His hand landed on hers. “I’m going out with Rob and Logan.”
Kate stared at his fingers lazily draped over her wrist, hating the relief that wrapped itself around her. “It’s really none of my business.”
Jake turned her around and hooked a finger under her chin, lifting her face to look at him. “If that’s true, why did you nearly break the lid off your grill?”
“I-I was just—”
“There is no other woman. You’re the only one I want.”
“Right now, perhaps. One day, that won’t be the case.”
Sadness flickered in his eyes before he blinked it away. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
He was right. Focus on the present, because for them, there was no future. Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his.
Jake pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. He ended it by pressing his forehead against hers. “I have to go.”
“Have fun, tonight, okay?”
“I’d have even more fun if I knew I’d be making love to you later.”
Her breath hitched at the thought of his hands on her body. “We’ll see what we can work out.”
With one last kiss to the tip of her nose, Jake left the kitchen and stopped at Drew’s room. “Good night, boys. I want you to find that super shield by tomorrow. You got it?”
“Yes, Coach,” they said in unison.
Alex waited until Dr. Harris left, then jumped up and closed the door. “Drew!”
“Yeah?”
Alex grabbed the controller from his hand and pushed the pause button.
“Hey!” His brother made a grab for the controller. “I wasn’t—”
“Mom kissed Dr. Harris.”
Drew jumped up from the bed. “You’re kidding me.”
“Totally serious. I went to the kitchen to get a drink. Mom and Coach were whispering about something, and then she kissed him. I mean really kissed him.”
Drew kicked the foot of his bed. “After everything we did, they fell in love on their own?”
“It doesn’t mean they’re in love, but it could mean…” Alex let his sentence trail off. No way was he going to elaborate on what it could mean. He’d barf for sure.
“This is so cool. I can’t wait to tell the guys.”
Alex put an urgent hand on Drew’s shoulder. “No, you can’t tell anyone.”
“Why not? This is huge!”
“We should wait for Mom to tell us.” The last thing he wanted to do was blab about seeing them kiss and it turn out to be nothing.
“Okay, fine. But I hope she tells us soon.”
Alex left his brother to haul his suitcase upstairs with a sense of anticipation. Once inside his room, he dropped the suitcase and punched the air. “Yes!”
Never in a million years would Alex have thought life could be this good again. He was with a girl he was crazy about. Drew had made a great friend in Sammie, and it appeared Mom was with Coach.
But even with all this awesome stuff happening, one thing took the top spot.
It’d been weeks since he heard Mom cry.
***
“How is it possible that it keeps getting better?” Jake brushed his lips against Kate’s cheek. “That we keep getting better?”
Kate hugged him closer, the crisp sheets on her bed rumpled from their love play. Since the boys had returned a few days ago, it had become harder to find time alone like this with him. “It comes with practice.”
“Do you want to practice again?”
She let out a snort and sat up. “You gotta feed me first. The boys will be home from their sleepover in a few hours.”
Throwing off the covers, he got up and pulled on his jeans. “And what would the lady like today?”
Kate reached for her robe. “Hmm, how about one of those amazing omelets you make?”
“Meet me downstairs.” After laying a gentle peck on her nose, he headed for the door.
Stretching her arms high above her head, she sighed with contentment. God, she couldn’t remember the last time she felt so good. Maybe her life was finally on a path that would take her from depression to happiness again.
Was it possible she was ready to move on?
With hope surging through her, Kate rose from the bed and hurried over to the dresser.
Her fingers grasped the wood frame facing the wall on her dresser. She picked it up, turned it around, and gazed into William’s eyes.
The joy, so prevalent only seconds before, melted somewhat. Her heart ached as she gazed into eyes she’d never peer into again. The smile that would never make her swoon.
Then grief inched its way into her heart.
Why? Damn it, why?
Because she loved him. Missed him. She’d hoped her time with Jake would help those wounds heal, and it had. Somewhat. They were no longer open and bleeding, but the scars still hurt.
Kate replaced the frame. More time. That was all she needed.
Eventually she would be able to look into William’s eyes and share that she’d moved on. Eventually she wouldn’t get sick at the idea of telling his family.
Someday.
With a deep breath, she headed downstairs. She needed to share her thoughts with Jake. He’d understand, just like he had so many times before.
Kate had just passed the front door when she stopped and felt the blood rush from her head. Her heart pounded in her ears.
William’s sisters were walking up her pathway.
“Oh, God.” She ran to the door before they could ring the bell. “Roxanne, Leigh, is something wrong?”
“For God sakes, you’re not dressed yet?” Leigh’s face contorted in disgust.
“Real nice, Leigh.” Roxanne turned to Kate. “We were heading to that adorable little shop in East Hampton to go shopping for Mom’s birthday when we thought maybe you’d like to go with us.” Her brow furrowed. “Are you feeling okay? You’re not sick, are you?”
“Well, actually—”
“Hey, babe?”
She spun around. Oh, God, Jake. Not now!
“Do you want to have breakfast in bed—” His eyes lifted from the package of bacon he held. He jerked to a stop. “Oh, boy.”
