Never Saw it Coming

by Bernadette Marie

  When she looked at her watch again, he laughed. “Why don’t you go down and check on him.”

  “I think I’ll do that.” She leaned in and kissed him gently. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  He doubted that very seriously.

  The restaurant was still quiet when she walked through the door. Gabe was at the bar, the remote control in his hand poised toward the TV on the wall.

  “Getting much sleep?” she asked, and he spun around.

  “Hey,” he said with a grin. “No. None at all. That’s why I’m here. I can sleep on my feet.”

  Chandra slid onto one of the stools at the bar. “I’m a little itchy this morning. I feel as though I should be here.”

  “You should be on that vacation we talked about.” Gabe set the remote down and leaned in over the bar. “Your car was here all night.”

  She narrowed her eyes on him. “How do you know that?”

  “Security camera out back.”

  She snorted a laugh. “So what.”

  “Is it serious?” he asked as if he were an older brother and she was the sister who might need help.

  Chandra tucked her lips between her teeth and thought for a moment before lifting her eyes to him. “I hope it is.”

  “Let’s cut to the chase. Is he serious about you?”

  “I think he is.”

  He gave her a slow nod. “I think he is too.” Placing a hand over hers, he gave it a pat. “I think he’s a good man.”

  “He is. I’m going on vacation with him this week. Skiing,” she added. “With Jason and his son and some friends.” The words rattled out as if they floated on the nerves that buzzed in her stomach.

  “Yep, that’s serious.”

  “I’m worried I’m going to mess this up for you and my mom. There are more people involved here than just me.”

  “You know what your problem is?” he asked as the first order printed out on the printer next to him. “You think too much. Try not to be in control for a little bit and see how that feels. Close off your mind a little bit and have a good time.”

  And just like that, Chandra felt those nerves subside. “Thanks,” she said as she stood from the stool.

  “Hey, while you’re off this week, maybe you could stop by and see Holly. She’s nursing and doesn’t like to get too far from home. I think she’s tired of her mother and me. The best conversations she’s had in the past month have been with Madison. So, you know, anyone else who’s not two-years-old would thrill her.”

  “I’ll do that,” she agreed.

  When she turned around, she heard the muffled voices near the stairwell. Jason stood among the older boys, and Mike had just pushed through them. “They want to go kick the ball around. I told them Metro State had a field just a few blocks over. Care to take a walk? I brought your coat.”

  Her body warmed just looking at him and feeling the love that beamed from his eyes. “I’d like that.”

  The boys all carried on a conversation a few feet ahead of them, while she and Mike walked hand in hand. She searched her memory for a time when a man walked with her and held her hand like this, but she was coming up empty. His thumb gently brushed hers, and he’d give a little squeeze once in a while. When she’d look up at him, he’d be smiling down at her. Her heart jumped a bit each time, and all she could do was hope this ride would last for longer than a few months. Even though she and Austin had sort of been together for Jason’s ten years, they’d only ever lasted a few months at a time. And none of it had ever been sweet as it was with Mike.

  “I called the hotel, and we can leave for Breckenridge a day early. They had a cancellation on the room, and we can have it for another day. Are you free tomorrow?”

  She smiled up at him. “I’m free.”

  “We’ll leave at six. I’m going to rent an SUV. I have my eye on one, and this will be a good test drive, I decided.”

  “I’ll go by my house this afternoon and get packed. I know I have a fridge full of food too.”

  Mike stopped walking. “You’re not going alone. I’ll go with you. Jason can stay with the boys.”

  She nodded in agreement. “It might upset him to see the mess his father made.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  When Chandra pushed opened the door to her house, she sighed. It was going to take a week to put her house back together, and here she was considering taking a vacation.

  Mike put his hands on her shoulders. “The moment we get back, we’ll clean this up. All of us.”

  She shook her head in disbelief as she looked around. “I just can’t believe he did this. Mike, I’m ashamed.”

  He turned her toward him. “You can’t feel any blame for this. It’s who he is. Not who you are.”

  “I seriously thought he was going to be different,” she admitted. “This is bigger than an alcohol binge.”

  “Call the police.”

  She shook her head again. “It’s just some money. I can’t do that to Jason.”

  “You think he’d care? He’s the smartest kid I’ve ever met. You heard what he said. If he broke the law, he deserves to be in jail.”

  Chandra bit down on her lip until she tasted blood. “It hurts.”

  “Then think of it as doing something good for Austin. If they catch him, he can get some help. He stole your money, Chandra. He trashed your house. This isn’t normal.”

  He was right, and she knew it. Taking a long cleansing breath, she pulled her phone from her pocket and placed the call to the police.

  After nearly two hours of talking to the police, and going through her house, they finally walked into Mike’s apartment. All four boys looked up from their game controllers, and then back to the TV as they played soccer from the couch.

  Jason, however, kept his eyes on his mother.

  He put down his controller and stood from between James and Dane, and walked to her. Not one word was said. He simply wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

  “Let’s go into the bedroom for a moment,” Chandra said and led him through the door and closed it.

