Chapter 7
Jonathan arrived home the following Wednesday at four. He told himself that his earlier than usual arrival had nothing to do with a vague sense of guilt brought on by Cynthia’s comments about his relations-or lack thereof-with his nephew. If he wanted to leave the office before his usual time, that was his prerogative. After all, he ran Steele Enterprises.
But as he pulled his car into the wide, five-car garage, he knew that he was lying. Even though he’d tried to ignore everything she said, he couldn’t forget her words. While he had no interest in Colton, he didn’t want to repeat the sins of
He entered the house and tried to figure out what he was going to say to Cynthia. Unfortunately his actions were going to add to her conviction that he was one of the good guys. He would have thought their last time together would have cured her of that, but she was nothing if not perverse.
The foyer was quiet and empty-usual occurrences for the large house. It had been many years since these walls had heard much in the way of laughter. But even as he registered sadness at the thought, he heard a faint sound from upstairs.
He climbed the stairs. The sound turned into singing, accompanied by many high- pitched squeals. Jonathan followed the noise into Colton’s room and from there into the bathroom. He found Cynthia standing by the long vanity. She supported Colton, who sat in a small, blue, plastic tub. A small tape player stood on the closed toilet lid and she sang along with several high-pitched voices. The tape had been made for children but she seemed to know all the words.
Although her back was to him, Jonathan could see her clearly in the mirror. She wore her blond hair in a ponytail high on the top of her head. A damp white T-shirt clung to her chest, outlining her full breasts. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, but her skin was lightly flushed from the warm water.
Colton squealed again. Cynthia looked down at him and smiled. Jonathan saw the softness in her expression, the tender curve of her mouth. He briefly wondered if his mother had ever bothered to look at him like that and decided that even if she had, the feelings must have faded, because she’d managed to walk out on him without ever once looking back.
Cynthia glanced up and saw his reflection in the mirror. Her smile broadened. “Now you know how I fill my day,” she said. “It’s not exactly the same world as high finance or whatever it is you do, but I like it.”
Her jeans were a faded shade of blue and they hugged her hips and thighs with a thoroughness he’d been intent on himself the other night. He still remembered how her rear had felt when he’d cupped it. Firm yet yielding. He’d wanted to peel off her clothes and feel that bare part of her.
“Are you really just twenty-six?” he asked abruptly, knowing that he wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Of course.” She grinned. “Hey it could be worse.”
He winced. “You’re practically jail bait. I’m thirty-seven.”
“I know.” Laughter danced in her eyes. “You kiss pretty good for an old man.”
He knew she was teasing, but the phrase definitely hit below the belt. “You kiss pretty good for someone barely out of her teens.”
“How rude,” she said indignantly. “Is this where I remind you that I’ve been legal for several years now? In fact after college I actually left Grand Springs and made my way to the big city.”
She lifted Colton out of the bath and placed him on a fluffy towel she had waiting beside the basin. When the baby was securely wrapped, she cradled him in her arms and walked back into the bedroom.
“What big city would that be?” he asked.
“Chicago. After college I had a job with an advertising firm there. They considered me ‘high potential’ and I was within a couple of months of getting on their management fast track when Frank was injured.”
The humor fled her face as she set the baby on the changing stand. She dried him off as she spoke. “Then I came home and left all that behind. So you see, I’m not the hick you think.”
“Okay, you had a whole year in Chicago. But you live at home now.”
“Only because it’s easier for my mom. We’ve been talking lately that it’s time for me to get back out on my own. She has things pretty much under control.”
“Will you go back to Chicago?”
She shook her head. “My life is here now. I enjoyed my time away but I’m not really that much of a city girl. I like Grand Springs. I learned that I want to be close to my family.” She reached for a diaper and secured it around Colton’s behind.
Jonathan leaned against the door frame and folded his arms over his chest. “Do you regret what you gave up? It sounds like you were on your way with the advertising firm.”
She looked at him. “I don’t regret a minute of it. When Frank was dying, he asked me to help out my mom. I would have done it anyway, but even if that hadn’t been part of my plan I would have dropped everything to honor his request. He’d given me so much over the years. He was both surrogate father and big brother to me. I loved him and I’ll always miss him. Being home made me feel closer to him.”
She spoke with a sincerity he couldn’t help believing. But even as he heard the words, he dismissed them. Mostly because he couldn’t relate to what she was saying. How could anyone inspire that much devotion? It didn’t make sense.
“After a few months I got the idea of starting my own business,” she said. She opened one of the drawers below the changing table and pulled out a one-piece jumper thing. Despite Colton’s attempts to squirm away, she expertly dressed the baby with practiced ease.
“You’re good at what you do,” he said, wondering how it was possible for something as small as a baby to grow into an adult.
“I love my work,” she admitted. “And you’re the reason I had the opportunity to get it all started.”
He groaned. “Don’t go there. I’m not in the mood for the saint speech.”
“All right.” She picked up the dressed baby and settled him in her arms, facing Jonathan. “That’s your uncle,” she told Colton. “Can you say Uncle Jonathan?”
Colton blew a raspberry instead. Cynthia laughed. “He won’t be talking for a few more months, but he’ll get there.”
Jonathan stared at the infant. He could see some of his brother in the child’s features. Or maybe he was seeing his own father instead. He stiffened slightly as he realized that for all his faults, David had managed to create a family for himself. He’d married Lisa and had had a baby. Someone to carry on his name and the legacy of the Steele family.
“How is he adjusting?” he asked, pointing at the baby.
“Not bad, considering.” Cynthia nuzzled the top of his head. “He’s a sweetheart. Some babies only bond with their parents and don’t take to anyone else easily, but Colton is open to attention from all comers. He’s very good-natured and healthy. The kind of baby who is easy to love.”
Love. Something else Jonathan didn’t believe in. Love was dangerous. It too easily turned to hate and vindictiveness. Marriage and children had never been a part of his plan. His cold, empty childhood had told him he never wanted to put any innocent baby through the same kind of hell he’d endured. Watching whatever feelings his father had had for him and his mother turn to anger and loathing had taught him that no love lasted very long.
“Do you want to hold him?” Cynthia asked, holding out Colton.
Jonathan straightened and took a step back. “No.”
“You’re going to have to do it sometime.”
