AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nothing sounded good enough.
Everything I thought of sounded redundant and desperate and gave her too much power over me. Already, I didn’t like the fact that I was seeking her out when she was the one who canceled our lunch. However, considering her tendency to disappear, I knew this might be my only chance to get answers.
And I needed them more than I needed my pride.
Jonathan drove steadily, keeping the partition up between us as we headed into the suburbs. It wasn’t long before downtown LA was in the background, bathed in the warm hues of the early morning sun. There, he took a series of twists and turns before pulling up into a street with two-story houses on either side of the street, manicured lawns, and paved driveways.
I had him pull to a stop two houses down, on the opposite side of the street.
Then I leaned back against the seat, my heart hammering wildly against my chest. I pushed the door open and let it click shut behind me. Underneath the early morning sun, I leaned against the car door and watched. I held the phone tightly in my hand, my mind racing with possibilities. I took one step forward, then another, certain about what I was going to say, until the front door opened.
Rachel appeared in the doorway first, dressed in a knee-length blue dress with stockings underneath. Her blonde hair was pinned on top of her head, showing off her slender neck, with a few wisps framing her delicate, heart-shaped face. She tilted herhead to the side and said something over her shoulders. I froze, my heart skipping a beat when she smiled. It started back up again when a small hand darted out and reached for her.
Slowly, Rachel pulled the door shut behind her and crouched, obscuring my view of what was happening. A furrow appeared between my brows as I folded my arms over my chest and waited. A moment later, Rachel rose to her feet and tugged the little boy along. When he dropped his toy, and she bent down to pick it up, I saw his face clearly, and my mouth fell open.
He looked familiar.
A little too familiar from where I stood.
And I couldn’t stop staring at him even when I felt Jonathan’s eyes through the windshield of the car. I slammed my mouth shut when Rachel stood up and handed the little boy his toy. He pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and gave her a smile full of white teeth. Once she looked out at the street, I spun on my heels and pretended to peruse the house in front of me, with a for sale sign out front.
In the background, I heard the little boy call Rachel his mom.
My heart was pounding against my chest when I spun back around and watched them set off at an even pace in the direction of the bus stop. A part of me was tempted to run after them and offer to walk there with them. The other half of me knew that if I did, I risked scaring Rachel off for good.
No matter how badly I wanted answers, I couldn’t do that.
I wouldn’t.
Not when Rachel had some explaining to do.
Starting with why that little boy looked like I did when I was his age.
With a frown, I got back into the car and settled into the back seat. Jonathan waited for a few moments before he started the car, and we caught up to them. I held my breath as we drove past them, and I twisted in my seat to watch them, a strange tightening in the center of my chest. The little boy was smiling up at Rachel, his eyes wide and full of adoration.
I wanted to see him.
In silence, Jonathan drove me back to the office while I sat in the back, making a series of work-related phone calls. When we made it back into the city, I glanced outside the window, but I couldn’t make out anything. All I could see was Rachel holding the little boy’s hand.
Was he my son?
Why hadn’t she told me about him?
Once we pulled up outside the office, got out of the car, and took the elevator upstairs. I gave Mary a tight nod on my way past her desk, where she sat, stirring her coffee. She sat up straighter and stared after me, a furrow appearing between her brows. Inside my office, I slammed the door shut and threw my bag onto the carpeted floor. Over the next few hours, I had one meeting after the next and resisted the urge to call Rachel.
But I kept thinking of her the entire time and trying to imagine what she was going to say.
I wondered if she didn’t call me because of the child.
Because she was afraid of my reaction to the news.
By the end of the day, I was determined to see her again, one way or another.
Chapter 10: A meeting of minds
Rachel
“So, you haven’t heard back, huh?”
