A Sinclair Homecoming (The Sinclairs of Alaska) (13 page)

A delicate shudder passed through her, and Wade mistook the reaction as one of cold and pulled the blanket over them. “Simone was a force of nature,” he said quietly, but Morgan felt the pain of his loss like a physical thing. “Sometimes I can’t quite believe she’s gone, even though it’s been eight years. She had this cute laugh and every now and again—usually when I haven’t had enough sleep—I could swear that I hear her laughter out there. Weird, huh?”

“The power of suggestion is a mighty thing. Maybe you caught sight of someone who reminded you subconsciously of your sister and your brain pulled the memory of her laughter from the cache.”

“I knew there was a logical explanation,” he said, tightening his hold around her. She felt wonderfully secure and could remain in that position with Wade for the rest of the day. “Glad I’m not losing my mind.”

“You’re not.” She paused, curious about what had happened after Simone died but reluctant to bring up anything that might be more appropriate for a therapy session. But she wanted to know Wade’s perspective. “I know we promised not to talk about your mother’s case but I’m curious...what happened after Simone died? Did the family just fall apart?”

“Pretty much.”

Wade’s flat answer cut at her heart. Such pain. Such heartache. “Did you leave Alaska to escape the memories?” she asked, holding her breath. Would he answer? She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t. “You don’t have to answer if it’s too personal,” she tacked on.

Wade released her, and a chill sliced through her at the loss of his body heat snuggled against her. He swiveled to a sitting position with his back to her, leaning on his elbows. “I don’t know. Maybe. I was young and I saw an opportunity so I took it. At least that’s what I told myself but now that I’m looking backward, I guess you’re right...staying here wasn’t an option for me.”

“What about your siblings? Why’d they stay?”

He straightened with a shrug. “I never knew. Well, that’s not entirely true. Miranda stayed to help out our parents and then she got pregnant. As for Trace...I don’t know why he stayed other than he had a job here that enabled him to disappear for weeks on end. I made the offer for them to come to California but both declined.”

“Do you miss your brother and sister?”

“Yeah. Sometimes. Other times...I don’t know, I think I just bury all those kinds of feelings under work. Easier that way.”

Yes, she knew how that worked. “Do you think that if your family had been given some kind of closure, things would’ve worked out differently?”

He glanced at her sharply. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, if perhaps the police had caught the person responsible for hurting Simone.”

Wade drew a deep breath and on the exhale shrugged as if he didn’t like to think about
what-ifs.
“It is what it is,” he said as he rose. “I’m going to shower. Care to join me?”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked, climbing from the bed. “We don’t have any protection left.”

“There are other ways to have a good time,” he reminded her as he clasped her hand and tugged her close. She smiled and practically purred in his arms, liquid feminine heat already slicking her core at the suggestion. “And as I seem to recall, you really like some of those other ways.”

“Oh, I do,” she agreed with a hearty nod. She lifted on her toes and kissed him hard and deep then said, “I’ll go get fresh towels!” and bounded off to the linen closet, all manner of sad, tense or scary thoughts leaving her head, and for that she was grateful. Reality would intrude soon enough, and she wanted to preserve this unexpected bit of heaven for as long as possible.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

T
HE
SNOW
HAD
stopped around three in the afternoon and by five the plow had come through and cleared the roads, which meant that it was time for Wade to get back to reality, even though he found himself dragging his heels.

“So...this was fun,” he said at the door, prompting a laugh from Morgan. He grinned, loving the sound of her laughter. He curbed the urge to reach out and pull her back into his arms. He was trying to leave, not start something they couldn’t finish. “I never imagined something like this would happen but I’m not sorry that it did.”

“I’m not sorry, either.”

“Great. Neither of us has an ounce of regret. I guess the bigger question is, do either of us have an ounce of sense?” he joked.

“Nope. It doesn’t seem as if we do because we both know that logically this wasn’t wise.”

“Right. So...where does that put us?” he asked.

