Welcome to Bluestone 1 - Bluestone homecoming (18 page)

“I never do this.”

Teresa waved a dismissive hand. “It’s not
like he’s a stranger. It’s not like you’re not together all the
time. So it’s serious?”

She wouldn’t have slept with him, ever, if
she hadn’t wanted it to be serious. And she had to admit his
showing up here made her think he wanted more than they had, too.
All the more reason to tell him. She turned toward the closet to
select fresh clothes for the day, and shrugged. “We like each other
a lot. But no one has said the L word yet.”

“Make sure you don’t say it first.”

She didn’t plan to, but her curiosity was
piqued. Sometimes she forgot he’d grown up in Bluestone. What did
Teresa know that she didn’t? “Why?”

“He’ll bolt. He did it fifteen years ago,
he’ll do it again.”

“He married Liv.” She wished she knew more
about that story. From what she did know, Liv was a strong woman
who could hold her own against Leo’s sense of adventure, have him
coming back to her again and again. Trinity was not that kind of
woman. But surely Leo knew that by now, and he was still
around.

“But he had that job, the one that took him
all over the world. Don’t you think he misses it?”

“I’m sure he does, but he’s adjusting to
life, to being a dad for Max.” They hadn’t talked about his job, or
the future, or any of that. As far as she knew, he was still
leaving the first of June—in two weeks. She had thought she wanted
to keep everything the way it was, but now, after last night—well,
last night had seemed momentous somehow. A turning point. And if
they were going to go forward, they were going to have to talk.

***

While Trinity was in workshops, Leo relearned
the city he’d worked in for a handful of years. The energy felt
good, and he found himself back at his old newspaper, where he’d
gotten his break. He wondered if his old editor was still here. On
a whim, he walked into the building and headed for the
elevator.

It was good to see some of the same people
still worked there and remembered him. Several approached and
clapped him on the back, and finally the editor who had hired him,
Jim Breiling, stepped out of his office to greet him. He beckoned
Leo into his office and offered him a chair across the desk, a
position Leo had taken many times as he’d argued the relevance of a
story. Just being here made him itch to write something
controversial, something that would stir up his juices.

After Breiling offered his condolences about
Liv—Leo hadn’t realized he hadn’t seen the man since she died, the
editor asked, “Looking for work? I heard you took a leave of
absence from Up to the Minute Magazine.”

“Not quite ready to look for work yet. I’m
living up at Bluestone Lake with my son and my folks, writing from
there.”

Breiling snorted. “That’s bound to be
satisfying after what you’ve seen and done.”

“It’s not demanding, but I get time with my
kid.”

“You’re built for demanding, Leo. Your writer
muscles could atrophy up there in the back woods.”

To tell the truth, he’d thought that himself,
and had toyed with the idea of writing a book about his experiences
while he’d been a reporter, but between Max and the town and
Trinity he didn’t have the time to put into it.

“You need to come back to real journalism. If
Up to the Minute doesn’t want you, I can use you. I’ll give you any
feature story you want, give you whatever deadline you need. You’ll
sell papers, Leo.”

That remark did his ego a load of good and he
walked out wanting nothing more than to talk to Trinity, talk about
their future. Would she want to move here? Would she be able to
find a job?

Again he was making mental plans without
discussing it with her. Liv had complained he did that a lot, but
he could always charm her to get his way. He didn’t want to rely on
that anymore.

And there was Max to consider, Max who now
loved living close to his grandparents, near the lake. He could
have a nanny if Trinity wouldn’t come with him, but how would he
adjust? That choice wasn’t fair to the boy, uprooting him again,
just as he was getting settled.

He needed to consider if this was the life he
wanted again. After Liv died, he wanted to go back to the way
things were, to being able to travel, to come home when the job was
done. But now, now that he’d been in Bluestone for a couple of
weeks, bonded with his son, with Trinity, with the town itself…he
didn’t know if that life would make him happy anymore.

