Authors: Barbara Witek
Bet On Love (11 page)
I helped the girls make party favors by gluing small sticks into picture frames and sprinkling them with gold glitter. Cole gladly took the truck into town to purchase the few supplies Abbey and I missed. We’d just packed the last one into a box for Maria to carry back to her camp when he returned.
“Hey, who is that following Dad?” Abbey asked, and I followed her stare to the silver sedan behind Cole’s SUV.
“I have no idea.” Brushing remnants of glitter from my hands, I stood and walked toward them.
“Look who arrived a day early!” Cole slammed his door and swept his hand toward the open window of the sedan.
“Matt?” I guessed, although I could see a resemblance from the Matt Drake of sixteen years ago. His prominent nose was a dead giveaway, and he seemed to have the same wire framed glasses from his youth. The receding hairline was a shocker.
“How are you Shelby?” he asked once he’d stepped out of the vehicle. “Are you about ready to dump this big loser?” He pointed to Cole.
“Hey! Watch it or I’ll take you out in the woods and get you lost. Remember, you dropped out of boy scouts.”
“Oh my God, Dad, really?” Abbey said from where she stood behind me.
“What? He knows I’m only kidding.” Cole patted Matt on the shoulder.
“Wow, Abbey, you’ve gotten so big. I haven’t seen you since you were six. Pretty, just like your mom.”
“Thanks,” Abbey said and shared an uncomfortable glance in my direction. The reminder of Heather was enough to break the spell I’d been under.
“You’re early,” I said and clasped my hands together because I didn’t know what else to do.
“The case didn’t take as long as I thought, so I had my secretary overnight the documents to me at my hotel and came straight here instead of home. I knew you guys were in a hurry to get this mess cleaned up.” Matt held up a large manila envelope.
“Right,” I answered absentmindedly.
“What are you talking about? Shelby, I thought--” Abbey jumped in front of me as I mechanically reached for the paper in Matt’s hand.
“Not now, Abbey.” Cole’s voice held a strain I’d never heard before. “Go clean your mess at the table. We have something important to discuss here.” He set his hands on her shoulders and steered her in the direction of the picnic table.
“I just need you two to initial in the highlighted boxes and sign on pages three and ten,” Matt explained. “This is basically stating you are not in agreement and that you are not holding each other responsible. There are no assets or liabilities to be taken from this union. All parties will leave with what they came with, blah, blah, blah.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, with a bravado I didn’t feel, and did as I’d been instructed.
“Fine.” Cole signed as well but didn’t look at me.
“I now pronounce you exes,” Matt said while sliding the paper back into the envelope. “Hey, is your brother camping here, too? I’d love to stop by and say hello.”
Just like that? Our marriage was over that easily? And Matt had continued talking as though nothing major had just occurred.
“Stay on this road and you can’t miss his trailer,” Cole answered him, sounding as nonchalant as Matt had. Was I the only one who felt like their world had just flipped upside down? “Look for Maria’s birthday signs. She’s got a bunch of friends coming later.” Cole pointed down the road.
“Okay, it’s been great seeing you two. Sorry it’s under such circumstances. Let’s catch up again, soon,” Matt said to Cole as he closed the door to his car.
Matt had no sooner left when Abbey rushed over. “You didn’t sign did you?”
“Abbey, not now,” Cole said.
“How could you? You need to stop Mr. Drake and get that paper back.”
“Oh, honey, it’s not that easy,” my voice shook and I reached out, but she turned away and faced her father.
“I’m sorry this is hard on you, munchkin, but--”
“She’s the one, Dad, it’s been Shelby all along.”
“What?” I stared at them both, feeling like they knew something I didn’t.
Abbey turned back to me and explained, echoing the point Kara had been trying to make which sent shivers of déjà vu up my spine. “Dad has always told me to listen to my heart and not to be afraid to speak out because you could be missing something special.” She then faced her father, a look of wonder on her sun-kissed face. “This is what you’ve been talking about. Shelby is the something special, isn’t she Dad?”
