Cheaters Anonymous (22 page)

“It’s possible that I have another baby somewhere out there.” The sadness in her eyes overwhelmed me. “There’s no way to know.”

“Does Scar know this?”

“He does now. The nurse who made the mistake destroyed all the records. They didn’t want to be sued, especially by a very successful lawyer. Frank went ballistic, but I didn’t want the stress and asked him to drop it. I think it was part of the reason he began doing businesses on the side. I think I pushed him into it. He wanted to practice law and get the truth, and I stopped his claim against the clinic. I just wanted to focus on the innocent baby I had growing inside me.”

“You blame yourself for Mr. Wagner’s choices.”

“Sometimes I do. I guess I’ll never know. But now that the family is together, we try not to dwell on the past and concentrate on the present and the future. One way or another, there’s no proof that the IVF even happened.”

“Was it the Huntington Fertility Clinic?”

“Yes, the one beside the hospital.”

“It had all the records moved when the storm flooded the clinic.”

“I know, but there were no records. They were destroyed.”

I wondered if that were true. I knew from experience that three copies of paperwork were always made at the hospital. One was for the parents, one for the tending staff, and one was sent to the general practitioner and later filed with the hospital. That was in the old days, before computers and tablets.

“He should believe you. You’re his mother,” I said under my breath.

“He does now. How else could he explain having his father’s DNA but not mine? He even used to think we bribed Frank’s mistress to give Scar up. Whatever demons Scar was fighting when he was younger were deep. He used Frank’s affairs as an excuse. But he’s a good man, with a big heart. I know that light bulb will flash in his mind one day, and he’ll conquer those fears he has about relationships.”

“You know about those?”

“Of course I do. I also know that he’s very fond of you, Julia. And I’m glad he has a friend like you. There’s no one else in this world I’d rather see as my daughter-in-law.”

“Oh, wait. That’s way too far. There’s no way... I mean... No, I could never...”

She laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just that when I see you two together, I can’t imagine anyone else who’s a better fit. You two would make the most beautiful grandchildren ever.”

“We’re just starting out to see whether we can cross over the friendship line.”

“Friends don’t look at each other the way you two do. If you want my advice, don’t be afraid to open your heart. After all, a heart that’s not beating because of love is a heart that will die quickly. And life has too many surprises lined up for us not to take in those moments we are sure about, and savor them.” She picked up the bunch of roses she’d cut and set them into an empty vase on the table, adjusting the stems into another perfect bouquet.

Was she right? Could I possibly love? Could Scar? Would he be able to move past his ideals and stay with one woman? He said he would try for me. Could I stay with one man?

“Do you think Scar would want to know who his biological mother was?”

“You’d have to ask him, Julia. It’s not a door that I’ll ever close for him, but it’s definitely one I don’t want to step through. Scar is my son. He always was and always will be.”

I picked watermelon with my fork. “Why did you stay with Mr. Wagner after he cheated?”

“My parents divorced when I was young. All I ever wanted was to create the family I never had. Frank is a ruthless man in business, but he’s also a loving man, and despite what many think, he absolutely loves his family and his children. All of them. I’ve made mistakes in the past as well. I tried to keep Grace away from her father, for good reasons back then, and stayed in the marriage to protect my kids, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t love him. He’s changed. He has grown tired in the past few years, and I think he’s slowly beginning to own up to his mistakes, ones that his sons are desperate to help him fix.”

“You’re a special woman, Beth. It couldn’t have been easy to trust again.”

“It never is. But time has a way of healing wounds. It was a long time ago, before we even had children. Forgiveness is a powerful thing, Julia. While I don’t wish anyone to have to go through what I did, unless they walk in other people’s shoes, no one has the right to throw stones, including me.”

I’d always known that Scar’s mother was a smart and a beautiful woman, but I hadn’t realized how strong she was. She held every loose strand of her family and tied it back to its one central spot: her heart.

“Was Grace an in vitro baby?”

“No, honey, Grace was another surprise.”

