The Man She Should Have Married (12 page)

“Good. You shouldn't be talking to them, anyway. All exchanges should be through me and their attorney.”

“I'm so sorry about this,” Stella said.

“It's not your fault,” Austin said. Then he turned back to Olivia. “Please don't worry about this. I promise you, I'll take care of it. In fact, maybe I'll jump the gun and call Jackson Moyer myself. In the meantime, I'll be going. I know you're probably exhausted after this. I'll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Olivia thought about the trip to San Antonio planned with Matt for tomorrow. Should she still go? Or should she stay home and figure out some kind of damage control? Maybe she should call Matt now. Let him know what had happened and see what he thought. She dreaded doing so, though, because she'd have to tell him she was out with Austin, and then he'd wonder why she hadn't told him where she was going to begin with.

Still debating what to do, Olivia, along with Stella, headed back upstairs to make sure Thea was settled down after Austin had gone. Surprisingly, she was half-asleep when they entered her room. Stella offered to read her a bedtime story, and when Thea agreed, Olivia thankfully left the two of them and went into her own bedroom to change into comfortable sweats. While there, she turned on the small television set mounted on her wall because it was almost time for the local news. She had decided to call Matt, but wanted to see what, if anything, was said about the fire before she did.

Her heart sank when she saw it was the lead story, and almost the first image was that of Thea being carried down the ladder from the third-floor balcony. She couldn't help feeling proud of her daughter, who didn't look frightened at all. But along with the pride was a huge dose of fear.

And the awful suspicion that Vivienne might have just been dealt a winning hand.

* * *

“Hugh! Hugh! Come and see this!” Vivienne had just settled down into her favorite chair in the sitting room off her bedroom, a glass of her favorite Bordeaux in her hand, and had switched on the local news at ten.

“What is so all-fired important?” her husband said irritably as he entered the room. “I was changing clothes.”

“Look! Thea is on the news!”

“What?”

Vivienne even forgot about her wine—a nightly treat before bed—when she realized what the lead story was about. She was partly appalled and partly triumphant. Now everyone would see that she, Vivienne, was not being cruel or unreasonable to ask for custody of that precious child. How could they? Thea had been left at the apartment of that woman's sister, and look what had happened. Who knew who lived in those apartments? That was a totally unsuitable environment for Vivienne's granddaughter. And why was she there anyway? The child should be in bed no later than eight, and Vivienne would bet it was later than that when this all happened. Where was Olivia?

Vivienne bristled with indignation as she avidly watched the newscast. But she couldn't help swelling with pride over how her granddaughter showed absolutely no fear. Well, Vivienne certainly wasn't surprised about
that
. Good genes would always win out in the end. Thea's mother and her family might not possess the best lineage, but Thea's father and her paternal grandparents certainly did, and that was what was apparent now. That old saying about cream rising to the top had once again proven to be true.

“Well, I'll be damned,” Hugh said when the segment was over and the newscasters had moved on to the next story.

All Vivienne did was smile. “This incident makes our case even stronger, you know.” She finally picked up her wine and took a satisfying swallow. Her mind was spinning. Should she call and check on Thea? Was the child even home now? She wanted to call. She wanted to demand to speak to her granddaughter. She particularly wanted to tell that woman what she thought of her and her irresponsible behavior. But no matter how much she wanted to, she simply couldn't. Jackson Moyer had emphatically instructed them not to contact Thea or her mother directly.

From now on, every communication with or about your granddaughter needs to go through me
, he'd said.
Don't forget that or you could jeopardize your chances of winning
.

Although Vivienne understood why he'd given them the directive, she couldn't help chafing under the rule because it wasn't in her nature to let others fight her battles. In fact, she relished the battles. They made her feel stronger and superior to her foes because she was powerful and intimidating, and she knew it, and she could almost always cow an adversary.

“I'm just glad Thea is all right,” Hugh said now.

“Of course we're glad she's all right, but surely you see that what has happened is to our advantage.”

Hugh sighed. “If you say so.”