Kate closed her eyes. This can’t be happening. “Jake, would you give me a minute?”
“Sure.” He moved out of sight.
She faced the two women on her doorstep, her chest tight and squeezing. Roxanne looked stunned, while Leigh’s eyes shot daggers.
Roxanne spoke first. “We should’ve called. We were just passing your street and well… we didn’t even think… I’m so sorry.”
“You said he wasn’t your date at the wedding.” Leigh crossed her arms so tightly she was hugging herself.
“He wasn’t.”
“Were you going to tell Mom and Dad you had a boyfriend?”
Kate teetered on the edge of hyperventilating. “Really, he’s not—”
“Don’t you think we have the right to meet the potential stepfather to our nephews?”
“Stepfather?” Was Leigh insane? Oh, God, this was getting way out of hand. Kate couldn’t face a rumor spreading that she was in a serious relationship. Panic overtook her. “It’s just a fling. It’s not like it means anything.”
Once those words left her mouth, she wanted to call them back. Yes, this was a fling, but Jake meant more to her than she’d care to admit.
Although Kate’s words were harsh, Leigh’s stiff posture relaxed. “If that’s the case, we should keep this to ourselves. I don’t think Mom could deal with this right now.”
All Kate could do was nod.
Roxanne took her sister’s arm and led her down the pathway. “We’ll see you at Mom’s birthday.”
Kate leaned her head against the doorjamb and pulled in deep breaths. God, she hated this. Her whole body shook from being forced to voice her fears out loud.
The door creaked, and she jumped as it slammed on its own.
Jake leaned a
gainst the wall, his hand on the back of the door. His face was carved from stone. “So this means nothing to you?”
Kate sucked in her breath. “It does! Of course it does.”
“That’s why you didn’t want to tell the boys when they came home.” He straightened up and walked over to her. “I’m nothing but a good piece of ass to you.”
Kate held out a shaky hand. “That isn’t true—”
He backed away. “Save it, Kate. I’m suddenly finding it very easy to resist you.” He jerked the door open and stepped over the threshold, still only wearing his jeans. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
The door’s slam pierced the quiet.
Numbness set in.
As if in a fog, Kate calmly turned the deadbolt. She went into the kitchen and threw away the meal Jake had started. Just the smell of it made her nauseous. After she cleaned the dishes, she headed upstairs to shower and dress.
Walking into her bedroom, the fog cleared when her eyes settled on Jake’s T-shirt, hastily thrown to the floor last night. She snatched it up and hugged it to her breasts. The smell of his cologne taunted her as memories of the beautiful lovemaking they’d shared invaded her mind.
It was over.
It had to be.
She couldn’t keep sneaking around behind her children’s backs. She couldn’t lead Jake on anymore. He wanted children. His own family. She couldn’t give him that.
As much as they both hated their lists, they couldn’t ignore them forever.
The knowledge that it was over didn’t give her any peace like she thought it would.
She just wished they’d had a little more time together.
Then she felt it. The ache. The struggling for air. The need to scream. The sudden and intense stream of tears.
Never in her life did she think she’d feel this way again.
The pain of losing the man she loved.
***
Jake ran hard and fast on the treadmill, staring straight ahead, not thinking, and refusing to feel. He gasped for air. Sweat poured into his eyes and down his back. Still he ran faster. He forced his body way beyond its limit until a cramp brought him to a halt.
Emergency stopping the treadmill, he leaned against the handrails for a moment before hopping off to walk the cramp out of his upper thigh, willing himself not to think about Kate.
Jake laughed bitterly as he bent over and put his hands on his knees. “You are such an ass. Of course it had to end. Doesn’t everything you love eventually get taken away?”
He’d gone and done it. He’d fucked up royally by allowing anything to grow between them. He should have kept their relationship professional, not letting her or her sons into any personal part of his life.
Because now he was in love with her.
Throwing himself into the nearby chair, he forced himself to focus. Maybe this was just God’s way of telling him he needed to get back on track, sending him in the right direction so He could answer Jake’s prayers.
He needed to act, not sit around and lament over something he never really had in the first place.
Snatching his cell phone from the side table, Jake searched through his contacts until he found the number he desired.
At the soft female greeting, Jake’s voice seized, as if his heart was telling him this wasn’t right. It was too soon. He needed time to heal.
But look where listening to his heart got him. Alone again. Heartbroken. And no closer to the family he wanted.
He forced his voice into action.
“Hey, Donna. It’s Jake. You want to get a drink later?”
Chapter Thirty
ALEX STARED at the ceiling fan, wishing the hypnotic swirl was enough to lull him to sleep, but it wasn’t helping.
Nothing did.
The last two weeks had been awful. Jaime had gone away again, one last vacation before school started, and Alex wasn’t sure if he should text her, maybe send her an email, or call? Where was the line between being a caring boyfriend and an overly possessive jerk? He’d have asked Coach, but that was another problem.
Coach had all but disappeared.
Alex had gone over to see him, but he was never home. His phone calls went unanswered, and he received nothing but what his friends called ‘blow off’ texts.
Alex flipped on his side, fighting back the urge to cry. Men didn’t cry. They took action. But he’d tried that, and look where it got him.
