Affairs & Atonements (10 page)

“What about?”

“About kissing me?”

“I didn’t mind that either.”

“I did!”

He looked at her amusedly.  “Why?”

“Because you’re engaged, for one.”

He sat up slowly.  It was true. He didn’t want to be unfaithful to Naomi. He had never cheated on her. But that was because there never had been any reason to cheat. He had never taken interest in any other woman. But now that he had found Christy, things were different. She was here with him and he couldn’t ignore that fact.

Her phone buzzed and she reached for it into her bag. Her face darkened as she read the ID on her screen. She rose up and walked away to take her call.

He stared after her curiously, wondering who it could be. His gut twisted with a possessive need to know.

*****

They arrived back at the lodge. Christy picked up her shopping and quietly returned to the family quarters.

She had noticed Chad’s car in the driveway. She walked inside and found him chatting to Margaret in the kitchen.

“Here she is,” Margaret said, announcing her arrival. “I thought I’d make Chad a cup of coffee while he waited for you.”

“Hey.” Christy greeted the cop with a smile. “Sorry we were a little late. We had to drag JR from the park.”

“JR.” Chad scratched the crown of his head. “I’d have to get used to that name. Where is he?”

“Run-off again, I bet. We have a couple of kids staying at the lodge.”

She neared to give him a hug and he gladly reached out for her waist, tugging her to him so he could kiss her on her lips.

“How have you been?” he asked, still holding her close to him.

“Okay. It’s been a little hectic these past few days.”

“Yeah?” he said, rubbing her arm. “You should have let me know Ash… um, I mean JR’s dad had come by.”

“Actually, he’s staying for a while,” Christie said slowly. “He’s been here five days already.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good for JR.”

“For JR, yes.” she sighed.

The screen door swung open and Ashton walked in, dressed in a new pair of jeans and a tee-shirt.

“Margaret, I got that stuff for you,” he started, before noticing a strange man had his arms around his wife. He froze, looking back and forth between Christy and the man. Obviously, no one but him was bothered about the stranger’s presence. Although, Christy did fluster and stepped a little away.

“Hi,” he said to the man, extending his hand. “I’m Ashton Pryor.”

“Oh right,” the man replied. “You’re JR’s dad. I’m Chad Sullivan. Christy’s boyfriend.”

“Christy’s husband,” Ashton said, shaking his hand.

Chad stepped away, taken aback slightly.

“We never divorced,” Christy explained quickly. “It’s why he came to Puyallup. Ashton’s engaged and he’s going to be married soon.”

“Oh, okay.” Chad beamed. “Congratulations.” He shook his hand again and with a little more enthusiasm than he did before.

“Thanks,” he grumbled, giving Christy a short annoyed glance. There was no reason for her to mention his engagement. It was just an engagement. Not like marriage. And until they were divorced, she shouldn’t be cuddled up so tightly to a handsome man like Chad Sullivan. Why?
Because… because she was a mother? Yes, she was a mother. That was it. She shouldn’t just let any man into her life. She had to think about JR. His safety and well-being was more important than dating Mr. Universe here.

He looked up at Chad Sullivan again. Damn, the man was gorgeous even from a male perspective.

“I heard you’re fixing the place up a bit while you’re here,” Chad said.

“Yeah.  I’ve heard there’s new competition up the road. A little face-lift would do well for the business,” Ashton said.

“Yes, it will.” Chad nodded.

“Margaret, I got that stuff to fix up your garden,” said Ashton. “I’ll get onto it now.”

“I… I could help,” Chad said.

“Um… that’s okay,” Ashton replied. “I’ve got it.”

“I’m quite good with the hammer as well. I’ll change into something comfortable and join you.”

“No, it’s perfectly fine.” Ashton waved his hands politely at him, trying to decline his offer without offending the women in the room. He didn’t need the man now of all times. He already had his arms around his wife. He didn’t want him outshining him with his carpentry skills too. This was his moment and there was no fucking way this blond dude was gonna get it.

He retreated quickly out of the kitchen and headed straight towards the verandah, grumbling to himself. Some lousy luck he had! The man should be out protecting the community or something until he had his three weeks with Christy. Surely by then he would be able to make
some
impression on her. The cop’s appearance at this stage was too damned early.

He picked his bundle of timber and stamped out into the garden. He was going to do this and he was going to do this alone- without the help of Chad Sullivan.

An hour later, Chad Sullivan joined him, his muscles ripping out of his tight tee-shirt. In the distance, he caught sight of the two women he had been desperately trying to win the last five days swooning over the man beside him. His self-declared arch-rival instead was seemingly oblivious of either of them as he busily sawed through another length of timber.

