Baby, Come Home (17 page)

28

A
my felt the condemning stares of the women standing in the hallway of the boardinghouse. A choking sense of déjà vu washed over her. She was back in Sweetness, and being judged. Everyone knew everyone else’s business, things hadn’t changed at all.

“What are you looking at?” Tony shouted at them, putting out his arms to shield her.

They hid their children’s eyes and pulled them back into their rooms. Amy lifted a hand to her wild rat’s nest of red hair and pulled her robe closer around her. Mortified, she clasped Tony by the shirt-sleeve and tugged him into her room.

She closed the door, then panicked all over again by the disarray—her gown, her underwear, condom wrappers. She turned Tony toward the bathroom and marched him inside. “Stay in there until I tell you to come out. I’m going to get dressed.”

When the door closed she took a deep, cleansing breath and held it until her eyes watered, then exhaled, shaking.

This was bad. Her behavior went against everything she’d tried to teach him about intimate relationships between men and women. Heaped on top of his raw emotional state, it could be traumatizing. What had she been thinking to allow Kendall to stay the night?

She hadn’t been thinking, of course, only feeling…

To hide the disheveled, tangled sheets, she hurriedly made the bed and fluffed the pillows that clearly held the imprints of two occupants. She collected her undies and gown and tossed them in the hamper in the closet, then pulled on jeans, a shirt and sneakers in case Tony ran and she had to go after him. She wound up her unruly hair and secured it with a clip. The condom wrappers went to the bottom of the trash can, where her mind raced for the best way to handle this debacle.

She decided she’d have to fall back on what she’d always resorted to when it came to parenting Tony—instinct.

She’d have to wing it.

When the room was back in some semblance of order, she knocked on the bathroom door. “Tony? Can I come in?”

“Whatever.”

She opened the door and found him sitting in the bathtub, his head on his knees. She climbed in to sit opposite him. Her heart broke for him—he deserved so much better than two parents who couldn’t get it right.

After a few minutes of silence, she sighed. “I can’t imagine how confused you must be. Adults do stupid things sometimes, things even we don’t understand. Kids can’t be expected to figure it out.”

“I hate him,” he mumbled.

Her heart gushed. “Don’t hate him, Tony. I’m as much at fault as he is…actually, more, because it’s my job to protect you.”

He lifted his head. “I thought that was a father’s job, too.”

“The way he sees it, he
is
protecting you. He’s trying to convince me to stay in Sweetness so he can be near you.”

“So why doesn’t he just marry you?”

She smiled. “Because he doesn’t feel that way about me.”

“He wants to have sex with you, but he doesn’t want to marry you?”

She took her time answering. “Sometimes that goes both ways between men and women.”

“You mean you wouldn’t marry him, even if he asked?”

Her chest ached. “That’s right. Your father’s home is here in Sweetness, where it’s always been. The reason I left twelve years ago and didn’t tell him I was pregnant with you was because I didn’t want to live here. And that hasn’t changed.”

“So why did you come back?”

“His brother Marcus found out about you. Marcus asked me to come here to build the covered bridge to give me the chance to tell Kendall myself.” She gave him a pointed look. “But before I could tell him, you showed up.”

He picked at a seam on his jeans. “So…I was an accident?”

She reached forward to comb the hair that had grown long since he’d arrived out of his blue eyes. “The best accident in the whole world.” She lifted his chin. “I wouldn’t trade you for anything, don’t you know that?”

“I’m a lot of trouble.”

“Yeah…but you’re worth it.”

He lifted his hand to chew on his nails. “So now what?”

“We still have a plan. I have to finish the covered bridge and you have to finish school. We’ll go back home to Broadway, and we’ll work out something with your dad so the two of you can see each other as often as you want to see him.”

He scowled. “I don’t want to see him anymore—here or when we get home.”

He didn’t really mean that. “Seeing him while you’re here isn’t an option. You’re still working off your fine, remember?”

