A Promise of Forever (3 page)

“I think this conversation is over and I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you in person that you can take this job and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.
My resignation will be on your desk this afternoon.”
Katelyn was shaking; she was so angry.
It took a few minutes more for her to gain her composure and leave the restaurant.
She couldn’t get out to the safety of the street fast enough.

As she started to walk along the crowded streets of Manhattan, she realized that what she had just done was stupid and impulsive.
Jack Taylor may have aggravated and upset her but he had just openly admitted to a
takeover, in a few days time.
An announcement was imminent and she had just ruined her chances of staying on after the merger.
She should have at least ridden the storm to find out where she stood after all the dust settled.
There was the off chance that she would have been asked to stay on.
Why do I always have a problem controlling my stubborn Irish temper?
It was her knee jerk reactions that always got her into trouble.

She finally arrived back at the office to clear out her desk and hopefully make one final call to Kevin.
There was nothing stopping her from taking an extended vacation now.
She wondered what Adam would have to say when his father shared the news with him over tonight’s dinner table.
Katelyn was sure his father would put a completely different spin on her hasty withdrawal from the company.

It took all of about fifteen minutes to pack up her desk and box everything.
She was repeatedly stopped by other staff members, curious about what she was doing.
It didn’t take long before the office was buzzing with speculation.
Katelyn decided, for Adam’s sake, she would say nothing to the office rumormongers.
Let them focus their gossip on her for now and leave the worry about their futures and the merger for later.

Katelyn recalled being the focus of gossip once before in her life.
She had returned to college, from winter break, barefoot and pregnant.
She dealt with that gossip the same way she wanted to deal with this mess.
She was going to ignore the whispers and take the high road.
These unsuspecting people, who had families to feed and support, had no idea what was about to happen to them.
Some coworkers, who she had come to admire, would lose their jobs and the security they had relied upon over the years.
It didn’t seem fair for her to be privy to this information and not be able to share it with them.

Katelyn left the building feeling like a criminal as she hailed a cab.
Jack Taylor had seen to it that she be immediately escorted from the building but not before being searched like a two-bit hoodlum.
Her apartment was about a half-hour away by cab and she decided to use the time to call Kevin.
His secretary answered promptly and put her call through to him.
She smiled when she heard his voice.
“For a minute there I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me,” she teased.
She’d telephoned him several times a week which is why she didn’t think he’d suspect anything with this particular call.

“How are you, Irish?
How's Jenny doing?” he asked lovingly.
“You know better than anyone that, other than my wife, your call always takes top priority.”
He had always called her Irish.
It was a nickname given to her years earlier by a close neighbor when they were kids and it stuck.
Her neighbor had always thought she wore the map of Ireland on her face.
Willie, the neighbor in question, had always called her Irish affectionately and Katelyn didn’t seem to mind, not even later when Kevin picked it up as well.
“Did your intuition kick in again?
I was going to call you later today,” Kevin whispered in a teasing on edge voice.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about but I needed to talk to you.
I have something important to discuss with you,” she added.
He’d known when she was troubled before but this time she was worrying him.
There was something in the tone of her voice that made him worry.
Kevin had been her only family since their parents’ accident and they had become very close.
He felt her pain when she hurt and her joy when she was happy.
It was a special connection they both shared.
She could never hide her feelings from him.

After talking about the events of the day, Kevin convinced her that, in this instance, Adam was right.
She and Jenny should come out to Montana for as long as it takes to clear her head.
“It’s not as if I’m a struggling attorney, Kate.
If you don’t find a job right away, it’s no big deal.
I could always help out, until you get back on your feet.
That’s why I’m here, Irish, remember that,” he said after her protests; he had already done so much for her, she felt.

“Kevin, I think you have supported Jenny and I long enough.
I’m not going down that road again.
I need to do this for myself.
Things are different now.
I’m an adult and I’ll find work.
Jenny and I will be just fine.
However, I will take you up on your offer for a short visit.
By the way, we were so busy discussing me and my problems; what news do you have to share?” she asked.

There were a few quiet seconds of hesitation before he spoke and Katelyn knew he was holding back to protect her.
“I’m not sure that this is the time to tell you after the news you just shared.” he said hesitantly.
“Then again, maybe it’s the best time.
Sylvia and I found out a few months ago that we’re expecting a baby.”
She could feel Kevin’s chest bursting with pride even though she wasn’t there to witness it.
She was so happy for them both.
They had waited so long for this joyous event.
She remembered Sylvia telling her recently that they had given up hope and were going to be looking into adoption.

“Oh Kevin, I’m so happy for both of you.
How were you able to keep this from me for this long?” she asked.
She couldn’t help the tears as they happily flowed down her cheeks.
At least this time they were tears of joy.
The cab had finally reached the apartment and she told Kevin she would have to call him back later when Jenny got home from school.

Katelyn walked around the apartment and stopped when she arrived at the door to Jenny’s room.
She smiled, as she glanced around at all the stuffed animals scattered along the wall.
She couldn’t wait to become an aunt to Kevin and Sylvia’s child and spoil her niece or nephew the same way they had spoiled Jenny.
It must have killed Kevin not to tell me
.
She decided to call Sylvia right away and offer her congratulations.

