Changing Fate (Changing Teams Series Book 3) Read online

  Chapter Twelve

  Sean

  Present Day

  As the reception wound down, I found myself leaning against the bar, sipping whiskey all by my lonesome. My mother and Emily had long since bundled the girls off to our hotel room. I’d stayed behind, claiming that I wanted to say good night to Britt. While that was true, what I really wanted were a few more minutes alone with Cin.

  There had also been that look on Emily’s face when she’d noticed that my shirt was rumpled and missing a few buttons. Her sad eyes told me she had a very good and quite possibly entirely accurate idea of what had caused my wardrobe malfunction. I hadn’t offered any explanations, and she hadn’t asked me about the buttons or my brief disappearance from the reception. Thank God she hadn’t, since the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her any more than I already had.

  “Hey, Daddy,” Britt said as she stood beside me. “Mom and Patrick just left. She wanted to talk to you, but Patrick’s been watching her like a hawk.” I nodded, and drank more whiskey. It was doing little to numb me, but I had hopes.

  “I understand, pumpkin,” I said.

  “Mom also didn’t think she could face you after what happened.”

  I swore, rubbing my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Britt. You shouldn’t have to deal with me and your mother’s issues, not today of all days.”

  “It’s all right,” Britt said. “Besides, I haven’t seen her this alive since the last time you two were, um, together.”

  I dropped my hand and glared at my eldest. “How exactly would you know when that was?”

  “The day before Mom’s wedding to Patrick,” Britt replied. “Unless there’s an incident between today and then that I don’t know about?”

  I stared at Britt, then I signaled the bartender for a refill. “I may have just qualified for the worst father in the universe award.”

  Britt shrugged. “Please. I’d much rather live in a world with you and Mom together instead of apart. It’s not right, you know?”

  I nodded. “I sure do, pumpkin.”

  “Anyway, I have something for you.”

  With that Britt pressed something small and hard into my hand. I looked down, and saw the amethyst ring I’d bought for Cin ten years ago as a last ditch effort to win her back. The afternoon Britt and I returned from ring shopping was the day Cin told me she was going to marry Patrick. When Britt and Sam got engaged, I’d given the ring to them, but Sam had wanted to buy her a ring of her own, something I understood completely.

  I stared at the ring, remembering all the dreams Cin and I used to have, the life we had wanted. Those few minutes we’d had in the groomsman’s suite had made all those hopes come rushing back to me, so much so that I’d debated sending Emily home without me. Then I saw Cin standing at Patrick’s side, and everything came crashing down again. That was when I ordered the first whiskey.

  “What’s this for?” I asked, turning the ring over in my hand. “Old time’s sake?”

  “No, it’s for new times. New times between you and Mom.”

  “Pumpkin, I know you want us together, but it’s not that simple,” I said.

  “Oh yeah?” she countered, hand on her hip. “Let me tell you a few things about Patrick. He’s an asshole.”

  “I did know that.”

  “He controls every last thing Mom does, from reading her mail to recording her phone calls. He’s even got cameras set up around the house, in her bedroom even.”

  “What?” Cin had told me that Patrick was overprotective and nosy, but putting actual surveillance on your own wife, in her bedroom? That was unreal. “Why doesn’t he trust her?”

  “He doesn’t trust anyone,” Britt said. “He had me watched just the same when I lived there.” Britt frowned. “It doesn’t end with the cameras. Whenever I was interested in a guy, Patrick found out and did a full background check on him. He’d present me with reports and spreadsheets about the guy’s family over dinner.”

  “Maybe he was looking out for you, in his own sick, twisted way.”

  “No, he just wanted to marry me into a family with strong business connections. That’s exactly what he tried to do with Melody.”

  “Wait.” Britt had told me the story of her step-cousin who left her husband on their wedding night. “Are you saying Patrick forced Melody into a marriage?”

  “That is exactly what I’m saying,” Britt replied. “He’s a psycho, Dad. A real psycho. And he doesn’t even love Mom.”

  “Then why doesn’t Cin just leave him?” I asked.

  “I don’t think she knows how,” Britt replied. “She helped me and Mel get free of him. Now she needs us to help her.”

  I stared at Britt’s hopeful face, and wished I was the superhero she thought I was. “How can I do that? It’s not like I can contact her without him knowing about it.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Britt said. That was my girl, up for any challenge. “Are you with me on Operation: Save Mom?”

  “I am, pumpkin,” I said, squeezing the ring in my hand. “I am.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cindy

  Present Day

  The morning after the wedding was nice.

  Oh, who am I kidding? It was a shit show.

  While Patrick didn’t know where I’d spent that missing fifty-seven minutes during the reception—trust him to time my absence down to the last second—he was furious nonetheless. He had given me the silent treatment for the rest of the reception, during the drive to the hotel, and had gone to bed without even looking in my direction. Actually, it was kind of nice.

  Now that I think about it, Patrick had spoken again during the reception. Things had been winding down, and I started toward Sean’s parents, intending to say good night to them. Patrick had grabbed my elbow and growled in my ear that I was not to speak to another O’Rourke, that evening, or ever again. When I asked him if that directive extended all the way to Penny and Ronnie, the icy glares began in earnest.

