Читать книгу Ultimate Romance Collection - Rebecca Winters, Amalie Berlin - Страница 42

Eight

Bristol knew she needed to do something before she began crying. Already it was taking everything within her to fight back the tears glistening in her eyes. She doubted Laramie knew just how much his words meant to her.

A part of her had known that she’d fallen in love with him during their holiday fling for a reason. Although she hadn’t gotten to know him in the way she would have liked, in her heart she’d believed he was a man with character. A man of honor. A man who believed in doing the right thing.

When she discovered she was pregnant, letting him know had been automatic because of what her mother had done to her father. But Bristol hadn’t known, until this very minute, how Laramie would feel about their son. Whether he would accept him or walk away. Even when he’d said he believed Laramie was his and had wanted to see him, there hadn’t been any guarantees as to what his reaction would be. But she could not deny him the right to see his son and if he’d walked out the door after doing so, it would have been his loss. Not hers or her child’s.

But from what he’d just said so passionately, he didn’t plan to walk out the door. He wanted to be a part of his child’s life...just like her father would have wanted to be a part of hers had he known about her sooner. Laramie Cooper was proving there were decent men out there. Just like her father.

Tears she couldn’t contain any longer wet her cheeks. Why was she getting so emotional? Especially now? She blamed it on the fact that the man she’d fallen in love with three years ago, the man she’d thought was dead, was not only very much alive but was here, in her home, standing in front of her and accepting his child without any hesitation. Of course that didn’t mean he wanted to renew a relationship with her or anything; she understood that. That was fine. The most important thing was that he wanted a relationship with his son.

“Hell, Bristol, you’re crying over what I said? Just because I want to be a part of my child’s life?” Laramie asked in an incredulous voice.

More tears she couldn’t control flooded her eyes, and she saw both anger and confusion in his features. She wasn’t handling this very well and now she had him thinking the complete opposite from what she was feeling.

“I need to get some tissue,” she said, quickly getting up to go into her kitchen to grab a few. Moments later, when she returned, Laramie was standing in front of her Christmas tree with his back to her. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jeans. She wondered if he’d noticed the ornaments. She doubted he would ever know how much she’d come to treasure them. How each time she looked at one she was reminded of Paris.

“Laramie?”

He turned around and met her gaze. She could tell from his stance and his brooding expression that he was still angry, even more so. She needed to explain and the only way she could do that was to tell him everything. “I think we need to sit down and talk.”

The look in his dark, piercing eyes said that as far as he was concerned, there was nothing to talk about, but he nodded anyway. She took a seat on her sofa again, but he said, “I’d rather stand.”

She wished he would sit down. Then she wouldn’t have to stare up at him. Wouldn’t have to notice just how well-built he still was. How sexy he looked in jeans and a leather jacket. And she wouldn’t have to notice how his eyes were trained on her. But she said, “Okay, if you prefer standing.”

The room was quiet but she was convinced she could hear the pounding of her heart. “I might have confused you about a few things, Laramie,” she said. “I would like to explain and hope in the end you’ll understand.”

She paused before saying, “Growing up, I never knew my father. Other kids had daddies and I didn’t understand why I didn’t. It was just me and my mom. One day...I believe I was eight at the time...I asked her about it. I wanted to know where my daddy was. She got angry with me and said I didn’t have a daddy, that I didn’t need one and not to ever bring up the subject of a father again. Her words were final and I knew it.”

Bristol picked up her teacup and took a sip although the tea had cooled. “It was only after my mother died when I was fifteen that I moved from Houston to—”

“You lived in Texas?”

“Yes. I was born in Houston and lived there until I was fifteen.”

He nodded. “I’m a Texan, as well. I was born in Austin.”

She nodded and then continued her story. “When Mom died, I moved here to New York to live with my aunt Dolly. She was my mother’s only sibling.”

Bristol took a breath and then continued, “It was only then that I got up enough courage to ask my aunt about my father. I knew nothing about him. I didn’t even know his name. But Aunt Dolly did. However, my mother had sworn her to secrecy. According to my aunt, my father and mother dated while in high school in Dallas but he broke things off with my mom to pursue his dream of studying art in Paris. My aunt said he asked my mother to go with him, but she refused, saying she didn’t want to live in another country.”

“Your father was an artist, as well?” Laramie asked as he leaned against a bookcase.

“Yes.” Now might have been a good time to tell him her father was the famous artist known as Rand, but she didn’t. Her father’s identity wasn’t important to this story.

“Imagine how excited I was when I found that out. When I learned where my artistic abilities had come from. It also explained why my mother never wanted me to pursue my art. I guess me doing so reminded her of him. Once I found out who he was, I wanted to connect with the man I never knew. The man my mom had kept from me.”

