Текст книги "Until You"

Автор книги: Jeannie Moon

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Текущая страница: 21 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

Chapter 29

‡

Kate couldn’t remember feeling this displaced in a very long time. Even when Richard left, she still had the things familiar to her. Her home, her job. Her job.

She’d been teaching English at St. Andrew’s for fifteen years. She’d been in the same classroom in Larchmont Hall for the last thirteen years. She was the advisor to the literary magazine and the newspaper. But not anymore.

She’d just been fired.

She was about to leave for the day. She’d planned on going home, taking a shower, and watching David’s game, when she’d been called to the conference room and informed she was being dismissed. No notice, no request for a resignation, just goodbye.

The President of Board of Trustees rambled on about moral turpitude and the school’s high standards, and how a woman like her, with questionable morals and a life that bordered on scandalous, couldn’t be allowed to continue shaping the young minds on the St. Andrew’s campus any longer. They’d tried to be understanding about her writing career and her divorce, but her latest escapade with the athlete was the last straw.

The athlete.

Sitting at the desk in her classroom, she looked around. It didn’t seem real. Kate heard footsteps racing down the hallway and her instincts were right on when Julie appeared in the doorway.

“I just heard. Are they fucking crazy?”

“They don’t think so.” Kate walked to the closet and pulled out two shopping bags and a box from the shelf. “I’m a corrupting influence on the students here.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Julie paced around the room and watched as Kate started to put things into the bags. “What are you doing?”

“Packing. I’ve been asked to leave the premises by the end of the day.”

“Kate, you can’t just fold, you have to fight this.”

“With whom? Julie, I was booted by the Board of Trustees. There’s no one to appeal to.”

“But why? Is it your writing? What?”

“It’s because I’m with David.”

“What? I don’t…” Just then, Julie understood. “Oh, God. This wouldn’t have to do with a certain trustee named John Connor?”

Kate nodded. “Actually, I don’t think he had anything to do with it. But what happened with Chelsea was the last straw for me.”

“I can’t believe it. She goes all batshit crazy, and you have to deal with the fallout?”

“They can’t fire her.” And as the reality of what had happened swamped her, Kate found she needed the wall for some support and leaned against it. “I’ve been here forever, Jules. What am I going to do?”

“Kate, you don’t need the job.”

“Need isn’t the issue. I like my job and I’m good at it. I like teaching and the kids. All my friends are here. When everything started to fall apart, this place gave me a reason to get up every day.”

Julie walked over and slid an arm around Kate’s shoulder. “Now you have David, and Laura. You have an amazing career, and you’ll still have your friends.”

Kate looked at Julie and had to smile. “I’ll have you. Maybe one or two others will keep in touch. I mean, I knew I wouldn’t stay forever. But I wasn’t ready yet.”

“It won’t be the same here without you.”

Kate pressed her fingers to her temples before getting back to her packing. She found another box, dumped the books it held onto a table, and started filling it with files of teaching materials she’d created over the years. She wasn’t about to leave all her hard work for someone else to use. After emptying the file cabinet, they took a break.

“Are you going to call David?”

“He’s in Atlanta. He’ll call before they fly out. I’ll tell him then if he isn’t too tired.”

Julie looked at the bags and the boxes that were being filled with fifteen years of hard work. “Do you need some help with all this stuff?”

“Yeah, that would be great. Do you want to have dinner with Laura and me? I started some soup in the crockpot before I left this morning. We’re going to eat and watch the game later.”

“If you promise to tell me all the Richard and Marie gossip.”

“I promise, but be prepared. It’s a long and strange story.”

“I like long and strange. I feel like I’ve been out of the loop since I took that trip with my sister and then went right to that conference.”

Kate turned and stopped what she was doing. John Connor stood in her doorway, looking uncomfortable. He hadn’t advocated for her dismissal, but his daughter was the catalyst. It was hard to look at him as she packed up fifteen years of her life.

“Dr. Connor,” Kate said. “Can I help you with something?”

“No, uh…” He stepped into the room. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”

She paused, fighting to maintain her dignity. “I’ve been better.”

