Falling Into Drew (19 page)

“Underage. Did her parents approve?”

“Approve? Her father would have shot me dead if I didn’t marry his pregnant daughter. Anyway, I’m not the kind of man who would abandon her and our child.”

“And once you learned there was no babe? Then what?”

“I was relieved. Although I had feelings for her, it wasn’t love.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Without a child, I saw no need to stay married, so I left. It would have been smarter to be sure that she was pregnant before saying ‘I will,’ but I’d been careless about using condoms so there was a good chance...” He didn’t finish the sentence. Instead he just raised his palms as if to say what else could he do?

“She didn’t show you a test? One of those stick things?”

“No. That was stupid move number two on my part. I had no reason to doubt her word, especially seeing how upset she was. My brain barely functioned at that point.”

Morgan furrowed his brow, deep in thought. “So we could say that you were deceived from the beginning and that’s grounds enough for an annulment if she forces our hand. Once the Church dissolves a marriage, it’s as if it never existed, although you’d still need a civil divorce.”  He raised his eyes to Drew. “What I fail to understand is why a young woman would hold on to a man who abandoned her and doesn’t love her. Is it revenge for what she sees as your betrayal or perhaps money she’s after? You’re a wealthy man.”

Drew stood and began to pace. “When I offered a very generous settlement she was insulted that I thought she could be bought.” He rubbed his eyes. “She said that would make her no better than a whore.”

“That’s too bad, but I anticipated this based on what Matt told me. We’ve no time to waste, so I’ve arranged for Erin and her lawyer to meet us here tomorrow morning. I promise that we will get this settled so that you can get on with your life. This woman has held you hostage long enough.” The earlier sparkle was gone from the lawyer’s eyes, replaced by fiery determination.

“I hope you’re right,” Drew said. “I’ll be in the countryside this afternoon to see a dear friend of my grandmother’s, but you can always reach me on my mobile.”

“Just steer clear of your
wife
and her family until this is over.”

“They live in Dublin, so there’s no chance of running into them. Erin’s brothers almost killed me before they realized I wanted to marry her. That beating almost ended my future as a skier before it began.”

“No fists needed this time ‘round, lad. By noon tomorrow, you should know that your freedom is within reach.”

Drew released a relieved sigh. “I have to believe you. Thanks.” When he left the office, the lawyer’s niece was gone.

Instead of immediately driving to his grandmother’s town, Drew wandered aimlessly along Galway’s narrow streets. He walked with his head down, his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans while he debated whether to tell Kate that the redhead who’d caused them so much trouble worked for his Irish lawyer,

She’d warned him that the girl was after more than an autograph, but he’d written her off as an enthusiastic fan until she manipulated him into a situation that almost made him lose Kate. He was still afraid that she’d decide that he wasn’t worth the public humiliation and doubt that came with fame. Even a wedding ring never stopped fans from pursuing a celebrity crush. In fact, that could make him more of a challenge.

Although Kate wanted zero contact with him, he had no idea what mischief his lawyer’s niece would come up with this time. He’d promised Kate honesty, so he pulled his phone from his pocket, made the call, and hoped she’d answer.

“Sorry to wake you,” he said as soon as he heard her sleep-hoarse voice. ‘Shit, I forgot the time difference.”

“S’okay,” she slurred, barely awake. “What time difference? Where are you?”

“I’m in Ireland. I’ve hired a lawyer to end my sham of a marriage once and for all.”

“Oh.”

“But there’s a complication…”

Kate pushed a pillow against her back, sat up, and stated the obvious. “Erin still won’t divorce you.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m pretty sure that whether she wants it or not, this time it will happen.”

“Then what’s the complication? I don’t understand,” she said and yawned loudly.

He spotted Morgan’s niece crossing the street on her way back to the office and ducked into a doorway. He wouldn’t give her a chance to interrupt this conversation.

“Drew? Drew? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, sorry.” He rubbed the stubble on his jaw and took a breath. “Remember how upset you were by that picture of me and that girl after your boss ordered you back to New York?”

“Of course, I do. We almost split up because of it.”

“Well…that same woman works for the lawyer who’s handling my divorce here.”

“And…is there more?”

“No. No, of course not. I explained our history to the lawyer and he guaranteed that she would have nothing to do with my case and wouldn’t even know why I’d come to see him. He understood the awkward position I’m in.”

“Can’t you get a different lawyer?”

