Driftwood Lane (25 page)

“I don’t find it funny in the least.”

The bubble of laughter burst, unfulfilled. “I appreciate that you want to give them a chance. I’m just trying to say it isn’t always like this.”

He looked at her, his eyes intent with purpose. “I didn’t come to bond with the kids, Meridith. I came to remind you what we have together.” He pressed another kiss to her palm. “I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Her breath caught, but not because he’d repeated the words he’d spoken when he’d proposed. The other words made a far stronger impression.
I didn’t come to bond with the kids
.

She’d misread the reason for his visit. She’d taken her own wish and transferred it onto him.

“We have plans, good ones,” he said. “Save for a home in Lindenwood Park while we focus on our careers for three to five years. By then we’ll have enough to buy that dream home and start a family.”

Meridith knotted the quilt material in her fist with the daffodil, clutching the stem against her chest. “I already have a family, Stephen.”

His face fell. “They’re not your kids, Meridith. And they’re not mine.”

“They’re my siblings. And they have no one else.”

“That wasn’t our plan when I asked you to marry me. When you said yes.”

“Life doesn’t always go according to plan, Stephen. Things happen. Change happens. I didn’t ask for this.”

“I didn’t either. And I’m asking you to put me first. To put
us
first.” His grip tightened on her hand. “I love you. The future I want for us doesn’t include someone else’s children.”

Meridith eased away from him, pulled her hand from his, and stood, even as he tightened his grip. If Stephen’s future didn’t include her siblings, then it didn’t include her either.

She limped a few steps toward the water.

He wasn’t interested in the children, and she wondered for the first time what this said of his feelings for her. How much could he love her if he couldn’t consider her side? And what of her feelings for him? They now seemed vague and gray-washed, like they were lost in a fog rolling in off the harbor. When had that happened?

She realized what she had to do. Meridith turned. Stephen had followed her.

She released the blanket, and the wind tugged it from her shoulders, stole the flower from her fist. She eased the ring from her finger and extended it to him.

The frown returned, settling between his brows like claw marks in the sand. “Meridith. Put it back.”

She opened his hand and placed the ring on his palm, the certainty growing roots. She looked at his clean-shaven jaw, the short-clipped hair that wasn’t long enough for the wind to disturb, his high forehead and straight nose.

She was trading stability for chaos. Security for ambiguity. Predictability for uncertainty. In some ways, it would be her childhood all over again. But this time she was in charge. She was the one calling the shots. She was no helpless little girl swinging by the tail end of her mother’s illness.

Even if he agreed in the end, what kind of father would he be if he didn’t want the children? She wouldn’t do that to her siblings. They deserved far more.

“It’s over, Stephen.”

“You don’t mean that.” He took her hand. “We’re perfect for each other, you’ve said it yourself a hundred times.”

She had said it, believed it. She wondered now if it was true. She couldn’t deny the feelings that had sprung up for Jake, who was not at all what she needed, not at all the man for her. Still, if she truly loved Stephen, those feelings wouldn’t be there.

“My future includes Noelle and Max and Ben. Things have changed since I agreed to marry you, and I’m doing what’s right for these kids. I have to do what’s best for them. That’s my reality, but it doesn’t have to be yours. I understand it’s not what you want.”

His jaw twitched. “It’s that contractor, isn’t it?”

“
No
.”

“I saw the way he looked at you.”

The comment sent a pleasant warmth flooding through her. “This is between us, Stephen. My future’s taken an unexpected turn. I can’t leave the kids, and you can’t accept them. There’s nothing to do now but say it’s over.”

“Meridith . . .” His eyes pled, turned glossy. She’d never seen him get emotional, not even when his grandfather passed away last November.

She took his hands. “Our lives are taking different paths, but it’s going to be okay.” She knew it was true, knew to the bone she was doing the right thing, even if it pained her to hurt him.

“Maybe the uncle will come back tomorrow and—”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what the uncle does or doesn’t do. I’m their guardian. For some reason, my dad and Eva left them to me, and they’re my responsibility.”

“This isn’t how the weekend was supposed to go.” The look on his face reminded her of Piper’s when they were pulling from the driveway.

