There's Only Been You (19 page)

He opened it a crack, not sure what to do when he saw it was dark in his dad's room, too. Swallowing hard, he pushed the door open and cautiously approached the bed.

His brow wrinkled in confusion when he realized his mom and dad were sleeping together. They were all cuddly and stuff, too.
Yuck, parents are gross,
he thought, shaking his head in disgust. He set the binder on the foot of the bed, then walked around to the side so he could peer closer at his mother's face. She was smiling in her sleep.

Yawning, Ethan decided to wait until morning to show his dad his Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. In fact, he'd leave them on the bed so his dad could see them first thing in the morning.

Mike ground his heavily aroused body against Sara's sweet little backside while gently kneading her breast. She moaned and wiggled back and forth, teasing him. Then she stiffened.

"Shit!” She sat straight up in bed, dislodging his hand from her breast.

He rolled to his back and threw his arm over his eyes. “What is it? What's wrong?"

Sara slid from the bed and reached for her dress. “The sun's up, which means Ethan should be running in here any minute.” She slipped it over her head and then finger-combed her hair.

"So?"

She turned, the look on her face incredulous. “So, if Ethan had found us in bed together, they would've been the first words out of his mouth when we got home."

Mike's smile faltered. “So the hell what? We're consenting adults. You don't need anyone's permission to sleep with me.” Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes. “Wait a minute. I know what this is about. Son of a bitch.” He threw the covers back and leapt off the bed. “This is about Garrett, isn't it? You probably told him you wouldn't touch me with a ten-foot pole, and now you're afraid you'll have to admit you jumped in bed with me the first chance you got."

Sara gasped. “You are the biggest jackass I've ever known,” she said, enunciating every word.

Taken aback, Mike yanked on his sweatpants before closing the distance between them to take her into his arms.

"Don't you dare touch me!” she spat, darting away from him.

"Look, you're right, what I said was inexcusable. It's just ... I know what kind of influence Garrett has over you. The thought that he might possibly have the power to keep us apart—"

"Do you even hear yourself? Garrett isn't a magician or a sorcerer. He's my brother, and he's been my rock for the past eight years. He held me when I cried my heart out over you; he was in the room when I gave birth to Ethan. He co-signed the loan so I could open the bakery. Don't you dare say another unkind word about him. If not for Garrett, we might not have a son."

"What the hell does that mean?” Mike sat down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving her face. “Did something happen?"

"Nothing, forget it.” She looked away. “I have to go wake up Ethan so we can get out of here."

"Sara, we're not leaving until you tell me what you meant by that. Did something happen to Ethan? Was he in the hospital? Was he sick?"

She met his gaze again and reluctantly sat down beside him on the bed. “After I found out I was pregnant, I ... made an appointment to have an abortion. Garrett found out and forbid me to go through with it. An hour after the scheduled appointment, I knew he was right. I cried all night, heartsick by what I'd almost done."

"My God, sweetheart, I'm so sorry.” Stunned, he wrapped his arms around her.

"I've never told that to anyone before. Garrett and I are the only ones who know how close Ethan came to ... not existing.” She said the last two words in a choked whisper, and Mike crushed her to him.

He was completely at a loss for words. Garrett, the man who'd been a thorn in his side since the moment they'd met, the man who despised him with a passion, was the sole reason Sara hadn't destroyed their child. His throat was so thick he knew he couldn't speak, even if he wanted to. Which he didn't. He just wanted to hold Sara in his arms for as long as he could.

"Omigod!” She stiffened and pulled free from his arms. Reaching across the bed, she picked up what looked like a three-ring binder.

"What? Sara, what the hell is it?"

She opened it and held it up for him to see. Ethan's Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Ethan must have woken up at some point and decided to show him the card collection he was so proud of. Mike had to hide a grin. This wasn't exactly bad news in his estimation, but he knew Sara didn't want her family finding out about them like that. Being blurted out by a curious little boy who had no way of knowing he'd be starting WWIII between his father and his favorite uncle.

"Maybe he couldn't see anything in the dark, so he just set the book down and headed back to bed."

"Yeah, or maybe his Yu-Gi-Oh! cards floated in here all by themselves."