She took another sip of her tea. “According to my aunt, my mother never told my father she had gotten pregnant. He didn’t know he had a daughter. The reason Mom kept it from him was because she resented him for choosing Paris over her.”

She paused again before saying, “I convinced my aunt that I needed to see my father. To let him know I exist. She prepared me by saying that he might not want a child, that he might question if I was really his. Aunt Dolly didn’t want me to get hurt. But I didn’t care. I needed to meet him.”

She recalled that time and how desperate she’d felt. “One of the men at my aunt’s church was a detective with the NYPD. He tracked down my father and discovered he lived in Los Angeles. I made the call to my dad the morning of my sixteenth birthday. Aunt Dolly talked to him first, to break the ice and introduce me. Then she handed the phone to me.”

“What did he say?”

No need to tell Laramie it had practically been the same thing he’d said when she’d told him about their child. “He said that he believed I was his and that he wanted to see me. To prove that point, he flew out immediately. In fact, he knocked on my aunt’s door in less than eight hours.” She smiled. “That was the best birthday present ever.”

She fought back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes again as she said, “On that day, I began what was the happiest two years of my life. He told me that he wrote my mother but she refused to write him back. His letters were returned. She stopped all communication between them. When he returned to Dallas from Paris that first year for the holidays, he’d tried finding my mother but no one knew where she had moved to. Later on, he met someone else. He was still married to that woman when we met. They had two young sons. None of his sons were interested in art and he was glad that I was. We discovered we had quite a lot in common.”

“Was he upset that your mom kept your existence from him?”

“Yes, very much so. He saw that as wasted years. Years when I could have been spending time with him. We tried to do everything we could together during those two years because that was all we had.”

A bemused look appeared on Laramie’s face. “Why was that?”

She swallowed, feeling the lump in her throat. “Because, although I didn’t know it, my father was dying of cancer.”

She drew in a deep breath as she held Laramie’s gaze. “So as you can see, my actions regarding you and my son were based on my own experiences with my dad. That’s why I wrote to you as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t want to make the same mistake my mother made. You had a right to know about him, even if you rejected him. It would have been your decision. Your loss.”

He didn’t say anything for a minute. “I’m sorry about your father.”

“Me, too. But we got to spend two years together. He made me feel so loved. So very special. He even asked me to change my last name to his, and I did. He also asked if I would come spend my last two years in high school with him in California. That meant leaving Aunt Dolly and I was torn about doing that, but she was fine with it and encouraged me to go. Although she never said, I think he confided in her and told her he didn’t have long to live.”

“And nobody told you?”

“No. Very few people knew about his condition. In his final days, I saw him getting weak and asked him about it, but he said he’d caught some kind of a virus. He only told me the truth during his last days. That’s when he told me what was wrong and if I ever needed anything to contact Colin Kusac, his close and trusted friend.” There was no need to tell him how much her father’s wife had resented her presence and how mean she’d been at the reading of her father’s will.

“So you ended up in Paris to study like he had?”

“Yes. He made that possible before he died. He wanted me to study at the same art academy.” She had worked at that café in Paris not because she had to, but because she had wanted to. Her father had taken care of her tuition as well as provided her with a generous monthly allowance. Then there had been the proceeds from her mother’s insurance policies. She had put all the money in a savings account. While growing up, her mother had taught her the importance of being independent and not wasteful.

“I had a wonderful father. I just wish I’d had more time with him.”

Laramie didn’t say anything for a moment, then he asked, “Do you resent your mother for standing in the way of that happening?”

She drew in a deep breath. “Not now, but for years I did. She wanted to hurt my father by keeping my existence a secret from him. She knew him and had known he would have wanted to become a part of my life, but she never gave him that opportunity. In the end, she not only hurt him but she hurt me, as well. I could never do that to my child. That’s why I would never stand in the way of you developing a relationship with Laramie. I know the pain and heartbreak it could cause.”

The only noise in the room was the sound of the logs crackling in the fireplace. “Thanks for sharing that with me, Bristol.”

Telling him the story of her parents and her relationship with her father had drained her. Slowly standing to her feet, she said, “Now that we’ve gotten that cleared up, what time would you like to come meet Laramie tomorrow?”

An anxious smile touched Laramie’s lips. “How soon can I come?”

She chuckled. “Laramie is an early riser so I’m usually up preparing breakfast around eight. You’re welcome to join us if you like.”

“I would love to.”

She glanced at her watch. It was late. Almost midnight. “Do you want me to call you a cab?”

“No, I should be able to get one on the corner.”

“Okay.” She walked him to the door and watched as he put on his Stetson, while thinking how much more cowboy than SEAL he looked at that moment. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Yes. In the morning. Oh, by the way, does Laramie have a favorite toy?”

