Rachel Laine (The Women of Merryton Book 3) (16 page)

“As
you should be. But maybe with some time, it will become easier to share him
with me.” His eyes were filled with hope.

“Maybe.”

“Rachel
Laine?” I had never heard my name spoken so softly.

I
met his eyes. I swore he was sitting closer than I remembered. He was close
enough that I could see the specks of gold in his eyes, just like those in his
son’s eyes. Close enough that I had the urge to reach out and touch him. I breathed
in deeply and then let it out, washing the thought out of my mind. “Yes?” I
whispered.

He
inched closer. “Thank you.”

“For
what?”

“Helping
me to evolve.”

“I
tingled, and I had this moment when I almost touched him. I’m blaming the
alcohol.”

Taylor’s
facial expression was somewhere between amused and confused. “You were drinking
with him?”

“No.
He made dinner, which by the way was amazing, and I had a glass of wine during
dinner, and another one while we talked in front of the fireplace.”

That
definitely amused her, by the smirk on her face. “You were sitting in front of
the fire drinking wine?”

“No,
we were eating this beyond fantastic cake he made.”

She
laughed. “So you were on a date with him.”

“No,
no. We were talking.”

“Then
why were you getting tingles? And what do you mean by tingles?”

“Oh
come on, I see the way you look at Easton, you’ve gotten the tingles before.”

“Oh,
those kind of tingles.”

I
placed my head in my hands and sighed loudly. “Yes, those kind. The kind I
shouldn’t be having.”

“Why
shouldn’t you? You’re both attractive and single. He is single, right?”

I
looked up into her half-worried face. “Yes, but, Taylor, he slept with my
sister and she died giving birth to their child. I should hate him.”

“Do
you hate him?”

I
shook my head.

“So
you like him?”

“Define
‘like.’”

She
flashed me an understanding smile. “You like him, but you don’t want to.”

I
nodded. “He’s funny and charming. And did I mention he can cook? Not only that,
he reminds me that I’m a woman.”

Her
eyes widened.

“Not
like that. I’m not getting involved with him.”

“Are
you sure?”

“Yes?”

She
scrunched up her perfect nose. Have I ever mentioned I hoped I looked like her
in my forties?

“Does
he want to be involved with you outside of Drew?”

“I
don’t think so; I’m not his type. He’s more into the Cheyenne’s of the world.
But my parents think he’s interested in me.”

“I
wouldn’t be surprised if they’re right. From the sounds of it, I would say he’s
trying to woo you.”

“No,
he’s trying to get to know the mother of his child. That’s all.”

“I
remember saying that about Easton last year.”

“It’s
not like that. You and Easton shared a past.”

“And
so do you and Andrew. Maybe not one you were directly a part of, but he is part
of your past. Not to mention you share a child.”

“He
slept with my sister.” I felt like I needed to keep reminding myself of that.
Like it would protect me, or keep me from doing something stupid.

“Easton
and I divorced and he married his nurse.”

“So
what are you saying?”

“I’m
saying that sometimes life throws the most unlikely of people together.”

“I
want him to be Drew’s father. I don’t want Drew to ever think that he got
involved in our lives because of me. What am I even saying? I think I’m just
starved for male attention. It’s been a while, you know?”

She
rested her hand on my knee. “I remember those days, and they can be lonely. But
are you sure that’s all it is? All things considered, if he wasn’t Drew’s
father and he never knew your sister, what would you think of him?”

I
bit my lip and looked around at all the dusty boxes in the little room we met
in frequently during Sunday school. It was our hideout of sorts. I finally
landed on Taylor’s understanding bright blue eyes. “There’s no doubt. I would
be attracted to him.”

“Well,
I think things are going to get interesting for you, my friend.”

I
normally felt better after our little Sunday chats, but this time I felt agitated.
I shouldn’t have admitted my feelings out loud. I was already feeling
uncomfortable with Andrew’s pending run for office. He had explained to me last
night the weird rules in place. His party had thirty days to gather enough
signatures to recall the current representative. Once that was in place, and the
signatures were verified, they could officially oust him. From there, they and
the opposing party had ten days to put up a candidate vetted by their respective
parties. The election must then occur ninety days after. So this nonsense could
go on until the middle of March.

I
had begged him again last night to reconsider, or even consider running later.
The seat would be up again in a year, but no. His “advisors” felt like now was
the time to strike while his popularity was still high. And an incumbent, they
said, is easier to elect, so Drew would be less of an issue in the regular
election if he had already held the seat. I wasn’t pleased to hear them call Drew
an issue. Andrew assured me it wasn’t meant that way and he didn’t see Drew
that way in the least, but still. The fact that they were discussing my son
irked me. He was a sweet, innocent little boy who deserved to know the truth.

But
Taylor was right, things were only beginning to get interesting.

