Untangle My Heart (Tangled Hearts) (12 page)

“It’s not that I don’t think she will be. It’s just that I want to do this on my own and she has a tendency to…”

“Take control?” Edward said with a smirk.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much her in a nutshell.”

“For now I’ll keep your secret only if you agree to tell your family once we have a plan figured out.”

“Deal,” Vicky said, holding out her hand.

They shook hands and he helped her up.

“I guess I have to go apologize to her now. I hate that.”

Edward laughed and put his arm around her. “It’ll be fine, you’ll see.”

Chapter Eight

Kate stood at the island in her parents’ kitchen guiding Lucas’s hands as she instructed him on how to roll dough for butter cookies. It was a hard skill to acquire for a young child, and one part of the dough would be thick and the other super thin. But he was having fun and that was all that mattered to her.

“Can I put the sprinkles on?” Lucas asked.

“Of course. We have to let the cookies cool, frost them, and then you can add the sprinkles. How’s that sound?” Kate said.

“Good. Can I eat another piece of dough?”

How could she refuse him when he gazed at her with those sparkling eyes and animated expression? She laughed and brushed her hand at a sprinkling of flour on his cheek, only making it worse.

“Another small piece. You don’t want to eat too much or you’ll get a tummy ache. Besides, you want to leave room to sample the cookies when we’re all done, right?”

He licked his lips and gave her a dreamy expression when he popped another piece of dough in his mouth. “Mmm.”

They worked as a team for the next two hours, rolling, cutting, icing, and sprinkling cookies until all the counters and kitchen table were covered with cookies. When the last cookie was done, Kate poured them both a glass of milk and let him choose one to eat. He studied them carefully before picking up a large star. He took his time biting and chewing, as though he were savoring every bite.

“How are they?” she asked.

“Great,” he said with his mouth full. He finished chewing and swallowed. “They remind me of the cookies my mom used to make.”

Kate’s heart lurched. She hadn’t expected that. He’d never shared anything about his family with her, and she wasn’t sure of the best way to handle it.

“Did you used to make cookies with your mom?”

“Yes. She used to let me help make the cut outs, too.” He lowered his head and hunched forward. “I miss her,” he whispered in a croaked voice.

Kate blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes and wrapped an arm around him. “I’m sure you do, baby, and she misses you, too. You should always hold onto the memory of making cookies with your mother.”

He nodded and sniffled. “Did you ever make cookies with your son, with Tony?”

“No, I never did get to make cookies with Tony.” She pushed his bangs back from his eyes. “But I think if I ever had, it would have been a lot like making cookies here with you.”

He seemed to think about that a moment and then nodded. “Do you know what I want from Santa for Christmas?”

“Hmmm…let me think…A Nintendo DS or maybe a Wii?” she teased, thinking of the bright orange DS she’d already bought for him.

He shook his head. “Those would be nice, but what I want Santa to bring me more than anything is a mom.”

Kate almost choked on the cookie she’d been chewing. “Lucas, sweetie, you know that Santa can’t bring people moms and dads, right?”

“Maybe he will this year. I have the perfect one picked out.”

Her heart thundered. “You do?”

He looked up at her with the most sincere and mature expression she’d ever seen on a six-year-old. “I asked Santa to make you my mom.”

She felt dizzy. Every minute she spent with him convinced her more that he needed her in his life—and that she needed him. But she hadn’t dared hope he’d feel the same way.

She sat on the stool next to him. “Really, Lucas? That would mean moving to New York City and living in a small apartment.”

“What’s New York City like?”

“It’s a lot like Philly but bigger. You wouldn’t miss your friends here?”

“We could come back and visit them, couldn’t we, since your mom and dad live here, right?”

Such a wise little boy, she thought. “Yes, we could. You’d have to go to a new school and make new friends. How would you feel about that?”

“You would help me, right? Hold me if I got scared?”

“Yes, baby, I would.”

“Would we see Edward? He lives with you in New York, right?”

“Yes, he lives across the hall of my apartment building. But I would need to get a bigger place because I only have one bedroom.”

“Maybe he could move in with us and be my dad.”