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, sweetheart, but now is not the time.” Cole turned away, but his daughter wasn’t about to be pushed aside.
“You went to Las Vegas and gambled on love. Don’t you get it? You both came home winners. You won each other.”
“Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be,” I said, fighting to hold in my tears and the urge to run away. Cole and I had to see this through.
“But they are. You two love each other, I can see it. My dad is so different now that you’ve been here.”
“Abbey, it’s complicated,” Cole’s voice cracked a little when he spoke.
“Stop saying that!” she yelled, balling her fists as a tear trickled down her cheek.
“One day when you’re older you’ll understand.” He tried to touch her, but she stepped back.
“Dad, you’re ruining everything!” Abbey did the running for me, as she took off across the campground.
“Damn it!” Cole ground out and started after her.
“Let me talk to her.” I caught his arm, halting his steps.
“She’s my daughter, Shelby, I can handle this.”
***
I watched him jog away, his words like a knife stabbing my heart. He was right, and I needed to back out of the picture. We were officially over. Not that he cared. And as hard as it would be, maybe it was time I stopped.
We all needed time to adjust. This had been awkward from the beginning, so why should it be different now. Not knowing what else to do in their absence, I wandered down to the dock.
Squirrels and birds chirped high in the trees, reminding me how much I missed the sounds of surf and sea gulls back home. I kicked off my sandals and dangled my feet off the edge of the dock, skimming the surface of the water with my toes. A mother duck followed by her downy ducklings paddled by, and a sheer sense of contentment warmed every fiber of my being...quickly followed by a sense of loss.
This is what life and love were all about. What I’d thought was fulfillment in my life on the west coast hadn’t even scratched the surface. All my years of dreaming what could have been with Cole when we were younger had been far from the reality of the magic we had shared in such a short time.
How could I leave all this behind?
How could he
let
me?
The wisdom of a thirteen-year-old girl resounded in my head. She was right. I needed to speak up. Take charge. Fight for what I wanted this time.
I abandoned my sandals, and ran back to camp hoping to catch Cole and Matt. If Cole was still talking to Abbey, then maybe I had a chance to intercept the paperwork. This was the most important negotiation of my life and I was not about to mess it up.
“Cole, Abbey, Matt!” I yelled as I ran around our tent. My heart fell in my chest at the sight of an empty camp. Cole’s truck was gone. “Great,” I said, defeated, and plunked down on the picnic table. “Wishful thinking, Shelby, you’re too late, same as always.”
Maybe I’d gone too far with my comments, and Cole finally had enough. He was probably going to stay away until he knew for sure I was gone, then he and Abbey wouldn’t have to worry about goodbyes or any of that. I felt tears sting my eyes and wiped them away as I went into the tent and arranged my items neatly inside the duffle. This was what I’d wanted from the moment we’d awakened in bed together.
“Then why does it hurt so badly?” I asked aloud as I pulled out my cell and prayed I’d have a signal by the time I reached the main gate. I’d call a cab, take a bus, whatever I had to do to get out of here and back to my normal life.
“Aren’t you tired of running?” Cole’s deep voice vibrated to my core, making me stop in my tracks.
“I thought you’d left,” I said, keeping my bravado by not turning around.
“Abbey and I saw Matt at Rob and Kelly’s site, and then we ran to the market to get you these.” When I turned, Cole held a huge bouquet of flowers and balloons in his arms. Abbey displayed a carton of ice cream. A mix of emotions tugged at my heart.
Cole didn’t love me. He just needed to let me go and stop prolonging the inevitable, for everyone’s sake. “What’s all this? If it’s your idea of a sendoff, it’s not very funny. What is there to celebrate?”
“Us.”
“You’re serious?” My eyes welled up again, and my knees felt like they would cave beneath me at any minute as I took a hesitant step forward.
