“Me, too. See you in a few hours. And call me if you need to. You hear?”
“I will. I promise.” Lucas had always been there for her, and he was Aidan’s best friend. If anyone would know what was going on in Aidan’s head, her brother would. Just knowing Lucas was waiting for her made the drive so much easier. She felt calm enough to concentrate on her driving as the road unwound in a long ribbonlike arc of asphalt.
Hours later, having listened to an audio book for the remainder of the trip, she pulled into her driveway, to the home she’d shared with Aidan. As she pressed the remote to open the garage door, she fought back loneliness so profound her breath felt trapped in her throat. For one fleeting moment, she doubted her decision to walk out on Aidan.
Maybe if she had stayed, encouraged him to talk about how they would care for Emma together, put aside her hurt feelings, they could have made some decisions. Then she recalled his mulish expression. No, there wouldn’t have been any discussion or compromise. Aidan would make up his mind, the way he always did.
And that, more than some of the other problems before them, seemed to point to the end of her marriage.
* * *
AIDAN WATCHED THE car pull away and his heart turned over in his chest. He didn’t want Grace to leave. He should have gone out to beg her to stay, but he hadn’t because…because he didn’t know what to say to her. He’d felt this way so many times before when they’d been trying to have a baby. Grace had been so intent on getting pregnant that everything else in their lives was forgotten. They’d stopped talking about anything other than having a baby. Their time together had become charged with waiting to see if Grace had a positive pregnancy test.
When Grace had wanted to take Emma’s custody slowly, to consider all the aspects of what it meant to take her, he’d been surprised. Having witnessed her obsession with having a baby, he’d assumed that Grace would be as willing as he was to take the little girl into their lives as soon as they possibly could.
His wife wanted a child, and Emma needed parents. To him it was a gift from God, the answer to their prayers.
Yet when Grace had protested, his first instinct had been to defend his position, his plan. He’d been hurt that Grace didn’t seem to feel as he did about Emma. Yet he knew he needed Grace more now than he ever had in his entire life.
He’d screwed everything up. But one thing he was thankful for: he’d held his tongue. When she accused him of being selfish, he’d almost said something about her selfish obsession these past years. If he’d said that, there would be no chance that she would ever listen to him again.
But Grace had been right about one thing. They needed to talk this out together, and he had to take it easy, let her express her fear and reservations about assuming custody of Emma. He had a few reservations of his own, including how they would cope with a child who was old enough to realize that her mother was gone, but too young to understand why her life would have to change.
As he watched Grace drive away he wanted to run after her, tell her how much he loved her and that she was right. They needed to sort out their feelings and expectations before they made a decision about Emma. And that meant they needed time alone together to prepare for what lay ahead.
Yet he couldn’t find the motivation to walk out on his daughter. She faced the long days and nights without her mother. It was so important that Emma have people around her who loved her while she learned to cope with her new circumstances.
His heart heavy, he turned toward the window to see the brake lights glow red as Grace pulled out of the driveway. He knew his wife would call Lucas to seek his advice. When she told him what Aidan had done, Lucas would be angry, and rightfully so. Aidan doubted that Lucas would understand his point of view, and he couldn’t blame him.
Aidan glanced around the room, remembering the two nights he’d spent in this house when he and Deidre had been together. Deidre had used birth control, something she’d been very emphatic about. How had the birth control failed? Deidre had loved details, had reveled in getting everything right.
Another idea skirted the edge of his mind. He couldn’t imagine someone like Deidre taking any chances with her personal life. Yet she had insisted that they work in her home, a home equipped with all the technology to do so. Had she intentionally misled him? Had she chosen him to be the father of her child, invited him into her home, intending to get pregnant, keep the child and continue on with her life? Had her father’s death made her realize that if she passed away, Emma would be alone? His mind ran over the possibilities as his eyes took in the space that appeared unchanged from five years ago.
Focused on his thoughts, he was about to head to the kitchen for a glass of water when the door from the garage opened. Lisa walked in carrying a pink Dora the Explorer backpack while Emma followed holding a huge brown bear, the one in the video. His heart soared as he looked at his daughter. She was even more beautiful than the photos he’d seen. Uncertain about how to approach the little girl staring at him, he smiled, trying to put her at ease.
Lisa put the backpack on the end of the kitchen counter. “Emma, do you know who this is?” she asked, her gaze sweeping from Aidan to Emma.
Emma promptly popped her thumb into her mouth and reached for Lisa’s hand.
Lisa patted Emma’s curls soothingly as she spoke. “He’s come to see you.”
His chest tight, he knelt in front of his little girl and held out his arms. “Hi, Emma, I’m your dad,” he said.
Emma stopped sucking her thumb and stared at him, her eyes filling with glossy tears. “No! Mommy. I want Mommy.”
He edged closer. “I’m so sorry,” he said softly, despite his disappointment. His little girl needed him, and he would be here for her. “Come, let me hold you,” he whispered, marveling at how natural it felt to be here with his daughter.
“No! Mommy!” Emma screamed, her arms reaching for Lisa as tears flowed down her tiny face.