He looked down. “I remember.”

“And today’s Saturday, so he’ll be expecting you to spend the day with him.”

“I guess.” He was picking at the jeans seam again.

“Something else on your mind?” she asked.

“Is it his muscles?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is that why you want to have sex with him?”

She pulled back. “That’s an inappropriate question, young man.”

He shrugged. “I’m just asking because you’ve never had any other boyfriend. I thought maybe it was his muscles.”

Amy leaned her chin on her hand and sighed. She supposed it was as good an explanation as any as to why her heart couldn’t break free of Kendall Armstrong.

After the scene at Amy’s room that morning, Kendall was uncertain about coming back to pick up Tony for their usual Saturday of work, dinner on the grill and a sleepover at the bunkhouse. But when he pulled up in his pickup at their regular meet time, Tony was standing out front, with Amy.

Kendall’s stomach clenched. He’d hated to leave Amy alone to deal with the aftermath of such an awkward situation. It was his fault—he was the one who couldn’t keep his hands off of her.

A couple of women and their children exited the boardinghouse and cast a wary glance at Amy and Tony before veering in another direction. Kendall flashed back to the way some girls in high school had treated Amy because she didn’t have the nicest clothes and because she’d spent more than her fair share of time in the principal’s office.

His gut pinched. Amy was already leery of living in a small town. And now he’d single-handedly ruined her reputation among the women in the boardinghouse.

He emerged from his truck as Amy made her way toward him. Tony stayed behind, shuffling foot to foot. It made Kendall ill to know he was responsible for the pinched look on her pretty face, that, in fact, he’d been responsible for most of the trouble in her life. All because he hadn’t scooped her up twelve years ago when he’d had the chance, when she’d still had a light in her eyes for him.

If he had, everything would’ve been different. Tony would’ve had a father and he would’ve had a son. Amy’s life would’ve been infinitely easier.

And he would’ve had Amy.

His biggest mistake, he now realized, was giving her the time and space to learn how to live—and thrive—without him. She didn’t need him. She’d done just fine without him. Other than the great sex, there was no reason for her to be with him. And he knew she could get that anywhere if she were inclined—although the thought of another man in her bed made him sick to his stomach.

Now he’d bungled things so badly, he wasn’t sure where things stood with her, or with Tony. Last night his son had called him “Dad” for the first time, and this morning he’d totally blown it. He was sure he’d blown his chance with Amy, too.

“Hi,” she said, offering the tiniest and briefest smile.

“Hi. How bad was it?”

“Not good,” she confirmed. “But Tony and I talked and things are marginally better. I have to warn you, though, he didn’t want to see you today.”

That hurt. “I understand.”

“But he knows he has a responsibility to work off the fine. Try to get him to talk, and answer his questions as honestly as you can.” She gave him a rueful smile. “I have a feeling he’ll have more questions for you than he had for me.”

“Okay,” he said, suddenly nervous.

“Just remember—you’re still his father. Don’t let him disrespect you.”

His admiration for Amy rose even higher. She handled the boy well…and him, too, he realized. She started to walk away, but he put his hand on her arm. “Amy.”

She turned back.

He swallowed hard. “How are
we?
”

She gave him a sad little smile. “We’re the same, Kendall.”

Remorse washed over him as she walked away. But he had to put on a good face for Tony, who walked over and climbed in the truck without saying anything. The way he slammed the door, though, spoke volumes.

“I guess I deserve that,” Kendall offered. “Do you want to talk about what happened this morning?”

“No,” Tony said, his voice belligerent.

“Fair enough. If you change your mind, let me know.” He put the truck in gear. “I thought we’d give your uncle Porter a hand today. He’s on the land out past the covered bridge clearing off a spot where we’re going to build a laboratory.”

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed. “What kind of laboratory?”

