Home for the Baby's Sake

by Christine Rimmer

“She’d saved it up for you.”

  “Yeah. At first, I refused to take his money. But Ma kept after me.” She’d argued that he could pay it all back eventually, but he should make use of it for something important, and education mattered. “So I took Patrick’s money and got my degree in business and finance.” He’d worked fast and hard, graduating in three years, debt-free. “Four years after that, I’d made my first million.”

  “That was quick. From straight out of Berkeley to a millionaire in four years.” She gave him one of those looks, a look that said she wasn’t going to just sit there and let him tell her only what he was willing to admit to.

  Oh, no. Hailey Bravo had to have the whole damn story.

  He explained about the lottery tickets Ma used to give him and the one that had paid off big. “So I got a little windfall the year I graduated.”

  Blue eyes got bigger. “Another windfall? You’re a lucky man.”

  “So I’ve been told,” he said flatly.

  She bit her upper lip, like maybe she was trying to keep from grinning at him—or saying something he wasn’t going to like. “Go on with the story.”

  “So I made my first million and as soon as I made it, I paid Holland back, with interest. Sent that bastard a check with a note that said he’d better take it and cash it and stay out of our lives. That I was doing just fine now, and we didn’t need his help. That was it, I thought. Patrick Holland was out of the picture for good.” He let out a laugh, a quiet one with zero humor in it.

  Hailey leaned closer. She took his hand. He twined their fingers together. It felt good—just to be touching her. He was glad, really glad, that she was here.

  She asked, “So then, what happened with Irene?”

  Reenie...

  Even after all the years since she shoved him away as she yelled all those evil accusations at Ma, just the thought of Irene Holland still made a hollow ache inside him. “I’ve got no clue. Like I said, I thought we were over and done when it came to the Hollands.”

  Hailey just looked at him, for the longest damn time. Finally, she advised, “Stop giving orders and start listening, Roman.”

  “Smart-ass,” he muttered, and brought her hand to his mouth. Her skin was so soft and cool against his lips.

  “You said it yourself.”

  “Huh? Said what?”

  “Roman, your mother wouldn’t let him near her if Irene were still in the picture.”

  “Maybe he divorced her. That was his plan.”

  Hailey said nothing. She did give his hand a squeeze. But he also got one of her looks—infinitely patient, but with a side of irony.

  He saw movement in his peripheral vision. It was Patrick Holland emerging from the hall that led to the prep and surgery area. A nurse was with him.

  Holland had spotted them. He kept coming. Roman stood. Hailey rose with him.

  “Your mom wants a word with you,” the older man said.

  Roman glanced at Hailey. She gave him a quick nod and a little smile that somehow communicated she would be right there, waiting for him—with Patrick Holland, evidently.

  Hailey sat down again and Roman went to meet the nurse who had waited to lead him back.

  “This way.” The nurse took him to a small room with accordion doors making up one wall. Just about every piece of medical equipment known to man was in that room. The equipment was mounted to the rolling bed in there and to the wall behind it. Way too many wires and tubes seemed to be hooked up to Ma, who lay on the bed under a blanket pulled up to her waist. She wore a mint green hospital gown that made her look old. An elastic bonnet hid her thick hair. She gestured at the chair on the right side of the bed. He sat in it.

  “I’m all ready to go,” she said, “and they’ve put something in the IV that’s making me feel nice and drowsy. But I’m hoping they won’t come for me until I’ve said what I want to say to you.”

  He had about a thousand questions and he longed to bark them at her, rapid-fire. But he did remember Hailey’s advice. “I’m listening, Ma.”

  She reached out and clasped his shoulder briefly. Warmth spread through him. Despite his current resentment toward her for springing Patrick Holland on him out of the blue, he remained mindful of what a good mother she’d always been, through all the years of his childhood—and recently, too.

  Some people considered him a hard-ass and those people were right. But he loved his mother unconditionally, no matter what she pulled on him.

