Authors: RJ Scott
“More than one. After all this time, I couldn’t fight the demons.” She sighed. “I couldn’t tell him why I was doing it, and so I was driving him away.”
Ed pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “But I wasn’t going anywhere, told her nothing was as important as our new life with the kids.”
“I let him know because I had to. Can you see that, Riley?”
Riley nodded.
Ed looked at Lisa. “I drove her to Las Vegas, and we married.”
Riley listened to every word, and he could see the desperate need in Lisa’s expression. What if Riley had a secret so big that he deliberately drove Jack away? The one man who he couldn’t imagine life without? He’d probably end up reverting to all the self-destructive shit he’d been involved in before Jack came into his life.
“I understand,” he said. He made sure not to let one ounce of doubt linger in his words, and bit by bit he began to compartmentalize how he was feeling. Lisa had told Ed that she had killed her husband, Riley’s brother. Ed was the first person outside the family who would know. What about the kids? What about Luke and Annabelle? Would Lisa feel she needed to tell them?
“What about Luke and Annabelle?” Jack asked, giving voice to Riley’s silent worries.
Lisa raised her stricken gaze. She’d been staring at her hand and the sparks of light that hit the diamonds. “Maybe, one day. I don’t know.”
“None of this would ever go back to you,” Ed said. He was trying to reassure Riley.
“I get that,” Riley said. “But Gerald confessed to the killing to keep you safe.” Abruptly something occurred to him.
What about Eden? If any of this leaves the family, then the police will know she was there and about the gun
.
“I won’t say a word, none of this will leave the family,” Ed said. “I promise on my life, on our baby’s life….”
Riley looked closer at Lisa, at the way she was hunched a little, protecting something. “You’re having a baby?”
“Only four weeks,” Lisa said. “It happened after we married, after I decided the secret was cancer inside me, after I stopped drinking again.”
Silence again. Riley didn’t know what to say. He knew he should congratulate Lisa, but at the same time, his thoughts were a tangled mess of what-ifs and maybes. Ed was holding Lisa so tight and tears tracked down her face, and still Riley couldn’t say a thing. Why was this the first that Riley knew about the wedding? If this all happened a minimum of four weeks ago, then how come Hayley hadn’t seen posts on Luke’s or Annabelle’s Facebook pages? Wouldn’t Hayley have said something? None of this made sense.
“Okay,” Jack said. “You told Ed. There’s nothing we can do about that now. None of this comes back to Riley or the Campbell family. You never talk of Eden being anywhere near this.”
Lisa nodded, crying silently again.
Jack carried on. “Lisa, we know how hard this must be. We know why it happened, we know what kind of man he was, and fuck… you deserve to be happy. We can deal with the fallout if it happens.”
Riley’s temper spiked and he yanked his hand from Jack’s. “How can you say that?” he demanded. “You think we can handle cops at our door raking up everything my brother was? Everything he did?”
“Riley—”
Riley stood so quickly, the chair scooted away from him. He didn’t know what to say or do. Jack was up in his space, cradling his face, staring right at him, with intense focus in his blue eyes.
“Riley, listen to me,” Jack ordered. Riley tried to step back, but Jack really had a strong grip and he wasn’t moving. “Are you listening?”
Riley realized two things. One, he was at the start of a panic attack—something he hadn’t quite shaken after being kidnapped—and two, Jack’s words drilled through the panic to reach the part of him that was still rational.
“I’m listening,” Riley said. Embarrassment started to wash over him. He’d lost it in front of Lisa and Ed, and looked like a freaking idiot. He had to calm the fuck down.
“Lisa and Ed are married,” Jack said. “There have to be prosecution laws about husbands and wives, and your mom has a whole folder of paperwork on Jeff showing exactly what kind of man he was. Lisa is telling Eden tomorrow, and that is it, done.”
“But the kids? Luke and Annabelle? What will they think when they find out—?”
“Don’t you think I’ve thought about that?” Now it was Lisa’s turn to get angry. She stood, gripping the back of her chair.
Riley shook himself free of Jack’s hold, guilt like acid in his belly. “Lisa—”
“I imagine telling them about what kind of a man their dad was, about how he hurt….”