***

“Maybe you should go on an assignment, see if
it’s what you want,” Trinity said when he brought it up over dinner
at the Italian place he used to love when he lived here.

He almost felt guilty for taking her away
from her friends, but they’d been encouraging, waving the two of
them off when he’d approached in the bar. He’d delighted them by
dipping Trinity for a kiss, and Trinity’s eyes glowed, but he
wondered if he wasn’t doing her a disservice by invading her space,
coming here to the thing she’d said she so looked forward to every
year. But he didn’t want to be without her.

“Like freelance,” he said. He’d considered
the same thing, and Breiling had been excited enough about seeing
him that Leo figured he might go for it.

But another fear was that he might still love
it, might be as addicted to the action now as he’d been before Liv
died. And if he was, then what? What would that mean for Max, and
for his relationship with Trinity?

“It’s not out of your system. I know it can’t
be,” she said. “Besides, you’re too good.”

He sat back in the chair and looked at her.
“How do you know that?”

She blushed and studied her fork for a
moment. “I may have Googled you. That Texas border story must have
been particularly terrifying to write.”

“It kept me on my toes.” He leaned forward
and captured her hand. “I’m thinking I’m not ready to go back into
the field yet.” He brought her hand to his mouth and touched his
tongue to her palm.

She shivered and blushed, but didn’t pull
away. “We’re just giddy because we don’t have to look over our
shoulders every couple of minutes to see if we’re shocking
someone.”

“I’d like to take you back to the hotel and
shock you. You up for that?”

“I am. I even came prepared this time.” She
held up her purse. “A change of clothes and my make-up.”

How she managed to fit all that in her purse,
he wouldn’t ask. All he could think about was touching her, taking
her, surrounding himself with her. And tomorrow they would
talk.

***

“You look amazing.”

Leo’s smile almost sent Trinity melting into
a puddle in the lobby floor as he approached. She’d wrangled him a
ticket to the final dinner of the conference, and while she worried
he might be bored, she wanted him to meet her friends, to show him
off a little bit. They would have fun, and then afterwards, she
would tell him about the child she’d given up for adoption, and
brace herself for his reaction.

Her stomach would be in knots all night, but
after spending two nights together, and last night actually being
able to sleep, waking up in his arms, sharing a bathroom with
him—things couldn’t go any farther until he knew everything. She
wouldn’t be able to include herself in his decisions until he knew
about the past she’d tried so hard to bury.

He placed his hand on the small of her back
and guided her into the main dining room. She was aware of all the
appreciative glances. He was one of only a handful of men at the
conference, and he was breathtakingly handsome in his suit,
clean-shaven. But that wasn’t what made her heart kick when she
looked at him. No, what did it was the way he looked at her as he
held her chair, then took the seat beside her. The way he greeted
her friends with his special charm. He offered to get the ladies
drinks from the bar, and returned with all in hand, refusing
payment. The women tittered with appreciation and sent Trinity
jealous glances.

And she couldn’t relax, even when he sent
that sexy smile her way.

He sat back, his fingers looped through hers
as they listened to the speaker, and his deep chuckle sent longing
through her, a longing for something more than a night in his bed.
She wanted to pass him on the way to the bathroom every morning,
wanted to sleep every night in his T-shirt. She’d made a mistake
bringing him here, because if he left her, she’d never be able to
enjoy the conference again, always imagining him sitting beside
her.

Her friend Brianna leaned forward and grabbed
her hand. “I need to go to the restroom. Will you come with
me?”

Trinity didn’t roll her eyes but wanted to.
Instead, she sent an apologetic glance to Leo, who smiled.

“My God, woman, that man is in love with
you,” Brianna insisted as they stepped through the swinging
restroom door. “Are you blind? He hasn’t taken his eyes or his
hands off of you.”

“It’s still new.” Trinity fidgeted with her
purse as she stood at the counter in front of the mirror. “That’s
all.”

“I’d kill to have a man look at me like that,
to come down to the city to see me.”

