Not Quite Mine (Not Quite series)

by Catherine Bybee

  They chose a table on an outside patio and suffered the warm temperatures to avoid notice.

  Katie’s hands trembled as they sat and kept the talk light until they’d ordered food.

  “You didn’t ask me here to talk about work, Katie. What’s up?”

  Katie removed her sunglasses and Monica’s gaze opened wide. “You know something.”

  Swallowing hard, Katie nodded. “Promise me this stays between us.”

  “Of course—”

  “No. Not of course. This is huge, Monica. And you’re the closest thing I have to a sister. My mother is God-knows-where and I wouldn’t trust her with this anyway. Promise me…pinky, blood…or whatever it is you sisters do that makes you take something to the grave if need be.”

  Monica grasped her hands. “You’re worrying me.”

  “Promise!”

  “I promise. I’ll take this to the grave if you need me to.”

  Katie paused and set her sunglasses back on her nose. “I know who the mother is.”

  “Hookay…”

  “I think I know who the father is.”

  Monica sat perfectly still and waited.

  “Patrick found a security tape of Maggie passing herself off as room service in the hotel that night.” Saying which night wasn’t necessary. They were both there.

  Monica squinted, confused. “Maggie? Why does that name sound familiar?”

  “She is Dean’s ex.”

  Monica’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my God. So you think Dean is…”

  Katie nodded. “I think he is.”

  Monica dropped back in her chair as the information sank in. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m not positive about anything.” Katie removed a copy of the original note left with Savannah from her purse and flattened the well-worn edges on the table.

  “I’ve been going over this for weeks and now it all makes sense.” She cleared her throat and read a passage from the letter. “Savannah was conceived with love, albeit one-sided, and deserves a mother who can give her everything. Dean hasn’t come out and told me that he didn’t love Maggie, but if he did, I don’t think he would have let her just walk out on him. Jack told me a couple times that he didn’t think Maggie was the right match for Dean. Maybe she called off the wedding because he couldn’t love her.”

  “Or maybe he talked about his ex…you…a little too much.”

  “What guy talks about his ex to his current?”

  Monica shook her head. “OK…well he had to say something. Or maybe she overheard him talking to someone else?”

  “I don’t think anyone knew about us. I know Jack was clueless. Besides, there aren’t many men out there, Dean included, who have soulful talks with their buddies.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Monica said. “Dean could have said something in passing…while having a little too much to drink. You never know.”

  Maybe.

  “Either way, if the mother is Maggie and if Dean is Savannah’s real father…then Maggie didn’t believe Dean loved her.”

  “All easy conclusions from what you know about their relationship and this letter.” Monica sipped her water and looked around them.

  The closest occupied table was three away so Katie continued.

  “I know things about you that I probably shouldn’t. I know how much you want a child of your own, how impossible it is for you to do so,” Katie read aloud. “Dean must have told her about me. How else would she have known I can’t have kids of my own?”

  “Seems like a personal thing to share.”

  “Very. I can’t think about him telling her this right now or why he did…I just need to work out these facts and deal with the why of it all later.”

  “When two people get married, they talk about all kinds of things. According to Jessie anyway. She and Jack talked about their past sex lives. She even asked your brother if there was any possibility of a kid out there being his.”

  “Do you think Maggie asked Dean if he could get her pregnant? God, what if she planned this?” She hadn’t thought of that.

  “Women trap men with pregnancy all the time, but she called off the wedding. I don’t think Savannah was a trap. Who knows, I could be wrong, but I don’t think that tree is worth barking up, Katie.”

  Katie looked back down at the letter. “Her father isn’t ready for her, but if my instincts are right, he will be one day. And when he is, the two of you will give Savannah the loving home she needs.” Katie paused after reading the passage.

  “Sounds like Maggie knew the two of you would reunite if she wasn’t in the picture.”

  “Dean has always wanted to be a father. He talked about having a houseful of kids one day, just like the one where he grew up. He had to have talked about these things with her. They were getting married for Christ’s sake. She had to know he wanted kids.” Anger rose inside her. How could Maggie be so ignorant?

  “If he didn’t love her, she would either have to live a lie with him or raise this child in a broken home. Neither choice is easy.”

  Monica was right.

  “Two parents loving a child will always be better than one.”

  “Oh, that’s crap.” The hair on Katie’s neck stood on end. Her father had done just fine!

  “Really? Most of your life you haven’t had a mom. How’s that working for you?”

  “I’m fine,” she bit out between her stiff lips.

  “Bullshit. No more than I am about my dad abandoning us. Yeah, we get along…get over it. But that shit still hurts and you know it. Even Jessie with all her brave face about raising Danny alone couldn’t love him like a father can. Jack has made it better for both of them.”

  Katie wanted to deny Monica’s wisdom.

  She couldn’t.

  Monica picked at her food. “So Maggie is the mother.”

  “Looks that way.”

  “And Dean is the father.”

  “Looks that way.”

  “Now what? You obviously haven’t told him.”

  “How can I? What if I’m wrong about him…what if he does love Maggie and wants to try and work it out with her? I could lose them both.” Her stomach twisted with the thought.

