Rachel Laine (The Women of Merryton Book 3) (2 page)

When
I walked in, Liza gave me my messages and a mischievous smile. “So how was your
meeting with Andrew Turner?”

“Nothing
to report. Please forget he was ever here.”

 I
think she thought it was a personal call and was falsely interjecting her own
misguided thoughts. She was around my age and constantly asking if I wanted to
meet this person or that person, or double date with her and her boyfriend,
Hank. I’d always declined. Drew was the only man I needed or wanted in my life
at the moment. Liza found that hard to understand. She thought I was wasting my
youth. I thought I was using my time wisely.

My
dad and Drew were in my office waiting for me. Drew already had his things
spread across the small conference table situated in the corner. Drawing was
one of his and my favorite activities when I could find the time. I kept a
drawer full of art supplies in my desk for him.

My
dad greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. “How’s my girl?”

“Eh,”
I responded. I’d had better days to be sure.

His
eyes narrowed. “Everything okay?”

“I
hope so.”

He
still looked confused.

I
looked to Drew. “Let’s talk about it later,” I said for his ears only.

He
nodded and left my side to join Drew.

As
I looked at the two of them, I sighed. I wasn’t sure what to tell my dad. If I
told him the truth, he would have no problem tracking down Andrew Turner and
tearing into him. Both my parents partly blamed Sydney’s death on Drew’s
previously unknown father. Before she delivered, they blamed it all on her, but
when someone you love dies, all that remains is the good, and she left the best
part of herself in Drew.

At
times, I admit, my parents were almost comical when they reminisced about
Sydney. Instead of being wild, she had unbridled passion that should be
admired. She was no longer lazy, but knew how to savor the moments. I guess
they forgot about all of the times she called begging for money, or when the
dean from the community college personally called my parents and told them to quit
wasting their money. How about when she came home eight months pregnant and
they told her she wasn’t welcome so she came and stayed with me in Boulder? I
was finishing up the summer term at Colorado University at the time. I only had
one semester left before I finished my undergrad business degree with a minor
in history. It was a weird mixture, I know.

I
probably looked back with rose-colored glasses, too, but I will never forget
the night she made me a mother. Sydney had practically zero prenatal care, so
when she went into labor, we had no idea what we were in store for that night.
Her placenta had grown too deep and had attached to her bladder. It’s a rare
condition, and she should have been monitored, but Sydney never did anything by
the book. It cost her her life. The doctors tried frantically to save her, but
they couldn’t get the hemorrhaging to stop. She didn’t even get to see Drew. I
was the first arms he was placed into, and there he stayed.

I
don’t know if there was anyone to blame for what happened to Sydney. I was
honestly torn how to feel about it. I missed my best friend and sister more
than words could say, but that night I was given the greatest gift and joy I
had ever known. I guess the joy could be blamed on Sydney. But what about
Andrew Turner? Where did he fit into all of this? My hope was that his part was
all said and done.

Well
my hopes that I would never see or have to mention Andrew Turner again were all
but dashed a week later. Just as my worries were subsiding, he paid me another
visit on a Friday morning. I could hear the delight in Liza’s voice as she
called to inform me he was there. If I didn’t think declining to see him would
cause more suspicion, I would have told her to tell him I was unavailable, but
she would have known that wasn’t true, so I resigned myself to seeing him
again.

I
didn’t wait for him to knock on my door. I met him there with my stomach in
knots and my fists clenched.

He
was dressed much more casually this go around. Last time he had come in a suit
and tie, like he was ready to conduct business. Today he was in jeans and a
t-shirt, with a Bears cap on.

I
had done some research on him after our last meeting. He’d retired from
baseball the year before—at the age of thirty-five—due to a shoulder injury. He
was the Bears’ most winning pitcher in the team’s history. On a personal note, he
had never been married and had been named Denver’s most eligible bachelor a few
times. His bio also indicated that he had no children. That was a lie, and it
made me wonder how many other Drews he had out there. All the articles made him
sound like this stand-up, all around good guy, but I knew better. Stand-up guys
don’t get young women pregnant and leave them. They also don’t show up eight years
later and basically try to buy your silence.