Kendall checked the rearview mirror, then pulled away. “A scientist wants to come to Sweetness to study kudzu.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a vine that grows over things—trees, houses, anything in its path if it’s allowed to get out of control.” He pointed to a copse of trees on the side of the road that had been consumed. “That’s kudzu. Down here we call it the mile-a-minute vine because it seems to grow that quickly.”

He could tell Tony was interested even though he didn’t want to be. “Does the scientist want to figure out how to kill it?”

“No. He thinks it might have some medicinal uses, maybe even cure diseases. And we have a lot of it, so he’s putting his laboratory here.”

Tony pursed his mouth. “I
like
Uncle Porter.”

Kendall didn’t miss the indirect dig at his own likability. “He likes you, too.”

He drove slowly, relatively sure that Tony had more to say if he gave him a chance to say it. After a few minutes of sullen silence, the boy began to chew on his nails.

“What you did with my mom was wrong,” Tony said finally. “You’re not married.”

So Amy had impressed upon him the fact that sex was best reserved for marriage. And he’d destroyed that lesson with his irresponsible behavior. “You’re right, what I did was wrong. But don’t think I don’t have feelings for your mother, because I do.”

“But that’s not enough,” he said, sounding wise beyond his years. “I mean, sex is important, isn’t it?”

Kendall took a deep breath—this was even harder than he thought it was going to be. “Yes, sex is very important, and very private. You shouldn’t have sex with someone unless you really care about them, and only if they feel the same way. And you should always use protection. Do you know what that is?”

He nodded. “Mom told me about condoms. I guess if you’d used one, I wouldn’t be here.”

Man, the kid didn’t pull any punches. “Maybe you would’ve just been born later, that’s all.”

“You mean, you and Mom might’ve gotten married?”

“Maybe.”

“She said she wouldn’t marry you even if you asked.”

Kendall’s stomach pitched. “She told you that, huh?”

“Yup.”

The sun seemed to dim a little. “So you and your mom, you talk about everything?”

He nodded. “She calls it an ‘open-door’ policy.”

“That’s good.” Kendall marveled that Amy had been so wise to parenting considering she’d gotten so little of it herself. “So, you know all about sex?”

Tony shrugged. “I haven’t done it, if that’s what you want to know.”

Kendall exhaled. “That’s…good. You should wait until you’re much older.”

“How old were you?”

Kendall pulled the collar of his shirt away from his suddenly too-warm neck. He didn’t remember having this particular talk with his father. Growing up in the country, there were always plenty of animal couplings to observe and glean the fundamentals. In hindsight, Marcus and Porter—who’d always been ahead of his years in that department—had filled in the blanks. It was a benefit, or perhaps a detriment, of having brothers. “I was…much older than you.”

“Was it with my mom?”

He hesitated, not sure how much to disclose. He wished Amy was nearby to consult or step in.
Answer his questions as honestly as you can
. “As a matter of fact, it was.”

“So, are you going to keep having sex with her?”

Jesus, the kid was blunt. “That’s between me and your mother.”

Tony averted his gaze and lifted his hand to chew on his nails. Kendall was sure he’d asked because he was trying to figure out his parents’ relationship and where he fit in.

Kendall was still trying to figure that out, too.

29

I
f Amy had forgotten what it was like to be the topic of gossip in a small town, she was getting a primer. She noticed the questioning glances of workers on the jobsite, and the whisper of women in the boardinghouse and imagined what was being said behind her back.

She grew up here, got knocked up and moved away. Came back with boss’s secret baby. No wonder she got the job. Sleeping with the boss, too, in front of her son. What kind of mother would do that?

But with only one week to go, she could bear it. The best part about waking up in Sweetness this morning was knowing she didn’t have to stay. As the days ticked down, she found herself more and more antsy to leave. Tony was, too, she could tell. He was on edge, cranky and sullen, his nails bitten down to the quick…especially after spending time with his father.

A candy wrapper crackled in her jacket and she sighed. Tony nibbled on his nails while she nibbled on chocolate, both biding their time until they could go home.

Home
.

