There's Only Been You (13 page)

He shook his head. “No. I just wanna see my dad."

Sara looked helplessly at Garrett. He shrugged, obviously having no more idea what was going on inside her son's head than she did.

"Sweetheart, I think maybe if we wait a few days—"

"I want to meet him right now,” Ethan insisted, his temper showing. “Why can't I meet him right now?"

Garrett stood and put his hand on Ethan's shoulder. “Listen, why don't you head downstairs and play video games for a while. Your mother and I need to talk."

"No, I wanna go meet my dad, not play stupid video games!"

"Ethan James,” Garrett growled, “I said go downstairs, and I mean right now. Your mother will give your dad a call and set up a meeting. But right now, you do as you're told."

With a mutinous glare, Ethan snatched another cookie off the table and stomped down the stairs.

Sara stared after him, stunned. Of all the scenarios she'd played in her mind, this hadn't even come close. “I don't know what to think. I was afraid he wouldn't even want to meet Mike. At least, not right away. But I never expected,” she gestured helplessly, “this. He seemed kind of cold, didn't he?"

"He's in shock, that's all. Why don't you give Mike a call and set up a meeting time. Maybe supper again tonight?"

Sara nodded. She glanced at the refrigerator, looking for the scrap of paper Nicky had written Mike's cell phone number on, and spotted it under the chocolate chip cookie magnet.

Garrett reached over and ruffled her hair, much the way he would Ethan's. Sara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I know this has been hard, but everything will work out, don't worry. And once Ethan starts to spend more time with Mike, you'll have more time to yourself. Then maybe you and Jason can get something real going.” He rose to his feet. “I guess I'd better head back to the station. Give me a call if you need anything."

"I'll be fine, but thanks."

She sat for a moment, trying to work up enough nerve to dial Mike's number. What if he wanted to come right over? All the guys were at work, and Sara wasn't sure she wanted to do this alone. What if something went wrong when he and Ethan came face-to-face? Little boys were notoriously unpredictable.

Sara reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the number that had been burned into her memory for over a decade. After eight rings and no answer, she disconnected and grabbed his cell phone number off the fridge. He answered on the first ring.

"Yeah, hello?"

She swallowed. Lord, he had the sexiest voice. “Mike, it's Sara."

"Sara? I didn't think I'd be hearing from you this soon. What's up?"

She took a deep, calming breath. “How would you like to meet Ethan tonight?"

"Really? Absolutely I would. So he took the news well?"

"Pretty well.” She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Better than I'd expected."

"I can't tell you how relieved I am. And I have some news of my own. I may have bought a house today."

"What? Already?"

He chuckled. “I know. I can hardly believe it myself. But the realtor found exactly what I was looking for. I took a tour of the place a few hours ago and, as soon as I stepped inside, I knew it was perfect. I made an offer right away."

"Wow.” Conflicting emotions wreaked havoc with her senses. Tears welled up in her eyes as a bubble of laughter rumbled in her chest. Sara didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"That's it? ‘Wow'?"

"I don't know what to say. I'm happy for you. And Ethan. I imagine it'll be pretty exciting for him to suddenly have two homes, two bedrooms, two backyards. I suppose you'll buy him a puppy, too."

"Uh ... only if it's okay with you."

"He's been asking for one for a while now. If you want to buy him a puppy, I won't stand in your way.” She swiped a napkin out of the holder and dabbed at her eyes.

"Sara, is everything all right? You sound funny."

She nodded, but of course he couldn't see. “I'm fine. Just a little worried about Ethan."

"Are you sure you want to do this tonight? I mean, if you want to wait a day or two, I'll understand."

"No, Ethan's anxious to meet you.” She got up to go rinse out the coffee pot. “Would you like to come for supper again? Nothing fancy, just meatloaf."

"Do you still make the one covered in mashed potatoes and cheese?"

His voice had risen an octave, and she couldn't hold back a smile. “That's the one."

"Sounds like heaven. Any chance there'll be some cherry pie left?"

"The guys polished off one, but the other's still intact.” Her smile widened, but then she silently berated herself. Dammit, she didn't want him to be able to make her smile!

