Almost Like Love (20 page)

They walked back to the car soon afterwards. Jacob was happy to see Kate, although he was embarrassed that she’d come out to White Plains to look for him.

His plan, he told them, had been to take the train back to Manhattan, head for the museum where the school had gone for its field trip, and rejoin his class. He’d been hoping with eleven-year-old optimism that no one would notice he was gone.

“I didn’t mean to worry you guys. Honest.”

He looked even guiltier when he heard Ian making phone calls—to the police, to the school, and to the friends he’d enlisted to help in the search.

Finally Ian slid the phone back in his pocket and turned to look at his nephew. “Why didn’t you ask me to bring you here, Jacob? I would have.”

Jacob looked down at his sneakers. “I know, but . . . I kind of wanted to be alone with my mom.” He flushed. “I guess that sounds stupid.”

“No,” Ian said gently. “It doesn’t sound stupid.”

Jacob looked up again. “Maybe next time, though, we could go together.”

Ian felt tears stinging the insides of his eyelids. “I’d like that,” he said.

They drove to Jacob’s old neighborhood, stopping at the house of the neighbors who’d taken in Remeow. The big orange feline was lounging on the porch, and Ian, who’d been afraid he might not remember Jacob after a year, was astonished when the cat came to meet the boy like an old friend, twining around his ankles and arching his head up for petting.

“You’re really going to move to a new apartment just so Jacob can have his cat?”

When he looked at Kate, she was grinning at him.

“Yes. Do you think that’s crazy?”

She shook her head. “I think it’s wonderful.”

“Considering the source, I don’t find that reassuring.”

Kate smacked him lightly on the arm and turned to greet Mrs. Burton, who’d just come out of the house. The woman had a friendly hello for the two of them and a huge hug for Jacob, who settled down on the porch swing with Remeow in his lap while the adults went inside the house.

Ian gave Mrs. Burton a brief summary of the day’s events, finishing with his intention to bring Remeow to Manhattan as soon as he found a new apartment.

“Well, I won’t deny that I’ll miss him—but I’m delighted that he and Jacob will be reunited. I’ve never known a boy kinder to animals than your nephew. He has a good heart.”

Ian nodded. “He does.”

“You know,” Kate put in, “Remeow could stay with me while you’re apartment hunting. That way Jacob could visit him.”

“Gallifrey wouldn’t mind?”

“Oh, he’ll mind. But he’ll deal with it.”

“Well . . .” He glanced at Mrs. Burton. “Would it be all right if we took Remeow home with us today?”

The dark-haired woman nodded. “Of course. Although . . .” She hesitated. “My husband was looking forward to seeing Jacob, after he called this morning to ask if he could come for a visit. We didn’t realize he was away without leave,” she added with a wry smile. “We both dearly love that boy, you know. We watched him for Tina from the time he was a baby.”

Ian nodded. “My sister loved you like family.”

Tears sprang to Mrs. Burton’s eyes. “Thank you.” She wiped her eyes, gave a quick sigh, and then smiled. “I tell you what. You probably want to get him home as soon as you can, after the stressful day you’ve had. But we’d love to have Jacob stay with us tonight. We talked about having him over all last year, but nothing ever came of it.”

Ian had been aware of the standing invitation, but, given the monthly visits to his grandparents that already disrupted Jacob’s schedule, he’d thought it would be better for his nephew to be home the rest of the time. Now he wished he’d reached out to Mrs. Burton sooner.

“Let me go talk to Jacob,” he said.

An hour later, having had tea and cookies and met Mr. Burton, Ian was driving south on the Saw Mill Parkway with Kate in the passenger seat. They’d been invited to breakfast the next morning with the Burtons, after which they would take Jacob—and Remeow—back to Manhattan.

It was a quiet drive. Ian’s heart was too full for him to be able to say much. Every so often he glanced at Kate, who was looking thoughtful beside him.

Something had happened to him in that cemetery. It was as though everything inside him had shaken loose from its moorings. And after the dust had settled, all his priorities had shifted.

Things that had once seemed important no longer did. And things he’d once believed he could live without, he now knew he couldn’t.

He pulled up in front of Kate’s building, and the two of them sat in silence for a moment.

He was the one to break it.

“If your answer is no, I’ll understand. But is there a chance you’d consider coming home with me tonight? Not to sleep with me—just to stay with me. I have two guest rooms, and you can have your pick.”

Kate looked at him. “I will if that’s what you want. But why don’t you stay here instead? I have a guest room, too. And I’m ten minutes closer to White Plains,” she added with a smile.

A wave of gratitude filled him. “I’d love to stay here. Thanks, Kate.”

She directed him to the nearest garage, and a little while later the two of them were sitting in Kate’s living room.

They talked about Jacob, and Tina, and Kate’s three brothers. They talked about music and their favorite movies. They talked about
Powers
, and which actors they thought should voice the different characters.

Kate informed him that he should start getting more comfortable with cats, and as a first step she put Gallifrey in his lap and showed him how he liked to be petted.

At first he just put up with it. But after a while, as Gallifrey settled down and began to purr, he actually started to enjoy it.

