1022 Evergreen Place (32 page)

R
oy McAfee wasn't a man who got involved in other people's affairs. In his line of work, he'd seen enough to make any man skeptical of the human heart. Because of that, he tried to stay away from divorce cases, especially those that included child custody disputes. Most of his work concerned background checks and insurance investigations. In his opinion, people had a right to live the way they wanted, unless they hurt or swindled others.

The reason he was making an exception now had to do with his daughter Gloria. She'd made her decision not to tell Chad Timmons she was pregnant. Corrie had given Gloria her word that she'd abide by that decision. Roy, however, saw his own situation reflected in Chad's—a situation that hadn't been righted for more than three decades. He refused to let that happen again.

“Where are you off to?” Corrie asked as he headed out the front door on Wednesday afternoon.

In an instance such as this, it was best to be vague. “There's something I need to do.”

“Is this something I know about?” Corrie eyed him speculatively, as if she'd guessed exactly who he intended to see and what he intended to do.

Roy swore his wife had some sort of psychic ability. She seemed to instinctively know this had to do with Gloria and Chad. He hedged, reluctant to lie, and at the same time unwilling to admit he was a man on a mission—or to tell her what that mission entailed.

She raised her eyebrows. “Why don't you want me to know what this is about?”

He muttered a few words he'd rather she didn't hear and opened the door.

“Roy?”

“Like I said, this is something I need to do.”

She slipped in front of him, blocking his exit. “You're going to talk to Chad Timmons, aren't you?”

He didn't confirm or deny the statement.

“Roy, don't. Please reconsider,” Corrie whispered with an urgency that gave him pause.

He clutched the car keys so tightly they dug into his hands. “That young man has a right to know about his baby.”

Corrie closed her eyes and he knew she was thinking back to the time she'd found herself pregnant and alone. The same memory had haunted him from the moment their daughter came to tell them she was pregnant and the father was out of her life.

“This is the first time Gloria has ever come to us with a problem,” Corrie argued. “It's been a breakthrough in our relationship. If you say anything to Chad, it could destroy her trust. It could destroy everything. I'm begging you, Roy, don't do this.”

Roy's eyes bored into hers and he stood his ground. They so rarely disagreed that it made this standoff even more difficult. Still, Roy was determined. “The young man has a right to know,” he repeated.

Corrie gave him a sad smile. “What you're saying is that
you
had a right to know and I didn't tell you.”

“Yes!” he all but shouted. When he'd discovered he had a daughter he would never meet, it had nearly broken his spirit. He loved Corrie and had asked her to be his wife, and yet she'd kept this secret for months. The anger and anguish had nearly consumed him. What she'd done had the power to tear them apart. Roy hadn't let that happen; instead, he'd buried his feelings. But he understood now that this unresolved matter could still undermine their marriage, their relationship.

“I've never begged you for anything,” his wife said. “Don't do this. Please, Roy, don't do this.”

Unsure now, he walked over to his recliner and sagged into it. His car keys dangled from his hand as he leaned forward, gripped by indecision. He believed that contacting Chad Timmons was the right thing to do for Gloria and her baby. Yet everything Corrie said was true. Their daughter, the very one he'd thought forever lost, was back in their lives. Corrie feared, as he did, that going against her will would destroy their fragile bond.

Corrie remained where she stood.

“I need to think,” he murmured.

“Okay,” she agreed after a prolonged moment.

He heard the reluctance in her voice.

“Think of Gloria—this is what she wants,” Corrie said. “Right or wrong, these are her wishes.”

Feeling the full weight of his years, Roy wiped a hand down his face. “Have you ever wondered what would've happened if I'd found out you were pregnant?” he asked.

Corrie didn't answer him.

“You'll never know because you made the decision not to tell me.” He tried hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“You were seeing someone else.” Her words rang with painful accusation. “What did you expect me to do?”

“I expected you to tell me,” he barked. Corrie had taken the choice away from him. He'd been young and stupid, and even now he couldn't be completely sure how he would've handled the situation. He liked to think he would have stepped up and been a man, but again that was something he'd never know.

“Let me give it more thought,” he said when he'd regained control of his emotions. What had happened had happened; they couldn't go back and undo the past. Reviving these dead emotions could only hurt them.

Corrie sat down on the sofa and pressed her hands between her knees. When she spoke she lowered her head, her words barely audible. “I know what Gloria feels.”

“Tell me,” he urged, wanting to understand how she'd rationalized her silence all those years ago.

“She's afraid.”

“Of what?” he challenged.

Corrie glanced up. “Rejection. Blame.”

