Left Together (35 page)

“What
are you doing here? It’s a busy night for you,” I said as he sat down beside
me, kissing my cheek.

“Family
always comes first, sweetheart,” he reminded me with a smile.

He
held my hand while I waited for Noah to come back out. Minutes ticked by and
there were times Addie’s mom and I started pacing. Evan laughed at me. More
than once, he made a comment about how much better it was to be waiting for
Noah this time than the last. I told him I’d understand if he left, but he
wasn’t having it.

It was
almost seven o’clock when Noah came back out. “Kacie?” He spoke so softly, I
almost didn’t hear him. I turned to see tears and a huge smile on his face. I
stood up and started walking to him. “He’s here. He’s really here and he’s more
perfect than I thought he’d be.”

“He?”
I started crying right along with him.

He
nodded. I squeezed him as tight as I could and congratulated him. He kissed my
cheek and said, “I’m so glad you’re here for this.”

“Are
you kidding? Nothing could keep me away.”

“Want
to meet your nephew?” I stole a glance at Evan and he winked at me as my
brother escorted me down the hall.

Addison
was in a private room and relaxing in bed, holding her precious baby boy. Even
after giving birth, the woman was still absolutely beautiful. I leaned over the
bed to hug her and peek at the newest member of the Foster family. “He’s the
cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” I choked out.

“He
is, isn’t he?” she agreed. “Do you want to hold him?”

“No.”

“Why
not?” Noah asked, surprised.

“He’s
way too little. I’ll hurt him.”

“No,
you won’t,” Addie chuckled. “Here.” She shifted to hand him over, but I took a
step back.

Noah
took him from her and held him out. “Don’t be such a chicken. He doesn’t even
move. It’s just like holding a football.” He kissed his head. “Adam, this is
your Aunt Kacie. Go easy on her.”

He
placed the bundle in my arms and I instantly fell in love with the little guy.
His eyes were open, as if he was waiting to meet me. “Happy birthday, Adam,” I
whispered. Noah had gone over to sit with Addie on the bed as I sat down in the
chair to cuddle with my new nephew. I leaned over to kiss his tiny fingers
sticking out of the blanket. “I’m your Aunt Kacie and that’s important for you
to remember. If Mommy or Daddy tell you no, I’m the one you call. Whatever you
want, it’s yours, okay? As a matter of fact, don’t even ask them. Just come to
me.” I heard my brother grumble something about me not being allowed to spoil
his son, but I ignored him. “I already love you, buddy.”

***

With
summer right around the corner, Evan and I have been swamped. There are a lot of
fun activities planned for the end of the school year for the students and
their parents. Over the last month, I’ve had to stay late at least one or two
nights a week just for that kind of stuff. That doesn’t include when I’ve had
to stay to work on some of the administrative things with Dr. Kelly, or
finishing up classroom duties like grading final projects. It has been a lot of
fun, but I’m exhausted and I miss spending time with Evan. The club has been
busier than ever, so he hasn’t been able to take off all that much. He’s also getting
home later and I haven’t been able to stay awake.

Today,
I’m making sure we get at least an hour together. I pick up cheeseburgers,
fries, and milkshakes and bring them to Skyline. He joins me at a table in the
middle of the empty club. I’m pretty sure he threatened everyone else to stay
away.

“Seeing
your beautiful face makes my life so much better,” he says, leaning over to
kiss me.

“Are
you sure it isn’t the smell of the food?”

He
winks. “I’m positive it’s you. How was your day? Did the kids do well on the
test?”

“I
love that you pay attention when I tell you stuff.” Even though he was half-asleep
this morning, I rambled about how I was giving my students a test that was a
little harder than they were used to. I was nervous for them, but I want to
make sure they are ready for second grade. That’s my job.

He
takes the first bite of his burger. “Of course I do,” he says, chewing. “How
did they do?”

“I
didn’t grade them yet. I only skimmed the tests real quick when they handed
them in and, from what I could see, it looked like they did well. I’ll know
better tonight. How’s your day going?”

“Not
bad. Just busy trying to get some shit done. My aunt and uncle are thinking of
taking another vacation.” He shakes his head. “Hopefully, they aren’t gone as
long this time. After the bullshit we had to deal with last year, you and I
deserve to have fun this summer.”

Before
I can respond, I hear someone call Evan’s name. His shoulders fall in
frustration. “Damn it!” he mumbles, picking up the napkin to wipe his face.
“What’s up, Kylie?”

“I’m
sorry for interrupting, but there’s someone here to see you.”

