Chasing Second Chances (4 page)

“You can always count on me, Kate,” he assured her. “Always.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They kissed briefly, then she got out of her seat. “I’ll just go get some sleep. I think I need it.”

“You do,” he agreed. “I’ll just be here.”

She gave him another kiss, this time on the cheek, then went inside the house and up the stairs to her bedroom, where she climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head. Trying not to think of bad thoughts, she closed her eyes and snuggled into her soft pillow, her last thoughts of Bryan, then of Lloyd before drifting into the abyss of unconsciousness.

She hoped they would be all right while she slept.

Chapter Seven

Bryan wasn’t all right.

In spite of the fact that he and Kate had made up, in spite of the assurances she had given him, he could not help but feel uneasy.

And he hated it.

He was a man who liked to be in control. It was one of the reasons why he chose to be a doctor, because being a doctor meant he could have some measure of control over other people’s lives. Yet, he did not choose to be a surgeon because he knew so many things could go out of control during a surgery. Instead, he had chosen to be a cardiologist, a heart specialist who spent most of his time interpreting test results and prescribing medications.

True, he knew that there were things that were beyond his control—experience had taught him that as well—and he accepted that. He knew, too, that people could not be controlled completely, which was fine, since the world would be a dull place if everyone marched to the same beat of the drum. Even God knew that. He just didn’t like it when things quickly spiraled out of control, or when there were too many variables in a situation.

Like now.

Right now, he wasn’t even sure where he stood, Lloyd’s presence something he had never seen coming.

Yes, Kate had told him that he was the man in her life, and he knew in his heart that she loved him, but still, he could not silence that voice inside of him that kept telling him he could still lose her, that women changed their minds easily, especially when their emotions were in turmoil, and that she could easily fall back in love with the man she had loved once before. Loved enough to marry, at that.

He pounded his fist on the table.

Why did Kate have to call him?

Perhaps if he and Kate had not argued, or perhaps, if he had not left, she would not have brought Lloyd into the picture. Then again, she could have still done so sooner or later, since he was the father of her kids, after all—a fact which he could neither undo nor refute.

Damn.

He had never been in this situation before. He had always been good-looking, with dark brown eyes and smooth skin that he inherited from his mother and a body that stayed lean no matter how much he ate, and intelligent, too, and so it was the women who had competed for his attention. He had never competed with any man for a woman’s attention before. He had never had to.

Until now.

Fate certainly had a tendency to teach him lessons the hard way.

Well, he was not going to back down. If he had to fight to keep Kate, so be it. He loved her. He really did. And he wasn’t just going to give her up so that some arrogant ass who had failed to treasure her once could have her and have the chance to hurt her again.

No way in hell.

His fingers closed around the empty cup of coffee on the table, crushing it as he gritted his teeth. After a few seconds, though, he forced himself to take deep breaths and calm down. Being motivated was good. Being angry wasn’t. He would have to keep his temper in check if he wanted to keep Kate.

      Deciding to let off some steam, he went to the room where Kate kept her exercise equipment and decided to lift some weights and do some cardio. Afterwards, he took a bath, then went downstairs, intending to go to the supermarket and also grab some food since the ref was still empty, only to bump into Lloyd in the living room.

Just like that, he was in a bad mood again.

He tried to cross the living room quietly, hoping he would not get noticed, but luck was still against him. He had hardly taken a few steps when Lloyd turned, the tension in the room immediately rising as their gazes clashed.

“I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself,” Lloyd spoke first, stretching out his hand. “I’m Lloyd Marrick.”

Bryan debated whether or not to shake his hand, not really wanting to but at the same time, not wanting to be rude. In the end, he shook it, remembering his promise to Kate to be on his best behavior. “Bryan Knowles. Kate’s told me about you.”

“I’m sorry I can’t say the same about you,” Lloyd said.

Bryan tried not to frown.

“What do you do?”

“I’m a cardiologist,” Bryan answered proudly.

“Oh, I see.” Lloyd sat on the arm of the couch. “That must be quite a lucrative profession since cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of human mortality.”

“It is a very fulfilling profession,” Bryan corrected. “It is an honor for me to be able to help people live longer.”

“How noble,” Lloyd remarked. “You almost remind me of Kate’s sister, Eleanor.”

This time, Bryan could not resist frowning as soon as Lloyd had turned his head away. Not only was Lloyd mocking him, he was also trying to impress his familiarity with Kate upon him, which he did not appreciate at all.

“Well, Ellie and I have some common ideas,” Bryan lied. He had never met any of Kate’s siblings before but was not about to give Lloyd the satisfaction of that knowledge.

“Ellie?” Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “She never liked being called that before.”

Bryan grinned but did not comment to that. Instead, he said, “Well, I should get going. I need to get some supplies. Kate has to eat.”

Lloyd gave a low chuckle. “You seem to spoil her.”

