Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2) (5 page)

“I was thinking of
calling him Parker.”

CHAPTER
SIX

Black dots formed
in front of Beth’s eyes and the room tilted. She grasped the bedrail for
balance. “He’s
not.
. . .”

Ivy twisted the
large diamond ring on her finger. “Biologically, no. But in the eyes of the
law, yes.”

Why was Ivy still
wearing her wedding ring? Beth didn’t want to hear another word. She placed her
hand on
Kaylee’s
shoulder. “Well, I’ve got to get
this girl home.”

Although
Kaylee
resisted, Beth won the battle and they exited the
room.
Kaylee
started chattering like a chipmunk. “I
love babies. He was so cute. When I grow up, I’m going to have lots of kids. Parker’s
a funny name, though.”

Nodding, Beth
didn’t respond beyond, “Uh-huh.” They made their way to her car. As she helped
strap
Kaylee
in, she could smell the cinnamon gum in
the girl’s mouth.

When they pulled
into the apartment parking lot, Jim was pounding on Beth’s door.

 
He turned and rushed over to help
Kaylee
out of the car. “Oh my God! Your arm’s broken? What
happened?” He shot an accusing look toward Beth as she climbed out.

Beth started
talking quickly as if she had something to apologize for. That’s how the man
made her feel. “Some idiot was driving too fast,
Kaylee
was on her bike and she had to swerve. She took quite a tumble.”

He kissed the top
of
Kaylee’s
dark crown. “Does it hurt?”

“Yeah,”
Kaylee
said. “Bethany took me to the hospital and I got
something out of the treasure chest and then we got to see a baby that’d just
been born.”

Beth followed
behind them as if she weren’t part of the conversation. “
Kaylee
was very brave for the doctor.”

Beaming at the
compliment,
Kaylee
turned to look at Beth. “And the
doctor was a woman. I’ve never met a woman doctor before.”

His hand landed on
Kaylee’s
shoulder as he opened his door. “I always
told you girls
can
do anything boys can do.”

“Except play
football,”
Kaylee
said.

He gave a
half-hearted laugh before they disappeared inside.

After Beth
unlocked her own door and closed it behind her, she said, “You’re welcome.”
What was that man’s problem? He acted as if Beth were some creep trying to take
advantage of his daughter. She shook her head and checked her watch. It was probably
too late to have dinner with Parker, but she definitely needed to talk to him.

She hung her purse
up in the coat closet and grabbed her phone. His warm voice answered on the
first ring. “Beth, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”

“I know.” She’d
seen his name on voicemail, but wanted to wait until she was alone to talk. “It’s
been a crazy day.”

“Want me to come
over?”

Her eyes looked
around at the white walls of her apartment and she realized that after six
months, it still didn’t feel like home. “Please.”

“I’ll be there as
soon as I can.”

Twenty minutes
later, a knock at the door made Beth’s heart soar. As soon as she saw Parker’s
smiling brown eyes, she raised up on her tiptoes so their lips could meet. Feeling
his broad shoulders beneath his Brooks Brothers’ shirt made her blood pump
faster through her veins. They stood there half-in and half-out of her place,
kissing like teenagers.

He pulled away and
laughed. “Maybe I should come inside so we don’t give the neighbors a show.”

Beth stepped back so
he could close the door behind him. They plopped down on the couch side-by-side
as she started talking. “Boy, let me tell you about my new neighbors.”

“You babysat one
last night, right?”

“The poor little
girl who lives next door must be a latchkey kid. Her mom and sister are dead. Her
dad works late hours and leaves her to entertain herself.”

“That’s too bad.”
He put an arm around Beth and caressed her long, blonde hair. “It must be hard
to be a single parent.”

“But here’s the
thing. She got locked out yesterday so I invited her to stay here until her dad
came home. Instead of being grateful, her dad took her and told me to mind my
own business.”

Parker made a
confused face. “That’s weird.”

“I thought so.
Everyone loves me. I’m nice. That’s my thing.”

“But he didn’t.”

