“Not until we have proof.” Caleb shook his head emphatically. “No.”
“Yes.” Beckett’s voice was small and soft. “I want to meet her.”
Savi nodded. “Lyla! Come out here, sweetheart.”
Beckett jumped when she heard little feet moving toward the door and her breath caught in her throat when the small girl exited the bedroom. Lyla was tall and thin for her age, with a halo of blonde curls, lively brown eyes, and a dusting of freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. She went straight to her aunt and stood in front of Savi, reaching for the older woman’s hand.
Beckett closed her eyes as pain ripped through her chest. “We don’t need DNA, Caleb. She and Rhys could be twins. She looks just like Ryan. His eyes, his hair, his mouth.”
Savi laid her hands on Lyla’s shoulders, but spoke to Beckett. “You have no idea how sorry I am about all of this. You seem like a lovely woman with a lovely family. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, and I’m damned sorry about all of this.”
Beckett nodded and stood. “Can I take this box? I won’t destroy anything, but I want to read the letters, and I want to be alone when I do it.”
Savi nodded. “Please.”
Beckett grabbed a pen and pad of paper from the desk and scribbled on it. “This is Cassie and Alan’s address. We have Sunday dinner there every week. It’s been a tradition for longer than I’ve been alive. Bring Lyla. They’ll want to meet their granddaughter. I’ll tell my kids about her tonight. I wouldn’t expect perfect. There are going to be a lot of feelings, but if you’re serious about this, you can come.”
Savi nodded. “What time?”
Murphy pushed off the wall. “We normally eat around five, but you can come any time after noon. We’ll all be there.” He crouched down in front of Lyla. “Hi.”
She offered a small smile. “Hi.”
Savi stepped back. “Lyla, these are your daddy’s brothers. Miss Beckett here was his wife, and she has a little boy and a little girl who are your brother and sister. Remember me telling you about them?”
Lyla nodded. “I remember.” She looked at Beckett. “My mommy didn’t like you much.”
Beckett tried to smile, but found she couldn’t. “I didn’t know your mommy, but I’m glad I’ll get to know you. You’ll get to meet Rhys and Harlow tomorrow.” She stood and opened the door. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to go. I need to go now.”
Savi nodded. “I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow. If you need to talk about things, you have my number. I know we’re strangers, but we’re going to have to get to know one another, and I’ll help in whatever way I can.”
Beckett tried to think of something to say, found she couldn’t, and did the only thing she’d wanted to do since they’d stepped into the room. She fled.
Chapter 6
“I think everything went well, all things considered.” Murphy carried his beer and plopped himself onto the couch, his gaze going to his brother, who occupied the other couch. “Mom and Dad didn’t freak out too much.”
“Mom cried for two hours, and Dad refused to talk until this morning. I wouldn’t call that taking it well.” Caleb took a pull of his own beer. “The kids had fun. They were all running around the yard playing within twenty minutes.”
“I don’t think they have any real understanding of what happened. None of them knew Ryan, so they don’t know what happened with Lyla’s mom versus Beckett. They’ll have plenty of feelings about it once they’re older, you can bet on it.”
“Beckett was quiet today. She hid in the kitchen with Mom most of it.”
Murphy stewed into his bottle. “I’d be hiding out too if I’d found out what she did. Our brother is a lying, cheating jackass who betrayed his wife and fathered a child with a drug-addicted waitress. What the hell is that going to do to those kids? Knowing what kind of man made them?”
Caleb drained his beer and sighed deeply. “I wish I knew. Maybe one of the best things is that they aren’t going to know him. Dad shows them what a real man is like.”
“Dad would have kicked Ryan’s ass from here into kingdom come.” Murphy averted his gaze, taking a deep breath, and staring up at the ceiling. “I kissed Beckett.”
“Is that supposed to be news? I kiss Beckett all the time.” Sitting up, Caleb glowered at his older brother. “Dude, I’ve seen you kiss Beckett.”
“No. I really kissed Beckett. Like hands everywhere and tongues and heavy breathing. I kissed her.”