Sometimes she felt as if home was anywhere but here.

A white van pulled onto the jobsite. Nikki climbed out, then made her way over to where Amy stood near the east portal of the covered bridge watching shingles being nailed to the roof. Down below workers were spraying a coat of barn-red paint to the exterior walls. Amy walked away from the noise to meet Nikki halfway.

“Wow, your bridge is absolutely amazing,” Nikki said, surveying the large structure that was mere days away from being finished.

Amy laughed. “It’s not
my
bridge, but thank you.”

“I’ve seen pictures of the original Evermore Bridge. It looks very similar.”

“It is similar, except for the pedestrian walkway,” Amy said, gesturing to the structure running along the side.

“And it’s stronger, I assume.”

“Yes, much stronger,” Amy assured her. “What brings you out in the middle of the afternoon?”

“I’m supposed to meet Porter here to greet the scientist who’s coming to scout the location for his lab.”

“That sounds like the kind of project that could bring a lot of attention to the town. Will you be involved?”

“If and when he needs a medical doctor’s input, I’ll make myself available. Me, or Dr. Cross.”

“Is Dr. Cross from Broadway?”

Nikki nodded. “By way of England, of course. We used to work together at a family practice in Broadway.”

“And how is he acclimating?”

“Amazingly well. He’s a modern physician, but he’s fascinated by old mountain remedies. There’s a man here, Riley Bates, who’s been teaching him everything he knows.” Then she leaned in. “Between you and me, though, I think he’s more fascinated by Rachel Hutchins.”

Amy laughed. “I noticed that myself. But they seem like an unlikely match.” Especially since she suspected Kendall and Rachel would pick up where they left off as soon as she left town.

Nikki nodded. “But stranger things have happened.” She pressed her lips together and Amy had a feeling Nikki was beating around the bush about something. “Uh, Amy…I know this isn’t the time or place, but I’ve been hoping to run into you since the, um, incident that happened last weekend at the boardinghouse.”

Amy’s cheeks warmed. “You mean Tony catching Kendall leaving my bedroom and freaking out?”

“I heard a rumor…or two.”

“I’ll bet you did. We had quite an audience.”

“Look, if people have been unkind, please just ignore it. They don’t know you. Porter spent more than one night with me in my room before the children arrived. Since then, everyone’s been more strict about the no-sleepover rules.”

“As they should be,” Amy said. “It was all my fault.”

Nikki’s eyebrow arched. “You dragged Kendall inside and made him spend the night?”

“No, but I had more to lose than he did, so I should’ve hit the stop button.” She shook her head. “You’d think I would’ve learned that by now. But when it comes to Kendall, I seem to have a blind spot for trouble.”

“It’s those blue Armstrong eyes,” Nikki said with a rueful smile. “They’re hypnotizing.” She angled her head. “So, I don’t mean to pry, but how are things between the two of you now?”

Amy shrugged. “We’re keeping our distance, trying to make things as smooth as possible for Tony until he and I leave.”

“And afterward?”

She sighed. “I don’t know. I’d assumed that Kendall and Tony would see each other, but they’re not getting along at all. Kendall is pushing him on the work thing, trying to teach him a lesson. Tony told me again last night that he doesn’t want to see Kendall after we go home. I know it’s going to be a fight because Kendall won’t accept that.”

“Armstrong father versus Armstrong son. I guess it’s inevitable that they clash, especially at Tony’s age.”

“You’re so right. I’ve spent all these years wondering when would be the right time to tell him about his father, and as it turned out, my timing couldn’t have been worse.”

“I understand
you
didn’t pick the time at all, that Marcus made that decision for you.”

She nodded. “But I can’t blame Marcus for this mess. His allegiance is to Kendall. He was only doing what he thought was best for his brother.”

The sound of another vehicle arriving caught their attention.

“There’s Porter now,” Nikki said.

Porter climbed out of the driver’s seat. A rear door opened and Kendall appeared. Amy’s heart betrayed her and started thumping against her ribs.

