A lot had happened before Galen ever saw Natalie at the clinic. He’d helped his other brother, Damien, save his wife from a human trafficking ring. His mind put that together and wondered if someone intended to hurt Natalie like that too.
Natalie asked, “Do you think Jennifer might have hired people?”
“It’s possible but I have a hard time believing it,” Rafe said. “However I’ve been wrong before and I’m fully investigating her.”
“But you dated her in college,” Natalie argued. “Can you be clearheaded with her?”
He’d talk to Rafe later about his suspicion, since Rafe was also part of that kidnapping case.
“And we’re still friends, but she’s number one on the list. She already admitted she talked to you at the bowling alley about a possible baby.”
Natalie met his gaze and her face was slightly red as she pressed her lips together. “I’m beyond tired of that one.”
Fair enough. Everyone kept asking her. He said goodbye to Rafe and stood as Luke entered with their discharge papers. Galen took them. “Thanks, Luke. It’s fine, Natalie. Let’s go.”
They walked down the hall to leave, again, as Natalie shook her head and quietly said, “So basically, they still don’t know anything and I’m in danger from a crime syndicate?”
The elevator doors opened, and he hoped they’d finally get out of the hospital. “I promise we’ll find out soon.”
He reached behind him again and pulled his car keys out once they reached the lobby. However Natalie stopped and pouted. “Do you need me to drive?”
She must have seen him wince. She traced his face.
He shook his head, but kissed her hand. “No, but when we get there if you can help with the bandages, that will be good.”
They made it to the front door and Natalie braced her shoulders. “Here we go again.”
He pressed her hand to his heart and shook his head. He wasn’t taking chances. A Morgan security guard came running and he handed him his key as he told Natalie, “No. Wait. My car is being brought for us.”
The wait inside helped still his beating heart, but then it ran in overdrive the moment his SUV was parked right in front of the door. Galen, determined not to show his emotion, pressed his lips together but stiffened his muscles to pretend he was calm. He held Natalie’s hand and they walked the ten feet surrounded with police presence everywhere. He told her, “Okay, stay with the officers.”
He opened her door and she slipped in. Security waited near his door until he joined them and took the driver’s seat. Good. Everything went smoothly. Once he was in, he locked the doors and began to drive. She let out a breath she must have held and said, “That was a lot of work.”
He nodded. His heart still pounded, but he kept his gaze focused on the road. Rocco had come from nowhere. “It’s important you’re safe, Natalie. I promised your father.”
“If you say so.” She settled in her seat. “Honestly, the one you’d have to worry about if anything did happen to me is my mother.”
“Good to know.”
The drive home was uneventful and they both appreciated the gorgeous Miami sunset over the bay.
He turned onto Star Island and passed the gates of the community. He continued to his house and saw the heavy presence of Morgan Security as they drove through the black gates.
He parked his car in his usual spot as if nothing had happened and the window was still there as he tried to smile.
Natalie waited for him to open her door and they walked inside together. He locked the door and for the first time in hours, he could breathe easier now that they were home. Here she was physically safe, though once they talked about love, he needed her to keep her physical safety a priority and get her to stay. If she demanded to run like his sister-in-laws had done, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. He’d overseen the installation of various home security measures himself. This house was good, but his mind raced as he locked the door behind them and double checked the locks.
Hopefully Natalie was reasonable when they talked about impossible love. His dramatic mother had often flown off the handle, but hopefully Natalie remained different. Between his ex and his mother though, he expected the unexpected.
Once inside, Natalie bee-lined for the couch and kicked off her shoes. “I’m glad we’re home.”
Right. It was time to start the talk they needed to have, but first he needed to ensure she understood facts. “And we’re not leaving again until we have all the answers.”
She nodded and closed her eyes while lying further back against a cushion. “Sounds good.”
Today had been a trying day. Perhaps he could wait on the talk. He stood to get them both a glass of wine, when security called him. He glanced out the window and saw a gray SUV stopped outside the gate. He answered the phone. “What’s going on?”
Natalie opened her eyes and met his.
The guard then said, “Your ex-wife is here to see you.”
“My ex-wife, Alison?”
“Yes sir.”
The last person he’d ever want to see. His blood ran cold, but he took a deep breath. It was best to see Alison and then send her on her way. Confrontation always worked best with her. so he straightened his shoulders and said, “Buzz her in.”
Natalie looking like the angel she’d always been stood beside him, just as his ex-wife, the banshee appeared outside. Natalie walked with him to the door. Delays weren’t good. He picked up his phone to check the front door that was ten feet from them. “I don’t know why she’s here.”
“I’m here, too. Let’s invite her in and see what she wants.”
Good. They were on the same page. He nodded, pocketed his phone and opened the door. There on the front step was his ex. He stared into the green eyes of a woman he hadn’t wanted to see in years. “Alison?”
He’d not seen her since she left their condo in New Orleans and never returned.
Natalie extended her hand to shake Alison’s. It took Alison a second, but she accepted.