“Why in the fuck would you do something like that? She’s going through enough with Ryan, and you decide now’s a good time to paw at her? Did she knock you on your ass? If she didn’t, I sure as fuck will!”
Murphy stalked into the kitchen and emerged with another beer. “I only kissed her because she asked me to, and she kissed me first -when she was drunk and you abandoned me. She just locked around me like an octopus and clamped her mouth on me, and I was too drunk to figure out how to knock her off. She kinda rattled me.”
Caleb laughed. “Okay, so she was the one pawing at you.” He narrowed his eyes when Murphy didn’t respond. “So why are you so worked up about her being drunk and lonely? Did something else happen?”
Miserable, Murphy sat down and stared at the bottle in his hands. “The next morning she tried to apologize to me for it. We were talking, and then she was standing between my legs and before I knew it, I was kissing her. The way it was looking, we’d have done more if Rhys hadn’t bitten Harlow. Or maybe Harlow bit Rhys. That part’s blurry because all the damn blood in my whole body was residing in my penis.”
Caleb sat back and stared at his brother. “You look at Beck that way?”
“No. Yes. I don’t fucking know. I didn’t until Friday night and Saturday morning. Thought never even crossed my mind. Well, okay, it might have crossed it once or twice, but I never did anything. I never wanted to, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“What did Beck say?”
“We agreed to take some time to think about things and talk once stuff settled down a bit. I know the timing is really shitty, and I don’t want to do anything to make her feel worse than she already does. Everything she thought she knew about her husband is wrong. Instead of being the hero everyone thought he was, he’s a cheating scumbag.” Murphy scowled. “I don’t want to believe he did it, but the proof is right fucking there.”
Caleb closed his eyes. “You and Beckett. That’s going to take some getting used to. Mom and Dad won’t like it. Hell, I don’t like it. It’s weird. She’s like our sister.”
“Except the part where she’s not.”
“No, she was our brother’s wife. It’s creepy.”
“Our brother, who cheated on her, betrayed her, and had a kid with someone else. Oh, and he’s dead! It’s not like I’m going to piss him off or jeopardize our relationship. It’s not like Beck and I are getting married next week. It was one drunk kiss and one good one.” Murphy took a deep drink of the beer to soothe his nerves. “I’m thinking about asking her out to dinner.”
“A date? With Beckett?”
“Is that any crazier than kissing her?” Murphy shot back at his brother with a sharp glare. “Dude, I didn’t plan this, and I didn’t have to tell you about it. It was driving me crazy. I’m torn up about it because I don’t want to hurt her, but I also can’t stop thinking about it.”
“Has she told you she doesn’t want to do anything?”
“No.”
“Then why do you assume you’re hurting her? I know you better than to think you’re trying to scratch an itch. There are plenty of tourists off the ships for that purpose.” Caleb crossed one leg over the other. “Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”
“There’s nothing to tell at the moment. If it goes nowhere or fizzles out, there’s no reason to tell them. If it doesn’t, then I’ll deal with it when the time comes, but for now, the only one I’m telling is you. Besides, neither Mom nor Dad will find it weird if I take Beckett to dinner and a movie
. I’ve done it a thousand times before.”
Caleb snorted. “Yeah, but it’s never been a date before either.”
“And unless you open your big mouth and tell them it’s a date, they won’t know.” Murphy looked at his brother with hope. “What do you think? Feel up to keeping the kids Saturday night?”
Caleb shrugged. “Jax will be back by then. I’ll have help.”
****
Beckett waited as long as possible to call. When it became evident all her good intentions of picking up Harlow and Rhys after school were going up in flames, she exhausted every other possibility before calling. When the babysitter had cheer practice before the game and the elderly lady down the street who filled in sometimes had the flu, Beckett knew she had no choice. Cursing under her breath, she snatched the office phone off the cradle and dialed Murphy’s number at his shop.
“McKenzie Automotive, Murphy speaking. How may I help you?”
“Hey Murphy, it’s Beckett. Is now a bad time?”
“Not terrible. What’s up?”
