Closer To You (Suits in Pursuit) (15 page)

Seated at the ornately carved dining room table with Jordan and his wife Nicole, Kerrigan was haunted by her news. She barely paid attention to the casual conversation at the table.

Jordan faced her with concern in his eyes. “You seem distracted this evening. Is everything okay?” Jordan’s brows pressed together. “How did the appointment go today?”

Kerrigan closed her eyes and hung her head. “Well, I know what’s wrong with me.” Lifting her head, she eyed Jordan, and then Nicole, with tears in her eyes. “I’m pregnant,” she muttered softly.

Jordan stilled, glanced at Nicole and then brought his hand to his chin. He stared at Kerrigan in silence before speaking. “I suspected you might be. The cottage has plenty of room, a small kitchen, living area, a bathroom. Stay as long as you like.”

He and Nicole had a beautiful six
-bedroom home, and the quaint guest cottage was a bonus that would be enough space for her and the baby.

“I don’t want to intrude
. I’m barely showing, so it should be easy for me to get a job. I’ll start paying rent and then I’ll look for my own place. I have a few good job leads.”

Nicole touched her hand. “Don’t worry about a thing. We only use that cottage for out of town guests, and you’re the only one who ever visits.”

“Kerrigan, you’re single, you have no job, and you have a baby on the way. Now is not the time to be stubborn. Family takes care of each other. Being a single mother isn’t going to be easy. You’re staying.” Jordan chastised her the way he did when she was his twelve-year-old sister and he was the older adult brother.

“Thank you both for taking me in.”
Her emotional state teetered on the edge of tears.

He frowned.
“Does the father know? You haven’t said anything about him.” Jordan asked, his curiosity and concern piqued.

“No. I will take care of
my baby. He doesn’t need to know.”

“Are you sure? I think you should at least consider giving him the option. If it were me, I’d
want to know.”

“Believe me. Axel isn’t interested. Can we
drop this?”

That was as much as
she planned on saying about Axel Christensen.

Friday,
December 21

He
sat staring blankly at the computer monitor on his desk. Where is she? Two months had gone by, and he hadn’t heard one word from her. The realization that he may never hear from her or see her again was slowly killing him inside. As though he had willed it to happen, the phone rang, jarring him back to life.

Slumping over his desk, he reached for it.
“Axel Christensen.” He answered with a lifeless drone.

“Axel, this is Jones. I have good news for you. I found her.”

He perked up, sat straight up in his chair and stilled. “Where is she? Is she okay?” His voice was excited and anxious.

“She’s in San Diego. I think she’s living with her brother Dr. Jordan Mulls. Take down these two phone numbers. One is
Dr. Mulls’ cell phone number, and the other is the number at his residence. I also have an address, but I wouldn’t go knocking on the door just yet if I were you. You need to establish contact first. Maybe try reaching out to her brother.”

“Jones
, thank you. I’ll give him a call now.”

“
Slow down. I know you’re eager, but there’s the time-zone difference to take into consideration. It’s six thirty in the morning, in San Diego.”

“You’re right. I’m
anxious. I don’t want to lose track of her again. I’ll wait until eight o’clock, their time.” He blew out a hard breath.

P
recisely at eight o’clock, he dialed the number Jones had given him to reach Dr. Mulls. The phone had rung five times before Jordan answered.

“Hello,
this is Dr. Mulls.”

“
Hi, Dr. Mulls. You don’t know me, but my name is Axel Christensen. I know this is going to sound bizarre, but I’m a desperate man.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I was involved with your sister before she moved back to San Diego. She worked for my company. I’m not sure if she’s ever mentioned me.” There was a long pause before Axel continued. “We had an argument, and she left town suddenly without giving word to me or anyone here.” Axel’s hands were clammy and his heart hammered in his chest. “I don’t know what happened. I’ve been trying to find her, to talk things over. Things were going well between us, and then she just disappeared. I’ve been trying to find her for almost two months. I just want to talk to her. I understand she’s living with you. Is she okay?”

Jordan recognized Axel’s name. “
I don’t know how you got this number, but I’m sorry, I can’t help you.”

