Eve Langlais (8 page)

Suzie closed the door and leaned on it for a minute. Well, the attraction looked like it might be mutual. Too bad it wasn’t going anywhere.

So why the hell had she agreed to go on a picnic with him?
For the children, of course. Yeah right
, her mind snickered back.

Speaking of which. . .Suzie jogged up the stairs and checked in on the twins. Miracle of all miracles, their room appeared to be actually tidy, and they’d even attempted to make their beds by pulling up the covers. They were both sitting on the floor pulling on socks, and grinned up at her when they saw her checking.

“Awmost weady,” they sang.

I’d better get ready too
. Shrugging off her damp T-shirt, she towel dried her hair vigorously before cinching it back into a tight pony tail. She pulled out an old sports bra that smashed her boobs flat and then put on a baggy T-shirt.
Ha—nothing to ogle now.

Herding her dressed—if mismatched—children in front of her, they went back downstairs. She left them putting on their shoes while she went into the kitchen and pulled out juice boxes, grapes, and watermelon. She also grabbed some cold cuts and cheese. She’d never been a huge fan of peanut butter and jelly, made her gums stick together—yeck!

Now, where had she put the cooler? The garage. Grabbing her keys and sunglasses along with her bag of food, Suzie and the kids left the house, locking it behind them.

The twins, squealing, raced over to Hunter who lounged outside waiting for them with his own plastic bag of food. Opening the garage door, she spied the fabric cooler bag and wagon amid the pile of boxes. Shoving everything in it, she pulled it out and met up with her excited kids and Hunter, who listened attentively to their babble.

“So, which way?” she asked, looking at him from behind her sunglasses.

“Straight up the street, actually. It’s only a couple of blocks.”

With a firm admonition to watch for cars and to stop at the corner, the twins raced off down the sidewalk, Suzie and Hunter following behind with the wagon. Hunter insisted on pulling the wagon, and Suzie let him. It was man’s work, after all. Sound sexist? So what? It wasn’t like she often had the chance to have a man do any work for her, so she decided to enjoy it while it lasted.

“How you liking the new house?” he asked.

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“Love it. Our last few places were apartments and kind of cramped so we’re really liking having a yard and so much room. I’ve got to say, I’m surprised to see a single guy living in the burbs.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not really into the whole big city thing myself. Too noisy. Parking’s a lot easier in the suburbs, and I like the space and privacy. Apartments just seem too—” He struggled to find the word.

“Crammed. Packed in like sardines.”

“Yeah. Anyways, a friend of my mine helped me find this place and, well the rest, as they say, is history. So, what made you move here? Where are you from?”

“I needed a change. I used to live out on the west coast, and after the twins were born, I couldn’t stay.”

“Couldn’t stay because?” he prompted.

“Personal reasons,” she said. How to explain that she ran away from the twins’ father? Hunter would surely think she was a class one bitch.
He wouldn’t if you told him why
, said her niggling inner voice.

She really needed to get that voice gagged.

Hunter went silent for a moment. “Tell me it’s none of my business if you want, but what happened to the twins’ dad? I take it he’s the main reason you left.”

Ooh, perceptive man
. She’d forgotten about his living as a private eye. How much should she tell?

“Their father wasn’t a very nice man, as it turns out.” Now there was an understatement.

“Did he hurt you?” Hunter asked in an oddly tight voice.

Suzie turned her head to look at him and saw him clenching his jaw. “Not too much physically, but the mental abuse and his plans for the children were pretty bad.”

“Do me a favor, will you?”

“What?” she asked.

“If he ever shows up on your doorstep, call me.”

“Why? What can you do?” Suzie asked.

“Lots of things,” he said, his voice low and menacing.

Suzie got a shiver, not of fear, more like excitement. She’d never had someone want to come to her rescue before. And to be honest, she’d love to see her ex getting one right in the kisser. He so deserved it.

“Well, I highly doubt he could find us now. He’d need magical powers or something to be able to follow the muddy trail I left behind.”

The kids had stopped at the corner and were tapping their little feet impatiently as they waited for Hunter and her to catch up.