“He was looking for a job.” Until she said
it, she hadn’t even thought it. She knew that wasn’t the whole
story—he could have come down to the city at any time and he chose
to come when she was here, but his main goal wasn’t her. “He’s a
reporter.”

“So? Whatever. They come home. God, I’m a
mess just watching him watch you. Sexiest thing ever. Don’t screw
it up.”

But she was going to. She was going to screw
it up tonight before he took her to bed. She was going to tell him
about her choice. Would he be able to look at her the same way, or
would he be disappointed in her mistake as well?

“Everything all right?” he asked when she
returned to the table. “You look upset.”

She cast him a pained smile. Why had she
waited so long, let things get so serious? Now everything mattered
too much. Losing him would be the hardest thing she’d done since
she turned her head away from her child.

***

She was feeling warm and romantic when they
retired upstairs, partly because Leo had his arms around her, his
mouth close to her neck, his body clearly aroused as he pressed
into her bottom. She couldn’t, couldn’t let him seduce her before
they talked. But God, she wanted to turn in his arms, pin him to
the wall and have her way with him.

Still, this couldn’t go on without him
knowing everything.

He turned her to him once they were inside
the room, and she let herself melt into his kiss before she broke
away.

“Leo, I need to talk to you.”

“Later.” He pressed his mouth to the
sensitive spot beneath her ear and she arched toward him despite
herself. “God, you look amazing in that dress.” He trailed his hand
down the side of the form-fitting sheath.

Temptation was strong, but she pressed her
hands to his shoulder. “There’s something we need to talk
about.”

He drew back, brows pulled together. “Is
everything okay?”

Tears burned the backs of her eyes. She
didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to change everything. “You know
I lived in a very strict household growing up. I didn’t have a lot
of freedom. So, when I went away to college—”

His phone rang. Her stomach dropped when he
pulled away to check the display.

“I’m sorry, Trinity. It’s my mom.” He clicked
to answer. “Yeah, Mom?” His mouth turned down. “Does he have a
fever? Okay, but it’s going to take me about three hours to get
there.” He hung up. “I’m sorry. Max is sick. Throwing up. I need to
go. Do you want to come with me?”

Relief shot through her, so fast and hot her
knees went weak. She had a reprieve. Maybe that would make the
subject harder to broach the next time, but he’d leave here still
thinking well of her. “I can’t. I have to take Teresa home
tomorrow. And, you know, my car is here.”

“Right. Sure.” He moved around the room,
gathering his things and shoving them into his bag. “I’m really
sorry, Trinity. I wanted to talk o you, too, but we’ll be able to,
when we get back. When Max is better.” He zipped up his bag and
straightened, looking at her. “I’ve got to go.”

“Go.” She waved her hands toward the door.
“Thank you. You made this weekend—wonderful.”

He smiled and crossed to kiss her. “You can
stay here tonight.”

She shook her head. “I’ll go back to my room.
That way, Teresa and I can get an early start home.”

***

Leo had never taken care of a sick child
before. He’d only been a back-up to Liv on the few occasions he’d
been home with the boy was ill, and thank God that hadn’t been very
often. He expected work, but didn’t expect the worry. Kids were
sick all the time, weren’t they? But every time Max retched or
cried or moaned, Leo’s thoughts went to the worst possible
scenario. There was no ER in Bluestone, and the clinic was closed
on weekends, though he was pretty sure Dale would meet him there if
he called.

“It’s just a virus,” his mother assured him.
“There’s nothing a doctor can do.”

Except give him peace of mind. “I’m going to
call.”

“Leo, he’s just going to be sick in the
car.”

“That’s what plastic bags are good for. You
mind getting me a couple?”

He lined the booster seat and the floor of
the SUV with garbage bags and handed Max a couple of empty plastic
Walmart bags with instructions to use them if he needed them. He
wished Trinity was here to ride in the back seat with Max, keep him
calm. But he was on his own.

As he drove to meet Dale at the clinic
halfway between Bluestone and Wilson, he wondered what it was she
was so determined to tell him, what it was that had almost made her
cry when he had to leave.