She shook her head. “No. Like most kids his age he likes stuffed animals. He does have this thing for airplanes and he likes to color so he has a ton of coloring books. For his birthday one of Ms. Charlotte’s sons, who also has a two-year-old, gave Laramie an electronic tablet. I’m trying to teach him how to play educational games on it.”

He nodded. “What kind of tablet is it?”

Bristol told him the brand. Her heart missed several beats when Laramie stood in front of her, holding her gaze. As if to get her mind off what she was feeling, she thought of something. “It might get confusing with you and Laramie having the same first names. Can I start calling you Coop, or is that name restricted to just your team members?”

“No, it’s not restricted so that’s no problem.”

“Good.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “If there’s a change of plans or if you need me for anything, you can contact me at the Marriott Hotel in Times Square. I’d like for you to have my personal number,” he said, pulling out his cell phone. “What’s yours so I can call you? That way you can have it.”

She rattled off her phone number and when she heard her phone ringing in the purse she’d placed on the table earlier, she said, “I got it.”

He nodded. “Now you have mine and I have yours.”

She dismissed any significant meaning to that. He was merely providing her his number because of Laramie. “Good night, Laramie...Coop. I am so glad you are alive.”

He smiled. “Me, too.”

He stood there for a second, staring at her, before saying, “Good night, Bristol. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He turned and quickly moved down the steps.

* * *

Laramie entered his hotel room, feeling a happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time. In addition to that, a rush of adrenaline was pumping furiously through his veins. What were the chances of the one woman he thought he would never see again, the one woman he thought about often, the one woman who’d helped him retain his sanity while being held hostage, would be here? In New York? And that he would run into her?

Well, he hadn’t exactly run into her, but the circumstances surrounding their chance encounter still seemed unreal. And not only had he found out he had a son tonight, but he’d seen him. What a feeling! It was exhilarating, and he couldn’t wait to share it with the guys.

He glanced at his watch. It was late. Almost midnight. But he knew Bane, Viper, Mac and Flipper would be up. However, Bane had triplets and Mac had four kids Laramie didn’t want to wake up. To be on the safe side, he would text the four to call him.

Laramie also knew he needed to contact his commanding officer to let him know he would be taking his military leave after all. He wondered what would have happened had he not been in New York tonight. No telling when his and Bristol’s paths would have crossed, if ever. He’d already missed two years of his son’s life and he didn’t plan to miss any more.

At some point he also needed to call his parents to let them know they were grandparents. He wondered how they would feel about that. They’d never hinted one way or the other if they wanted grandchildren. They hadn’t ever nagged him about settling down or marrying.

After sending the text off to the guys, he removed his jacket and hung it in the closet before the first call came in. He recognized the number as Bane’s. “You okay, Coop?” Bane asked with deep concern in his voice.

“Yes, I’m fine. But I do have some news to share. Hold on, I hear another call coming in.”

The others began calling and they connected to their conference number so they could all be on the phone at once. “Okay, Coop, what kind of news do you want to share with us?” Viper asked.

“Don’t tell us the commander gave you another top secret job. Another cockatiel for you to deliver to some very important person?” Flipper teased.

“Maybe it will be a dog this time,” Mac kidded. “Or maybe a pet monkey.”

Laramie took their jokes in stride; nothing could put a damper on his mood. “I ran into Bristol Lockett here in New York.”

“Bristol Lockett? That woman we couldn’t tear you away from in Paris three years ago?” Viper asked.

“If I recall,” Bane said, “you went missing for three days because you were with her.”

“And we couldn’t wipe that damn smile off your face for almost a month,” Mac interjected.

“So how was the reunion?” Flipper asked. “She still look good?”

“Yes, she’s the same woman, Viper. I didn’t know you were missing me so much during those three days, Bane. I don’t recall smiling for almost a month, Mac. If I did, I had a good reason for it. And yes, Flipper, she still looks good and the reunion was great once she recovered from fainting.”

“Why did she faint?” Bane asked.

Laramie settled down on the edge of the bed. “Bristol thought she was seeing a ghost. She’d assumed I was dead.”

“Why would she assume that? Had she contacted your parents or something?” Viper asked.

“No. I never gave her any information about my family.”

“Then why would she assume you were dead? No agency had the authority to release that information. Our mission in Syria was a top secret, highly classified covert operation,” Mac said.

“Bristol tried writing to me and the letter was returned. She knew someone who had a friend at the State Department who told her I’d gotten killed in Syria.”

“Someone breached classified information?” Flipper asked.

“The person who did it felt she needed to know. Like I said, she was trying to reach me.”

“Why was she trying to reach you?” Viper asked.

Laramie paused before saying, “She wanted to let me know she’d gotten pregnant.”

Everyone got quiet and Laramie knew why. They were trying to digest what he’d said. A smile touched his lips when he added, “Yes, what you’re thinking is right. I have a child. A two-year-old son.”