Starting Over (18 page)

Eve’s heart
sank when she pulled into the winding dirt driveway and found an
unfamiliar car parked behind Alex’s motorcycle. She’d hoped he
would be alone so they could talk. Getting out of her car, she
closed the door quietly and followed voices down to the lake.
Stopping dead in her tracks, she saw him wearing only a black,
knee-length swimsuit. His bronzed, bare back glistened in the
afternoon sun as he leaned over to help a dark-haired boy cast a
fishing reel as a giggling woman looked on.

Had he moved
on… found someone new already? She felt the pain of that
possibility like a shot through the heart. How could that happen?
How could he have found a new life so soon when she was still
tortured with memories of the life they’d shared?

Alex set the
fishing pole down and scooped the little boy up, holding him high
until the boy’s maniacal little giggle rang out. Eve couldn’t help
but imagine Alex doing that with their child, and her hand
instinctively covered her stomach. Would he even want her baby if
he’d found someone new?

The woman
looked up as though she sensed someone watching them. Her long red
hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she was wearing cut-off jean
shorts, flip-flops, and a green bikini top. Eve assumed she was the
boy’s mother. Large sunglasses concealed her eyes, but Eve could
tell she was young, maybe Tonya’s age. Definitely too young for
Alex, but as long as she was legal, who was Eve to judge? She was
the one who’d initiated divorce proceedings, which meant she gave
him the right to move on with anyone he chose. Damn those divorce
papers. The young woman reached for the boy and exchanged a few
words with Alex.

His face fell
when he spotted Eve, and she had the crazy impulse to run back to
her car and forget all about coming there. If she only had herself
to think about, she would have. But Alex deserved to know he was
going to be a father, and her baby deserved to know him.

The young woman
collected her belongings and held her son’s hand as they walked
back up the dock. She smiled at Eve when she reached her. “Hi, I’m
Glo. I’d offer my hand, but they’re both kind of full at the
moment.”

“I’m Eve,
Alex’s—”

“I know who you
are.”

Eve couldn’t
help but wonder what Alex had told the new woman in his life about
her. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I needed to see Alex.”

“It’s okay.”
She smiled. “Jacob was getting a little cranky anyways. It’s almost
naptime.”

Eve looked at
the little boy and her heart melted the way it always did when she
came into contact with such innocence. “Hey, buddy. It looked like
you were having a good time.”

“Alex is a good
teacher, isn’t he, honey?” Gloria said, squeezing her son’s
hand.

Trying to keep
her expression neutral, Eve asked, “Can I help you carry some of
this stuff back to your car?”

“You’re so
sweet to offer,” Gloria said, smiling. “But your husband already
beat you to it. I can manage just fine. As a mother, you get used
to juggling a hundred things at once.”

Gloria had
referred to Alex as her husband. What did that mean? “Okay, well it
was nice meeting you both.” Crouching down, she smiled at Jacob.
“You’re lucky you get to have a nap now. I wish I could. I’m beat
from driving all night.”

“You drove all
night?” Gloria asked, sounding surprised.

Eve said, “As
soon as I found out where Alex was, I had to come.”

Grinning from
ear to ear, Gloria said, “I just love a happy ending.”

“Excuse me?”
Eve asked, trying to decipher her meaning.

“Nothing. Don’t
let me keep you.” She gestured toward Alex standing at the end of
the dock, watching their exchange. “I know he’s dying to find out
what brought you all the way out here.”

“Right.” Eve
took a deep breath and walked toward him. She’d had a lot of time
to think on the drive, to rehearse what she wanted to say, but now
that they were face-to-face, the only thing she could think about
was how great it would feel to have his arms around her.

“Good luck,”
Gloria called over her shoulder.

Eve spared a
backward glance at the young woman and her son. Eve smiled when the
little boy gave her a thumbs up, which she returned as tears sprang
to her eyes. She was an emotional basket case, crying at the drop
of a hat. She hoped she could get through the next few minutes
without falling apart.