Julie grabbed two bags and walked toward the door, snarling at him as she walked by. “I’ll put these in my car.” Kate nodded and Julie left.

John circled the room and stopped by a large framed photograph of F. Scott Fitzgerald. “I tried to stop them. They wouldn’t listen to me.”

She shrugged, pushing an annoying lock of hair behind her ear.

“The gossip mill got going. Once that happened, you became a liability,” he said quietly.

“A liability?”

“St. Andrew’s has a very serious and staid reputation. You know that. You’re a celebrity and now you have a celebrity boyfriend. It’s… unseemly… according to the president of the board.”

“But I didn’t do anything, John. My biggest ‘crime’, if you want to call it that, is that I’m dating a younger man. That’s my personal life, John. I’m allowed to have a life.”

“I know. I tried to talk some sense into them and so did the headmaster. They weren’t having it. They’re invoking the morality clause in your contract. I’m sorry.”

“I heard.” It was such bullshit. She was a single woman in a relationship with a single man. She wasn’t breaking any laws. “I’m sure Chelsea’s not sorry.”

John was quiet for a moment, then tilted his head. “Don’t be so sure of that. She’s been dealing with some changes since her visit with you.”

“Changes?”

“Yes.” This was tough for him, and Kate almost felt bad. Almost. “The restraining order was a good wake-up call, for one. David’s attorney also called our attorney. Chelsea knows she crossed the line.”

Kate shook her head. It wasn’t like any of Chelsea’s epiphanies were going to help her.

“I also know that I’m just as responsible. I let her entitled attitude continue unchecked.” He took two steps in her direction and stood very straight. “I’m very sorry about everything that’s happened. It was inexcusable.”

Kate appreciated his honesty. She knew well enough that parenting mistakes were the hardest to admit to. It couldn’t have been easy for him to admit he’d raised such a toxic individual. They lapsed into an awkward silence, and he brought a stack of files to the table where she was packing a box.

“She got a job.”

Kate’s head snapped up. Could she have heard him wrong? “Excuse me?”

“Chelsea. I told her if she didn’t get a job, I was going to cut her off.”

“Seriously?” Kate was stunned. Completely stunned. “What is she doing?”

“Working for a media relations company. She’s enjoying it. It’s a lot of administrative work, but they’re tapping into everything she knows about trends and such.”

“That’s good. She’s a bright girl; I’m sure she’ll do well if she puts her mind to it.”

More silence, and then he looked at her with such a lost expression, her heart hurt for him. “When her mother left, I guess I felt I had to make up for everything she didn’t have. I made a lot of mistakes.”

That was something Kate could relate to. Thinking about her situation with Laura, mistakes and parenting seemed to go hand in hand. “Too bad there’s no manual for being a parent. We do our best, I guess.”

“Are you happy? Burke is treating you well?”

“Very well. In that regard, I’ve never been happier.”

He grinned and nodded. “I’m glad. You deserve it.”

*

Laura was exhausted from play rehearsal. She groaned when she noticed her mother wasn’t home yet. That meant dinner was hours away. All she wanted was food and some Advil before attacking her homework. It had been two weeks since she lost Jack, and it still hurt so deep, Laura didn’t know if it would ever go away.

She told him not to call her. The other night after he found out about Tyler’s trade, he needed her and she wanted to help. But talking to him, knowing they weren’t going to be together, tore at her heart, and something possessed her to tell him to leave her alone. Why prolong the inevitable? He wasn’t hers, he wasn’t going to be. She had to cut him off. Laura expected Jack would move on pretty quickly. Wherever they went, girls looked at him. He was gorgeous and famous, and she was nobody. He’d be fine.

Laura couldn’t even look at any one else. A really cute guy in her Psych class had been kind of flirting with her, and wanted her to come hang out this weekend, but she said no. She had her recital, her grades needed to come up, and her heart was still in pieces. No boys for her. Not for a while.

Pressing the code on the keypad by the garage, Laura entered the house, dropped her backpack and coat in the laundry room, and jumped when she walked in the kitchen and saw her father at the kitchen table, having a bowl of soup.

“Dad!” She grabbed her heart. “What are you doing here?”

