Teague (22 page)

“Let’s go say hello to a new baby boy,” she said, shooing her children toward the cottage.

“Is Tigger going to be here?” Morgan asked, her little face so earnest it made Sabrina’s heart turn over.

With a tight smile, she shrugged. “He might be. Let’s go find out.”

They crossed the driveway and had barely made it to the back door when it flew open and Jack strode out. He held his daughter in one arm, but the look on his face was one of concern.

“Sabrina, I’ve been trying to call you but your cellphone goes straight to voicemail.”

“I know, Jack.” Three simple words but they carried some weight and Jack Simon looked flustered. He’d always had a good heart and he could read a situation like no tomorrow. He knew that this was hard for her. And it was obvious that he didn’t like it.

“He got in a few hours ago.”

“Tigger?” Morgan shouted, jumping up and down. “He’s here Uncle Jack?”

She didn’t wait for an answer and bolted past Jack, but instead of running into the house she headed for the stairs that led to the upper deck, with Harry fast on her heels.

“Dammit,” Sabrina muttered, scrambling to catch them and not doing a good job of it in her heels.

“Morgan, you’re going to trip in that dress and break your neck,” Sabrina shouted after her.

The kids disappeared from sight and Sabrina almost made it to the top of the stairs when a man appeared, with both of her kids in his arms. Harry and Morgan were babbling crazily, asking a million questions about everything and anything that they could think of. Their voices melted into one and Sabrina couldn’t understand a word they said.

All she could think about was holding herself back, because in that one moment when her eyes met Teague’s, she wanted to do nothing more than launch herself into his embrace and never let go.

“Isn’t that right, Mommy?”

Wait. What? “Sorry, what was that Harry?”

“I just told Teague about the biggest snake in the world. The one I saw when I was peeing behind that sign.”

“Right,” she murmured, glancing behind her at the large
For Sale
sign.

“I told Mommy to wear her princess dress but she didn’t,” Morgan said. “I wore mine.”

“I see that,” Teague replied with a smile.

He took a step back, but he didn’t give up her children. He studied her intently with his dark eyes and, more than a little flustered, she looked away. If given the chance, this man saw too much.

And there were some secrets she wasn’t so sure she was ready to share—like

the whole love thing. No way in hell was she letting that slip.

“Are you coming up?” Teague asked, taking another step back so that she could pass.

Sabrina squared her shoulders. She pasted a soft smile onto her face and cleared all thoughts from her mind but those about celebrating a new baby boy’s baptism. She cleared the top stair and moved past Teague, careful not to touch him.

It was seven o’clock. She would leave at nine.

She could do this.

She had to do this.

Sabrina was being cool with him.

He got it. Of course he did. But that didn’t mean he had to like it. For the past two hours, she’d avoided him like the plague. Her kids, on the other hand, were the exact opposite, and God love ‘em, but they were part of the problem. How in hell was he supposed to get Sabrina alone when Harry and Morgan had pretty much attached themselves to him like little Koala bears with their legs and arms?

They’d just been lured away to the kitchen by the promise of cake and ice cream, (he’d have to thank Abby later) but Sabrina was nowhere in sight. Pissed off, Teague shoved his hands into the front pockets of his slacks and headed outdoors. Maybe she needed some air and was outside.

Good luck with that, he thought as he stepped out onto the deck. With a scowl he moved through the crowd and grabbed a cold beer from the bartender before finally finding a quiet spot where he could relax. The weather was gorgeous and they’d been blessed with an Indian summer of sorts—warm days with above average temperatures. The air was chilled this time of the night though, and he hunched his shoulders against the damp.

Leaning against the railing, his gaze moved over those gathered on the grounds and farther down the beach. Where the hell was she?

“There you are.”

Teague turned as his mother appeared, and as always, his heart swelled at the sight of her. Sure, there were a few more lines around her eyes, a few more grays that glistened in her hair, and maybe she was moving a bit slower. But she’d always had this ethereal beauty and to him she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

Eden Simon handed off an empty wine glass to one of the waiters and slid up alongside her son. She slipped an arm around his waist and Teague pulled her in for a hug.