"Excellent. What time should I come?"

"We eat supper around six during the week."

"Sounds good, I'll see you then."

"You're pulling my leg, right?” Nancy asked, leaning halfway across the kitchen table in rapt attention. “After all these years he just traipses back into your life? And he never knew about Ethan?"

Sara shook her head as she mixed up a mountain of ground meat, bread crumbs, eggs, ketchup and spices. “I had no way of telling him. He left town, and no one knew where he'd gone. Eventually, we had to assume he wasn't coming back. And he hadn't, until last Thursday when his father died."

"And what about you?"

Sara looked up, confused. “What about me?"

"How do you feel about having him back in your life?"

Frowning, Sara added another squirt of ketchup to the ground meat mixture. “He's not back in my life. He's going to get to know his son, and that's it."

"Mmm-hmm.” Nancy sat back and blew into her coffee cup. “And that's it, huh? You see this guy, the love of your life, for the first time in years, and you don't feel a thing?"

"I didn't say that.” Sara scooped half the mixture on one side of a large foil-lined pan and started shaping it into a loaf. She chanced a quick glance up at her friend while shaping the remaining meat-mixture into a second loaf. Damn Nancy and her mental x-ray vision.

Nancy leaned forward again, her eyes narrowed perceptively. “I knew it! You've still got it bad for him, don't you? Well, how does he feel about you? How romantic to think he might've been pining for you all these years."

Sara rolled her eyes. She opened the oven door and slid the meatloaves inside. “I doubt he's been ‘pining’ for me. But..."

"But what? Come on, sister, throw a girl a bone!"

Sara threw back her head and laughed. “Nancy, you're a nut."

"So I've been told. Now quit stalling and tell me what you're so obviously dying to tell me."

Sara pulled the garbage can up to her chair, grabbed her potato peeler, and hefted the ten-pound bag of red potatoes onto the table. Meeting her friend's gaze, she said, “He kissed me."

Nancy took a cautious sip of her hot coffee then looked up, eyes gleaming. “Did you sleep with him?"

Sara almost choked. “How do you get from a simple kiss to sleeping with him?"

Nancy shrugged. “I think it's a pretty natural assumption. I mean, you've been on, what, one date since I've known you? You have to be horny by now. Unless, of course, you put out for that cute cop the other night."

Sara sat staring, her mouth wide open. “You're serious, aren't you?"

"Like a heart attack.” Nancy took another sip of her coffee. Abruptly switching subjects, she asked, “Hey, you know that big old house on the corner? The one with the huge backyard and in-ground swimming pool?"

She sure did. Sara had dreams of buying that house for herself and Ethan one day, if it ever went up for sale. “Yeah, what about it?"

"I think someone might have bought it today."

Sara froze. “Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. I saw a realtor showing the house to some guy this morning."

Sara's eyes narrowed suspiciously. No ... couldn't be. What were the odds? “I don't suppose you could describe him for me?"

"Oh, honey, he was gorgeous. Tall, dark and handsome; looked a lot like Garrett come to think of it. But with eyes so blue you could see them from clear across the street. I figure he must be married, though, to be buying such a big house."

That weasel! Sara was so mad she could've spit tacks. He'd stolen her house! Okay, so technically it wasn't his fault. He couldn't have known she'd had her sights set on that house for years. But, dammit, Green Bay was a big city. Why did he have to come looking for a house in her neighborhood?

"Well, I'd better get my butt back home.” Nancy took one last sip of her coffee and rose to her feet. “I need to get supper started myself. I hope everything works out for you. Oh, and don't do anything I wouldn't do,” she added with a wink.

Sara grinned. “You mean, there's actually something you
won't
do?"

"On second thought, wear that long, turquoise sun dress you have, but skip the panties.” Nancy winked at her and added, “Easy access, baby."

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At precisely a quarter-to-six, Mike parked his truck on the street in front of the Jamison's house.

He leaned his head back against the headrest, sat for a moment, and realized he was scared to death. It'd just hit him all of a sudden. He was afraid to meet his own son. Incredible, he thought. Afraid of a tiny little boy.