“Blame?” Roy stared at her. “Why would I blame you? The responsibility for birth control should be shared.”

“It was more than that.”

“Explain it to me.”

“I…had an important decision to make and I wanted to make it myself, without pressure from you.”

Her reasoning irritated him. “Don't you think that was rather selfish?”

“No.” Corrie would not back down. “I was young and immature,” she said. “I had all I could deal with already. I couldn't handle you being in the center of the situation. Gloria feels the same way. Chad is out of her life. He, too, is involved with someone else. Gloria feels as I did—that she'd rather deal with this on her own.”

Hearing her so coldly cut out Chad, just as Corrie had eliminated him from the equation, made the decision
easy for Roy. He came to his feet and stalked out of the house.

“Roy!” his wife called after him. “Don't do this. Please…don't do this,” she wailed.

Roy ignored her, climbed into his car and drove off. He couldn't say he looked forward to meeting Chad Timmons. The task of informing the other man that he was about to become a father wouldn't be pleasant.

He drove into Tacoma and parked at the hospital. His visit was brief. He left a message for Chad with the receptionist, asking the doctor to meet him at a tavern close to the hospital. Whether or not Chad decided to show up was his choice. If he didn't arrive within half an hour of the end of his shift—which the receptionist had told him was 4:00 p.m.—Roy would take that to mean Chad wasn't interested in talking to him. In that case, he wouldn't pursue the issue. Corrie and Gloria would get their wish. But, by the same token, Roy would feel he'd done what he had to do.

He sat at a table in the darkened room and ordered a beer. He wasn't much of a drinking man. Never had been, but there were occasions that seemed to call for it. This was one of them.

He'd drunk about half his beer when the door opened and Dr. Chad Timmons entered. They'd met briefly at the opening of the medical clinic, and Roy recognized him immediately. The younger man paused near the entrance and looked around.

Roy raised his chin just enough for Timmons to spot him.

Chad walked the length of the room and stood in front of him. “You wanted to speak to me?” he asked defensively.

Roy gestured toward the chair.

Chad ignored the silent invitation to join him. “What's this about?”

“Sit down, son.”

With obvious reluctance he pulled out a chair and sat.

“You know my daughter,” Roy said without emotion.

“I know both your daughters,” Chad returned.

For a moment Roy had forgotten that at one time Linnette had been infatuated with Chad.

“Has something happened to Gloria?” Chad asked. A look of concern passed over his face.

Roy managed to disguise a smile. “That's one way of putting it.” He caught the bartender's eye, lifted his nearly empty glass and held up two fingers. A minute later, two pints were delivered to their table.

“I didn't ask for this,” Chad said, still sounding defensive.

Roy resisted the urge to suggest he was going to need it. Instead, he offered the other man a few words of advice. “Don't turn down a free beer.”

Chad cracked a smile.

“Would you mind if I told you a story about me?” Roy asked.

Chad motioned for him to proceed.

“Corrie and I were college sweethearts. I was playing for the football team and became a bit of a campus celebrity. I'm afraid I let that attention go to my head.”

“It can happen easily enough,” Chad said. He leaned forward and put his elbows on the table.

“Especially when one of the sexiest cheerleaders on the squad made a play for me.”

“Hey, you're only human.”

“Yeah, only human.” Roy wasn't proud of this next part. “I broke up with Corrie. As they say, I had bigger fish to fry. I knew I'd hurt her and I felt bad about that,
but Alicia—the cheerleader—made it clear she didn't like competition.”

Chad grinned as if he understood Roy's quandary. “It was either one or the other, right?”

“You've got the picture.” Roy paused and sipped his beer. “Corrie left school and I have to tell you I was relieved not to see her around campus. Especially after Alicia dumped me.”

“Any particular reason you lost the cheerleader?”

Roy nodded. “I got hurt, put on injured reserved. My star had fallen. Alicia moved on.”

“Bigger fish?”

“You bet.” Roy's hand tightened around the beer mug. “I decided that if I was going into law enforcement, I couldn't risk another injury. So I gave up sports and concentrated on my studies.”

“You joined the Seattle police force, didn't you?”

Roy nodded. “I made detective.”

Chad arched his brows.

“That injury returned to haunt me years later, when I hurt my back during a chase, and it led to my taking early retirement. But that's another story.”

“Is there a point to
this
story?” Chad asked.

“Oh, yes, there's a point. I'll get to it in a minute.”

Chad lifted his mug. “If you're buying the beer, take as long as you want.”