We
both turn at the same time. It’s a girl about our age. She’s pretty with short
brown hair and brown eyes, maybe a little taller than me. Most of the lights
are still off, apart from the one directly above us, but I notice she’s not
alone. Anger rips through Evan like I’ve never seen. He stands up, his hands
clenched into tight fists. “Who the hell do you think you are, showing up here?”
he growls.

“Evan,
stop!” I say, grabbing his arm to get his attention. I don’t know who she is,
but she isn’t who I’m concerned about. I shake my head and nod in the direction
of our company, hoping he’ll take a better look. A little boy takes a step out
from behind her and into the light. If I ever had to guess what Evan looked
like as a child, this would be exactly what I’d picture. He has the same sandy
blond hair. It’s even spiked in the front where Evan’s is sticking up all over
the place. His eyes, nose, everything is exactly the same. Between the
similarities, and the fact that there’s only one person in the world who could
make him this angry, it’s not hard to figure out who they are.

Tension
leaves Evan while the little boy studies him. It’s almost as if he recognizes
him from somewhere. As Evan bends down, his face lights up. “Daddy?!” he cries,
running into Evan’s arms.

“Ethan!”
his mom calls, but stops short of catching him. She covers her mouth in
disbelief, tears filling her eyes.

Evan doesn’t
say a word. He hugs him back, closing his eyes. My heart breaks. I’m sad
because Evan didn’t know he was an uncle. I’m sad for this little boy who lost
his dad and is probably going to feel like he lost him all over again when he
hears the truth. I’m sad that this woman has been raising a child without his
father. I’m sad because I have a feeling that Evan’s brother never even knew he
was going to be a dad.

“Hey,
Ethan,” Evan says softly, pulling back from him. “I need to talk to your mom
for a minute. This is Kacie. She’s going to take you outside to show you the
water, okay?” Ethan looks at me, just noticing I’m here. “She’s a teacher and
has a classroom full of kids your age.”

“She’s
not a teacher,” he tells Evan, shaking his head.

“Why
not?”

“She’s
too pretty.”

Evan
and I exchange a look. Even if they didn’t look exactly alike, there’d be no
denying these two are related. “See?” he says to me, grinning. He looks back at
Ethan. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I’ve been to her school. Her name is
on the door and everything.”

“My
teacher has gray hair.”

Evan
chuckles, rubbing his nephew’s head as he stands up. I see Ethan’s mom is
looking at me, so I pick up the bag of fries, asking if it’s okay to give them
to him. She nods and I reach out my hand. “How about we take these out back and
check to see if we can find any fish in the water?”

He
checks with his mom to see if he’s allowed. “I’ll be out in a minute. Be good
and stay with Kacie, okay?” She doesn’t sound all that thrilled about me
watching her child, but she knows he doesn’t need to be present for the
conversation her and Evan are about to have.

Evan
whispers something to him and he laughs, running toward me and taking my hand.
I glance back at Evan. “You good?” He winks at me. “All right, kiddo. Let’s go
see what we can find.”

“Are
you really a teacher?” he asks as we start walking.

“Yes,
I am. I teach first grade. I bet you’re in kindergarten, aren’t you?”

“Wow!
How did you know?”

I
laugh. “That’s something only a teacher would know, isn’t it?” I lower the bag
of fries for him to reach.

Outside
of Skyline is the outdoor bar and deck. Beyond that is a small beach. There’s a
walkway to the pier that extends over the water. I take Ethan to the end of it
and we sit down so our feet dangle over the edge. He becomes quiet, so I offer
him another fry.

“There’s
usually lots of fish swimming around here,” I say, searching for something to
show him.

“Kacie?”

“Yes?”

“Is he
really my daddy?”

I
sigh. This is going to be harder than I thought. “Why did you think he was?”

“He
looks like the man in the picture.”

“What
picture?” He’s afraid to answer me. “We can talk about something else, if you
want.”

“Mommy
has a picture in her room. She hides it in her table because it makes her sad.”
Grief is something I understand, even when a six-year-old explains it.

“I
see. Well, we’ll let your mom and Evan talk for a couple of minutes. I’m sure
once they’re done, they’ll want to talk to you, too. Sound good?”

“Okay.”

“Oh,
look,” I say, pointing to a pod of dolphins in the distance, leaping out of the
water.

“What
is it?” he asks.

“Dolphins.
Keep watching. They’ll jump out again.”

We sit
there, silently watching as time ticks by. I wait for him to speak first. “I
want to touch one.”

“Me,
too. I’ve wanted to do that since I was your age.”

“Can
we do it together?”

