Four Times the Trouble (14 page)

“Even if Jessie hadn’t come in, you’d have stopped me just like you did the first time I kissed you.” He reached out, taking her hand. “Your heart would have kept you loyal to the man you love.”

Michelle’s grateful smile hurt most of all. Jacob left her, swearing to himself that, other than his daughters, he was never going to care for another human being again. He never seemed to get it right.

* * *

Y
OUR
HEART
would have kept you loyal to the man you love.
Michelle studied her reflection in the mirror as she got ready for the triplets’ big night. Jacob’s words had been replaying themselves over and over in her head. He’d said them to comfort her. She knew that. But he’d failed to consider one very frightening possibility. Somehow it wasn’t just Brian that she loved. The idea was unconscionable, but even more, it scared her to death.

Michelle ran her hands through her hair, and her eye was caught by a glint in the mirror. Her wedding ring. Holding out her hand, Michelle studied the wide gold band. The ring was a symbol of faith, of hope—of love. If she was going to continue being true to it, then she might just have to stop seeing Jacob Ryan, which meant that she wouldn’t be seeing the triplets, either. She wondered how many times her heart had to break before it couldn’t hurt anymore.

* * *

T
HE
GIRLS
WERE
a cyclone of excitement when Michelle climbed into Jacob’s Explorer twenty minutes later.

“Did you remember the bobby pins, Michelle? We gotta have our hair not fall down,” Allie said by way of greeting.

Michelle grinned. “I got ’em right here, Al.” There was nothing like children to put life in perspective.

“We get to wear makeup, Michelle! Ms. Thomas said we had to so we would show up and Daddy said it was okay!” Jessie bounced up and down as much as her seat belt would allow.

“And we get flowers after the show,” Meggie added, not to be outdone by her siblings on this important occasion. “We saw them in the back. Daddy bought them for us and everything…”

“…and we all practiced our parts just like you said, didn’t we, Daddy?” Allie piped up.

“Yeah, and I got almost all of them right,” Jessie said before Jacob had a chance to reply.

“We didn’t eat much dinner, though,” Meggie said. “Daddy said we can have another dinner after the show if we want to.”

“You can have it with us, Michelle, can’t she, Daddy?” Jessie asked.

Jacob looked at Michelle, shrugging apologetically. “Sure, if she wants to, Jess,” he said.

Michelle could think of few things she wanted more than to go home with them after the play, but she knew she couldn’t risk it. It would be late. The girls would be tired. They’d be in bed before she knew it. She looked at Jacob, not used to seeing him in a suit and tie, and knew she’d just end up in his arms again.

“We’ll see,” she said.

Michelle was run off her feet during the next two hours, applying makeup, fixing hair and getting the girls zipped into their costumes. Several of the other mothers offered to help her, probably thinking Michelle couldn’t possibly manage all three of Jacob’s girls on her own, but she refused them happily. This was
her
time with the girls and she cherished every second of it.

And then the girls were called to take their places backstage, and Michelle made her way to the front of the auditorium and the seat Jacob was saving for her in the second row. Nonnie was there, too, and Michelle smiled, greeting the elderly woman just as the house lights dimmed and the curtains opened.

Jessie was the most precious Cinderella Michelle had ever seen. She remembered all her lines and instilled just the right amounts of sadness and joy into each scene. Meggie and Allie were superb in their wickedness.

“They’re wonderful,” Michelle whispered to Jacob.

“I know,” he said, smiling with pride.

Michelle elbowed him gently. “Your ego’s showing, Ryan.”

He grabbed her hand, squeezed it and brought it with his own to rest against his thigh. “So sue me,” he said, not taking his eyes off the stage.

He held her hand for the rest of the play, and Michelle let him, as if by some unspoken agreement they’d both enjoy this one last evening pretending they were a family. And then they were standing to applaud as the young cast members took their final bows. The lights came up in the auditorium and it was over.

Michelle met the girls back in their dressing room. Allie and Jessie threw themselves into her arms, beside themselves with excitement.

“Did you see us, Michelle? Did you see us?”

“Of course I saw you, Jess, every second. You were wonderful. Now stand still while I get you out of this dress.”

“Did you like the way my eye switched, Michelle? Did I do it good?”

“That’s twitched, Allie honey, and yes, you were magnificent.”

“I tried to sound real wicked,” Meggie said, trying to unzip the back of her dress.

“You were terrific, Meg. You made the whole audience shudder. Here, let me get that zipper for you.”