Roy chuckled, relaxing against the back of the captain's chair. “I ran into Corrie on campus a short while later. That was the following year. We met at the library. When I saw her again, I was stunned by how beautiful she was. How genuine. I couldn't believe I'd left her for someone as superficial as Alicia.”

“I'm surprised Corrie would have anything to do with you.”

Roy had to agree. “She didn't make it easy. I sort of
accidentally on purpose showed up at the library every night, about the same time I knew she'd be there.”

“Smart man.”

“I didn't make detective on looks alone.”

Chad grinned.

“Eventually Corrie realized I was serious and agreed to go out with me again. I didn't make the same mistake twice, and just before I graduated I asked her to be my wife.”

“Now that was a good move.”

“I couldn't agree with you more.” Roy straightened and stared down at his beer. “The night before we were married, Corrie told me that when she'd gone home to live with her family she'd given birth to my baby.” He made eye contact with Chad.

“Gloria.”

“Yes, Gloria. I didn't know I had a daughter until after she'd been given up for adoption.” Chad frowned.

“Like her mother, Gloria tends to be…cautious with what she shares. Private.”

“Yes, she does,” Chad said.

Uncertain how to lead into the purpose of his visit, Roy met Chad's eyes again. “She says you're seeing someone else now.”

Chad held his look. “If you don't mind, I'd rather not discuss my personal life.”

“That's fine with me. However, before I say anything more, I want to tell you that I'm taking a huge risk seeing you this afternoon.”

“How so?”

“My wife is dead set against it, and when Gloria finds out she'll probably never speak to me again.”

“She came to see me.” Chad took a sip of his beer. “About three weeks ago.”

“So she said. Did you ever ask her why?”

“I know why. She changed her mind again. Frankly, she's done this to me twice and I'm through playing her games. If she sent you to talk to me, then you've wasted your money on good beer.” He paused, as though everything was beginning to add up. “But you said she might not appreciate the fact that you came to see me, so what's up?”

Roy ignored the question. “I came because I wasn't going to sit idly by and let history repeat itself.”

Chad stared at him.

“Are you that obtuse, young man?” Roy asked.

Chad's mouth fell open. It seemed to hit him all at once. His chest expanded and then as quickly deflated. He stood, thrust his hands in his pockets and walked around the table.

“Another beer?” the bartender called out.

Roy shook his head.

“Bring me a shot of whiskey,” Chad told him, and then, looking at Roy, he said, “Never mind. Just bring the bottle.”

M
ack had always assumed it was the bride who'd be nervous, not the groom. He certainly didn't expect to be the one pacing back and forth an hour before the wedding. Everything had come together so quickly that his mind was spinning. Once Mary Jo had agreed to marry him—and once they'd told his mother—the wedding seemed to take on a momentum of its own. But the best news was that Ben Rhodes had gotten David to agree to sign relinquishment papers, although he hadn't told anyone how he'd managed it or what he'd said. It had happened the day of another wedding—Troy and Faith's. Some people, like his father, thought Ben had offered David an incentive; others, like Jack Griffin, believed he'd used some kind of leverage. All Mack cared about, however, was the fact that he could now adopt Noelle.

Linnette and Pete's plan to visit Cedar Cove in early August made the choice of a wedding date easier. If his sister and new brother-in-law were going to be in Cedar Cove, he and Mary Jo should take advantage of it.

Once the date was set, the details all seemed to fall into place. A whirlwind of events followed. His mother had arranged the reception and hired a photographer, while
Mary Jo and Linc's wife, Lori, worked on the wedding dress. Lori had designed it and had seen to its completion in record time. According to Mary Jo, Lori was immensely talented, not that Mack knew anything about women's clothing. Although he hadn't actually seen this work-of-art wedding creation, he'd certainly heard enough about it from Mary Jo.

In getting all the arrangements made for the wedding, they'd also attended premarriage classes with Pastor Dave Flemming for two weeks. The sessions had seemed like a waste of time and effort when the pastor first mentioned them. Now that they were over, Mack was happy Dave had urged them to attend. Of the many things they'd discussed, the one that stuck in his mind was the way that assumptions could be detrimental to relationships. Assumptions about themselves and each other.

The six hour-long meetings with the pastor had made him aware of various issues between him and Mary Jo. Issues that could lead to contentious problems later on. Like his tendency to be overprotective and Mary Jo's to withhold her feelings. He was grateful to have had this opportunity to prepare for marriage and felt confident that they had a good chance of making their life together work.

“You okay?” His father stepped into the small vestibule behind the altar where Mack waited. Waited and paced. He'd sit down and then vault to his feet and resume pacing.

“I'm fine.” He heard the hesitation in his own voice.