“You know, there
is
something kind of comforting about having a cat on your lap,” he mused.

Kate nodded smugly. “There’s a scientific basis for that. Cats purr within a range of twenty to a hundred and forty hertz, which has proven therapeutic benefits, from lowering blood pressure to promoting bone strength.”

It was at that moment that Ian knew the truth.

He was in love with Kate Meredith.

As he sat there looking at her, it occurred to him that for the rest of his life he’d never be able to forget that cats purr within a range of 20 to 140 hertz.

There was nothing explosive or earth-shattering about the realization. It came gently, softly, almost invisibly.

But it changed everything.

Someday soon, he was going to tell her. But first he wanted a chance to show her that he was a man worth loving.

So when they realized it had gotten late, he didn’t give in to the urge to sweep her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Instead he followed her down the hall to the guest room, thanked her for the spare toothbrush and towels, and said good night.

He shucked his clothes and slid naked between the clean-smelling sheets. Everyth
ing in this room made him think of Kate—the comfortable cleanliness, the mix of antique and modern furniture, the pictures on the walls and the books on the shelves.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTEEN

K
ate lay awake for a long time, staring up at the ceiling.

It had happened while Ian was walking across the grass towards Jacob. She’d known exactly how he felt—how much he wanted to say the perfect thing to his nephew, and how certain he was that whatever he said would be the wrong thing.

But she didn’t just know how he was feeling. She knew
him
.

And she loved him.

She shifted restlessly in bed, curling up on her side with her hands tucked under her chin.

The thought of telling Ian how she felt seemed impossible. She knew she loved him, but nothing else had changed. He was still himself, commitment-shy and emotionally unavailable.

And she was still herself.

She might be more emotionally mature than Ian, but that wasn’t saying much.

She’d been with Chris for the wrong reasons. She’d been with him because it was easy and comfortable and predictable. Not exciting, not challenging, not exhilarating—just simple.

Being with Ian would never be simple.

She wasn’t ready for that—and God knew Ian wasn’t. But right now he was sleeping in her guest bedroom after a day that had wrung his heart and wiped him out emotionally.

And she wanted to comfort him. To be with him.

It would only be for one night, but she could live with that. As her grandmother had always said, right now is all we ever have.

She got out of bed and shed her pajamas. Then, naked, she went down the hall and opened Ian’s door.

He was asleep.

For a minute she just looked at him, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. God, he was beautiful. Big and broad and strong and the sexiest man she’d ever known.

She went over to his bed and slid under the covers. She pressed her body to his, realizing immediately that he was naked, too.

He stirred and woke.

“Kate?” he said, his voice blurry with sleep. “Is this a dream?”

A sudden spasm of affection squeezed her heart.

“No,” she murmured, letting her hand trail down his body. “I just realized there’s something I didn’t get to do the last time you were here.”

She found his shaft and closed her fingers around it.

“Oh yeah?” he said hoarsely, his hands fisting in the sheets. “What’s that?”

“I want to make you come with my mouth.”

He hardened against her palm with a low moan. “Okay, now I
know
this is a dream.”

She smiled at him, and then she slid down the bed and swirled her tongue over his hot, hard, throbbing flesh.

Ian groaned.

Kate took her time, enjoying the feel and taste of him—and the intense pleasure of driving him crazy. Before long he was twisting his hips and pushing himself into her, growling out her name and sliding one hand into her hair. She rode the waves of his desire to culmination, swallowing down the essence that spilled into her mouth and licking him gently as he came down from his orgasm.

“Come here,” he said at the end of a long, satisfied sigh.

He spread his arms and she scooted up the bed, snuggling against his side as he stroked her hair.

“That was incredible,” he murmured. “What did I do to deserve it?”

She put her arm around him. “Nothing. I did that for me, not for you.”

He smiled. “I see. Well, then—I think the next thing we do should be for me.”

A shiver of anticipation went through her.

“What did you have in mind?”

He shifted onto his side. “The last time I was here, you told me you don’t let men go down on you. Is that still your policy?”

Her heart was pounding, but she just rolled onto her back and gazed up at the ceiling. “Well . . . I suppose it would only be fair to make an exception for you. After all, you’ve had a hard day. And you did let me go down on you.”

“Mmmm” was all he said.

Then he was between her legs.

She squeaked, and then she moaned.

The next several minutes passed in a haze of pleasure. When she came it seemed to go on forever, her nerve endings lighting up like the Fourth of July.

Ian kissed his way back up her body and lay beside her, putting an arm around her waist and holding her close. In a few minutes they were asleep.

They woke up in the middle of the night, making love. Kate wasn’t conscious of the transition; she knew only that one minute she was sleeping and the next she was on her back with Ian above her.

When he stroked his arousal against her heat, she gasped and threw her legs wide.

His eyes burned into hers. “You’re sure about the pill? You’re okay using just that?”

“Yes. And I’m clean. You?”

“Had a physical three months ago, and I haven’t been with anyone but you since.”

“Then for God’s sake—”

He kissed her hard as he thrust inside her.

