His Perfect Match (7 page)

He returned the smile. “I can see that.”

In that brief moment, she saw a glimpse of the old Darius. The one she'd known as a young woman. The one she'd expected to find here. Warm, caring, thoughtful and an attentive listener. But it was only for a brief moment, and then he was gone. Replaced by the cold, calculating man she'd met on the beach last night.

“I guess you're eager to return home, huh? When are you leaving?”

She licked her lips nervously. “I guess that depends on you.”

A mischievous grin came to his face. “You think you know what I want, don't you?”

“I think so.”

He leaned his large body back against the stucco wall and crossed his ankles and arms. His eyes darted to the top of her cleavage, slightly exposed by the thin sheath dress. “Not quite.”

“No?”

“No.” He walked over to the table until he was standing directly beside her and, looking down at her, he said, “You're right that we can never relive the past, but I think we can recreate parts of it.”

“What do you mean?”

He reached forward and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. She didn't know what he was planning, but the thought of saying no to anything was not an option. Her son's life was worth far more than her pride.

“When you hired your private detective to find me, did you tell him to look here first?” He walked her over to the balcony.

“No, why would I?” She stood beside him overlooking the harbor. The sparkling blue water of the bay was already sprinkled with swimmers and fishermen in small boats. The bright-yellow sun was high in the sky and it was turning out to be another perfect day in paradise.

She glanced at him and was stunned by the hurt look in his eyes.

“Our honeymoon plans.”

“Darius, we never discussed plans, remember? You made all the arrangements.” She quickly looked away. “You never asked for my input.”

His face twisted in a confused expression. “Seriously?”

“Not even once.”

He turned to face the harbor as a thoughtful silence settled between them. Finally, he said, “Well, this was it.” He gestured to the surrounding areas. “After you left, all I wanted to do was get as far away from Ohio as I could. So, I decided to use one of the tickets and take a vacation. But once I got here I didn't want to leave.” He shook his head. “It amazes me that anyone leaves this place.”

“It is beautiful.”

“It would've been the perfect honeymoon spot for us.” He walked back to the table and picked a single plump grape from a bunch. “It still will be.”

She turned to face him. “What's that supposed to mean?”

He looked up at her with a wide smile, but it didn't fool her for a single minute. His eyes were filled with pure malice. “That's my price.”

“I don't understand.”

He chuckled. “Yes, you do. Even though you don't want to.” He popped the grape in his mouth, chewed and quickly swallowed. “Okay, if you insist, I'll lay it all out for you.”

He took another grape and just toyed with it between his fingers. “First we take care of Marc. Once the surgery is complete and he is well on his way to recovery, you will come back here with me. For…” He tilted his head as if considering. “Let's see…our original honeymoon was scheduled for two weeks. So, just to show you I do have some compassion, I'll only require one week of you. Seven days—here with me.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Doing what?”

His smile turned to a grin. “I'll think of something.”

She stood straighter, needing to know the answer to the unspoken question. “Is sex involved?”

His grin disappeared. “Not against your will.”

He popped the grape in his mouth, chewed and swallowed. “I know I'm not your preferred North brother, but who knows? Maybe you can make love to me and pretend I'm Darren. Would you like that?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Would you?”

His eyes roamed over her body once more in that
analytical way of his. “At this point, I just might take it anyway I can get it.”

He moved around the table and rejoined her at the balcony and suddenly the air between them seemed electric with possibility. “So, do we have a deal?”

She turned her head to look at him. “Do I have a choice?”

“No.” Instead of the supreme satisfaction she expected to see on his face there was something closer to resignation. “But neither do I.”

T
wo and a half weeks later the only sounds heard in the waiting room of the second-floor nursing unit of the Cleveland Clinic were coming from the television set as a Minneapolis police officer won the grand prize on
Jeopardy.

The three people waiting in the room were too tense even to speak or look at one another. Liz sat with her arms folded in her lap, rocking and silently praying, Dee sat nearby, knitting with the speed of some crazed weaver. Liz had no idea what her aunt was knitting, but whatever it was, it was going to be huge. A few feet away Darius paced relentlessly back and forth across the length of the room.

They were waiting for the final test that would confirm Darius's compatibility to Marc. Liz knew the chances of their matching should've been as good as humanly possible. They'd already crossed the first two
hurdles by confirming that Darius did indeed have the rare AB negative blood type. The tissue matching had come back with good results, as well. Now they were waiting for the final test, the cross-matching, which would indicate the likelihood of Marc's body accepting the donor kidney.

Liz stood to stretch her legs and the movement brought everything else to a grinding halt. Dee stopped knitting in midstitch, and Darius stopped where he stood in the middle of the room.

“You okay?” He frowned, coming toward her.

She nodded. “I'm fine. Just stretching.” Wrapping her arms around her body she moved away from him, walking over to the window to stare down on the busy city.