Axel paced the length of the office, his loafers clicking across the hardwood.
“Dr. Mulls, please hear me out. I’m a decent person. I love your sister, and I would never do anything to harm her. I need to know what happened, why she left. You may not want to hear this, but I’m going insane without her.” The perpetual knot in his gut twisted as he pled his case. “You’re married, right? Do you remember the feeling you had when you knew your wife was the one? What if she up and left without any explanation, no goodbye, nothing? Kerrigan was the first and only woman I’ve ever loved. I thought I was going to spend my life with her. I just don’t understand what happened. One day she was here, and the next day she had disappeared. I’ve been so worried and confused.” Sadness and sorrow resonated in his words, and he didn’t care that the sound of desperation leaked from his lips.

“Mr. Christensen, I hear your pain. I don’t know what happened between the two of you. She hasn’t talked to me about
your relationship in detail. All she said was that you hurt her deeply. She’s doing well. I suggest you move on.”

“Dr. Mulls, I’m a desperate man. I can’t move on until I know what I did
, why she left. I’m unsettled. We got into an argument because I wanted to take our relationship to the next level and she wasn’t ready—she was insecure.” He moved to the bookcase where he had placed three framed photos of Kerrigan. Tears built behind Axel’s eyes and his voice wavered. “I know I was putting too much pressure on her, but the whole situation is mind boggling how she suddenly quit her job and moved across the country days after an argument. I need closure at least.”

“You don’t know what
caused her to leave?”

“Not at all
—one minute we were in love and the next minute she was gone. If I knew what I had done, I wouldn’t be so confused. I was planning to propose to her the day of our fight so you can imagine my heartache.”

“I have an idea, but I’m not making any promises. I’ll try to talk with her tonight. If I learn anything, I’ll call you back.
You realize that I shouldn’t be helping you.”

“I
know this is awkward, but I do appreciate your help. Can you at least tell me how she’s doing? Is she okay? I want to know that she’s okay.”

“She’s having
... a rough patch, but she’ll be okay.” He heard the hesitation in Jordan’s voice.

“Please let me know if she needs anything. I can
send money, whatever she needs. She doesn’t have to know it’s from me.”

“You sound like a generous and
reasonable man. I can tell you care for her. I’ll call you back this evening. You’re three hours ahead. Should I call you in the morning instead?”

“No. Please
call this evening, anytime. I’ll be waiting. I can’t thank you enough Dr. Mulls.”

That evening after dinner, Jordan asked Kerrigan to
join him in his study. The two disappeared into the office, and Jordan motioned for her to sit next to him on the sofa.

“How are you feeling little sis?”

“I’m exhausted. I can’t wait for this stage to pass.”

“You’ll feel better soon.
” He touched her arm. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something that’s bothering me. I’d like to know about this Axel fellow. What happened between you two?”

She s
ank deep into the sofa. “I thought he loved me.” She looked down and away from Jordan. “He said and did all the right things in the beginning, but he was moving too fast for me, and it scared me.”

“So, that’s why you left him? Because he was moving too fast and
you were scared off?” he asked.

“No. There’s more. We had a
horrible argument one morning, and he stormed out on me. Later that day, I stopped at a coffee shop on my way to his house to apologize. He was there with another woman. They didn’t see me, but I saw them and overheard their conversation.”

Her
voice trembled, and her eyes filled with tears. “I heard him tell the woman that he had used me, gotten what he wanted and that he was done with me. I worked for his company, and I couldn’t stand the embarrassment I’d face if I went back to work.” She glanced at the wall clock hanging over his desk, wondering how long Jordan’s interrogation would last.

She sobbed a little. “
Some of my co-workers had already begun rumors before our relationship was public knowledge. I hated every minute. He confronted one of the leading culprits and announced to everyone in the department that we were involved.” She stared blankly across the room at nothing in particular. Tears streamed down Kerrigan's face, the room melted into a blur of colors and shapes. “I couldn’t face the ridicule of that mob, especially after what I had heard. He’s a wealthy man. I knew he was a player. He told me that he loved me—that he wanted to spend his life with me. I allowed myself to believe his lies. I should have known better.”

Jordan pondered her
explanation. “Did you ever confront him about what you saw and overheard or tell him why you left?”

“No. I didn’
t see the point.”

“I
understand how you feel, but are you sure you have the whole story? Is it possible that you misunderstood what you heard?”

Her face heated.
“Jordan, why are you taking his side? I know what I heard. There were no mistaking Axel’s words. He called me a slut and said he got what he wanted. He said he wished I’d disappear. So I did.”

Jordan folded his arms across his chest.
“I’m not taking sides. I’m concerned for you. You’re having this man’s baby. Regardless of what happened, I think you have to tell him. Besides, he should be responsible to help you care for the child.”