Drew
and I had an interesting conversation during lunch that Sunday. “Mom, is it all
right if I tell my friends about Andrew now, since Grandma and Grandpa know?”

I
did my best not to choke on the leftovers I was eating from last night. I set
my fork down carefully. I tried to buy some time to come up with something to
say that wasn’t a lie. I was calling Andrew obscene names in my head.

“Mom?”
Drew kept staring at me, expecting an answer.

I
reached up and brushed his hair with my hand. I loved him so much. “Bud, I know
this might not make sense to you right now.”
I knew it sure didn’t for me.
“But
you know how Andrew played professional baseball?”

He
nodded his sweet head.

“Well,
that has made him really well-known, even kind of famous.”

“Famous?”
Drew’s eyes were big with excitement.

“Kind
of, yes. See, Andrew really wants to get to know you, but if a bunch of people
knew he was spending time with you, then it would make it hard for you to do
anything together because too many people would want to be around him.”
That
sounded like such crap.

“But
my friends won’t tell anybody or bug us.”

“Maybe
not, but for right now, it has to be this way. It won’t always be. I promise.”

His
look of disappointment was breaking my heart. He turned back to his sandwich.

I
sat there and watched him. I had lost my appetite.

For
the rest of the day he seemed kind of bummed. He was hoping that Andrew could
come to his championship game that Saturday. I wanted that for him, too.

I
tried my best to keep him preoccupied. We played Uno, War, and Slap Jack—repeatedly.
He won more often than not, but wasn’t as happy about it as he usually was. I
had to get Andrew to see what this was doing to his son.

I
read extra-long that night to Drew. We were almost done with the third book. It
was getting exciting. At least it was until…

“Wouldn’t
it be cool if I had a godfather? Like Andrew?”

I
didn’t say anything. I could only hug him extra hard.

Once
Drew was asleep I sat on my bed and tried to organize my weekly calendar, but I
was having a hard time concentrating. I needed to talk to Andrew. I honestly
thought he would have called. I had gotten used to him calling on a daily basis
to irritate me. I went to bed that night bothered by Drew’s desires and
possibly the fact that I didn’t hear from Andrew.

~*~

I
was barely awake when my phone rang at six the next morning.

“Hello?”
I answered, barely above a whisper. My voice wasn’t ready to work yet.

“I
know it’s early, but I didn’t get to talk to you yesterday.”

“So
you thought now would be a good time?”

“The
sooner the better, I thought.”

I
sat up and rubbed my face, trying to fully wake up.

“I
have good news,” he followed up.

“What?”

“They
did a straw poll of the possible candidates yesterday, and I won.”

That
was not good news to me. “Congratulations.”

“You
don’t sound like you mean that.”

“I
know that’s what you want, so I’m happy for you, but this can’t go on. You need
to make a choice.”

“Rachel,
are we back to that again? This doesn’t have to be an either-or.”

“Let
me tell you about my day yesterday, and you tell me whether you think that’s a
good idea or not. Your son can’t understand why he can’t tell anyone about you.
Why you can’t come to his games, and why you didn’t call him yesterday. Not
only that, he’s already seeing you as some sort of father figure. Only being
able to be partially in his life isn’t fair to him or me.”

I
waited for his rebuttal, but instead there was silence.

“Andrew?”

“I’m
here. And you’re right.”

That
shocked me awake.

“So
what do you propose, Rachel?”

“I
know how much this means to you, so run in the next election cycle.”

He
let out a long, heavy breath. “The train has already left the station. My party
is counting on me, and I’ve dreamt about doing this for a long time.”

“Well
then, I guess we’ll see you in March, or whenever you see fit to let Drew be a
priority in your life.”

“He
is a priority. There has to be a way to compromise. I can’t go that long
without seeing him … or you.”

“I
can’t let you hurt him.”

“I
won’t.”

“Maybe
not intentionally.”

“Rachel,
please, there has to be some way we can meet in the middle.”

“I
can’t think of anything right now.”

“I’m
going to think of something and call you back.”

I
didn’t even get to say goodbye before he hung up.

That
was not the way I wanted to start Monday morning.

I
tried my best to concentrate at work, but I found myself thinking about ways to
make this work and … what did Andrew mean when he said he didn’t want to go
that long without seeing me? I knew it was stupid, and it probably meant
nothing, but the really dumb part was that I found myself not wanting to go
that long without seeing him, too. I felt dishonorable thinking that way. He
fathered a child with Sydney, and then didn’t believe her when she told him she
was pregnant. Maybe he had valid reasons for not believing her, but all the
same, he ignored his possible responsibility. And now he was wrapped up in politics.
I never cared for politicians. All I had to do was look at the mayor of
Merryton, Landon Riley, my business competitor and winner of the biggest pig in
Merryton award, to prove my point.