“What’s shudder?” Allie wanted to know while Michelle handed them the jeans and sweatshirts they’d worn to the school.

“It’s this,” Michelle said, shivering and making a face as if she’d tasted something sour.

Meggie was the first one dressed and, still bouncing with excitement, stumbled into Michelle as she handed over her costume. Michelle’s arms came out to steady the little girl, her breath stilling as she felt Meggie’s quick hug.

“Thank you, Michelle.” Then Meggie hopped off to urge her sisters to hurry so they could go see Jacob and get their flowers.

And just like that, Michelle knew she could no more stop seeing Jacob’s children than she could cut out her heart. She owed Brian many things, but she’d made promises to Allie and Jessie and Meggie, too. Promises she meant to keep.

She led the girls out to meet Jacob, promising herself, and her husband, that she would stay away from any situations that might leave Jacob and her alone together. She could make this work. She had to make it work. She was afraid she might just curl up and die if she had to go back to the lonely existence she’d had before Jacob and his family had come into her life.

* * *

E
LEANOR
W
ILSON
stood in the wings and watched the Ryan girls come out of the dressing room. They were all talking at once, excited by their performances, bouncing around the woman accompanying them. Eleanor listened unashamedly as the little girls all vied for attention. It was obvious they were happier than they’d been in a very long time. And that Mrs. Colby was just as happy to be with them. Eleanor smiled. She could rest easy now, knowing her darlings were in the right hands.

* * *

J
ACOB
’
S
MESSAGE
LIGHT
was blinking when he got home that night. The girls had talked Michelle and him into a celebratory dinner at McDonald’s before dropping Michelle off at her house, and all three of them had finally fallen asleep during the drive back to the beach. He carried them inside one by one, got them tucked into bed and poured himself a drink of water. Then he went into the living room to play back his messages.

“Hi, Jake, honey.” Jake choked on a swallow of water. “I’m back in L.A. staying at the Beverly Hills Maison de Maison. Call me.”

He played the message a second time, listening for any nuances in her voice that might give him a clue to what she wanted. She sounded sweet as honey, just the way she’d been when they’d first met ten years before. A small part of him remembered that time with affection. Mostly he remembered everything that came afterward. Grabbing his phone, he searched for the hotel listing, then punched out the numbers for the Maison, wondering why he was returning the call, because for the life of him, he just couldn’t think of one good reason for him to care that Ellen was back in town.

CHAPTER TWELVE

E
LLEN
WANTED
to see him. For old times’ sake, she’d said. Jacob didn’t think there was anything in their old times that called for another meeting. Except, maybe, his three motherless children. They were beginning to bring Michelle into every conversation. And after the talk he’d had with Michelle the other morning, he had serious doubts that she’d be a part of their lives for very much longer. Because, despite what he’d told Michelle, there was no way they could continue to share his daughters without, sooner or later, ending up in each other’s arms again. The feelings between them were simply too strong.

Which left him with the same problem he’d had before. Allie, Jessie and Meggie needed a mother. Did Jacob have the right to deny them this chance? If Ellen was going to make an effort to see them, didn’t he owe it to the girls to find out if she’d changed?

* * *

“…
SO
CALLER
NUMBER
NINE
wins a chance at the Hawaiian Tropics all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii on Delta Airlines. The number’s 555-8484. That’s 555-8484… .” Jacob watched Michelle snap off her mike as Bob put on the Hawaiian Tropics commercial in the other room and manned the phone lines.

A Coldplay tune was set for right after the commercial. They had five minutes. Now was as good a time as any. “Ellen’s in town. I’m having dinner with her tonight,” Jacob said, tapping his pen against the program log in front of him.

Michelle’s hand froze above her mike switch. “Ellen?”

“My ex.”

She looked at him, the hurt in her eyes quickly masked.

“The girls’ mother,” she said, as if that summed it all up.

“There was a message from her when we got home last night. She wants to see me.”

“Do the girls know?”

“No.”

She digested that bit of information in silence. Jacob wished he knew what she was thinking. What a crazy situation. He valued her advice, yet he could hardly ask the woman he’d fallen in love with what she thought about him seeing his ex-wife.

“I don’t know what Ellen wants or what this is all about. And until I do, the girls aren’t going to even know she’s around. They were hurt badly by her desertion, and I’m not going to risk it happening all over again.”

Michelle nodded. “Will Laurie stay with them tonight?”

“Probably. It was too late to call her last night, but she usually doesn’t mind short notice. Unless you want to stay with them,” he offered, responding to the look of yearning in her eyes.

