“You’re here,” she said, looking surprised. “Who called you?”
“Ashley, Maggie and Melanie, in that order. They left messages. Since it had to be about you, I came here in stead. What’s going on?”
“I went a few rounds with Kelsey this morning,” she said succinctly. “She called and shared her displeasure about our relationship.”
Pete felt his blood begin to boil. “She did what?”
Jo summed up their conversation. “My sisters thought you ought to know what she’s threatening. Ashley says she’ll be happy to give you legal advice, if you want it. I’m still hoping it won’t come to that.” She lifted her gaze to meet his. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“How the hell is it your fault?” he asked heatedly. “This is Kelsey, start to finish. I’ll handle her.” He pressed a hard kiss to her lips. “You okay?”
She nodded, though he couldn’t help thinking she still looked wounded. The only way to wipe that expression from her eyes, though, was to settle this with Kelsey once and for all. The urgency of that was the only thing that could have gotten him to leave Jo alone right now.
“Then I’m going to get this straightened out,” he said with grim determination.
She regarded him with worry. “What are you going to do? You’re not going down there and have some huge fight in front of your son, are you?”
Since that was precisely what Pete had intended, he faltered at the warning note in her voice. “No,” he said retreating. “But I have to get through to her.”
“Then make her come here. Tell her you need to talk and to get someone to look after Davey. Maybe he can stay with a friend tonight.”
“I don’t want her here,” Pete countered. “I don’t want her anywhere near you.”
“She’s not going to come near me, not when she has a chance to be with you. Come on, Pete. It’s the only way.”
“I suppose,” he said skeptically. “Maybe we should have this meeting in your sister’s office. That way Kelsey won’t be able to misinterpret every word out of my mouth.”
“Having a lawyer there, at least this first time, will only put her on the defensive. You have to try to work it out on your own.”
Pete understood her logic, but the thought of actually inviting Kelsey to come here to talk made him nervous. He knew better than anyone just how easily she could misinterpret the overture.
But what could happen, really? It wasn’t as if she could make something happen between them, not the way she’d managed to when he was twenty. He could control this meeting.
He tucked a finger under Jo’s chin. “I’ll call her,” he said. “And I swear to you I will get this resolved tonight. Then you and I have a date, okay?”
“Let’s not make any kind of plans just yet,” she pleaded. “Just keep all your focus on making this okay so you won’t lose Davey.”
“I’m not going to lose Davey,” he said with finality.
Jo grinned at his conviction. “Then tomorrow morning we’ll celebrate that,” she promised.
“Eight o’clock? My place for pancakes?”
She slid into his embrace and held on tight. “My favorite way to start the day,” she told him, her words muffled against his chest.
“Next to making love, mine, too,” he said, smiling as he heard her chuckle.
“That goes without saying,” she agreed, then lifted her gaze to his. “Make this work, Pete, please.”
“I’ll do my best, darlin’. That’s a promise.”
Even as he said it, though, he wondered if his promises meant a damn thing to her. He couldn’t blame her if they didn’t. So far, his track record wasn’t exactly stellar.
15
Pete paced through the house he’d once shared with Kelsey, debating for the thousandth time if he’d made the right decision by asking her to come here. Too late now, though. She was on her way.
Instead of regretting the invitation, he needed to be planning what he was going to say to make her see reason. Unfortunately, he doubted there were sufficient words in the English language to make his ex-wife see past her own self-interest. He’d always known how self-absorbed she was, but her threats this morning only proved it.
It was nearly seven by the time he saw her headlights swing into the driveway. The knot in his gut twisted even tighter. He went and opened the door to avoid the awkward moment when she’d have to decide whether to ring the bell or walk right in. He was pretty sure he knew which she’d choose, if only to make a point that she still had a right to be here. Since she didn’t make a habit of showing up, he’d never bothered to change the locks. Maybe he should do that just to make his own point.
“You made good time,” he said when she got to the door.
“Rush-hour traffic wasn’t too bad, for a change.”
“You have any trouble finding someone to stay with Davey?”
“He’s doing a sleepover next door,” she said defensively. “You can call if you don’t believe me.”
Oh, how he was tempted to do just that, but some one had to start the mutual respect and trust needed here, and it might as well be him.
“I believe you,” he said, drawing a look of surprise.
“You do?”
“You’re not going to lie to me about something you know I can check out for myself, Kelsey. I want to trust you. I always have.”
“Yeah, right.” She walked into the living room and tossed her fake fur jacket over the back of a chair, then looked around. “You haven’t changed much.”
Pete shrugged. “I didn’t see any point to it. It’s okay.”
She frowned at that. “Just okay was always good enough for you, wasn’t it?”
“And it was never good enough for you,” he replied, regret, rather than accusation, in his voice. But even if he’d built his dream house while they were still together, it wouldn’t have been enough. All she’d ever cared about was leaving for a more exciting life.
“I suppose that’s true,” she said. “Do you have any wine in the house? I could use a glass.”
“You can’t drink and then drive back to Richmond,” he said.