*****

The heat bore down on them as they labored over the garden plot. Sweat trickled down the sides of their faces while they braced the border frames.

Chad raised his head to wipe his face with his shirt when he saw Christy standing at the verandah watching them. She held a jug of cold lemonade and he beamed immediately with delight. He needed both this minute.

“I’m gonna take a break if you don’t mind,” he said. “I have my girl and a cold drink waiting for me. I don’t think I can spare to miss it.”

Ashton glanced up to find Christy shading her eyes from the sun and smiling at Chad. Chad sprinted up to her, took her by the waist and kissed her. His stomach churned. His chest walls constricted his heart. Bile ran up his throat and he could almost feel the distaste in his mouth.

He strolled up to them, his eyes unable to tear away from Christy’s. She, on the other hand, was busily trying to avoid his.

“Is there any for me?” he asked.

“Excuse me?” Christy stammered.

“Juice. Any left for me?”

“Yes, of course,” she answered shakily and poured him out a glass.

His fingers grazed hers as he took it from her.

She withdrew them quickly. She didn’t like him touching her. It did something to her nerves. Jolting her. Awakening her, ceasing her heart-beat.

She swore inside her. She was finally moving on with her life. She had met a great guy who could give her the love she had been craving for all this while. And then
he
had to suddenly turn up and ruin it.

“How long have you two been dating?” Ashton asked them.

“A while,” she said confidently, sweeping her pony tail behind her.

“Three months,” Chad added and she reddened. “You could call that ‘a while’, I guess,” he continued, completely unaware that he had embarrassed her.

“I suppose.” Ashton grinned. The dude was all ripped but he had absolutely no clue on the cardinal rules of dating, the primal one being to never correct his woman in public.

“I met Christy two years ago and have been trying to impress her since. Fortunately, all that work paid off when she finally relented and agreed to give me a shot three months ago,” Chad said proudly.

Ashton smiled. So they had just started dating. This was good news. In fact, this was fabulous news. Chad hadn’t completely woven his way into Christy’s heart. He could tell by the way the cop continually tried to impress her. The poor man had no clue he had just shot himself in the foot by giving away their dating history.

“We may have met under unfavorable circumstances,” Chad said, putting an arm around Christy. “But in the end, it turned out well for us.”

“What unfavorable circumstances?” Ashton asked, raising his brow with curiosity. How more unfavorable could it get than meeting Chad Sullivan?

“The lodge got robbed. The robber even entered the family quarters looking for the till. Christy, Margaret and JR were asleep in their rooms. Fortunately, the thief didn’t go any further than the living room. One of the guests had spotted him lurking around and alerted the authorities before he could.”

Christy paled on hearing the account of the robbery again.

“I have to go get some paperwork done,” she said.

She gave Chad a small smile but the little tremble at the corners of her mouth didn’t escape Ashton.

“I’ll catch you later then,” Chad said softly, leaning into her and gave her a small kiss.

She walked away towards her office, trying desperately to hold herself up on her quavering legs.

*****

Ashton looked out of his bedroom window. The moon was bright and full. It was almost ten o’clock in the night and he still couldn’t get to sleep despite laboring all day on Margaret’s garden.

He combed his fingers through his hair and sighed. It was Chad’s account of the robbery that kept him awake and tossing.

The thief had broken open the latch of a sliding door with a crow bar and then crept inside with a knife in his hand. He had torn through the drawers in search of valuables and slashed the couches for the heck of it. If he had been intending on terrifying the women, he had done a good job of it. It was clear Christy was still shaken from the incident, although as Chad had said, it had occurred two years ago.

He shivered. If he had been two years late, he might never have known his son.

Despite the cool air of the air-conditioner, sweat beaded his forehead. Had the robber time to carry out his sinister intentions, would JR, Margaret and Christy still be alive?

His body tensed, a chill ran up him. And the worst would have been that he wouldn’t have been here to help them. Visions of them screaming for help, languishing in pain from their wounds, bathed in blood… flooded his mind. He sat heavily on his bed, panting in short and rapid breaths.

He grabbed his jacket and keys to the crew cab. He badly needed a drink. Stepping down the staircase, he noticed a thin ray of light streaming under Christy’s study. It seemed he wasn’t the only one not getting any rest tonight.

He hovered in the hallway, contemplating about what he should do now that he knew she was also awake and restless. He bit his lower lip and then mustered up courage to rap on her door lightly.

“Who is it?”she called out.

He turned the door knob and stepped inside. “Hi.”

“I asked who was outside my door. I don’t remember giving anyone permission to walk in,” she said sternly.

He decided to ignore her, taking note instead of the papers scattered about her desk. “You’re working late.”