  Jason sat down on the bed and looked up at her, his eyes full of wisdom. “Something else happened to Dad,” he said, instead of asking.

  Chandra sat down next to him. “I’m afraid something will.”

  “This is because of his DUI?”

  She took his hand in hers. “Jason, he must be out of jail. He went to our house and took all the money I had stashed away. The house is quite a mess.”

  His lips grew thin, and his nostrils flared. “Why would he do that? You always take him in and let him see me. I thought this time was going to be different.”

  “I did too. Or at least I hoped it was going to be.” Chandra brushed his hair back from his forehead, then placed a kiss there. “I had to call the police. If they come across him…”

  “They’ll arrest him?”

  She nodded. “I’m sorry.”

  Jason shook his head. “Never apologize for him, Mom. He is who he is. I’m not the only kid in school whose dad is messed up. Lots of my friends’ dads are too. Some of their moms too. He’s never hit us or hurt us. He has addictions, and I know that. You’ve always been there for me, Mom. I appreciate that.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly willing back the tears that were stinging her throat.

  “James’s parents are divorced too. He said that his dad used to beat his mom and his brother.”

  Her heart squeezed. “He told you that?”

  “Yeah, we were all talking about dads. Dane loves his dad, a lot. The guys started talking about their dads too. Doug’s mom and dad are still married, and he has four sisters. That’s all he said.”

  She smiled. “That says a lot.”

  “James said that his dad was a mean drunk. His mom called the police, and they took him away. He was twelve. He hasn’t seen him since.”

  “And how does he feel about that?”

  “His mom remarried, he said. He was,” he r
olled his eyes to the side as if to remember, “fourteen. He said this guy she married is super. His mom had another kid with him, so he has a little brother too.”

  “That’s very special.”

  “It made me realize that you and I are okay without Dad. Maybe if he gets his life together, he’ll be okay. And I was thinking, maybe if you married Mike, I’d have a dad around. A step-dad. And Dane would be my brother.”

  She felt the heat forming in her cheeks. “That’s a lot of thinking. Mike and I are just,” she thought for a moment, “dating.”

  “Yeah, but dating leads to marriage. And I’d be okay with that.”

  She kissed his cheek again. “We’ll see how it goes.”

  They’d ordered pizza, which had surprised Mike. He was sure college kids would want anything but pizza, but it had been their idea. Chandra had ordered up some appetizers from the restaurant, and Gabe had joined them for a slice before he headed home for the night.

  When Mike and Chandra could no longer keep their eyes open, it was decidedly bed time.

  “I’ll sleep out here with the boys. You and Jason take my bed,” he offered.

  Jason looked at him, his frown full, and his eyes sad. “I want to sleep out here with these guys.”

  “I guess you could sleep with all of us. Your mom can have the bed to herself.”

  Jason looked around. “You can sleep in there with her,” he said. “I’ll be okay with these guys, Mom. I swear.”

  The older boys were exchanging looks and holding in their grins. They knew what they’d walked in on that morning, but Jason’s innocence kept them from saying a word.

  “He’s okay with us,” Dane said. “That is if you don’t mind. And Dad can sleep in there with you. He snores anyway, so we don’t want him to keep us up all night.”

  Mike let out a snort. “I do not snore.”

  Dane laughed and looked at Jason. “He does. Trust me.”

  “Fine. I’ll sleep in my own room,” Mike said as he stood from his seat. “And I’ll take her with me. If you need to use the bathroom you’d better do it now,” he warned. “I don’t want to hear peeing in the middle of the night.”

  Jason roared with laughter, and his mother followed suit.

  Ten minutes later he was climbing into his bed with Chandra, for the second night. This time, however, they were clothed, and the door was unlocked which was disappointing. Though, he was fairly sure she wouldn’t be interested in anything but sleeping with her son in the other room.

  As they settled into bed, Mike turned off the light on the nightstand. Chandra moved her hair so that her neck was exposed, and he slid up next to her.

  “I’m glad you have a kid who argues with you,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her neck.

  “I’m nervous about this,” she said. “Since Austin, I’ve never slept with a man. Well, except for you last night.”

  “It’s different because he’s around. I’ve never slept with another woman but my wife either. We’re all getting an education I suppose.”

  Chandra rolled in his arms and faced him. “He’s okay with me calling the police on his father.”

  “I was sure he would be.”

  “He also thinks it would be great to have Dane as a brother.”

  Mike smiled in the dark. “I like your kid. Have I told you that?”

  “That makes me very happy.”

  “You make me very happy.” He nipped her lips with a kiss. “We’d better go to sleep. I can’t have you this close without wanting you.”

  She rolled back so that his chest was pressed to her back. As they lay there silently, he thought about Jason and Dane. They’d be great brothers. Perhaps in time they’d be able to pursue that. Right now, he’d hold Chandra tightly in his arms. He was very sure he never wanted to let her go.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Mike had rented a Suburban. He loved driving something bigger than Chandra’s car. It plowed through the snow and made him feel nearly invincible in it.

