Marking Time

by Marie Force

  “I like that.”

  “Good.”

  He was quiet while they finished their lunch.

  On the way back to the truck, he stopped her. “There’s something I need to do, something I’ve been putting off for a long time. I feel like I’m ready to do it now. Do you mind a detour into Boston?”

  Clare shook her head. “I don’t mind.”

  When Clare asked him how he knew where he was going, Aidan said Sarah and Colin were buried with her grandmother. His fingers gripped the wheel as he brought the truck to a stop in the cemetery.

  Clare rested a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

  He nodded. “Will you come with me?”

  “Of course.”

  They walked hand in hand to a hilltop grave, marked by a headstone with the name Sweeny in large block letters. Flowers and a teddy bear sat at the base of the well-tended grave.

  The marker read, “Sarah Sweeny O’Malley, beloved daughter, wife, mother.” Under Sarah’s name, Colin was remembered: “Colin Sweeny O’Malley, beloved son, grandson.”

  As he stared at the stone marker, Aidan’s face might have been made of granite. The slight tic of a muscle in his cheek was the only indication of the war he waged with his emotions.

  “It’s a beautiful spot,” Clare said after several long moments of silence.

  He squatted down to brush some dirt off the base of the stone. “Yes.”

  When he finally stood up again, his face was wet with tears. She put her arms around him and held him close.

  “I’m sorry,” he said after several minutes. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his coat.

  “For what, love?”

  “I thought I was ready to see this.”

  “Is anyone ever ready to see this?”

  After another long look at the gravestone, he put an arm around Clare to walk back to the truck. “Let’s go.”

  Aidan was subdued during the ride through the mountains, and Clare left him alone with his thoughts while she tried a few more times—unsuccessfully—to reach Kate. They arrived in Stowe just after five.

  “Do you mind if I go get in a couple of hours at your brother’s house?”

  “Of course not.” Clare sensed he needed to work through some things by himself. “I’ll make us some dinner and do the laundry.”

  “Don’t worry about mine. I’ll do it later.”

  “Don’t be silly. I don’t mind.”

  Lingering over the good-bye kiss, he caressed her face. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Take your time.”

  He couldn’t seem to end the kiss, and when he finally tore himself away, his gaze was fixed on hers. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” She gave him a gentle push. “Now go to work.”

  He smiled and was out the door a minute later.

  Clare kept herself busy for the next few hours doing laundry and making a beef stew for dinner. While she worked, her thoughts were never far from Aidan. She remembered back to the day she met him and pondered all the discoveries she’d made about him since then.

  Clare had to admit that part of his initial appeal had been that he seemed to be nothing like Jack. But the more she got to know him, the more she realized he was a lot more like Jack than she could’ve imagined. Despite her first impressions, he was no simple carpenter. He was a Yale-educated doctor who happened to also be a gifted carpenter and, from what she’d been told, an equally gifted musician. Her eyes drifted to the baby grand piano in the living room and understood in that moment that the room had been built around the piano in silent tribute to the wife he’d loved and lost. When this man loved, he loved big, and Clare knew how very lucky she was that he loved her.

  All at once, she wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to let him into her private world the way he’d taken her all the way into his. Tonight, she promised herself. Tonight I’ll tell him.

  Chapter 31

  The day after the terrible confrontation with her father Kate sat on the back veranda at Reid’s house. She tilted her face into the unusually warm winter sun.

  The door opened, and Reid came out to join her. “Your cell phone’s been ringing,” he said, handing it to her.

  She checked the caller ID. “It’s my mom.”

  “Why don’t you call her back?”

  “She’s probably going to jump all over me, too.”

  “Maybe not.”

  “Do you honestly think he hasn’t reported everything to her by now?”

  “She might not feel the same way about it that he does.”

  Kate snorted. “Yeah, right. They’re the ultimate tag team on something like this. They always have been.”

  Reid leaned back against the railing that framed the big porch. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Yesterday you told your dad you’re going on tour with Buddy and Taylor. Does that mean you’ve made up your mind?”

  Kate looked at him, filled with sadness over everything that had happened in the last few days. “I didn’t realize I’d made a decision until I said it. I needed to show him that I’ve done what I came here to do.”

  “I just hope you’re doing it for yourself and not to prove something to him.”

  “Would I be wrong to do it for both reasons?”

  “I guess not.”

  She reached out to him. “I’m really hoping you meant it when you said you’d be here waiting for me if I go. I’m counting on it.”

  He took her hand. “I meant it.” But his eyes were filled with sadness that hadn’t been there a few days ago.

  Kate drove into Nashville the following afternoon, on her way to the old warehouse where the Rafters practiced. Her heart was heavy when she thought of the conversation she needed to have with her band.

  Reid had stayed by her side all weekend, and judging from the phone calls he’d been fielding, Kate suspected he had a lot of cleanup work to do after missing the important meeting on Saturday.