“I know.” And yet, there was a feeling of inevitability deep inside that soothed her the way a thousand deep breaths couldn’t. Meridith leaned forward and placed one last tender kiss on Stephen’s lips.

Thirty-four

Through a slit in the curtain, Jake watched Meridith open the taxi door for Stephen. The driver stowed the bags, but Jake only had eyes for her. She wore a white gauzy top that fluttered in the wind and a pair of trendy jeans that showed off her figure.

Stephen turned to Meridith, and Jake’s heart was like a jackhammer in his chest. What did she see in that guy? He was as tepid as day-old coffee.

Since Stephen had arrived, Jake had gone over and over the way Meridith had greeted him. The way he’d greeted her, with an apathetic kiss and a tame hello. If it had been him, missing his woman for weeks, he’d have swept her into his arms and kissed her until they were both breathless. He didn’t get it.

Movement below stole his attention. Meridith leaned forward and kissed Stephen. Jake hardly had time to feel the prick of pain before she pulled away. She reached up, laid her palm against the guy’s face. It was almost more than Jake could stand.

He started to release the curtain, let it fall into place, but then something caught his eye that made his fist clutch the sheer fabric. Jake swallowed the last bite of chicken alfredo and pushed his plate back. “Great meal, Willow.”

“Thanks.” She gathered his and Wyatt’s plates.

Wyatt took them away, standing. “Oh no, you don’t. You cooked, I’ll get the dishes, baby.” He laid a big wet one on her.

Jake turned his head, groaning. He stacked the remaining dishes, trying to ignore the couple.

“Should I leave?” he asked moments later, only half joking.

Willow stepped away from Wyatt, smiling innocently. “Of course not. I know a good dish washer when I see one.”

Jake took her hand and kissed it. “At your service.”

Wyatt flipped him with a towel. “Stop making a play for my wife and get your sorry rump into the kitchen.”

Jake carried the stack of plates into the kitchen and set them in the sink. “Where’s the dishwasher?”

“You’re looking at ’em.”

Whatever
. It would give him a chance to talk to Wyatt, which was the main reason he’d accepted the invitation.

“I’ll wash.” Wyatt tossed him a towel, then rolled up his sleeves.

When the sink was full, Wyatt shut off the water, washed a glass, then rinsed it. “When are you coming back to work?”

“When I’m finished at Summer Place. Shouldn’t be too much longer, a month maybe.”

“It’s getting pretty busy.” He handed Jake the glass.

“Meridith’s fiancé came to the island Saturday.”

“Bummer.”

“Stayed out of their way all weekend, and I’m glad I did.”

“Because . . .”

Jake set the glass in the cabinet. “It’s over between them.”

“Seriously?”

Jake shrugged. “She didn’t give me the details, but the ring’s gone, and she said it was over.”

“Is she upset?”

“Doesn’t seem to be.”
That was good, right?

“Hmm.” Wyatt handed him a plate. “You gonna make your move now?”

Jake elbowed Wyatt in the ribs. “She just broke her engagement.”

“Or he did.”

Jake frowned. “I prefer to think of it the other way.”

Wyatt shrugged. “Just saying. She doesn’t sound too distressed. Hey, maybe she broke up because she has the hots for you.”

“Shut up.” The thought was too ludicrous to entertain. Meridith might be attracted to him, but that was a far cry from what Wyatt suggested.

“It’s about the kids,” Jake said. “I’m sure of it. They spent the day together yesterday, and Max told me that Ben puked on Stephen.”

Wyatt laughed. “Classic!”

“Yeah, I enjoyed that little tidbit.” He was surprised the man hadn’t gone running home the day before. From what Max said, Stephen hadn’t been very friendly.

They washed and dried in silence for a minute, and Jake’s thoughts turned to Meridith. She’d told him the engagement was broken so matter-of-factly. How could she love the guy and react so calmly?

“You know,” Wyatt said, pulling him from his thoughts. “It’s pretty remarkable, what she’s doing. Not every chick would take on three kids at the expense of her engagement.”

Wyatt was right, and it only deepened his feelings for Meridith. He hated that she was planning to take the children away, but there was no doubt she cared about them. And his suspicions about the bipolar illness had all but disappeared. He’d found no medications, seen no symptoms.

