Summer Secrets (41 page)

“We all did,” Kate added. “I wanted to help Caroline raise the baby. I didn’t want to let her go, but my father convinced Caroline that it wouldn’t work. Maybe if Jeremy hadn’t just died, maybe if the race had been over and we’d been home, I would have been able to make him see that we couldn’t give Caroline’s baby away. She was part of our family. But that wasn’t how it was, and when Caroline came back to the hotel room alone, we didn’t know where the baby had gone or who had adopted her. The decision had been made, and we would have to live with it.”

“Exactly. So what happened three weeks ago, Caroline?” Tyler demanded. “What made you decide to try and take your baby back now?”

“I didn’t decide to take her back. I just wanted to know if she was all right. That’s all. I swear.”

“Your attorney said differently.”

“My attorney is a friend of a friend. I don’t know what he told you or what he did, but all I asked him to do was to see if he could find out if my baby was okay. A few weeks ago, I came to terms with the fact that I have a drinking problem. I went to AA and listened to all the talk about taking responsibility for your actions and saying you’re sorry and all that. That’s when I decided that I needed to know that the baby was all right.” Caroline looked at Tyler with her heart in her eyes. “Is she all right, Tyler?”

Tyler hesitated, knowing he was about to take a step his brother would not want him to take, but he was leaning toward believing Caroline’s story. She had no reason to lie to him now. She could just have easily told him that she thought her baby had been taken illegally, and she wanted to get her back. But Caroline seemed genuine in her concern and remorse. “Yes,” he said finally. “Amelia is fine. She’s a happy and healthy little girl. But she did suffer a huge tragedy a month ago when her mother was killed in a car accident.”

Caroline put a hand to her mouth in horror. “Oh, no.”

“My brother, Mark, was badly injured, but Amelia was fine. A few scratches, that’s it. I’m only telling you this, because I believe you when you say you don’t want to hurt Amelia. She doesn’t know she’s adopted. She doesn’t know anything about you. She loves her father, and she misses her mother, and the last thing she needs is to find out is that she’s adopted. Not right now, anyway. Not while her world is so shaky.”

“I understand,” Caroline said. “What is she like? Is she pretty?”

Tyler smiled. “Yeah, she’s pretty.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Would you like to see a picture?”

“Would I ever.”

Tyler took a photograph from the wallet and handed it to Caroline. “That’s last year’s school picture.”

“Oh, my God!” Caroline whispered. “Is that really her?”

“She’s you, Caroline,” Kate murmured.

“Only the best parts of me, I hope.” Caroline traced Amelia’s sweet face with her finger. “She’s real, isn’t she? Sometimes I lie in bed at night and think I imagined the whole thing. But then I remember how it used to feel when she’d kick me, first a little flutter, then I could actually feel her toes or her fist. She was my greatest achievement and yet my worst failure.”

“No,” Tyler said. “You didn’t fail. She already means so much to a lot of people. She’s bright, loving, kind, smart. You would be very proud of her.”

“Because of your brother,” Caroline said. “I wish I could thank him.”

“Why didn’t your brother come himself?” Kate asked.

“He’s still rehabilitating from the accident,” Tyler answered. “And he didn’t want to leave Amelia at home or bring her here.”

Kate nodded, a gleam of understanding in her eyes. “In case one of us recognized her. Just out of curiosity, why was your brother so worried? I mean, he adopted her legally and all.”

Damn Kate for being so smart, so perceptive. “It was legal, wasn’t it?” she continued.

“Close enough.”

“I don’t think so, or you wouldn’t have come here,” she said. “I’m not surprised things were done in an underhanded way. After all, my father was involved.”

“Look, Mark might have played loose with the rules, but, like you said, so did your father. You can be assured that Mark and his wife, Susan, desperately wanted a baby. And they loved Amelia from the first second they saw her. They devoted themselves to her. Amelia has had a very good life. Mark only became worried because of his wife’s death and his injuries. He didn’t think any of that would help if your sister came calling. He was afraid that whoever was looking for the child would use the accident to try to overturn the adoption. I didn’t think that could happen, but I wasn’t sure, and Mark wasn’t willing to take the chance.”