“I was waiting for you. I thought we could have dinner together and try to work out all that ‘stuff’ that happened on New Year’s Day.” He stood and took two steps toward her. He looked fine, but she wondered if he hit his head or something. That had to be it. Maybe he had a head injury and that’s why he was acting crazy.

“Oh, ah, I don’t know,” she said. “Aren’t you supposed to call first?”

“Honey, I’m concerned about what’s going on here with your mother and the hockey player.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know if this is a good place for you. I mean, living here, with him here all the time…”

Was he serious?

“Dad, you really shouldn’t be here when Mom gets home. She’s still getting some mood swings and… you know… woo hoo.”

“How is she feeling?” A distinct chill in her father’s voice told her he wasn’t sincere. He asked because he had to.

“She’s better, most days. She and David are pretty serious.”

“Yeah, well. I’m only concerned about you, and what being around your mother and her lover is doing to you.”

Laura was dumbfounded. “You cheated on her for ten years. You abused her, tried every which way to get me to hate her, and told me Marie was more my mother than Mom. Do you actually expect me to buy this crap? You’re worried about her doing what? Setting a bad example for me?”

“Laura, I don’t want to argue. I have a right to be concerned.”

“No, Dad, you really don’t.”

“You’re my baby. You always will be.” He smiled sweetly. Laura had no clue who this man was and what he’d done with her father. It was creepy.

“You know what? You’d better go home and call if you have anything to talk to Mom about.”

“Maybe if I stop by tomorrow…”

“Do you have a death wish? In case you didn’t notice, David doesn’t like you and he won’t let you near us.”

“I’d like to see him try and stop me.”

That sounded like her father.

“Dad, he nearly crushed you when you came here after Christmas. I don’t think he’s worried.”

“Laura. I want you to come home with me. I don’t want to lose you.” Now he was resorting to guilt. God, she couldn’t keep up.

“Go home, Daddy. I’ll come over Friday and I’ll talk to you then. We can go out to dinner, okay?”

There was noise at the side door, along with two female voices, and Laura knew it was too late.

*

“Jules, didn’t I tell you once that the bad days always managed to get worse?” Kate dropped her keys on the counter. “What are you doing here, Richard?”

“I wanted to see you. We need to talk about things. About your situation.”

“My situation?” The last thing she wanted to deal with was Richard. Part of her wanted to threaten him with a visit from David; but at her age, she really didn’t want to have to resort to that kind of adolescent posturing. She was tempted, though. “I’ve had a shitty day, and the last thing I need is you in my kitchen. Get out. Don’t come back. I’m going to take a bath.”

Just as she was about to leave the room, his arm shot out and he grabbed her hand. “Don’t you walk away from me. I want to talk to you.”

Kate looked at his hand on her arm and for a split second, she felt the old terror. But just as quickly, it left her. Now it was anger—deep and dark, that filled her. This man was not going to terrorize her again.

“Take. Your. Hand. Off. Me.”

Her voice was low, quiet, and she could only assume how it sounded to everyone else in the room. If she had a weapon, Kate had no doubt that she would use it. Stunned by her reaction, Richard froze. His face, his body, everything froze in place. Except for one thing. He moved his hand, which found its way back to his side.

“Sorry,” he said. “Can we talk?”

Kate stared at him. “Your lawyer can call mine. We can talk through them. Now leave.”

“This is not over, Kate.” Richard retrieved his keys from the table.

“You’re right,” she said. “It’s not. But trust me, you’re going to wish it was.”

*

David dropped his bag when he walked into the bedroom. Kate was asleep, curled up on her side, clutching one of his pillows. His pillows. He smiled as he thought about how they had become part of each other’s lives. How they’d each laid claim to closet space and a certain side of the bed, and it felt just right.

The light on the dresser was on, casting a soft glow over her. Her hair swirled around the pillow like melted chocolate and her breathing was slow and deep. He decided not to wake her. Considering the kind of day she’d had, sleep was the best thing for her.

He undressed and slid into bed beside her. She must have sensed him because her body scooted toward his and she snuggled right in.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” she whispered.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I wasn’t really asleep. I’ve been dozing on and off for the last few hours.” She tilted her face toward his and the sadness in her eyes told him everything.

