Once More From the Top (The Women of Willow Bay) (13 page)

“What happened?” he asked again. Suddenly he snapped his fingers. “Hey! All those CDs? Your classical CDs? I just realized he’s the conductor on most them. The Mozart one with the London Symphony. Mahler with the New York Philharmonic. The Strauss waltzes in Atlanta. They’re all
his
recordings!”

Flushing in spite of herself, she smiled. “Not
every
one, but a lot of them. I guess it was a way for me to be connected to him.” She paused, debating about how much to tell him. “Liam and I only knew each other a short time. I didn’t trust what we had. I didn’t believe we could make it work.” She decided against including Marty Justice in her story. The bare facts were that she’d made the choice not to trust what they’d shared and she had to own it. “I’d already broken up with him when I realized I was pregnant with you. I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving him to his career and coming up here to raise you alone.” She shrugged with a little smile. “Okay, not
all
alone—with Uncle Noah and Aunt Margie and Eliot and the entire village.”

Jack laughed—a deep throaty laugh that always charmed her right down to her socks.

His father’s laugh
.

“We’ve been okay without him, Mom. I know that.” Eyes averted, his voice softened. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but... I kinda miss having a real dad. Uncle Noah and Elly and Charlie have all been great but... if this guy’s okay, I’d like to meet him. Do you think Elly could arrange it?”

A couple of cleansing breaths later, Carrie stood up, walked to him, and smoothed his hair back from his face. It was getting long again, parting in the middle and hanging over his ears. “You can meet him right now, if you like. He’s outside.”

“Outside?” Jack’s eyes widened. “Here?
Now?
”

She nodded. “He arrived a few days ago... on a yacht. It’s docked at home.”

“So you’ve talked to him? Did you tell him about me?” He paced back and forth, his fingers raking through his hair. “What did he say? Was he pissed? Does he even want to meet me?”

“Take a breath, babe.” Putting a hand out to stop him, she rubbed his bicep. “He knows about you. He’s dying to meet you. I asked him to wait until today. He agreed, but not very happily. Liam and I had to talk. We had a lot of stuff to clear up between us.”

“Like what? I mean besides the obvious.” He tapped his own chest rather ruefully.

“Yes,
the obvious
was the biggest thing,” she admitted, chuckling. “He was hurt that I never told him about you. Really hurt and pretty ticked off that he’s missed so much of your life. We had to talk that out before I could bring him to meet you. That’s why I asked him to wait until today.”

“How are you guys now?” He peered down at her. “Friends?”

“We’re okay. Friends.” Now wasn’t the time to expand on her explanation. No point in dumping everything on the poor kid at once. “I’ll go get him.” She pointed to the office door. “He’s right outside the door.”

Jack turned away from her, staring out the window for a long moment. Then, taking a huge breath, he turned back to face her, his eyes cloudy with apprehension.

Carrie gave him a tight hug. “Come on, it’s okay. This is a
good
thing.”

He trembled and clung to her for an instant longer. When he released her, he took another giant breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”

NINETEEN

Outside in the hall, Liam paced, his heart pounding, palms sweating.

What’s going on in there? Confessions? A confrontation?
An ugly quarrel?

He hadn’t heard raised voices, but he’d resisted hovering at the door. His stomach roiled with both excitement and apprehension.

This is what it’s like being a parent? Alternately terrified and overjoyed?

It was a new sensation
.

His head shot up at the sound of the door opening, and Carrie crooked a finger. Straightening, he took a deep breath as she approached to take his hand in hers. His own were like ice. When she pressed her cheek to his palm, her soft skin felt almost feverish. With a gentle squeeze of her hand, he stepped into the office.

Jack was rooted in the center of the room as Liam walked in. They gazed at one another. Liam walked closer and Jack met him halfway. The boy was taller than he expected, although he loomed over Carrie in the picture that he kept in his pocket. Staring into Jack’s eyes was like seeing a younger version of himself in a mirror.

Liam’s stomach clenched.

This child was his son. This tall, handsome, accomplished, young man.