“Natalie, this is my ex-wife.” He took Natalie’s hand away from Alison but kept her hand in his. The spark he felt was too potent right now and he preferred to be alone with Natalie, right now.
Natalie gave him a small smile and nodded. “Do you want me to leave you two alone a few minutes?”
No. That wasn’t what he wanted. Galen was already wondering how fast he could get rid of Alison, but he nodded. “If you don’t mind? But come back at most in five minutes. And can you bring the bottle of wine I was going to get for us?”
A smile grew on her face and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “No problem. Sounds good. I trust you.”
He waited till she sashayed down the hall. Alison ruined his life once. She’d not do it again, not when he had Natalie.
Natalie lingered in the hall on the way to the wine cellar. She heard Galen usher Alison into the living room where they had just been, and her skin prickled. It was probably jealousy that Alison had Galen first. But she picked up her phone and texted the number on the business card she’d accepted earlier today. Rafe, it’s Natalie. I wanted to tell you that Galen’s ex, Alison, is in our living room.
She slowed her steps because she saw the three dots that indicated a reply was coming.
That’s who the visitor was? I’m running her ID and plates she showed the guards now. Thanks.
Natalie quickly raced to the wine cellar and grabbed a bottle of white from the chilled section, but as she returned she shuffled to a halt.
She heard Alison say, “Galen, I wanted to talk about us.”
The word us was breathy. Natalie’s spine went rigid as she stepped forward, very quietly.
Galen’s voice was chilled as he countered, “Alison, you left and took the 10 million dollar offer my father gave you.”
Wow. She hadn’t known his wife had been paid off by his father. How horrible and no wonder he was bitter.
But why? Galen had said his ex-wife had been from a
good, well-to-do-family, which was the opposite of destitute. Her family was neither truly rich nor poor, but she’d never betray Galen, ever.
Alison sounded desperate. “I needed the money, Galen.”
Did she need more now? Was that why she was here? Natalie couldn’t ask because she wasn’t in the room, though she could hear everything.
“If you needed it, you could have gotten it from me.”
“I couldn’t ask you.” Alison said with such emotion even Natalie believed her.
She held still and refused to make a sound—would Galen want his ex back?
Galen asked, “Why not?”
Her sadness was embedded in every syllable. “Because I needed to do something you didn’t want me to do.”
What in the world would Galen not support? Natalie had been with him only a few days but she’d known him a long time. Galen was one of the few honest and good men she’d ever met. Her skin heated from just the memory of his touch.
“And what was that Alison? What would I judge you for and have said no to?”
Good questions.
Alison then said, “What we both said we agreed on.”
Mysterious. She wasn’t sure what the other woman meant. She should run and get back in there. Her stomach knotted because she wasn’t there for Galen, but her curiosity held her still.
“I don’t remember much agreement on anything.”
“We said we didn’t want children.” Alison’s tone suggested it was the obvious answer.
Goosebumps grew on Natalie’s arms as she put together what that might mean.
“Thankfully,” Galen said. “We didn’t have that worry in the end.”
“Well I meant it, too, which is why I needed to get an abortion, but you… you take family seriously. I couldn’t take the chance that you’d stop me.”
Abortion? Natalie felt her chest cave in and pressed her hand to her heart.
How horrible for Galen. He’d had no idea.
“Why are you telling me now?” Galen demanded. “Years later?”
Natalie would ask a lot more things, but his question was valid. She could feel the tension in her skin as she hurried around the corner to be there for Galen.
“Because you’re getting married again and I thought you should know why I left.”
So she wanted to ruin his future with talking about the past?
“You couldn’t just let me think it was all the arguing we did?” Galen asked gruffly. “And how unhappy I made you, every single day.”
He was off kilter, she could hear it. Natalie hurried faster. She shouldn’t have lingered.
“That wouldn’t be right,” Alison said. “I did love you, Galen.”
Sympathy gone, Natalie decided Alison was someone she would never have been friends with in school.
Galen’s footsteps echoed on the tile floor as he said, “Sure. Look, it’s time to go.”
Her heart raced, but Natalie slowed down as she walked into the living area holding the bottle in her hand. “Wine?”
The redhead with green eyes and slim build stopped near the entrance and crossed her arms while she stared at Natalie. “So this is your new fiancée?”
Natalie hesitated with the wine bottle in her grip. Did she go and introduce herself with a title this time?
Galen then opened the door and pointed outside, “Alison, it’s time for you to go.”
Alison took a step forward, but she glared at Natalie and said, “You seem nice. Why would you marry Galen with his problems concerning love and how he puts family above any woman?”
Galen walked Alison backward until the woman was on the porch and then he shut the door in her face.
Right. Natalie’s heart beat in her chest warning that a storm brewed, so she walked toward the glasses in the living room and put the wine down. He came beside her and opened the bottle with an opener and poured.
Her heart continued its thunderstorm activity. Galen handed her a glass of wine and finally she asked, “What did she mean, Galen?”