He came up beside her. “This is just a formality. We both know I'm going to match, the blood was the hard part, right?”

She smiled at his attempted reassurance. “Right.”

She glanced at his profile once again, struck by the difference in his demeanor. It was almost as if just being back in Ohio had transformed him back into the man he used to be. The Darius of her youth. She'd noticed the change in him from the minute she picked him up at the Columbus airport a week ago.

Feeling obligated to play the hostess, she'd offered him her couch, but he'd surprised her with his denial, explaining he already had a hotel reservation and car rental scheduled. She'd offered to reimburse him for his costs, but he had been insistent in his refusal. And most shocking of all, he'd been a perfect gentleman the whole while, never giving any reminders or indication of their agreement even on those rare occasions when they found themselves alone.

Movement at the door caused them both to turn. Liz took a deep breath as Marc's surgeon, Dr. Feinstein, came into the room. The young doctor's face spread in a wide grin. “I have good news.”

That was all Liz heard before the buzzing in her ears took over. She felt her legs go weak and reached for the nearest chair. Darius and Dee had both crowded around the doctor to hear the rest of his report. But for Liz the doctor's good news released the floodgates of stress and pressure built up over the past several years.

She leaned forward, resting her forehead in her hands. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. “Hey? You sure you okay?” a deep voice whispered near her ear.

Liz shook her head and let the tears flow freely through her fingers. She'd cried more in the past month than she had in the past three years, but having so much of the heaviness that had weighed on her heart and mind for so long seemingly lifted all at once, the emotional impact caught her completely unprepared.

Accepting her nod, Darius continued. “The doctor wants to schedule the surgery for next Tuesday. You okay with that?”

She nodded again, knowing any statement she tried to form giving her current state would probably only concern him more.

“All right, I'll make the arrangements. Then we'll get Marc and Dee and we'll all go out to celebrate—sound good?” She nodded again and felt him move away.

An hour later, Liz followed slowly behind the group of new best buds in front of her as they worked their way through the crowded mall. Darius had instantly won over her aunt and son, and over the past couple of weeks the threesome had become almost inseparable. With
them he was the old Darius, all charm and sweetness, and she couldn't help wondering where the surly man from Tairua was.

These two had no idea that man even existed, but she did. She couldn't afford to forget, and she didn't particularly trust this little metamorphosis of his either.

During the day, while Marc and she were in school, he ran errands with Dee. In the evenings he showed up for dinner and a nightly game of chess with Marc, in which the two worthy opponents were equal in the number of games won and lost. And even on those rare occasions when they found themselves alone, he gave her nothing more than an occasional wink and a smile.

Now she watched his broad back as he walked along chattering with her aunt and son, all three hand-in-hand. No, she didn't trust him. After all, this was still the man who demanded a high price for his precious kidney, and she wasn't foolish enough to believe he wouldn't collect.

As if sensing her thoughts, Darius glanced back over his shoulder at her. “Better pick up the pace, Liz, or we're gonna be late for the movie.”

Following his lead, Marc looked back as well. “Yeah, Mom, hurry up! We're gonna be late!”

She smiled and moved closed to the group, but still kept a little distance, enough to see every facial expression when Darius looked at her son. And she watched him like a mother hawk protecting her chick. Always she watched, whenever they were together, looking for even the vaguest sign of recognition.

Of course, she had no idea what she would do if Darius ever did take notice of the fact that their profiles were exactly the same. Or that her son's exotic features reflected his Asian heritage. Darius's grandmother was Vietnamese.

Logic told her he had probably already noted these things and attributed them to the belief that this was his nephew. But logic be damned, she still watched him.

When she'd arrived in Tairua almost a month ago, she had been unsure of what to tell him about Marc. But one look into his cold, calculating eyes and the truth had died on her lips. The old Darius might've cared. The new Darius would only find a way to use it against her. And despite his good behavior over the past weeks, she didn't doubt the new Darius was still the soul of the man. Childhood had created the man she was to marry, the trials of life had created the man he was today. And despite their shared childhood, everyone knew there was no better teacher than life.

They reached the theatre box office and Darius paid for the tickets, then it was on to the snacks counter where she found herself in a tradeoff negotiation with Marc involving Nachos and Sugar Babies.

They settled on the Nachos, but as they were leaving the counter, in her peripheral vision she saw Darius purchasing the Sugar Babies. She thought he meant well, but she was going to have to talk to him about the rules when it came to Marc's diet. She knew he probably had very little knowledge of what life was like for a diabetic person, especially one with bad kidneys.

The action movie was everything the trailers had promised and, as they finished up dinner at home later that night, Marc was still talking about it and reenacting parts of it. Thanks to the movie they'd arrived home a lot later that usual, so Liz regretfully informed Bobby Fischer and Bobby Fischer, Jr., that there would be no chess tournament tonight.