“You look good, Mom,” he said pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“I’m happy. For the first time in ages, every single one of my children is gathered under the same roof. We’ve got grand-babies here and our closest friends…I can’t ask for much more than that.”

Teague was silent, his eyes on the beach, and for a few minutes mother and son enjoyed the relative silence in their corner of the deck.

“Sabrina’s twins seem awfully fond of you.”

Teague didn’t take his eyes from the beach. Damn, his mother’s radar was still top notch.

“They’re great kids.”

“They are. It surprises me.”

He tore his gaze from the beach and glanced down at his mother, noting the direct look in her eyes and the way her chin was set. Something was on her mind and whatever that something was wouldn’t be held back. As delicate and fragile as his mother appeared, she was the backbone of the Simon family and was probably stronger than all of them put together.

He could play dumb and do his best to avoid whatever it was that was on her mind, but what was the point?

“What are you getting at?” he asked.

She turned and faced him fully. “It surprises me that those children look to you with love and affection in their eyes.”

Teague remained silent because, hell, what did he say to that? He took a long pull from his beer and leaned his elbows onto the railing.

“It’s surprising but nice. Yet it pains me to see their mother look at you with hurt in her heart.” Eden was quiet for a few moments. “Is there something you want to share with me?”

Teague blew out a long breath and shook his head, searching for the right words. But there was no right or wrong. There was only the truth.

“I screwed up.”

“Hmmm,” Eden said softly. “I thought you might have.”

“I’ve never been good at the relationship thing. You know that.”

“Well, the fact that you actually said, ‘relationship’ gives me hope. What happened?” she gently prodded.

“Syria was something that I had to do. You know that. But I should have come home when it was done. I should have flown straight here to Sabrina and made things right but…”

“But you went to Paris instead and you saved a child.”

He glanced at his mother sharply.

“Jack filled me in. I know you were largely responsible for helping the police track down that poor girl.”

“Yeah,” he said slowly. “We found her.” The horror of what he’d witnessed would stay with him for a long time.

“I’m glad you did, Teague. Don’t ever doubt that. I’m glad you were there for that little girl and all the other little girls you’ve been there for in the past. But now it’s time to be here, in this moment, in this life.” She pressed her palm to his chest. “It’s time for you to be here for yourself. You’ve done so much good, Teague. Helped so many people in so many countries, and…and I’m so very proud of you. Your father and I and every single member of this family are. Please know that.” His mother’s voice caught and the sound of her sadness nearly did him in.

“Hey,” he said, folding his mother into a hug. “I’m good. Jesus, Mom, I’m here and I’m in one piece.”

“Are you, Teague?” she asked softly. “Are you whole? I’ve always felt that there was a part of you that wasn’t happy. And as a mother, it’s kept me awake at night. I won’t lie about that. Out of all my kids, you are the one I worry about. It’s not because your job puts you in dangerous situations or that months go by with no word. It’s because I’m so afraid that you’ll lose yourself in all that darkness. I’m afraid that life will pass you by before you take the time to grab everything that you deserve. Before you take the time for love and a family of your own.”

She turned in his arms, her hands creeping up to either side of his face and he had to bend slightly to give her access.

“You would do anything for someone in need. Anything to make someone else’s wrong a right. Can you promise me that you’ll do something for yourself?”

“I’m working on it,” he managed to say.

His mother smiled, a gentle sort of thing. She caressed his brow and stepped out of his embrace.

“Good,” Eden said, her voice matter of fact. “You need to find your place, Teague. You need to find that one spot on this earth that’s strong enough to keep you grounded. That’s strong enough to keep you with us.” She paused. “Might help if you told Sabrina how you feel.”

He shouldn’t have been surprised at her frankness. But still, it took him a few seconds to get his thoughts straight. Was he that transparent?

He cleared his throat. “I’m working on that too.”

“Don’t expect her to fall at your feet. She’s no pushover, that one. She’s strong and fierce and with two little ones to protect, it’s not going to be easy to get back into her good graces.”