  “Contrary to what you may think, Patrick did love Irene,” she said.

  Roman couldn’t stop himself from scoffing. “He broke her heart. I was only eight, but I was there, remember? I saw what he did.”

  “The heart is a wild thing, Roman Marek. You can’t tame a heart. You can only do what’s right and that is what Patrick did. He stayed with his wife. He took care of her. He remained Irene’s husband until her death.” The words came at him like knives.

  “When was that, her death?” He spoke around the sudden tightness in his throat.

  “Eight years ago. Irene had early-onset Alzheimer’s. It was diagnosed a year after she kicked us out of her house. She died from complications of the disease. Seven years ago, one year after her death, Patrick contacted me. He asked to see me. I wanted to say yes. But I told him no. Because I knew how my seeing him would upset you.”

  Guilt took a hard poke at Roman. Even if he had no use for Patrick Holland, he didn’t like being the reason Ma had told the man no. “But now you’ve changed your mind.” Did that sound like an accusation? Well, maybe it was.

  Ma simply agreed with him. “I have, yes. I called Patrick the night of Theo’s birthday party, after I told you and Hailey that I have cancer. Patrick never remarried. He’s here now because I need him. This...” She gestured at the tiny room, the machines and equipment pressing in close. “It all has a way of putting things in perspective.”

  More than one unkind comment rose to his lips. Roman bit them back.

  Ma said, “Roman, Irene was right all those years ago—not about any betrayal. There was no betrayal. Well, except in my heart.”

  He didn’t want to hear this, but then he found himself demanding, “What are you saying?”

  Her gaze didn’t waver. “I’m telling you the truth, and the truth is that, after your father died, I fell in love with Patrick Holland. It happened slowly, over time. I never told Patrick how I felt all those years ago. I never told anyone, and I never gave him any indication that I would be open to him on an intimate level. I kept my wild, willful heart locked down. I did what was right and kept my distance from him—and in the end, the day came when it all broke apart, anyway. We had to start over, you and me. And we came through it. It wasn’t easy, but here we are. If I survive this cancer—”

  “Ma. Don’t say that. Of course you’ll survive.”

  She gave him a real smile then, but her eyes were weary, full of the knowledge of how fickle fate can be. “If I survive—for as long as I survive—it’s my time, Roman. Mine and Patrick’s. Irene is gone and Patrick is retired now. Time goes by too fast and both Patrick and I refuse to waste another day of it. We’ve done the right things. We’ve kept our promises. It’s enough. Patrick and I are through denying what we have together. I love him. He is the man for me. What we have has lasted through a lot of lonely years and it will weather any storm.”

  He had no idea what to say to the things she was telling him. So he kept his mouth shut.

  She reached out and clasped his shoulder again, her grip firm. “I hate to see you suffer over this, Roman. I truly do. But for me and for Patrick, the time has finally come for our hearts to lead the way.”

  Chapter Nine

  “I understand Roman has a year-old son,” said Patrick Holland, making a bold stab at conversation now the nurse had led Roman off to see Sasha.

  Hailey gave him a smile
. He seemed like a perfectly nice man to her, tall and lean, handsome in a low-key way, with graying hair that had thinned a little at the hairline. “That’s right,” she said. “Theo’s the sweetest little guy around, curious and smart and loving. He’s also into everything, like most kids his age. He’s staying with my sister and sister-in-law for the day.”

  Patrick was nodding. “I always wanted kids.” His brown eyes were sad. “Wasn’t in the cards, however.”

  “Sorry,” she said, for lack of anything better.

  He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “The years go by and all of a sudden, you realize it’s too late and you’re just going to have to learn to accept that.”

  She made a low sound of understanding. “We never did get introduced. I’m Hailey Bravo.”

  He gave her a wry little smile. “Patrick Holland—just in case you didn’t catch it in all the excitement so far.”