Roy chuckled and slapped him on the back. “Linc will be here in less than ten minutes, so you can stop worrying.”

Linc Wyse would serve as Mack's best man, and Lori was standing up as Mary Jo's matron of honor.

“You mean to say he's not here yet?” Mack stopped
abruptly. He'd been so consumed with his own nervousness that he hadn't realized his best man hadn't shown up.

“Everything's going to be just fine,” Roy assured him, grinning widely.

Mack scowled at his father. “I don't know why you think this is so funny.”

“Sorry, I can't help it. This wedding business brings up a lot of memories. I was a nervous wreck before I married your mother, too. In fact, I nearly fainted at the altar.”

Mack could hardly believe that his highly competent, unflappable father had ever been nervous about anything, let alone his own wedding.

“Your mother was so beautiful I couldn't keep my eyes off her and when it came time to repeat my vows I was so tongue-tied—”

“Dad, stop it,” Mack said. He was already having enough difficulties; he didn't need his father regaling him with horror stories just before his wedding.

“Sorry, son.” Roy did have the good grace to look guilty.

“Where's Mom?” Mack asked, hoping a change of subject would settle his mind.

Appearing cool and relaxed, his father sat on the chair so recently vacated by Mack and crossed his legs. “She's with Charlotte Rhodes, getting everything set up for the reception.”

The church had agreed to let Mack and Mary Jo use the Fellowship Hall following the wedding for their reception. Mack would have liked the waterfront gazebo, but that had been reserved months earlier by another couple, as was nearly every other facility in town. When Pastor Flemming had offered them the Fellowship Hall, it had been a big relief to his mother, who'd been working diligently on the problem.

“Why is Charlotte Rhodes helping Mom with the reception?” he asked.

His father gave him an odd look. “She baked the wedding cakes.”

Mack remembered that now—or at least the part about Charlotte doing the baking. She was justly famous for her culinary skills. “Cakes, as in more than one?” If he distracted himself with details, he might actually get through this wedding without making an idiot of himself.

“Apparently you and Mary Jo are going to have one big cake and three smaller ones.”

“We are?” Mack didn't recall that. “Why?”

“Don't know. That's what your mother told me.”

Mack had only a vague recollection of their long discussions about the flowers and cake and a dozen other matters. Mack had left most of it to his mother, Mary Jo and Lori. He didn't have the patience for that sort of thing. He guessed few men did.

As it was, he found wearing this tuxedo downright uncomfortable. The last time he'd worn a suit had been for his grandfather's funeral and that was… He'd lost count of the years.

A tuxedo. Him? Mary Jo and Lori had said he should rent one. He'd gone along with it, thinking he didn't really have a choice. Only when he and Linc had gone for the fitting had he figured out otherwise. His brother-in-law had complained at great length, but by then it was too late for them to take a stand. In Mack's opinion, an opinion seconded by Linc, formal wear was an instrument of torture.

“I understand Ben Rhodes is bringing a special guest,” Roy said.

Mack didn't have a chance to respond or ask who it was before the door flew open and a breathless Linc shot into the room. “Sorry, sorry,” he said. “I got a flat tire. Have
you ever tried to change a tire in one of these getups?” he demanded. He straightened his sleeves and exhaled heavily.

Mack leaned against the wall.

Linc stared hard at him. “You're looking pale. You're not going to faint on me, are you?”

“I'm not planning on it.” Now that Linc mentioned it, Mack did feel light-headed. His father's admission of his own wedding-day troubles hadn't helped. Feeling a sudden need to sit down, Mack sank into a chair and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.

Roy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “The wedding will go off without a hitch, don't you worry. You'll do fine.”

Mack hoped so. Before he could think of anything else to worry about, Pastor Flemming came in. It was time.

His father left. Then Linc and Mack came through the vestibule door to stand beside the altar. He watched as his parents were seated in the front row next to Linnette and Pete. Gloria sat with them, on his parents' other side. Noelle slept in her arms.

Ned and Mel Wyse sat in the pew across from them, together with some of Mary Jo's Seattle friends.

As Mack looked at his family he saw his mother reach for a tissue. Trying not to be obvious, Corrie dabbed at her eyes. The music hadn't even started and already his mother was getting emotional.

This was supposed to be a happy occasion! Strangely, seeing his mother so affected by this wedding seemed to relax him. He found he was smiling. As he glanced at his father, Roy winked in his direction.

The church was nearly full. Mack and Mary Jo had mailed out invitations; he couldn't keep track of the number of people his mother had added to the list. His parents' friends had made a point of attending, along with
half the fire station. Their support touched him. He'd become close friends with these men in a short period of time. He wasn't surprised by the number of guests as much as he was honored.