  She was full of mixed feelings. Instead of celebrating her big break, she was gripped with pain whenever she thought of her father. It was also hard to watch Reid struggling to figure out how to mend the rift with Ashton. Everything was suddenly a huge mess, which made celebrating a low priority.

  She’d left a message at Buddy and Taylor’s house that morning. They were in New York but were due back tomorrow. Once I say yes to their offer, there’s no going back, Kate thought as she parked at the warehouse. All that was left to do now was tell the band she was leaving them. Since she would be rehearsing and recording for the next few months before the tour, she was also going to have to drop the classes she’d barely begun at Belmont University.

  Kate walked into the big building through a side door. The guys were already there and greeted her warmly as they tuned guitars, adjusted drums, and plugged in keyboards.

  They got down to business a short time later, but the practice was a disaster from the get-go. Kate kept missing her cues, and after the third time, she held up a hand to stop the music.

  “What’s with you today, Kate?” Billy asked, clearly aggravated.

  “Can we take a break? I need to talk to y’all.” The word was out before she realized she was beginning to sound like a native Tennessean.

  They put down their instruments and sat on the stairs that led to the platform where they practiced.

  “What’s going on?” asked Mike, the drummer.

  Kate got teary eyed when she tried to find the words to tell them she was leaving them for bigger and better things.

  The others exchanged worried glances.

  “Remember the other night when Buddy and Taylor asked to see me after the show?”

  They nodded.

  “Well, they made me an amazing offer. They asked me to open for them on their tour next summer and to record ‘I Thought I Knew’ on their label.”

  Kenny, the keyboard player, whistled.

  “Holy s
mokes,” Mike said.

  “Yeah,” Kate said.

  “Just you?” Randy, the bass player, asked.

  Kate nodded. “I tried to tell them you guys are my band, but they want just me.” In that moment, the emotional roller coaster of the last few days caught up to her, and she began to cry. Why does this have to be so hard?

  Billy stepped away from the others and hugged her. “We always knew you wouldn’t be with us for long, honey.”

  Kate looked up at him with surprise. “You did?”

  He nodded. “We talked about it the day you first auditioned for us. You have star written all over you, and we agreed when we hired you that we’d never hold you back when you got your break. We hoped it would take a little longer, but you can’t say no to Buddy and Taylor, Kate. Chances like this don’t come along every day.”

  The other band members chimed in their agreement, and each of them hugged Kate and offered congratulations.

  “I promise you guys, if there’s ever an opportunity to hire my own band, I’ll come right back to you.”

  Mike put an arm around her. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, darlin’. We’re making a nice living doing what we love. You don’t owe us anything.”

  “You guys are great. I’ll never forget you.”

  “I think practice is a bust today,” Billy said. “What do you say we go celebrate?”

  Since it was high time she finally did just that, Kate agreed.

  After she spent a few hours watching the guys down drinks in celebration of her big break, Kate stopped at her apartment to pick up her mail. In the parking lot, she saw Ashton leaning into the trunk of his car. Without giving herself time to think about it, she walked over to him.

  “Ashton.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I need my attorney.”

  “You’re going to have to get yourself a new one.” He slammed the Saab’s trunk closed.

  “Why?”

  “Are you seriously asking me that?” He hardly resembled the kind, generous man she’d come to know.

  “It’s just business. It has nothing to do with the other stuff. I’m going to have to sign stuff with Buddy and Taylor. I just thought—”

  “You thought wrong.”

  She sighed. “Are you ever going to talk to your dad?”

  “That’s between him and me. You need to stay out of it. Before you showed up, we’d had twenty-five years of smooth sailing. In just a couple of months’ time, you’ve managed to undo all that.”

  “Sure, blame me for everything. But maybe you can tell me why you had to call my dad.”

  His face flushed to an angry red. “Why’d you have to screw mine?” He stormed away, leaving Kate’s mouth hanging open in shock.

  When Kate got home to Reid’s, she learned he too had struck out with Ashton. They made dinner together, but the easiness between them was gone. After they cleaned up, they went upstairs to hang out in his room as they did most nights. Kate practiced her guitar while he did some work he’d brought home with him.

  Her cell phone rang, and Kate saw it was her mother calling again. This time she took the call.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Kate! Where have you been? I’ve been so worried.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve had a rough couple of days.”

  “So I’ve heard. Are you all right?”

  “I guess so, except Dad’s not speaking to me.”

  “He’s beside himself.”

  “Are you calling to tell me you’re through with me, too?”

  “I’m calling to make sure you’re all right and to tell you I want you here this weekend as we planned.”

  “You do? So you’re not mad?”

  “I’m not thrilled, Kate. But we’ll talk about it this weekend, okay?”

  Just hearing her mother’s voice made her want to weep like a baby. “Okay,” Kate said, choking back a sob.

  “Everything’s going to be all right, honey. I promise. I’ll pick you up in Burlington on Friday night.”

