No More Secrets

by Cate Beauman

  “Hold up.” Nate snagged her by the arm before she could walk away. “Come sit down with me for a couple of minutes.”

  She shook her head again. “Kaitlyn needs her bath.”

  Nate took his niece, transferring her into his arms, sniffing at her neck, making the baby laugh. “She doesn’t smell too bad to me.”

  Gwen couldn’t help but grin, adoring her brother, loving that the Carter resemblance was so strong in Kaitlyn—that the familial bond was unmistakable.

  “Come sit with me, Gwen.”

  She sighed. “Okay.” Moments later, they sat on one of the benches by the splash pad, where children who clearly didn’t care that the wind was cooler tonight still played in the water. “How are they not freezing?”

  “It’s the kid mystery. They’re too busy having fun to notice.” He bumped her arm. “What’s going on with you? We haven’t had much of a chance to catch up lately.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re plenty in the loop—the big sister who’s messing everything up.”

  He jiggled Kaitlyn as she stood on his lap. “You don’t own the rights to a fucked-up life.”

  She blinked at him—at his frankness. “Gee, thanks.”

  He shrugged. “I fucked mine up plenty, and you didn’t judge me.”

  She frowned. “Of course, I didn’t.”

  “So, then what’s up with all of the secrecy bullshit—not telling us about your financials? Not coming to us sooner when you’re in trouble? Do you really think anyone’s judging you—looking at you any differently than we always have?”

  She huffed out a humorless laugh. “I look at myself differently, so why wouldn’t you?” And then the dam burst, because she knew her family would always love her no matter what. Staring at the ground, sobbing quietly, she shook her head. “Oh, Nate, I feel like I’ve let everyone down—mostly Kaitlyn.”

  He hooked his arm around her shoulders again, pulling her against him. “No way.”

  Sucking in a breath, she swiped at her cheeks, trying to smile when Kaitlyn looked at her. “I’ve always been the one who has my i’s dotted and t’s crossed, but right now, I have no idea what I’m doing.” She sniffled. “I’ve handled everything so poorly.”

  “Join the club, Gwen. Divorce sucks. Elizabeth and me calling it quits messed me up for a long time—made me question everything about myself. But when all was said and done, Elizabeth and I didn’t belong together. And thank God for it.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. “You two were so young.”

  He shook his head. “Not when I put the ring on her finger. I knew what I was doing, and it was a mistake. The day Elizabeth said she was done was the best day of my life. I didn’t realize it at the time, but if we had stayed together, I wouldn’t have everything that I do now—Callie and a daughter I finally get to meet next month. I love them in a way I never loved Elizabeth—not even close.”

  Gwen got teary all over again. “I’m so happy for you, Nate.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I want that for you, too. You walking in on Liam was the best thing you’ve ever done—your ticket to freedom. The last few weeks have been the happiest I’ve seen you—maybe ever.”

  Nate was right. Despite the turmoil, she’d never been happier. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Do you love Cade?”

  She nodded as more tears trailed down her cheeks. “I love him and Kaitlyn more than anything.”

  “So, why are you pushing him away? He loves you. I can see it every time he looks at you.”

  “I don’t know. Everything’s happening so fast.”

  He raised his brow. “Too fast?”

  She nodded. “It feels like lightning speed.”

  “Shit, Gwen, Callie and I were sleeping together just a couple of weeks after we met. We were pregnant and married less than six months later.”

  “That was you two. That worked for you. I feel like I can’t keep up with my life. Now there’s all of this stuff with Liam—him wanting Kaitlyn every other week.” She was still reeling after the disturbing phone call with her attorney a few hours ago—yet another bombshell.

  He shook his head. “We won’t let that happen.”

  “I feel like I can’t take much more.”

  He nodded, his eyes full of sympathy. “You have all of us to lean on—Cade, too. He wants to stand with you, Gwen. Let him.”

  She nodded, but she wasn’t sure.

