Wife, Mother...Lover?

by Sally Tyler Hayes

  “I brought you coffee.” Mitch set a steaming mug down on the night stand, then grabbed a bouncing Timmy off the bed and hauled the boy against his chest.

  “Coffee in bed?” Leanne grabbed it and took a long drink, not caring how hot it was. She needed something to jolt her awake this morning. “What service.”

  “Only for wives-to-be.”

  That woke her up. Instantly. “I guess that whole conversation was real.”

  Mitch nodded. “Second thoughts already?”

  “I guess that means you haven’t changed your mind,” she said warily.

  “Not a chance. You?”

  She shook her head. “Just nervous. Mitch, how are we going to pull this off? How are we going to tell people? How will we explain?”

  “They’re going to be surprised, no matter how we break it to them. And I’m hoping we get away without offering a lot of explanations. We’re both adults. We’re free to do anything we want, and we don’t have to justify our actions to anybody.”

  “You honestly think we’re going to brazen our way through this?”

  He took a breath, then let it out slowly. “I don’t think many people will be rude enough to ask why we’re getting married. And the ones who do ask can’t make us tell them anything. It’s not as if they’re going to lock us in a room and interrogate us until we confess.”

  “People are going to be angry.” Alex and Amy for sure, Leanne thought as she hugged Teddy to her.

  “They’ll calm down eventually. This custody thing can’t last forever. And when it’s over, we’ll explain. Alex and Amy will understand.”

  “I want to believe that.”

  “And you’ll have a year here. Amy drops by to see the boys all the time, and Alex gets home five or six weekends a year. You’ll have a lot of time to patch things up with your brother and sister.”

  “I hope so,” Leanne said, then thought of the hardest part of this whole thing—telling her stepmother. “Rena’s going to be furious. You know she’ll see right through this.”

  “What can she do? She can’t stop us, and she can’t prove this isn’t a real marriage.”

  Mitch sat down on the bed and ruffled Teddy’s hair. Leanne’s breath caught in her throat as he pushed a stray curl of hers to the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear, his hand lingering there.

  “You need to understand something,” he said. “I take care of my family. And you’re family now.”

  Emotions swelled inside her, crowding in somewhere at the base of her throat and making speech nearly impossible.

  “What is it?” Mitch asked, his hand at her chin, tilting her face up to his.

  Leanne twisted her face away and blinked back her tears.

  I take care of my family.

  Mitch had no idea how sweet those words were to her. Certainly, he had no idea what he was giving her by asking her to be his wife, even if it was only for a year.

  She intended to make the most of the time she had here.

  “Leanne?”

  He sounded concerned.

  “Tell me what I said to upset you.”

  “It’s been a long time since I felt I belonged anywhere,” she answered, her voice strained even to her own ears.

  One of his hands covered hers, his touch warm and soothing.

  “All of that’s about to change,” he promised.

  And she wanted to believe him so badly she ached with the desire.

  “Now, you need to get moving if you’re going to grab a shower before I leave.” Mitch held out a hand for Teddy, and Leanne lifted him into Mitch’s arms. With a boy under each arm, he turned to go, then faced her again as he stood in the doorway. “Everything’s going to be all right.”

  Leanne scrambled to find her clothes, showered, dressed hastily, then was about to make her way downstairs, when she walked past Mitch’s bedroom. Next thing she knew, she was standing in the doorway, looking inside.

  She was scared, she realized. There were other emotions, as well, but fear was the dominant one. Everywhere she turned, her gaze landed on her sister’s face. There was a snapshot tucked into the side of the mirror on the dresser of Kelly and the boys in the hospital, a small ceramic frame on the desk in the corner with a shot of Kelly pregnant, Kelly and Mitch’s wedding picture hanging on the wall.

  Unable to help herself, Leanne walked into the room and picked up the photograph of Kelly in the silver frame that sat on the bedside table and started babbling to her sister. She told Kelly the boys were fine—that they were wonderful, in fact—that she would love them with all her heart and do whatever was necessary to protect them.

  And then it came time to tell Kelly about Mitch.

  Leanne couldn’t get the words out—she couldn’t articulate her feelings for her sister’s husband. Going weak at the knees, she sat down on the bed—Kelly’s bed—and waited, feeling miserable and tom as she’d never been before.

  She had feelings for Mitch. There had always been that attraction, based on nothing more than the fact that Leanne loved the way he looked. And as she’d seen him together with Kelly, as she’d seen the way he mourned her and the way he now took care of the boys, Leanne had come to admire him, too.

  He’d been so kind to her lately and concerned about her, and she was afraid her feelings were going to grow into something else, something hopelessly complicated and guilt ridden.

  Yet she couldn’t walk away. Mitch and the boys needed her.

  So Leanne sat on the bed, staring at her sister’s picture, waiting for something. A vision? A voice coming out of nowhere? A mere feeling that she wasn’t alone in that room?

  Honestly, she had no idea. She just needed to know that marrying Mitch was the right thing to do. And she got nothing. The longer she sat there, the more alone she felt.

  Frustrated and uncertain what to do next, she looked down at the bed, then looked away. And that’s when she saw Mitch standing there, watching her.