Vivienne's eyes narrowed. She was so tired of her mealymouthed husband's wishy-washy attitude about everything. For about the thousandth time she wondered what he'd say if he knew the truth. Sometimes she really wanted to tell him. To throw it in his face and see his expression. Would
that
finally get a rise out of him? Make him act like a man? Make her respect him, at least a little? But of course, her better judgment always won out and she kept silent. Her secret would remain her secret because that was in her best interest.

As Hugh walked back into their bedroom to resume changing into his pajamas, she made a decision. She might not be able to call and talk to Thea, but she would call Jackson Moyer tomorrow and make damned sure he knew all about the fire.

She was smiling as she settled back to finish her drink.

Chapter Twelve

M
att didn't see the news, but one of his buddies called him at ten fifteen to tell him about it. After they'd hung up, Matt immediately phoned Olivia.

“Hi, Matt.” She sounded tired. “I was just thinking about calling you.”

“Nolan Underwood called me and told me about the fire. Were you there? Was that Stella's apartment? Is Thea okay?”

“I wasn't there. Stella was babysitting. And Thea is fine. She considered the whole thing quite the adventure. She told me it was ‘'citing.' She loved being carried down the ladder.”

He grinned. Sounded like Thea. “That's a relief.”

“Yes. I was really upset when Stella called me. I'm sure your mother will have a field day over this.”

“I'm afraid you're right. Most people would just be glad all's well that ends well, but she'll find a way to blame you even though you weren't there and the fire wasn't Stella's fault, at least according to what Nolan told me.”

“No, it wasn't her fault. It started in an apartment below her. Unfortunately, though, her apartment received lots of damage, so she's going to be staying with my mother for a while. Thank goodness she bought rental insurance, so at least the damages will be covered.”

“She was smart to do that.”

“I actually think she was required to. Um, Matt...there's something I—”

“You're not going to tell me you don't want to go to San Antonio tomorrow?”

“No, I thought about it, but I really don't see any reason why we can't still go. I mean, Thea's fine. But there is something I need to tell you.”

He didn't like the tone of her voice.

“I—I was out with Austin Crenshaw last night. We had a dinner meeting. At Hugo's. I should have told you that's where I was going when you asked me about spending the day with me. I don't know why I didn't. I mean, it really was just a meeting. Not a date.”

Hugo's? Not a date? For a moment, Matt was flummoxed and couldn't think how to respond. Of course it was a date! Maybe Olivia wanted to believe otherwise, but Matt was sure Austin Crenshaw thought so. No man would take a woman to Hugo's for a dinner meeting. The place, not to mention the prices, literally screamed romance. Besides, Austin hadn't exactly made a secret of his interest in Olivia. “I see,” he finally said.

The silence between them seemed to stretch forever.

When she broke it, her voice was pleading. “Come on, Matt...don't be like that.”

“Like what?”

“You know like what. You're angry.”

“I'm not angry. I'm just...confused, I guess. Hell, I thought after the other night things had changed. I thought we had an understanding.”

“We do.”

“Yet you had plans to go out with Austin Crenshaw and you didn't mention it when we talked. All you said was you had
a commitment
.”

“It
was
a commitment, for a meeting. It wasn't a date.”

“If it wasn't a date, you would have told me up front what you were doing. You would have simply said you were meeting with Austin to discuss the case.”

When she didn't answer immediately, Matt knew he was right. She'd felt awkward and guilty. That's why she hadn't told him the truth. She'd known going out to dinner on a Saturday night couldn't be anything else
but
a date.

Maybe he was kidding himself. Maybe she didn't feel the same way about him that he felt about her. Maybe she regretted making love the other night and why she hadn't said she loved him, too. Maybe
that's
why she kept coming up with all kinds of excuses about why they couldn't be aboveboard about their relationship. Maybe it didn't have a damn thing to do with his mother.

He had to know. “Are you sorry about the other night?”

“Matt...”

“Just tell me, Olivia. I need to know the truth.”

Seconds went by before she answered in a tired voice. “You know, Matt, it's late and I'm exhausted. Let's talk about this tomorrow.”

“Thea will be with us tomorrow.”

“So, what, then? Do you want to cancel tomorrow?”

He swallowed. “Do you?”