Both males accepted her verdict with stoic resigna
tion, but when she announced it was bath time that all changed drastically. Marc put up the fight of a lifetime, arguing to the point where she thought she was going to have to
old school
on his little hindquarters. But one stern “Marc,” from Darius accompanied by
the look
and away he went.

Later as she stood at the sink rinsing dishes and placing them in the dishwasher Liz wondered whether she should have said something to stop Darius's interference. She finally decided that since this was probably the only time Marc would ever get to spend with his father she could afford to take a temporary back seat as the sole disciplinarian.

Darius came into the kitchen carrying the remaining dinner plates. “What a day, huh?”

“Yes. A beautiful day.” She wiped her hands on a nearby towel. “Darius, I don't think there are words to tell you how grateful I am for what you're doing.”

“No words are necessary, Liz. I only wish you'd come to me sooner.” He frowned at her. “You have no idea how much I wish you had come to me sooner.”

There was a questioning look in his eyes that made her slightly uncomfortable so she returned to the task of dishwashing as she continued talking. “I still feel like I should pay your expenses. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for us.”

“That's okay, I've told you a million times. I can afford it. And getting to know Marc has made it all worthwhile. You were right, he's pretty terrific.”

“Terrifically spoiled.”

“Rotten to the core.” He laughed. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“That he was too adorable to deny anything to.”

“Sucker.”

She just laughed. He was right. When it came to her son she was a complete sap.

Just then Marc came bounding into the kitchen dressed for bed. “Do I have to go to bed right now?” He looked up at his mother with pleading brown eyes.

“Yes!” Darius announced swooping the boy up in his strong arms.

This was the fourth straight night he'd put Marc to bed, and once again Liz forced herself to stand by and allow Darius to do her job. But the sound of Marc's laughter as he was tickled all the way to his bedroom softened the blow. She could've never lifted him like that.

She finished up the dishes and started the washer before rejoining Dee in the living room.

Dee glanced up from her crossword puzzle. “Where's Darius?”

“Putting Marc to bed.” She flopped down on the couch, feeling lighter than she had in years. “This time next week my baby will have a good kidney and be on his way to a normal, healthy life. Can you believe it, Dee? Finally, after all this time?”

“It is hard to believe, but so sweet to imagine.”

“Well we won't have to imagine it anymore.”

Dee gave her a wicked grin. “So, what are you going to do with all those extra hours you won't have to spend with Marc in dialysis?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you'll have more time for yourself.”

“I'm still a single mother, Dee. We're not allowed time to ourselves. Didn't you read the rule book?”

Dee looked around the side of her chair to be sure they were still alone before leaning toward Liz to
whisper, “I heard Darius on the phone a few days ago telling someone that he would probably be staying in the States longer than he'd originally planned.”

“So?” Liz knew where her aunt was going with this, and she wasn't about to guide the way there. “You forget he's from here. His family is in Cincinnati, he probably plans to spend a few days visiting with them. That's perfectly natural considering how far away he lives.”

Dee frowned at having her suggestion thwarted so easily. “You don't know that.” She sat back in her chair and refocused on her puzzle.

Liz hid her smile, knowing her aunt would love nothing more than to see romance develop between her and Darius. But that was because Dee had no inclination of the kind of rage and hatred Darius was carrying in his heart. He might have claimed seven days in paradise with her as payment for his life-giving act, but after that she knew he would have no problem tossing her away.

Liz didn't believe for a moment his demand had anything to do with the warmer emotions. No, Darius wanted her for one reason only. He had a score to settle.

Shaking off the troubling thoughts, she forced herself to focus on the good that had come out of all this. Soon Marc would have his desperately needed kidney, and although she would have to pay the devil his due—for what she was getting out of the bargain, the price was more than fair.

She picked up the TV guide and the remote. “What's on tonight?”

“No wrestling,” Dee grumbled. “That's all I know.”

 

Meanwhile, in another room, Darius sat on the floor beside Marc's bed using words to paint the most vivid
pictures imaginable. “The water is so blue you can stand on the shore and see the dolphins swimming beneath it.”

“There are dolphins there?”

“Oh, absolutely. New Zealand is one of dolphins' favorite places in the world.”

“Really? Can I see a dolphin?”

“I will make sure you see a dolphin.”

Marc yawned and rolled away from his guest. “Night, Uncle Darius.”

Knowing he'd just been dismissed, Darius stood from the floor. “Night, little man.”

“I can't wait to go to New Zealand.” Marc's words faded to where Zealand sounded like “Zeen.”

Darius stood perfectly still, waiting to be certain the child was completely asleep before reaching forward and lifting the bottom of his pajama top to reveal the small birthmark on his lower back.