  Was that somehow a dig at Roman? She drew her shoulders back. “Yeah, well. You can’t blame Roman for being surprised to see you here this morning.”

  “I’m not blaming him.” Patrick met her gaze squarely, adding softly, “I promise you.”

  Her protective annoyance at him wilted. “Sorry,” she said, for the second time.

  “Don’t be.” Patrick seemed completely sincere—and she realized she believed that he was sincere. After all, she knew Sasha. Roman’s mom would never waste her time on a man who wasn’t worthy of her. “Roman is not my biggest fan,” he said mildly. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t think the world of him.”

  “You do?” The surprises just kept coming.

  “I do. He’s taken excellent care of Sasha and I understand he’s a great father to his little son.”

  “He is.”

  “Plus, I always had a soft spot for him.”

  Would it be totally disloyal to Roman if she asked why? She decided to risk it. “Why?”

  “He was a sweet little boy, friendly. Curious and open. And so smart...” Patrick seemed to catch himself. “Am I saying too much?” Before she could decide how to answer that, he added, “If I’m overstepping, you only need to say so.”

  “It’s okay, really.” Was it? She wasn’t sure. “Roman told me what happened when he was little—the major events, anyway.”

  Patrick said nothing for a minute or two. He sat very still. When he spoke, it was somberly. “It was a difficult time—especially for an eight-year-old boy caught in the middle of an ugly scene he couldn’t understand.”

  She wanted to pat his shoulder, to offer him comfort for all the troubles of the past. But she really didn’t know him all that well. She settled for a slow nod and a quietly spoken, “Yes,” in agreement.

  After that, they were both silent, waiting.

  Eventually, Roman reappeared. He sat down on her other side. She took his hand.

  The real waiting began.

  * * *

  An hour and a half later, the surgeon came out to talk to them.

  The surgery had taken a little over an hour. They’d removed the tumor and a margin of healthy tissue around it, as well as the sentinel lymph nodes. The margin was clear and so were the lymph nodes, meaning there was no sign at all that the cancer had spread beyond the tumor itself.

  Sasha would have radiation starting in four weeks. And that should be it. The doctor was confident that she was one of the fortunate ones. She would heal quickly, and her chances of a recurrence were equal with those of a woman who had never had breast cancer at all.

  There was a lot to be happy and grateful for.

  Roman and Patrick went in to see her in Recovery.

  Eventually, she was moved to a regular room. Hailey got to see her then and to offer a careful hug and heartfelt congratulations on Sasha’s excellent prognosis.

  Sasha looked worn out, but peaceful, too.

  After a few minutes, Roman came in. Hailey left him with his mother and went on out to join Patrick in the waiting room.

  She sat down next to him. “I’m thinking they should be releasing her soon.”

  Patrick glanced at his watch. “It’s after six. It shouldn’t be too long now.”

  Hailey excused herself for a quick trip outside, where she called Harper, shared the good news and promised she would be there to get Theo as soon as they made Sasha comfortable at home. She’d been back in the waiting room for ten minutes or so when Roman emerged from the long hallway.

  Patrick got up and went back to be with Sasha.

  Roman came and stood over her. “Let’s get the car.”

  “She’s ready to go?”

  “Yeah, just about.” He seemed withdrawn. Maybe angry. Or maybe just exhausted from all the stress of a long, difficult day.

  She rose and took his arm. Tugging him close, she brushed a quick kiss to his cheek. “You’re the best,” she whispered, feeling a need to reassure him.

  He gave her a crooked smile. “Don’t know about that, but you’ve been great today. Thank you.”

  “Anytime.” She would have kissed his cheek again, but he turned his head and their lips met. The light kiss reassured her that, though he might not be happy about Patrick showing up, he did seem to be coming to grips with the situation.

  She followed him out to the parking garage. They climbed in the Dad Car and buckled up.

  “We’ll go now and pick up Theo,” he said, as he turned on the engine and put the car in Reverse.