  “Come here.” He hugged her—a real hug, with Kaitlyn sandwiched between them. “Take some time to sort stuff out, but don’t let your need for control—your need for everything to be perfect—be an excuse to push people away. Don’t let fear prevent you from taking everything you’ve been looking for.”

  She closed her eyes, feeling soothed for the first time in days. “I love you, Nate.”

  He kissed her temple. “I love you, too, so be happy. That’s what we all want for you.”

  Chapter 28

  Cade stepped off the Orange Line train, settling his aviators in place as he took the stairs aboveground. He immediately headed west toward one of the city’s green spaces five blocks away, where Liam had agreed to meet him. Today was finally the day—the potential end to all the bullshit.

  He’d spent the last four days in close contact with his PI and various other associates, calling in favors, wielding his advantages as one of the world’s most powerful businessmen. His strategizing and maneuvering had paid off late last night when the deal he’d been working on fell into place. If all went well over the next several minutes, Liam would no longer be a problem in Gwen’s life.

  “Fucker,” he muttered, more than ready to end this, because the last few days had sucked. He’d respected Gwen’s wishes, giving her plenty of space. And it was killing him. They’d spoken on the phone a couple of times and texted. Gwen even sent him a few videos of Kaitlyn crawling around, being silly. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted to read Kaitlyn her bedtime stories and fall asleep with the woman he loved. He needed his family back. Hopefully, this was the first step.

  He lifted his hand in a wave when he spotted Liam dressed for a day of business in a designer-suit-and-tie combination. Primed to decimate, Cade cut across the sidewalk, joining Gwen’s ex by one of the unoccupied benches. He yearned to punch the bastard in the face, but he sent him a polite smile, holding out his hand instead. “Liam.”

  Liam accepted his handshake. “Cade. I have my first meeting across town in an hour, so I don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Then I’ll cut through the bullshit and get straight to the point.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “I’ve done some checking into you—”

  Liam huffed out a laugh as he looked to the sky.

  “You’re an excellent salesman,” Cade continued, fully aware that Liam had a massive ego that needed stroking. Plus, he’d been taught long ago that it played to his advantage to keep the competition off-balance and on their toes.

  Liam sobered, studying him, clearly trying to figure his angle.

  “One of my buddies is working on his second start-up. He needs a good salesman on his team.”

  Liam shook his head, taking a step back. “I’m not interested in start-ups.”

  Cade nodded his understanding. “They’re risky. But he sold his last for three billion. Medical technology.” He wanted to smile because he had Liam’s attention now—had his fucking number. Money was this man’s first and only love. “He’s moving into a new venture entirely. Herbal medicine.”

  Liam took another step back. “The exact opposite of what I do now. I’m in pharmaceuticals.”

  Cade shrugged. “You know as well as I do that a good salesman can sell anything. Mason’s interested in your track record, and he needs someone right away.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket, turning it over. “This would be your base pay.”

  Liam took the card, clenching his jaw as he looked at it.

  The numbers on the paper beat his curren
t salary by twenty-five percent. “Plus, there’s commission and the signing bonus.” He handed Liam another piece of paper in his opposite pocket with a quarter of a million dollars written on it—the money he’d personally fronted for this deal to go down, plus the five million he’d invested in his buddy’s new start-up. “You’d be expected to be in Sydney by the end of the month.”

  Liam narrowed his eyes, rocking back on the heels of his thousand-dollar loafers. “This is generous. But I have to ask. Why are you doing this?”

  “Because I want you to go away. I want you to drop the custody case and leave Gwen alone. Permanently. Eventually, I want you to sign over your parental rights, so I can adopt Kaitlyn.”

  Liam raised his brow as a smug smile played over his pretty boy face. “A bribe?”

  Cade shrugged. “I look at it as unlimited earning potential—the opportunity to become a very rich man, very quickly.” Which would make fucking Uncle Aiden’s trust far less appealing. “You’ve got a week to decide before this deal goes away—before this is no longer an option. And it’s a sweet option, Liam.”

  “And if this doesn’t work for me?”