“No, Matt, I don't. But I don't see the point in going round and round on this subject. I'm not sorry about the other night with you and I've told you I don't consider tonight's meeting with Austin a date. And I've apologized for not immediately telling you about it. But you don't seem satisfied, so I don't know what else I can do.”

Part of him—the hurt part of him—wanted to say it might be best to have a cooling-off period before seeing each other again, but the other part of him—the part that knew they were at some kind of crisis point in their relationship and that the next few minutes might determine which direction their future would take—told him maybe he was being unreasonable because he was jealous. Maybe, if he was smart, he needed to just swallow his pride.

“You're right,” he said, softening his voice. “I accept your apology and think we should just forget about the whole thing. How about I'll pick you and Thea up around ten tomorrow morning?”

“We'll be ready. Good night, Matt.”

“Good night, Olivia. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” This was said so softly, he wasn't sure he'd actually heard it or maybe imagined it because he'd wanted to hear it.

* * *

Sunday morning dawned clear and bright, with temperatures in the sixties and the promise of a beautiful day ahead. Unfortunately, Olivia awoke with a headache because she hadn't slept well. It had taken her hours to fall asleep, and then even after she had, she awakened several times in the night, disturbed by tumultuous dreams.

If only she hadn't gone out last night. It had been a really stupid thing to do, all the way around. She should have simply told Austin she'd come to his office in the morning or that she'd meet him somewhere for coffee during the day. Why hadn't she?

She put on her robe, then went downstairs, took some Advil and quietly fixed her morning coffee. Grateful Thea was still asleep, she padded barefoot into the living room and curled onto the sofa.

As she drank her coffee, her thoughts returned to last night and her phone conversation with Matt. In a way, she understood why he'd reacted as he had when she'd told him she'd been out with Austin. But in another way, his reaction still bothered her. Because either Matt trusted her or he didn't. Was it possible that his mother's constant undermining of her had planted seeds of doubt about her in Matt's subconscious? Seeds he didn't even know were there? Seeds that would grow into a kind of poison that would eventually ruin whatever chance they had?

By the time she'd finished her coffee and began to get ready for the day, she decided the time she and Thea and Matt spent together in San Antonio today would be a test. It would give her a clearer picture of how things really stood between them. If Matt seemed back to normal, then she'd do her best to forget about their conversation last night, too. But if he still seemed suspicious of her relationship with Austin or made any comments to that effect, then maybe she'd been right all along, and Matt had no place in her future.

Just the thought made her feel sick to her stomach. But yesterday's events had only brought back all her old doubts. Yes, she knew Matt loved her. And she loved him. Sometimes she ached from loving him and wanting him.

But was love...and desire...enough?

Could she bear being married to Matt when his mother despised her? Was a life filled with constant tension what she wanted for Thea? For herself?

Could she live that way?

Today, she needed to find some answers.

Even if she didn't like what she discovered.

* * *

Matt hadn't slept well, either.

He was sorry he'd implied he didn't believe Olivia. It wasn't her fault Austin was pursuing her. And the fact he was her attorney didn't make things easy for her. Instead of Matt piling more stress on her shoulders by criticizing her or inferring he didn't trust her, he should be a better man and totally support her. He
was
a better man. The problem was, he cared too much, and deep down he was afraid Olivia would never fully commit to him.

And realistically, why would she?

Family was of primary importance to her. She was a warm, giving, loving, generous person. Why would she want to remarry into a family headed by his mother? His mother had never given Olivia anything but heartache and grief, and all indications were that this kind of behavior would not only continue into the future, it would worsen.

Matt needed to do something to change this dynamic. But what? Everything he'd tried—talking to his mother, talking to his father, nothing had worked. If only he had something new, some way to persuade and influence his mother.

He was still thinking along these lines when he arrived at Olivia's home a few minutes before ten. But he purposely pushed all thoughts of his mother and his family situation out of his mind when he rang the doorbell. He wanted to give Olivia and Thea a wonderful carefree day, and he would not let his mother and her poison mar it. Later, at home alone again, would be time enough to go back to the problem.

When Olivia opened the door, an excited Thea at her side, love swept through him. He wanted nothing more than to gather both of them into his arms. But with Thea there and possible nosy neighbors, all he could do was smile down at the two females he loved most in the world. “Ready for our adventure?”