“So your whole reason for being here was to find out which one of us was Amelia’s mother. There was never any story, was there?” Ashley asked.

“No, that was just my way of getting to meet you. All we knew was that one of the McKenna sisters was the mother. We didn’t know which one. And frankly, Caroline, this jerk of an attorney that you hired made it absolutely clear that you wanted your baby back. I couldn’t just come out and ask which one of you had a baby. I was afraid it would lead you straight to Mark, and I needed to find out who you were and what you wanted before that happened.”

“I understand,” Caroline said. “I didn’t mean to cause such turmoil. I know it’s too late for me to be Amelia’s mother. I won’t try to take her away. I won’t even try to see her. I just want to know about her, if that’s okay.”

Before he could reply, he was interrupted by Kate, who now had a very purposeful look in her eyes. “You lied,” Kate said. “Or omitted the truth. Amazing how easy that can be, isn’t it, when you’re trying to protect someone you love?”

“It’s not the same. We’re not the same.” He got to his feet, feeling suddenly restless and edgy. He’d known it would come back to him and Kate. The race, the baby, all of that had been explained, but not what had happened between them.

“Aren’t we?” Kate asked as she stood up to face him. “Wouldn’t we both do just about anything for our families?”

“I didn’t cover up a murder.”

“It wasn’t a murder. It was an accident .And you were willing to cover up an illegal adoption.”

“It wasn’t illegal. It was just not done quite as properly as it should have been done.”

“You’re making excuses.”

“So are you.”

“Why did you sleep with me?” she demanded.

“Why did you sleep with me?” he returned.

Their heated exchange sent sparks flying between them. Kate couldn’t look away. Tyler couldn’t, either.

“I don’t think you need us anymore,” Caroline said.

Tyler was dimly aware of Ashley and Caroline leaving the room. His entire focus was on Kate.

“Answer the question,” he said.

“I asked you first.”

He drew in a deep breath. “I made love to you for one reason, Kate, and one reason only. I wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted a woman in my life. You got under my skin, into my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I told myself not to get distracted, but every time I saw you that thought flew right out the window.” He paused. One thing he’d learned out there on the water tonight was that he didn’t want to die without telling her how he felt about her. “I love you, Kate. I fell in love with you probably the first time I saw you. I didn’t know it then. I didn’t know it last night, if you want to know the truth. But I knew it today, when I thought the world might end. I finally saw what meant the most to me, and it was you.” She blinked rapidly, moisture pooling in her beautiful blue eyes. “Believe me, Kate. Please.”

“I want to,” she whispered. “But how can I believe anything you say when you’ve lied to me the whole time you’ve been here?”

“Not the whole time. Not the times I kissed you, not last night when we made love. That was the real me, Kate.”

“But you came here to discredit me. Maybe this is still part of the plan, to make the oldest sister believe you love her so she won’t put up a fight.”

He shook his head. “No, Kate. The desire to do you wrong left a long time ago. You have to understand that when I came here, you were just a name in a news article, a picture on a magazine cover. I didn’t know you. But I did know my brother and Amelia. I knew how much they had suffered, how much they loved each other. I couldn’t let anyone hurt them. Especially Mark. He had just lost his wife, the woman he loved more than anyone in the world. You know how that feels, don’t you? You, more than anyone, know how that feels.”

“Yes, I know,” she admitted.

“Mark threatened to leave. He said he’d take Amelia and disappear before he’d give her up. I didn’t want that life for her, the kind of life I had led, always on the run, always hiding from someone.”

“So you set out to ruin each one of us. And we made it so easy.”

“You didn’t. I had nothing on you. You were smart and caring, kind and compassionate, beautiful, nurturing, loyal to a fault.” He reached out, unable to hold himself back from touching her. Her soft hair drifted through his fingers, and he rested his hands on her shoulders. “I couldn’t think of one reason why you wouldn’t be a terrific mother. You’re an incredible woman. Don’t you know that?”

“Keep talking.”

He smiled, sensing the battle was half won. “All I could think about on the water today was getting back to you, asking you to forgive me.”

“I don’t think I’ve actually heard the words.”

“Will you forgive me, Kate?”