  If he only knew that I’d rather an eternity of his icy stares than one more evening of forced conversation over dinner.

  Then Sunday morning dawned, and I was a just a bit hung over. And sore in places I hadn’t been sore in a while, but I was ignoring that. I was showered and dressed before Patrick got out of bed, and then my phone buzzed and rescued me, if only for a little while.

  “Britt is hosting a ladies’ brunch,” I announced after I read the text. “Would you mind if I went? I can always order room service, instead.”

  “Go, have some eggs,” Patrick said. “I have to work on the Cosella file.”

  “I’m sure it won’t be more than an hour,” I said, then I grabbed my room key and purse and got the hell out of there. No sooner had I stepped into the hallway than Britt and Sam exited their own suite.

  “Hey, Mom,” Britt said, her brows pinching when she took in my appearance. I had pulled my hair back into a severe bun, and was wearing black yoga pants and a purple tee shirt. “You, ah, don’t really look like yourself.”

  “I’m a mess,” I said. “A terrible, stupid mess.” I glanced at Sam, and asked, “I assume the man knows?”

  “The man knows all,” Britt confirmed.

  “Don’t worry,” Sam said, wearing his Midwestern grin. “I know when not to talk.”

  “Thank frickin’ God,” I said, and the three of us went down to breakfast.

  ***

  Being around the kids over breakfast, so many of them happy and in love, had indeed lifted my mood. Something else that was lifting my mood was that Britt hadn’t actually said it was a girls’ only brunch, and since Patrick never came down to the restaurant he didn’t know that I’d lied. I must lie about the genders of those attending events more often. Clearly, that is the key to more time away from him.

  In fact, that morning was the most fun I’d had in years, with the exception of the prior evening. After I’d taken care of the check—with Patrick’s credit card, of course—I made my way to the elevator, resigned to
spending the drive to New York confined in a vehicle with my husband. Then the elevator doors opened, and Sean stepped out.

  “Cin,” he said. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to see you here in the lobby.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “It’s not like we still live in the same town, and run into each other.”

  “Those were good times.” Sean stepped closer, touched his fingertips to my palm. “Cin, I need to talk to you.”

  I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I needed so much more than to talk to him; I needed him to hold me again, tell me over and over how much he loved me. More than that, I needed him to never, ever mention what had happened last night, lest Patrick found out and truly lost it. God only knew what he’d do to Sean.

  “Sean?” called a voice. “Sean, do you have the girls’ princess bag?”

  Emily stepped into my line of sight, and I almost choked on my tongue. Her green eyes quickly looked from Sean’s face to mine, then she looked at our hands. My fingers had twined with Sean’s without my head realizing what they were doing.

  “Yeah, I’ve got it,” Sean replied. “The rest of the stuff’s in the car.”

  Emily nodded once, then she stalked through the lobby toward the parking lot. Before I could properly recover from that incident, we were surrounded by Sean’s parents and the girls.

  “Where’s Emily?” Leslie asked, stopping short when she saw me. “Cindy, I’m glad we ran into each other before we left.”

  “You are?” I blurted out. Sean squeezed my hand, then he released me and turned toward the twins. “I mean, I’m so glad we got to catch up this weekend.”

  Leslie put her hands on my shoulders and smiled. “Yes, it has been far too long. The next time Britt comes to visit, I want you to come along with her. No matter what Britt thinks, you were always my first girl.”

  I smiled and ducked my head. “She would fight me for that title.”

  “She can fight all she wants. She’s scrappy, just like her father.” Leslie looked toward Sean and his girls, and smiled. “I know things are awkward, but we miss you, Cindy. Say you’ll visit.”

  “All right,” I said. “I’ll talk to Patrick, see what I can do. It really was great seeing you and James again.”

  Leslie wrapped her arms around me in a bear hug, then James did the same. They gathered their luggage and walked toward the parking lot, leaving Sean to wrangle the twins on his own.

  “Need help, big guy?” I asked.

  “Nah,” he replied. “These are the two best behaved kids on the east coast. Am I right, girls?” Penny and Ronnie cheered, and Sean grinned at me. “See that? Now I have proof that it was your feisty genes that made Britt such a hellion.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Watch it, O’Rourke,” I said. “Those feisty genes might incite me to take umbrage with that remark.”

  “I’m sure they will.” Sean grabbed a hand from each girl, then he shocked the hell out of me by leaning close and kissing my cheek. “Love you, baby.”

  The backs of my eyes burned, and I coughed to keep myself from bursting into tears in the hotel lobby. I crouched down and said goodbye to Penny and Ronnie, then Sean followed his parents out to the parking lot, and out of my life. I watched them leave, then I turned toward the elevator so I could return to my room, and I jumped.

  Standing in front of the elevator was Patrick.

  “What was that all about?” Patrick asked.

  “I was just saying goodbye to the girls,” I said. “They’re wonderful children, aren’t they?”

  “They are.” Patrick’s arm snaked around my hips, and he said close to my ear, “We can still have one of our own.”