Mike scowled. “Smart ass."

"Mom! Mom, where are you?"

At the sound of Ethan's voice, Sara's eye widened in dismay. She jumped off the bed and called out, “I'm coming, baby!"

Mike snatched his shirt off the lampshade and pulled it over his head. “I'm coming with you."

Ethan sat up in bed rubbing his eyes. He smiled when he saw them. “Morning. I'm hungry."

Sara smiled. “How about if I fix you a great big breakfast as soon as we get home?"

Ethan looked up at Mike. “Dad, too?"

"Dad, too. I'll make pancakes and bacon. How does that sound?"

"Awesome!” Ethan slid off the bed. “Let's go!"

Sara laughed. “Um, Ethan, don't you think you should get dressed first?"

He glanced down at his Hulk pajamas. “Oh, yeah."

Mike ruffled Ethan's hair. “Listen, I'm gonna go get dressed myself and gather up my things. You two come on in when you're ready, and we'll head back to your place for that pancake breakfast."

"Okay!” Ethan grabbed his backpack and raced into the bathroom.

Mike came up behind Sara and wrapped his arms around her. “Try not to worry so much. Everything will work itself out, you'll see."

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Sara sat at the kitchen table brooding over a cup of coffee. She'd decided she had no choice but to keep her date with Jason that night. She owed the man an explanation as to why she couldn't see him anymore. And though it was tempting to simply have Garrett break things off with him for her, she knew that was the cowardly way out. And Sara wasn't a coward.

She was an idiot, perhaps, for even considering giving Mike another chance to break her heart, but she wasn't a coward. She shook her head. It seemed so strange to be thinking about one man, when she'd been making love with another just the night before.

She took a sip of her coffee and then glanced at her watch. Three o'clock? It seemed as if she'd just finished cleaning up after breakfast. Amazing how fast time flew by when one was brooding. She got up and poured the rest of her coffee down the sink.

With a sigh, Sara headed down to her bedroom to get dressed. It was a bit early to start getting ready for her date, but she had nothing else to do since the guys planned to order pizza for supper.

Unlike her first date with Jason, Sara had no desire to look her best. She opened her closet and searched for something less than flattering. She slid over hanger after hanger until a big brown turtleneck sweater caught her eye. She giggled. Hell, that would be
too
obvious. It was the first week of June and nearly eighty degrees outside.

Finally, she decided on a pair of white slacks and an olive green blouse she'd almost forgotten she owned. Once dressed, she sat in front of her mirror, brushed her hair, and put on a light application of make-up—blush, a little lip gloss, and a few strokes of mascara.

She headed back into the kitchen and put on a fresh pot of coffee. The guys would be home soon, and usually the first thing any of them did was give the coffee carafe a shake.

Ethan came bounding up the stairs just as she finished and said, “Mom, I'm hungry. Can I have a toaster pastry?"

She glanced at the clock. “Uncle Garrett will be ordering pizza in less than an hour. Can't you wait?"

"Nooo!” he whined in perfect seven-year-old fashion. “I'm starving. I'll eat my supper, too, I promise."

"Fine,” she relented with a sigh.

Sitting at the table squeezing icing over his pastry, he surprised Sara by asking, “Are we gonna go live with my dad when his new house is ready?"

"Well, you can certainly spend as much time there as you like. But this is our home, Ethan. At least for the time being."

"But you slept in my dad's bed last night at the hotel. Doesn't that mean we should go live with him?"

"You
what
?"

Startled, Sara spun around. Garrett stood in the doorway, hands on hips, his expression thunderous.

Why hadn't she heard him pull up? She swallowed and tried to make light of the situation. “We watched movies all night and, wouldn't you know it, I fell asleep."

"Dammit, Sara, what the hell were you thinking? You have a date with Jason tonight, for chrissake.” He stormed into the kitchen and pitched his keys on the table, then walked over to the counter and gave the carafe a shake.

"I just put another pot on,” she said, hoping to distract him from a conversation she had no desire to have.

"Ethan, go downstairs. I need to speak to your mom alone."

"But I'm not done with my toaster pastry yet."

Garrett shot him a look. “Take it with you."