  Cade pulled off his glasses, cleaning the lenses on his golf shirt, well aware that his eyes burned lethal. “Then we’ll keep doing what we’re doing—paying for attorneys, which is nothing more than a nuisance for me. We can play your game until Kaitlyn’s eighteen if you’d like, but it’ll cost you.”

  Liam glared at him. “So, now you’re threatening me?”

  Cade shook his head, smiling coolly as he slid his glasses back on. “I’ve never been big on threats, particularly when they’re unnecessary.”

  Liam glanced at his watch. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble.”

  Cade jerked his shoulders again. “There’s not much I wouldn’t do for Gwen and Kaitlyn.”

  Liam gave his watch another glance.

  Ready for the kill shot—to end Liam O’ Leary—Cade slid his hands into his pockets. “I figure that a man who’s this invested in a lawsuit is as equally invested in his child. You make more than a decent income, Liam, so we’ll have to insist that you start paying your fair share.”

  Liam’s smirk was back. “She’s a baby. She doesn’t cost that much.”

  As if the fucker would know one way or the other. “The nanny we have coming in is the best of the best, and she’ll be paid accordingly. I was also thinking that we might want to invest in a private early childhood educator—”

  Liam huffed out another laugh. “Fuck that.”

  Cade fought back a grin, enjoying the hell out of playing with him. “Kaitlyn deserves a leg up—every opportunity we can give her. We’ll have her reading and writing by the age of three. And trilingual’s the way to go, don’t you think?” he asked in Mandarin.

  Liam scratched at his head, then fixed the knot on his tie.

  “That’s two salaries, plus year-round accommodations in high-priced rentals. Down the road, we’ll most likely be looking at sports camps, dance classes, orthodontics, prom dresses, first cars, and an ivy league education. She loves horses, so maybe we’ll get her lessons and a purebred, too—whatever Kaitlyn will want and need. For me, that’s a drop in the bucket. For you, that’ll start adding up. You’re spending money to make money, Liam, and eventually, you’ll lose. You’re putting more into this than you’ll ever get back, especially when we both know you don’t give a damn about Kaitlyn.”

  Liam swallowed.

  “My buddy’s number is on the card I’ve given you. If we haven’t heard anything by Monday, I’ll assume you’re happy with what you have going on now—that you’re ready to start contributing.” Cade turned, walking off, heading for the Orange Line, eager to get back to the island and find a way back into Gwen’s life.

  Gwen sat cross-legged on the living room couch, folding laundry, while Kaitlyn played with her toys on the area rug. Short on time and long on to-dos, she hurriedly picked up a pair of her daughter’s sweet little pajama pants, smoothing the soft fabric before she folded them in half, setting them among the large pile on the next cushion.

  Kaitlyn babbled away, wearing her pink-striped romper as she pressed her fingers against the Touch & Feel horse on one of her cardboard books, looking up and grinning when she caught Gwen’s eye.

  Always charmed by her adorable girl, Gwen grinned back. “What do you have there? Did you find a horsey in your book?” She gave a horse’s whinny her best attempt, wincing when she sounded nothing like Cade’s excellent imitation. “So, that was pretty bad. I’ll have to work on that.”

  Clearly unimpressed, Kaitlyn got back to playing, dropping the book, moving on to her next toy of choice.

  Chuckling, she shook her head, watching the baby exploring again as she reached into the basket. Her smile faded when she grabbed one of Cade’s T-shirts among the clean clothes, hesitating before she brought the cotton to her nose, craving to breathe him in. She sighed, closing her eyes when she only smelled laundry detergent.

  Looking Kaitlyn’s way again because it was suddenly too quiet, she rushed to her feet, gasping when her baby girl pulled herself up to fiddle with the new activity cube Cade had left gift wrapped on the doorstep yesterday afternoon. “Kaitlyn. You’re doing it. You’re standing.” She snatched up her phone, pressing record, eager to capture the moment.

  Kaitlyn’s little brow furrowed as she touched one of the colorful wooden blocks, pushing the red bead a small distance on the twisty metal track.

  “That’s the way. Look what you can do, honey!” Gwen hurried closer, grabbing Kaitlyn’s arm as her daughter lost her balance, falling back to the floor on her bottom. “Kaboom!”