  “See you then.” Kate ended the call and wiped her face.

  Reid came over to sit with her and put an arm around her. “What’d she say?”

  Kate wiped away more tears. “Not much. She said we’ll talk this weekend when I go up there.”

  He kissed away the rest of her tears on his way to her lips.

  Kate put her arms around him, and he stretched out next to her on the sofa. The fire crackled in the background as they kissed. But when he cupped her breast and ran his thumb over her nipple, Ashton’s ugly words came to mind. She pulled free of Reid’s embrace.

  “Kate?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just not in the mood.” For the first time, making love with him didn’t appeal to her at all.

  Chapter 32

  Clare was ready when Aidan got home just before eight. Beef stew simmered on the stove, and she was in the den folding the last of the laundry when she heard him come in. This is it. You love him, you trust him. You’re going to tell him.

  “Something smells really good.” He leaned over to kiss her and brought the scent of fresh air and sawdust with him.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she drew him down to the sofa.

  “I missed you,” he said, holding her tight against him.

  His passionate kisses soon had her trembling and needy. “You were only gone a few hours.”

  “I missed you,” he insisted as he reached under her sweater. “I want you.”

  “Now?”

  “Now.” He kissed his way up her neck before he reclaimed her lips. “Always.”

  She smiled. “Are you going to come home in this mood every night?”

  “Maybe.” He kissed her again and tugged at her sweater. “Help me.”

  Clothes flew through the air and landed in a pile on the floor.

  Clare pressed her lips to his chest and teased his nipple with her tongue.

  A hiss of desire escaped his clenched jaw. He quickly took control by easing her onto her back. “I love having you here when I get home,” he whispered against her breast. “I couldn’t wait to get back to you.”

  Riding a wave of longing fueled by his words, Clare arched into him.

  As if he had all the time in the world, he gave first one breast and then the other his full attention.

  “Aidan,” she sighed, her fingers tunneling through his hair.

  He looked up at her with his heart in his eyes, and her own heart contracted with the kind of love she’d never expected to feel again. The surge of emotion took her by surprise, bringing tears to her eyes.

  His hands, which had been caressing her breasts, went still. “What’s wrong, honey?”

  “Nothing at all. Don’t stop.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded.

  He slid down farther and eased her legs apart.

  When the anticipation became too much, she closed her eyes and held her breath. At the first swipe of his tongue, her eyes flew open.

  “Mmm.” His lips vibrated against her most sensitive place. “I could die right now, and I’d go happy.”

  “Don’t die just yet.”

  His chuckle combined with the swirl of his tongue took her right over the top.

  She was still in the throes when he entered her in a powerful surge.

  His tongue swept through her mouth in tantalizing strokes that, combined with the rocking of his hips, quickly took her up again. Abruptly, he withdrew from her and rested his cheek on her chest.

  “Aidan? What’s wrong?”

  He shuddered under the hands that caressed his back. “You make me feel like I’m sixteen again and have no control. I need to catch my breath for a second.”

  Tipping his chin, she molded her mouth to his and ran her tongue over his bottom lip. With her hands on his hips, she guided him back inside of her. “You don’t need control. Not with me.” His back was soon moist with sweat, his eyes closed, his lips parted. So complete was his aban
don that Clare could only hold on tight and go flying with him.

  After, his breath was heavy and warm against her neck. “Clare… I love you.”

  She massaged his back.

  “I never imagined this would happen to me again.”

  Moved by his softly spoken words, she whispered, “Me, either.”

  He raised his head to look at her, and she was surprised to find his eyes wet with tears, too. His lips were soft and gentle as they glided over hers. What had earlier been frantic now became sensual. Cradling her face with his hands, he kept his eyes open and fixed on hers as his mouth slid back and forth, denying her the deeper possession she craved.

  She sent her tongue to seek out his, but still he held back. All at once she realized his hips were moving again.

  He withdrew almost completely, then went deep again.

  “Oh, this is what I get…”

  “For?”

  She raised her hips to meet his. “Robbing the cradle.”

  He laughed, a rumbling sound that shook them both. “We young guys have lots of stamina. Now that you’ve taken the edge off, I’m all set.” As he spoke, he looked down at her, keeping up an easy in-and-out motion. He touched his lips to hers. “So I’m waiting for you.”

  She groaned. “I don’t think I’ve got anything left.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Is that a challenge?” His hand slid down between them.

  Her gasp was one of surprise and then shock when he set out to prove her wrong.

  “Oh, God,” she sighed. “Note to self—no more younger men.”

  “Note to you—no more men, period.” His fingers kept up a persistent, determined stroke. “You’re all mine.” When he dipped his head to draw her nipple into his mouth, the orgasm tore through her, sucking the air from her lungs.

  The power of her climax milked another from him. He shuddered against her, his face tight with tension that she soothed away with her hands and lips.

  By the time they finally took the stew upstairs to eat in bed, it was after nine.