Kate was amazed at the speed at which the child moved. She’d barely gotten used to the idea of raising a child on her own and now he wanted Edward to be his dad. How did she tell him that wasn’t ever going to happen?

She reached for his hand. “While Edward would visit us and we could do stuff together, he wouldn’t be your dad. It would just be the two of us.”

“Oh, I thought he was your boyfriend.”

“No. He’s just my friend.”

“Okay, then he can visit and hang out with us.”

“I didn’t realize how much you liked Edward.”

“He’s cool. I still think his voice is kinda funny, but he showed me how to draw some neat pictures. I’m drawing both of you a picture for Christmas.”

She ruffled his hair. “I can’t wait to see it.”

“And he said he would help me with soccer. He used to play in school, you know?”

“Yes, I did. And I believe he was pretty good at it, too.” She was surprised at how much Lucas knew about Edward. Not that she should be, given the inquisition one usually got around the boy. The child was destined to be a reporter, a cop, or maybe a lawyer.

“So will you do it, Kate? Will you be my mom?”

“There’s nothing I want more, Lucas. I need to talk to Father Dominic to see what has to be done. It may take a little bit of time to figure everything out. Can you be patient while I find out what I have to do?”

He nodded. “There’s something else.”

Kate didn’t know if she could stand any other deep thoughts for the day. “Lay it on me.”

“My mom always let me have two cookies when we baked,” he said with a charming smile way older than his years and hinted at the young man he would be one day.

Any remaining doubts she may have had about adopting him fled in that moment. “Oh, did she now?” she asked with a sidelong glance.

He nodded and tried without success to stifle a smile.

“Well, I think your mom was right. You definitely need at least two cookies to make sure they taste all right.”

“You’re the best, Kate. You’re gonna make a great mom.” He threw his arms around her.

She hugged him back, loving the feel of his small, warm body against hers. He already felt like a son to her. Hopefully the adoption process wasn’t difficult, especially for a single mom. Unrealistic as it may be, she’d try to get his wish granted in time for Christmas.

****

Kate felt it again, like someone was watching her. A quick glance to the left and right didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary, but didn’t do much to minimize her paranoia. The sense of panic similar to the attacks she’d gotten right after Mario died threatened to rise to the surface. But why now? She shivered and yanked up the collar of her coat.

Kate ushered Lucas into the warmth of the pizzeria and shook snow off his hair. The boy needed a heavier coat, a hat, and probably gloves and boots, too. Tomorrow, she’d do some shopping for him.

“Hi, Sue,” Kate said as she lifted Lucas onto one of the bar stools.

“Hey, Kate. Who’s your friend here?” Sue asked.

“This handsome guy is Lucas. We’d like to place an order, please.” She turned to Lucas. “What would you like? There’s pizza, cheesesteak, chicken parm, and other hot sandwiches.” She handed him a menu.

“Are you going to join your sister and that smokin’ British eye candy she brought in with her?” Sue nodded at a booth in the far corner.

Kate raised an eyebrow and turned to glance over her shoulder. Sure enough Edward and Vicky sat in a booth, his laptop open and papers spread out all around them. What was
that
about? They must have had one hell of a conversation earlier at the restaurant.

Even though she had no right to, Kate couldn’t stop feeling annoyed at seeing her sister and ex-lover together at a table. Could she really be jealous?

“How long have they been here?” Kate asked.

“A couple of hours. Since I got here at four, they’ve been sitting there studying those papers,” Sue replied.

After hanging up their coats and giving their food order to Sue, they wandered toward the back.

“Hi, there,” Lucas called, running up to their table.

Surprise registered on both their faces and Vicky scrambled to cover up her papers.

“Hi, guys,” Vicky called.

“Hey, sis.” After tossing a suspicious glance at Edward, Kate added, “I thought you were heading back to New York.”

“I am. But first I offered to help Vicky with a project,” he said with an even expression, one that challenged her own stubborn one.

“Yeah, it’s for school. It’s a business class and Edward was giving me his opinion on what I’ve done so far,” Vicky added, her voice a little higher than usual.

“How nice,” Kate said, although the tone of her voice conveyed it was anything but.

Kate had never been one who could easily hide her feelings. Nope. She wore them clearly stamped on her face, in her body language, and in her voice. Surely, he could sense her displeasure at seeing him with her sister—he’d have to be an idiot not to.