“Rachel,”
he began, “thanks for seeing me again.”

Yeah,
nice is getting you nowhere, pal.
“Andrew, why are you
here? I thought we had nothing left to say to one another.”

His
nervous smile disappeared with the less than warm reception. “Please, can I
come in?”

I
blew out a heavy breath. “I suppose.”

“Thank
you.” He walked in and took up the same spot as he had the week before.

I
too sat where I had the week before—as far away from him as I could on the
couch. I turned to face him, waiting for him to state his reason for coming
here again, and praying he still wanted nothing to do with Drew.

He
took his hat off and ruffled his hair. He was definitely nervous, which made me
nervous. I was afraid of him.

“Rachel—or
do you like to be called Rachel Laine? That’s what your receptionist called
you.”

I
didn’t want to be called anything by him. “Either is fine.”

He
tentatively smiled. “Rachel Laine, then.”

I
shrugged my shoulders. What he called me was the least of my concerns.

“Well,
after our meeting last week, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I’m sure I came
off as a real jerk last week.”

I
nodded my head in agreement.

He
ran his fingers through his sandy brown hair again. “I know,” he said. “First
of all, I wanted to offer my condolences about Sydney. I really had no idea.”

“Well,
maybe if you would have listened to her, or even responded to her letter, you
would have known.”

His
face turned a dark shade of red. “Rachel Laine, I barely knew Sydney and—”

“You
knew her well enough to have sex with her,” I cut in.

I
watched him try to compose himself before he spoke. He looked both angry and
embarrassed. “I know it wasn’t my finest moment, and I’m not proud of my
behavior back then, but honestly I had no reason to believe your sister’s story.
It wasn’t like I was the only guy on the team who had—”

I
held up my hand. I didn’t need to hear what he had to say. It wasn’t
surprising, but still, he was talking about my sister.

He
held his tongue and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m really not here to make excuses.”

“Why
then?” I almost cried.

“I
couldn’t get Drew’s face out of my mind, so I went through some old pictures my
parents had given me and I found this.” He pulled a picture from his shirt
pocket and handed it to me.

I
reached out for it, as if in slow motion. When I turned it over, I placed my other
hand over my mouth. If I didn’t know better, I would say it looked exactly like
my little guy, right down to the missing teeth.

“I
know,” he said. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

I
nodded my head in agreement and handed the photo back to him.

“So
… what do you want?” I was afraid of the answer, and for good reason.

“Well,
I’d like to meet him.” He sounded about as nervous as I felt.

I
closed my eyes and rubbed my lips together. How could this be happening? I
wasn’t ready for this scenario. When I opened my eyes, I found him staring at
me. He looked sincere, but … “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Rachel
Laine, I’m his father.”

“No.
You’re the Y chromosome that made his life possible. Fathers don’t ignore their
son’s existence for eight years.”

“I
didn’t even know about him until last week.”

“And
whose fault is that?” I dared him with my eyes to blame Sydney.

The
muscles in his face tightened as he thought about his response. “I have
rights.”

I
clutched my heart. “You’re going to take me to court?”

His
eyes softened. “I don’t want to have to do that. I only want the opportunity to
get to know him.”

My
eyes filled with tears. “Andrew, I love him more than life and I have done
everything in my power to protect him. How do I know that this isn’t a whim for
you? How can I introduce you into his life after all of these years?”

“This
isn’t a whim. I understand why you probably won’t believe that, but doesn’t
Drew deserve to know he has a father?”

What
did he know about what Drew deserved? “So, what are you going to tell him when
he asks where you’ve been all this time? And what will you tell him about his
mother?”

He
sat forward and rested his arms on his thighs. “I know. I’ve been thinking
about that all week.” He looked my way. “That’s why I thought perhaps we
wouldn’t tell him right away. We could let him get to know me first.”

Nausea
consumed me. “As what?”

“I
don’t know, a friend of the family?”

“I
don’t want to lie to him.”

“What
about a date?”

“I
don’t date.”

He
sat up and laughed some.

“What?”
This was no time for levity.

“I
find it hard to believe that you don’t date.”

“Why?”