“You must have been ecstatic.”

“We were happy and blessed with the birth of each of our children, but yes, you do develop a different kind of bond with each of them.”

I spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun on the porch and laughing with Beth as if no time had passed. Before Scar returned home, I unpacked my new phone which was delivered earlier that day, and texted Chris to ask her to check on some files for me in the hospital’s storage. She looked, but couldn’t find anything on Scar Wagner. Worried about Trish, I felt relief when I called her and she told me she was staying with Axel. He hadn’t let her out of his sight since Brad had attacked me, and I was glad that she had someone to take care of her. There was no further word about Brad’s whereabouts, and I was afraid he was preparing for a battle I couldn’t win.

C
HAPTER
20

“Rise and shine, Jules.” Morning sun hit my eyes as Scar kissed me on my cheek.

I smelled caffeine.

“It’s too early.” And it definitely felt like I’d just gone to bed. Zoey came back to see me in the evening and hadn’t left until after midnight. We stayed up and watched a James Bond marathon until I passed out on the couch. Soon after, I remembered Scar coming back from work and Ace picking up my sister.

“You gotta get up. We’re leaving in an hour.”

“Leaving? Where to?”

“On our date.”

“What?”

“Jules, if we don’t have a proper date, we won’t be able to make this relationship work.”

“Have you been reading a dating manual?” I lifted my body up and leaned back on my elbows.

“No, but I read on the Internet that a woman likes certain things before she puts out.”

“I can definitely confirm that you telling a woman you’re planning for her to put out is not a way to get into her panties.”

“Then would this do?” He jumped into the bed and crushed his lips to mine. I pulled away and covered my mouth, turning away.

“Was that not good?” he asked.

“Morning breath!” I rolled out on the other side and ran for the bathroom. Actually I hopped. Running still wasn’t on my abilities chart. When I turned around to check whether he was following me and saw him eat me alive with his gaze, an image of me as his breakfast flashed in my mind. And there was that dripping sensation in my panties again.

“Jules, I almost fucked you up against that wall yesterday. I’m not making that mistake again.”

Feeling my nipples pebble at the memory, I lifted my arms to cover myself and leaned my head to the side, wondering what he was getting at.

“You didn’t like it?”

“Jules, I had morning wood all night. Of course I liked it, but I’m not used to stopping half way and carrying blue balls in my shorts.”

I chuckled. “You could have done something about it.”

While I meant that he could have eased the pressure in the shower, he took it differently.

“If I’d come into your bedroom last night, I would have. And then I’d be an asshole.”

“Why so harsh?”

“What kind of a man fucks a woman he cares about before they even go out on a date? No fucking way. I’m doing this right, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

He was moving around the room like the Tasmanian devil – the cartoon one. His pace made my head spin.

“Now pack up so that I can feed you, spoil you, dazzle you, and whatever else there is to do on a date so that I can honorably take you.”

Honorably?
I chuckled.

“Is there something funny?” he growled.

“No, sir!” This time I laughed and regretted it as soon as I saw his eyes. When he started heading, my way I jumped inside the bathroom and locked the door.

“You have fifteen minutes, Jules.” I could hear a smile behind his words.

* * *

“When you said you were taking me out on a date, flying in a jet wasn’t exactly on my radar.”

The engines roared in my ears, and I felt the pressure of the start glue me to my seat. I gripped the seat rests as the sound of the engine’s whirl increased. We were sitting in his father’s private jet, and my stomach felt queasy before the lift off.

“I’m glad I can still surprise you, Jules. You can relax. Flying is one of the safest ways to travel.”

Tell that to the people who crashed into the ground.
I had never liked flying, despite the statistics he was quoting.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

He leaned into me, saying, “No way.”

“Too bad. I was willing to offer joining the mile high club if you told me.”

His chest vibrated with a warning. “You’re really pushing it, Jules.”

Didn’t he know he wasn’t the only one aching below the belt? I’d been praying for Scar to lose control since the last time he touched me, but he held his ground as if he were a priest.

