Ragan's Song (Fairfield Corners #2) (10 page)

Chapter 24

The next day Ragan sat on the front porch steps as she waited for Mark to arrive. She had put Skylar down for his nap, hoping he would sleep long enough that she could talk to the handsome doctor about her stalker without interruption. Her fingers drummed nervously on the smooth board of the step as she wondered how much to tell him.

Her heart sped up at the sight of Mark’s Jeep approaching in the driveway. Could her feelings be dread about keeping the stalker situation a secret? Or perhaps simply a reaction to how handsome he looked in jeans and a t-shirt; her mind distracted, it was hard to decide which.

Mark’s eyes narrowed as he sauntered down the walk, his gaze fixed on her twisted features, “You’re dumping me already?”

“What? No, I just have some things on my mind.”

“What’s wrong? Is it Skylar?”

She pulled him down to sit beside her on the steps, “No, Skylar’s fine; it’s a situation that I thought was resolved… but it’s not.”

“Is it something I can help with?”

“No, but thanks for offering to help. It should be resolved soon.” She leaned closer and kissed him, cutting it short when she heard Skylar waking from his nap. Relief flooding through her, she would have to explain everything to him later; today she could concentrate on having a fun day with two of her favorite guys.

An hour later, the three of them were standing in line at the front gate of the zoo, laughing as Skylar mimicked a few animal sounds. Ragan pulled Skylar’s hat out of his backpack and put it on his head. “What do you want to see first, Sky boy?” she asked as they walked, holding hands side-by-side into the zoo.

“Graffs, Mama,” Skylar shouted. Ragan and Mark laughed out loud.

“I guess that means we head to the African Veldt,” Ragan agreed. “I think I remember where that is.” She turned and realized that some things hadn’t changed. The joke-telling frog was up ahead on the right, with Monkey Island to the left.

“They revamped the veldt a couple of years ago,” Mark explained, “It’s now the African Adventure. I hope you brought your camera; Sky can feed the giraffes, so he’s going to love it.”

“Well, of course I did. Can’t have a day of memory-building without photos to validate it.” The thought brought a broad grin to her face as she pictured her son feeding his favorite animals before the smile slowly faded. Feeling as if someone were watching her, she glanced around, but didn’t see anyone who stood out. They walked through the tunnel underneath Sherman Boulevard that took them to the African Adventure, and Sky giggled with delight at the echo. Once he discovered it, he chatted away, grinning when the sound came back each time.

As they walked up to the giraffe feeding platform, Ragan pulled her camera out of the knapsack and started snapping pictures. She captured Mark holding Sky up so he could feed the giraffes, smiling at the look of wonder on her son’s face. Again, the creepy-crawly sensation of someone staring at her back darkened her mood for a moment.

Anxiously turning for a quick glance over her shoulder, she found herself face-to face with a familiar pair of deep blue eyes. Adam, Krista, and Jenna were at the back of the platform, and Krista looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but there. Ragan concentrated on the three of them and failed to notice the other set of eyes that had followed her every move since they entered the zoo.

She was surprised by the look on Adam’s face as he stared at Skylar in Mark’s arms; it wasn’t quite anger.
Could he be jealous? Of course he is, he’s watching his son laugh and hug someone else. It should be him
.

Wanting to avoid a heated discussion out in public, Ragan reached for Sky, easing him out of Mark’s arms before she handed him the camera. “Will you take a photo of us together, please?” After showing him how to work the high-tech camera, she turned her attention to Sky, laughing again at the expressions on his face as he fed the giraffes. Pulling him closer, she smiled as Mark snapped some pictures, both him and Skylar unaware of Adam’s presence.

“Daddy and Jenna are here!” Skylar cried when he noticed them. “See me feed the graffs, Daddy?”

“I sure did. How about you show your sister how to feed them? I bet she’d like it, too.” Adam moved closer to the trio.

With her son’s attention on the giraffes and his sister, Ragan breathed a sigh of relief. Adam seemed happier after Skylar’s enthusiastic greeting.
How should I introduce him? Boyfriend?
“Adam, this is Mark Fairfield. He’s an old friend and…”

As if sensing her discomfort, Adam interrupted her, “I know who he is, I saw you together at the pub.”

