Tell Me a Secret (22 page)

There comes a time in your life when you realize who matters and who never did, who won’t anymore and who always will.

~Unknown

The next day when Maggie returned to Lubbock, she had two things on her mind, take a pregnancy test and google Charles Kincaid.

Birth control pills taken as directed were ninety-eight percent effective. But the two percent margin caused her to worry. If she did turn out to be pregnant, would Jace really believe it was an accident? A forced marriage was the last thing she wanted. After Jace left, she made a quick trip to the store.

Now, resting on the toilet, she stared at the stick and debated what to do if it turned pink. Although Jace said he’d make it right, she’d decided marriage was out of the question. But then again, so was abortion. What would his parents think? A baby could ruin her relationship with them as well as Jace. She wasn’t sure she could bear that. Trembling fingers brought the wand into focus. A deep breath and whispered prayer.
Thank you, God.

On Christmas Eve at Jace’s house, Maggie lay in bed and stared into the darkness. The absence of him curled against her kept sleep away. After the lecture she’d given him the night before about sleeping together in his parents’ house, made a trip to his room out of the question.

Reaching to the bedside table, she wrapped fingers around one of the gifts he’d given her. A snow globe. She wound the key and two dancers spun inside the lighted orb while glitter fell around them. Then she picked up the lace panties and smiled. She wished she could have been a fly on the wall and watched him make that purchase. Suddenly, reasons for not being with him didn’t matter.

She tiptoed down the hall, eased the door open, removed her nightshirt and slipped in next to him. Outside, the glow of Christmas lights filtered into the room. Pressing her breasts to bare skin, he shifted his body. “Mmm, you feel good.” The soft whisper floated across muscled shoulders, trailed by light kisses. She slid her hand over his chest and then south. “I was unreasonable earlier, so I want to make it up to you. I googled a new BJ you might be interested in.”

He lifted his head. “You googled a blow job?”

In one lightning leap, she grabbed her shirt, stumbled, fell forward onto the edge of the bed, then pushed upright. “Jared! Why are you here? Cover your eyes! Jace has been in this room. Oh. My. God! I am so sorry.”

He motioned to the next room and wheezed out, “He’s—in—there.”

She backed away and fumbled to cover her important parts.

When she reached the hallway, Jared whispered, “Hey, if he’s not interested—I am.”

Heart thundering, she staggered to the next room using the wall for support. When she turned back the covers, he lifted his head to look at her. “Hey, baby. Everything okay?”

“Why did you change rooms?”

“Uh, when Jared got here, he wanted his bed. Why?”

“I did something awful.”

“God, you’re trembling. What’s wrong?”

“I thought you were in that room but Jared was in there and I thought Jared was you and I took my clothes off and got into bed with him and I did…oh God, I’m so embarrassed,” she ranted in one long breath.

He bolted upright. “Damn! Did he touch you?”

“No. No. I did all the touching.” She pressed both hands to her mouth as if to push the words back in.

“Is that it?”

“What do you mean is that it? Isn’t that enough? I’ll never be able to look at him again. I touched his, you know, his candy cane and jingle bells.”

Deep laughter filled the room. “At least it didn’t traumatize you so much that you lost your holiday spirit.”

“I’m so embarrassed.”

“Okay, so you touched him. Through his clothes, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not so bad.”

“Well, I may have mentioned googling a BJ, too.”

At three a.m., determined not to be embarrassed for a second time, she announced. “I’ve got to go back to my room before your parents wake.”

“No. Don’t go. I like having you here.”

“I can’t. Your mom won’t approve.”

“I’ve told you, she knows we sleep together, so what’s the big deal?”

“We shouldn’t in her house. It’s not right. If it was okay with her, she would have put me in here instead of the guest room. But before I go, I have a secret to tell you.”

“What?”

“I called Charles Kincaid.”

“Oh, baby. That’s great. What’d he say? Is he your dad?”

“I only spoke to his secretary, so I don’t know. I scheduled to meet with him day after tomorrow. Will you go with me?”

“You bet.”

“As a child, I used to imagine how my dad looked and pretended the reason he wasn’t in my life was because he was a spy or a war hero locked away in some foreign country. Silly, huh?”