“That
would be fun,” I say, glancing down at his handsome little face. “What do you
think they feel like?”

His
gaze turns to meet mine and he sighs. “
Now
you sound like a teacher.” I
laugh because he’s right.

“What’s
so funny?” Evan asks from behind us.

“I was
finally able to convince Ethan I’m a real teacher.”

“Mommy,
look out there. Dolphins!”

“That’s
pretty cool,” she tells him. “Ethan, Mommy and Evan need to talk to you.”

“Can I
watch them jump one more time?”

“Sure,”
she says. I don’t miss that she’s watching Evan help me up and pull me to him.
He places a light kiss on my cheek.

“Eww.
Did you just kiss her?” Ethan says, getting to his feet.

“Yup.
I do it every chance I can. I don’t care who’s around or who sees it, either.”

“Why?”

“Because
I don’t want her to forget how much I love her.”

“Come
on, Ethan,” his mom says, reaching for his hand.

“We’ll
meet you inside. I need to talk to Kacie real quick.”

“This
conversation should only be between the three of us, Evan.”

“Jenna,
this will be the
only
warning you get. You want me? You get Kacie, too.
There is no negotiating that.” His arm slides around my waist, daring her to
challenge him.

“We’ll
be inside,” she says, clearly not happy things aren’t going her way.

“Are
you okay?” I ask once we’re alone.

“I
think I’m in shock. I had no idea.” My fingers intertwine behind his head, so
my thumbs can rub the skin on the back of his neck. “I can’t believe I’ve
missed six years of his life.”

“At
this point, it won’t do you any good to think that way. You should be looking
at this as you just got a piece of your brother back.”

“What
would I do without you?” he says.

I
stretch up on the tips of my toes so my lips are closer to his. “You’ll never
have to find out.”

Evan

Jenna
Sheridan has been at the top of my “people I want to punch in the fucking face”
list for over six years. I almost got the chance the day of the funeral. My
parents and I were standing next to my brother’s casket, talking with my dad’s
boss. He was at the front of a very long line of people waiting to pay their
respects. Aside from Ethan’s favorite songs playing softly through overhead
speakers and the occasional sound of someone stifling a cry, it was fairly
quiet. Peaceful, considering the circumstances. Out of nowhere, Jenna came in, crying
hysterically and making a scene. She bypassed everyone to make her way to my
brother. I went ballistic, and it took three guys to hold me back. They were
all bouncers at the bar we worked at, and each of them made Joe at Skyline look
like a dwarf. Unfortunately, someone got her out of there prior to my hands
reaching her neck. I haven’t heard from her since. Now she’s standing in my
motherfucking club, telling me I have a nephew. A nephew she kept from me all
this time.

As
soon as the door closes behind Kacie and Ethan, she starts with her shit. “Is
she even old enough to be in a club like this? Did you meet her at an ‘Under
Twenty-one’ night or something?”

“Not
one more fucking word about my girlfriend,” I warn.

“Girlfriend?
Please, Evan. I’ve heard how you’ve been acting since Ethan…”

“DON’T!”
My harsh tone intimidates her. Good. My fists are clenching by my sides. I’ve
never hit a girl before, but I’ll make an exception for her. “Did he know?”

She
shifts nervously and messes with her hair. “No. Right after I found out, I sent
him a text saying we needed to talk, but you guys were on your way into work.
He said we could chat the next day.”

“So
you knew you were pregnant with his kid, but were out with some other guy that
night? This shit doesn’t even surprise me.”

“I
wasn’t
out
with him, Evan. Darin was at the bar around the corner from
you guys. He always was. Since I was on my way to your apartment, I figured I’d
tell him in person that he and I were done. You and Ethan weren’t home yet
anyway. How Ethan found out where I was, I have no idea. He shouldn’t have
known I was in the neighborhood. I planned on surprising him at your front
door.”

“It
makes me
so happy
to hear about the fucker you were cheating on my
brother with!”

“What
the fuck did you expect me to do, Evan?! Did you forget that while you two were
out screwing half of Manhattan in stretch limos and penthouses, I waited for
Ethan to come home? Do you have any idea what that did to me?”

Something
about her saying this nags at me more than it should, but I’m too hyped-up to
think it through. “Ethan never slept with any of those women! Not one, Jenna!
For whatever reason, he was in love with you! He only took that job for extra
money because he wanted to make a better life for you. For him, it was
always
about you!” I yell so loud, I notice a few people stick their heads out from
the back.

Silence
falls over us and she looks sick, as if she had no idea Ethan cared for her
that much. “Why didn’t he just say that?” she asks sadly.