“Well,
don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re beautiful.” He waved his hand around.
“And by the looks of it, successful, too.”

“How
would I take that the wrong way?”

“Well,
I don’t want you to think I’m interested in you.”

“Wow.
Did you eat arrogance bran for breakfast this morning?”

“Arrogance
bran?” He smiled.

“Don’t
worry, Andrew, I would never entertain the idea. You’re the last man I would
ever be interested in.”

He
smiled again. “Well, now that that has been cleared up, how should we go about
this?”

I
thought for a moment. I had to be smart about this. I didn’t want the courts
involved, and I was holding out hope that this was only a blip on his radar. “Well,
first of all, I don’t want it to be in public, you’re too well known.”

“Agreed,”
he said.

“I
guess you could come over for dinner. I can tell Drew I met you at the office
and I thought he might like to meet you because you played for the Bears.” With
the right spin, that was true.

Andrew’s
eyes sparkled with childlike eagerness. “Does he like baseball?”

“He’s
more of football guy. He plays quarterback for his little league team.”

He
tilted his chin down in disappointment. “Does he have a good arm?”

“The
coaches say they’ve never seen one better for a kid his age.”

He
grinned at the news. “So, can I come over tonight?”

“So
soon?”
Is this guy trying to kill me?

“Please,
Rachel Laine.”

Those
eyes. Those eyes always got their way.

“Does
six work for you?” I sighed in resignation.

“Perfect.”

I
made a deal with the devil, all in the name of protecting the most precious
thing in my life.

It
was anything but perfect. I had to leave work early because I was so sick about
it. I felt like my world was suddenly slipping away from me, and I had lotion
on my hands that prevented me from grasping on to it at all. The worries that
had plagued me for a week were now becoming reality. What if Andrew decided to
become a permanent fixture and he took me to court to get custody? What if I
really wasn’t enough, and Drew loved his new-found dad more than me? I couldn’t
bear the thought of either. I cried all the way home.

To
cope, I cleaned like a mad woman before I had to pick up Drew from school. I didn’t
know why, but I felt like everything should be pristine for our visitor. I
didn’t want him judging me, although I had judged him quite a bit. I had zero
respect for the man, but I knew I had to play nice. I was hoping this was an
impulse for him, and he would realize he didn’t really want to be involved. The
only problem with that scenario was the next time Drew asked me if I knew who his
dad was, or if I could find out, I would have to tell him the truth. I could
only imagine the pain that would cause my son, to know that his father had met
him and wanted nothing to do with him.

By
the time I left to get Drew, the house shined and smelled fabulous. I had
seasoned chicken in the crockpot for chicken enchiladas, and I had made Drew’s
favorite apple spice Bundt cake. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to eat
any of it due to the horrible pit in my stomach, but I was at least going to
put on a good show.

The
first thing Drew did when we got home was tear through the house, leaving a
trail of his school things behind him. No matter how many times I’d asked him
to hang up his jacket and place his backpack on the entryway hooks, he still
needed a reminder every day. Don’t even get me started on the stinky socks I’d found
in the most interesting places. One thing for sure, life was never dull around
here, and tonight wouldn’t be an exception.

As
Drew devoured his afternoon snack of oatmeal cookies and milk at the breakfast
bar, I mentioned that we were having company for dinner tonight.

“So
does that mean I have to use manners?” he whined.

“That
is exactly what that means, bud.” I smiled. “You should probably use manners,
regardless.”

In
return, he burped loudly and laughed. I had no choice but to laugh as well.

I
kissed the top of his head and hugged him tight. “I love you more than
infinity.”

“I
love you infinity plus one, but don’t kiss me when people are over.”

“I’ll
make you a deal, you keep your burps under wraps, and I’ll keep my lips to
myself.”

“Deal”
He grinned.

I
decided I better explain to him a little about our guest for the night. “You
know who the Denver Bears are, right?” I filled the tortillas with seasoned
chicken, trying to get through the conversation.

“Yeah,
Mom.”

“Great.
So the man that is coming over here used to be a pitcher for them.”

Drew
shrugged his shoulders. “That’s cool.”