“It puts us in the same exact spots we were in before I invited you over for coffee. I am your mother’s therapist and you are leaving as soon as possible. That’s the best part about our hookup—it’s temporary.”

She was right. So why did he feel a twinge of disappointment? “Of course,” he said, forcing a smile. He didn’t want to seem like the kind of guy who didn’t know when to take a hint but he secretly wished she’d been a little more reluctant to turn him loose. A guy had his pride, after all.

He wanted to kiss her goodbye but he didn’t. Instead, he had to be content with the smile he sent her way that he hoped communicated all the feelings he had bound up inside. “I’ll see you in a few days,” he said. At her raised brow, he added, “At my mother’s hearing with Adult Protective Services.”

She exhaled as if she’d been holding her breath and she nodded with a bright smile. “Of course. Good evening, Wade. This was a lot of fun.”

Fun. Yep. That’s what it’d been. And that was it.

Wade made his way to his car and slowly pulled out of her driveway.

He’d had a great time so why was he left with the vague feeling of dissatisfaction? Possibly because for a small slice in time he’d played with the idea of taking her to dinner and going backpacking together and bringing her out to California to see his neck of the woods. And even though that kind of thinking wasn’t welcome or encouraged, he’d still done it.

He rubbed his forehead as if trying to rub out the disturbing slant of his thoughts but he had to admit, Morgan was hard to forget. She made him feel alive and vibrant, something other relationships had never done. It wasn’t as if he’d never had a good time with his previous lovers but there was something indefinable about Morgan. He wanted to know more than just surface stuff about her. And he particularly wanted to know what caused the shadow behind her eyes that she tried to hide.

But digging into her personal life wasn’t appropriate, given the parameters of their relationship.

As much as his brain kept throwing all sorts of pleasurable scenarios his way, he made a concentrated effort to stop because the bottom line was, Morgan was right. They had no future together and neither were looking for that kind of attachment, anyway.

He’d made it back to his hotel when his cell phone went off. When he saw it was Elizabeth, he sighed and took the call when his conscience wouldn’t allow him to send her to voice mail again.

“Hello?”

“Wade? Where have you been? I’ve been calling for days and you haven’t picked up or returned a single phone call.”

Wade tried not to bristle at the possessive tone in her voice and tried not to start the conversation with a brusque reminder that they were no longer seeing each other. “I’ve been caught up with family stuff and haven’t had the time to call. I’m sorry,” he added because he felt obligated to offer something. “What’s going on? Everything okay?”

“No, everything is not okay,” she said, a mild tremble in her voice that immediately put him on alert. “You know, I have a life, too. When you ignore me like this, it makes me realize that you are not the man I thought you were.”

“I’m sorry,” he said because he didn’t know what else to say. He tried to take into account that their breakup was still very fresh and likely raw, but he really didn’t want to spend much more time listening to Elizabeth bitch him out for perceived character flaws. “I’m still hoping we can be friends,” he said, trying to gently remind her that he’d never made promises about their relationship.

“Well, we’ve got some things to figure out,” Elizabeth said, her voice quivering. “And I need you to come home soon.”

He frowned. “What sort of things?” That queasy feeling in his gut had just tripled.

He heard sniffling in the background, and he gripped the phone harder but he waited, the seconds ticking by with agonizing slowness, until she said in a pained whisper, “I’m late.”

And the bottom dropped out of his world.

* * *

M
ORGAN
WANDERED
HER
house in a sated, content state, going about cleaning up the house on autopilot, smiling as she remembered in great detail everything she and Wade had done only hours prior, humming beneath her breath. What a lovely difference from the other memories crowding her brain most times. For a blessed second, she could almost forget the double life she was living and just be a woman enjoying the company of a man.

And what a man. She stopped and leaned against the granite countertop, the cool, smooth surface chilling her arms but she was too happy to care. A small sound of happiness escaped, and when she lifted herself again, her silly smile froze when she saw her sister standing there watching her with a frown. “Oh! You startled me,” Morgan said, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear and wondering if her sister had seen Wade leaving the house.