Holding their hands tightly, they crossed. The park came in sight up ahead, and the twins’

enthusiasm at its sight was contagious. With a laugh at Hunter stuck dragging the wagon, Suzie sprinted with the twins toward the swings.

When he finally arrived, the twins were soaring on the swings, powered by Mommy pushes.

“Hunta!” screamed Jared. “Wook at me!”

“Me too!” squealed Jessica. “I go high!”

To the twins’ vast amusement, Hunter stood in front of them and pretended to be hit by their flying feet. Falling to the ground and getting up with a mock growl, the children howled and kicked their feet at him. He pretended to lunge at them, and when their little feet hit his chest, went rolling backward in the grass. Suzie laughed. She’d never seen a grown man go through such antics to amuse children.

As is the case with all young children, though, this game lasted only for about fifteen minutes before they were off the swings and racing for the slides.

Suzie and Hunter wandered over to a bench in the shade and watched them play.

“You’ve got really nice children.”

“Yup,” replied Suzie smugly. Hey, when it came to kids, hers were the best!

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“It’s funny. I’d never really hung out with little ones and stuff before. Never realized how much fun it could be.”

“It’s great most of the time. Scary sometimes, though, too. Like when they run high fevers in the middle of the night or when they decide to play hide and seek, but don’t tell you first. And then there are the times they drive you mad whining and bickering. But all in all, I have to say, being a parent is hugely rewarding. Nothing beats hearing that first word. Or the first time they walk.” Suzie looked at him sideways. “You planning to have kids some day?”

“Hadn’t really thought about it before, but now, having met yours, I have to say, I’d like at least a half dozen.”

Suzie looked at him with her jaw hanging open. “Are you insane? Six kids!” Suzie started howling with laughter.

“What’s wrong with six kids?” Hunter asked defensively.

“Well, first of all, you need to find a woman crazy enough to go through childbirth that many times.

Let me tell you, pregnancy is not a bed of roses. Then there’s the cost of raising that many kids. Not to mention your sanity.”

“Okay, so maybe just a couple, to start with,” he said with that endearingly cocky grin of his, eyes dark with some emotion she couldn’t identify. Once again, as if he were the sun and she a flower, she found herself leaning toward him and . . .

“Hunta, where the fwogs?”

They pulled apart guiltily as Jared came flying up to them.

“Ready to catch some frogs, little buddy?” Hunter asked.

Jared bobbed his head eagerly. A hilarious, but successful frog hunt ensued with the handsome Hunter wading in murky pond water, jeans rolled up to mid calf. Watching him with the twins, crouched down to their level, holding a slimy frog for them to pet, Suzie felt her heart bursting.
Is this what it would
feel like to be a real family with a daddy?
Maybe she shouldn’t dismiss Hunter as a possibility. But what if he turned out to be a jerk? Could she afford to allow her children’s hearts to be broken?
And what about my
own heart?

She had no time to ponder this thought further as her hungry frog catchers came running up to her, demanding food. Laying out the lunch items and watching the twins’ tousled hair and animated faces, she knew she had a lot more thinking to do.

Hunter and the kids tore into their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with relish. Suzie stuck to her ham and cheese.
Grown up food
, she thought with a grin. Watching Hunter and the kids fool around, trying to talk with peanut butter tongues, she wondered how a man who’d never been around children could get down to their level so easily. He acted like an overgrown kid, himself. And the kids loved it!

After their picnic lunch, Jessica wanted to be pushed on the swings again while Jared wanted to play in the sandbox. Hunter went with Jared and started helping him build some roads with trees and bridges while Suzie pushed Jessica on the swing and exhorted her to pump her legs. To no avail, apparently only Mommy pushes would do.

A tinny song erupted from the vicinity of Hunter’s pants
,
some catchy salsa number that had her raising her brow in amusement. Hunter pulled out his cell phone with a sheepish grin.

“I changed the ringer by accident and can’t change it back.” Hunter looked at the number on his cell phone’s display. “I have to take this. Are you all right with the children for a few minutes?”

Um hello, who does he think has been watching the twins for the last three years?
“Take the call. We’ll be fine.”

Hunter wandered off with his phone, and Suzie kept pushing Jessica while Jared played in the sand.

“Down, Mommy,” said Jessica, tired of swinging.

