Good Husband Material

by Susan Mallery

  He turned suddenly and rinsed off. “We’ll be running out of hot water soon,” he said. “I keep meaning to replace the old water heater, but so far I haven’t been motivated. You might change that.”

  She stared at his back. That was it? They weren’t going to…But he was hard. She was wet. They had time, means, opportunity and plenty of desire.

  He turned off the water and she nearly screamed. Then Gage turned back around and caught a glimpse of her face. He chuckled.

  “Stop looking so indignant.”

  “I’m not,” she lied.

  “Sure you are. But you’re wrong.”

  With that he bent close, cupped her face and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him as she surrendered to the need between them. He shifted his weight.

  “Step out of the tub, Kari.”

  She broke the kiss long enough to see what she was doing, then did as he requested. When he’d moved out, as well, he dragged a towel off the rack and flung it on the tile counter, then opened a drawer by the sink and pulled out a condom.

  Before she knew what was going on, he’d lifted her to the counter, then dropped to his knees between her spread legs. She knew instantly what he was going to do and found herself halfway to paradise before his tongue even touched her there.

  Seconds after the first intimate kiss, every muscle in her body tensed. She felt herself spiraling out of control. He brought her close to the edge, but this time instead of letting her down gently, then building her again, he stopped and stood up.

  “It’ll be okay,” he promised, slipping on the condom.

  He moved between her legs and began to kiss her neck. Shivers rippled through her as he stroked her breasts and nipples. She felt a hard probing, and instinctively she parted for him, then reached to guide him in.

  This time there wasn’t any pain. He still stretched her, but it didn’t seem as much as it had last night. She was wet and ready, and the combination of his kissing and his fingers on her breasts made it difficult for her to think about anything but surrender.

  He began to move in and out of her. With each slow thrust, she felt her body molding itself around him a little more and a little more. When he moved to kiss her mouth, she welcomed him, pulling him close. His hand dropped from her breasts to between her legs, where he rubbed against her most sensitive place, moving in counterpoint to his thrusting, bringing her closer and closer until she had no choice but to scream his name as her release claimed her.

  She couldn’t believe what was happening. The orgasm filled her inside and out, while he continued to move, drawing out the pleasure until he, too, stiffened and exhaled her name. They climaxed together, her body rippling around him, his surging. As the last tendrils of release drifted away, Gage raised his head and looked into her eyes.

  At that moment she could see down to his soul and didn’t doubt he could do the same. The profound connection shook her to the core of her being, and she knew then that nothing would ever be the same.

  Still tingling from their recent encounter, Kari dressed and followed Gage down to the kitchen for breakfast. Her emotions seemed to have stabilized, but the sensation of having experienced something profound didn’t go away. Still, participating in the ordinary helped. He pulled out eggs and bacon, while she grabbed bread from the freezer for toast.

  Every inch of her body felt contented. The occasional aftermath of pleasure shot through her, making her catch her breath as she had a sensual flashback. Gage sure knew how to have a good time both in and out of bed, she thought happily.

  “Scrambled all right?” he asked, holding up several eggs.

  “Perfect. And I like my bacon extra crisp.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  While she set the table, he started cooking. Soon the scent of eggs and bacon filled the kitchen. Kari poured them more coffee, then put the toast on a plate she’d warmed in the oven. At the same time he carried two frying pans to the table and set them on the extra place mats.

  They sat down across from each other, and Gage offered her the bacon. Kari liked that things were easy between them. No awkward moments, no bumping as they moved. She couldn’t imagine the morning after being so comfortable with any of the other men she’d gone out with in the past few years. Of course, she doubted she would have spent the night with them, anyway.

  She looked up, prepared to share her observation, when she caught Gage looking past her. The faraway look in his eyes told her that he was thinking about something other than their lovemaking. He’d remembered what he’d learned the night before. Her heart ached for him.

  She sighed.

  He glanced at her. “What?”

  “I just wish I could find something magical to say so you’d feel better.”

  “Not possible.”

  “I know.”

  Everything had changed for him. In a single moment, he’d lost the anchor to his world—his past. He’d always prided himself on being one of the fifth generation of Reynolds to live in Possum Landing. He’d been his father’s son. He’d—

  She frowned. Why did that have to be different? “Gage, I understand that you no longer have the biological connection to Ralph Reynolds that you had before, but that doesn’t mean he’s not your father.”

  He glared at her. “He’s not my father.”

  “That’s just biology. What about the heart? He still loved you from the second you were born. He held you and taught you and supported you. He came to every football and baseball game you ever played in. He taught you to fish, and drive. All those dad things.”

  “How could he have loved me?” he asked bitterly. “His wife had cheated on him. I was another man’s bastard.”

  She didn’t have all the answers, but she was very sure about one thing. “No one seeing the two of you together could doubt his feelings for you. I saw it every time we went over there. His love for you lit up his whole face. You can’t doubt that.”

  He shrugged as if he wasn’t sure he believed her. Kari didn’t know how else to express her feelings. Maybe with time Gage would be able to look at the past and see his father’s actions for what they were—a parent’s love for his child.