She gave him a seductive smile. “Then I’ll just have to crash here, won’t I?”
“Kelsey!”
“Oh, don’t go all weird on me, Pete. It’s not as if we haven’t slept under the same roof and in the same bed before. Maybe we should do that tonight, for old time’s sake.”
“I don’t think so. What we had is over, Kelsey. Surely you know that by now. Hell, it was your idea to end it.”
She ran a polished red nail down his cheek, then sashayed toward the kitchen. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind,” she called over her shoulder as she apparently went in search of the wine she wanted.
Pete bit back a sigh. He was not going to let these seductive games of hers get in the way of the discussion they needed to have. If he overreacted and got her angry, they would wind up settling nothing. Besides, she was mostly talk.
She came back from the kitchen with two glasses of white wine and handed one to him. He set it aside.
“Let’s talk about making peace,” he said quietly. “For our son’s sake.”
Her expression brightened. “That’s exactly what I’d hoped you’d say.”
“You did?”
“It’s time to put the past couple of years behind us, Pete. We can start over, make a home for our son.” A smile touched the corners of her lips. “Maybe give him a baby brother or sister.”
Pete stared at her. His mouth had gone dry, but he managed to squeak out one word. “What?”
“Don’t look so shocked, sweetheart. We both know this is for the best. You believe in family. I’ve had my taste of freedom. It’s past time for us to get back together and be the family Davey wants.”
Pete shook off the panic crawling up his spine. “What exactly are you suggesting, Kelsey?”
“Darling, isn’t it obvious? I want to move back home.”
�
�You mean here, to town,” he said, hoping he’d got ten it all wrong, though she was expressing herself pretty clearly for once.
She regarded him with tolerant amusement. “No, of course not. I mean right here, with you. This is our home, after all. Maybe we can even have that big wedding we missed out on the first time around.”
The words hung in the air, leaving Pete speechless.
She put aside her own glass of wine and twined her arms around his neck, her breasts pressed against him. “Isn’t that the news you’ve been waiting for all this time?” she asked, her face radiating confidence. “Davey and I are coming back to you.”
Jo was going just a little stir-crazy waiting to hear from Pete. She knew they’d made plans for breakfast, but she wasn’t sure she could wait till morning to find out what had happened when he saw Kelsey.
She sat at the kitchen table and watched the minutes tick off the clock. Each one felt as if it took an hour to pass. Surely the stupid clock was broken.
Since she didn’t dare call Pete’s and risk throwing a monkey wrench into whatever delicate negotiations were happening there, she called Ashley and announced, “I’m going out of my mind.”
“Why? What’s happened?” her sister asked at once. “Do you need me to come over?”
“No, I just need you to talk me down.”
“Down from what?”
“This lonely limb I’m sitting on.”
“You’re talking in riddles. Stop it right this instant or I will come over.”
Jo laughed. “I’m not literally on some limb.”
“Thank God.”
“Pete called Kelsey. She’s supposed to be here now, so they can try to work out this mess.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“It should be, assuming she’ll listen to reason. I’m not convinced she will.”
“I’m sure Pete can handle her,” Ashley soothed. “He was married to her, after all. And if he can’t, he has me as legal backup. Based on what you’ve told me about her neglect, he has more than ample grounds to reopen the custody arrangement and file for permanent custody.”
“He won’t do that unless he has to,” Jo reminded her.
“But it is a nice piece of leverage to have, don’t you think?”
“I suppose. I just hate anything that turns Davey into a pawn between them.”
“Which just proves that you’re a better woman than his own mother.”
“You’re biased.”
“Not about this,” Ashley insisted. “The evidence speaks for itself. You’re putting the child’s needs before your own. And just so you know, now that I understand the whole story, I have to admire Pete for doing the same thing seven years ago, even though it cost both of you very dearly.”
“I know,” Jo said softly. “Me, too. He’s a good man, Ashley. I don’t want to be the reason he or Davey gets hurt.”
“Not you, sweetie. Kelsey will get full credit for that one, if she doesn’t see reason. You didn’t break them up. That happened long before you even came back to town.”
“I suppose.”
“Look, if you’re so worried about what went on over there tonight, why don’t you go on over?” Ashley suggested. “Pete probably figures you’ve crawled into bed by now and he doesn’t want to wake you. There’s no need to wait till morning.”
Jo thought about that. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. She’ll be gone, so it’s not as if I’ll get her all stirred up again. If she’s not gone, I’ll turn around and leave. She’ll never even know I was there.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Ashley enthused. “I hope Pete has good news for you when you get there.”
“Me, too,” Jo said with heartfelt yearning. “Me, too.”
Pete stared at his ex-wife as if she’d suddenly grown two heads. “You want to move back home?” he echoed. “And get married again?”
Kelsey nodded. “Moving away, leaving you…” She shrugged. “It was a mistake, Pete. I want to try again. We belong together. We have a history. We have a son. I know this is what you want, too. You fought so hard to keep me from going. I finally get it now. You were right. What we have is too important to throw it all away.”