“He’s the best and has already arranged a meeting with Erin and her lawyer tomorrow. I want this over already. I love you. I want to be with you. I hate that we can’t be together.”

She sighed. “I’m glad that you shared this with me, that you were honest about it. I’ve missed you, Drew. Maybe I shouldn’t have…”

“Katie, no. I respect that you don’t want to be with me until this mess is over. So are you okay with that woman working for my lawyer? She’s his niece, so he’s not going to fire her.”

“Yeah, I guess. As long as she doesn’t stick her tongue in your ear again,” she said and laughed, but Drew knew the hurt was fresh enough that she wasn’t joking.

“Never. The only tongue I want anywhere near my body is yours.” The words set his libido into overdrive and he discreetly tried to reposition the start of an erection in his tight jeans. “I need to ask you something. If Erin accepts that the marriage is over, and we request an annulment, can we see each other before it’s finalized?”

“I don’t see why we should keep torturing ourselves if we’re sure your marriage is ending. How long will you be in Ireland?”

“Maybe a few days. I’ll know more after tomorrow. Right now, I’m on my way to see my gran’s oldest friend and…” he glanced at his watch, “you probably need to get ready for work.”

“Oh, shit, it’s already seven.” Fully awake, she threw off the covers and ran to her closet. “I thought you’d called in the middle of the night. Let me know when you’re coming home…and Drew?”

“Yes?”

“I still love you.”

His face flushed with emotion and he whispered, “I’ll be home soon. Can’t wait.”

“Me either. Bye.”

CHAPTER 27

The picturesque, lakeside town where his gran had lived was smaller and more run down than he remembered. Over the years, his imagination had idealized it into a paradise that no real place could equal, but to an emotionally hurting boy, it had indeed been the stuff of dreams.

Drew’s pulse quickened as he drove past his grandmother’s cottage. He slowed while he debated whether to stop, but decided to remember the house as it was when she’d lived there. He took a right at the next corner. The shops around the town center were mostly unchanged and he parked near the bakery. It would be good to bring a sweet to Maeve and buy something to fill his empty stomach.  The familiar scent of freshly baked scones and soda bread triggered a flood of memories. He knew just how each would taste and wasn’t disappointed when he bit into a warm currant scone. Its combination of tart and sweet almost brought him to tears. Christ, he missed those innocent summers, but most of all he missed the love of his grandmother.

He nibbled on another scone as he wandered the town until he reached the garage owned by the family of one of boys he’d been friends with. A man wearing grease-stained jeans had his face hidden under the hood of a Fiat. He peered around the edge when he heard Drew’s footsteps approach. “Help you?”

“Sean?” Drew thought he recognized the voice, if not the face, but he wasn’t sure.

“Well, I’ll be damned. It’s Andrew O’Connor himself come to call,” he grinned.

Ignoring the grease on Sean’s hands, Drew wrapped his arms around his old friend and kissed his cheek. “Sean O’Hara. Jesus, Sean, I’ve missed your face.”

“It’s been right here where you left it,” he replied, tapping his chin, but the smile that accompanied those words was warm. “What are you doing in our little town? Once your granny died, bless her soul,” he added and both men crossed themselves, “I never expected you to come back.”

“I want to see Maeve and there’s some business I need to take care of.”

“Whatever it is that brought you here is a good thing, although you won’t find old Maeve at home. She’s gone to Belfast to care for her sister who’s ill.”

“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that. I’d hoped to surprise her and I guess now the surprise is on me.”

“You’re here, so you’ll come to supper at my house. My folks will be thrilled to death to see you. I think my mother has a bit of a crush on you and will want to hear all about the famous people you know.”

“Are you sure your ma won’t mind an extra mouth to feed?”

“It’ll be like old times. You ate more of your meals at our table than your own.”

“I guess I did.” Drew smiled at the memory, then looked away for a moment. “I shouldn’t have disappeared from your life. I’m sorry for that.”

Sean waved his hand in dismissal. “We understood that your life took you in a different direction from all of ours. No one holds it against you. We’re damn proud of what you’ve accomplished.”

Later, as they sat around the O’Hara’s table sipping tea after a wonderful meal, Mrs. O’Hara leaned toward Drew and clasped his hands. “I’ve enjoyed hearing about your adventures, but tell me this. Why aren’t you married?”