  Kaitlyn laughed, clapping as she blew a raspberry before she crawled toward the hallway and stairs now guarded by the gates.

  Gwen turned the camera to herself, beaming her pride. “Can you believe it? She stood, Cade. Our girl just stood all by herself. I imagine I should go after her because we both know where she’s headed.” She crossed her eyes as she sent him a small smile instead of telling him how much she missed him—instead of confessing how bittersweet Kaitlyn’s latest big moment had been without having him there to help her celebrate.

  Ending the video, she blinked back her tears, vividly remembering silly dances and laughter when Kaitlyn hit her last milestone. Today there was only silence. Because she’d asked Cade to take a step back.

  Sighing, she sent off the video in a text, knowing that the little clips she shared were hardly enough. They’d been trying things her way for the last five days—the space she’d requested. She’d been searching for some semblance of balance and control in her life when it felt like everyone else was holding all the cards, but, ultimately, her separation from Cade had only left her unhappy.

  The phone calls and texts weren’t cutting it. He was too much a part of their lives for this to be the solution. A lot was going on—too much with the custody case—but shutting Cade out wasn’t the answer to her problems. Missing him—needing him—was only making everything worse.

  Tossing her phone on the couch, she followed Kaitlyn on her path, surprised that she could still laugh as her baby girl made it to the stairs. “You don’t give up. I’ll give you that, Miss Tenacious.”

  Kaitlyn looked up, fussing as she reached for the gate.

  “Not right now, honey.” Gwen picked her up. “We’ll go upstairs later.” She kissed her daughter’s cheek as she settled her on her hip. “How about we go outside? We can play by the water for a little while. We’ll bring some shovels and a couple of pails because it’s not going to be warm all that much longer.”

  Kaitlyn fussed some more as Gwen started toward the living room.

  “I know you’re bummed, but we’re going to have so much fun.” She danced her baby girl around, delighting her, making both of them laugh. “See? We’re having fun already.” She stopped when her phone started ringing, grinning as Kaitlyn looked around.

  “We’re getting a call, huh? I bet Cade wants
to tell us how excited he is because you stood all by yourself like a big girl. What do you think? Should Mommy invite him over for dinner?” Because he had been nothing but supportive and patient over the last several days. Because she needed to fix the most important relationship in her life.

  Grabbing her phone, she frowned when she read Liam’s name on her screen. “Oh God,” she whispered, immediately feeling her shoulders tensing, doing her best to prepare herself for the next disaster. Hesitating, she answered, needing to know what he wanted now. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Gwen.”

  Setting Kaitlyn down by her toys, she took several steps away, wanting to shield her daughter from any harsh conversations. “Um, I thought we were supposed to communicate through our attorneys from now on.”

  “That’s why I’m calling. I want to let you know that I’ve decided to drop the custody suit. I thought I should tell you myself.”

  She blinked, shaking her head, expecting him to say anything but that. “You—You’re—I’m sorry?”

  “I’ve accepted a job overseas. I’ll be moving to Sydney at the end of the month.”

  She gaped with his next surprise. “As in Sydney, Australia?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh,” she said, pressing her hand to her pounding heart while she watched her sweet, innocent baby girl playing with the activity cube, immediately knowing Cade had something to do with this. “When do you think you’ll see Kaitlyn again?” It was the ultimate and most vital question she needed an answer to.

  “It’s hard to say. With my new position and a big move, I don’t see myself heading back to the States for quite a while.”

  And just like that, her nightmare was over—at least for “quite a while.” “Then I wish you and Jessica the best of luck.”

  Because she needed to be the bigger person for Kaitlyn.

  “Jessica won’t be joining me. She’s decided she wants to stay here.”

  “Oh.” Gwen wanted to feel sad for her ex-husband—to remind him that there was more to life than money and prestige. But she could only be incredibly grateful that he would have no influence or impact on her daughter—that Kaitlyn would never know anything but kindness and love. “Good luck to you, Liam.”