“Aidan, I’m sorry about this. It’s all pretty new for Emma,” Lisa said, picking her up and snuggling her close as Emma continued to sob, her face pressed into Lisa’s chest.
Helpless to figure out what to say or do, Aidan watched in dread as Emma stared at him, her eyes dark with fear. He was a stranger to his only child, his daughter. She didn’t want anything to do with him. He hadn’t expected this. He’d assumed that she would recognize him from the photo, remember what her mother had said, and would want him to hold her.
He struggled to stem the flood of fear circling his heart. He was in over his head. He had no idea what he was doing or how to do it. He’d never considered that Emma would react this way. How would he ever manage to care for his daughter if this behavior continued? He glanced at Lisa, seeking her support.
“Aidan, please don’t worry. Emma has been very upset since…you know. She’ll be better soon. You’ll see.”
He didn’t see at all. He hadn’t been around kids very much, and he had no idea how to deal with them. Now, with his daughter so upset, he didn’t have a clue how to reach out to her. Yet he knew he had to if he was going to be her dad. Instinctively, he backed away, keeping the smile on his face, his heart heavy with disappointment. “Emma. Your daddy is going to wait in the living room. Is that okay?”
Emma, her face buried in Lisa’s neck, didn’t respond.
CHAPTER SEVEN
EXHAUSTED AND WORRIED, Grace pulled into the garage. It was so good to be home, but so awful to be going into the house she and Aidan shared and to acknowledge he wasn’t here. As angry and hurt as she’d been leaving Spartanburg, facing the house alone somehow made the trouble between her and her husband a fact and, in a very clear way, more real to her. Loss and loneliness trapped her where she was.
Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined she’d be faced with her marriage in tatters, and suspicion and distrust toward the man she’d loved. His infidelity chan
ged everything she’d believed about her marriage and her husband. Glancing around the garage, Aidan’s tools hanging over his workbench, she couldn’t help but wonder what else he might have done while working out here on a Saturday afternoon, who he might have called, knowing he wouldn’t be overheard.
If she needed any proof of how much her marriage was in trouble, she had only to look at what happened a few hours ago. The Aidan she knew would never have allowed her to leave Spartanburg, not without following her, if only to say goodbye and to reassure her that he would miss her. She was so accustomed to his presence in her life that she felt empty…drained.
She grabbed her overnight bag from the backseat and started toward the door leading into the house. Just as she unlocked it, she heard her brother’s truck pull into the driveway. Relief flooded her. She raced out to him. “I’m so glad to see you, Lucas,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him close.
“That husband of yours needs his butt kicked,” he said, patting her shoulders as she clung to him. He wiped her hair from her face as he put his arm around her waist and walked with her into the house. “I’m glad you got home safely.”
“Me, too,” she said, watching as he put her overnight bag on the floor by the cupboard and moved to the counter where he ran water and filled the coffeepot. She watched her brother, her affection for him lifting her spirits. He was the best brother anyone could have wished for. Leaning against the counter as he moved about her kitchen, finding cups and getting cream out of the fridge, she unwound a little. Whatever came next, her brother would be here for her.
“Sis, despite how dumb Aidan is behaving, it’s going to be okay,” he said, pouring two cups of coffee and passing one to her. “Things seem pretty awful right now, but you and Aidan have been through lots of stuff together. This won’t be any different.” He put cream and sugar in his cup and offered her both.
“Just cream for me,” she said.
“You’ve given up sugar in your coffee?” he asked.
“Yeah. I saw a program on the ill effects of too much sugar and decided to cut back,” she said distractedly as she placed her hands firmly around her cup, sipping slowly.
Lucas’s gaze assessed her. “You’ve had a rotten time of it, haven’t you?”
Her hands began to shake at his words. The cup clattered onto the counter, coffee spilling over the edge. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I’m so sorry, sis,” Lucas said, his voice filled with sorrow. “What can I do?”
“Help me understand what is going on.”
“I’m still convinced that Aidan will come to his senses and realize what a total jerk he’s been.”
“But that doesn’t change how awful I feel, how mixed up I am,” Grace said as she edged onto one of the navy-blue leather stools at the kitchen island. She’d put so many hours of planning into this space when they were remodeling their home.
The off-white cabinetry had been suggested by the interior decorator and she’d loved the look of it. Aidan had insisted on an extra-large fridge with lots of freezer space so he could buy whatever amounts he needed for the meals he liked to cook. Unable to stop her eyes from moving from one beautiful part of her kitchen to the other, a flood of memories overtook her. “Remember the time Aidan cooked all those ribs for the staff, using both ovens? And the huge mess afterward?” she said.
“I do. He invited the whole office and did most of the work. It was a great party, and everyone appreciated being here.”
“It wouldn’t have been so messy if Aidan hadn’t spilled a platter of ribs. I can still see the two of you trying to get the gooey, sticky juice stuff off the ceramic tiles,” Grace said.
“You were a good sport about that. Most women would have thrown a hissy fit and called for a cleaning service.”