Scowling, Ethan did as he was told.

Sara sat down, propped her elbow on the table and her cheek on her hand. Garrett poured a fresh cup of coffee, carried it to the table, and took the seat across from her.

"I don't get it. You said there was nothing between you and Andrews, yet you jump in bed with him the first chance you get?"

Damn, did he have to use the exact words Mike had? “I got horny,” she flippantly replied.

"Real nice, Sara.” Garrett ran his fingers through his hair, never breaking eye contact with her. “What about Jason? He's crazy about you. And he thinks you feel the same."

With a sigh, she got up and poured the fresh coffee into the carafe. Over her shoulder, she admitted, “I was planning on breaking things off with him tonight."

"That's just great. Let the guy buy you dinner, then dump him."

Sara spun around, irritated. “Would you rather I give him a call and ‘dump him’ over the phone? Believe me, I'd rather do that. We've been out on one date, Garrett. He's not going to die of a broken heart over this, and you know it. And this isn't about Jason anyway. It's about Mike. Admit it."

Garrett set his cup down with more force than necessary. “You're damn right it's about Andrews. He ran out on you, Sara. He ran out on you and Ethan both. How could you forget that? Is he so good in the sack you're willing to sacrifice your pride just to lay under him?"

Sara stood frozen in shock. She couldn't believe Garrett would say such things to her. He was letting his jealousy over Mike's relationship with Ethan turn him into someone she didn't recognize.

Through gritted teeth she said, “Don't you dare say another word to me until you're ready to apologize. I'm a grown woman, Garrett Jamison, and nobody, I mean
nobody
, tells me who I can or can't spend time with. Maybe if you had a life of your own, you wouldn't feel the need to stick your nose in mine!” With that parting shot, she stormed from the kitchen.

Staring down into his coffee a short time later, Garrett didn't even look up when Danny and Uncle Luke came in through the back door. They both offered a greeting, but Garrett was so miserable he barely grunted a reply; miserable because he'd let his anger get the better of him and said some incredibly hurtful things to the sister he loved dearly.

And miserable because she was right. Garrett needed a life of his own. He'd avoided getting into a serious relationship all these years because he'd been so wrapped up in Ethan and Sara's lives. If he were to fall in love and get married, where would that leave them?

But now with Andrews back in the picture, Sara and Ethan didn't need him anymore, and it felt like a betrayal. He'd given up so much for them, yet they were doing just fine without him. And even though he knew he was being ridiculous, the jealousy was still there, gnawing at his gut.

Uncle Luke came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder. “You all right, son? You don't look so good."

Garrett nodded and even managed a small grin. “Yeah, I'm fine. Except I dug myself a deep one with Sara. She's as pissed at me as she's ever been."

"What the hell did you do?” Danny poured himself a cup of coffee before taking the seat across from him.

"Sara and Mike have ... rekindled their relationship. When I found out about it, I said some pretty nasty things to her."

Danny's brows shot up. “How'd you find out? There's no way she would have told you."

"I overheard Ethan asking her a pointed question about last night."

"You don't have to tell us, if you don't want to,” Uncle Luke was quick to say.

"Aw, come on, I wanna know!” Danny admitted with a laugh.

Garrett scratched the back of his neck, then got up to pour a head on his coffee. “He asked if he and Sara were going to go live with Mike since she'd slept in Mike's bed last night at the hotel."

Uncle Luke frowned. “He didn't, uh, catch them in the act, did he?"

"I don't think so or Sara would've been a lot more upset about it."

"Are you going to tell us what you said to make her so upset?” Danny asked as he skimmed over the take-out menu.

"No."

"Hey, isn't she supposed to go out with Jason tonight? Guess that date's been cancelled,” Danny said, grinning.

"Actually, she plans on telling him over supper."

"So she's gonna let him buy her dinner, and then dump his ass?” Danny's grin widened.

Garrett frowned. “Hey, don't forget, I have to work with the guy. And Jason's a decent sort. I hate that he's going to get his heart broken."

Danny arched a brow. “They've been out on one date, Garrett. He'll live."

With a shake of his head, Garrett changed the subject. “Let's get an order together so I can phone it in. I'm starving."