“Bad day, huh?”

“You could say that. I lost my job.”

“I heard.” He pulled her close and heard her breath catch, but she didn’t cry. “I feel like it’s my fault.”

Her hand came up and touched his face. “It’s not.”

“But it’s because of Chelsea…”

Her fingers trailed across his face and settled on his lips, silencing him. “She’s mean and bitter, and she has nothing. I have Laura and I have you. It’ll be okay.”

Grasping Kate’s hand, he kissed it. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She cuddled in again, and after a few minutes David figured it was safe to ask about what happened with the asshole. “You want to tell me about Richard?”

She sighed. She didn’t really want to tell him about her ex, but she would. They told each other everything. “He was here, waiting, when I got home. I managed it.”

“Laura said you were pissed.”

“She got that right.” He nodded and his hand slid over her body and settled on her hip. “I never wanted to draw Laura into the battle, you know? I don’t expect her to take sides.”

He grinned at her. “But she took yours, didn’t she.”

Kate giggled and bit her lip. “Yes. It was awesome.”

He gave her a squeeze and she must have seen him wince.

Kate picked up her head and looked him in the eyes. “How’s your shoulder?”

David groaned. She’d watched the game, and must have seen the hit he took into the boards during the third period. When they first got together, she freaked every time he got checked. Lately, she’d been handling the physicality of the game better.

“Sore, but not too bad. It’s just bruised.”

“How many games are you out?”

“Two or three.” It was worse than he was letting on, and would probably need surgery in the off season. But after the day she’d had, Kate didn’t need to know about it yet.

She gave him a little nudge and wriggled on top of him, planting a kiss on his lips. “Poor baby. I’ll have to take care of you.”

“Yeah? What do you have in mind?” Homecomings didn’t get any better than this. Kate’s hands ran up his sides and David saw the mischief in her eyes. Maybe her day wasn’t as bad as he thought. It was certainly possible she needed to face down her ex more often. The bedroom aggressiveness he was seeing was a nice surprise.

Her fingers ran through his hair, her lips touched his, and raw electricity shot through him. David needed her right now, wanted her more than anything, and his hard-on was proof. The last time they were together was at his house in November, almost two months ago. He’d missed the feel of her, but he’d been waiting for Kate to be ready, both physically and emotionally. Apparently, she was.

His good arm wrapped around her and his hand travelled up and down her spine. “Are you sure?”

She nodded and kissed him again. “I’ve missed you.”

This was real. The kisses she left over his face and across his shoulder released all the tension in his body. How soft she felt, the way she smelled, was familiar and comforting. This was what David wanted for the rest of his life.

Her lips connected with his, and the kiss was so intense he almost went blind from the lust she triggered. Leave it to his girlfriend the writer to get imaginative. Before he could focus again, he felt her mouth leave warm kisses over his neck, chest, and stomach. Finally, when he could see, Kate’s eyes met his and he realized what she had in mind. His breathing became more rapid as she worked her way south, teasing him like a seasoned bad girl. Her hands slid inside his boxers, and pushed them down and over his hips, releasing him.

After that, David’s mind went blank.

Chapter 30

‡

David’s phone rang as he walked into his kitchen. He’d spent two hours at the orthopedist about his shoulder, and fortunately the news was good. It was badly bruised. No separations, nothing torn. With a little time, and therapy, he should be fine without any surgery. It was a good thing, too, since he hoped he and Kate could get married this summer. He hadn’t asked her yet, thinking if it was too soon, but proposing felt right. Dropping his mail on the table, he answered.

“Yeah?”

“Padre?” It was Jack.

“Nelly, how was practice?”

“Dave, I just left the GM’s office.”

Shit. David knew the tone in Jack’s voice. He’d heard it countless times over the years from other teammates, most recently from Tyler Graves, and he braced himself for the news.

“I’ve been traded.”

“Shit,” he said aloud. He could only hope it was someplace close. He hated losing Jack as a linemate, but he’d hate losing him as a friend even more. “Where?”

“I can’t believe it. I’m going to Vancouver.”

“Vancouver?” David let the word ring in his head. Vancouver. Nice city, but three thousand fucking miles away. They barely played the Canucks.