Then the organ music began. Everyone stood as Mary Jo appeared at the back of the church. Mack straightened his shoulders and turned to face the woman who was about to become his wife.

One glance at her, and his breath caught in his throat. He must have taken a small step forward because Linc placed a restraining hand on his arm.

Mary Jo had never looked more beautiful. The dress, lace and pearls over silk, was everything she'd promised. Their eyes met, happiness radiating from hers. He felt her joy and experienced his own profound sense of rightness. For a moment he forgot to breathe. He stood transfixed, unable to move. Not until Pastor Flemming spoke did Mack realize it was time to stand by Mary Jo's side and repeat his vows.

The rest of the ceremony was lost in a whirl of words. Somehow he managed to say and do all that was required of him. While he'd been nervous earlier, now he felt calm and confident. Deep in his heart, his soul, he recognized that he'd made the best decision of his life when he'd asked Mary Jo to be his wife.

Organ music soared through the church as they walked down the aisle together as husband and wife. Several guys from the station high-fived him as he walked past. Mack's smile was so big it hurt his face.

Everyone followed them from the church to the Fellowship Hall, where the tables were set up. The area had been transformed with flowers, decorations and balloons. Mack had no idea who was responsible for all this but he guessed his mother, Linnette and Gloria had played a large role.

Together with his parents, Mack and Mary Jo formed a short reception line and greeted their guests as they came through the door.

“You might remember that I mentioned Ben Rhodes was bringing a special guest,” Roy said to him in a low voice.

“Oh, yeah. Who is it?”

His father pointed at the other side of the room, where Jacob Dennison sat in his wheelchair.

“Mary Jo, look,” he said, and nodded toward Dennison.

“Oh, Mack.”

When their last guest had entered the hall, Mack took Mary Jo by the hand and led her across the room. Dennison smiled up at them. “What a fine young couple you make.”

“It's such an honor to have you at our wedding,” Mary Jo told the old man in a tremulous voice.

“I wouldn't want to miss this. You two gave me a priceless gift by returning the letters I wrote Joan. Reading them brought back memories I'd long forgotten, memories I want to pass on to my children and grandchildren. This is a piece of my history—of their history, too. I will be forever grateful to you.”

Mary Jo bent down to kiss Jacob's cheek.

“Now,” he went on to say, “I wish for you the same happiness Joan and I had together. May your life be filled with love and may you always be as happy as you are this day.”

Mary Jo smiled tearfully and looked at Mack. He tightened his hand on hers.

Dennison glanced at the wedding cakes. “I don't suppose you'd mind cutting me a piece of cake, would you?”

“I would love to,” Mary Jo told him.

They made their way through the crowd toward the wedding cakes. When they were almost there, Mary Jo paused and placed her hand over her heart. “What Jacob said? I
am
happy, Mack, so happy.”

“I am, too.” This was no exaggeration. Mack wasn't even sure how to describe the emotion that suffused every part of him. He felt both calm, supremely calm, and ecstatic, surrounded by his family and friends, surrounded by happiness.

He and his father exchanged a smile. Roy wasn't a man who smiled often or freely, but he did now. Mack felt his approval, his support. His mother was mingling with guests, completely in her element. His two sisters sat at a table, their heads close together, chatting about heaven knew what. Gloria continued to hold the sleeping Noelle.

Linnette was obviously pregnant now and due in another six weeks. Pete seemed content, talking to one of Mack's firefighter buddies.

Mary Jo cut the large, tiered cake and after they'd posed for pictures they delivered the first slice to Jacob Dennison. Ben and Charlotte sat with him and had been joined by Olivia and her husband, Jack Griffin. Grace and Cliff Harding were at the same table.

Corrie and Charlotte took over cake duty, much to Mack's relief, with the assistance of Emily Flemming, the pastor's wife.

Noelle woke then and wanted to be held, so Mack took the baby in his arms and carried her around the room. Then he and Mary Jo went to sit with her brothers for a few minutes. Mel, Linc and Ned were all enjoying wedding cake, tasting and comparing the different varieties.

“I can hardly believe my baby sister's married,” Linc said to no one in particular.

“Isn't it time for us to go?” Mary Jo whispered to Mack. “Before my brothers start crying in their cake?”

“We aren't crying,” Mel insisted.

“Well, I'm not giving you a chance to get started,” Mary Jo informed them. “Besides,” she said, smiling up at Mack, “we need to leave for our honeymoon.”