“Okay, sweetheart, hold on. Let me slow you down”. Moving around to face Jessica and grab the swing’s ropes, she turned her back for a moment on Jared. She brought the swing to a standstill and 31

helped Jessica off the swing. Jessica took two steps, and legs wobbly from swinging, fell on her knees in the pea gravel.

“Ow!” Jessica wailed.

“Let me see,” said Suzie, crouching down to sit Jessica on her bent leg. Jessica raised the gravely injured knee—a little, white scratch, oh my—and Suzie, as was her habit, kissed it.

“All better,” sang Jessica, jumping off Suzie’s lap and racing off to the sandbox behind Suzie to join Jared.

Suzie turned to watch her go and then felt her heart stop.

Where’s Jared?

Suzie didn’t panic yet, although her pulse sped up. “Jared!” she called. Maybe he’d wandered back to the slides while she’d been tending his sister. She scanned the playground, but couldn’t spot him on the slides or anywhere in the playground area.
Where the hell is he? Oh God, did he fall in the pond?

Running to the edge of the play area, she looked around and finally spotted him talking to someone with a cap pulled down low. Jared backed away from the man who reached out a hand. Jared, though, slid sideways, out of reach.

“Jared!” she hollered and started running. “Jared!” The man speaking to Jared ducked his head, turned, and started walking away quickly.

Hunter ran by her, heading for Jared while asking over his shoulder, “What happened?”

“I was helping Jessica,” she panted, running. “I just turned my back for a second and, when I turned to look again, Jared was almost out of the park talking to that man who took off.”

The man in question had jumped into a car parked on the road bordering the playground and drove away.

Jared came running to Suzie, who hugged him tight, then scolded him.

“Jared, what has Mommy told you about talking to strangers?”

“Mommy,” he said, tears starting to fill his eyes at her angry tone. “Dat man thay he my daddy. He thay he mith me an’ he gonna take me home. But I don wanna go, Mommy. I wanna thtay with you.”

Suzie’s face froze.

No, no, no
, went the screaming in her head. This couldn’t be happening. The man had to have been lying. There was no way
he
could have found them.

“I no like dat man, Mommy. He thcary,” said Jared in a tiny voice clogged with tears.

“Did he say anything else?” asked Hunter as Suzie crouched there, paralyzed with fear.

“He thay, tell Mommy hi an’ dat he come back to take me ‘way.”

“Never baby, never. That man was lying. Mommy would never let anybody take you.” Suzie crushed Jared to her chest and held in the wail that threatened to burst out of her.
This can’t be happening
.
I’ve been
so careful. There was no way he could have found us!

Jared squirmed out of her arms, her tight embrace scaring him. Suzie felt her mind swirling in a panicky mess, her only coherent thought—grab the children and run. They needed to hide.
Oh, God.

Hunter, sensing her fragile state, took charge.

“Come on Jared and Jessica, I think your mother’s tired. Let’s take her home.”

It was a much quieter group that dragged its feet home. The kids huddled in the wagon, arms wrapped around each other while Hunter pulled them. Suzie walked in a zombie like trance. Her thoughts whirled in her head.

She’d have to move. She needed to hide the children. This couldn’t be happening. She’d been so careful.
Why did this have to happen
? her mind cried.

When they got home, Hunter settled the kids in front of the television and took her into the kitchen.

“Listen. I got a partial on the plate that stranger was driving. I’ll run it through my contacts, see what they come up with. You know, it may have just been a random perv, which isn’t to say that it’s better, 32

but could mean it was just a random occurrence. Did you get a good enough look to see if it was the twins’ father?”

“No, he had a cap pulled down over this face. I didn’t really see anything. It could have been anyone, I guess. God, this can’t be happening!” Suzie slammed her fist onto the counter, then immediately winced as pain shot through her.

Hunter came close and put his arms around her, hugging her tight. Suzie stood frozen for a second in the circle of his arms, then relaxed, leaning into his strength. This time, while she felt heat, it wasn’t the sexual kind. Instead, she absorbed the cocooning warmth of his body as she would a favorite blanket, the one she wrapped up in when the whole world seemed to be against her. And it felt nice.
I
am so tired of being scared and alone.