“I
don’t fucking know and it’s too late to ask him.” The words came out more sharply
than I meant them, but whatever. “What do you want?”

“What’s
that supposed to mean?”

“Why
are you here? What the hell do you want?”

“I
want Ethan to know his uncle.”

“Why
now?”

“Because
he’s getting older. He’s been asking about his dad and I don’t know what to
tell him sometimes.”

“So
you think I have the answers?”

“You
might have different ones.”

“Why
did he think I was his dad? Didn’t you tell him who you were coming to see?”

 “No.
I had no idea he’d react like that. He’s seen pictures of him, but I didn’t
realize he’d notice the resemblance.”

“Resemblance?
Jenna, we’re identical fucking twins!”

“Would
you rather stand here yelling at me, or go meet your nephew?” she snaps.

I’d
rather poke my eyes out with a hot dagger than stand anywhere near her, so I
take a deep breath and go outside. Seeing Kacie immediately calms me. Every
time she holds Adam, I think about how she’d make the perfect mom. Hearing her
laugh with Ethan only confirms it. She says she was born to teach other
people’s kids, but that’s not true. She was born to have and teach her own.
Maybe I should marry her before worrying about convincing her how good of a
mother she’d be.

The
way Jenna constantly assesses Kacie bugs the living shit out of me. I don’t
know why she’s looking at her as the outsider when
she’s
the one who
doesn’t belong. More than once, Jenna makes a comment referring to the fact
that Kacie shouldn’t be around while we talk to Ethan. If it wasn’t for him,
her ass would already be on its way back to wherever the fuck she’s been.

Instead
of hanging out on display for everyone to see, I take them into the office.
Jenna and Ethan take a seat on the sofa. I pull the chair from in front of the
desk for Kacie to sit across from them. She shakes her head and tugs on my
hand, directing me into the chair. When she sits down on the arm of the chair
and puts her arm over my shoulder, I relax.

I
clear my throat. Jenna needs to quit dragging this shit out. She sees I’m
getting irritated, so she lifts up her son, my brother’s son, and puts him on
her lap. If she doesn’t start talking, I will. I have no fucking clue what to
say to him, but I’ll think of something.

“We
need to have a little talk. Okay, Ethan?” she finally says to him. The way he
wraps his arms around her neck, and the way her eyes tear up looking at him
assures me of one important detail. She’s a good mom. She may have been a
shitty girlfriend, but she’s a good mom. My heartache subsides a little over
missing out on the first six years of his life because she’s been taking good
care of him.

“Mommy,
are you sad?” Ethan asks. Kacie tenses beside me. She probably wants to scoop
him up.

“No,
baby.” She kisses his forehead. “How could I be sad when I have you?”

“You’ll
always have me,” he tells his mom, returning a kiss on her cheek. It’s clearly
a regular exchange between the two of them because she was expecting him to say
it.

“And
you’ll always have me.” Jenna pauses. “Do you remember what’s so special about
Kaitlyn and Kayla from your class?”

“They’re
twins. Some of the teachers get them mixed up, but I don’t. Kaitlyn’s eyes are
pretty.” I stop myself from chuckling. He’s definitely my nephew. Kacie doesn’t
miss it, either. She pinches the back of my neck. I peek up to see her holding
back a grin of her own.

Jenna
sighs, probably knowing what she’ll be dealing with in a few years. “Exactly.
Well, your dad and Evan are twins, too.”

“Really?”
he wonders, turning to me.

“Really,”
I confirm.

“That’s
why you look like him.” He’s disappointed, but I understand. I’d be bummed,
too.

“Kind
of neat, right?” Jenna’s feeling him out, trying to get him to spill what’s
going through his head.

“You
knew my daddy.” It’s not a question. Fuck! I’m tearing up. I shake my head.
That shit isn’t going to happen.

“I
did.” I lean forward, putting my elbows on my thighs. “He wasn’t just my
brother. He was my best friend.”

“I
wish he was still here.”
Poor little guy
. I stand up, walk around the
table, and sit next to Jenna so he’s facing me.

“Me,
too, buddy. I think about him and wish the same thing every single day.”

“You
do?”

“I do.
I miss him so much.” I hold out my hand. “Come here.” Ethan places his fingers
in my hand and allows me to tug him onto my lap. “I’m sorry your dad can’t be
here. If he could, he definitely would be, but you want to know something?” He
lifts his blue eyes to mine and, for a split second, it feels like I’m looking
in the mirror. “I am here, and so is Kacie.” He glances at her and smiles.
Little shit. He’s already got the flirting down to a science.

