Prodigal Son (26 page)

“What did your mom do?”

“She worked at a dry cleaners. She did the repairs and alterations and managed the front desk. I used to go there after school and do my homework.”

She couldn’t smell dry-cleaning fluid without thinking of that milk crate in the corner, where she’d sat and read her books and puzzled over her homework. Her mom used to quiz her on her times tables between customers.

“She was a good mother. I hope I can be half as good as her,” Alex said.

“So you didn’t go through the mandatory stage of hating her when you were a teenager?”

Here we go.

“Not really.” She took a deep breath. “My mom had a car accident when I was twelve. She was a passenger, but she wasn’t wearing her seat belt and she went through the windshield. She fractured her skull and for a while there they thought she was going to die.”

Ethan was watching her intently and she was grateful that he didn’t interrupt.

“She pulled through, though.” She reached for one of the cushions, resting it in her lap. Like the rest of Ethan’s things it had clean, strong lines but the fabric had a pleasing nap and she ran her hand over it a few times before making eye contact with him. “She was different afterward. She couldn’t remember things, she cried for no reason. She couldn’t count past ten and sometimes she’d have trouble finding the right word for what she wanted to say. If I didn’t keep an eye on her, she’d try to cook and put an empty pot on the stove. Or leave the fridge door open. Or go out and leave all the doors and windows open.”

“So you wound up being the mother,” Ethan guessed.

“Someone had to do it. And she was still very loving. She was still my mom.” She smoothed her hand across the cushion again.

“Did you have any help?”

“Oh, yes,” she said drily. “Social services were
awesome.
They wanted to put me in a home and institutionalize Mom. Fortunately I was nearly sixteen by the time they started getting really aggressive and I was able to prove I could look after both of us.”

“You said she died in hospital?”

“Yes. She was having headaches and they found some scar tissue on her brain they wanted to remove. She had a heart attack coming out of the anesthetic.”

“So you dusted yourself off and put yourself through law school?”

She nodded. “Not exactly the cheeriest tale, I know. But not the worst, either. Like I said, she was a great mom.”

“Sounds like you were a pretty good mom, too.”

She thought about it. “I was okay. I used to get angry with her sometimes. And resentful.”

“Thank God. I was beginning to feel really inadequate.”

She laughed.

“You want another coffee?” Ethan asked.

She looked at him. She’d expected him to probe more, perhaps mouth some platitudes about how hard it must have been. Instead, he was offering her more coffee.

He raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just you’re the first person who didn’t want to turn it into
Angela’s Ashes.
”

“Really? You have friends who are stupid enough to think you want their pity?”

She laughed. Apparently he knew her better than she thought he did.

“Believe it or not, yes.”

“Obviously they’ve never been pounded by you on the racquetball court.”

She laughed again.

“So was that a yes to coffee?”

“I’ll be up all night if I do. But thanks,” she said.

They both fell silent. She glanced at the time on his DVD player and blinked when she saw it was past one in the morning.

Wow. How had that happened?

“I should really get going,” she said, unfolding her legs from the couch and searching for her shoes with her toes.

“Sure.”

There was a new tension in the room as she pulled on her shoes and stood. Ethan stood, too.

“Thanks for tonight. And thanks for being so open to all my questions,” she said.

For some reason she didn’t know what to do with her hands. She settled for clasping them loosely at her waist.

“Ditto.”

“Do you feel like there’s anything else that we should cover? Anything else you need to know?” she asked.

“No. Do you?”

She looked at him, watching her so carefully. Did she need to know anything more?

Probably. But she felt she knew the important things. He was a nice man. Surprising, given the invitation to be not-so-nice that Mother Nature had handed him when she gave him that face and that body. She thought he would make a good and loving father. And that they would find a way to pull together, no matter what came their way.

“I think we should do this.” Her voice sounded very firm, very sure, even though she was quivering inside.

The tight look left Ethan’s face. “Yeah?”

“Yes. I think that between us we could be decent parents.”

“Absolutely.”

He was grinning and she couldn’t help smiling in response. She’d made the right decision. She could feel it in her gut.

“So, what next?” he asked.

“I’ve got my first session with the clinic next week. There’s a mandatory counseling session and some tests they need to do. Then it’s simply a matter of waiting until I ovulate again.”

“Right. Any idea when that might be?”

“Four weeks or so. Give or take.”

“Four weeks. Okay. I’ll make sure I’ve got some clear days in my diary.”

Ethan followed her to the door. Now that the decision was made and they were about to embark on this crazy, wonderful journey together, she didn’t know what to say to him.

“Thanks for the meal. I’d offer to return the favor but I’m guessing you’re not a fan of charcoal. But maybe I could manage cheese on toast and some two-minute noodles. And I dial a mean takeout, too.”

“I’m game,” he said.