“I didn’t know Kendall was going to be here,” Nikki said.

“No worries,” Amy said breezily.

Another door opened and another man, presumably the scientist, emerged. Amy arched an eyebrow.

The man was over six feet tall, as broad and buff as an underwear model, with chiseled features, a real tan, an Italian suit and a headful of white-blond hair.

The man was…perfection.

“Wow, he doesn’t look like any scientist I’ve ever seen,” she said to Nikki, who seemed equally as stunned. The closer the man came to them, the better-looking he got. He smiled at something one of the men said and went from beautiful to gorgeous.

“It’s like looking at the sun,” Nikki murmured.

Porter sidled up to Nikki and whispered. “Your mouth is open, baby.”

“Is it?” she murmured back, unable to take her eyes off their visitor.

Amy smiled—a little jealousy might get Porter moving on that proposal Nikki seemed to think was forthcoming. She met Kendall’s gaze and acknowledged him with a nod. He returned the favor.

“Ladies,” Porter said, “meet Dr. Barry Devine.”

“Devine?” Nikki asked, her voice high. “How…unusual.”

Porter frowned. “Dr. Devine, this is my
girlfriend,
Dr. Nikki Salinger.”

Dr. Devine smiled at Nikki, his eyes mischievous. “Charmed. So you’re not married yet?”

She put out her hand and he lifted it for a kiss. “N-no,” Nikki stammered.

Amy swallowed a smile as Porter’s jaw hardened. “And this is Amy Bradshaw,” he said, his voice vibrating with irritation. “Amy’s the engineer who designed this fantastic bridge.”

Dr. Devine turned the full force of his affable smile on her. “This town is full of beautiful, talented women,” he said, also bussing the hand she offered.

“Thank you,” she said, annoyed with herself for not responding more to the man’s charm, especially since she felt Kendall’s gaze on her throughout. But she couldn’t help compare the two men and, despite Dr. Devine’s height, he fell short of the rugged man next to him.

“Your lab will be up on that ridge,” Porter said, pointing.

Dr. Devine looked up, then back to Amy. “So this lovely bridge will be my view. Wonderful. Red is my favorite color.”

He might’ve been talking about the painted bridge, but he was looking at her hair. She had to laugh at his outrageousness. “Only the bridge will be here, Dr. Devine. I’ll be leaving after the ribbon-cutting ceremony next weekend.”

“I’ll be here through next weekend,” he said. “I’m preparing a paper to present to an engineering conference next month about the effects of kudzu on static structures. Perhaps I could pick your brain.”

The man was smooth. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to be swamped this week with inspections. Kendall is an engineer—I’m sure he’ll be glad to help.”

“Oh…of course,” the doctor said.

She wasn’t sure who looked less enthusiastic about the idea—Dr. Devine or Kendall.

Porter clapped his hands. “Okay, what do you say we go take a look at the property I staked off?” He smiled at Nikki. “
Darling,
if you’d rather stay here and visit with Amy, I understand.”

“Don’t be silly,
pumpkin,
” she said sweetly, tucking her hand into their guest’s arm. “I’m looking forward to hearing more about Dr. Devine’s research.”

Porter frowned as they walked away.

“Actually, Porter, I think I’ll stay,” Kendall said, clapping Porter on the shoulder. “You’re on your own. Good luck.”

“Thanks a lot,” Porter muttered, but hurried after the couple when Nikki laughed at something Dr. Devine said.

Amy laughed into her hand as she watched them leave.

“I think that guy’s going to keep Porter on his toes,” Kendall said.

“Porter doesn’t have anything to worry about,” Amy said. “That woman is head over heels in love with him. He just needs to make it official.” When she realized what she’d said smacked of the reason their own romance had ended, her smile dissolved. “But that’s between Porter and Nikki.”

He nodded, then turned to look at the covered bridge. “It’s really something, Amy. No one else could’ve done it justice.”