  But now wasn’t the time to push, so she changed the subject and they discussed renovations on her grandmother’s house as they finished breakfast. She’d just poured them a last cup of coffee when there was a knock on the front door.

  When Gage didn’t budge, she asked, “Want me to get that?”

  They both knew who it was. Edie was familiar enough with her son’s schedule to know what time he had to leave for work. A quick glance at the clock told Kari there was more than an hour until he had to head out to the station.

  She put down the coffeepot and walked to the front door. She had the sudden thought that it didn’t look good for her to be here this early. What would Edie think? Then she reminded herself that after what had happened the previous evening, Gage’s sleeping arrangements would be the last thing on his mother’s mind. She pulled open the door.

  “Hi, Edie,” she said gently as she took in the other woman’s drawn face. Edie looked older than her years, and tired, as if all the life had been sucked out of her.

  Edie swallowed, then nodded without speaking. She didn’t seem surprised to see Kari as she stepped into the house, but she didn’t move past the foyer.

  “How is he?”

  “Okay, considering. A little confused and angry.”

  “That makes sense.”

  Edie wore jeans and a loose T-shirt. The clothes seemed to hang on her. Worry drew her eyebrows together.

  “He’s in the kitchen,” Kari said at last. “I was just about to make more coffee. Do you want some?”

  “No coffee for me, thanks.”

  Edie didn’t seem startled to find Kari making coffee in her son’s house, either. No doubt she wasn’t thinking about something as inconsequential as that.

  Impulsively Kari touched her arm. “He’ll get over it,” she promised. “He ne
eds time.”

  “I know.”

  Tears filled Edie’s eyes. She blinked them back, then followed Kari to the kitchen.

  Gage stood at the sink, scraping dishes and loading the dishwasher. He didn’t turn at the sound of their footsteps.

  Great. So he was going to make this as difficult as possible for everyone.

  “Gage, your mom’s here.”

  “G-Gage?” Edie’s voice shook as she spoke.

  He put the last plate in the dishwasher and turned to look at her. Kari caught her breath. His face was so set, it could have been carved from stone. He looked angry and unapproachable. She wanted to run for safety, and she wasn’t even the one with the recent confession. She could only imagine how Edie felt.

  “You two need to talk,” she said gently. “As it’s a private matter, I’ll head home.”

  Gage spared her a quick glance. “You can stay if you’d like. You already know as much as I do.”

  Kari shifted uncomfortably. “I know, but your mom would probably be more comfortable to keep it just family.”

  Edie sighed. “No, Kari. If you’re willing to stay, I think you should. Gage may need to have a friend.”

  Kari hesitated, then nodded slowly. She wasn’t sure how she would describe her relationship with Gage. Friend was as good a word as any. She motioned to the now cleared table, then crossed to the counter and fixed a fresh pot of coffee. Gage finished with the dishes, then moved to the table. No one spoke until Kari returned to her seat.

  Talk about awkward, she thought grimly as they sat in silence. She glanced from mother to son. Edie had pulled a tissue out of her pocket and was twisting it between her fingers.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she began, as the coffeemaker began to drip. “That I cheated on your father. I suppose that’s technically true, but that’s not the whole truth.” She glanced up at her son. “I loved your father with all my heart. It started the day I met him and it’s never faded. Not even once.”

  “Then, why the hell am I some other man’s bastard?”

  She flinched slightly but didn’t look away. “The trouble began about a year after we married. We’d wanted a big family and had been trying from the very beginning. When nothing happened, we went to the doctor. We found out we couldn’t have children.”

  Chapter Ten

  Couldn’t have children? “But you have two,” Kari said before she could stop herself. She bit her lower lip. “Sorry.”

  Gage surprised her by reaching across the table and covering her hand with his. “It’s okay.”

  She smiled gratefully as he turned his attention to his mother. “Are you saying Quinn and I are adopted?”

  Edie shook her head. “No. We…It was difficult. Thirty years ago they couldn’t do as much to help infertile couples. We each took tests and found out that Ralph was the one who couldn’t have children. There was something wrong with his sperm.”

  “So you went out and had an affair?”

  Gage’s rage was a tangible presence in the room. Edie flinched slightly and turned away, but not before Kari saw the tears return to her eyes.

  Kari squeezed his fingers. “You have to listen. If you want to be angry when she’s done, that’s your right, but let her talk.”

  His jaw tightened, but he didn’t release her hand or disagree. He nodded slightly, indicating his mother should go on.

  Edie glanced from Kari to Gage, then continued. “As I said, there weren’t as many options back then. Your father…Ralph and I didn’t have a lot of money. We explored different treatments, discussed adoption. I was comfortable with that, but he didn’t want to go through the process. He was concerned that we wouldn’t know where the child came from or who its parents were. You know how that sort of thing was important to him.”

  Gage nodded curtly.

  Kari ached for them both. Nothing about this was easy—she could feel their pain, understand the distance between them. Family and heritage had been important to Gage’s father, and to Gage. So where did that leave him now? Who were his people? Where was he from?