Or maybe he was afraid of himself. Not like he had a great role model to draw fathering experience from. What if Ethan made him angry? Would he react the same way his own father had, with his fists instead of his words? For a split second, Mike considered starting up the truck and driving straight back to Chicago—for his son's sake. But he could never do such a thing. Not to Ethan, not to Sara, and certainly not to himself.

The thought of meeting Ethan for the first time wasn't the only reason he felt ... anxious. Sara, too, had him twisted up in knots. God, how he wanted her. It was a miracle he could stand erect whenever she was in sight. Erect, he thought with a groan. Wrong word to use.

The passenger-side door swung open and Nicky climbed inside. “Hey, Mike."

"Nicky."

"About Ethan. I wanted to tell you, I swear I did, but it just wasn't my place. I hope you understand."

"You know I do; don't worry about it.” Mike sat forward and laced his fingers on the steering wheel. “Besides, you almost did tell me, didn't you? Friday night at the police station when Garrett practically bit your head off?"

Nicky nodded. “I always regretted that you left town before finding out Sara was pregnant. But there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. Nobody knew where the hell you were."

"I know. Believe me, I don't blame anybody but myself.” He blew out a ragged breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “It was hard enough finding out I'd left behind the best thing that ever happened to me. But finding out I'd left behind a kid? My own son? Christ, I have no idea what to say to him. I have no experience with little kids."

"You'll be fine, trust me. Ethan's a great kid. You've seen a picture of him, right?"

"Hell, I was so shocked yesterday I never even thought to ask Sara for a picture."

Nicky cocked a brow. “There are ten thousand pictures of him throughout the house. You didn't see one?"

Mike laughed. “Man, I was so freakin’ nervous about seeing Sara again, I barely glanced at anything else."

There was a tap on Mike's window. He turned to see Danny grinning at him.

"Hey, you two gonna chit-chat all night, or is Mike gonna come in and meet his son?"

Nicky thumped him on the shoulder. “Come on, he's right. It's time to meet the best thing you ever did."

Sara was in the kitchen when she heard a truck pull up in front of the house. She ran into the living room and peeked out the window.
Mike
. She ran back into the kitchen and checked on the meatloaves. The cheese hadn't melted yet so she'd give them a few more minutes. She glanced at the table. Perfect.

"Ethan, are you ready? He's here!” she called out.

When she didn't get a reply, she hustled down the hall to his bedroom and rapped on the door. “Ethan?"

"Come in,” she heard him mumble.

Sara opened the door and saw him sitting on his bed with a Power Ranger action-figure clutched in his fist. He looked scared to death and Sara's heart gave a little lurch. She sat down beside him on the bed. “You have the same look on your face as when you're going to the dentist.” He had on a brand-new pair of jeans and his favorite Spiderman T-shirt.

"I was just thinking,” he said.

Sara waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. He's so much like Garrett. “About...?"

He turned his head and gazed up at her. “What if my dad don't like me?"

"Oh, sweetheart!” She put her arms around him and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Your daddy is going to think you're the best thing since chocolate chip cookies, I promise."

"But his dad didn't like him."

Sara frowned. “Where did you hear such a thing?"

He shrugged one shoulder. “I heard Uncle Garrett and Uncle Nicky talking about it."

"You were eavesdropping? What did I tell you about that?” she gently chided him.

"Sorry. It's just that I wanted to know more about my dad, and I accidentally heard ‘em talking. Then on purpose, I stayed and listened."

"Ethan, when you're older I'm sure your father will tell you about his own father. But in the meantime, I promise, your daddy already loves you and can't wait to meet you."

"Really?” He looked so hopeful Sara felt her heart swell with love for this incredible little person that was her son.

"Really and truly, honest to God. Now,” she rose to her feet and motioned toward the door, “ready to go meet your father?"

Ethan slid off the bed and eyed the Power Ranger figure clutched in his hand as if trying to come to a decision. Finally, he set it down on the bed and said, “Okay, I'm ready."

The guys hadn't come in yet, so Sara had Ethan take a seat at the kitchen table while she pulled her meatloaves from the oven. Garrett was downstairs doing his laundry. Uncle Luke came in from the backyard and went to the sink to wash his hands.