***

Alex’s mouth
was dry, his heart racing, as he watched Eve close the distance
between them. He’d watched her talking to Gloria while wishing she
would skip the pleasantries and just tell him what the hell she was
doing there and how she’d found him. A part of him was stoked to
see her, but another part resented her for bringing garbage from
the past into the serenity he’d found. He was trying so hard to
move on. Some days he could go a whole hour without thinking about
her, but seeing her again brought the pain back with a vengeance.
“What are you doing here, Eve? How did you find me?”

“It wasn’t
easy,” she said quietly. She walked toward him until she was only a
few steps away. “You obviously didn’t want to be found.”

“No, I didn’t.”
He didn’t feel the need to apologize for that. He had no one to
answer to anymore, and he was beginning to like it that way…
sort of.

She looked at
him a long time. “You look great.”

He’d spent a
lot of time in the boat, so he had a dark tan. He’d been living on
produce and barbeque since the ancient stove in the cabin barely
worked. The fresh air meant he slept well and the hot days meant he
drank a ton of water, so he supposed he did look better than when
stress weighed him down like a noose around his neck.

“Thanks. Turns
out coming out here was the best thing I could have done for
myself.” Smirking at the old cabin, he said, “Who would’ve guessed
this place would be better for me than a five-star resort in the
Caribbean?” She winced, and he realized he’d probably offended her
or reminded her of the vacations they’d taken as a couple. “Sorry,
I just meant—”

“It’s okay,”
she said, holding up her hand. “I know what you meant.”

“You look good
too.” He couldn’t put his finger on the change, but she looked
different. She had a nice summer tan and a certain glow to her
cheeks he hadn’t noticed before. When she propped the sunglasses up
on her head, he noticed the dark smudges under her eyes. “You look
a little tired. You need to sit down?”

She smiled and
looked around. “I am kind of tired. I’ve been driving all night. If
you have a shady spot and maybe a glass of water, that would be
great.”

“Yeah, sure.”
He led her up the walkway, onto the covered porch, to the two
Adirondack chairs facing the lake. “Have a seat. I’ll get you that
water.”

She sat down
with a sigh. “Thanks, Alex.”

He grabbed a
couple of beers instead, knowing they would probably hit the spot.
Eve wasn’t much of a beer drinker. Days like that were the only
times she made an exception. With both bottles in one hand, he
pulled open the door and said, “I thought I’d do one better.”

She took the
bottle with a grimace. “Um, actually, I’d prefer water if you have
it?”

“Sure, no
problem.” Perhaps she intended to leave right away. Eve was a
stickler about drinking and driving. She wouldn’t even have a sip
if she knew she was getting behind the wheel. When he returned with
a bottle of water, her head was tipped back and her eyes were
closed. She looked so beautiful, so serene, and his gut twisted. He
remembered times when he would wake her up from a deep slumber with
a kiss, intent on enticing her into making love. The temptation to
kiss her was still there, and he wondered if it would ever go away.
“Here you go.”

“Thanks,” she
said, reaching for the bottle. Eve twisted off the cap and took a
deep swallow. “This is a cute little place. Great view.” She looked
at the crystal clear lake.

Alex chuckled,
thinking,
She hasn’t seen the inside yet
. It was small but
decidedly masculine, with chunky furniture and lots of plaid. It
wasn’t as rustic as he’d feared. Most of the furniture looked
newer, and the kitchen and single bath had been renovated recently.
He couldn’t believe seeing him had been so important that she’d set
aside everything , including sleep, as soon as she found out where
he’d been hiding. “You said you drove all night? Why?”

“I needed to
see you.”

Her fingertip
traced the condensation on the bottle, and he saw the flash of
light from her engagement ring.
Damn it.
Why was she still
wearing that ring, pretending to be his wife, when she’d made it
clear she was ready to move on?

As though she
read his mind, her eyes traveled to his left hand. He wasn’t
wearing the gold Rolex she’d given him for his birthday or his
wedding ring. He told himself they were impractical, given all the
time he’d been spending outdoors, but in reality, he didn’t need
the reminders.

“You took it
off,” she whispered, a hitch in her voice.

“We’re not
married anymore, remember?” He didn’t mean to sound callous. He
didn’t want to be her enemy, but if he couldn’t be her husband, he
didn’t want to see her at all. He would have to be cold if he
wanted to dissuade her from dropping by unannounced in the future.
“You wanted it that way, not me. I’m just following your lead,
getting on with my life.”