  “He kept saying he wanted me to experience having my own child. We fought and argued and cried together. At one point he threatened to leave me. But I begged him not to go. In the end, he came up with a compromise. That I would find someone who looked like him and get pregnant.”

  Gage’s head snapped up, and he glared at his mother. “You’re telling me this was his idea?” His tone clearly stated he didn’t believe her.

  “I can’t prove it,” she murmured. “I can only tell you that except for this, I’ve never lied to you.”

  Kari held her breath. She believed Edie. There was too much anguish in the other woman’s eyes for it to be anything but the truth. Yet Gage hesitated.

  Without committing himself to accepting or not, he said, “Go on.”

  She hesitated a second, then continued. “We fought about that, as well,” Edie said. “In the end, I agreed. I went up to Dallas because we didn’t want the scandal of me being with someone from around here. Word would get out, and we didn’t want anyone to know the truth. There was a convention there. Ralph had read about it and he thought that would be the perfect place. We might not get to know much about the man, but we would know something.”

  She picked at the place mat in front of her. “They were all in law enforcement. It was some kind of sheriff’s convention. Your biological father—Earl Haynes—was a sheriff.”

  Kari tried to keep her face blank but doubted she succeeded. Involuntarily her gaze flew to the star on Gage’s chest. He’d wanted to be a sheriff all his life—at least, that’s what he’d always told her.

  His fingers tightened on hers.

  “So that’s where you met him?” he asked coldly.

  “Yes. I met him the first day. He was tall and dark haired, and very charming. We got to know each other. At first I didn’t think I could go through with it, but I felt I had to. After a few days, I found myself caring for Earl in a way I hadn’t thought I would.”

  Gage glared at her. “You fell for him?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know. I’d never been with anyone but Ralph. Earl was like him, but different, too. Exciting. He’d seen a lot of the world, been with a lot of women. I didn’t know how to be intimate without giving away a piece of my heart.”

  Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes. She brushed them away. “I was so confused, and ashamed. I wanted to go home and I didn’t. Earl asked me to go back to California with him, but I couldn’t. I knew I belonged with Ralph, so I came home.”

  Gage tore his hand free of Kari’s light hold and sprang to his feet. “Who the hell are you? How dare you come in here and tell me you didn’t just sleep with some man to get pregnant, but that you also fell for him. You said you loved my father. You said you never stopped loving him.”

  “I didn’t,” Edie said, pleading with her son. “I did love him. Earl distracted me from what was important. Do you think I’m proud of what happened or how I felt? I don’t want to tell you this, Gage, but I have to. You need to understand the circumstances so you’ll know why things were the way they were.”

  Gage crossed to the sink, where he stood with his back to the table. When he didn’t say anything else, Edie went on.

  “I came back home and we found out I was pregnant. Ralph never said anything about what had happened. He never asked or blamed me, and when you were born, he was as proud as any father could have been. He loved you with every fiber of his being.”

  Gage visibly stiffened, but didn’t speak. Edie looked at Kari, who gave her a reassuring smile.

  “You also looked like Ralph, which pleased him,” Edie said, then swallowed. “Everything was perfect. We had you, we had each other. But I couldn’t forget. What I didn’t know then was that my feelings for Earl were just a girlish fantasy—the result of never having been on a date with a man other than Ralph. I mistook infatuation for love, and when you were three months old, I returned to Dallas.”


  Gage swore loudly. “You saw him again?”

  Edie nodded. “I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t tell Ralph. I left the baby with my mother and drove to Dallas. I only went for one night.” She sighed heavily. “Let’s just say, I learned my lesson. I saw the difference between infatuation and real love, and I saw clearly who was the better man. I came home, but it was too late.”

  Kari was stunned. Ralph must have been furious with his young wife. The first time they’d agreed on a plan. But to return to Earl Haynes again…

  Gage crossed to the table and braced his hands on the back of the chair. “Quinn,” he breathed.

  Kari stared at him. Of course. His younger brother. How could she have forgotten?

  Edie nodded. “Ralph didn’t understand. He was furious and so very hurt. We nearly divorced. I still loved him with all my heart and I begged him to forgive me for being such a fool. In the end, he did forgive me. Then we found out I was pregnant. He didn’t take it well.”

  Gage straightened. “No wonder,” he said slowly. “No wonder he hated Quinn. My brother was a constant reminder of your betrayal.”

  Tears filled Edie’s eyes again. “I could never convince him differently. I tried to make things right for Quinn, but I couldn’t make up for his father not loving him.”

  Gage stared at his mother. She’d been a part of his life for as long as he could remember, but suddenly he didn’t know her. It was as if a stranger sat at the table telling him secrets from the past.

  He wanted to scream out his anger. He wanted to throw something, break something, hurt something. He wanted to turn back time and forget all he’d been told so he wouldn’t have to know. He wanted to put the cloth box back in the trash can and never open it.

  “You lied,” he said wearily. “Both of you.” Mother and father. Except Ralph wasn’t his father. He was no relation at all.

  His mother, who had always known what he was thinking, stared at him. “Ralph is your father in every way that matters. Nothing can change that. You have a past with him and it will always be there.”