“I have to leave tonight.”

“This blows.” Having never been traded, David didn’t know how he would deal with the sudden upheaval and being thrust into the unknown. A new town, new people, having to find a new home… all of it sounded like a nightmare. But it came with the job. They all knew it, but no one talked about it until it happened.

“I thought things were going good.” His voice was lost, confused.

“Jack, it’s the game. No one is indispensable. They traded you ’cause you were worth something.”

Jack groaned. For a young player, a trade sometimes shook their confidence. The kid was just putting down roots and settling into a system, and boom—he finds out he’s only as valuable as the player they can get for him.

“I’ve got a late flight out tonight. I meet the team in St. Louis for a game the day after tomorrow.”

“I don’t know what to say. You’re going to a good team. A good organization.”

“Yeah.”

“You packing?”

“Yeah. I’ve gotta go get my stuff at the arena. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do about my apartment. God, this sucks.”

“I can give you a hand if you need it.”

“Nah, thanks.” There was a pause, a breath. What else could be said? “I guess I’ll talk to you later on.”

David hung up and thought about his own situation. He had a lot more to lose than Jack if he should get traded. And while he never really thought about it, Kate not teaching anymore might be a good thing, since her job was one of the things that tied her to the area. With the team possibly in a trading mood, he didn’t want to take any chances. Jack’s trade had been the wake-up call. He wasn’t going to wait for the perfect moment—he was going to talk to Kate about making things permanent.

*

Laura went to grab a pen in her bag, and she saw the light flashing on her phone. She was in the library, it was her lunch period, and even though she knew she shouldn’t, she took it out and went to her inbox. There were two texts from Tracy, who was sitting across from her at that moment, a text from Dan, the boy in her Psych class, and a notification from the Flyers. She’d been getting team updates for two years, but today’s update was about Jack. He’d been traded.

And he was going to Canada.

Laura stared at the message. She’d so completely zoned out, that when Mrs. Gardella, the librarian, finally touched her shoulder, Laura flinched. “Laura, are you alright?”

Laura looked up, unable to speak for a few seconds as she wrapped her head around the news. Traded.

“Honey, did you get bad news?”

“Just something about a friend of mine. It’s fine. He’s not hurt or anything.” She looked at Tracy and then back at the librarian. “He’s moving.”

Tracy’s mouth dropped open and Laura locked her phone. “I’ll be fine, Mrs. G. I shouldn’t have taken out my phone.”

“No, but I’m worried about you. You haven’t been yourself the last few weeks. Can I help?”

“Thanks. I’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” Mrs. Gardella left them and Tracy leaned across the library table.

“Who’s moving?”

Laura drew a shaky breath and dabbed at her eyes again. “Jack’s been traded.”

Tracy dropped back in her chair and stared. “Where?”

“Vancouver.” Laura gulped down the air and glanced toward the desk. Mrs. Gardella was looking up from her work and watching. She had to hold it together. Falling apart in school was not an option. She’d gotten through her parents’ divorce without a referral to student services; she wasn’t going to be sent there because she broke up with her boyfriend.

“You’ll never see him.”

“I wasn’t going to see him anyway. Maybe it’s better.” It would certainly be easier if there was no chance they’d see each other. But she knew it was hard for him, and while part of her wanted him to leave, her heart was breaking for him. Jack would be miserable. She wondered if she should send him a text or something. No, that was a bad idea.

Sticking her phone in her bag, Laura made a decision. She had to let Jack go. His life was where he was playing, and she still had a lot to do. There was high school, and finding a college… Laura thought she might want to be a doctor. She had to take care of herself, and that meant her heart couldn’t be in Vancouver.

Adorable Dan from Psych was walking towards the table and Laura took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Dan smiled, and Laura found it wasn’t too hard to smile back.

He was nice, smart, and really cute… and he was here.

*

For David, saying goodbye to teammates who’d been traded over the years was the most difficult part of his job. But nothing quite prepared him for saying goodbye to Jack Nelson. He’d become a good friend over the past year, and David often thought if he had a brother, he’d want him to be like Jack.