He tightened his hold. “No. You were a little girl who wanted her daddy and that’s not silly.”

“Well, if Mr. Kincaid isn’t my father, my dad must not want anything to do with me, or else he’d be coming, too.”

“Maybe he is.”

Her face pinched. “I guess I’ll know soon enough.”

On December twenty-sixth, the sky, blanketed with low, gray clouds held the rush of icy wind close to the ground. Naked trees twisted and turned, their limbs dancing to the rhythm of the currents. Maggie stiffened in her seat, stomach twirling and twining with them. Pulling her coat tighter, a chill ran up her spine, not from the elements, but from the truth that waited.

When they arrived at Maggie’s house, Jace got a fire started while she attempted to relax on the sofa and stared into the flames, lost in thought. They hissed and spit, and caused her to flinch. Nerves stretched thin jumped in anticipation.

He took the spot next to her. “You’re going to be fine regardless of what you find out today.”

“I know.” She pulled herself together as the doorbell rang.

Even in jeans, sport shirt, and leather jacket, Charles Kincaid looked like a lawyer. Tall and distinguished, he stepped in and extended his hand. “Hello, Maggie. I’m Charles. I’m so happy to finally meet you.”

He held on longer than necessary and somehow the gesture calmed her. Rose always said you could tell the minute a man touched you if it was for his benefit or yours.

He turned his attention to the sofa. “You must be Jace. I’m happy to meet you as well.”

She motioned for him to sit, then scrutinized every feature of his face. Brown eyes, pleasant smile, nice skin, strong jaw, hair once dark, now graying. Her eyes drifted to broad shoulders, lean body, and nice hands. There was something familiar about them, or maybe she imagined her father with hands like his. Soft, gentle, loving.

“I was sorry to hear about your mother.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve had a long time to decide what I’d tell you and the best thing is to start from the beginning. You may have questions. If you do, I’ll try my best to answer them. Your father, William was my brother.”

Maggie interrupted. “
Was
?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, he’s no longer alive.”

She placed her palm on Jace’s knee and he laced fingers with hers.

“William was a physician in Amarillo when your mother applied for a job in his office. She had an uncanny resemblance to his wife, Eleanor, and because of that likeness, he hired her. You see, he and Eleanor tried to have a child for a long time, but after six miscarriages in ten years, complications led to surgery and as a result, their chance of having kids ended. But the day he saw your mother, his hope renewed.

“After a year of employment, he approached her about becoming a surrogate. She agreed and they performed the procedure in his office. William and Eleanor were ecstatic. But what neither of them realized was Audra, had developed an unhealthy attraction toward him. Once she realized her feelings weren’t returned, as punishment she decided to keep you.”

Maggie’s heart pounded and her chest grew tight. The wind sent a low moan down the chimney scattering sparks behind the screen.

“Audra thought your dad would get a divorce and make a life with her, but he was devoted to his wife. They were both devastated by Audra’s decision, especially Eleanor. She never recovered. It wasn’t just the loss of motherhood, but also knowing William had a child and couldn’t be with you. Eleanor died two years later. That’s when he started to take an active part in your life.”

Maggie lifted her hand to stop him. “What do you mean by an active part? I never met my father.”

The lawyer nodded. “Before you were born he arranged financial support for you and your mother. After Audra decided to live in Abilene, where she had friends, he bought her a house and the one next door for our cousin. Rose’s husband had died a few years earlier and she had no children, so William offered her the job of watching out for you, and of course, your mother’s social behavior was a concern.”

“Wait a minute.” She shook her head. “Rose was
employed
to care for me?” Maggie’s eyes filled. “I can’t believe this. My mother didn’t want me and now I find out Rose was paid to love me?”

Jace took Maggie in his arms and reassured her. “It’s okay.”

She swallowed hard and regained composure. “I’m sorry, please go on.”

“Yes, it was a paid position for Rose,” Charles said. “But by the time you were three months old, she loved you. She told William she felt guilty for taking pay when you gave her so much joy. She treasured you as a gift from God.