Galen rolled his shoulders like he needed to release tension in his body. He then clinked his glass with hers, and sipped from his glass. “I don’t want to talk about her. Let’s relax. Which wine did you get?”
He turned the bottle over and read the words. Natalie took a drink and it was sweet, but she had no idea which kind she’d chosen as it was in French. “Yes, I thought we could try this one?”
He put the bottle down and placed his hand on her back. “Excellent choice. Let’s get some fruit and relax on the patio.”
True. Right now this wasn’t about her. Galen had just survived another bombshell. She put her glass down and hugged his waist. “You seem stressed my love. I’m sorry I left you alone. I liked that you supported my religious decision right from the beginning when I told you my feelings. Your support meant everything.”
“You’re one of the good ones, Natalie. I’ve known that about you from the get go.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and neither one of them said anything for a few minutes.
She listened to his steady pulse which calmed her too.
But then he picked up her hand, kissed the back of it and pointed them toward a couch near the back patio. She picked up her wine and followed him. Once she sat next to him, Galen patted her knee and said, “We need to talk.”
Curious. She adjusted in her seat and sipped her wine. Galen’s entire body seemed stiff. Whatever this was clearly hurt him and it probably had to do with Alison’s news. She put her glass down once she swallowed. “Okay, about what?”
Galen didn’t move a muscle but his brown hues were hypnotizing and full of stormy emotion. “Love, or the female thinking about the emotion.”
Her body tensed and she turned toward him as she leaned forward. Seriously, had she just heard that? She asked, “Female thinking? I’m all ears.”
He swallowed. “It’s my mother and father. Perhaps yours were different, but my parents were anything but normal.”
Okay. This wasn’t about the bombshell that Alison had detonated but something else. Apprehensive, she said, “Your mother is awfully sweet.”
He nodded and smiled though it didn’t show off his dimples. “She is and she likes you.”
Right. She picked up her wine and sipped it again. She then put it down, knowing she was delaying his words. “That’s good.”
He shook his head and his gaze became glassy, like he was reliving the past instead of being here with her now. “The issue we have is love. My mother cried her eyes out every day because my father left her and every time he came back, she cried because she loved him.”
Natalie gave him a soft tap on the arm. She couldn’t imagine that pain and said in a quiet voice, “That sounds hard.”
Galen pressed his lips together for a while and said nothing. He glanced out at the sunset and gave her a heavy nod. Finally a single shoulder shrugged like something broke inside him. He turned toward her. “She’s even forgiven him for kidnapping Catherine when we were children—because she almost left him once.”
Nothing she could say would distract him from that pain. She had an ache in her throat like she needed to help him, but all she could do was wish that he wasn’t hurting. She then kept her gaze on the sunset as well to not push him. “How do you forgive that?”
A mocking single syllable laugh escaped his throat. “She said we shouldn’t judge the dead.”
Oh. She wasn’t certain what to say because she’d never had to face that much pain, not really. She lightly touched Galen’s shoulder. “Maybe she’s more trying to move on with her life.”
He took her hands in his and pressed them to his knee as he stared into her eyes. “Look, every time you say you love me, I keep thinking about the highs and lows, and how she’d lock herself in her room for days and not check on any of us.”
She ignored the voice of uncertainty in her head. This had more to do with him right now. She scooted closer and phrased her question as best she
could, “But?”
His shoulders tightened. “I don’t want us to say love, Natalie. We could be happy without bringing that crazy emotion in.”
Her knees touched his and she fought the urge to hug him. She kept her tone gentle and refused to argue with him. Galen had just been hit with a cement truck of emotional shock and it was unfair to be picky over word choice. She kept her head down to not challenge him. “Why do you want to marry me then?”
His eyebrows arched in surprise—he hadn’t expected her question. He let her hands go but she stayed next to him. “Because you’re the only woman I’ve ever met who I could see myself being with for the rest of my life.”
Which sounded pretty close to a declaration of love. She couldn’t push the word out of him right now though. She needed to let him blow off steam and wait. So she smiled, “That’s a good answer. But just to be clear—you don’t love me?”
The tightness of his face wasn’t good. “It’s not a real emotion.”
Natalie knew they’d straighten this out, but there were pressing matters that took priority. Most of all it sounded like Galen needed time so she prayed he’d get enlightened soon. “Galen, I need to get my head wrapped around what you’re saying.”
He picked up his wine glass, sipped and stared at the sun that was now just over the Miami skyline about to disappear. He put his glass down and asked, “But you’re not running out the door?”
He’d protected her. Here she was safe and clearly he needed time and space to work out his own issues. She scooted her wine further onto the table and then took his hand. “No, because the thing is I don’t believe you. You were clearly traumatized and it’s kind of cute to see how deeply you took this.”
He sat straight. “Cute?”
A laugh escaped her throat but she stood and held her hand out for his to join her. “Yes, so let’s finish our wine and go upstairs to the bedroom.”
He stood on his own, but his hand traced her hip. “I thought you’d leave me.”
Secret Date Page 13