My son!

They stood barely a yard apart, still staring as if neither of them could bear to take their eyes off each other. Moments ticked by, but they didn’t speak.

I should say something
.

But nothing intelligent came to mind. He only wanted to gaze at Jack, maybe touch his face. Put his fingers in the dark red hair that parted down the middle and hung over his ears.

Does it have the same texture as mine?

His full mouth? That was all Carrie, as well as the firm chin. But the dimples? Definitely Reilly.

One of us needs to speak.

Finally, Liam cleared his throat. “Hello, Jack.”

“Hello, it’s... good to meet you, sir.” His response was little guarded as they shook hands.

Liam held on, appraising his son up and down for a moment. The boy—who was almost tall enough to look his father directly in the eye—returned the scrutiny as he tossed his long hair out of his face.

“I–I can’t believe I’m standing here with–with you.” Liam faltered, inwardly cursing his own awkwardness.

“Me, either.” Jack’s voice cracked, but he
kept his grip on Liam’s hand.

Liam raised his other hand. “May I?” He tentatively reached toward Jack’s hair.

Jack nodded, a question in his eyes as his father sifted his fingers through his silky mop.

It’s like touching my own hair.

He ran a finger over Jack’s cheek, feeling the soft teenaged stubble there.

What was he like as a toddler? As an infant?

The pictures Carrie had shared with him flashed through his mind as he studied Jack’s features. His nose, that fine narrow nose. Liam recognized it—it looked like his own mother’s.

A sudden longing for his parents coursed through him. How delighted they were going to be, finding out about a new grandchild. And how sad, too, that they missed this boy’s childhood—missed holding him, cuddling him, watching him grow and develop. So much time had passed already.

Jealousy flared hot inside him for a moment. Carrie had Jack to herself since his birth—not even attempting to contact him to let him know he had a son. The Reillys were a close family. Her cowardly choice had robbed them all—Jack, too—of a powerful connection.

Jack’s fingers tightened on Liam’s. Tears shimmered in his eyes. His teeth worried his lower lip, but he kept eye contact.

“You’re so like your cousin Jamie.” Liam moved his hand to Jack’s shoulder, squeezing. “It’s almost eerie.”

“I have cousins?” At last Jack released Liam’s hand.

“Lots of them.” Smiling in spite of the tears beginning to trickle out of his own eyes, Liam nodded.

“How many?”

“Um... ten, I think, at last count.” Liam brushed his hand across his eyes. “And aunts and uncles—” His voice broke.

Jack threw Carrie a helpless glance as she stood in the doorway. Then as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he reached for Liam and put his arms around him.

With a choked sob, Liam enfolded his son in an embrace and they were both crying... and smiling.

When Liam glanced back at Carrie, tears were streaming down her cheeks as well.

Jack broke the hug first.

Clearly ravenous for information, he began peppering Liam with questions. “Do I have grandparents? Are your parents still alive? Where are they?” He offered Liam a box of tissues from Dave Lawson’s desk, and they both wiped their eyes. “Where are my cousins? In Canada?” Jack tossed the tissue box over his shoulder without even looking at Carrie. “Heads up, Mom.”

Liam gave her a strained smile around Jack’s head. “My parents are still alive. Doing great.” He blew his nose. “They live on a farm near Toronto and—” Abruptly he stopped. “Hey, how’d you know I was from Canada?”

“I Googled you,” Jack admitted. Blushing, he let his gaze fall away.

“Why?”

Jack glanced over at his mother.

She nodded.

Jack shrugged. “I thought we looked alike. You know, from Dr. Lawson’s posters? So I started trying to find some information about you. Your website said you were from Canada and you were teaching at McGill when Mom auditioned there.” He paused. The color staining his cheeks became even rosier. “I’ve been wondering for a long time who my father... I mean, about...
who... he...” Stumbling over the explanation, his eyes shifted to Carrie. “I mean... who you...”

Liam gasped. “Good Lord. You mean you had this figured out before we ever got up here?”

