.

  “I was going to tell you about the appointment, but it never seemed the right time. Besides, after this weekend…you have to agree that it’s the right thing to do.” He ran his fingers gently through her hair and gazed into her eyes as if waiting for her to agree.

  She shook his hand off and abruptly pulled away. “This weekend?” she shrilled. “You mean with Mia? Well, there you go…the press is going to say the baby is yours. You may as well claim it now.” She walked backward toward the staircase. “Problem solved. You don’t even need me.” Then she turned and sprinted up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

  Jonathan

  Holy shit. Jon stood near the counter contemplating whether he should follow her or let her calm down first. He had never seen Sarah blow up like that. Obviously she was fuming about the appointment and knew about the pregnancy too. He didn’t realize Sarah had paid attention to his conversation with Mia at the club. Clearly she had. He took a deep breath before heading up the steps two at a time. Gently closing the bedroom door behind him, he slid to the floor with his back against the exit, quietly waiting for her to look up. When she didn’t, he said, “Sarah, I’m sorry I made the appointment without asking you, but you really haven’t been open to talking about it.”

  “And all that matters is what you want, right?” she mumbled into her pillow.

  “What? I just want you to be happy.”

  She lifted her head and stared at the wall, not turning to look at him. “Jon, I know you want to have a baby, but I don’t know if I’m ready to have kids yet.”

  He cocked his head, staring at her. He didn’t understand this conversation at all, but he knew he needed to sort it out. He thought about her last statement. Was she worried about what the press would say? “Is that what you’re worried about? Just because Mia is having a
baby doesn’t mean you have to. I don’t care what the press says.” He climbed onto the bed next to her. “I can wait until you’re ready.” He wrapped his arm around her and whispered as he kissed the back of her neck, “I’m ready whenever you are—just so you know.” He kissed her neck again. He could feel the tension leaving her body as his fingers smoothed over her shoulder.

  She flipped over to face him and said, “I’ll go to the appointment. It can’t hurt to go, but no promises beyond that.”

  The smell of cherry blossoms and vanilla from her hair hit his nose, and he didn’t want to argue anymore.

  “We’ll just see what the doctor says.” He covered her lips with his and gently coaxed a kiss from her. When he pulled back, he whispered, “Maybe you can wear a bikini on our honeymoon.” His lips met hers as one of his hands found its way to the scars on the top of her abdomen.

  When his finger traced the slightly raised line on her skin, she lurched up, asking, “Dr. Kravitz is a plastic surgeon, isn’t he?”

  He pulled her back down next to him. “Yeah…the best in the country. Isn’t that what we’re arguing about?” He propped his head up on his elbow and looked at her curiously, hoping for some clarity into her mood.

  “We’re not arguing,” she said decisively as she started unbuttoning his shirt. “I don’t have a problem with Dr. Kravitz.” Her hands slipped inside so softly against his chest. He leaned down to brush his lips to her temple.

  “Honestly, I don’t even notice the scars. You will always be the most beautiful woman in the world.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “But they seem to bother you, and I will do anything to make you happy.”

  “OK. Just stop talking and kiss me.”

  Jon laughed, shrugging out of his shirt, then pulled her on top of him and stretched up to meet her lips. He didn’t know what she was thinking, but she seemed to have gotten over it. Jack’s birthday, his conversation with Mia, the stalker, and Sarah’s mood had all taken their toll on his ability to think clearly. And then there was the issue with Cannes. He really wished he could find a way out of going there altogether.