“Kate is not a child,” Bryan said, his temper rising a notch from the remark which he felt was uncalled for. “She is a fully grown woman who is capable of distinguishing between what she wants and doesn’t want, and what she needs. I am simply taking good care of her.” He paused then could not resist adding, “It’s about time someone did.”

Lloyd looked at him, his annoyance apparent. “Are you saying I didn’t take good care of her? Look around you, this house, all of this, came from me.”

“Giving someone a lot of things is not taking care of her,” Bryan said.

“You don’t know anything,” Lloyd told him, standing up. “You don’t know what Kate and I had or why we fell apart.”

“It doesn’t matter. All I know is that you allowed what you had to fall apart. You hurt her.”

Lloyd took a step forward. “You’re just jealous because she loved me first, because I’m the father of her children…”

“If you had been even just one bit a good father, Kate would not be suffering right now.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault? If I recall, you were the one who…”

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a scream. At once, Bryan ran up the stairs, Lloyd right behind him. He went straight to Kate’s bedroom, knowing that that it was she who had screamed, and sure enough, she was sitting on her bed, crying and shaking. Bryan wrapped his arms around her.

“It’s okay,” he told her as he rubbed her back and stroked her hair. “It was just a dream.”

“Oh, Bryan. The kids…”

“Shh. It’s all right now. It was all just a bad dream. They’re safe and so are you.” He kept rubbing her back as she sobbed, waiting for her to relax against his chest. “I’m here. Everything is going to be fine.”

Lloyd closed the bedroom door gently and stepped away.

As much as he wanted to be with Kate, to comfort her as well, he knew there was only one spot for a man in that room and it had already been filled.

And it was simply too painful to stand in the doorway and watch.

Slowly, he walked down the hall, stopping by Lena’s bedroom, smiling when he saw the music box that he had given her, and the doll, and the lamp, and the picture frame…

Giving someone a lot of things is not taking care of her.

The words Bryan had spoken came back to him, cutting him just as sharply as they had the first time. He didn’t like Bryan, of course, didn’t approve of him even though he was a cardiologist and seemed to care about Kate a lot, but he had to admit the other man was right.

He had failed to take care of his family and so had allowed it to fall apart.

If only he had spent more time in this room, reading Lena stories before tucking her to bed and playing games with her, if only he had spent more time with his kids, if only he had spent more time with Kate and paid more attention to her, then he would be the one in the next room right now, holding her instead of a man she had met just a year ago.

He shook his head. There was no point in having regrets. What was done was done. He could do nothing about the past.

He could do something about the present situation, however.

For the past few months, he had been thinking about it and now, he was sure. He had never really stopped loving Kate and after experiencing the amazing joy of having her in his arms again and the pain, the jealousy from seeing her in another man’s, he wanted her back.

He was going to get her back.

Fate had given him another opportunity and he would be a fool to let it go to waste as he had the opportunities before.

And he was not a fool. In fact, he knew exactly what he was supposed to do.

She was supposed to sleep only for a few hours, Kate thought as she looked at the clock on her bedside table. Yet, after recovering from her nightmare, which she could no longer recall, she had drifted into a long and dreamless sleep, so long that now it was already five in the afternoon and her body was covered in sweat beneath the thick blanket.

She kicked off the covers, immediately feeling grateful for the cool breeze that caressed her skin, and sat up, reaching for her phone. There were no missed calls, just a few messages of concern and consolation from some of the parents of Lena’s classmates, who had probably heard the news by now, and she did not know whether to feel relieved or more worried.

There was also one stem of rose and a piece of paper beside her phone, the note saying that Bryan had to go to work and that he was going to ask the hospital director for a leave so he could be there for her.

And that he loved her.

Immediately, she felt some of her worry dissolve and she smiled as she placed the folded note back on the bedside table, then sniffed the lone red rose Bryan had left for her.

She was so lucky to have him.

She sent a message to his phone, then got up, heading to the bathroom for a quick shower. Afterwards, she headed down the stairs, feeling hungry and anxious to know if there had been any new developments while she was sleeping.

As she descended the staircase, she heard noise from the living room and she hastened, thinking that the police might have arrived with some news, only to stop at the bottom of the stairs with her mouth slightly gaping when she saw that the living room was cluttered and crowded with people she barely knew.

What was happening?

“Kate.” Lloyd stood up as soon as he saw her. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Better, but still terrible,” she answered.

“You must be hungry. Bryan got some food for you. They’re in the ref.”

Kate nodded. Unable to restrain her curiosity any longer, she asked, “What’s going on here?”

“Do you remember that I promised you we’d get the kids back? Well, I thought long and hard about what I can do to fulfill that promise and I’ve decided this is the best I can do.”

“This?” Kate remained confused.

“I’ve decided to use my connections,” he explained. “Basically, we’re letting anyone with a computer, television or radio know that Jack and Lena Evans are missing and asking them to help us find our kids.”