Mark stuck his hand out abruptly; “Pleased to meet you,” he said as they shook vigorously. “Look, I’m sorry the situation is what it is, but we should all get along for Sky’s sake. He’s a great kid.”

Adam looked over at his children, “Yeah, he is.”

Ragan smiled lovingly at Sky, hoping her longing for Adam wasn’t showing on her face. Locked inside her own thoughts, she didn’t notice Mark offering to take a picture of Adam and the kids. Adam caught Ragan’s attention and pulled her into the shot as Mark brought the camera up to his face to take another shot, motioning for them to stand closer together.

A pair of eyes filled with longing watched the group; an outsider who kept to the edges of the crowd as he spied on them “I should have known she couldn’t stay away from the rock star,” he whispered to himself. “I’ll have to take care of that situation…”

Feeding the giraffes only kept Skylar’s attention so long. Soon they all headed for the pony-ride area of the park. Putting her skills to work, Ragan captured some great shots of Skylar and Jenna as they stopped to look at the animals along the way. She watched them as Jenna patiently read the scientific names off the plaques to Skylar and marveled at how Jenna had welcomed him into her life as her little brother, loving him without question.
It could have easily been a struggle for her to accept him
.

When they arrived at the corral, Adam walked beside Skylar’s pony, making sure he didn’t fall. Seeing Adam’s love for his son through the lens of her camera caught Ragan off guard again, and she needed a few minutes to herself to get her emotions under control.

“Hey, you okay?” Mark inquired, his eyes showing his worry when she handed the camera back to him.

“Yeah, I just need a couple of minutes alone. Today has been more stressful than I had planned.”

“We can head home now if you want,” he offered.

“No, I’m fine, and Sky is having such a good time.” She squeezed his hand and kissed him lightly on the lips to reassure him before she strolled down the path. She sank down onto the first empty bench she found. Preoccupied with thoughts of the men in her life, she didn’t see the one in the shadows following her. She pulled a bottle of water out of her bag and took a swig, enjoying the quiet. A few minutes later, Skylar’s voice brought her out of her daydream, and she returned on the walkway to the ponies.

“Ride horsey, Daddy,” the toddler grinned at Adam.

“You sure did. Are you going to be a cowboy when you grow up?” Adam responded jovially.

The silent observer faded back into the crowd of patrons, walking away from the happy gathering unnoticed.

When they stopped for ice cream, Ragan had to snap a picture of Mark handing the treat to Skylar; the smiles on both of their faces made her glad she decided to continue dating him. They wandered towards the rain forest exhibit to ride the carousel. His ice cream melting over his hands, Sky handed the mess to Ragan, “Done, Mama.”

Practically jumping from Mark’s arms as she tried to remove the remnants of the snack from his face and hands, her turned her efforts into a game. Breaking free, he ran to Krista, giggling as he put his hands on her white pants, smearing melted chocolate ice cream down her leg.

“Skylar, no!” Krista screamed as she seized his arm and marched him back to his mother. “Keep him and his mess away from me,” she bit angrily.

Skylar burst into tears as Ragan scooped him up, glaring at the other woman. She snatched his bag from the stroller and stomped towards the restrooms to clean him up properly, and to escape before she said anything she might regret.

Furious at her actions, Mark stepped towards Krista. He stopped when Adam reached for Krista’s wrist and led her down the path, not quite out of sight. He watched and listened as Adam indicated his displeasure at her actions.

“What the hell, Krista? Do you even like kids?”

“Not when they’re small and messy,” she whined as she wiped at the chocolate stains on her pants with a napkin.

“Then why were you so adamant that I sue for custody?” he blinked rapidly in disbelief.

“You have to show her that you’re in control. That’s what it’s all about,” she replied tartly.

“What gave you the idea that I would use my son to control Ragan? Never mind, it’s not important. You need to leave. Now.” He pulled some money out of his wallet and threw it at her, “Call a cab and go home. We’re done.”

Krista followed him as he stomped back towards Mark and Jenna. “But Adam, you didn’t even give me a chance to apologize. I overreacted and…”

“I don’t believe you, Krista; what part of
we’re done
did you not understand? Stay away from me and my family. You’re fired as my girlfriend and my publicist.” He continued walking, his fists clenched to keep from slapping her.