“You threw it away, Kelsey. You can’t just decide out of the blue that you want it all back. It’s too late.”
“It’s never too late,” she said, still clinging to him, her breath whispering against his cheek.
And then her mouth was on his, hot and urgent and demanding. Once the greediness of her kiss would have turned him on, but not now, not since he’d rediscovered what it was to like to be kissed with real love and passion, not just lust and convenience.
He tried to push her away, but she was determined. She cupped his head with her hands, ground her mouth against his until he tasted blood.
“Enough,” he said, lifting her and setting her aside just as he heard a faint whisper of sound and a gasp. He whirled around just in time to see Jo’s horrified expression before she took off at a run.
“Dammit to hell,” he muttered, tearing after her, Kelsey and her ridiculous request forgotten. He would deal with her later. He wasn’t going to allow her to ruin his one chance at happiness for a second time.
He caught up with Jo as she made the turn onto the main road. She was on foot, which must be why he hadn’t heard her arrival. He fell into step beside her, but that only made her pick up her pace. She obviously wasn’t going to make this easy, wasn’t going to wait for explanations.
Finally he latched onto her arm. “Whoa, sweetheart, where are you going?”
Tears were streaking down her cheeks. “Home,” she said fiercely. “Back to Boston.” She frowned at him, then added bitterly, “Again.”
“Why?” he asked, though he knew perfectly well that she was running because of what she’d heard Kelsey saying back at his house, what she’d seen. He couldn’t be sure how much she’d heard, but it had evidently been enough. Too much, in fact.
“Because I won’t stand between you and your family,” she said, her voice cracking on a sob. She gave him a look filled with heartbreak. “We were so close this time, Pete, but I don’t blame you for choosing them. It’s what you have to do. They obviously need you.”
He wanted to shake her gently, make her listen, but first he had to find the right words. Filled with desperation, he searched his heart.
Holding tight to her shoulders so she couldn’t break away and run again, he said, “Look at me, Jo.”
When she continued staring at the ground, he repeated, “Look at me. Please.”
She finally lifted her gaze.
“Now listen to me,” he pleaded. “Really listen, Jo.”
He waited until she nodded, then said, “What I need is you,” he said quietly, his gaze locked on hers. He couldn’t get this wrong. He had to find the words to convince her to ignore whatever she’d seen and heard and listen to his heart. “It’s you I need, Jo. Not Kelsey. It’s always been you. I thought I was doing the honorable thing seven years ago, but all I did was make a bunch of people miserable. I won’t do that again.”
“But your son,” she protested. “I know how much you love him. Kelsey’s right. You should be a family, if at all possible.”
“Davey will always be important to me. I’ll never abandon him, not for anyone, but it’s over between me and Kelsey. Hell, it was over before it really began.”
He brushed a wayward tear from her too-pale cheek. “You’re the family I need, Jo. And we’ll make a place for Davey, too, on whatever terms I can work out with Kelsey, but I won’t give in to her emotional blackmail. I want to do things right this time. I want to marry you, if you’ll have me. Maybe, depending on how things work out, Davey can spend more time with us, if you’re willing, but Kelsey’s out of the picture. She’s my son’s mother, but she is not the woman I love. Please,” he whispered, “you have to listen to me. You have to hear me. Nothing I’ve ever said to you before was this important.”
She was silent for so long, he thought he’d lost, but then a sigh shuddered through her and her eyes shimmered with a fresh batch of tears.
“Don’t cry,” he pleaded.
“Happy tears,” she said, swiping at them impatiently. “Are you sure? Really sure?”
“That I want to marry you?”
She nodded.
He dug in his pocket and came out with several crumpled pieces of notepaper and a small velvet box. He tossed the notes on the ground, then flipped open the box to reveal a simple diamond set in platinum. “I bought this after I left your place earlier today. I’d planned on asking you in the morning, and I’d hoped to do it someplace a bit more romantic than a ditch by the highway,” he said.
A smile trembled on her lips. “This is the most romantic place ever,” she insisted. “The stars and moon are out, and I can hear the waves on the bay. What could be more amazing than that?”
He smiled. “I’m glad it’s working for you. Do I get an answer?”
“I should make you wait,” she said thoughtfully. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. “But I can’t. I’ve been waiting way too long to hear those words cross your lips. Yes, Pete. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He whooped, then spun her around until they were both half-dizzy. “You know, years ago, I thought maybe Rose Cottage was enchanted and that what happened with us there was some kind of dream, but it wasn’t, was it?”
Jo shook her head and looked at the winking diamond on her finger. “No, the feelings were as real and lasting as it gets. It was only the humans who got it wrong for just a little while. Maybe we didn’t believe hard enough. Something tells me, though, that the magic will be waiting when the next generation comes along.”
“Darlin’, there’s no magic involved,” Pete insisted. “I’m sure of that now. It’s all about love. That old house has always been filled to bursting with it. A little bit was bound to rub off on anyone who passed through.”
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