Echo: A Linear Tactical Romantic Suspense Standalone Page 11

  “I’d like to show you what’s in this file.” He held up his hand. “I don’t ever expect you to talk to me after today. And I will never blame you for that. But I want to explain what happened. If I could have an hour of your time, I promise you never have to see me again if you don’t want to. And I swear, from this day forward, you don’t have to worry I’ll take legal action against you, no matter what you choose to say or do, publicly or privately.”

  She stared at him. The words sounded promising, but maybe her mind was playing tricks on her again. She couldn’t trust herself when it came to Cade O’Conner. That was the one thing she knew for certain.

  “I don’t understand what you want.”

  “All I want right now is an hour of your time.”

  She nodded, hoping her heart wasn’t about to get battered again, and unlocked her door to go inside.

  She walked in and dropped her bag on the small table by the door. He stood, hovering just inside the doorway, looking a little lost.

  “Spit it out, O’Conner.”

  “I didn’t know,” he finally said.

  She rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen, getting a glass for water, needing something to do with her hands. “I figured that out already by your utter shock back in the writing cave. You thought I went through with abortion.”

  “No, I didn’t know about any of it. I didn’t know you were pregnant. I didn’t know about the nondisclosure agreement. I didn’t know about the agreement to terminate the pregnancy.”

  She set the glass down before it slipped through her numb fingers and turned back to him. Surely she had heard him wrong.

  “What?”

  He stayed where he was against the door. “I know this doesn’t excuse what you’ve been through, but I wasn’t aware any of this had happened five years ago.”

  She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs. “How can you not have been aware? That was your signature on all the paperwork. Believe me, I got it out and compared it to your signature on the senior page of the high school yearbook.”

  “You did?”

  “I’m so pathetic, aren’t I?” She sighed heavily. “I was convinced there was some grand conspiracy keeping you away from me. That you would never treat me that way. So I dragged out the yearbook and compared the signatures.”

  “Peyton…”

  “Ends up Occam’s razor was right.”

  “The simplest answer is usually the correct one,” he whispered.

  She wasn’t surprised he was familiar with the principle. “Yep. And the simplest answer in this case was that you’d signed those papers. No conspiracy.”

  His expression was pained. “Yes. I signed the NDA, but without reading it. I signed the check too, but before it was actually made out to anyone, I’m sure. It was right after my dad died and Aunt Cecelia had power of attorney when it came to all the money, but some things I still needed to sign. I—I didn’t really read them.”

  She stared at him, still scrambling to understand. “I tried to call you. Text you, when I first found out. You changed your number.”

  He flinched. “I did. There were issues with my service provider in Nashville. I had to get a new phone. I sent you an email with my updated info.” Now he took a step toward her but stopped when she flinched. “I sent it to the London Film Centre email you gave me that night.”

  She’d never gotten it, of course, because she’d never been in London. Neither of them needed to say that.

  “I’m not trying to say I’m blameless,” he continued. “When I didn’t hear back from you, not even a word, I thought that meant you had no interest in talking to me. That you’d moved on with your perfect film life and had left me and what we’d shared behind.”

  He took a step toward her and panic bubbled up inside. He couldn’t touch her. Not now.

  He stopped. “I thought you’d left me behind, Peaches. That I was part of your past. And if you were able to walk away so easily, I was damn well going to too. You were everything to me, and I thought you wouldn’t even take the time to return an email. That you were ghosting me.”

  “I didn’t. . .”

  “Of course, you didn’t. I know that, now. I should’ve checked in on you. Should’ve had Baby swing by and see if you were alright. Should’ve stalked you on social media until you talked to me. But I didn’t because I was too proud, and too busy proving to myself how much I wasn’t thinking about you. How much I was over you.”

  They stood staring at each other for a long minute, neither knowing what to say. Peyton knew this should change everything for her. She’d dreamed, at least in the early days, of Cade coming to her and saying something exactly like this.