  “I don’t think Dean would do that to you.”

  “One of the things I love about him is his loyalty. He adores Savannah. It’s like he feels a connection. Is that possible? That on some level he knows she’s his?”

  Monica rolled her eyes. “Now you’re talking nonsense. If Dean loves kids the way you say he does, then he’s enamored with Savannah…nothing more than that.”

  “This insecure feeling under my skin is itchy, Monica. I don’t like it.” She hated it.

  “Is that insecurity or the guilt you feel from keeping the truth from Dean?”

  “I don’t know. God, I hate this!”

  Monica reached across the table and covered her hand. “I know you do. Just remember who this is really about. Savannah is the innocent one in all of this. You’d never be able to keep this from Dean forever.”

  “I wouldn’t want to.”

  “I know you wouldn’t. And no matter how much you might think he’ll react, you’ll never know until he does. The longer you keep this from him, the harder it’s going to be for the both of you. Trust is important in any relationship.”

  Katie looked beyond the patio to cars passing along the street. Everyone going about their day without stress, without worry. “I love him, Monica. I don’t want to lose him again.”

  Not again.

  “Where’s Katie?” Jack’s voice screamed into Dean’s cell phone and made it over the noise of the cement truck that was pouring concrete into the foundation molds of the parking structure.

  “What?” Dean plugged his other ear and ducked away from the noise to try and understand what Jack was yelling about.

  “I…and…can’t find…” The reception kept cutting out.

  “Hold up, Jack. I can’t hear you over the noise.” Dean hustled away from the h
eavy equipment and tried again. “OK, what’s this about Katelyn?”

  “Where is she? I can’t find her anywhere. She’s not at the hotel. Not at Monica’s. I called the office and she’s not there. Damn it, Dean, I asked you to keep an eye on her.”

  Oh, boy. He knew this was coming. “She’s fine.”

  “I can’t find her. Our dad’s frantic. It’s never good when Gaylord gets his cowboy boots on too tight.”

  “She’s fine, Jack. You’ll have to trust me on this. Did you try her cell phone?”

  “She’s not answering. I need to talk to her. Do you know where she is?” Jack’s voice had lost some of his edge, but he still sounded off to Dean.

  Dean felt the web of lies starting all over again. He did this before and he damn well wasn’t doing it again. “She’s probably at home.” Katie’s gonna kill me.

  “Are you not listening to me? She’s not at the hotel. I called and they said she’s only been there once this week.”

  Dean started to pace. “I didn’t say she was at the hotel. I said she’s at home. My home.”

  “W-what? Your house?”

  “Yeah, Jack. She moved in with me last week. We wanted to see how things worked out before we announced the move to anyone.” OK, that was a lie. They hadn’t told anyone to avoid any unexpected visitors. His bachelor pad had been converted into a romper room with all the baby stuff an infant needs.

  “She’s living with you? Seriously?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, holy shit. I didn’t see that coming.”

  “Not sure why not. I told you I was serious about her.”

  “I’ll kick your ass if you eloped. Don’t tell me you—”

  “We’re not married.” Dean laughed.

  “Well, hell. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse. My dad’s not going to like it.”

  “We weren’t asking his permission.”

  “Which will piss him off.”

  “Good thing he’s in Texas.” Dean laughed.

  “Yeah, well, he’s gonna be there later tonight to pick her up. Fair warning.”

  Dean stopped pacing. “What? Pick her up?” No, no, no, no…Gaylord sticking his nose in was a very bad idea.

  “That’s why I’m looking for her, Dean. There’s been an accident.”

  The worry about Gaylord finding out about Savannah quickly vanished with Jack’s words. “An accident, who? Is Jessie OK? Danny?”

  “We’re all fine. It’s our mom. It doesn’t look good, Dean.”

  Katie’s relationship with her mother was almost nil, but he knew she still cared about the woman. “Is your mom gonna make it? What happened?”

  “Long story. And we don’t know. My dad and I are flying in at six tonight to pick Katie up and then we’re headed to South Florida.”

  “Florida? I thought your mom was in Italy.”

  “We all thought that. Listen, I’ve got to go. Tell Katie we’ll pick her up—”

  “I’ll have her at the airport, Jack. Keep the jet on the runway.” The last thing Katie needed was more drama. Gaylord and Jack discovering Savannah was a pile of drama just waiting to happen.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Just when Katie thought her day couldn’t get more emotional, she walked through the front door of Dean’s home…no their home, and life took her for another ride.

  “What kind of accident?” she asked when Dean greeted her at the door with the news.

  “Jack didn’t say. He tried calling you.”

  She’d noticed several missed calls from her brother but didn’t think a lot about it since he hadn’t left a message. Her mind was on how she was going to tell Dean about Savannah. Talking to her brother wasn’t high on her priority list.

  “It sounded serious, Katie. I asked Mrs. Hoyt to stay with Savannah so I can take you to the airport.”

  “Airport? Why?”

  “Jack and your dad are coming to pick you up.”

  “Is she dying?” Panic spread through her veins. She didn’t care for her mother, but she didn’t want her dead.

  Dean led her to the couch and sat her down. “Do you think they’d insist you go with them if she wasn’t?”

