came back, I was with someone else.” He wasn’t going to tell his mother he’d been in bed with Pia O’Brian. They’d dated all of two days and honestly, he couldn’t remember ever sleeping with her.
“That’s it?”
“No. She says she came to town five years ago and spoke with Rayanne. She says she told Rayanne about Tyler and that she wanted to talk to me.”
His mother stared at him intently. “And?”
“She claims she got a letter from me, telling her that I didn’t want anything to do with her or Tyler. That she was to stay out of town.”
Denise folded her arms across her chest. “That’s just so typical,” she grumbled. “Make up a stupid story and then expect everyone to accept it without a shred of proof.”
He would agree, except for one thing. “She says she still has the letter. She’s going to have it delivered by tomorrow morning.”
“Do you believe her?
“I don’t know.”
Tears filled his mother’s eyes. She sank back into the chair. “All this time a little boy has been out there, a member of our family, and we never knew. He’s been lost. Desperate. Alone.”
Ethan didn’t think Liz would appreciate Denise’s assessment of the situation, but his mother had always had a way with words.
“He needs us,” she said, touching his arm. “We have to be there for him. Finding out he has a father is going to be huge.”
“I know.” He squeezed her hand.
She drew in a breath. “We need a plan. We have to stay calm. You’re meeting them tonight?”
“At six.”
“Good. You should be friendly with Liz. Don’t push her right now. The last thing we want is her running away. I know you’re angry and God knows she deserves it. There’s no excuse for what she’s done. None. It wasn’t as if you would have turned her away. You married Rayanne when she got pregnant, and it’s not like she was a catch.”
“Mom,” he began warningly.
She held up her hands. “I know. I’m sorry. You were doing what you’d been taught-taking responsibility and upholding the family name.” Then she frowned. “Ethan, this is two girls you’ve gotten pregnant. I thought your father had the ‘safe sex’ conversation with you. Did he leave something out?”
Ethan stood and took a step back. “Mom, let’s remember the point of the conversation. Liz and Tyler.”
“Right. I know you’re mad. I’m beyond mad. I just want to squash her like a bug. But we can’t. There are things to be worked out. Besides, Tyler is only a boy. He probably loves his mother. You can’t get between them. So when you meet him tonight, be friendly to her, as well. Once you know what’s going on, then you can come up with a plan.”
Hearing her advice helped him to put things in perspective. His relationship with Tyler was his first priority. Punishing Liz could wait.
“Thanks, Mom.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek.
“You’re welcome.” She touched his cheek. “I want to meet him. My grandson.”
“You will.”
“She’s back home now?”
“Yeah.” The house had been old and run-down twelve years ago. Now it was worse.
“This will work out,” she told him. “You’ll see.”
“I know.”
He would make it work out, one way or another. Liz wasn’t going to steal any more time from him.
LIZ AND TYLER SPENT THE morning strolling through town. She’d wanted to familiarize herself with the area, although she quickly found out that she hadn’t forgotten anything about living in Fool’s Gold. While there were new businesses, and an impressive development of golf course homes, the basic grid of the town hadn’t changed at all. If you lived close to the park, you could get anywhere by walking.
A little before twelve, she took Tyler to the Fox and Hound for lunch. She remembered the location being a restaurant while she’d been growing up, although it had been called something else. As they waited for their food, they pored over the visitor brochures she’d picked up on their walk and discussed points of interest they could visit while they were here.
“Do you think my dad will want to take me hiking?” Tyler asked.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
She knew that Ethan had been injured in college, shortly after she’d left town. Something about a bike crash. At the time, she hadn’t wanted to know the details. From the little she’d seen, he could walk easily enough, so he could probably handle a day hike.
“You said he rode a bike,” Tyler repeated. “He raced?”
“Yes. In high school and college. He had a friend name Josh. Josh had hurt his legs and he rode his bike to get his strength back. Like physical therapy.”
Tyler nodded, his gaze locked on her. “My dad rode with him?”
“They were friends. They were both really good and started racing together. Then your dad got hurt.”
“What happened to Josh?”
Liz pointed to the poster on the wall-the one that showed Josh Golden in racing gear, a helmet under one arm, his free hand holding on to his bike.
“Whoa!” Tyler grinned at her. “My dad knows Josh Golden?”
“I think Josh lives in town.”
“Sweet.”
Lunch arrived. Between bites Tyler peppered her with questions. Some she could answer, some she couldn’t. A few she ducked. By the time they were on their way home, she was exhausted and feeling more than a little frayed around the edges.
“How about giving me some time to work?” she asked as they approached the house.
“Okay. I’ll watch a movie.” He grabbed her wrist and looked at her watch. “Five more hours.”
She forced a smile. No doubt her son would count down the minutes. While she understood and appreciated his excitement, nothing about this was simple for her. Especially Ethan’s understandable rage and her own growing sense of having screwed up.
But when the self-doubt threatened, she reminded herself that she
What kind of woman kept information of a child from her husband?
In high school, Rayanne had traveled with a pack of mean girls and Liz had been one of their favorite victims. Rayanne, Pia O’Brian and a few others had delighted in making Liz’s life a nightmare. Liz might have been smart and pretty, but she’d been poor, living in a bad part of town and she’d had a reputation.
It didn’t matter that Liz hadn’t dated a single guy until Ethan. Not only had he been her first time, he’d been her first kiss. But as far as everyone in high school was concerned, Liz Sutton had been a piece of ass who put out for anyone who asked. Or paid.
There had been plenty of guys who’d claimed to have done her. She’d heard the bragging, the taunts. No one cared that it wasn’t true. No one questioned the rumors. After all, her mother was a drunk and a whore-why not her?
She shook off the past, knowing it wouldn’t help her now. She had to focus on what was happening today. Wasn’t that enough of a problem?
When they reached the house, Tyler raced into the living room to pick a movie. After searching through the collection in the small bookcase by the window, he chose one and brought it to Liz.
“It’s kind of a girl movie,” he said with a shrug, “but I haven’t seen it.”
Liz glanced at the Hannah Montana title, then ruffled his hair. “Sometimes girls are fun.”
“I guess.”
He would find out about girls being fun soon enough, she thought, watching him bolt upstairs. She’d brought