“Could I?”

Jacob didn’t see why it should matter. The girls already adored her. One night more or less wouldn’t change that.

“Of course,” he said. “You’re a part of their lives for as long as you want to be, Michelle. I thought we’d established that much at least.”

She smiled, the hint of tears in her eyes saying far more than words. “Thanks,” she said, turning back to the mike just in time.

Jacob wanted to take her away and kiss her until all the pain she’d suffered was nothing but a memory. Instead, he called the mother of his children and confirmed plans to take her out to dinner. This time around he wouldn’t expect too much. He’d learned the hard way not to expect anything from Ellen at all.

* * *

A
LLIE
CALLED
A
MEETING
with her sisters that afternoon after school. Daddy had told them about Michelle coming over when they’d been eating their snack. Allie’d been worrying since Disneyland that her plan for Daddy and Michelle to be in love hadn’t worked, but if Michelle was coming over not to sew or anything then it must’ve. Finally she was gonna get to tell the others her secret.

“Come on, Allie. Daddy said he’d take us bike riding,” Meggie complained as soon as Allie shut the bedroom door behind the three of them.

“Shh. He’ll hear you,” Allie said, climbing onto Meggie’s bed. “This is important.”

“What is?” Jessie asked, climbing onto the bed beside her.

Meggie sat on her pillow. “Yeah, what?”

Allie felt all excited inside. Her sisters were going to love this.

“Daddy and Michelle are in love and Michelle’s going to be our mommy.”

“I already know that,” Jessie said, rolling her eyes at Allie.

“How do you know?” Allie asked. She’d thought this would be a surprise.

“Because. I saw them kissing on the couch.”

Meggie sat forward. “When?” she asked, her dark eyes wide.

“One time when I had a bad dream. It was the middle of the night and they were kissing on the couch.”

Allie nodded, satisfied. She was actually relieved to know she was right. It was too important to make a mistake about. “Okay, so now we have to be really good tonight.”

“Again?” Jessie asked, frowning. “How come?”

“Because this is a pretend time for Michelle to be our mommy and we don’t want to make her change her mind.”

“That’s dumb, Al. Michelle’s been around lots already.”

“Yeah, but that was just to sew and stuff. This is the first time she’s coming just to be with us. It’s important or Daddy would’ve just called Laurie like he always does.”

Meggie looked scared all of a sudden. “What if Daddy’s going on a date? If Michelle’s going to be our mommy she won’t like that.”

Allie shook her head. “He’s going to do business,” she said. He hadn’t said so, but Allie knew that people in love didn’t do dates with other people.

“Is this the last time we have to be so good?” Jessie asked, sounding resigned.

“I don’t know. But maybe,” Allie said. “Come on, let’s get our tennis shoes on so we can ride our bikes. Maybe Daddy’ll take us to the park.”

“I get to swing first if he does,” Jessie said, sliding down off the bed.

“And I’m second this time,” Meggie said, joining her sister in the doorway of their closet.

Allie came up behind them. “Those are my shoes, Jess. That’s my ’nitial on the heel.”

Jessie tossed Allie her shoes. “Do you really think Michelle’s going to be our mommy, Al?”

Allie noticed that Meggie was looking at her, too. She loved it when her sisters asked her important stuff. “Yep, I’m sure,” Allie said, crawling into the closet to find Jessie’s shoes.

* * *

E
LLEN
WAS
AS
BEAUTIFUL
as ever. Jacob sat across from her at a secluded table in the restaurant at the top of the Maison de Maison, remembering how he used to tell her just how gorgeous she was.

“So how long are you in town?” he asked.

“Maybe permanently. I’m between jobs at the moment.”

“Do you have any leads?”

“I’ve had an open-ended offer. I’m just not sure I want to stay in politics. I, uh, kind of thought I’d like to, you know, pursue something else that once mattered to me.”

Her blatant look made it clear that that something was Jacob. He just wasn’t sure why.

“I’ve grown up in the past few years, Jacob. I’ve learned to be a little more flexible.” She smiled across at him, her dinner fork poised above her plate. She was wearing a black silk dress, and it looked as expensive as she did.

“You mean I could’ve worn my sweats and you still would have been seen with me?”

“I said flexible, dear, not uncouth. Besides, that suit looks good on you. It matches your eyes. You clean up very nicely, you know.”

He recognized that come-hither smile. “So do you, but then you always did.”

“I used to wonder sometimes if you even noticed.”

What?
“Of course I noticed!”