  That it had all been some tragic misunderstanding. That he would never have abandoned her in that way.

  But now? Now all she felt was numb.

  “What do you want from me?” She finally managed to get out.

  His shoulders slumped. “I want whatever you will give me. I’d like to get to know Jess…”

  The numbness inside her vanished. “Jess is mine. You can’t just waltz back in here, claim you’re blameless, and expect some rights to her. I will fight you.”

  Right now, she meant that literally. Physically. If he said he wanted custody of Jess, she would tear him to pieces.

  There was a reason mama bears were the most dangerous.

  He held hands out in front of him, palms up. “No. I would never try to take Jess from you. She is yours. I just. . .I just want you to know that you’re not in this alone anymore. I want to help you in whatever way I can. Financially, emotionally, however. Whatever way you’ll allow. It’s all up to you.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. God, she felt like she was in shock—so many different emotions barreling through her so quickly, shifting without warning.

  He took a couple steps closer, and all she could do was stare at him. “You really didn’t know?”

  “I didn’t know, but I was still at fault. Believe me, if I’d known, nothing in this world would’ve kept me away from you.”

  “I needed you.” The tears finally fell. “I was so alone and we needed so much and you weren’t around. You wanted nothing to do with us.”

  The next thing she knew, she was in his arms. “That was never true. I’ve always wanted you. Even when I thought you’d left me behind, I thought about you every day. Wanted you every day.”

  She sobbed against his chest, all the emotions overwhelming her. She cried for the frightened teenage girl who had watched her dreams disappear, then had almost died in the hospital. She cried for the days she’d sat alone, watching Jess in the NICU, wanting to hold her newborn and not knowing if she’d be alright.

  She cried for the five years that she’d worked so hard trying to provide for herself and her daughter, thinking the man she loved wanted nothing to do with her. With them.

  She cried because it was too late now to fix any of these things.

  “We’ll mutually terminate the NDA,” he said against her hair as she quieted. “You can speak to whoever you want about our situation. Hell, you can go on the talk show circuit—tell everyone what an asshole I am. I don’t care. But no matter what, you don’t ever have to worry about finances again. Whatever you and Jess need, I can make it happen.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I think my hour is about up.”

  She nodded against his chest, took a steadying breath, and moved away from him. She gathered her strength. “Thank you for coming here and explaining everything.”

  She took another step back.

  “No, don’t thank me—”

  She held out a hand to stop him. “Today has been filled with a lot of surprises for you, so the fact that you came over here with the intent to make things right is admirable.”

  “Thank you.” His voice was unsure, his eyes narrowed as he studied her.

  Yes, Cade definitely had good instincts. He obviously knew something was wrong even if her words were neutral.

  “You asked me what I needed from you. How you could help me.”

  His nod was instant. Exuberant. “Yes, anything, Peyton. Any amount of money you need, any help I can provide. All you have to do is ask, and I promise I’ll give it to you.”

  She knew what she needed.

  She nodded, then took another step back. “What I need is for you to stay out of my life and as far away from me and my daughter as possible.”

  Chapter 16

  “Okay, Peyton, spill.”

  Riley picked up the box of pizza she’d brought over that they’d eaten with Jess and Ethan. The two kids were outside playing with Skywalker, their beloved dog.

  Peyton had managed to keep it together for the past three days since she’d told Cade she didn’t want anything to do with him.

  Oh God, had she really told him she didn’t want anything to do with him?

  “There. That look right there.” Riley stuck her finger almost at Peyton’s nose. “What is going on?”

  “My mom stopped by a couple days ago and let me know Dennis is getting out of jail soon. Early release.”

  Riley let out a curse that would make a sailor proud.

  Peyton rubbed her neck. “The restraining orders are still in effect, and he’ll go right back to prison if he comes near me. But still. . .”

  Riley slid an arm around her shoulder. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry. But you’re not alone anymore. You have all the Linear guys. Not to mention security working for Cade has to be more robust than everyday Oak Creek.”