Drew had grown more confident with Coach’s help, had even gotten better at a few sports. But since Coach hadn’t been around, his little brother had fallen back into his video game shell, and Alex didn’t know how to stop it.
Coach would know.
He would know how to help him and how to help Drew, but he’d deserted them like they’d never existed.
Tossing onto his back again, Alex glared at the fan blades, now more of an annoyance than a sleep aide. With a grunt of frustration, he hopped up from the bed and turned it off.
His room grew quiet, the only sound coming from the gentle breeze blowing through the tree outside his window.
Then he heard it.
With a strangled growl, Alex balled his hands into fists and dug them into his eye sockets, trying to force the sting of tears back to where they came.
He didn’t know what to do. He’d tried everything.
He sucked. He was a failure.
Mom was crying again.
***
Kate pulled into her driveway, stressed from the day at work. Arlene had cornered her and asked why she looked like she’d been crying all night. That interrogation had caught Gladys’s attention, and together, they’d glared at her until she offered a response.
Kate was pretty sure they hadn’t bought the classic, ‘something in my eye’ excuse.
Emerging from the car, she slammed the door, but didn’t budge. She didn’t want to face cooking dinner and putting on a happy face for her boys just yet.
The silver Maserati parked in front of Dianna’s house caught her eye. Trisha was visiting.
Kate debated on whether or not to go across the street and drop in on Dianna and her cousin. It was almost dinner time, and she didn’t want to intrude. But then the breeze picked up a delicious aroma that had Kate’s mouth watering.
Being the successful owner of a designer cake business, the ongoing whiffs coming from Dianna’s house were as homey as cinnamon and bread.
Something sweet and gooey would go down really easy right now. So what if it ruined dinner? With Alex being so moody lately and Drew hiding in his room all day, dinner would probably be ruined again anyway.
She tried to tell herself they were acting this way because the first day of school was fast approaching, but she knew in her heart that wasn’t the case.
It was because of Jake.
Damn it, she didn’t want to think about him anymore. She needed a distraction.
Decision made, Kate jogged over to the quaint ranch house, hoping her friends didn’t mind the unannounced visit.
“Hey, Katie!” Dianna gestured for her to enter. “We’re hanging in the kitchen. I’m teaching Trish how to bake cupcakes.”
“Again?” Kate paused in her journey to the back of the house. “No wonder there’s a little crazy behind your eyes today.”
Dianna let out a boisterous laugh. “Don’t be silly. She’s doing great this time.” Then she leaned close to Kate and whispered, “Save me.”
With that in mind, Kate entered the only kitchen she’d ever seen that rivaled hers. While the rest of Dianna’s home was compact and charming, the kitchen could have easily fit into Paula Dean’s house.
High-end appliances and yards of counter space made up the majority of the room. What the kitchen lacked in cabinets, it made up for with an open airy feeling.
Despite the wonderful smells coming from this room, it was a disaster. Flour peppered the counters and floor, along with smatterings of cake batter and what appeared to be chocolate frosting. Trisha sat on a stool at
the center island, holding a spatula and smearing more of the frosting along her fingertips than the cupcake she held. Evidence of who had been behind the mixer stuck in her hair.
No wonder Dianna seemed so stressed.
“What’s up, Katie? Wanting to ruin dinner by having dessert first?” Trish held up a sad-looking, chocolate-frosted cupcake.
Kate sat on one of the stools surrounding the island and eagerly took the offered treat. It couldn’t taste as bad as it looked. She peeled some of the liner from the cake and bit into it. As suspected, it tasted amazing. “Oh, this is so good! After the day I had, I need something sinful.”
“Can’t you find that at work?” Dianna winked, standing next to Trisha and taking an unfrosted cupcake.
And Kate nearly choked on her food. “What—what are you talking about?”
“You and Dr. Hotty.”
She could only stare.
“Oh, like it’s some big secret?” Dianna dipped her spatula into the chocolate frosting. “I’ve known for a while.”
“How—” Kate cleared her throat and continued, the cupcake suddenly tasting like cough medicine. “How did you find out?”
“I’m smart and incredibly nosy. A lethal combination if you’re trying to keep a secret from me.” She placed a perfectly designed cupcake on the plate in front of her cousin.
“Yeah, plus all you had to do was see the way Jake looks at you.” Trish placed her tiny cake beside Dianna’s. Like a kindergartener’s drawing next to a Van Gogh. “It’s pretty obvious if you know the signs.”
Kate toyed with the pastry’s liner, tamping down the feelings of loss. “That’s over.”
“What happened?”
“It was just a fling.”
“Bullshit,” Dianna said. “Having a fling is fine, but the Kate Henderson I know doesn’t have flings. She has love affairs.”
“We went into this knowing it couldn’t last.”
“Why?”
She chose her words carefully, not wanting to betray Jake’s trust by spilling about his condition. “He wants a family, and let’s face it, I’m too old to give him one.”
And that hurt. Even if they did try IVF, the chances of it working on a forty-year-old woman were slim.
Crazy Little Thing Called Matchmaking Page 23