“Spoken like a true sucker.” She palmed her car keys. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

She turned to go.

“Alex.”

He waited until she’d turned back before reaching out and pulling her into his arms.

It was totally unexpected and for a second she didn’t know what to do as his arms tightened around her and she felt the hard warmth of his chest against her breasts. Then she lifted her arms and returned the embrace, her hands flattening against the firm planes of his back.

He smelled good—more of that sandalwood scent that she liked—and their knees knocked together briefly.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice gravelly with emotion. “I think we’re going to make a great team, slowpoke.”

Then he released her, stepped back and it was over. She hoped like hell she didn’t look as flustered as she felt. She told herself that she simply hadn’t been expecting the close contact.

“Me, too,” she said. Then she glanced over her shoulder toward the elevator. “I’d better go.”

He nodded. “Sure.”

She took a step backward. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Before you go…”

She stopped. “Yes?”

“It’s my eldest nephew’s birthday tomorrow. If we’re going to do this, I’d really like you to meet my family.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t thought that far ahead but she realized he was right. He’d referenced his brother and his sister-in-law a few times tonight. It was obvious they were close. “Well. I’m not doing anything apart from catching up on work. As always. What time is it?”

“Midday. I’ll swing by and pick you up if you like.”

“Okay.” She frowned. “Do they know? About any of this, I mean?”

“I talked it over with my brother before I talked to you. I think it’s safe to assume that Kay knows, since they’re joined at the brain and various other body parts.”

“Huh.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No. No, it’s fine. They’re your family, right? And if we have a baby, then your nephews will be our baby’s cousins.” And not telling Ethan’s relatives about their arrangement would mean they’d be sentenced to a lifetime of lies and half-truths.

“That was pretty much what I figured.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

She lifted her hand in a last goodbye and walked to the elevator. She waited until the doors closed before sagging against the wall and pressing her face into her hands.

She was going to try for a baby.

In four weeks’ time.

With Ethan Stone.

It felt surreal and scary and wonderful and strange all at the same time. She pressed a hand to her flat belly, trying to imagine what it might be like to feel a baby moving inside her.

It was too big a stretch, too far outside her experience. But maybe one day soon it wouldn’t be.

Chapter Six

A
lex was waiting out in front of her building when Ethan arrived the following day. She was wearing jeans, sneakers and a black sweater with a jade-green duffle coat. Her hair whipped around her face in the breeze as he got out of the car to open the passenger door for her.

“I wasn’t sure what to get, but I figured that anything that runs on batteries and makes lots of noise is good, right?” she asked, and he saw she was carrying a gift.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“A kid only turns nine once.”

She was much shorter without her heels and he found himself looking at the crown of her head as she slid into his car. Amazing that so much grit could be contained in such a small package.

He’d always known Alex was a strong person. But hearing her story last night, he’d been quietly blown away by what she’d endured. She was a survivor, there was no doubt about it. A tough cookie.

It explained a lot, that childhood of hers. The way she’d fought to hold in her tears that night on the racquetball court. The way she was always so quick to assure him that she didn’t need his help and so slow to confide. He bet tears had been a rarely indulged luxury when she was growing up. As for helping hands—in Alex’s world, they’d probably been few and far between.

Was it any wonder she’d thrown herself at the problem of her ticking biological clock like a SWAT team going through the door on a drug bust? She’d probably never backed down from a challenge in her life.

And yet there’d been that soft, vulnerable expression in her eyes last night when she’d been talking about her mother. He wondered if she had any idea how expressive her face could be sometimes.

He circled the car and got in. She was busy inspecting the interior, opening and closing compartments and running her fingers over the burled walnut dash.

“I don’t think I’ve been in your car before. It’s pretty nice—but dick cars usually are.”

He smiled. No way was he rising to such obvious bait. “Do I detect a little car envy, Dr. Freud?”

“Not at all. Not when I know how much it’s going to hurt you to have to part with it.”

“I’m not getting rid of the Aston Martin.” He’d worked hard for this car. Lusted after it for many, many years.

“Can’t put a baby seat in it,” she said. “Just sayin’.”

He turned and frowned at the tiny backseat. She was right. There was no way a baby capsule would fit in his sleek, sexy car.

“Bummer,” Alex said. “This upholstery is so soft. I guess it’s Italian calfskin, yeah?”

She wasn’t even trying to hide her schadenfreude.

“If you think I’m trading this in for a boxy Volvo like yours, you’ve got another think coming,” he said. “I’ll just buy a second car.”

“Good plan. You got two parking spaces when you bought your apartment, right?”

He looked at her and knew that she knew he hadn’t.

“Smugness suits you, slowpoke,” he said as he started the engine. “Brings out the brown in your eyes.”