“I love you Mrs. Martin, and we don’t want you to go.” The three of us walked toward each other until we were literally face-to-face, my heart in my chest.
“You really love me?” I finally got out past the enormous lump in my throat.
“As a matter of fact, I can’t remember a time when I
didn’t
love you, Shelby. I was just waiting around for you to make up your mind this time.”
“Are you sure this is for real?” I asked with a shaky voice, not trusting myself to say anything more.
“It doesn’t get any more real.” He paused a moment to look at Abbey and then me. “So what do you say, do you want to be a family?”
“What about the annulment paper? Isn’t it too late?”
“Matt said nothing is official until he files it.”
“How can we stop him? He’s probably halfway home by now. We will have to wait until Monday, and what if he mails it out?” I said, panic surging through me.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Abbey said with an impish grin.
“How would you know?” Cole pursed his lips, studying his daughter with a thorough stare.
“Because he can’t file what he doesn’t have.” Abbey reached in her back pocket and pulled out our document.
“You mean…”
“Yup, this is it. I knew all along you two were meant to be. As far as I’m concerned, all this paper is good for is kindling.”
“How did you--never mind, I don’t want to know.” Cole shook his head and pulled Abbey in for a hug. “Well? What do you say?” I could see the anxiety on Cole’s chiseled features and I had to play this out, my way.
“There isn’t anything I can say,” I kept my voice calm, although it was killing me, and stared at the rocky ground beneath our feet.
“What do you mean?” A flash of fear lighted his eyes when I choose to peek through my lashes.
“Out on the west coast we usually seal the deal.” I couldn’t keep the smile off my face when I looked up, and he knew instantly what I was trying to do. He squared his shoulders, tilted his chin and cleared his throat.
“Well, Ms. Greene, I can’t seal a deal I’m not sure you are in compliance with.”
“Oh, I see.” I crossed my arms and straightened my spine. “Mr. and Miss Martin, I am in complete agreement with the terms of the family arrangement but with a slight addendum.”
“Oh really?” Cole arched a brow, crossing his own arms as if getting ready for battle. “And what would that be?”
“We plan a family honeymoon.”
“For real?” Abbey squealed. I tapped my foot feigning impatience, while Cole pretended to be deep in thought.
“Done,” Cole said, and I thought Abbey would explode with excitement. I swear I could see the wheels turning as she thought of where she wanted to go. “What next?” he asked.
“We seal the deal.”
“How do you propose we do that?” He cast a sexy-as-hell grin which increased my heart rate like an Indy Car stuck in high gear.
“Are you going to kiss me or not?” I returned a devilish smile of my own.
“Every day for the rest of your life.” And then he proceeded to do exactly that.
Epilogue
The transition from California to Maryland had been easier than I thought. With Abbey in high school, I would never dream of uprooting her from her home and friends. I didn’t want to sell the beach house, and Cole agreed it would make a great vacation home. It only took a quick phone call to my friend, Michelle, who agreed to be our tenant while we weren’t there.
Since I conducted a large portion of my business over the phone or via email, I wasn’t worried about an actual office. I thought about renting some space in DC, but for now I would use the extra bedroom as my office until Cole could build an addition off the garage. Luckily, it had only taken me a couple of weeks to inform my clients, box up files and ship them to Mission.
While I was in Malibu saying my goodbyes and wrapping up loose ends, Cole and Abbey had stayed home choosing the perfect honeymoon-vacation. This morning, we were mere hours away from a cruise up the Mexican Riviera. Abbey had already loaded her suitcase in the car, and Cole had gone to put ours in as well.
I only hoped we all didn’t come down with the cold or flu I’d been trying to ward off over the last week.
Cole’s theory was that my body was trying to adapt to the difference in east coast temperatures. I blamed it on the stresses of airline travel and trying to do everything without missing a beat. I needed to get my energy back, or I’d never be able to keep up with Cole and Abbey during our days in port.