“Over the years, she sent copies of your school work, report cards, and snapshots. Speaking of pictures, I have some for you.” He opened his briefcase and removed a large envelope. “These are of your dad at all ages.” He passed the package to her.

Maggie’s hands shook as she opened the clasp and slid the contents onto her lap. Studying each one, when she came to his college photo, she fell into Jace’s chest and wept.

He comforted her. “Don’t cry. It’s okay.”

She pulled away and held the image for him to see. “This is my dad. This is my dad.”

He wiped her tears. “I know.”

She cried harder and pointed to the photo again. “This is
Edward
.
Rose’s
Edward
. He was my dad and he loved me.”

“Give us a minute.” Jace pulled Maggie from her seat and led her into the bedroom. She fell onto the bed and sobbed. He brought a cool cloth from the bathroom and dabbed at her face. “Are you okay? You don’t have to go back in there. We can finish this some other time.”

“It’s such a shock. I never considered, not for one moment, Edward. No, I want to go back. I want to hear everything he has to say. I just wish I’d known while my dad was alive.”

“I know. Me, too.”

Back in the living room, her uncle gave her a warm hug. “I know this is overwhelming. Edward was William. He never wanted your mother to know he was seeing you, so he used our father’s name. That way, if you ever mentioned him to Audra, she wouldn’t make the connection. Each time she went away, Rose called and he’d fly to Abilene to spend time with you.”

Maggie’s mind reeled. Edward was so much older than her mother, Maggie never dreamed he could be her father. “Why didn’t he try to get custody of me?”

“As long as Eleanor was alive, he couldn’t. She wasn’t a strong woman. A bitter court battle and constantly dealing with your mother would have been too much. After she died, he couldn’t trust your mother. He was afraid she’d take you before the courts had time to rule and he might never see you again. At age thirteen, the state gave you the authority to choose who you lived with and he planned to tell you everything and ask you to live with him. Unfortunately, he didn’t live long enough.”

She understood. Her mother had been unstable.

He continued. “When you were born, he made a new will, provided for you financially, and named me executor. Now that your mother is gone, I thought it was time to discuss your inheritance. I don’t want to be rude, but it’d be best to do it privately.” He shifted his gaze to Jace and then back to her.

She started to speak, but Jace stopped her. “He’s right. This doesn’t concern me. I’ll wait on the porch.”

Once they were alone, Charles said, “It isn’t that I don’t trust Jace. He seems like a fine young man. But in my business, I’ve seen how money can change relationships. Hear me out and then decide what to tell him. Are the two of you serious?”

“We love each other.”

“I can tell. Do you have marriage plans?”

“We haven’t talked about it, but I hope…” She didn’t know what to say beyond them loving one another, but she did want to marry him more than anything.

“Well, your estate is at your disposal. If you choose to change things, I’m happy to help. However, if you like, I’ll continue to manage it.”

She listened as he went over her financial holdings. The events of the day left her dazed and exhausted. In two short hours, her life turned topsy-turvy. She learned the identity of her father and became wealthy.

Charles stood and so did Maggie.

“Your father loved you very much,” he said. “His private office was full of pictures of you and your artwork.” The lawyer chuckled. “He even had a bean and macaroni gingerbread man you made when you were in first grade.”

Without warning, she fell into his arms and sobbed.

He scrambled for his handkerchief. “I should have come to you sooner. I just didn’t want to deal with your mother or cause trouble between the two of you.”

She took the cloth and pushed away. “It’s okay. I understand. My mother was impossible. Are you my only family?”

“No. You have an aunt, my wife, Millie. We have a son, Paul, who is married to Lana, and they have two children, Connor and Emily. We also have a daughter, Lindsey. They want to meet you. After the holidays, we want you to come to Amarillo and spend a few days. There are other things I have for you. Your dad’s medical bag, degrees and other personal items. There’s also a storage facility full of antiques. Eleanor was from England and she loved fine furniture. Do you have any questions?”

“May I bring Jace?”

“Absolutely.”

“I loved Edward. I mean William and to find out he was my father is wonderful. Thank you for everything. For now, let’s leave things the way they are, the trust fund part, I mean.”