  “I’m sorry.” She jumped up off the bed and nearly dropped the picture. Mitch took it out of her hands and placed it safely on the night stand. “I know I shouldn’t be in here.”

  “It’s all right,” he said, looking around himself. “I guess I’ll have to make some changes in this room. In case anyone’s in here, I can’t have them seeing three photographs of Kelly in this bedroom after you and I are married.”

  The thought of taking down Kelly’s photographs made Leanne incredibly sad. Sitting back down on the bed, she said, “I was talking to her.”

  “And?”

  Mitch put a hand on her shoulder, and he was close enough that Leanne found herself leaning against him, her face buried in his side. He was so warm and solid. His hand settled in her hair, holding her face to him.

  To be this close to him felt as good as she remembered. And that hit at the heart of the problem that had sent her into the bedroom.

  “How do you know this is the right thing to do?” she asked. “How do you know Kelly would understand?”

  Mitch’s hand was still in her hair, which was wet from her shower. He stroked it slowly, soothingly, and she leaned into his touch, wishing this moment would never end. If she could just stay there for a while, feel his hand in her hair and hear that strong, deep voice of his calming her, she would be all right. Maybe everything would.

  “Leanne, I was so scared yesterday. I thought Rena really might take the boys away from me, and I begged Kelly to help me, to show me the right thing to do. And when I turned around you were there.”

  Leanne pulled away far enough that she could see him. “At the cemetery yesterday?”

  “She sent you to me,” he said. “It’s the clearest answer to a prayer I’ve ever been given.”

  Leanne gave him a little smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever been the answer to anyone’s prayers.”

  Mitch sat down on the bed beside her, his face so close she could see the little lines at the corners of his eyes, the ones that wrinkled when he smiled.

&nb
sp; “It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “Will you trust me to know that?” .

  “I suppose I’ll have to, because I’m not sure of anything right now.”

  “Then trust me. And try to stop worrying so much.”

  He took her hand. “We’re in this together now.”

  Before Leanne could say another word, there was a great commotion in the hallway. Then the boys came flying into the room. Chattering excitedly, they raised their hands to Mitch, each twin wanting to be held and probably to get up on the bed and play.

  “Oh, God. You climbed the steps?” He was asking them to tell him it wasn’t true, when it obviously was. Turning to Leanne, he said, “I forgot to put the gate up.”

  The boys just giggled, plainly proud of themselves.

  “Monkeys!” Mitch said.

  He grabbed them both and threw them onto the bed, making them shriek with delight. The boys bounced back quickly, attacking Mitch in what disintegrated into an all-out tickling war, and before Leanne could get away, Mitch snagged her, too.

  “What do you say, boys?” he asked once he had her pinned to the bed. “Should we let her get away?”

  In answer, Timmy took a flying leap at her, but Mitch saved Leanne from the worst of the blow. Timmy giggled and wriggled around until he got away from his father and could get to Leanne. Sitting on her stomach, he tickled her sides and howled like a wild man. Teddy did his part, as well, and by the time she escaped, Leanne was laughing, too. Pulling back, she watched the three of them play for a few minutes, and for the first time, she felt a part of the family, as if she belonged.

  And she found that she wanted desperately to belong.

  Leanne was just thinking about starting dinner around six o’clock, when the doorbell rang. Mitch was still at work, and the boys were so. full of energy they were practically bouncing off the walls. Like a pack of wild dogs, they charged the door and stood there, yelping and dancing around until Leanne came to open it.

  “Shh,” she said. “You’ll scare our company away.”

  She pulled open the door and found Ginny there. “Hi.”

  “Hi. I’ve come to kidnap your children. Mitch’s orders.”

  “What? Is anything wrong?”

  “Not a thing. We’re having a party, and Mitch asked if I could give you some peace and quiet so you could get ready.”

  “Party?”

  “Okay, a cookout. That’s about as fancy as entertaining gets at our house these days.”

  “You’re going to get ready to throw a party, plus watch your two kids and the boys?”

  “I am ready for the party, and I want you to have some time to get dressed I think it’s going to be a very special night.”

  “What’s the occasion?”

  “I’m not sure. Marc wouldn’t tell me, and it’s killing me. But I guess I can last another hour until I find out what’s going on. I had instructions to thaw some steaks, toss a salad and get the twins. Marc is bringing home some beer and some champagne. Now, why would we need champagne?”

  Leanne felt the blood draining from her head, leaving her a little dizzy. He wouldn’t! She closed her eyes and reassured herself that surely Mitch wouldn’t tell anyone they were getting married without talking to her about it first.

  “You know something.” Ginny smiled as if she might have a secret herself. “And so does Marc, that rat. Tell me.”

  Leanne paled. “I have to talk to Mitch.”

  “And then you talk to me,” Ginny said, taking the boys by the hands. “Come on, guys. Hannah and Will are in the backyard with their cousins, and they’ve found a worm. Maybe if you’re lucky, it’s still alive and you can watch it wiggle across the rock.”

  Turning back to Leanne, she said, “Forty-five minutes, okay?”