She laughed outright then and they bantered during the trip to his brother’s place. He’d phoned Derek this morning and warned him he’d be bringing Alex along. He’d be lying if he pretended he wasn’t a little nervous about his brother and his opinionated sister-in-law meeting the woman he was planning on donating sperm to. Not exactly your everyday situation, and he could think of about a million things that could go wrong.

He glanced across at Alex. He was confident she could hold her own, but he still felt protective of her. He wanted his family to like her. He wanted her to like them.

“So give me the highlights of your sibling rivalry,” she said as he trawled his brother’s crowded street looking for a parking spot.

“Derek’s two inches shorter. When we were on the same football team in our early twenties he outscored me two seasons in a row.”

“Ouch. How’d you let that happen?”

“Thanks for the support.”

She flashed him a broad grin.

“When he was the best man at my wedding, he lost the ring for a whole half hour before we ‘found’ it down the back of the seat in the limo.”

“No way!”

“I made him wait for forty-five minutes until I coughed up his when he married Kay.”

Alex hooted with laughter. “You guys play hardball.”

“Yeah. You’ll fit right in.”

She gave him a dry look before opening the car door and getting out. He grabbed his gift for Jamie from the trunk and crossed the road. His brother’s mailbox was decorated with a cluster of balloons to mark the birthday house and even from the sidewalk they could hear the high-decibel screaming of kids having a good time.

“Don’t worry. Your ears will stop ringing after a day or two,” he told her as they walked up the stairs.

“Good to know.”

She looked a little uncertain and he caught her free hand in his as they entered the house.

She glanced at him, startled, and he offered her a smile.

“Courage, corporal.”

She pulled a face. “If that makes you my captain we’re in big trouble.”

But she didn’t pull her hand away.

They walked into pandemonium. The kitchen and living room had been decorated with balloons and streamers and it looked as though every toy Tim and Jamie owned had been dragged out of storage and flung around the room. Screaming and laughing children chased each other around the furniture, their faces painted to resemble lions and tigers and other jungle animals. There was more chaos outside where a queue had formed around what Ethan guessed was the highlight of Jamie’s birthday booty—a brand-new trampoline, complete with safety pads and netting.

He scanned for Derek or Kay but came up empty.

“Man. You weren’t kidding about the noise,” Alex said, wincing.

“Let’s go outside. Fewer hard surfaces for the noise to bounce off.”

He’d barely set foot in the yard when Tim appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his arms around his legs.

“Uncle Ethan. Wait until you see the tramp’line. It’s awesome!”

“It looks pretty amazing. Has Jamie let you have a bounce on it yet?”

“He says I have to wait until he’s drawn up a roster.”

“A roster. Interesting.” He glanced at Alex. “Tim, this is my friend, Alex. You want to say hello?”

“Hi, Alex. Why do you have a boy’s name?” Tim said.

She laughed. “It’s really Alexandra, but that’s a bit of a mouthful, isn’t it?”

Ethan caught his brother’s eye across the lawn where he was manning the barbecue. Derek jerked his head toward Alex as if to ask
is this her?
Ethan rolled his eyes.
What do you think, idiot?

Derek immediately handed the tongs over to someone else and made his way toward them.

Alex was talking to Tim but she looked up when Derek joined them.

“Derek, Alex, Alex, Derek,” Ethan said.

Alex offered her hand and Derek shook it.

“Nice to meet you, Alex.” His tone was a little on the neutral side of friendly but Ethan could live with that. For now.

“Good to meet you, too. That’s some family resemblance you guys have got going on.”

“Nice of you to say so, but no one’s got a patch on Pretty Boy here.” Derek clapped Ethan on the shoulder.

“Pretty Boy?” Alex asked, eyebrows raised. A smile was lurking around her mouth. “Family nickname?”

“No,” Ethan said.

“Yes,” Derek said.

Ethan scowled at his brother.

Derek gave him his best innocent face. “What?”

“You’ll keep.”

Derek took Alex by the elbow. “Come and meet Kay.”

Before Ethan could object, Derek had whisked Alex away. He was tempted to go after them, but Tim wanted to show him something in his room. Besides, Alex could take care of herself.

Still, he glanced over his shoulder as he followed Tim. He caught Alex glancing back at him. Their eyes locked and she smiled. He smiled back.

Yeah, she could hold her own.

* * *

Alex felt as though she’d run a marathon. Her fingers were sticky from eating fairy bread and chocolate crackles, she had a tomato-sauce stain on her jeans, and she was almost certain her butt was covered with grass stains but couldn’t be bothered getting up to check.

Ethan had a nice family. His brother had been a little cool at the beginning, but Alex hadn’t held it against him. After all, he didn’t know her from a bar of soap and what she and Ethan were planning on doing was a little…unconventional to say the least. His wife, however, had welcomed Alex like a long-lost friend and after ten minutes of shooting the breeze with the two of them she’d felt Derek relax, which had in turn meant that she could let down her guard a little, too.