His eyes scanned the length of her, taking in the long white sweater, black leggings, and boots. By the time he reached her face again, after lingering on her breasts, she felt heat rush into her cheeks.

Beyond the amusement in his eyes, he exuded a flicker of something more—something arousing that made her want to do naughty and completely inappropriate things to him. What the hell was wrong with her to be reacting to him like some silly schoolgirl? And in her family’s pizzeria…with Lucas and her sister there. She looked away, fussing with the collar of Lucas’s shirt.

“Guess what?” Lucas asked. “We made cookies today. They’re totally awesome, too. And we’re eating dinner here. Will you eat with us?”

Despite her initial reaction and, dare she think it, jealousy, clearly her sister and Edward were working on business and didn’t need any distraction.

“Lucas, I think Edward and Vicky are busy right now. Let’s grab a table and I’ll show you the kitchen while we wait. Maybe you can watch them make our food.”

His face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Awesome.”

She brought Lucas into the kitchen, introducing him to the staff, including Vinnie, who the boy hadn’t met yet. Vinnie gave him a chef’s hat to wear, which Lucas declared “totally cool.”

Vicky came up next to them. “I can finish giving Lucas the tour. Go talk to him,” she nodded toward the dining room where Edward sat.

“Why? Does he have something to discuss with me?” Kate asked.

Vicky rolled her eyes. “Oh please. There’s so much sexual tension between you two that you both may spontaneously combust.”

Kate straightened her shoulders. “That’s just annoyance resulting from our constant conflict of opinions.”

Vicky gave a flick of her hand. “Yeah, sure. Call it that if you want, but I’m calling it like I see it. He really likes you, Kate. Go work it out with him.”

“That’s the problem, Vick,” she said with sad eyes. “I can’t.”

“No. You won’t,” Vicky fired back. With a gentle shove she pushed Kate in the direction of the kitchen door. “Go.”

****

Edward read the text response from Charles telling him it was fine to cancel their plans that evening. He’d intended on leaving Philly early enough to have dinner with Charles and Meghan, but it appeared that wasn’t going to happen. In addition to the meeting with Vicky, which had run longer than expected, it seemed Mother Nature was going to dump four to six inches of snow overnight. And given that it had already started, he’d rather stay put.

When he’d lived in London, he’d spoken with his brother daily, mostly about business, but about other things, too. Once he moved to New York, he thought he would spend more time with Charles, but they were both busy and didn’t see each other much outside the office. Still, he didn’t regret his decision to move to the States. He enjoyed New York and was pleased to work closely with his brother again.

He returned the phone to his pocket and glanced at the data on his laptop. He’d been surprised when Vicky confided her desire to turn the pizzeria into a bakery and café. Now, sitting in the space and listening to her describe it, he could see her vision. It was a good idea, one that would work independently and also be beneficial to the new restaurant. This afternoon, they drafted a plan. Once Vicky added the start-up cost projections, they’d talk about next steps.

He was saving his documents when Kate slid into the booth across from him. The stubborn set of her chin and fierceness of her eyes said she was in a “don’t fuck with me” mood. The devil perched on one of his shoulders challenged him to try and piss her off. Given that he usually did, intentional or not, he figured it was only a matter of time before that happened. He smiled at the thought.

“Something funny?” she snapped.

He ignored her question. “You made cookies with Lucas this afternoon?”

Her face relaxed and she smiled. “Yes, for the Christmas party.”

“Ah, that sounds like it could be interesting.”

Edward never made cookies in his life and didn’t have a clue about what that entailed. But based on the tiredness etched on her face, it looked rough.

“It was fun, though I wish I had an eighth of the kid’s energy. Boy, can he talk. I’m exhausted and my feet ache.” She closed her eyes and rested her head along the back of the booth.

He glanced down at the high-heeled black leather boots propped up on the bench next to him. They came up to just under her knee and hugged her calf like a second skin. As usual, the heel was close to four inches, and while looking at them made the blood rush to his groin, they didn’t seem practical for an afternoon of baking cookies. Unable to refrain from the temptation, he unzipped one of the boots and slipped her foot out.