Remorse flooded Riley, battling with the guilt and anger. “I know, Lisa. I’m sorry.”
“How will they feel if they find out what I did?”
Ed gathered Lisa into a hug. “We knew it would be hard telling you,” he admitted.
Riley shook his head. This was wrong. Lisa and the kids were his family, and he’d seen what was happening way too late. Now, he had the chance to make things right, and he was throwing it away. He’d judged Eden unfairly for not coming to him the minute she found Lisa with the gun, but he’d forgiven her as quickly.
Maybe he’d never had the chance to confront this with Lisa, to blame her, then forgive her.
Cautiously he held out a hand. “Can we talk outside?”
She nodded and allowed him to lead her out of the kitchen into the cool evening, straight over to the fence where so many deep conversations were held. Riley let go of his hold as soon as they reached it.
“You killed my brother,” Riley began. He’d considered the words to use on the short walk over, but when he opened his mouth, they spilled out, haphazard and emotional. “But for what he did, I don’t know if he deserved to die, but he wanted to destroy me, and Jack, and Beth, all those kids he’d—Lisa, I don’t think I ever properly said that it was okay, that though I couldn’t turn around and say the words, I never judged you for what you did.”
“Oh, Riley.” She leaned back against the fence for support, and the tears ran freely. She wiped at them with annoyance in every movement. “I am sorry,” she said. “He was your brother.”
“Only by blood.” Riley couldn’t help himself; he needed to hug her, so he did. In his arms she was so small, and he felt absurdly protective of his sister-in-law. “I forgive you, and if Luke and Annabelle knew what had happened and why, they would understand and forgive you as easily.”
“You think so?” She hiccupped against his T-shirt.
Riley held her close. “I know so.”
They stood that way for a while until the fresh air made Lisa shiver and they moved back indoors.
“I like Ed,” Riley said conversationally. “He seems like a good man.”
“He is, Riley, I promise. Now admit it, when did you get a background check done on him?” she teased.
“The same day you told me you were dating him.”
Lisa stood on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You always were my second-best brother-in-law.”
Riley laughed, and then it hit him. “Hang on, you only have me and Sean.”
She opened the door to the kitchen and smiled at him as he hovered on the porch. “Exactly,” she said.
The rest of the visit was calmer. Riley felt like he’d gotten to a new place in his head. A place of acceptance about his brother, and hey, he was going to be an uncle. Well, kind of.
They left before eleven with a promise to visit and an open invite for Luke and Annabelle to come and stay in the summer if they wanted.
“I want to be a good uncle,” Riley said, as the lights of the retreating car disappeared around the corner to the main road.
Jack tugged him inside and shut the door. “You already are,” he said.
“You think one day she will tell the kids?”
Jack shook his head. “I have no idea.”
Together they cleared up the kitchen and made their way to their bedroom via the children’s rooms to check in on them. They met Hayley on the landing. She was coming from the bathroom and her hair was sticking up every which way. She hugged them both without saying a word, then went into her room, pulling the door shut.
All Riley could think was that if he were keeping a secret from his daughter, it would burn.
“I like Ed,” Jack said as they undressed for bed. He lay back on the bed, and Riley covered him like a blanket. He snuggled in as Jack pulled up the covers.
“Me too,” Riley said.
That was the last thought before he fell asleep:
I like him because he makes Lisa happy.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The first day of May was important for two reasons; the first being that Jack turned thirty-seven, and the second that it was the first time Hayley had her heart broken.
When Jack woke, it was to the sunshine, presents, and breakfast out on the porch. Hayley didn’t make it downstairs in time to eat, Jack had his hands full with the twins, and Max was happily coloring in a horse for him. He drank hot, bitter coffee, and ate toast, with Riley at his side, and his world was complete—apart from Hayley.
“Beth called at six,” Riley said.
“She did?”
“Wished you a happy birthday, and I was going to wake you, but she started talking about Hayley.”
Jack yawned. “What about her?”
“She said when Hayley stayed, she seemed to be drinking a lot of water, but she was off her food and she’d lost weight, that maybe we should get a physical.”
“She said that?” Jack answered. “She’s tall like you, like a string bean.” Beth wouldn’t have said anything if she hadn’t been worried, though, and Riley was frowning. “Did you book the appointment?”