  In a panic, Leanne thought about confiding everything to Ginny. But before she got the words out, Ginny and the boys were headed across the street.

  Mitch wouldn’t do it this way, Leanne told herself again. But just as Ginny and the boys reached the other side of the street, Ginny turned and shouted, “I forgot. Amy and Alex are coming. See you soon.”

  “Oh, no.” Leanne clung to the door and watched them go.

  This was it. She would have to face her brother and sister as they heard the news that she was marrying Mitch.

  Walking into Ginny and Marc’s house that night was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

  “Perfect timing,” Ginny said as she pulled Leanne inside. “They were just getting ready to tell me what’s going on.”

  She motioned toward the two men huddled together in the living room. Mitch was standing with his back to the fireplace; Marc Dalton was in front of him.

  Marc, a tall, dark-haired man with the shoulders of a football player, walked over to Leanne and kissed her on the cheek. “Hi,” he said.

  She took that to mean Marc understood what she and Mitch were about to do, that he was offering his support.

  “Hi, Marc.”

  Then he slipped his arm around his wife’s waist and turned her toward the kitchen. “Sweetheart, I think these two need a moment alone. Let’s find the rug rats, and I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

  Leanne stood frozen to her spot by the door, not sure if she was going to tell Mitch how angry she was at him for springing this on her or if she was going to go straight to the important part—begging him to put off the announcement a little longer.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, coming to her and taking her hands in his. “I know I should have talked with you about this first, but I thought if you knew, you’d just be nervous all day about it.”

  “You’re telling me you were trying to be considerate by springing this on me with no warning?”

  “I don’t know. Could I get away with that?”

  Leanne couldn’t be angry with him, because he was devastating when he smiled. She was so glad to see him looking happy again, amazed to find him teasing her. So she smiled herself and put her faith in him.

  “God, Mitch, I’m so scared I’m shaking.”

  He put his arm around her waist and pulled her against him for a moment, the movement as easy and as natural as if it were something he did all the time. Leanne realized that he seemed to think nothing of touching her this way.

  “Okay, I’ll confess,” he said. “I was afraid if I told you, you’d try to talk me out of it.”

  “I would have.”

  “Leanne, this is the hardest part. It’s all downhill from here.”

  “There is this one little detail. The wedding ceremony.”

  He shrugged that off. “Piece of cake. I know a judge who’ll marry us in his chambers. How does next Friday sound?”

  “Oh, God. Mitch!”

  “Waiting isn’t going to make it any easier.”

  “I know,” she cried, sagging against him, because it did help to have someone so big and so solid to lean against.

  Mitch put a hand into the pocket of his suit jacket and took out a ring box. Snapping it open, he said, “I almost forgot the props.”

  Leanne saw a small circle of light. Diamonds, she realized. He’d gotten her a gold band encrusted with diamonds all the way around it.

  “I hope this is all right,” he said, taking her hand in his and slipping the ring on her finger. “I didn’t think you’d want anything big or flashy.”

  Leanne thought it was just about perfect, but she couldn’t seem to speak.

  “It fits,” he announced as the ring slid into place.

  Nodding, feeling incredibly stupid and all too emotional, Leanne just stood there for the longest time. Finally, she managed to say, “Mitch, would you just hold me for a minute?”

  “Of course I will.”

  He turned her into his arms, and Leanne slid into his embrace. She’d discovered, much to her dismay, that they seemed to fit together as though meant for each other. Her head fell to his shoulder, which was the perfect height, and then she felt his chin settle on the top of her head.<
br />
  She craved the warmth of his body, the reassurance of his touch, the safety of his arms. How was she ever going to leave him and the boys when this was over? Already, it seemed nearly impossible, and the charade had barely begun.

  “You’re shaking,” Mitch said, tightening his hold.

  “I can’t help it.”

  “What can I do to make this easier for you?”

  She wanted to weep. As if it could be that simple. She would tell him what she wanted, what she needed, and he would give it to her? The world didn’t work that way. Leanne had learned that early.

  Fighting against what seemed an all-consuming need to be close to him, she eased away.

  “I wanted to make this as painless for you as possible,” he said. “Did I blow it? Are you just not ready to commit to this by telling everyone?”

  “No,” she said miserably. “I mean, I’m not ready, but I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.”

  “You hate the ring,” he suggested with a smile.

  “No. It’s a beautiful ring.” Definitely, a perfect one, for a most imperfect situation. This was totally unlike any scenario she’d ever concocted when imagining the day a man proposed to her and slipped a ring on her finger. She felt Mitch’s hands at her shoulders then, rubbing at the tension there.

  “Just hang on to me and let me do the talking. And try not to look as though you’re facing a firing squad, okay?”

  She nodded, and he put an arm around her and pulled her with him as he headed for the kitchen.

  “Wait a minute,” Leanne protested. “What are you going to tell them?”

  “I told Marc that Rena’s trying to take my kids away, that you and I are getting married and that if I said anything else to him, he might have to repeat it in court someday. He’s a smart man. He didn’t ask any questions. He’s going to tell Ginny the same thing.”

  “She will ask questions.”

  “Probably, but she’ll be on our side in this.”