He was starting to get that.

Eden glanced to their right. “And honey, I wouldn’t waste any time if I were you.”

His smile faded as he followed her gaze. Sabrina was deep in conversation with Cooper Simon.

“Son-of-a-bitch,” he growled. Damned if the man wasn’t standing just a little too close for his liking.

“Let me take that,” Eden said reaching for his half empty beer bottle. Teague handed it to his mother and, with determined strides, headed toward Sabrina.

They both looked up as he approached—Sabrina’s expression was shuttered, while Cooper’s, well, he had that look in his eyes and it was one Teague had seen before. The guy was interested and there was no way in hell Teague was letting him anywhere near Sabrina or her kids.

“Can we talk?” he asked rudely, ignoring his cousin and totally focused on Sabrina.

“Jesus, Teague. You lose your manners somewhere over the Atlantic?” Cooper frowned, straightening.

Teague ignored his cousin. “Sabrina?”

All around them, people were chatting, celebrating, catching up and being noisy. But here, in this little triangle Teague was caught up in, there was none of that joy. A few awkward moments passed and then Sabrina attempted a smile and thanked Cooper for bringing her a glass of water. She arched her brow at Teague and headed for the stairs without a word.

“That’s gonna be a tough nut to crack, my friend.” Cooper shrugged. “Good luck.”

“No shit,” Teague muttered.

He followed Sabrina, weaving his way through the crowd—shaking an uncle’s hand, and leaning in for a kiss from his Auntie Beatrice. His sister Grace caught his eye, but he shook his head and kept moving. No way was he letting Sabrina out of his sight.

She was heading to her boathouse and a cool breeze lifted the hem of her skirt, showing him a tantalizing bit of leg. That little bit of skin had him hungry for more, and his eyes raked over Sabrina, taking in every detail.

Her hair was longer than when he’d last seen her, falling several inches past her shoulders, while the kiss of summer was starting to fade from her skin. She was so damn beautiful and every cell in his body screamed for a touch. This hunger, it wasn’t going to fade and it hit him in that moment just how much he needed her.

She paused at the end of the dock, her hair blowing behind her like a dark chocolate cascade.

“What do you want to talk about?” she asked in that no nonsense voice she usually reserved for the twins when they were being naughty.

Teague paused a few feet from her. He shoved his hands into his pockets because he didn’t know what the hell to do with them.

“Can you turn around? I sure as hell don’t want to talk to your back.”

She slowly turned to face him and tucked a large chunk of hair behind her ear. A delicate pearl shimmered there from the late evening sun, and he dragged his gaze up to her eyes.

Damn.

It was still there. That physical connection. That need and want. And he could tell by the expression in her eyes that she felt the same.

“I called.” Lame start to the conversation.

Sabrina’s eyebrow arched. “Did you?” There was frost in her voice and he didn’t like it.

“I left a message on your phone last night.”

“Sorry. Didn’t get it.” Her voice was clipped and he swore under his breath. “My battery was dead.”

“Look, Sabrina. I… shit, have I screwed things up this badly? We can’t even talk?”

“Teague, there is no
us
to screw up. There never was an
us
. You left over two months ago and ended whatever it was that we had. And don’t get me wrong, I understood your need to go to Syria. I understood that you needed to close that chapter of your life and that finding out what happened to your friend Dallas was the only way that you could achieve that. I get that. I really do. But then you never came back. You never even tried to come back and I knew…”

He took a step closer, and she took one back.

“What did you know?” Hell if he wanted to hear this but what other choice did he have? As much as her words made him feel like shit, they were the truth.

“I knew that you were never coming back.”

“I’m here right now, Sabrina. In the flesh. Standing less than two feet from you.” His voice was loud, but he didn’t give a goddamn.

“I see you, Teague. All of you. And trust me, you’ll leave again.”

“Not going to happen. I’m not going anywhere.”

She made a strangled noise and shook her head, silent for a few moments. When she spoke again, her voice was subdued. “Can I ask you something Teague?”