He figured Laura would be upset when she found out, but she wasn’t as bad as he expected. She even had a date on Friday night, and then Sunday, Laura and Kate were hitting the road to do some college visits. He was amazed at the way the two of them slipped into the mother-daughter roles so easily after such a long time of alienation. It was like Laura wanted it so badly that when the opportunity to have her mother back presented itself, she grabbed on with both hands. Kate was just being Kate, doing all the things that made him fall in love with her.

David looked out the kitchen window. It was one of those winters—perpetually gray and cold. A light snow had started to fall, and he knew he should leave before the roads got too slick. He had a morning skate and he needed to get some sleep. But he had to talk to her first. He had to lay the groundwork for their lives.

Jack’s trade brought the fact home that anything could happen, and he wanted Kate to know that wherever he was, he wanted her with him. No matter where his life in the NHL took him, he wanted to make a family with her, Laura, and hopefully one or two of their own.

The soft padding of her footsteps made him look up. She was wearing a pair of red pajama pants and an old Harvard sweatshirt. The fuzzy slippers made her an irresistible package.

She sat on the couch and he moved, sitting on the ottoman facing her. He took her hands and thought carefully, because David knew these could be the most important words he ever spoke.

“Get any work done?” he asked.

“Some.” She shrugged.

“Is she asleep?”

“No, she’s on the phone with Dan,” she said.

He smiled and shook his head. He wondered how things would go for her with a guy her own age? As he got to know Laura better, David could see she was a lot like her mother, but time would tell. Kate sat on the couch with her legs pulled up, chewing on those gorgeous lips, and every inch of him responded. Yup. A goner for sure.

“We need to talk.” They said it together, and both of them smiled.

“You first,” she said.

He took a deep breath. “Okay. Jack’s trade scared the shit out of me. He was supposed to be the centerpiece of the club for years, and then, boom… he’s gone.”

“Are you worried that you could be dealt?”

“I’m very well protected, and I signed a long term contract last summer, but anything can happen. We need to think about our future, about our life together, as a family.”

She didn’t say anything, but looked down at their joined hands.

“Kate, I know I want to marry you. I think I’ve known it since we had dinner together in California.”

She tried to speak, but stopped, nodding at his words.

“I need to know that if I get sent to Phoenix, you’ll be there.” He paused again, thinking about what he wanted to say. “I know this is your home, but…”

“Shhh,” she finally said. “A home is about people, about family. Without you here, this is a house, that’s all. If you get traded, I promise you, we’ll work it out.”

“Like I said, I don’t foresee anything happening, but…” He stood, fished around in his pocket and pulled out the small velvet box. Her eyes locked on it as he held it out for her to accept.

“Oh, David.” Her breath caught as she took the box from him and opened it. It was a simple ring, a solitary, round diamond set in a diamond encrusted platinum band. Beautiful and perfect. “I can’t believe you did this.”

Knowing what she meant, he told Kate a truth that was going to shock her a little.

“I bought the ring in November.”

“What? November? But—”

“After the whole mess with the article in the paper, before we knew you were pregnant, through all my screw-ups, I knew if I got you back I wasn’t letting you go again.” He took her face in his hands and saw her eyes fill with tears. “I wanted to ask you someplace romantic, make a big show of it, and I remembered that’s not what we’re about.” He brushed away the tear that spilled onto her cheek. “We’re about family dinners, nights on the couch, playing in the snow, and flannel pajamas.” He tugged on her pants as he watched Kate dissolve. “I love you. I love you with all my heart. Marry me, Kate. Be my home.”

She nodded her response and let the tears flow—happy tears, finally. He’d seen her cry too many times for other reasons, but these were good tears.

“Thank you for not giving up on me,” she said. Her free hand covered one of his and she kissed him. “Thank you for being stubborn and competitive and for taking that silly bet.”

“I’m not religious, but if I were ever going to believe in divine intervention, it was when I saw you in California. It was my lightning strike. I love you more than I ever thought possible.” Kate handed him the box and extended her left hand. David took the ring from the box and slipped onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

“I love you, David.”

The kiss she pressed to his lips was light. She wrapped her arms around him, holding tight, and David couldn’t believe he was this damn lucky.