“You guys would make a cute couple,” Wyatt said. “You could get married and have a ready-made family.”

“You’re forgetting one little detail.”

“Ah, yeah. You’re the uncle she called—what was it—self-absorbed and irresponsible?”

Jake scowled and grabbed the plate from Wyatt.

“So tell her the truth.”

“Yeah, right. That’ll go over well.” She’d be furious. She’d kick him from Summer Place and might not let him see the kids anymore. His gut clenched.

“Gotta tell her eventually.”

“When the house is finished.”

“The longer you wait, the worse it’ll be.”

“Maybe not.” Maybe he could change her mind about staying. Maybe he could make her see that he cared for her. Maybe they really could be a family.

Thirty-five

May arrived, bringing bright sunlight, clear skies, and colorful clusters of tulips. The warm temperatures drew people from their winter homes like bears from hibernation. Flags ascended poles, floral cushions appeared on patio furniture, and children flip-flopped around the neighborhood with pasty skin and freshly scabbed knees.

As the weeks passed, Meridith was surprised how little she missed Stephen’s calls. While her finger felt bare at first, after a few days it seemed as if a ring had never graced the spot.

Jake continued to make improvements on Summer Place, and she was pleased with the progress. Island life grew more familiar, and Meridith began to wonder if it was feasible to stay, began to wonder if she could somehow keep Summer Place for the children. She scoured the business records—what there were of them—and calculated the income and expenditures.

It didn’t take long to see that an additional income was needed to keep the place afloat. T. J.’s boat repair jobs and gallery sales had offset the cost of owning the place. Meridith wished she could make it work, wished she could keep the children on the island now that there was no future with Stephen. She even considered selling Summer Place and buying a smaller house, but real estate was outrageously priced. Even if she found a job, she’d never be able to support three children here on her income.

That notion extinguished, she reluctantly called the Goldmans. After several conversations they agreed on a purchase price, and Meridith hired an attorney to draw up papers. She was relieved to have it settled, but every time her thoughts turned to leaving, she felt a pang. She’d miss Rita and the people she’d met at church. And as much as she wanted to deny it, she’d miss Jake. And most of all, she hated taking the children from their home.

At times she’d think it was silly to return to St. Louis, when all that awaited her was an empty house, but then Jake would accidentally touch her in passing, and she’d remember how he stirred unwanted feelings in her. The kind of feelings she’d spent her adulthood avoiding. Or she’d come across a photo of her dad while assembling the albums and remember that he’d chosen this place instead of her.

His ghost seemed to haunt the place, from the sculptures on the tables to the furniture he’d selected. The father she didn’t remember, hadn’t known, was revealed to her daily, and it didn’t fit with the villain she’d made him into. The discrepancy left her unsettled. Left her longing to return to a familiar place, where routine was a way of life, where reminders of her father were few. Having the children would bring new routines, but together they’d find a groove and settle in.

During the final weeks of school, Max slacked off, and she spurred him on toward the finish line. Ben began to talk more and only clung when he wanted a hug, then he was off to play in the yard like every other seven-year-old boy.

Guests came more frequently now that the days were buttery yellow, and the house often bustled with five or six visitors on weekends. Meridith frequently entered a room and found Jake chatting up the guests, giving them information about attractions or tips on finding the kind of beach they sought. He was good for business.

But bad for her sanity. She caught him staring at her so intently sometimes that a shiver ran down her spine. Though he was composed on the outside, she sensed a restrained passion. He made her feel things. Things that unsettled her. Things that felt out of control and left her longing for peace. But there would be no peace until Jake was out of her life, until she left the island.

At night she dreamed of serenity and counted down the final days of school even as she dreaded having to tell the children they were leaving.

When Mother’s Day came, Meridith tried not to think of her own mother. They bought bouquets of daisies at the Flower and Garden Shop and took them to the cemetery, where the children laid them on the mound of dirt.

That afternoon, when Meridith heard Noelle crying in her room, she knocked, but Noelle claimed she was all right. While the girl hadn’t allowed Meridith to comfort her, she hadn’t screamed at her to go away either. A step in the right direction.