Discovery

by Char Webster

  He was walking back to his house when he saw Robert waiting on his porch. “Now what, Tate?”

  “Something’s got you all riled up,” Robert commented.

  “It’s none of your business.”

  “Are you upset that Kate’s not home? Don’t know where she is? Tsk tsk, that’s not a very good watchdog,” Robert taunted. “I bet she didn’t tell you about our lovely morning together, did she?”

  “What did you do to her?” Nick got right up in Robert’s face and grabbed his shirt. “Did you hurt her?”

  “Why would I hurt a hot girl that I want in my bed?”

  Nick punched Robert in the face with only a little more force than normal. He still held back. Nick couldn’t really hurt him.

  Robert’s head whipped back and he looked stunned. He hadn’t expected Nick to hit him. Then he got a big smile and walked off the porch. Maybe there is hope after all, Robert thought.

  What the heck was that all about, Nick wondered. He couldn’t believe that he had hit Robert. Even when things were at their worst, he hadn’t hit him. He must be losing it. He went in to make dinner and wait for Kate to get home.

  He really didn’t believe that Robert would hurt them. Robert was in things for himself, would sell information to the highest bidder and occasionally do some shady deals, but he didn’t hurt innocent people. So why had he hit Robert? The only answer Nick could come up with was the one answer that scared him to death: Kate. He hadn’t punched Robert until he had brought up sleeping with Kate. Just the thought of someone else with her like that made Nick angry all over again.

  He put his hands over his face and closed his eyes. How had he let himself get into this mess? They couldn’t be together. There were rules and laws about this type of thing. He had been trained to not get personally involved, but he couldn’t deny it, he had feelings for her.

  Holy crap, he had feelings for her.

  ~*~*~

  Kate took the kids out to eat and play miniature golf. It was a gorgeous night to be outside doing something fun. She wanted to get her mind off the conversation that she had had with Robert earlier that day. How could such a gifted race be so horrible? Didn’t they learn anything over time?

  Throughout history, the societies that refused to bend and adapt crumbled and fell or completely imploded. The Association had to be heading in that direction. She didn’t know them, and she didn’t want to.

  They were the reason her parents were dead and they were the reason that things might not work out with Nick. As far as she was concerned, the Association was the bad guy.

  She thought about calling Nick to see if he wanted to come along tonight, but she decided not to. She didn’t want to push things if she was just going to get her heart broken. She half expected him to show up there anyway, since he tended to appear wherever she went.

  Kate wanted the kids to have a fun meal so she took them to a restaurant where they could make their own pizzas and Maddy could play with raw dough. Zach put as much meat on his pizza as he could, overflowing it with pepperoni, sausage, and bacon. Alex tried for a healthier pizza and loaded hers with roasted peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes. Kate had to help Maddy with hers, since she was too busy pounding her dough to pay attention to creating a pizza.

  When she didn’t see him at dinner, she became disappointed. She needed something to keep her mind off of the blue-eyed hottie. Maybe she could work on her gifts. Kate practiced reading people’s emotions and seeing how far away she could feel them. When she concentrated, she could be way across the room and still feel someone. She giggled to herself when she felt one of the chef’s frustration over a kitchen mishap.

  She was also getting better at hearing thoughts, but didn’t practice that gift. She didn’t think it was right to invade someone’s thoughts, so she wouldn’t actively try it. Sometimes it was impossible to not hear what someone was thinking. Some people screamed things in their minds. She actually blushed a few times and quickly steered the kids away from the colorful thoughts.

  The only thing she hadn’t tried was changing someone’s emotion. That was a lot harder since she had to touch someone to do it. She couldn’t just go up to people and grab their arm or hand. She would get arrested.

  An opportunity presented itself and she just couldn’t resist. When they were walking though the arcade next to the miniature golf course, Kate spotted a little girl crying and looking around. Kate walked over to her and said hello. The girl backed up and continued to look afraid. She appeared to be about five years old, and there were no adults around. It was obvious that the girl had wandered off from her parents.

  Kate tried again. “Hello.” The little girl just continued to cry and didn’t say anything. “I’m Kate, and this is Maddy. Oh and I can’t forget the doggy.” Kate said when Maddy held out the stuffed dog. “I bet you can’t find your mom or dad. Is that right?”

  The girl still didn’t say a word. She just continued to cry, watching Maddy intently.

  “If Maddy got lost, I would cry and cry, and I would look everywhere for her. Do you think your mommy is looking for you?” The little girl nodded. Kate held out her hand and said, “Let’s go look for her. We can ask that nice lady over there at the desk to call her over the loud speaker. Would you like that?”

  Kate could feel the sadness and fear leave the little girl. Her gift was working!

  A few minutes later, a frantic woman came flying into the arcade and clutched the girl to her chest. She looked up at Kate and said, “Thank you so much! I couldn’t find her anywhere. I was so scared. She never wanders off, but I turned around for two seconds and she was gone.”

  Kate put her hand on the lady’s arm and helped with her fear and anxiety as well. She was excited to use her gifts, but all of a sudden she felt sluggish. Her head hurt slightly and it was as if she could put her head down on the table and nap. Maybe helping people to feel better took something out of her, or maybe the stress of everything that had happened recently was finally adding up. Either way, it was time to call it a night.