She made him wait a long, tense moment, then her lips, her beautiful, generous lips curved into a tender smile. “Yes, I’ll forgive you. I love you, too, Tyler. That’s why I made love to you last night, even though there was more to be discovered between us. Deep down inside, I knew you were a good man. Maybe you weren’t being completely honest, but then I hardly hold the title for honesty myself.”

“What else did you know?” he asked, teasing her cheek with a soft kiss. He liked the way she caught her breath, and he did it again, just to hear that small sound.

“I knew -- You’re distracting me, Tyler.”

His tongue swept the curve of her ear. “I’m listening, Kate.”

“I knew you could make me feel like this, crazy, reckless, not that those are necessarily good things but they sure feel good,” she said with a sigh. “You make me laugh, and you make me think about the future, and I’ve never let myself think about the future. Not in a long time. I’m not proposing or anything,” she added with a nervous laugh. “It’s too soon for that.”

She kissed him again, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up against him until he could feel every inch of her. Only it wasn’t enough, it would never be enough. “Did you say your father was in your bed?” he grumbled.

She grinned. “Yes, and my sisters are in the kitchen. This house is way too crowded.”

“I know where there’s a hotel room with lots of privacy.”

“Will you show me?”

“Oh, I’ll show you lots of things.” He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her toward the door.

“Tyler, wait, I need my purse, my coat, my --” He cut her off with a deep, passionate kiss.

“Hey, where are you two going?” Ashley asked as she and Caroline came out of the kitchen.

Tyler put his arm around Kate. “She’ll see you tomorrow,” he told them. “We have a few things to discuss in private.”

“You’re leaving us with Dad?” Caroline asked in shock. “You can’t leave us with Dad.”

Kate laughed. “As a matter of fact, I can. Good night.”

Tyler kicked the door shut behind them and looked down into Kate’s smiling face. “You’re okay with this, right?”

“I’m more than okay. I’m madly in love, and tonight is ours. Tomorrow I’ll worry about tomorrow.”

“Well, what do you think of that?” Caroline asked in dismay. “Kate just runs off with the sexy reporter when we’ve got a huge mess on our hands.”

“Sounds like something you would do,” Ashley replied.

Caroline didn’t appreciate the smug look in Ashley’s eyes. “Very funny. Do you think it’s serious between them?”

“I hope so. I haven’t seen Kate look so happy in a long time.”

“It would be great if they got together, because then I’d have a chance to know Amelia, not as her mother but as her aunt. Wouldn’t that be cool? Not that I don’t want Kate just to be happy, but this could work out well for everyone.”

“Certainly for you,” Ashley said, but she smiled to take the sting out of her words. “I hope you do get to know Amelia.”

“Amelia is beautiful, didn’t you think? Like Mom.”

“Like you.”

“Thanks. That’s nice to hear.” Caroline’s eyes narrowed when she saw Ashley glance at her watch, then the door, then her watch again. “Where are you thinking of going?”

“I want to talk to Sean.”

“Maybe you should let him cool off.”

“That would probably be smart, but I feel like time has never been on our side, and waiting would be more of a mistake.” Ashley opened the hall closet and took out one of Kate’s coats. “I’m going to borrow this. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Caroline echoed in alarm. “Hey, you can’t leave me here with Dad.”

“You always wanted to be his favorite,” Ashley told her. “Now is your chance.”

Before Caroline could reply that both of her sisters were being totally unfair, Ashley was gone. The house was suddenly quiet, too quiet. Caroline was alone. Well, not exactly alone. Her gaze turned down the hall toward Kate’s bedroom. Maybe she should check on her dad, make sure he was all right.

She walked down the hall and pushed open the door to see her father asleep in Kate’s bed. His face was red, his hair still damp, but he appeared to be sleeping, breathing normally. It suddenly occurred to her that everything her father owned was gone. Even his favorite cap had sunk into the Sound. All he had were the few items of clothing he’d left at Kate’s house over the years. The rest of it had disappeared into the sea.

She walked farther into the room and sat down on the rocking chair next to the bed. She wondered if he was dreaming or reliving the experiences of the day. His breathing seemed to have quickened, and his chest was moving up and down more rapidly. Whatever he was thinking about was disturbing him in some way. She was tempted to put her hand on his shoulder and tell him to relax, that everything would be all right.