  Even with the extra room in the back, he was surprised how cramped they all were. But then he had to consider that there were six of them with luggage, extra food, and ski gear—no wonder a huge truck felt so small.

  The noise behind him assured him that the three boys, all of which were over six-feet-tall, and the ten-year-old were just fine, even with bags at their feet.

  He reached over the console and gripped Chandra’s hand. “There is something very comfortable about all this,” he said quietly. “I could get used to it.”

  She looked behind them. “He’s going to be devastated when Dane and the boys go home.”

  He was going to be devastated too, he thought. “Skype is the best thing for homesick dads, and new friends.”

  She eased back in her seat and closed her eyes. Finally, he thought, she’d relax. No one deserved time away more than she did.

  The room was perfect for them, and once again it was the boys who had decided on sleeping arrangements. Who was he to argue when he got to curl up next to the woman he’d fallen in love with every night.

  They’d gone to the grocery store and purchased some essentials for the week and mixed with what Chandra had brought from her house they might squeak by with only eating out a couple of times.

  Mike had arranged for Jason to take ski lessons, and because he was stepping right into the role of big brother, Dane had waited out his lesson before he had hit the slopes himself.

  For three days they skied, had snowball fights, and ate dinner in front of the fireplace exhausted from the day’s activities. Each morning, they’d rise as if they weren’t so tired they couldn’t move and do it all over again.

  On the fourth morning, Chandra rose and started pancakes for the bunch. After having watched the older boys eat all week, she realized she’d need to get a second job to pay for the food Jason was going to consume in the next few years. She and her mother were small eaters, but she knew she was in trouble with a growing boy in the house.

  The condo was still quiet when she began mixing the batter. Mike had been showering, and he walked out into the kitchen, dressed, but his hair was still wet. He eased in behind her and kissed her neck.

  “I could get used to you in the kitchen all rumpled from quiet sex the night before.”

  She moaned. “I have some guilt over that.”

  “Don’t. How do you think parents do it? Quietly.” He kissed her neck again, and she felt her body become soft against him.

  She heard the ringing of her cell phone from the other room, and her head snapped up from the sound. “Who would be calling me at seven-thirty?”

  “I’ll get it for you.”

  Mike hurried to the other room. She heard his voice as he answered her mother’s call, as he’d called her by name. Then his voice changed, and when he walked through the door with the phone pressed to his ear, his face had gone white.

  “You and Tracy stay with the officer. We’ll be down within two hours.” He listened for a moment more and then disconnected the phone.

  Chandra could already feel her heart being to thud in her chest. She set the whisk down and wiped her hands on the towel which sat on the counter.

  “God, Mike, what happened? Is Mom okay? Tracy? Gabe and Holly? What?”

  He set her phone on the counter and took her hands in his. “I have to go back. You have to go with me,” he said, his breath labored.

  “Mike, you’re scaring me.”

  He looked at their joined hands and then back up into her eyes. “The police called your mom. They arrested two men squatting in our house. The one we just bought,” he said as if he needed to explain.

  “Okay, so they got them?”

  “Because they caught fire to the kitchen cooking meth and got caught in the house.”

  The breath in her lungs became thick and hard to push out. “There’s more. You’re not telling me something.”

  Mike wiped the back of his hand over his brow. “They arrested Austin. He’s severel
y burnt, but the other guy is worse.”

  Her knees grew weak and she wobbled back, but his hands came around her.

  “Let’s sit down. It’s a lot to take.”

  She shook her head, willing herself to stand up and face him. “This is all my fault.”

  “Like hell it is. You had nothing to do with this.”

  “I took him in. I coddled the asshole again. He’s hurting the people I love. He’s hurting you and my mother and Tracy. He could have burnt down the whole god-dammed house.”

  “And he didn’t.”

  “What if we hadn’t been up here? What if you and Jason had been working on the house and they broke in?” She pressed her hands to her chest as if to hold in her heart that felt as if it might explode.

  “He’d never hurt Jason. I know this.”

  She moved her eyes to meet his. “He might hurt you. Meth? Oh, God! He could have tried to kill you. Obviously, he’s out of his mind.”

  “Not now.” He pulled her to him, but she pushed away. “They’re going to help him.”

  “How can you be so calm about this?”

  “Because none of us got hurt and you’re right here with me. All of the people I love are right here with me and safe. You can’t keep going through life thinking he’s going to ruin it for you because you were in love with him once and you had a child together. It’s going to ruin every relationship you try to have.”

  “I can’t help it.” Her voice grew in volume as her anger boiled. “Because of me, your investment is ruined.”

  “And I was going to have to fix it up anyway.”

  “Mike, he’s always going to come back.”

  His eyes went dark as they fixed on hers. “And what you’re telling me is you’re always going to let him.”

  She knew that wasn’t right, but she couldn’t argue it because she’d always let him come back.