Why
did Andrew have to be charming? And good looking? And well-spoken? And
intelligent? Let’s not forget an amazing cook. Why did he have to be Drew’s
dad? And why was I even thinking like this? I had to remind myself I was happy
being single. I didn’t need someone to sip wine and eat decadent chocolate cake
with in front of the fireplace. And I didn’t need someone to call me beautiful
or look at me like I was a woman.

I
didn’t need Andrew Turner.

“Hello,
Rachel?”

“Yes,
this is she.”

“It’s
Evelyn Turner.”

“Hello,
how are you?”

“Good.
Thank you. Do you have a moment to talk?”

It
was Friday, and I was in the car line, waiting for Drew and enjoying my twenty
minutes of solitude I got every day. “This is perfect timing.”

“Tell
me how you and that son of yours are?”

“Busy,
as always. Drew plays in the little league championship game tomorrow. I’m
going to be glad when football season is over. Does that sound terrible?”

She
laughed in commiseration. “Not at all. I loved to watch Andrew play, but I did
enjoy the off seasons.”

“Well,
if Drew gets his way, it looks like my off season won’t last too long. He’s
already begging me to sign him up for spring baseball.”

“Andrew
mentioned he was encouraging him.”

“I
think encouragement is an understatement.”

“That
sounds like my son, and speaking of my son,” she continued. “I saw him today
and he wasn’t really himself.”

“Is
that so?”

“He’s
missing Drew and you.”

“He’s
called every day.” Per the compromise we came up with.

“It’s
not the same, though.”

“Evelyn,
I’m not trying to keep Drew away from Andrew. I’m trying to protect my son. You
can understand that, right?”

“I
think you mistook me. I agree with you.”

“Oh.
You do?”

“I
do. That being said, I do love my son, even though he’s acting like a stubborn
fool at the moment. I was hoping that you and Drew would like to join me for
Thanksgiving.”

“Is
your son coming?”

“I
know you agreed to only allow phone contact until all of this campaign nonsense
is over, but it would mean a lot to me to have you join us. I’ve waited a long
time to have grandchildren. I wasn’t even sure I would ever have any at the
rate Andrew has been going. And I would really like to get to know you better.”

“Isn’t
Andrew afraid someone will see us all together?”

“I
think at this point, Andrew is willing to do
almost
anything to see
you.”

It
was the almost part I didn’t like.

“Besides,
I live in a secluded, gated community, where we all appreciate our privacy.”

I
wondered what that must be like. Privacy was extinct in Merryton. “I don’t want
to confuse Drew.”

“I’m
not trying to disagree with you, but I imagine keeping them apart could also
cause some confusion. And it’s only one day.”

“I’ll
think about it.”

“Great.
In the meantime, think of what you would like us to make. I want this to be the
best Thanksgiving we’ve all ever had.”

She
was already talking like it was a done deal. “Thank you, Evelyn. I’ll be in
touch.”

“I
look forward to hearing from you.”

These
Turners were turning my life upside down. Maybe that could be Andrew’s campaign
slogan—Andrew Turner: Proven Ability to Turn Lives Upside Down, or maybe,
Seasoned Life Changer, or how about, Dedicated to Upending Your Life. I’m sure
they were going to go with something related to his pro baseball career, but mine
were more accurate.

I
dropped Drew off at his last practice. I took the time to run to the grocery
store. It was easier to shop without Drew—he didn’t enjoy it, and I didn’t like
the complaining, so it was a win-win.

I
casually strolled through the aisles of the newly built Fresh Market. Our town
was now big enough for two grocery stores. We’d needed it for a while, but our
incompetent mayor stalled the progression because of all the hoops he made them
jump through. I think the city council finally talked some sense into him.
Politicians are idiots. That was the truest campaign slogan of all.

I
guess you could tell you’re a single mom with no real social life when you find
great pleasure strolling through a grocery store, a lovely store, but a grocery
store all the same.

“Rachel
Laine,” I heard a familiar voice call.

I
turned around to find Jessie pushing Tristan in a cart, coming toward me. “Why
is it we always run into each other here?” I teased, though it was true. It was
like we lived there or something.

“Well,
I don’t know about you, but our daughter seems to attract teenage boys, and
teenage boys eat a lot.”

“So
Blake lets them come over?”

She
sighed and rolled her eyes. “I told him better our house than theirs. And I
have to say, they are brave boys to keep coming over. Blake isn’t outright
rude, but his looks alone should put the fear of God in them.”

“That’s
not necessarily a bad thing.”

“True,”
she agreed. “Anyway, we were wondering if you wanted to join us for
Thanksgiving. My parents, the Parkers, and Cheyenne and her flavor of the month
will all be coming. Cheyenne’s hoping Andrew Turner will be the flavor.”