“Yes, Unca Matt!” Thea shouted. Then, practically jumping up and down, she said, “Did you see me on television?”

“No, sweetheart, I didn't. But I heard you were really brave.”

“I was! And there were 'porters there!” Thea frowned. “But I didn't talk to them.”

“'Porters?” Matt said.

“Reporters,” Olivia said. “She wanted to talk to them. You know how she likes being in the spotlight,” she added sotto voce.

“Maybe she'll be a performer of some sort when she grows up.”

Olivia raised her eyebrows. “Don't encourage her.”

“I am gonna be a 'porter when I'm big,” Thea said, giving her mother a dark look.

Matt laughed. He couldn't help it. Thea was a handful now, at four. He couldn't imagine what she'd be like at fourteen. And at twenty-four. But he knew he wanted to be around to find out. And not just be around. He wanted these two people to be an intimate part of his life. He wanted Olivia as his wife and Thea as his child. And he also wanted more children, brothers and sisters, for Thea.

“How's that kitten of yours doing?” he said. “Did she see you on television last night?”

Now Thea's frown intensified. “Mommy said Kitty Kat has to stay in the laundry room while we're gone today.”

“That seems sensible.”

“Mommy's being mean,” Thea said.

Olivia's eyes met Matt's. “I'm not being mean, Thea. Cats don't like traveling in cars, so we can't take Kitty Kat with us.”

“I could hold her!” Thea insisted.

“Kitty Kat will be just fine at home,” Olivia said patiently. “She's got her litter box, her food, her water. And she has that nice bed we bought for her.”

“She'll be lonesome,” Thea said, not appeased.

“Kittens don't get lonesome,” Matt said. “She'll probably sleep away the whole day.”

“If we don't get going, we won't have enough time in San Antonio,” Olivia said, obviously wanting to take Thea's mind in a happier direction.

Her ploy worked. Thea immediately lost her frown. And five minutes later they were all in Matt's car and on their way.

The day turned out to be everything Matt had hoped it would be. They got to San Antonio well before noon, and since none of them were very hungry yet, they decided to take the riverboat tour first. Thea loved it and even Olivia seemed to completely relax and be more like her old self. One older woman said in an aside to Matt, “Your wife and daughter are lovely.”

Matt didn't correct her. He simply smiled and said, “I think so, too.”

At one o'clock they chose one of the riverside Mexican restaurants and snagged an outdoor table. Thea happily dove into the chips and salsa and, later, into the bowl of queso Matt ordered. Matt and Olivia allowed themselves one margarita each, they enjoyed the excellent food and watching the boats filled with tourists go by, and he felt the day was already a success.

After lunch they walked for a while, then headed for the market where Olivia bought Thea a bright red, embroidered Mexican dress and, for herself, a beautiful woven shawl in shades of blue. Matt bought both of them silver bangle bracelets, and Thea could hardly contain her excitement.

“Mine's just like yours, Mommy!” she kept saying while waving her arm in the air.

“I know, honey,” Olivia said. “I love mine, too.”

At that moment, with Thea between them, when Olivia's eyes met his, Matt knew he'd never been happier. If only he could stop the moment in time.

Then, on the way out of the market, Thea spied a handmade doll dressed in authentic Mexican costume, and Matt bought that for her, too. At first, Olivia objected, saying it was too expensive and Thea had to learn she couldn't have everything she wanted.

“It's an early Christmas present,” Matt said.

“Please, Mommy,” Thea begged.

“Please, Mommy,” Matt said, smiling.

“Well...okay,” Olivia said, relenting.

Thea fell asleep on the way home, and Matt and Olivia finally had a chance to talk about what was in the back of each of their minds.

Olivia introduced the subject after glancing behind her to make sure Thea was asleep. “Have you forgiven me for yesterday?”

“You're the one who needs to do the forgiving,” Matt said. “I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. Actually, I guess
overreacted
is the right word.” Before she could say anything, he rushed ahead. He needed to make sure she understood. “I can't tell you how sorry I am, because I don't want you having doubts about us. The times I've told you that you and Thea are more important to me than anything else in my life, I've meant it. That will never change, and I want you to always remember that.”