“Is there any chance you could pick the kids up from school? It’s been one shit-show after another here today. I won’t get off until around six.”
“I wish I could, Becks, but I’m elbow deep in a transmission right now, and I have to be at the school by five-thirty. Have you tried Mom and Dad?”
“Alan’s on a job, and Cassie went into the city to pick up supplies. I know Caleb can’t. What about Jax?”
“He’s out on the boat today getting things straight for the lobster and crab season. He probably won’t be in until dark tonight.” Murphy paused for a moment, his voice sounding unsure when he continued. “Hey, you won’t like it, but have you checked with Savi? I think she’s still moving into the house she’s renting, and Lyla goes to the same school the other two do. She’d probably be able to pick them up.”
Beckett frowned at the phone. “I don’t like it. They barely know her. I barely know her.”
“Caleb did the background check. She’s not a knife-wielding serial killer. She’s nice. And she might just be your only option unless you want to get child neglect charges.” Murphy chuckled. “Call her. Do you have her number?”
“Yes, I damn well have it. Can’t you call her for me?”
“Sorry, no can do. You need to deal with her sooner or later.” He chuckled softly. “But while I’ve got you on here, what do you think about going out tomorrow night? I thought we’d grab dinner over on the Harbor and maybe go to a movie or something. Just us. Caleb and Jax volunteered to watch the kids.”
Beckett ignored the tingling in her stomach. “Is this like it used to be, or are you asking me out on a date?”
Sounding nervous, Murphy answered. “Which would you prefer?”
“Well, if it’s just the two of us, I won’t shave my legs, I’ll wear jeans, and we’ll grab pizza. If it’s a date, I’ll shave my legs, wear a dress, and we’ll go somewhere with a wine list.”
“Are you more or less likely to say yes to one over the other?”
Beckett laughed despite herself. “What do I need to wear, Murphy?”
After a long, heavy pause, he answered. “Wear the dress. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”
Pressing the button to end the call, Beckett sternly instructed her hands to stop shaking as she realized she had agreed to a date with her brother-in-law. Taking a deep breath to focus herself, she flipped through her phone book and dialed Savi’s number, waiting anxiously for the other woman to answer.
“Hello?”
“Savi? It’s Beckett.”
Savi’s voice was warm and friendly. “Hi, Beckett. How’s it going?”
“Not so good, actually, which is why I’m calling. I hate to ask, but I’ve checked with Murphy and he can’t, my babysitter is a cheerleader, and the lady down the street has a cold.”
“Beckett,” Savi interrupted gently. “You’re rambling.”
Beckett sighed. “I know. Long story short, I need someone to get the kids from school, and I was wondering if you would mind.”
“You want me to pick Harlow and Rhys up from school?”
Her anxiety getting the better of her, Beckett panicked. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I’ll make other arrangements.”
“It’s okay. I was just confirming. Yes, I can pick the kids up from school. Will you call the school and let them know?”
“I can do that. It might be six-thirty before I make it there to get them.”
“That’s fine. I’ll feed them dinner. Do either of them have allergies?”
“No, no allergies. They’ll eat anything.”
Savi chuckled. “Lyla won’t, so they’ll be limited to her menu, I’m afraid. I was planning to take her to the game tonight to watch Murphy and Caleb. Would you maybe want to take the three of them together?”
Feeling there was no choice, Beckett gritted her teeth. “Sure. Yeah. That’ll be good. Hey, I really have to go. I’ll let the school know about the change.”
Without waiting for Savi to say anything, Beckett dropped the phone back into the cradle and gave herself ten seconds before calling the school and then heading back out into the salon to fill in for a sick manicurist.
By the end of the day, Beckett was so exhausted she’d have cried had there been even one more appointment. Making her way back to her office, she scowled at her reflection in one of the lobby mirrors when she discovered she looked as tired as she felt.
Halle jumped up from her desk when she saw Beckett approaching and hurried to meet the other woman.
“Your mother-in-law is in your office. She’s been waiting for you for about thirty minutes.”
“Cassie’s here? Why didn’t you page me?”