“Ma,” warned Sean. “Leave him be.” She directed the same question to him often enough, but he didn’t want her to spoil this unexpected reunion with his old friend, who, although famous, was the same Drew O’Connor he remembered.

“He’s handsome. He’s wealthy. He’s a dear boy and I simply wonder why there’s no ring on his finger as yet,” she teased, her green eyes twinkling. “Seriously now, I remember you were sweet on that Donnelly girl. The family summered here for years and then suddenly — I think it was the same year you left — they listed their vacation cottage and never returned. Odd,” she frowned and ran her fingers through her gray curls. “Some thought the two of you would head to the altar when you were a bit older. Now what was her name?”

Sean had the answer. “It was Erin, wasn’t it, Drew?”

“Yes. That was a long time ago.” He had to change the subject before Sean’s mother continued to interrogate him.

“I better be on my way back to Galway,” he said and pushed his chair away from the table. “I’d accept your offer of a bed, but I have an early meeting tomorrow. Thank you for a fine meal, Mrs. O’Hara and please give my love to Maeve when she comes home. Tell her I’m sorry to have missed her.”

“Ah, lad. There’s your reason to come back again and soon. Maeve isn’t getting any younger, you know.” Mary O’Hara gave Drew a direct look, then pulled him in for a hug and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Life has a habit of moving on when you’re not paying attention. Keep your eyes open, so you don’t miss what’s important.”

CHAPTER 28

When Drew entered his lawyer’s office promptly at nine the next morning, he was disappointed to find the man’s niece at her desk, but this time she was all business. “Mr. O’Connor,” she said and nodded. “The others are waiting for you in the conference room. I’ll show you the way.”

He could hear several voices as they walked down a wide hallway to a set of open double doors. The young woman gestured toward them and left. Drew hesitated, suddenly nervous, but he straightened his back and strode into the room where his future would be determined.

His eyes went immediately to Erin who sat with hands folded beside her lawyer. He’d wondered if he’d still feel lust or love or maybe even anger, but when he looked at her he felt none of those things. The lovely girl was a stranger, a beautiful woman who appeared tired and older than her twenty-eight years.

Brian gestured to the chair beside his and Drew sat. He closed his eyes and tried to visualize Kate’s face, but when he looked up the one that captured his gaze was Erin’s.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s introduce ourselves,” Drew’s lawyer began. “I’m Brian Morgan and I represent Andrew O’Connor.”

The man beside Erin introduced himself as Dennis Flaherty and said his client was Erin Donnelly O’Connor. Erin inclined her head, but her face remained expressionless.

“Let’s begin,” Brian said. “We’re here today to petition the Church to nullify the marriage of Andrew and Erin on the grounds that Mrs. O’Connor was under the legal age of consent, the marriage was based on false assumptions, and that Mr. O’Connor deserted his wife, has lived apart from her for ten years, has repeatedly committed adultery, and has no intention of adhering to his vows. I think that’s enough,” he concluded. The lawyer didn’t like making his client look like a bastard, but Drew had insisted. Brian removed his reading glasses, laid them on the table beside his papers, and waited for the other lawyer to respond.

“Mrs. O’Connor has no objections. We can proceed with the petition.”

Drew’s eyes widened in shock. He was stunned that after ten long years she’d finally agreed to an annulment without a fight. Would he ever know why she’d held on to him for so long or find out what had happened to change her mind? Probably not.

Before Drew’s lawyer could respond, Flaherty cleared his throat and glanced at Erin as if to ask for permission to continue. She nodded and fixed her gaze on her soon-to-be ex-husband. “We have but one request,” he said.

Drew assumed she was finally going to ask for a financial settlement. He was prepared to give her whatever she wanted. Could it be this easy? He leaned back in his chair, relieved that there was no need to go to war with her. Name your price, he thought, and waited.

Her lawyer took a sip of water and glanced at Erin one more time before he spoke, enunciating each word as if it were a proclamation. “Mrs. O’Connor would like Mr. O’Connor to meet his son.”

Drew pushed his chair back hard enough that it crashed to the floor. “What? My son? What the hell are you talking about?” He raced around the table and gripped Erin’s arms to pull her to her feet. “Why are you doing this? Your supposed pregnancy, the reason we got married, never existed. It was a false alarm, you told me. Whose kid is this
son
you want me to meet?” He wanted to shake the truth out of her. She’d agreed to the annulment. Why would she lie about this now?