“Yes, sir. At least I
thought
I had. This afternoon I was going to ask Elly—Eliot—if I was right.”

“Well, that’s...
incredible.” Liam tousled Jack’s hair before putting his arms around him again for another quick hug.

Jack grinned and shook the hair off his face. “Does your family know about me yet? Can I meet them?”

“Of course. You can meet them whenever you like,” Liam said, avoiding Carrie’s eyes. “They’re your family too.”

God, the kid’s longing for family.

Resentment surged up in him again.

I could have had him with me. He’d know his cousins, his grandparents...
his father.

Jack seemed to pick up on his reactions because the boy’s eyes widened as he sucked in a breath. “Will they be pissed? I mean about Mom and me?”

Mom and me.

The boy’s protective instincts for his mother came through loud and clear.

“I promise they’ll be thrilled.” Liam patted his shoulder and smiled.

This time his eyes darted over to Carrie. Tears still glistened on her cheeks, but the expression on her face was pure joy.

He sighed inwardly.

What was the point in being angry now?

“What’s done is done,” as Will had so logically pointed out a few days ago.

She’d given him so much in the past few days—opened herself up and let him back into her life. Today, she’d stayed in the background, granting him full access to the one person dearest to her heart. That took courage and trust and yes...
love.

He claimed he’d forgiven her for keeping Jack a secret.

But had he?

Now, standing in a room for the first time with his son, he was forced to make that choice all over again. Already, he saw how well she’d raised him—what a fine young man he’d turned out to be—even without his influence. Inhaling a deep breath, he let it out slowly and with it, released the last vestiges of the anger.

Now, we truly move forward.

He met Carrie’s gaze with a bracing smile.

“What should I call you?” Jack asked Liam bluntly.

Baffled, Liam gave Carrie a raised brow before he responded with his own question. “What do you
want
to call me?”

Shuffling his feet nervously, his brow furrowing, Jack stammered. “I–I don’t know.”

Thankfully, Carrie stepped in. Crossing the room to put her arm around her son’s waist, she offered, “Why don’t you call him
Liam
for now?”

Jack turned to his father. “Is that okay with you?”

“I’m good with that. Beats the heck out of
sir
, don’t you think?”

Jack chuckled and put his arm around his mother’s shoulders, but he was still gazing at Liam in wonder.

Speechless again, emotions raced through Liam as he stared at his son, whose fingers tangled nervously in the curls at the back of his mother’s neck.

His hands are exactly like mine—long fingers, wide palms. A pianist’s hands.

All of a sudden, he was dying to hear Jack play.

Dave Lawson stuck his head around the door. “Sorry to interrupt, folks. But Jack, you need to go get your kids ready. Tessa’s backstage with them.” He opened the door further. Glancing at the three of them standing together in the center of the room, Liam could tell by the expression on his face, he’d figured it out in less than ten seconds. But all he said was, “Maestro, you’re staying for the recital? Jack here is our finale.”

“Yes, I’m staying.” Liam turned to Jack. “You’re playing the finale?”

“Yes, sir—” Shaking his head, he corrected himself. “—um, Liam. Jelly Roll Morton.”

“So
Jack
is Eliot’s star?” Liam remembered Dave’s reference from earlier in the week.

Dave nodded with a grin. “Yup. We’re all very proud of him.”

“I can’t wait to hear you play.” Liam squeezed the boy’s shoulder, letting his hand linger there. Tenderness tightened his chest as tears threatened again. He just wanted contact, any kind of contact.

Jack gazed from one adult face to the other before releasing Carrie. “’Scuse me. I gotta go backstage.” Dropping a kiss on her hair, he made it almost to the door before he pivoted to face them again. “I’ll see you after the recital?” The question was directed at Liam.

“I’ll be right here,” Liam replied. “I’m not going
anywhere
.”

Jack’s hair fell down into his eyes as he nodded. Stopping again in the open doorway, he met his father’s gaze. “Liam...
I–I’m glad you’re here.” His voice trembled.

“So am I, Jack.” Liam’s own voice was husky with emotion. “So am I.”