“There are so many good memories here, Lucas. But right now, I can’t imagine how we’re going to work out our problems, especially when Aidan doesn’t think there are any. He brushed me off when I asked about this Deidre person. It’s as though he thinks I’m simply overreacting and that I’ll get over the affair and accept his way of doing things with Emma.”
“Do you want me to talk to him? Get him to see what he’s done?”
“I don’t know what good that would do. The affair was five years ago, and he says it meant nothing, which sickens me. How could it mean nothing when there is a child? You should have seen how totally focused he was on his plans for Emma… I still can’t figure how he’s going to manage a little girl who has just lost her mother. He’s never been a parent. He’s never had to look after anyone before. And what if he causes Emma serious emotional issues by forcing her to leave everything she is familiar with so soon after her mother’s death? All to satisfy his need to be a parent.”
“It’s that serious, is it?” Lucas asked, sitting on the stool next to her.
“Worse. He’s not listening. It’s as if he is trying to make up for something…”
Lucas took her hand in his. “I cannot picture how it must have felt for him to find out he has a daughter. But Aidan’s always been so cool under pressure, so able to manage everything. You said he spent most evenings after he found out about Emma in his office. Maybe he was trying, in Aidan fashion, to come to terms with what it meant to suddenly find that he’s a father.”
“And after his infidelity, am I supposed to sit around and wait for him to come to me, to be the person who supports his decision?” she asked, feeling her throat tighten.
“Don’t say that. Think back to the day you had the car accident. Remember? Instead of rushing in and staying by your side, he first arranged to have the surgeon meet him in emergency where he grilled him about how the procedure would be done.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, he arrived in my room, the surgeon trailing behind him, the surgery time set. When he finally felt everything was under control, he sat at my bedside with the most anxious look in his eyes.”
“See? You simply have to trust Aidan. He’ll work this out.” He patted her hand before getting up to freshen their coffees. Passing her mug to her, he said, “I realize that it doesn’t help you deal with his betrayal, but right now you need to think about you. You’ve been through so much in such a short time. Why don’t you just take a long, hot bath, read something? Get some rest. Give this a little time. Your husband tends to act first and seek other people’s opinions later.”
“But this is different. This is me. His wife. First, I find out he’s had an affair and a child. Then I find out he hasn’t got time for my feelings.”
“Have you considered the possibility that this whole thing is as big an adjustment for him as it is for you?”
“What? Adjustment? He’s anxious to take over with Emma. That hardly sounds like he’s having trouble adjusting.”
“Think about it. Aidan’s an only child. He never had anyone in his life totally dependent on him—until Emma. That has to cause him all kinds of anxiety regardless of how he appears to be behaving.”
“I can’t let myself care how this is affecting him when he doesn’t care how it’s affecting me. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know where we go from here, and I wonder if all the pain is worth it.”
“Only you and Aidan can work on that. But if you feel you need to give him more time to sort things out, for the two of you to figure out what you want, then you’d better tell him that.”
He came around the island and hugged her tight. “Sis, one of the principal traits of a Barton is to let our hurt feelings rule our thinking. I’m proof of that. Maria has helped me see how easily I can be hurt, then withdraw to lick my wounds. For my money, that’s what you’re doing now.”
“You think I should go back to Spartanburg?”
“I think you should do whatever it is that makes you happy. You and Aidan have been happy and will be again, but not until you work out y
our differences. Listen to Aidan. Find out what he’s going through. I’m betting you’re both going through a lot of the same stuff.”
“But he’s ready to jump into fatherhood without so much as a word of how it will work with Emma, a child he knows nothing about. He is so stubborn,” she said.
“That’s part of what you can help Aidan with. You understand what a huge change this is for Emma as well as for both of you.” He touched her cheek. “You’re not a quitter. Talk to Aidan again. Tell him how you really feel…”
He looked into her eyes and she saw how much her brother cared. She wasn’t in a strange city trying to cope with a little girl who had been traumatized. She really didn’t understand what her husband was going through right now, and she never would if she didn’t get in touch with him again. They had so many issues to work on, but none of it would matter if they couldn’t talk to each other.
“Okay. I guess it wouldn’t hurt for me to make the first move. I’ll stay here tonight, then head back tomorrow morning.”
“As a show of support, I’ll take your car and gas it up before I head over to my condo. Maria is anxious to hear how you and Aidan are doing.”
“That’s so sweet. Visited any jewelry stores lately?” she teased, feeling a little better, not quite so desperate.
“I’m not telling you, Ms. Matchmaker,” he said, laughing as he went out the back door.
She watched him leave, thankful she had a brother and aware of how much she depended on him for advice. Aidan didn’t have the option of relying on a brother or sister, something she hadn’t taken into account in this situation. She would remember that the next time they talked…if they talked.
Should she call him now? Her stomach clenched at the thought.
After an hour of indecision, Grace dialed Aidan’s cell phone. He answered on the first ring. “I’m so sorry, darling, for everything,” he said, his voice warm, caressing her senses. “I felt so awful when you left here. I wanted to beg you to come back.”
Harlequin Superromance May 2018 Box Set Page 60