  She grabbed her kids, who complained a bit about leaving, and headed home. Emily and Eric were sitting on their front porch when they pulled into the driveway. They came running over and invited Alex and Zach for another sleepover.

  “Are you sure your parents want them over again?” Kate asked. Almost as if their parents had a gift, Kate saw Mrs. Bennet walking over.

  “Hi, Kate. How are you?” Jessica Bennet asked.

  “Hey, Jess. I’m good. We just got back from dinner and miniature golf. What are you guys up to?” Kate had always liked the Bennets. They were really nice people with great kids. Kate was glad that Alex and Zach had them as friends.

  “We just got back home as well. We were visiting my mother and the kids were bored stiff. You would think I was torturing them.”

  Kate laughed. “It couldn’t be that much fun to hang out with what they consider old people all day.”

  “Exactly, which is why I bribed them with another sleepover. Please say you’ll let Alex and Zach come over. You will be saving my sanity,” Jess said, smiling.

  “Are you sure? I really don’t want to put you out.”

  “Kate, those kids are great. I’m so glad you took them in. I have seen a positive change in them already since they got here. They’re welcome at my house any time.”

  Kate was so happy to hear that. She smiled widely and gave Jess a hug. “Thank you so much. I really appreciate you saying that.”

  “I mean it. They’re great kids.” She turned around and said, “Okay let’s go. If you guys are good, I may be persuaded to make some brownies.” They were all gone within seconds.

  Kate gave Maddy a bubble bath, read her four storybooks, and tucked her in bed. A few minutes later, she was settled on the couch in a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt. She wanted to be comfy. She was tired, physically and mentally, but she hoped she was tired enough not to think too much.

  She was only slightly surprised w
hen she saw Nick at the back door. He looked good tonight, more casual than usual. He was in a pair of swishy pants and a plain, tight T-shirt that showed off his chest. She was checking him out, and she could tell he was doing the same with her.

  “Hey,” she said with a smile. She really was glad to see him.

  “Hi, Kate. You look really tired. Are you okay?” Nick asked with concern.

  “I’m okay, just worn out. Come and sit down.”

  They walked over to the couch and settled down close to each other.

  “It’s not surprising. You have been through a lot lately. Maybe I should go and come back tomorrow so you can rest,” he said as he tried to get up.

  She grabbed his hand, and the same electricity surged through them. “Stay.”

  He looked at her, unsure of what to do.

  “I really don’t want to be alone. Just stay for a little while.” She was almost begging but she didn’t care. She needed to be around someone tonight. She needed to be around him.

  “For a bit, but you need to rest soon.” He shouldn’t stay, but he really wanted to.

  “Deal.” She was happy that he was keeping her company. “What have you been up to? I was shocked you didn’t show up at miniature golf tonight.”

  So that’s where they were, he thought. She was looking for him tonight. She had wanted to see him. He couldn’t contain his smile. “I can’t show up every time, you know. That would be way too predictable.”

  “Oh no, we can’t have that,” she teased.

  He really wanted to tell her about his relationship with the kids, but it was obvious she was too exhausted to get into something like that. Plus, he really didn’t want to upset or worry her.

  They started talking and ended up telling each other about all kinds of things, including their childhoods: little memories and misadventures. Nick didn’t talk about Robert even though Kate knew he was a big part of Nick’s life. That made her a little sad, but she didn’t want to spoil a great night. They spoke like old friends even though they were just getting to know each other. It was comfortable and relaxing, and just what they both needed.

  It eventually got late and they fell asleep together on the couch.

  ~*~*~

  Kate woke up from one of the best nights of sleep ever. Wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, she snuggled in deeper with a sigh, not wanting to get up yet. Her eyes flew open when realizing that she wasn’t in her bed but on the couch, cuddled up against Nick. She wasn’t sure whether to be ecstatic or horrified, so she settled on the first. Why couldn’t she snuggle with a really hot guy?

  Nick woke up to Kate snuggling in tighter with him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, and enjoyed her pressed up against him. It was a great night’s sleep. He had woken up about an hour after falling asleep with her, but he didn’t want to disturb her. She looked too peaceful and way too sexy lying there next to him. He would be an idiot to leave her, so he stayed and held her all night. He was definitely crossing into dangerous territory, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He wanted to hold her.

  He watched when she realized that she was in his arms and could see the emotions run across her face. He was thrilled to see that she decided to be happy about her sleeping arrangement.

  “Good morning,” she said, not quite looking at him.

  He smiled widely and said, “Good morning, Beautiful. How did you sleep?”

  “Pretty good. You?”

  “I had a very good night’s sleep,” he told her with a grin. He could tell she was a little embarrassed by the pink tinge that was crossing her cheeks, but he wasn’t going to go easy on her.

  “I can’t believe we fell asleep last night. I was just so tired.”

  “I guess I was, too. Are you upset we fell asleep together?” He knew her answer, but he wanted her to tell him.

  “No, I’m not upset. I kinda like it.”