  Peyton couldn’t help it, she flinched at the mention of Cade’s name. She hadn’t told her friend she wasn’t working for him anymore.

  Riley saw the flinch.

  “What?” she demanded. “Something happened, didn’t it? The other day when I brought Jess home. You said there was nothing wrong, but I could tell there was.”

  Peyton couldn’t help herself. She told Riley the whole story. Her friend’s eyes grew wider and wider until Peyton finished.

  Riley slumped down into her chair, shaking her head. “Holy shit. He didn’t know? Do you believe him?”

  “Yes.” It was a simple answer, but an honest one. Cade had never been a liar. And what purpose would it serve to lie about this, anyway?

  “And now he wants to be a part of your life? Get to know Jess? Help you?”

  “That’s what he said.”

  “And how did you respond?”

  “I told him I wanted him to stay out of my life for good.”

  Peyton didn’t even realize she was crying until Riley’s arms folded around her. She would’ve thought after crying all over Cade, then crying all over her pillow the past three nights, she would’ve been out of tears.

  But evidently not.

  “Mommy, do you need to change your tampon?” Jess’s ridiculous question knocked Peyton out of her sobfest. She pulled away from Riley and grabbed her daughter onto her lap. Riley tried, and failed, to swallow her laughter.

  “Do you know what a tampon is?”

  Jess smiled angelically—never a good sign—and shook her head no. “I heard Aunt Charlie say it.”

  Peyton glanced over at Ethan. The little boy roughly resembled the color of a beet and looked like he’d rather be anywhere on the planet except standing in her doorway.

  “Aunt Charlie talked to you about tampons?” Jess was not quite five. Surely this discussion could have waited a few more years. She wiped her eyes with the napkin Riley slid over. At least this talk was helping reset her emotional spiral.

  “No, Aunt Charlie was talking to Uncle Finn about tampons. He didn’t want to change baby Thomas’s poopy diaper. Aunt Charlie told Uncle Finn to stop his boo-hooing, change his tampon, and deal with it.”

  Riley howled with laughter and Peyton couldn’t stop a snicker herself. Ethan still looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.

  “Well, that’s probably not a phrase we should use all the time and generally tampons have nothing to do with crying.”

  Jess snuggled into her. “But are you okay, Mommy? Why are you sad?”

  Peyton hated the thought of her daughter worrying. She tipped her back in her arm and tapped her on the nose. “I’m alright, baby. You know how it is. Sometimes you just have to cry, and that’s okay.”

  “Yeah, that’s okay.”

  Peyton looked down into those stunning blue eyes. Cade’s stunning blue eyes.

  And suddenly, she realized what all her emotional angst was about. Why she was still crying.

  She couldn’t do this. Couldn’t cut Cade out of her life. She’d never known her own father, and her life had been emptier because of it. Jess had a chance to know her father. He was a good man who would bring so many positives into her life.

  She looked over at Riley. “I can’t do it. I can’t tell him to get lost outright.”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “Well, you can if you want to. I would support that completely.”

  “But I’ll regret it.”

  Riley nodded. “Maybe.”

  The real question was, how did Peyton keep her heart from being trampled in the process? She wasn’t sure if Cade was interested in her at all. And wasn’t sure which would be more terrifying: if he was or if he wasn’t.

  The kids helped her clean up the rest of the mess from dinner. Riley helped too, although she was responding to so many messages on her phone, she could barely do anything productive.

  “I hope you’re telling Boy Riley that you’re using him to get out of doing dishes.”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “Please. Boy Riley is somewhere in the Himalayas about to attempt some ridiculous snowboarding stunt. He’s buried deep in preparation mode. I’ll hear from him once it’s done.”

  “Then what are you doing? Pretending to text so you can get out of dishes duty?”