“Does
that mean you are my uncle?”

“Yes.”

“Is
Kacie my aunt?”

“NO!”
Jenna snaps. “I mean, no. They aren’t married.”

“If
you get married, will she be my aunt.”

“Yes,”
I tell him before Jenna pisses me off again.

“Are
you going to get married?”

“You ask
a lot of questions for a six-year-old,” I chuckle, not willing to respond to
that one while Kacie’s in the room.

“Not
only do you have your uncle Evan, but you have other family here in Florida,
too,” Kacie adds. I wonder what she’s thinking because I didn’t answer his last
question. Maybe I should have.

“I
do?”

“Yup.
My cousin Meg is here, and so are my aunt and uncle. They’ll be really happy to
meet you.” Then it occurs to me that I don’t know how much time I have with him
before they leave. “How long are you staying?” I ask Jenna.

“Just
a few days. I need to be back at work by Wednesday, and I don’t want to keep
him out of school too many days.”

Wednesday?
Not counting today, that only leaves me Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and possibly
Monday. I’m scheduled to work all of them. “Where are you staying?”

“I’m
not sure. I was hoping you could recommend a hotel.”

“You’re
not staying at a hotel,” I say, standing up, bringing Ethan with me. “You can
stay in my condo.” I haven’t sold it yet because Luke crashed there until he
decided if he liked his new job. He only bought a place of his own two weeks
ago.

Jenna
seems pleased. “If you don’t mind…” She’s standing now, too.

“Not
at all. I don’t live there anymore. The place is empty. Someone may as well use
it.”

“Where
do you live?”

“With
Kacie.”

Jenna
gives my girl another one of those stares that I really don’t like. “Oh. I
see.” Her enthusiasm decreases drastically. What the fuck is that about?

“No
way,” Kacie butts in. I turn to her, confused. “There’s no way you can let them
stay there.”

“Why
not?”

“You
mean besides the fact that only you or Luke have lived there in the last four
years?” She smirks as if that means something offensive. “They’ll stay with us.
There’s plenty of room, and don’t forget the pool.” Ethan immediately votes to
come to our house. I’m pretty sure Kacie was counting on it.

“Sweetheart,
I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You
didn’t. I offered. It’ll be fun. Isn’t the whole point of this trip for you two
to spend time together?” She shrugs. “You can’t do that if he’s at the condo
and you’re at home.”

“I
don’t want to impose. That wasn’t my intention.”

“Don’t
be ridiculous,” Kacie says to Jenna, getting to her feet. “Do you like to swim,
Ethan?” It still sounds weird hearing that name actually being spoken to
someone.

“I
didn’t bring my swimmies,” he realizes.

“I’ll
teach you how to swim without them.”

“Kacie’s
a really good swimmer, buddy. She’s been swimming since she was your age.
You’ll be in good hands.”

“Does
she swim better than you?” Great. Questions that make me look like an ass.

“Yes.
She does a lot of things better than me.” I laugh, setting my nephew down on
his feet. “I need to hang around and get someone to cover me for the next few
days.”

“You’re
going to take off of work because we’re here?” Jenna asks.

“It’s
no problem.” I blow her off. Her, I couldn’t care less about, but who knows
when I’ll be able to see Ethan again? “It’ll probably take me a bit to get done
what I need to.”

“Take
your time. Jenna can follow me and I’ll get them situated while you finish up.
We’ll figure out something for dinner before you get home.” Kacie’s sliding the
chair back over to the desk. That reminds me how we didn’t get to eat our
burgers earlier and I’m starving. I was waiting for that damn thing since this
morning when Kacie first suggested it. Fucking Jenna.

“Hey,
Ethan? Do you like pizza? I can grab some on my way home. Kacie’s good at
plenty of things, but cooking isn’t one of them.”

“Shut
it, you!” she says. I check to make sure she’s smiling. She’ll have my ass for
that.

“I
love pizza!” he cheers.

“Perfect.
I’ll see you guys soon, okay?”

“Okay,
Uncle Evan.” I smile because I like the sound of that.

“We
can wait for you to do whatever you have to do,” Jenna says. “We don’t mind.”

“Do
you have a problem going with Kacie?” The only reason my voice is controlled
right now is because of the little guy watching me.

“No.”
She backpedals. “I feel bad walking into her house when she wasn’t planning on
having company.” It’s not even close to a nice save. We’re going to have a talk
about how rude she’s being to the woman who invited her and her son to stay in
her home without thinking twice.