“I couldn’t sleep. So I thought I’d get some work done. I’ve been lagging on the paperwork. With the insurmountable lot I have, it might even put me to sleep,” she said drily, looking wearily at her files.

“Anything I can do to help?”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. And you shouldn’t anyway. You’ve done enough for us as it is.”

His eyes narrowed. “It’s not charity, Christy.”

“I’d rather it was.” She stared back at him, challenging him.

“I’m doing this for my son. You should give me some slack after hiding him from me for ten years. You’re lucky I’m not taking this further than I should.”

“Hid him? Yes, maybe you could call it that. But have you forgotten why? Have you not one conscience in your body that you’re the reason why I did what I did? You almost ruined my life, Ashton Pryor and I will never forgive you for that!”

She ached. He knew she ached. And he did too because she did. He wanted to hold her, to wrap her in his arms and tell her he was sorry. But she wouldn’t accept it yet. Not now and not like this.

“You’re right,” he said slowly. “I was wrong. But can’t you see that that’s why I am here?”

“You’re here to get a divorce because you want to get married to your beautiful model girlfriend,” she spat. She trembled, her body shaking from the anger and pain inside her. “Why won’t you take your papers and go, Ashton? Why won’t you just divorce me and go back to your life? You’ve got everything you’ve ever dreamed of. A great job, a beautiful fiancée. Why will you not leave me the one thing I wanted? A family.”

“Because he’s my family too.”

“You didn’t know he existed. What difference does it make to you?”

“That’s not the point.”

She clutched his shirt desperately. “You could have your own family, Ashton. With Naomi… or whatever her name is. Just leave… leave us. I beg you.”

“I can’t do that, Christy. Don’t ask me to. I could never do that.”

Her pleas turned to rage as she began tugging at his shirt roughly, beating at his torso.

“Why?!” she cried. “Why won’t you let me be? Why won’t you go? Go, go, go!”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and she squirmed in his embrace.

“I hate you!” she screamed. “I hate you! I’ll never forgive you for what you did to me! Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Let me go!”

*****

It took her a while to settle in his arms, but thankfully she did, Ashton sighed.

She lifted her head slowly. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I just don’t understand why you’re here, Ashton. And when I try, it makes me nervous.”

“It’s okay.” He cupped the side of her face, massaging her jaw line tenderly with the pad of his thumb. “I know I made a mistake eleven years ago. I should have tried harder to find you. If I had, you wouldn’t have suffered so much.”

She stared at him with disbelief and then pushed him away. “You should go, Ashton.”

He looked at her in bafflement. He had said or done something to annoy her again. But what? He was apologizing, wasn’t he? How much more remorse could he show? How much more was he to atone for his sins?

“I don’t think so,” he said aloud.

She glared at him.

“Whatever it is Christy, why won’t you discuss it and sort it out with me,” he insisted. “You can’t keep stuffing down your aggression like that. It’s not helping any of us. Not forgetting that it isn’t healthy either.”

“Oh, so you want to help?”

“Yes…yes I do.”

“Here’s something you can possibly help with. Get the fuck out of my office.”

“Can’t do.”

“Get out of my life.”

“Can’t do either.”

“How about apologizing for marrying me?!” she screamed.

He grew quiet.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” she challenged. “Come on, that’s an easy one. You never meant to marry me. I was never intended to be the Pryor bride.”

“I can never apologize for that.”

She riled. “Why won’t you?”

He braced his neck with his hands in utter frustration. How could he answer that when all he had was a reason that didn’t make any sense? He had wanted her. He still did. “Because if I apologized for that, that would mean apologizing for having JR.”

She stared after him and then collapsed wearily into a chair. “I suppose that’s the only good thing that’s come out of this stupid ruckus between us.”

He leaned onto her desk, giving her room to calm down.

“I’m glad you’re in JR’s life, Ashton,” she said after a little while. “I just want you to know that I am truly happy about that.”

“And I will do all I can to ensure he always has us both in his life.”

“And I’m not helping much in that way, am I?”

She laid her head back against the back rest of her chair, closing her eyes.

Ashton watched her and it took all his strength to not lean down into her and kiss her creamy skin at her neck; to trace his kisses all the way up to her chin, her mouth…

He turned away. There was only so much a man could take. He glanced over at the papers strewn on her desk.

“What’s all these?” he asked, picking one up.

“Bills,” she said, not bothering to look at what he was referring to.

He perked his mouth. “You’re due on some.”

“Tell me about it.”

“What’s keeping you from paying them?”

“Money.” She sighed and opened her eyes. “If I had some, I wouldn’t have to be riddled with those. Doesn’t take a fifth grader to figure that out.”