“Soon as I got off the phone with Beth. Two fifteen if that’s okay.”
“Of course it is.”
“She’ll be down soon,” Riley said. “I called again.”
Jack yawned and stretched. Lexie clung to his arm like a baby sloth and giggled as she flew with his arm. He buzzed her tummy with his stubble, and she slapped at his nose in defense. The twins had bought him
The Idiot’s Guide: Puppies
, and the book sat on the table next to his coffee.
“So, why the book?” Jack asked as Lexie asked to be let down. When they built the porch, Robbie and Liam had constructed a kid’s gate to block off part of it so that Lexi and Connor could crawl around without anyone worrying.
Riley tried and failed to look innocent. “They told me they wanted a puppy.”
“Uh-huh, so the twins, who have about ten words between them, asked for a puppy?”
Riley smiled. “Yep, sounds about right.”
“And this would be their puppy, not yours?” Jack knew damn well Riley was angling for a dog, as he put it,
as a way of completing the family
. “What about having another baby?”
Riley raised his eyebrows so far it was comical, and his mouth fell open. “No. I want to love the ones we have the best we can.”
Jack couldn’t help but tease. “So, you won’t love the dog?”
Riley wrinkled his nose and scooped up Connor from where he was attempting to climb Riley’s legs. He buried his face in Connor’s neck and blew a raspberry, then sneaked a look at Jack over Connor’s head. “Of course I’d love the dog,” he admitted.
Jack picked up the book. “Guess I’d better read it, then.”
“Well—” Riley cleared his throat. “—I read that having a pet is good for children with autism.”
Jack laughed. “You don’t need to convince me. Robbie already has his eye on a litter of Australian Shepherds, apparently. They’re due in July.”
“July? Around-my-birthday July?” Riley sounded so hopeful, and Jack melted inside.
“In time for your birthday.”
Riley grinned and lifted Connor high. “Well, it’s important I tell you I like Labradors. And look at your pappa being all sneaky,” he announced. Connor answered with a flail and a giggle, and the wafting scent of diaper hit Jack. Riley apparently caught the same scent. “I’ll even change diapers all day.” And with that, he left.
Jack enjoyed his coffee, looked out on a bright day, fussed Lexie, and played trains with Max. He spotted Hayley before she saw him. She was looking out at the same view, one hand clutching the doorjamb, the other holding her phone.
“Mornin’, sweetheart,” he called.
She turned slowly, then crossed to sit at the table. “Happy birthday,” she said.
Something wasn’t right. She looked tired again, gray, like she was coming down with something. They had an appointment with the family doctor for a health check. She’d not come down with the same virus as Jack had after the barbecue, but she was often tired.
“Thank you,” Jack answered. “Is everything okay?” Hayley was clutching the phone like it was a lifeline to something.
“Cory broke up with me,” she said. She didn’t sound sad, or angry, or anything remotely like emotional.
“Oh, hun, I’m so sorry,” Jack said. He glanced over her shoulder to the door, hoping to hell Riley would come back downstairs. Their daughter’s proper first broken heart was surely something they should be handling together.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m pleased with him, I promise. He’s told his parents he likes boys, and they were mostly cool with it. He sent me a text.” She waggled her phone.
“So, um, you’re okay?”
She nodded, pressed her fingers to her temples. “I’m good, I just feel hot. Where’s dad?”
“Changing Connor. Hayley, I wanted to talk to you. We’ve been worried about you.”
She looked right at him but said nothing.
“I made an appointment for you to see Dr. Bannin this afternoon.”
She nodded. She didn’t get defensive, or angry, or any one of a million telling signs that she was hiding anything. If anything she looked resigned.
“I’m not feeling so good,” she said.
Was it just Jack’s imagination or were her words slurred? Her eyes unfocused?
“Hayley?”
“I’m going to get a drink.” She wobbled a little as she stood. With no sound, nothing, her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumpled to the floor.
Jack reached out and attempted to catch her, but she’d hit the floor before he got anywhere near her.
“Hayley!” He fell to his knees, calling her, checking her pulse, “Riley!” He pried the phone from her fingers and connected to emergency services.