“Exactly. Today,
Kaylee
, that’s her name, knocked on my door almost as soon
as I got home from work and wanted to hang out. She’s so lonely, I wanted to,
but her dad clearly didn’t want my help. Then she was riding her bike in the
parking lot and almost got run over. Thank goodness I was watching her from the
window.” She rushed to take a breath so she could continue her tale. “It turns
out, she broke her arm.”

“Oh, no.”

“So I took her to
the hospital and since I couldn’t get a hold of her dad, I paid for the whole
thing. When I brought her home, he didn’t even act like I was there.”

“No thank you?”

“Nothing. No
questions about the doctor’s instructions or about the medical bill, either. What’s
wrong with this man?”

Parker leaned back
and crossed his ankle over his knee. “I don’t know. It sounds like he’s
overwhelmed trying to raise a kid by himself.”

“But I offered to
babysit and he said he had someone. But then today
Kaylee
was by herself again.”

“Beth, you’re a
great person, but you just moved here. Maybe he needs more time before he can
trust you with his daughter.”

“It’s not enough I
gave her shelter yesterday during that thunderstorm and then today I saved her
from bleeding to death in the parking lot?”

He laughed at her
exaggeration. “Apparently not.”

Shaking her head,
she leaned into his broad chest. It had been two days since they’d seen each
other and she missed him. She inhaled his woodsy cologne and her heartbeat
quickened.

Their lips met
again and they started removing each other’s clothing. Before any more
discussion of the day’s events, they made love on the couch.

She liked that
they were so crazy about each other, neither of them stopped and announced, “It
would be more comfortable if we moved to the bed.” She liked that they were so
in sync that getting naked made her feel more secure rather than less.

As the endorphins
dissipated, her mind wandered from how lucky she was to be with him to her
nemesis. Not sure if he was awake or not, she whispered, “I saw Ivy today.”

His body went
rigid as she snuggled beside him. “Where?”

“When I took
Kaylee
to the hospital, we ran into Ivy’s mom. She acted
like Ivy and I were still friends.”

He stroked Beth’s
disheveled hair. “Apparently Ivy’s in denial about her situation. Her mom
doesn’t even know we’re getting a divorce. I told Ivy she needs to call someone
else next time she needs rescuing.”

“Are you sure the
baby’s not yours?”

“Yes.” There was
no hesitation. If nothing else, he definitely didn’t want it to be his.

“She said she’s
thinking of naming him after you.”

He sat upright and
pulled away from her. “She told you that?”

Beth sat up, too,
since there wasn’t that much room on the couch anyway. “Maybe you should have a
paternity test just to make sure.”

“I know he’s not mine.
Ivy and I hadn’t been together in a really long time.”

Pursing her lips,
she nodded. She really wanted to believe him. “OK. I just wanted to make sure.
She said something strange, though. She said the baby’s yours as far as the law
goes. What does that mean?”

He sighed.
“Because it was conceived during our marriage, it’s assumed to be mine. I’ll
probably have to pay child support.”

“That’s not fair!
Can’t you insist on a paternity test?”

“It doesn’t
matter.” He took Beth’s hand in his. “I was mad at first, too, but it’s not the
baby’s fault his mom is selfish and immature. And apparently his biological
father is even worse. So, for the sake of giving the poor kid a fighting
chance, I’ll help it financially. That’s it, though. I’m not going to any
father-son camp-outs or soccer games. I have more money than I can possibly
spend
before.
. . you know. So I’ll set up a trust to
make sure he can go to college. Consider it my penalty for choosing the wrong
woman in the first place.” His thumb smoothed against her skin causing goose
bumps to cover her arms.

“You’re a good man.”
She kissed his scratchy five o’clock shadow. “Isn’t there a part of you that
sees this baby as your last chance? You always wanted to be a dad.”

He shook his head.
“I gave up that dream a while ago. Plus it wouldn’t be fair to the kid to grow
attached to me and then watch me die.”

“Isn’t it better
than having no father at all?”

“You don’t
understand how bad it gets. I watched my dad go through it, and it was so bad,
he begged me to help him commit suicide.” His breathing became shallow and
labored from the memory.