Sylvia was tickled pink to be able to talk about her pregnancy and glad that Kevin had finally told Katelyn.
Sylvia explained to Katelyn that it bothered them both not to be able to share their news with her but she wanted to get past that first critical stage of her pregnancy since previous attempts had failed.
“I’m due around October 15th.
I don’t need to tell you how nervous we both are,” she reiterated.

Yes, happy and nervous all at the same time.
She remembered those feelings and informed Sylvia of the gamut of feelings she would go through, until the baby came.
The first emotion she would feel would be excitement.
A baby was a gift, a part of two people who loved each other.
“You both waited so long for this to happen; nothing will go wrong this time.
Besides, you have two angels watching over you.”
She held the cordless phone in her hand and walked over to her wall of memories.
This wall held all the images of her favorite people in frames which she proudly displayed.
It was there that she smiled as she touched the outline of the faces of her parents.

“Look out for the baby, Mom
,” she whispered silently.
She missed her parents more than she had ever let on to anyone.
The one and only person who knew just how devastated that loss was to her was Kevin.
It was another feeling they mutually shared.
She continued her conversation with Sylvia, all the while glancing from frame to frame.
She had come upon the one of the three musketeers and smiled.
It was a picture that Kevin had sent her while away at college, him and his two best friends, Gianfranco Broccolini and Jake Lonetree.

The three men shared a lot of good and bad memories alike during their time together in college.
They each had a story to tell as to what led them to Yale and in turn led them to each other.
Jake was a very good-looking American Indian and proud of it.
He fought his way to the top of his high school class and was offered a scholarship for all his hard work by an unknown donor.
While at Yale he was called upon to defend his heritage time and again and it often ended in physical brawls.
Gianfranco and Kevin were more than willing to throw a few fists of their own in aiding their friend.

Jake shocked them all when he announced after graduation that he had enlisted in the service and yet they weren’t surprised to later hear that he had become part of a Navy Seal elite squad.
It was that military training that quieted the restlessness he had always felt.
With his Ivy League education in business and his Navy Seal training, Jake became a very wealthy man in civilian life.
He was the one person Kevin trusted to keep an eye on Katelyn and Jenny after Kevin accepted a position at a large law firm in Montana.

She and Jake had formed a lasting friendship over the years and spent a lot of time together.
Some friends and coworkers alike wondered if there was more to their relationship than friendship.

Then there was the third member of the trio, Gianfranco Broccolini.
Unbeknownst to Kevin, he and Katelyn formed a relationship quite different than the one she formed with Jake; that liaison would change Katelyn’s life forever.
He taught her what it was like to be totally consumed by love and then, afterwards, he tore her heart from her chest and hurt her so badly she thought she would never recover.
The only saving grace was that Kevin and Jake never found out about the affair.
Had they figured out who had fathered her child, it would have upset and disappointed both men.
It was a secret she swore to keep to herself.

Gianfranco Broccolini entered Yale to break away from the presumptuous rich cronies that surrounded him since his grandmother’s demise, when he was sixteen.
He had no family left to speak of and an education abroad seemed to be the best solution for him until his trust fund was released to his care.
He had the grades and the money to pay for his education himself.
The lawyers may have had temporary control over his amass fortune but when he turned twenty-five he took over full control of his company, and no one could stop him.
He’d doubled his investments and holdings in a short amount of time.
It didn’t take long before the men and women who hadn’t had to answer to him before respected him and were learning from him.

“Sylvia, have you, by any chance, heard from Gianfranco?” she asked as she glared at his picture.
She thought she heard her sister-in-law teasingly ask if she could make things move too and wondered what she meant by that.

“Kevin was right; you really do have a sixth sense.
We were just talking to Gianfranco yesterday.
He flew to the states on business last week and, if I’m not mistaken, he left for New York City yesterday.
He told us he’s back in the States for good this time.
I guess we’ll all be seeing a lot more of him.
Your brother is thrilled that he’s back in the country and I can only imagine that Jake is too.
The three musketeers back together again; it’s a little scary to think about.”
Stopping to take a breath, Sylvia laughed before continuing.

“I believe Kevin gave Gianfranco your number and asked him to look in on you.
He told him he should hook up with Jake and get a home-cooked meal at your place,” she added jokingly.
She loved her conversations with Katelyn and when they got on the phone it was as if they lived around the corner and had just spoken, never missing a beat.

“Jake never needed an invitation to come for dinner.
He’s been known to stop by and check up on us.
I’m sure he’s following my brother’s orders.”
She loved her brother but sometimes he was a bit overbearing.
Kevin thought she needed a man in her life and poor Jake bore the brunt of his over-protective attitude.
She was sure Jake passed up many dates to spend time with her and Jenny.

“Jake never minded spending time with you, Kate, and my husband is just a worry wart.
Maybe, with a new baby to keep him occupied, he’ll leave you alone,” Sylvia teased.
“By the way, I don’t know if I should mention this or not but Jake didn’t think Adam was the right guy for you and I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear you’re done with him; he never told us why he felt that way though.”