“Fine, I can wait,” I lied, because every fiber of my body was as patient as a hiccup.

“Believe me, once you see where we’re going, your libido will surge.”

If my libido surged any higher I’d turn into a ticking bomb. And that would definitely not be safe for a plane.

Where in the world is he taking me?

Two hours later we landed. A black SUV was waiting for us on the tarmac. Scar held my door open as the driver packed our two suitcases into the limo. Since Scar had apparently requested the pilot not to make announcements as to where we were landing, and there were no signs on the tarmac, I still had no clue where we were. Even the license plate on the limo had been covered. We could have been in a different country, and I would have no clue, but given our flight had been just over two hours, I was pretty sure we were still in the United States.

We drove in silence. My head kept on whipping back and forth, trying to find a clue, but the driver must have taken a country route through a forest, with few other cars. Each time one was about to pass us, Scar struck up a conversation and I couldn’t catch the license plate and its state.

“You need to stop figuring out where we’re going,” he said. “I want you to be surprised.”

“I’m already surprised,” I replied, and then through a break between the trees I saw the mountains. The green hilltops filled with luscious trees looked quite different than the snow covered caps I would have recognized.

“Scar, you didn’t!”

“Didn’t what?”

Didn’t bring us to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
.

As the driver weaved up the private road, I knew that we were going to the same ski resort where we had reconnected six years ago. I just held my mouth open. There weren’t enough words. For a guy who said he didn’t know how to do romance and insisted he never dated, Scar couldn’t have chosen a better spot for our first date.

“Are we staying at the Ponderosa Lodge?”

“We are.”

“But there’s no snow. What are we going to do?”

“I can think of a few things to keep us occupied.”

Images of “a few things” like Scar on top of me, between my legs, me riding him, or bending over the bed while he took me from behind flashed through my mind inadvertently, sending my hormones off the charts.

Get a grip, Jules.

“But I’m hoping we’ll find enough time to go for a hike.”

A hike? Why would I want to go on a hike? Scar was really taking this dating thing seriously, wasn’t he? I, on the other hand, was ready to lock us up in a room and not come out until we had to leave.

“Are you expecting me to exert myself? I’m still healing,” I pouted.

“Hopefully you’re well enough for the activities I have planned.”

My knees bounced and my heart was ready to jump out of my chest. I couldn’t believe he’d done this.

“You’re happy?” he asked as we pulled up to the chalet.

“Are you kidding me? I’m speechless.”

I followed Scar as he carried our suitcases into the chalet. In the lobby, the fireplace flickered while soft music played over the intercom.

“Where is everyone?” I asked, only now realizing I hadn’t seen another person here.

“There’s only us and the staff. I booked the entire resort.”

“What?”

“I just didn’t want any interruptions, Jules.”

How did he manage to do that?

“Just go with it, Jules.” He laughed as if he knew what I was thinking.

“So, what are the plans?”

“Definitely the hike.”

I felt my nose shrivel up.

He stepped toward me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Or we can skip the hike and can go to our room.” His voice was husky and full of promises, and despite my earlier resolve, suddenly I felt apprehensive. There was no doubt that this would be our first time together. This was the moment I’d been waiting for.

“Why don’t you go to the spa and relax? Get pampered with a massage and maybe a body wrap. If you’re still stressed after that, we’ll change the plans up a bit, and I’ll find a different way to relax you.”

Couldn’t we just skip all that and have Scar help me with the tension now? Yet thinking about it had me all worked up and confused again.

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea.”

“Good. It will give me some time to unpack. Let the host know when you’re done, and then meet me at the front.” He kissed my cheek, and I wondered whether my nerves were getting the best of me. Part of me just wanted to get it over with and see what happened afterwards, but another part was afraid of the possible outcomes, and so I stalled. What if the “date” didn’t go well? What if we realized we weren’t good for each other? But wasn’t that a chance people always took when they agreed to date? Worse yet, what if we weren’t sexually compatible?