The blonde stared after him, but made no further attempt to press the matter. After she had regained her composure, she turned and stalked off, muttering to herself that he didn’t realize what he was giving up.

Returning to the group, Adam smiled when he noticed Jenna holding Sky’s hand as they watched the ducks on the pond. He quietly reached for Ragan’s camera, wondering why she wasn’t already taking the picture. Expecting to see a smile on her face as she watched the kids, he was surprised at her rage.

“I can’t control who you go out with,” Ragan hissed without looking at him, “but you will keep that she-bitch from hell away from my son.” A red flush swept over her exposed skin when she realized what she had called Adam’s girlfriend.

“Agreed.”

“I will not tolerate… What did you say?”

“No one treats my child like that. I just told her that we’re done.” He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from grabbing her and kissing her. “I’m going to call my lawyer and drop the custody suit. Surely we can work out something between the two of us.”

“Thank you, Adam,” she broke into an immediate smile. “I’m sure we can.”

Skylar was asleep in Mark’s arms as they walked through the turnstiles of the zoo. They’d ridden the carousel and the train several times. Mark and Jenna took Skylar to put him in his car seat, giving Ragan and Adam a few minutes alone. “Thanks for letting us invade your date, Ragan,” Adam said as he watched Mark get Skylar buckled up. “Mark seems like a really nice guy. I hope you’ll be happy together.” He pulled Ragan into a quick friends-only type of hug. “I’ll pick up Skylar on Tuesday at six, if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine,” Ragan answered. “See you then.”

Adam and Jenna held hands as they crossed the parking lot towards Adam’s Escalade, stopping to wave when Mark and Ragan drove past them to the exit.

Chapter 25

Adam smiled at the memory of the expression on Ragan’s face as she held Skylar up to feed the giraffes. The picture he had taken with his phone captured the moment, making him wonder if they would ever have a chance to be together. He wanted to hate Mark, but couldn’t. Mark and Skylar had bonded, and he could see that Mark treated the boy as if he were his own son. Watching the interaction between the three of them at the zoo, he had realized that Ragan had moved on. Adam hoped she would find her happiness.

“Dad, the light’s green.”

“What?”

“The light’s green,” Jenna stated again as the driver in the car behind them honked his horn.

“Right,” Adam agreed as he drove through the intersection, forcing his feelings for Ragan down and out of the way.

“You okay, Dad?” Jenna asked, concern wrinkling her small forehead.

“Yeah, just thinking about today. Did you have a good time, sweetheart?”

“It was fun, especially when you told Krista to get lost.” Embarrassed after saying the words, Jenna instantly looked down and picked at her fingernails.

“I thought you liked Krista.” He glanced at his daughter while they were stopped at the next red light.

“Not really, Dad. She didn’t treat me very nice when you weren’t around,” she informed him reluctantly.

Adam frowned as he drove through the intersection, pulling into a gas station and shoving the shifter into park. Once they were stopped, he turned to his daughter. “Did she hurt you? Why didn’t you tell me your true feelings about her?”

“Mostly she just ignored me, even when we were out shopping. You seemed to like her, so I didn’t want to say anything…”

“Come here, sweetie,” he said as he leaned over the console and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice.” Releasing her, he scrubbed his hands down his face. “I promise I won’t let that happen again, but you have to tell me the truth right away if something ever bothers you. You can talk to me about anything, anytime.”

“You should ask Sky’s mom out. I really like her, and she was really nice when I wiped out in front of her house. I mean, you must have liked her before because you had Skylar with her.” She turned away and looked outside her window. “I know how babies are made, Dad.”

“What? How do you know that?” his eyebrows shot up.

“In health class. I think Ragan likes you, too. She watches you when you’re not looking.” Jenna smiled at the thought of her dad and Ragan together.

“I did something that wasn’t very nice to her, and I don’t think she would be able to forgive me.” It was his turn to stare outside, this time through the windshield, trying to forget the feeling of her in his arms. “She seems to be happy with Mark.”

“You need to ask her because you never know, she might say yes. She’s a much better person than Krista.”

Grinning at the innocent comment, he put the Escalade in gear and pulled out onto the road.
Maybe we could try again… you never know.