“Was that Wade I just passed?”

Damn. That answers that question. “Um...” Should she lie? Too late, Mona’s gaze narrowed. Morgan went with the truth. “Um, yes.”

“What’s going on?” Mona asked, getting straight to the point. “Was it related to his mother’s case?”

“No, not exactly,” she hedged, not sure how much she wanted to reveal to her sister. “It was nothing, really. He came over for coffee and then the storm covered the roads for the afternoon so he had to stay. He’s actually a very nice man. A gentleman.”

“Uh-huh. And he just happens to be superhot. That doesn’t hurt, does it?” Mona cast a speculative glance at the spare bedroom—her hookup room—and said, “I wonder if I took a look in the bedside drawer I’d find a few condoms missing?”

Morgan couldn’t help the immediate blush heating her cheeks at her sister’s accurate speculation, and Mona gasped as she pointed an accusatory finger. “You slept with him, didn’t you? Oh, my God, you little hypocrite,” Mona said with growing outrage. “I can’t believe you slept with Wade. After all that crap you gave me, you just swooped in and threw yourself at him. Not cool, Morgan. Not cool.”

Morgan frowned. “Now, wait a minute. I am not a hypocrite,” she said, irritated. “There was a very good reason why I didn’t want you with him and it had nothing to do with personal gain.”

Mona crossed her arms. “Oh? And what would that be?”

Morgan opened her mouth but snapped it shut again. Crap. Maybe she didn’t have a good reason. “All right, fine! I didn’t want you with Wade because the idea made my skin crawl. Are you happy?”

“A little,” Mona admitted grudgingly. “So...are you really into him or something?”

“Something like that, but I’m conflicted by my own feelings so I want you to know that I would ordinarily never do something like this.”

“Like what?” Mona, already bored with her own supposed outrage, went to the pantry to find something to eat and began rummaging. “What’s the big deal? He’s hot and you’re single. Seems all signs point to
go,
to me. No wonder you haven’t found anyone you want to date yet. You’re turning into a fuss bucket of worry.” Mona grabbed Morgan’s favorite stash of chocolate chip cookies—the ones that cost $6 for each tiny box—and ripped into them without asking, per usual. “Here’s the thing. I will forgive you for giving me hell over Wade if you share details. And spare nothing. I want to know everything. I want to know what I’m missing out on.”

Just as Mona was about to bite into the first cookie, Morgan snatched it out of her hand and snagged the box, too. “Forget it,” she said, ignoring Mona’s
“Hey!”
and stuffed the box back into the pantry with a pointed look Mona’s way before saying, “I don’t kiss and tell. Besides, I need you to keep this between you and me. I can’t have word getting out that I’ve slept with the son of one of my clients.”

“What’s the big deal? He’s an adult. I’m sure you didn’t tie him down and have your wicked way with him against his consent. Or did you? You’re such a little vixen.”

“I’m not a vixen by any means,” Morgan protested behind a smile. She couldn’t help herself. Thinking about Wade prompted a smile that was hard to suppress. But her sister could be a loose cannon. She sobered. “I’m serious, Mona. I need you to keep this information to yourself. If word got out that I was sleeping with him, it could affect my career.”

Mona sighed dramatically and flounced onto the sofa. “Oh, screw the haters. As if they don’t have sex. Okay, fine. Between you and me...was it good?”

Morgan felt like a teenager again and she desperately wanted to share a little something with someone, and perhaps her sister could keep a tiny secret. For once. It was a risk but she felt like a risk-taker today so she settled next to her sister and began to gab. “Okay, I’m trusting you to keep your lip zipped.” Mona made a zipping motion on her lips and Morgan continued. “Well, it sort of just happened. We went to yoga last night and then I invited him to coffee the next morning and then I made the offer to have coffee here. Once we were here...well, you know.”