  “Oh, God.” Not now. “She’s too young to die.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?”

  She gripped his hand. “Yes…but I need you here with Savannah. Will you stay here with her?”

  “You don’t even have to ask. Maybe we should all go.”

  Katie shook her head. “No. Not yet. This isn’t the time to tell my family about her.”

  “I wish I disagreed, but if it’s as bad as Jack let on, having Savannah there will only make things more complicated.”

  “Oh, Dean, why is all this happening now?”

  He held her in his arms. “I don’t know, darlin’. We’re going to be OK.”

  She tried to pull up another emotion about her mother, other than frustration, but she couldn’t. “She didn’t even go to Jack’s wedding.”

  “I know,” Dean said.

  “Why should we care if she’s hurt?”

  “It’s what makes you a better person.”

  “What if I don’t want to be the better person?” She knew she sounded like a child but her mother didn’t deserve her sympathy.

  “I’ll support you if you don’t want to go. You’ll have to live with that decision forever if she dies, Katie.”

  She wanted to scream. “Mrs. Rock, meet Mr. Hard Place.”

  “C’mon. I’ll help you pack.” Dean helped her to her feet.

  “I didn’t think I’d be flying to Italy today.”

  Dean rested his arm on her shoulder. “You’re not. She’s in Florida.”

  “What?”

  “That’s what Jack said.”

  “What happened to Italy?”

  “No idea.”

  The annual Christmas card was always postmarked from Italy. Maybe she was visiting someone.

  In their bedroom, Katie removed several slacks and a few blouses. She had no idea how long she’d be. The thought of leaving Savannah for more than a few hours felt awful, but she couldn’t avoid it. At least it’s not Italy. Damn…Katie was leaving her child to be there for her mother. A mother who couldn’t be bothered to be there for her.

  She was never there.

  Katie wanted to feel pain, but anger ruled instead.

  Dean placed a suitcase on the bed and helped her shuffle clothes. “There’s one more thing you might want to know before your family gets here,” he said as he tucked her shoes into the bag.

  Should I pack a black dress? Just in case? She grabbed one from a hanger really hoping it wasn’t needed.

  “What’s that?”

  “I told Jack you’re living here.”

  She snapped her gaze to his.

  “It couldn’t be avoided, Katie. He called the hotel, Monica’s…”

  Dean’s look of distress kept her from getting too upset. “I’m a grown woman. I don’t need my brother’s permission to move in with a man.”

  Dean walked around the bed and kissed her. “That’s what I thought. Besides, it’s one less secret to keep.”

  “Right.”

  They sat in silence as the plane taxied on the runway before takeoff.

  She supposed they were all in a little shock. Dean had shaken hands with both her father and her brother before taking her in his arms and kissing her good-bye. Her family stood by in stunned fascination.

  “Call me and I’ll come…we’ll come,” he whispered in her ear.

  Katie understood his meaning, kissed him again, and walked toward the plane.

  “I guess we’ll have to talk about all this when we get back,” Jack said to Dean behind her.

  “I guess you might need to know when something isn’t your business and butt out,” she called over her shoulder.

  When they reached cruising altitude, Gaylord undid his seat belt and poured himself two fingers of whiskey, neat.

  Her
dad was a big man who had something to say about everything. His silence had always frightened her. So far he’d only greeted her and walked onto the plane.

  “I’ll take one of those,” Jack said.

  “Please tell me we have wine,” Katie chimed in. Apparently, none of them wanted to do this without a little liquid courage.

  Her father tilted back his glass, finished the drink in one swallow, and poured another one. He fixed one for Jack and opened a bottle of wine from the fully stocked wet bar for Katie.

  “Thanks, Daddy.”

  He offered a forced smile and sat beside her on the leather sofa. “Does he make you happy?” he asked from nowhere.

  It took her a minute to realize he was asking about Dean. “He does.” Keep it simple. Don’t offer too much information.

  Gaylord sipped his second drink. “Good.”

  Jack wasn’t so quick to applaud. “Really, Dad? That’s it? You grilled me for an hour about Jessie before you met her.”

  “I didn’t know Jessie. I know Dean. He’s a good man. Hardworking. Hell of a lot better than some of the men your sister’s dated.”

  “I think I should be offended,” she teased.

  “You should,” Gaylord said.

  She laughed. Despite the somber reason for the three of them to be on the plane together, she found herself smiling. “Oh, Daddy, I wasn’t that bad.”

  “Yes, you were!” both her father and Jack said at the same time.

  Now all three of them were chuckling.

  “Dean even has you wearing proper clothes. I hope he burned those skintight jeans and barely there skirts.”

  She’d left those in the closet at the hotel. But she still loved her high heels.

  “Is he gonna make an honest woman of you?” her father asked.

  “No one says that anymore, Daddy.”

  “I do.”

  She smiled…not sure where she and Dean were going. “You’ll be on the list of the first people who will know if that’s what we decide.”

  “I guess that’s all I can ask for then.”

  Katie leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for trusting me.”

  “Oh, honey, I’ve always trusted you. It’s the guys I didn’t trust.”