Closing her eyes,
she struggled to know what to say. Maybe he was right. It was too much to put a
child through. “I just don’t want you to miss out on a once in a lifetime
opportunity.”

“Everything for me
now, is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

# #
#

Bethany felt
Parker kiss her the next morning before he slipped out and headed to work. She
stayed in bed a few minutes longer, rubbing her hands on the warm sheet beside
her. A knock at the door made her wonder if Parker had forgotten something. She
pulled on her nightshirt before she opened the door, no doubt wearing a
lovesick smile.

Kaylee
, sporting a purple dress, striped
knee
highs
and her yellow cast, stood on her stoop. “Why are you still in
your
p.j.s
? My bus comes in a few minutes and you
always leave for work by the time my bus comes. You’d better hurry.”

Beth tried to hide
her bare legs behind the open door. She didn’t like being
caught
sleeping in by a child and she hoped Parker had escaped unnoticed. Premarital
sex wasn’t exactly the type of thing she wanted to expose
Kaylee
to. She’d have to say something to Parker about being discreet the next time he
stayed over. “I’m going to work soon,
Kaylee
. What
can I do for you?”

She swayed side to
side as if she were nervous. “My dad said I could invite you for dinner. Can
you come?”

Beth’s jaw fell
open a little. “Are you sure? I don’t think your dad likes me very much.”

“He does like you.
A lot.”
Kaylee’s
sapphire eyes darted to the side
making her look a little mischievous. “That’s why he wants you to come to
dinner tonight. Seven o’clock. OK?”

“I might have
plans.” If she were lucky, Parker wouldn’t work too late and they could have
dinner together.

“
Pleeeeeease
? He wants to get to know my Flory Nightingale.”

“You mean Florence
Nightingale?”

“Something
like
that. I think he wants to say thanks.”

It was about time.
“Um, I guess. If you’re sure.”

Kaylee’s
one good hand moved forward as if she wanted to
clap and had forgotten that her arm was broken. “Yea! I’ll stop by after school
to help you pick out something pretty to wear.”

“That’s not
necessary,
Kaylee
.”

“I know.” She
turned and hopped down the step. “But I want to.”

# #
#

Kaylee
was waiting for Beth when she got home from work
that evening. Beth unlocked her apartment and welcomed her inside. Based on the
dinner invite, she assumed Jim no longer wanted her to keep her distance.

After
Kaylee
made her way into the kitchen, she opened up the
fridge. “Got anything to snack on?”

“Greek yogurt.”

“Yuck.”

“It’s good for
you. The protein helps build muscles and makes you feel satisfied.”

“Never mind. Show
me what you’re going to wear for your date.”

Beth laughed.
“Just because your dad invited me to dinner doesn’t mean we’re dating.”

“Sure it does. You
go on a few dates, fall in love and get married. Then you can be my new mom.
That’s what happened to a girl in my class.” She looked at her cast and pointed
to the sloppy signature of Felicity. “Her.”

“Your dad and I
are not going to get married.” The man didn’t even have the decency to invite
Beth to dinner himself, he sent his daughter. “Hey, it looks like you got a lot
of signatures there. Were you the most popular kid in school today?” Beth led
her to the bedroom closet, happy to change the subject.

“Breaking my arm
is the best thing that ever happened to me!” She climbed up on Beth’s bed and
started jumping, messing up the comforter. “Everybody asked me what happened.”

Trying to calm
Kaylee
down, Beth reached out to her. “Stop jumping. You’re
going to break your other arm.”

Kaylee
smiled and allowed
herself
to be pulled off the bed. “I was thinking you should wear something sexy.”

Beth almost
swallowed her tongue. “Sexy? What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” A
giggle escaped her lips. “I hear it in songs on the radio all the time.”

Shaking her head,
Beth decided to let this go. Kids grew up way too fast these days. She pulled
open her closet door to reveal rows of conservative work clothes.

Kaylee
pushed past her and rifled through her dresses, not
that there were many. She tugged on the skirt of a red one Beth had worn to the
office Christmas party last year. “This. This is pretty.”