“Thank you,” she said, tingling under his praise. “But something tells me you didn’t come by to admire the bridge.”

He wiped his hand over his mouth. “I want to talk to you about Tony.”

She glanced around to make sure they were alone, noticing but ignoring the elbow-pokes and sly smiles that passed among the workers.
Only seven more days
.

“I’m listening,” she said.

“I’d hoped things would get better since last weekend, but they seem to be getting worse. He doesn’t talk, he defies everything I say. He’s impossible.”

“He told me you’ve been working him too hard,” she offered.

He threw up his hands. “That’s ridiculous! If anything, I’ve been easy on him this week because I feel so damn guilty about what happened.”

She gave him a little smile. “Welcome to parenting.”

His mouth tightened. “Are you enjoying this? Watching me struggle with my son?”

Her earlier fears that Tony would prefer Kendall and the Armstrongs to her flitted through her mind.

He looked incredulous. “You
are
enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“No, Kendall. How could I enjoy a situation that isn’t good for Tony?”

“Maybe because you think it’ll be less trouble in the long run if I’m not involved with my son. Let’s face it, if Marcus hadn’t found out about Tony and forced your hand, I would’ve never found out about him, would I?”

Amy crossed her arms. “I honestly don’t know. I did plan to contact you if Tony ever asked me to, or if he asked for your name.”

His eyes went dark. “So you say.”

Her heartbeat stuttered. They were back to square one. She glanced around, knowing they were starting to attract even more attention from the workers.

“Okay, just hear me out,” Kendall said, his voice calmer. “We need sidewalks, and you said it’s what you do best. Would you be willing to stay on to manage that project to give me more time with Tony?”

She bit her lip, panicked at the idea of spending more time in this place—more time around Kendall—when she was so close to escaping. On the other hand, she didn’t have any big projects to hurry back to. She’d have to start canvassing for freelance work as soon as she returned. Desperation pulled at her.

In her pocket, her phone vibrated. Happy for the diversion, she pulled it out to see the name Michael Thoms on the screen. It took her a few seconds for the association to click—the reservoir project.

Her pulse rocketed. She could use a timely miracle.

“Excuse me, I need to take this,” she said to Kendall, then stepped away and connected the call. “Amy Bradshaw.”

“Amy. Michael Thoms from the Greater Michigan Water Commission.”

“Hello, Mr. Thoms. What can I do for you?”

“Tell me you’re still interested in managing the Peninsula Reservoir project.”

She suppressed a squeal. “Yes, I’m still interested. Did something change?”

“The first applicant didn’t work out, so we’re looking for a new project manager. I’m making preliminary calls on behalf of the search committee to check availability.”

“I could start in one week,” she said.

“I’ll make a note of it. Meanwhile, if you’ve completed recent projects you’d like for us to know about, you can email me an updated resume.”

Amy glanced up at the covered bridge looming over her, doubtful that anyone else being considered would have such a unique project on their resume. “Yes, I’ll do that right away, thank you.”

“I’ll be in touch soon,” he said.

Amy disconnected the call and pumped her fist.

“Good news?” Kendall asked mildly, as if to remind her he was still there.

“Very. The project manager position over the reservoir project I mentioned earlier is available again.”

“And you’re back in the running?”

She nodded. “It would be a great job for me to spend time with Tony—good hours and an easy commute.”

He gave her a flat smile. “Sounds…ideal.”

Except she feared if she took Tony away while things between Tony and Kendall were unresolved, once they returned to Michigan, Tony would act out even more.

“I’ll talk to Tony about his attitude,” she said. “But I can’t make any promises.”

“If you’re offered the job, can you postpone your start date and stay a few more weeks, to give me and Tony a chance to connect?”

So she could be tortured every day by Kendall’s presence? And there was no guarantee that Tony would warm up to him, no matter how long they stayed. Actually, some distance might improve their relationship. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have to get home.”