As for Ethan’s nephews… They were adorable. She knew that she was probably hormonally charged to find any children adorable right now, but there was no denying that both Jamie and Tim were very engaging little guys. Their manners were terrific, and Tim in particular had a way with words that kept her in stitches. It didn’t hurt that they both had blue eyes and dark hair like their dad and that when she looked at them she could almost see what Ethan’s child might look like.

She glanced to where Ethan was playing with Jamie on the trampoline. Ethan had taken his shoes off and stripped off his sweater so that he was wearing only his jeans and a plain white T-shirt. He was holding Jamie’s hands, double bouncing his nephew to send him flying high in the sky. She wasn’t sure who was enjoying the exercise more—the nine-year-old birthday boy or the forty-two-year-old family lawyer with the huge goofy grin on his face.

Watching Ethan with his family had been a revelation. She’d seen him serious and intent in partner meetings. She’d seen him charm the admin staff in the kitchenette. She’d seen him determined and playful on the racquetball court. But she’d never seen him laugh so easily or wholeheartedly as when he was standing by the barbecue having a beer with his brother. She’d never seen his eyes take on so much gentle depth as when he was bending his head to listen to something one of his nephews was telling him. She’d never seen him so mischievous and, yes, naughty as when he was teasing his sister-in-law about her noodle salad.

“He’s a good man.”

Alex started as Kay dropped onto the lawn beside her, a big glass of water in hand.

“A lot of people don’t see past that gorgeous face of his to the man underneath, but he’s one of the best men I know.” She took a mouthful of water. “Of course, it’s possible I’m a little biased.”

Alex smiled. “I think family’s supposed to be biased. That’s kind of the point.”

They were both silent a moment as they watched Ethan bounce Jamie then lift him on the rebound. Jamie’s squeals of delight rang across the yard.

“We were pretty worried about him for a while there after Cassie left,” Kay said, not taking her gaze off the trampoline. “Her asking for a divorce really took him by surprise. She messed him up big-time.”

Alex didn’t know what to say. Part of her felt uncomfortable talking about Ethan behind his back. The rest of her was sucking up every bit of information Kay was throwing her way.

“He hasn’t said much about his divorce,” she said cautiously.

That wasn’t too gossipy, right?

“He doesn’t talk about it. Even to Derek. I know he likes to come off as a playboy, but Ethan is the kind of guy who loves really deeply, you know? Derek’s the same. Once they invest, that’s it for them. Ethan invested in Cassie and she burned him, bad. That’s why I was so glad when I knew you were coming today. He’s never brought a woman to meet us before.”

Alex stirred uncomfortably. She’d been under the impression that Kay knew all about the sperm donation thing, but the way she was talking she seemed to think that Alex and Ethan were a couple.

“Ethan and I are just friends, really,” she said awkwardly.

Kay raised her eyebrows and took another mouthful of water. “Of course.”

What could Alex say to that? Kay flitted off to resolve a dispute over a video game a few minutes later and Ethan joined her instead. He had his shoes and socks in hand and was still grinning ear to ear as he stretched his long legs out beside her.

“Pretty hard to fit one of those things on your balcony,” she said, deadpan.

“Yeah. I know. I was just thinking about that. Kind of dangerous if you got a little rogue double-bounce action going, too. It’s a long drop from the tenth floor.”

“Absolutely.”

“Plus I think I’m technically over the weight limit for that thing.”

“But it was good fun,” she said.

“It was bloody good fun.”

He glanced at her and she looked straight into his eyes and for a moment it was only the two of them, sitting in the late-afternoon sun with grass-stained backsides and sticky fingers.

“You’ve got grass in your hair,” he said, and he leaned closer to pull it out.

His fingers brushed her cheek, then her neck as he plucked the grass from her hair. Suddenly she felt breathless. Her gaze skittered from his eyes to his mouth and got stuck there for a moment.

“Do you mind if we get going soon?” she said. “I’ve got some more work I need to get done tonight.”

Ethan sat back and checked his watch. “We can head off in five minutes if you like. Just give me a chance to say goodbye.”

He pulled on his shoes and socks and pushed himself to his feet. She watched as he entered the house in search of his brother.

He’s a nice man. One of the nicest men I know.

Hard not to agree. But she had to remember that he wasn’t
her
man. A small but very important fact.

* * *

“I like her. A whole lot more than I thought I would,” Derek said the moment Ethan picked up the phone later that evening.

Ethan reached for the remote to turn down the volume on the television. He’d come home to watch football after dropping Alex off at her place and was lying with his feet up on the couch.

“Phew. Huge relief. Thank God.” Ethan didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm in his voice.

“I thought the whole idea of her coming to the party was so we could get to know her.”

“So
she
could get to know
you
and run screaming for the hills before it was too late if she needed to,” he corrected his brother.