  “Just kinda?”

  “Yeah, just kinda,” she smiled playfully. “Are you hungry? I want blueberry pancakes.”

  “I would love some.”

  It was really early, and Maddy was still asleep; since she had gone to bed pretty late, she would probably sleep for a while. They both went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Kate took some bacon from the refrigerator and placed the strips into a frying pan.

  She gathered the supplies for pancakes, and Nick starting adding the ingredients into a bowl. Kate laughed at his complete disdain for measuring anything, not knowing how their breakfast was going to turn out.

  She attempted to put away the flour, but Nick snatched it out of her hands and flicked some of it at her. She was shocked to find part of her face covered in white powder, but her surprise wore off quickly as she reached for the container to retaliate. Nick held her off and stashed the flour back onto the top shelf of the cabinet and out of her reach.

  He watched a gleam enter her eyes and knew that she was looking for a way to get him back, so he decided to distract her instead. Nick strutted up to her, forcing her to retreat a few steps, backing up to the counter. His head slowly bent toward her, stopping just an inch away. She gasped, anticipating his descent to capture her lips, but he stopped and stayed there just out of reach.

  Staring into her eyes, he brushed his nose against hers, giving her shivers, but still didn’t claim her lips. “The bacon is burning.”

  “Oh no!” Kate hurried over to the stove and pulled the frying pan off the burner, shrugging sheepishly. “You wanted it crispy, right?”

  They had just finished their breakfast and were at the sink washing the dishes, when Alex and Zach walked in the back door.

  Everyone froze.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Hey, guys. What are you doing up so early? What happened to your sleepover?” Kate asked them with a smile.

  “Uncle Bud! What are you doing here?” Zach asked, running over to give him a hug.

  Alex launched herself into Nick’s arms and hugged him tightly. “Uncle Bud, we missed you so much.”

  Kate lost her smile and turned to glare at Nick or “Uncle Bud” or whoever he was. She yanked the towel off the stove handle with much more force than necessary and aggressively dried her hands. She threw the towel on the counter and fisted her hands at her sides. He had lied to her, manipulated her, and used her. She had trusted this guy and she didn’t even know who he was.

  She wanted to scream at him and cry, all at the same time, but mostly, she wanted to take the kids and run. She was not going to give up these kids. “Uncle Bud” could just go to hell. She was keeping her kids.

  “Uncle Bud?” she said accusingly, narrowing her eyes in fury.

  “Now, Kate,” he started.

  She cut him off. “Don’t even ‘Now Kate’ me. Just who the hell are you?”

  She didn’t let him speak. She just turned to Alex and Zach and tried to speak as calmly as she could manage, “Guys, I need a few minutes alone with your uncle. Can you hang out in your rooms for a bit?”

  Nick thought about asking the kids to stay because he didn’t think she would flip out in front of them. Looking at his niece and nephew, he thought they were going to argue with her, but they didn’t. The kids just climbed the stairs toward their rooms.

  Kate watched them slowly make their way up the steps and figured they would try to listen at the top, so she pulled Nick out onto the back porch.

  Once outside, she glared at him as he looked at her cautiously. He should have told her before because this was the exact situation he had wanted to avoid. Nick had planned to tell her after breakfast, but the kids showing up so early ruined that plan. His eyes followed her as she paced the porch making little annoyed sounds as she passed by him. Now he was in trouble and she didn’t look like she was in the mood to be reasonable. He considered trying to distract her with a kiss, since it had worked out pretty well for him in the past, but he didn’t think it would work this time.

  He felt like he was back in school and in trouble. She had that teacher l
ook perfected, and she was glaring it at him right now. He actually wanted to squirm. He didn’t like the disappointed, angry look she had, and she was making it worse by not saying anything. He wondered if they had taught that to everyone who worked in schools. He tried to hide a smile at that thought, but he apparently failed.

  “You think this is funny?” Kate demanded.

  “No.” He paused. Nothing he was going to say was going to get through to her right now. “Kate, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was planning to tell you after breakfast.”

  “You expect me to believe that? You’re just saying that now because you got caught. Why did you lie to me? Is your name even Nick?” Kate began to pace. She wanted to smack that wounded look off his face. His boyish charms would not work on her this time. She stopped pacing and stood right in front of him with her arms crossed. “Well?”

  “Kate, please listen,” he started. She was still glaring at him. “My name is Nick. It’s Nick Taylor. I didn’t lie about that. I just never told you my last name.”

  “Convenient.” She huffed. “Then why do they kids call you Uncle Bud?”

  “Both my parents were dead by the time I was five. I went to live with my older brother. I hardly knew him since we were so far apart in age. He raised me and used to call me his little buddy. I was still young when the kids were born, and they heard their dad call me buddy or bud. They started calling me Uncle Bud.”

  “Say I believe you. Why did you lie to me?”

  “That’s the truth, Kate. Why would I make up a name like that?”

  “I don’t know? Why have you lied to me since the first moment we met?”

  “Kate, I told you before, I wasn’t sure I could trust you. I knew you were hiding something from me, I just couldn’t figure out what it was that you were hiding.”