I
could feel the heat in my cheeks. I hated that his name was being tossed around
in this town. And I had to admit, I found myself not liking the thought of
Andrew and Cheyenne together. I tried to keep the nervousness out of my laugh.
“I wish her luck with that.”

“You
know him, right?” Jessie asked.

My
new slogan was going to be: I Hate You, Andrew Turner. “Technically, yes.” I
refused to lie.

“Well,
maybe you could help her out.”

“Me?”
My mouth was feeling dry all of a sudden. “I don’t think so.”

She
grinned. “Well, maybe he’ll come back into town and she can run into him
herself.”

“Yeah,
maybe.”

“So,
can you join us for Thanksgiving?”

“We
would love to, but can I get back to you? We already received another
invitation and I’m thinking about it.”

She
eyed me. “So mysterious lately, Rachel.”

“I’m
not being mysterious; I’m working through something.” I hoped I was ultra-quiet
enough not to be overheard. This town had excellent ears.

She
reached for my arm and rested her hand on it. “You don’t need to explain
yourself to me; I totally get it. But if you want to talk, I’m here for you.”

I
placed my own hand on hers. “You don’t know what that means to me. Thank you.”

Tristan
ended our moment as he reached for a bag of rice on the shelves. Jessie caught
him just in time. “I can’t turn my back for two seconds on this little guy.”

“Just
wait,” I warned.

She
didn’t look afraid at all. “That’s what I hear. But I wouldn’t have it any
other way.”

I
loved her attitude, and I supposed after losing so many babies, she saw
parenting as a blessing.

“I’ll
let you know about Thanksgiving.” I walked away cursing Andrew in my head … and
Sydney. What was she thinking, getting herself mixed up with Andrew? Although I
thought I knew. I was pretty sure she saw him as someone who would take care of
her. He was different than what she was used to. She saw him as her chance to turn
her life around. He protected her against his teammate, and I’m sure that left
an impression on her. But she too easily mistook sex for love. It was a bad
habit of hers.

I
let Andrew call Drew that night to wish him luck for his game the following day.
I allowed him to call me daily to check on Drew, but I was limiting their
calls. We explained to Drew how Andrew was busy with work, which was true. I
was hoping the distance and infrequent contact would help slow the bonding
until Andrew could fully engage with him as his father, but as I listened to
them talk on the phone, I wasn’t so sure.

“I
wish you could come to my game,” Drew said.

I’m
not sure what Andrew said on the other end, but Drew’s eyes lit up. That
worried me. Then he was laughing like crazy. My guess was that it had something
to do with underwear. They talked for several minutes while I made dinner. Once
Drew hung up the phone, he turned to me. “Andrew said he’ll call you later
tonight. And guess what?”

“What?”

“He
talked to Paxton Matthews today, the quarterback for the Stallions! Isn’t that
awesome!”

I
nodded my head.

“And
he asked him to sign a football for me!”

There
was no competing with this guy. Not that it was a competition, but Andrew was
going to be opening doors for Drew that I would never have access to. And not
that I didn’t do well financially, but I would never touch the kind of money
Andrew had. Was Drew going to think less of me when he found out how much his
dad had to offer him? Being his mother and taking care of him had to count for
something, right?

“That’s
really nice.” I tried not to tear up. “Why don’t you go wash up before dinner?”
I needed a few seconds to compose myself.

I
found myself cursing Andrew more and more as I scrubbed grass stains out of Drew’s
pants and scoured the toilets later that night. Did he know what it was like to
clean the toilet of an eight-year-old boy? He probably had a maid.

After
I put Drew to bed and snuggled him extra-long, I called his dad. I knew it was
a rarity, but I wanted him to have a piece of my mind. “I don’t need you to be
a Disneyland Dad.”

“Well,
hello to you, too,” he laughed.

“I’m
serious.”

“I
am, too, hello.”

“Fine,
hello.”

“So,
what did I do now to deserve your wrath?”

“I
have a list, but for now, let’s talk about the fact that I don’t plan on being
the enforcer parent. I’m fun, too.”

“I’m
certainly up for having some fun with you.”

“I’m
being serious.”

“Believe
me, so am I.”

“Andrew
…”

“Yes?”

“I
need to know that when it comes to being Drew’s dad, you will do the hard
stuff, too. You know, like making sure he cleans up and does his homework. And
that you won’t let Drew think less of me because I don’t make as much money as
you or have famous friends.”

He
started to laugh.

“Please,
don’t laugh. I’m being serious.”

His
laughter died. “Rachel Laine, I promise I don’t plan on being a Disneyland Dad.
We are going to be partners. And believe me, I will always make sure Drew knows
how lucky he is that you’re his mom.”

“Thanks,
Andrew.”

“Now
that we have that settled. We need to settle something else vitally important.
What time are you coming to Thanksgiving dinner?”