“That hasn’t
been as easy as I thought it would be.”

“That’s too
bad.” Surely she didn’t expect sympathy from him? He’d pleaded for
another chance, and she told him it was too late. He’d signed the
divorce papers and found a new home. In time, he could build a new
life there. He was making friends, and the creative juices that had
helped him build an empire would soon flow again.

“Has it been
easy for you?” she asked hesitantly.

“Honestly?” he
asked, taking a sip of his beer as he looked at her over the top of
the bottle. “It’s been a hell of a lot easier than I thought it
would be.” He could tell by her gasp that she was shocked and hurt,
but he’d apologized to her too many times. He was tired of atoning
for his sins. He hadn’t asked her to come there, but since she had,
she deserved to hear the truth.

“Wow, I guess I
didn’t expect that,” she said, setting the bottle on the small
table between them as she leaned forward.

“What did you
expect? That I’d drop to my knees and thank God you’d come to
rescue me?” He smirked. “I’ve come to realize a few things since I
left New York. I don’t need that life to be happy. I don’t need
Bolton Industries, and I don’t need—”

“Me?” She
slipped her sunglasses back in place as she stood. “That’s what you
were going to say, wasn’t it? That you don’t need me anymore?”

Alex sighed.
He’d wanted to make his point about moving on, but he hadn’t
intended to hurt her. “Look, I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I
honestly don’t know what you want from me. When I left the inn
after I gave you the divorce papers, I honestly thought that was it
for us. Now you show up here when I’ve finally started to get my
head on straight.”

“You said if I
needed you, you’d always be there for me,” she reminded him.
Leaning against the deck railing, she faced him. “Did you mean
that?”

“Yeah,
but—”

“Then why
didn’t you answer my calls or respond to my texts or—”

“We’re
divorced!” he shouted, slamming the beer bottle down on the table.
“What the hell could you want from me now?”

Eve’s bottom
lip trembled. “I just wanted to tell you… that you’re going to be a
father.”

The air left
Alex’s lungs in a whoosh and left him feeling light-headed. “What
are you talking about?”

“I’m pregnant,
Alex.” Her hand covered her stomach when his eyes fell to her
mid-section.

“How is that
even possible?” His mind swirled with fear, elation, and
frustration coming at him all at once. “We’ve only made love once
in the past four months.”

“I guess that’s
all it took. Maybe I wanted it too much before. When I stopped
thinking about, it just happened.”

“I don’t
believe this,” he said, wiping sweat off his forehead. “For a year
we tried to get pregnant and couldn’t. Then all of a sudden, bam,
you’re pregnant without even trying?”

“In all
fairness, we weren’t trying all that hard for that year,” she
reminded him, sounding defensive. “Whenever the time was right, you
were nowhere to be found.”

“Speaking of
timing,” he said, narrowing his eyes, “did you know it was the
right time to get pregnant when we had sex that night?”

Shaking her
head, she held up her hand. “Wait a minute, are you accusing me of
trying to get pregnant on purpose?”

He didn’t want
to believe she would do that, but she had once wanted a baby more
than anything. Desperate people often resorted to desperate
measures to get what they wanted. “Just answer the question. Did.
You. Know?”

“Dan was
right!” she shouted. “I shouldn’t have told you the baby was yours!
You didn’t even deserve to know.” She ran down the three stairs to
the driveway.

“Hold up a
minute,” he said, sprinting after her. He grabbed her upper arm
before she made it to the car and turned her to face him. “What the
hell is that supposed to mean? You actually thought about keeping
me in the dark? Don’t tell me you thought about raising our baby as
his…” When her face paled, he felt like slamming his fist into the
over-priced convertible he’d bought her for her last birthday. “Did
you sleep with him while you were married to me? Is there a chance
this kid is his?”

Her mouth
dropped open and her palm connected with his cheek before he could
think about stopping her. “You bastard!” She shook free of his
grasp and reached for the door handle. “I’ll spend every dime I
have making sure you never see this baby.”