“That’s it?” Mona screwed her face into a disappointed scowl. “That’s the most boring hookup story I’ve ever heard. Where’s the romance? The flair? The details that will make for a good story later in life?”

“Unlike you, I don’t seek out drama for the sake of a good tale later.”

Mona sniffed as if the insult rolled off her back and said, “Well, at any rate...was he good? Did he manage to ring your bell? Sometimes those buttoned-down business types are pretty wild behind closed doors.”

Was he good? How could she answer that question without revealing too many details? He was, without a doubt, the best lover Morgan had ever had but she certainly didn’t want to tell that to her sister. “He was very skilled,” she answered, almost primly. “Very attentive and dedicated.”

“You really suck at this sharing-details thing. You make it sound like he was a suitable job applicant. I want details—
real
details. Or else forget about it because this story is already putting me to sleep.”

Morgan stiffened in indignation. “I don’t suck at telling the story. I just don’t want to reveal too many intimate details and run the risk of oversharing.”

“Which is exactly the point of telling a story. I told you all about that hookup that I had with Bran and I didn’t leave out any detail.”

“Yes, I remember.” Talk about overshare. Although, by the time Mona had finished, Morgan found herself just a wee bit envious of her sister’s carefree attitude toward sex. Mona had no problem enjoying a man simply for what hung between his legs and nothing more. “Unlike you, I like to leave a little something to the imagination.”

Mona shrugged. “Suit yourself. So he’s decent in the sack? I wish I’d been able to sample some of that action.”

“Well, I for one, am very grateful that you did not. And I’m going to ask that you keep your hands to yourself, please. The idea of you going after a guy that I’ve slept with really grosses me out.”

Mona laughed. “You’re such a little Puritan at heart. Fine, I’ll keep my hands to myself and you can have Wade all to yourself.”

Ah, having Wade all to herself...she liked the idea of that too much.

Mona caught her dreamy expression and said, “I’m just glad you’re finally seeing someone—secret or not. You deserve it.”

“Thank you,” Morgan said, smiling at her sister. Sometimes when Mona wasn’t being a self-absorbed twit, she was actually pretty sweet. “Feels kinda good to just be me. Not the doctor, just me. Wade makes me feel comfortable in my own skin.” For the first time in years. God, David really had done a number on her, which she’d known intellectually, but it hadn’t actually sunk in until this moment. “Is it weird that I like him so much so quick?” she asked.

“You’re asking me?” Mona asked wryly, and Morgan laughed.

“You’re right. But okay, just for the sake of argument...do you?”

To Morgan’s surprise, Mona sobered and shook her head. “Not at all. I think that when something clicks between two people—and I mean,
really
clicks—time doesn’t actually matter and you should just accept wherever fate is going to take you.”

Oh, that wasn’t something Morgan would ever do. She wasn’t the kind of woman who took big risks in a relationship or in life. That’s why she’d been so quick to accept David’s offer of marriage. He’d seemed a very good match. Very stable. Very dependable. Ha! What a joke. The only thing she’d come to depend upon with David was his capricious cruelty. Fate had a funny sense of humor.

Stop thinking about David.
She was so tired of battling his ghost, both in her head and in this house. “Is it too early for wine?” she murmured, needing something to calm her nerves.

“It’s never too early for wine,” Mona said, and Morgan agreed, rising to open a bottle. “Although not a red—the last one was a little too earthy for my tastes. How about a nice, light white?”

“I think I have some Barefoot somewhere in the wine cabinet,” Morgan said before taking a look. “Aha, yes, here it is,” she exclaimed, grabbing the bottle and glassware. “So,” she began, using the opportunity to switch subjects. “Since I’m so bad at telling intimate stories, why did you come over in the first place?”

Mona’s expression lit up, happy to talk about herself again. “Oh! Yes, that’s right. I came over for a reason. Seems your date with George wasn’t a waste, after all. I ended up getting a buyer for a few of my pieces with the potential of a commissioned piece, as well.”