I
knew if I told him Paxton Matthews, the quarterback for the Stallions, was
coming over, he would have been excited about that. If only he
were
the
one coming over here. Maybe it was wrong and selfish of me, but I hoped he
never found his father to be cool. At least not cooler than me.

I
tried my best to be truthful. I managed okay. I hated bringing this man into
our lives, and even more, doing it under false pretenses. I didn’t know what
kind of man he was, other than a man who beds young women and leaves them. To
top it off, he was arrogant and self-serving. Just the kind of role model I
wanted for my son. But what could I do? I knew if I didn’t let him see his son
under my terms, I would have to follow someone else’s eventually.

As
soon as Drew finished his snack, he hopped off his seat and ran up to the loft
where his bedroom was. Our chocolate lab, Jake, followed after him. They were the
best of friends.

The
loft was all Drew’s. I figured since it was only the two of us, he might as
well have the whole upstairs. Drew had turned it into a shrine of sorts for the
Denver Stallions, Colorado’s professional football team; it looked like a
memorabilia store threw up in it. He had posters of his favorite players hung
everywhere, and my dad even found a Stallions pinball machine. It was a fun
space. Drew and his friends had gotten plenty of mileage out of it. The only
downside was having our rooms on separate floors. Drew would never admit it,
but on occasion, he would still get frightened in the middle of the night and
would make his way down to my bed. I didn’t mind; it was the only time he would
really cuddle with me anymore.

Six
o’clock came way too soon. Dinner was ready and the table was set, but my heart
was anything but. I jumped a little when the doorbell rang.

I
opened the door to find Andrew standing there with flowers in hand and a grin
on his face. “Don’t get the wrong idea, but these are for you.” He pushed the
flowers my way.

I
took the large fall bouquet out of his hands. “Um … thank you?”

“These
are just a way for me to say thank you for having me over, nothing else.”

“Yeah,
I get that you’re not interested in me. You don’t need to keep reminding me.”

He
smirked.

I
opened the door wider and welcomed him in.

He
looked around as I took his jacket and hung it up. “Nice place.”

I
looked around, too. I loved this house, nestled among the aspen and pine trees,
although the aspen trees were all but bare since it was the middle of October.

“Thank
you.”

We
both looked at each other. Nervous energy hung in the air.

I
sighed and called up to my son. “Hey, bud. Why don’t you come down and meet our
guest?”

“Mom,
can I please have five more minutes? I’ve almost beat this level.”

I
looked at Andrew, who shrugged.

“I
think that sounds reasonable.”

Why
he thought he had any say in the matter, I had no idea. I rolled my eyes. “Five
minutes. That’s it,” I called up to him.

“Yes!”
I heard him say.

“Well,
have a seat.” I motioned toward the couch. “Make yourself comfortable.”

I
headed to the open kitchen to put the beautiful flowers in a vase.

Jake
decided to come down and greet our guest by jumping on him.

I
looked up from filling a vase with water. “Sorry.”

He
scratched Jake’s ears. “No problem. I love dogs.” While he indulged our lovable
lab, I noticed him looking around with interest.

“So
how long have you lived here?” he inquired.

“We
moved in this past spring.”

“Did
you buy or do you rent?”

What
a funny question. I think he was apprehensive and didn’t know what to say.

“I
own it. I even helped design it.”

“Impressive.
So, insurance agent by day and architect by night?”

“No,
my good friend is a semi-custom builder and he bought some of the one acre lots
in this subdivision.” I used the term subdivision loosely. There were only six
homes for now, and we were all spread far apart. The lots were so forested you
hardly knew you had neighbors, but it was lovely.

“Well,
it’s really nice.”

I
don’t know how many times he was going to say how nice my house was. Not that
it wasn’t true, but I found it funny.

“Thank
you.”

He
rubbed the back of his neck. “It smells delicious in here.”

“Let’s
hope it tastes that way.” I placed the flowers on the coffee table in front of
him.

He
leaned back against the couch and grinned in response. I noticed he had changed
from this morning. Jake took a liking to him and rested his head on his legs.
Normally I wouldn’t let him do that to company, but I figured he deserved some
hair on his pants.