Strong arms pulled him away from Erin who was now sobbing. Drew’s lawyer seemed calm and led him back to the other side of the table. “You knew about this, didn’t you,” Drew spat. “What kind of lawyer allows his client to walk into a trap like this? I’m done.” He raised his hands in surrender and stomped angrily toward the door. When he opened it, he froze. A boy stood there, a boy whose eyes were the same sapphire blue as his, whose dark hair had a slight curl like his, who had his face. The blood rushed from his head, leaving him dizzy and about to pass out. He leaned against the wall for support while the boy watched him, alarmed. “Are you okay?” he asked in a small voice.

“I don’t think so. I better go back inside and sit down until I feel better.”

“My mom will know what to do. She’s a nurse, you know. I’ll sit by my granddad again until she’s ready to go home. It’s no fun to be sick.”

Drew couldn’t tear his gaze from the boy who now stood beside a man he recognized as Erin’s father. The older man wrapped a protective arm around the youngster’s shoulders, his expression a warning to Drew.

Slowly, slowly, his rational mind began to accept what his eyes couldn’t deny. His emotions would take more time. His thoughts spun in circles like a speeding car on ice, ricocheting from one question to another. One thing was certain, however — his life would never be the same.

He had to know more, to understand how this could be, and the only person with that information was Erin. He forced himself to return to the conference room and shut the doors tightly behind him. When he’d walked into this room less than an hour earlier, he was childless and now he was a father. He collapsed into the chair beside his lawyer, propped his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands.

Morgan turned his back to the table and leaned close to Drew to talk privately. “I swear to you that I had no knowledge of this. I only guessed that the boy could be yours when I saw him just before this meeting began. I had no way to know if his mother was willing to share that information and I hadn’t time to ask. I’m sorry that you had to learn about him this way and I’m sure you have questions that need answering. You have a right to demand those answers.”

Drew closed his eyes and sighed. “This is so fucked up. How could she do this? How could she deprive me of my son? God knows what she told him about me and why I wasn’t part of his life.”

“I think she expects those questions and that’s why she and her lawyer are still at the table. Do you need some time to compose yourself? We can have her come back later.”

“No! No, if she leaves, I’m afraid I’ll never see either of them again. I can’t trust her.”

“And with good reason.” The lawyer kept one large hand on Drew’s back to settle him and perhaps to keep him from leaping over the table to commit murder. Morgan cleared his throat and turned back toward Erin. “There are questions that need to be answered. Agreed?”

Both Erin and her lawyer nodded. “Mrs. O’Connor expected questions and is prepared to respond to them.”

“Drew?” Brian prompted.

Drew slowly raised his head. His voice shook with anger. “Why? Why did you tell me you weren’t pregnant, that there was no baby? Why would you lie about that? Make me understand how you could do something so despicable, not only to me but to our child. The girl I knew would never have acted that way.”

Erin straightened her back. Her hands were clasped so tightly that her fingers were numb. She looked directly at Drew. “You won’t like my answer, but here it is. The truth is that I told you there was no baby as a test, and it was a test you failed miserably. I was seventeen and in love. Yes, you married me, but I had to know that you loved me for me. For me, Drew, not because we made a baby and you thought you must do the right thing. It wasn’t difficult to see that you didn’t really want to be married at eighteen. You tried, but you were like an animal caught in a trap. You should have seen the relief on your face when I told you it was a false alarm, that there was no baby. You proved me right by leaving. You didn’t love me, and so I didn’t want you to have our child. That sounds selfish and immature now, but I’ll remind you that decision was made by a scared and hurting seventeen-year-old girl.”

“Are you finished?” Drew growled and smashed his fist on the table. He felt like his head might explode. “It was
my
fucking decision to make. Mine! Not yours. That boy is my son and I had a right to be his father whether I wanted anything to do with you or not!”

“Now let’s calm down,” Erin’s lawyer said quietly.

“Calm? You have the fucking nerve to tell me to be calm when I just came face to face with a boy who thinks his father…what the hell does he think about his father, Erin? Did you tell him I was dead or that I didn’t want him? Or does he think you don’t know who his father is? What is wrong with you?”

The door opened a crack and the boy glanced from Drew to his mother, concern on his face. “I heard shouting. Are you all right, mum?” Mr. Donnelly stood behind him and glared at Drew. “Yes, Erin. Are you all right?”