“Before the babies were born, you did.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that you lost interest in me after we had the girls.”

“That’s ludicrous! It was just harder to make time for us after the girls were born. But we still managed. Remember that weekend in San Diego?”

Ellen’s face softened. “Yeah. It was the best, Jacob. I was amazed you’d go to all that trouble. You even got the honeymoon suite. I never knew you could be such a romantic.”

“I never stopped finding you attractive, Ellen.”

“Not even when I was as fat as an elephant?”

“Especially not then. I thought you were beautiful. And afterward, too. But with the girls waking up on three different schedules all night long, sleep had to be our priority. If you remember, I took turns getting up with them, too, and still had to be at work at five o’clock in the morning. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open some days. I thought you understood that.”

“I suppose I was a little inflexible on that score. I wanted to come first all the time, not just an occasional weekend. But you could have tried harder, too, you know.”

Jacob shrugged, seeing those years in a new light. The triplets had consumed so much of his time and energy then, perhaps he’d forgotten he needed to be a husband, not just a father.

They finished dinner and Ellen was charming throughout. She didn’t talk much about her life in Washington, but whatever had happened there appeared to have been good for her. She’d grown up. But she hadn’t changed completely. She was still a little too interested in appearances, in material things. And other than a brief inquiry the night before, she still hadn’t asked about her daughters.

“So, do you have anybody special in your life?” she asked after their waiter had cleared their dinner plates and brought their desserts.

He thought of Michelle at home with his children. “I date.”

“But no one steady?”

“Not right now.”

She slid her fork into a three-inch slice of chocolate mousse, a smile curving her lips. “We were very good together once, you and I,” she said.

“I thought so.” His dessert fork still lay on the table beside him.

“I bet we could be again.”

He nodded, his forearms resting on the pristine white tablecloth. “Probably.”

She stopped eating, studying him across the candlelit expanse, her expression assessing. “You know, I have to commend you, Jacob. We’ve been together almost two hours and you haven’t mentioned the girls once.”

“I wondered if you were ever going to get around to asking about them.”

She shrugged. “I guess I just wanted to see if you’ve changed as much as I have. In the old days, you never talked about anything else. It was always the babies this, the babies that. If one of them hadn’t gotten a new tooth or learned how to drink from a straw, then someone had a runny nose.”

“They’re our children, Ellen. Who else would I talk to about them?”

“Well, nobody of course, but it’s nice to have adult conversation once in a while, too, you know. There were days there when I felt like little ropes of ABC’s were going to wrap around my neck and strangle me to death.”

One thing hadn’t changed. She still had that knack for making him feel guilty. “I guess I should have listened to you a little more closely. Maybe a full-time nanny wouldn’t have hurt.”

She smiled, looking more grateful than victorious. The old Ellen would have gloated. “So how are they?” she asked.

And Jacob suddenly found himself not knowing what to say. He’d love to be able to spill out all his worries to the mother of his children, to have her share them. He’d love to tell her about Ms. Wilson’s warnings, about the play, about Meggie’s withdrawal. But he wasn’t sure she really wanted to hear them.

“Good. They’re doing fine.”

“They’re in first grade now, aren’t they? How are they doing in school? Do they like it?”

“School’s good. Allie’s separated from Meggie and Jessie this year.”

Ellen’s eyes shadowed. “Is it hard for her? She was always kind of the leader of the three, wasn’t she?”

“She still is. And yes, it’s been a little difficult, but for the best, I think. She’s adjusting. And their grades are all pretty good. Jessie’s dip every now and then, but she’ll come around.”

Ellen smiled. “She never was a good listener.”

“She still isn’t.” Jacob grinned back at her.

“Remember that time she fell in Rick Morris’s pool right after we’d both warned her to stay back from the water?”

Jacob wasn’t likely to forget. The station manager hadn’t been too pleased to have his wedding reception interrupted by a wet screaming child.

They talked about the triplets for a few more minutes and then Jacob paid the bill. He didn’t want to keep Michelle out too late.

He walked Ellen to the elevator and pushed the button. “Can we do this again sometime?” she asked.

Jacob slid his hands into his pockets. “Sure.”

“Soon?” She gazed at him in her familiar way.

The elevator arrived. “I’ll call you,” he said as she disappeared inside.

* * *

I
N
SPITE
of the relatively early hour, Michelle was asleep on the couch when Jacob let himself into his beach house forty-five minutes later. As he stood gazing at her sweet gentle face, he had to consciously restrain himself from touching her.