 “Where
do you live?” I asked out of curiosity.

“I
live in Highlands Ranch.”

“That’s
a little bit of a drive from here.” Highlands Ranch was a suburb of Denver and
about an hour or so from Merryton.

He
shrugged his shoulders.

I
looked at the clock and five minutes had passed way too quickly. I took another
deep breath in. “Drew, time’s up,” I called.

“Ahhh
man.” His voice echoed through the vaulted ceiling. At least he came running
down the stairs without a second invitation.

Both
Andrew and I stood up in anticipation. Drew immediately came to my side. I protectively
put my arm around his shoulders. If only I could hold on to him forever.

I
looked between Andrew and Drew. “Drew this is Mr. Turner. Remember, I told you
about him earlier?”

He
nodded his head yes.

“Andrew,
this is
my son,
Drew.”

Andrew
met my eyes for a moment before holding out his large hand to shake Drew’s. I
could see the excitement and hesitation in his eyes as he did so.

“You
can call me Andrew.”

Drew
took his hand. “Hey, that’s cool. My name is Andrew, too.”

“It’s
a great name,” Andrew replied.

I
did my best not to roll my eyes, but then I did my best not to laugh when Drew
responded, “Well I think Drew is better. Andrew is for old people.”

Andrew
took it all in stride and laughed. “Do I look old to you?” he asked Drew.

Drew
leaned his head sideways and looked him over. “Kind of.”

“What
about your mom, does she look old?”

I
looked at Andrew like he should know better than to ask such things, especially
since we barely knew each other and I didn’t like him. He winked at me like an
idiot.

Drew
looked up at me and smiled. “No way.”

I
gave him a little squeeze before he took off for the table.

Andrew
chuckled.

“You
deserve to be smacked for asking a question like that.” I had leaned in closer
than I meant to, trying to make sure only Andrew heard. For a second, I was
caught off guard by how handsome he was. I could see why Cheyenne was attracted
to him. Their personalities matched, too. If only Abby and Jessie were here to
smack him like they did Cheyenne on a regular basis.

He
looked down at me with a gleam in those amber eyes of his. “It was all in good
fun.”

“You
and I have very different ideas about what is fun.” I walked toward the dining
room table that was set and waiting for us.

The
table was a rectangular farmhouse style, with benches on the side and high-back
chairs on the ends. I set the table so Drew and I were together on one side and
Andrew was seated across from us. I had this need to keep him close to me.

Andrew
sat down and turned his attention toward me. “So, what do you think is fun?”

 “My
mom loves football,” Drew answered for me.

“Oh
really? Did your mom tell you I played baseball for the Bears?”

Drew
nodded.

“Do
you like baseball?”

I
didn’t know why he’d asked. I’d already told him Drew wasn’t a big fan.

“It’s
okay. My mom says it’s just a bunch of guys standing around spitting and
grabbing their private parts.”

I
could feel my face redden, but I stared at him and silently dared him to
disagree with my assessment of his sport.

“Yes,
football is much more refined.” He grinned.

“I
play football,” Drew shouted.

“Your
mom told me you were the quarterback.”

He
nodded his head enthusiastically. “We’re undefeated so far this season.”

I
looked at Drew, pride beaming in my eyes.

“That’s
great,” Andrew said.

“But
tomorrow we’re playing the Raiders, and they’re the toughest team.”

I
looked back toward our guest. I noticed he looked at Drew thoughtfully. I
almost wondered what was going through his head.

“You
know, whenever I faced a tough opponent …”

I
thought he was going to give some world-class professional athlete advice, but
no.

“I
pictured them all crying home to their mommas in their underwear.”

Drew
busted out laughing.

I
raised my eyebrow at him. It was like he was a big, dumb kid. But Drew’s laugh
was contagious and I couldn’t help but laugh a little. I tried not to as I
didn’t want to give Andrew the satisfaction.

“Let’s
eat,” I managed to say.

Before
anyone reached for the food, Andrew looked back over to Drew. “But seriously,
most games are won in your head first.” He pointed to his own head and tapped. “Don’t
let your opponent get in here. You focus on your job, do your best, and you’ll
come out on top.”