Halle squirmed. “She asked me not to, said there was no sense in bothering you when you’d be back after you were done anyway. Is it okay? Should I have made her wait in the lobby?”
Beckett mustered a smile for the younger woman. “No, no, it’s fine. Cassie can wait anywhere she’d like. You go on home. I’ll talk to you Monday.” She patted Halle on the shoulder and took a deep breath before entering the office.
“Hey, Cassie, what brings you down here?”
Cassie rose and hugged Beckett, dropping back into her chair and crossing her legs. “I got back from my supply trip earlier than expected and stopped by, thinking we might have a few minutes to talk. I didn’t mean to come on the hardest day of the week.”
“No, it’s fine.” Choosing to sit in the guest chair rather than behind her desk, Beckett dropped next to Cassie. “What’s going on?”
“Caleb mentioned Mrs. DiLaurentis is planning to sell this place and that she’d offered to let you buy it. I understood from him you’ve been working with the bank to see if you can make it happen?”
Beckett sighed. “Mrs. D is giving me an extra two weeks, but it’s not looking good. I went in and talked to the bank manager and gave him all the business plans, profit projections, and new employment scheme. Mrs. D is willing to sell it to me for three million, not including the mortgage on the building, which still has four years until it’s paid off. She’s willing to just sign it over and let me take over payments on it.”
“She wouldn’t do that with just anyone.”
“I know it. I know she wants me to make this work. The bank liked what it said, but they want twenty percent down, which I just don’t have. Even if I drained my savings, the kids’ college funds, tapped out every penny of equity in my house, and cashed in my IRAs, I’d still have another three hundred thousand to find.”
Cassie crossed her legs and folded her hands on top of them. “Alan and I had all three boys over for a family meeting last night. We discussed this opportunity and how big a shame it would be if you couldn’t do this. Alan and I had an insurance policy on Ryan, we do on all our boys. I think you knew that.”
“I did. But it’s your money. I don’t want to take a loan from you.”
“It’s not a loan. It’s an inve
stment. We don’t have quite as much as you need, but Murphy and Caleb and Jax own their house outright. They went down to the bank and took out an equity loan this morning. Between the five of us, we’ve got four hundred thousand. We agreed we’d like to give it to you so you can buy this place without draining Harlow and Rhys’s college funds. Will that amount do it?”
Her head swimming, and tears prickling in the back of her throat, Beckett managed to speak, her voice strangled and gruff with emotion. “I can’t ask you, any of you, to do this. I can’t. I won’t.”
“You’re not asking. We’re offering.” Cassie laid her hand on Beckett’s arm. “You’re part of my family, Beckett. McKenzies take care of one another. This is a great opportunity for you. I figured we could share in a reasonable percentage of the profits and you’d pay us back over time. This isn’t a gift or a loan, it’s an investment in you. This is security and a future for both you and my grandkids. It’ll hurt my feelings if you say no. I’m hoping you don’t want to hurt my feelings.”
“No, ma’am.”
Cassie grinned. “Good. I didn’t expect so.” She stood and bent to hug Beckett tightly. “We love you, Beck. We want you to stay here. What my son did was shameful, and if he was still alive, he’d be no son of mine. I raised my boys to treat women with respect, and he didn’t treat you that way. I’m damn sorry for it. Makes this old woman feel like a failure as a mother for the first time in my life.”
Beckett stood to return the embrace. “Your other three boys are wonderful. They’re amazing and kind and everything good a person should be. I don’t know who Ryan was, but I’m positive on the others. I love them all. You’ve all been better to me than I could have ever expected, and I’ll be grateful for that the rest of my days.” Teary, she hugged Cassie again, relishing in the embrace. “I hope I don’t let you down.”
Cassie squeezed Beckett tightly and pulled back, her own eyes slightly damp. “You’re family. That’s all there is to it. You may not have come from me like my boys did, but I look at you and see my daughter. You won’t let us down. You’re a McKenzie. We go after what we want and we get it.” She offered a smile. “Enough with the blubbering. I expect you need to get home to Harlow and Rhys.”
The Soldier's Wife Page 6