She rose and walked to her son. “I’m fine, Patrick. You’re not to be concerned, but I may be a while yet. Why don’t you and granddad go find some lunch?”

Before his grandfather could lead Patrick away, the boy turned toward Drew, his eyes wide with surprised recognition “I know who you are,” he said, and each person at the table stopped breathing, not knowing what would come next. “I thought so before, when you felt sick, and now I’m sure. You’re that famous skier, Drew O’Connor, right? We have the same last name!”

“Yes, we do,” said Drew, somehow finding the strength to behave rationally.

“Granddad, please take a picture of me with him. My friends will never believe that I met the real Drew O’Connor!” He was bouncing with excitement.

“Mr. O’Connor may not want to…I don’t think,” Erin sputtered, but Drew interrupted her. He already had his phone in hand and quickly set it to take a selfie.

“I’d be happy to take a picture with you,” he said. “I can send it to your mom’s phone, so we both have a copy.”

“You want a picture of me?” Patrick said, clearly delighted.

“Sure, why not? It’s not often that I meet another O’Connor,” Drew replied and smiled warmly.

Patrick’s excited grin lit up his face and Drew crouched so they were head to head before snapping a few photos. When Drew stood, Patrick threw his arms around his waist and then pulled away, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Mr. O’Connor, but I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Not a problem, Patrick. Do you ski?”

“Nah,” the boy said, looking down. “Mother says it’s too dangerous and that it’s only a sport for rich people.”

“Well, maybe one day I can give you some lessons. That is, if your mom says it’s okay.”

Patrick looked from Drew toward Erin. “Would you really? Mum, he said he can teach me to ski!”

“Calm down Patrick. Mr. O’Connor is just being polite. He’s a busy man and probably shouldn’t make promises he won’t keep.” Her voice was filled with bitterness.

“Come on, Patrick.” Mr. Donnelly grasped his grandson by the shoulder. “Your old granddad is starving and needs to find some food.”

“All right,” the boy said, obviously reluctant to leave. “It was a treat to meet you. Thank you for the photo. I hope I’ll see you again.”

“Count on it, Patrick,” Drew said, then shot a look at Erin daring her to challenge that statement, but she remained silent.

As soon as the doors closed again, Drew sank into his chair and Morgan stood. He kept a hand on Drew’s shoulder, sensing that the emotional overload and relative calm of the past half hour was about to result in an explosion that would be measurable on the Richter scale. “Dennis, would you and your client excuse us? In light of these revelations, I need to consult with my client before we proceed.”

Erin’s lawyer helped her to stand. “Of course. We’ll be outside,” he said. Erin kept her eyes lowered, unable to meet Drew’s hostile gaze as she walked toward the door, but as she passed him she murmured, “I’m sorry.”

Once they were alone, Drew turned his chair to face his lawyer. “Tell me what my rights are here. I want to be Patrick’s father, the father he deserves, the kind of father I never had, the kind I believe I can be for him.” With tears in his eyes, his voice cracked. “I already love the kid.”

“Yes, he seems to be bright and a fine lad. I’m sure you don’t want to think about this now, but in time you might realize that his mother deserves some credit for raising him to this point.”

Drew opened his mouth to say something and then changed his mind as he considered the lawyer’s words. Finally, he shifted in his seat and nodded. “I guess she’s been a good mother with one huge, inexcusable exception. She kept him from having a father.”

“There is that,” Morgan agreed. “As for your rights, you were married when Patrick was born and you still are, so you’re in a better position legally than a father who never married the mother of his child. We need to know if your name is on Patrick’s birth certificate. If it is, you could immediately demand visitation or even a joint custody arrangement. These days judges take the best interests of the child into consideration, since a child has the right to a relationship with both of his parents.”

Drew leaned back and started to lift his thumb to his mouth, then dropped his hand to his lap. “I sucked my thumb for years. I wonder if Patrick did that and how much of who he is comes from my genes.”

“All of your questions will be answered as you get to know him.”  The lawyer studied his client, relieved that he seemed calmer. “Do you want time to consider how involved you want to be in Patrick’s life or will you want to work out a custody arrangement with Mrs. O’Connor now?”

“Stop calling her that!” Drew said, glaring at the lawyer. “Except for passing the name along to Patrick, I hate that she has it.” His thoughts went immediately to Kate, the only woman he wanted to give his name to. How would she react when he told her that he had a son? He pushed that worry aside and a moment later released a deep sigh. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me.”