  Riley grinned. She turned to Ethan and Jess. “Tampon Finn is on his way to get you two rug rats. You’re in charge of helping out with baby Thomas this evening. You’re spending the night Jess, so go grab a change of clothes and a toothbrush.”

  “No,” Peyton interjected, hating to see how her daughter’s face fell. She loved spending the night with Finn and Charlie and Ethan, but Peyton hadn’t allowed it since the baby had been born. “We need to give Aunt Charlie a little more time to adjust to new life with the baby—”

  Peyton stopped when Riley walked over and pointed her phone screen right in Peyton’s face. It was a text message from Charlie.

  I do not need more time to adjust to a new baby. Send your fucking kid over and let Riley have her way with you.

  Peyton tilted her head so she could see Riley around the phone. “Something you want to tell me about?”

  “Yup. We’re going out.”

  “What in the world are we doing?” Peyton asked three hours later.

  Almost every woman she knew in Oak Creek, plus a couple she didn’t know, currently inhabited in her living room.

  “Pre-gaming!” everyone around her yelled, since this was the fifth time Peyton had asked the question.

  Over in the corner, Jordan Reiss danced with her future sister-in-law, Violet, to some god-awful hip-hop song. Annie and Lyn were making some sort of blue cocktail in the kitchen—although a medical doctor and a PhD candidate should probably know better than to drink anything that color.

  Riley and Wavy Bollinger stood over Peyton, fussing with her hair and makeup. Charlie provided extra instructions via video chat.

  Peyton felt way, way out of her comfort zone. Like, light years out.

  “I’m so glad they’re doing it to you this time instead of me!” Annie called out.

  “And count yourself lucky they’re not making you wear a bustier.” Violet waggled her eyebrows.

  It hadn’t been so long ago that Wavy and Riley were working their magic on those two women when they’d been new in town and about to go out.

  Peyton had always been invited on the girls’ nights out, but she’d turned them down. Spending money on alcohol seemed like such a waste when there were so many other things she needed to pay for.

  Yet tonight, no one was listening to her when she tried to be reasonable and talk them out of the planned festivities.

  “Electric Smurf.” Lyn grinned as she walked over, holding a glass of a bright blue liquid and handed it to Peyton. Wavy and Riley argued over eyeshadow colors.

  “Are you doing this to get back at me for the time Jess almost destroyed your laptop?” Peyton whispered to Lyn. She’d lived with Peyton and Jess for a couple of weeks when she first got to Oak Creek.

  “If your little monster hadn’t tried to help, Heath and I never would’ve gotten things worked out between us, nor would we have busted up the criminal ring. A lot of good came of Jess nearly destroying my dissertation. So drink up.”

  Since Annie was a well-respected doctor, Peyton decided not to inquire about the wisdom of Lyn having shots so soon after a traumatic event and hospital stay. Maybe this was what the doctor had ordered.

  She clinked her glass against Lyn’s. “To getting answers.”

  “To you, my friend.” They both sipped the blue liquid. Sweet, but not bad.

  “Is Jenna going to be okay?”

  They both looked over at the young woman in question. She was talking to Neo, someone else Peyton had only met tonight. The tiny blonde evidently was some sort of computer genius and had helped rescue Lyn and Jenna when they’d been kidnapped.

  Jenna had been held against her will much longer than Lyn. She wasn’t from around Oak Creek but had formed a bond with Lyn.

  Lyn nodded. “Jenna will be okay. She’s not drinking; all she wanted was a night of quasi-normalcy. She just needs to remember she’s so much more than that person who was kidnapped and abused so long.”

  Suddenly, Peyton’s problems seemed minuscule.

  “I’m glad she’s here.”

  Evidently Riley won the eyeshadow argument. She started to apply the golden hues, but then stopped, laughing. “What the hell? My hand isn’t working right. You do it, Wavy.”

  Peyton laughed at Riley. “How much have you had to drink?” She took a sip of her own Electric Smurf to make the preening a little more bearable.