  She sent him a puzzled frown and suggested, “Maybe we should just take your mom home first.”

  “Patrick will take her.”

  “Wait.” She put her hand on his arm. “I’m confused. We’re not driving her home?”

  He shifted back into Park and dropped his hands from the wheel. “No. Patrick is driving her home.”

  “I had no idea.”

  “Sorry. When I went in to see her that last time, she said she would ride with Patrick. I should have said something before I hustled you out here to the car.”

  “It’s okay, it’s just... Well, Roman, I can’t tell if you’re hurt or angry or what’s going on with you.”

  He stared blankly at the concrete pillar in front of the car. “They want to be together. He’s staying over.”

  She stifled a gasp. “At the house?”

  “Yeah.”

  Her arms ached to grab him and hug him really hard, but he didn’t exactly look in the mood for hugs. Carefully, she asked, “You’re okay with that?”

  “It’s what she wants. I’m going to have to learn to be okay with it because Patrick Holland isn’t going anywhere.”

  * * *

  That night, they had the baby monitor with them in Roman’s room.

  “I think I might need to hire a nanny,” Roman said, after they turned off the lights and it was just the two of them, naked under the covers in the dark, whispering together before falling asleep. “Ma’s not going to be in any condition to corral Theo for at least the next week. And who knows what, exactly, is going to happen after that? She’s made it very clear she’s going to be with Patrick, so there’s that.”

  “I’ll help.” Hailey slipped her arm under his and rubbed soothing circles over the warm skin at the base of his spine.

  “That feels good.” He tipped up her chin with a finger and brushed a kiss across her lips. “And yeah, we might be able to manage in the next week, the two of us. But you’ve got your haunted house and your Christmas show to deal with and I’ve got a project in Portland I’m working on. It’s going to require more of my time as things move along.”

  “You’re saying you won’t be able to depend on Sasha to take care of Theo?”

  “She’s in love with Patrick. She’s planning a future with him. I don’t see her living here in this house for very long.”

  Hailey pulled back and sought his gaze through the shadows. “You mean sh
e’ll be moving to Seattle to be with Patrick?”

  “I don’t think so. She told me that Patrick’s retired now. That means he could live anywhere. And you know how she is about Valentine Bay. She’s never really wanted to be anywhere but here. I’m guessing they’ll get a place together, here in town.”

  “She told you she wanted a life with Patrick?”

  “Yeah. Laid it right out there. Schooled me but good.”

  “It seems so sudden, you know?”

  Under the warm cocoon of blankets, he stroked a hand over the curve of her hip. “She said she’s been in love with him for years, that now is their time. I can’t argue with that, even though I want to.”

  She framed his wonderful face between her palms. “You’re angry at her.”

  “Yeah. I know my anger is irrational. I know I’m still reacting to Patrick as though I’m eight years old and I’ve decided it’s all his fault because I can’t let it be Ma’s or Reenie’s.”

  “Because you loved your mother and Irene unconditionally.”

  “Yeah. When I was little, Patrick was the disposable one, as far as I was concerned. Ma and Reenie were my world.”

  She stroked the hair back from his temples. Really, he never ceased to surprise her. Sometimes he could be so thickheaded and controlling. Times like now, though? She just wanted to hug him close and never let him go. “So then, you get that Patrick Holland really isn’t the bad guy?”

  “Didn’t I just say that? I know I need to get over what happened all those years ago. But I’m not over it.”

  “Okay...”

  He gave a rough chuckle. “You’re way too damn patient with me.”

  “You’re right. I’m amazing.”

  “Marry me.” Those silvery eyes gleamed at her, determined as ever.

  If he could just say the L word, she might be ready to consider it. But he hadn’t. And it really was too soon, anyway.

  Wasn’t it?

  She met his gaze and tried to figure out a gentle way to turn him down. Again.

  He got the message before she found the words. “Can’t blame me for trying.” He kissed her lightly. “What else you got for me?”