They went slow this time, drawing it out. She was hungry for him to the point of desperation, but she didn’t want it to end, and Ian seemed to feel the same way.

His climax followed just after hers, and when the aftershocks subsided, Ian rolled to his side and pulled her against his chest.

God, she loved it there. Surrounded by Ian’s big, warm body, she’d never felt so safe and so wild at the same time.

It was a wonderful combination.

She closed her eyes, figuring they’d fall asleep again. But after a minute Ian pulled back, and when she opened her eyes he was looking at her very seriously.

“There’s something I have to tell you.”

“All right,” she said gently, knowing what was coming.

He was going to tell her that while tonight had been wonderful, he wasn’t ready for more. And then she’d tell him she felt the same way.

“Kate, I love you.”

For a moment the words didn’t register. When they did, she blinked.

Okay, not what she’d expected. But she still knew what to do.

She kissed him softly and took his face between her hands.

“That’s a very sweet thing to say, Ian. Really. But don’t worry . . . I won’t hold you to it in the morning.”

He frowned. “But I want you to hold me to it.”

She shook her head and smiled. “Let’s get some sleep now, okay? We need to be on the road by eight thirty tomorrow.”

“But—”

“Shh,” she said, kissing him again.

He looked like he wanted to argue with her. Then he sighed and pulled her against him.

Kate, I love you.

For an instant after he’d said those words, her heart had soared—until she’d ruthlessly sent it back to her chest, where it belonged.

Ian was not a long-haul guy and probably never would be.

But even though nothing would come of it, she would treasure that moment forever.

He hadn’t said “I love you” to a woman since Paula, but it hadn’t been hard, or terrifying, or any of the things he’d always thought it would be. Saying those words to Kate had been the easiest thing he’d ever done.

Now all he had to do was convince her he actually meant them.

Later that evening, after he and Jacob had settled Remeow at Kate’s and gone back to their apartment, it occurred to Ian that he had access to someone who might be able to help him with his problem.

“Jacob, I need your advice.”

“
My
advice? Sure.”

They’d had Chinese for dinner and were eating brownies for dessert. Ian led the way into the living room and sat down across from his nephew.

“Okay, so . . . here’s the thing.” He took a deep breath. “I’m in love with Kate, and I want her to go out with me.”

Jacob’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “You’re in love with
Kate
?”

He sounded so surprised that Ian wondered if he disapproved. Maybe he even had a crush on her, or something like that.

“Um, yeah. Are you okay with that?”

“Okay with it? Of course I am! It just seems like, you know . . . you guys fight a lot. And I know you apologized, but you were really mean to her about that whole—”

“I know.”

“I just don’t want you to get your hopes up,” Jacob went on, sounding like a concerned older brother instead of his eleven-year-old nephew. “I mean, Kate might not feel that way about you.”

No kidding.

“I know that,” he said. “But I have to give it my best shot, you know?”

Jacob nodded solemnly.

“So that’s why I need your advice. I need a romantic way to tell her. You’ve gotten to know Kate pretty well in the last month, and you’re creative like she is. I thought you might have some ideas.”

“Hmm,” Jacob said thoughtfully. “Well . . . I think the best thing you could do is make it into a story for her.”

“A story?”

“Sure. Kate loves stories. And she thinks they’re important.”

“Important? What do you mean?”

“Kate says that without stories, reality would destroy us. She says stories and myths and heroes challenge us to be worthy of a larger reality. To listen to the better angels of our nature. To be more than what we are.”

A sudden rush of goose bumps swept over his skin.

“Kate says that, huh?”

Jacob nodded.

Ian sat back in his chair. “Well, kid, I think you’ve got something there.”

“I just thought of something else.”

“Yeah?”

“Next weekend is her friend’s wedding.”

He was right—Saturday was the twelfth. “I’d forgotten all about it.”

“Weddings are really romantic, right? You should tell her then. At the wedding. If you’re going with her.”

Was
he going with her? He supposed the first thing to do was find out the answer to that question.

“Thanks, Jacob. You’ve been a big help.”

He gave her a call that night. “Kate?”

“Hey, Ian. How’s Jacob?”

“Doing well, I think. He’s looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday.” He paused. “He also reminded me that next weekend is Jessica’s wedding.”

He heard her gusty sigh over the phone. “Yes, it is. God help me.”

“I was just wondering . . . do you still need a date?”

A short silence. “Well . . . I guess I do. Sure. That would be nice.”

“You also mentioned something about the rehearsal dinner.”

“That’s on Friday night.”

“I’d like to escort you to that, too.”

Another pause. “Jessica did ask us to confirm by tomorrow if we’re bringing dates, so she can give the restaurant the final head count.”

“So how about it?”

“You really want to put yourself through this? There’ll be toasts and speeches and a lot of obnoxious people.”

“Which restaurant is it at?”

“Ludano’s, on the Upper East Side.”

“Then the food will make up for the speeches.”

He heard her laugh. “Okay, then, you’re on. Pick me up at six thirty.”

“I’ll be there.”

And he would. He sure as hell would.