  “I know.” I leaned against him, mostly so he wouldn’t see my face and what had to be a grimace, or worse. “Maybe we will.”

  Patrick squeezed me, then he pulled me toward the front desk. “Our luggage is being brought down. Let’s check out, and go home.”

  “Home,” I said. “All right.” Little did Patrick know, I would never consider New York home.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sean

  Present Day

  Emily didn’t say a word to me during the ride back up to Northampton, and that was fine with me.

  Not that she was silent; in fact, she was a regular chatterbox. She sang songs with the girls, told them a story, and taught Ronnie to say chartreuse. After the girls finally nodded off, Emily called her sister, and then one of her classmates. I wondered if she would run out of ways to avoid me before or after we got home.

  Once we were back at the house, my parents helped Emily and me get the girls, and our excess of bubblegum pink luggage, inside. We went up the back stairs, so as not to disturb any paying customers that might have wandered into my shop. I did have two college savings accounts to fund.

  For a few minutes, everything in the house was organized chaos: the girls running from their bedroom to the playroom checking on their toys, my mother asking what everyone wanted for snacks, and Dad bellowing about the Red Sox. Never mind that it was February, the man always had an opinion on baseball.

  Dad flopped down in front of the television and the girls followed Ma into the kitchen, which left Emily and I alone in the hallway. She tried walking past me but I grabbed her hand.

  “Emily.” I stroked my thumb across the soft skin of her inner wrist. “I’d like to talk to you.”

  “About what?” She met my gaze, and whatever she saw on my face must have answered her question. “We don’t have to talk about that. I’m not mad.”

  I took a step back. “You…know?”

  Emily wrenched her arm from my grasp. “I’m not stupid, Sean,” she said. “All everyone was talking about all weekend was how you and Cindy are these star-crossed lovers.”

  “Everyone?” I repeated. “Everyone who?”

  “Let’s see, your parents, her parents, your annoying brothers and their stupid wives,” Emily replied, ticking them off on her fingers.

  “Only one of my brothers is annoying,” I said. “I’m sorry you had to deal with all that.”

  “People love nostalgia,” Emily said. “It comforts them.”

  “I guess.”

  “And it’s not like you’ll ever see her again,” Emily continued. “I mean, she’s all the way in New York, and married. It’s not like you two could get back together.”

  My heart clenched in my chest, but Emily had a point. “You’re right.”

  “And I’m right here.” Emily leaned close, touched my cheek. “We’ve got a good thing going on, you know.”

  “We do,” I said, almost choking on the lie. I cupped Emily’s face with my hands and stared into her eyes. God, but she was pretty. “You’re really not mad? You forgive me?”

  “I was mad, but I’m not now.” She slid her arms around my neck and smiled. “You’re forgiven.”

  I kissed her then, the longest, most passionate kiss we’d shared since the girls’ first birthday. Then we heard a thunk and a cry from the back bedroom, and we separated. “I’ll go check that out,” Emily said, and went off to investigate who had gotten into what. When I turned around, I saw Ma standing in the kitchen doorway.

  “You hear most of that?” I asked.

  “All of it,” Ma replied. “You’re a fool, you know that, right?”

  “Yeah.” I leaned against the wall and knocked my head against it. No, I didn’t knock in any sense. “Being with Cin again, what with her married and all—”

  “That’s not why you’re foolish,” Ma said. “You’re holding on to something you don’t want, and letting what you really want slip away.”

  I laughed through my nose. “I didn’t let Cin slip away. She married someone else.”

  “And why did she do that?” Ma asked. “Because you upset her, then you skulked around keeping secrets for more than a year. What was she supposed to do? Wait around for you to get your head on straight?”

  I glanced at my mother. “Go ahead, don’t hold back. What else is my f
ault?”

  She stepped closer and straightened my collar. “I’m not trying to be mean, just factual. All I’m saying is that you’re still young, and Cindy’s still young.” Ma gave me a look, and added, “She obviously likes you a fair bit more than that husband of hers.”

  “That’s an understatement.” I looked toward the back bedroom, where I could hear Emily and the girls singing. “What about Emily?”

  “You’re both holding on to the idea of staying together for the girls’ sake so tightly that neither one of you realizes how unhappy you are,” Ma said. “It’s not fair to you, or to Emily. Or the girls, or Cindy, for that matter.”

  I nodded, knowing Ma was right. If Emily hadn’t gotten pregnant, we would have drifted apart years ago, and I’d be knocking around this huge, lonely house all by myself again. I suspected that part of the reason I kept going through the motions with Emily—the few motions that were left, that is—was to keep the house filled with people. Man, after Patrick had moved Cin and Britt down to New York I’d been so lonely I almost put out an ad for roommates.

  “To think, all this happened because I won the lottery,” I mumbled.

  Ma smiled and patted my shoulder. “You know what the Bible says, money is the root of all evil.”

  “It does not,” I said. “Have you ever even read the Bible?”

  Ma laughed. “I’m sure there’s something similar in there. Anyway, just think about it.”

  She retreated back to the kitchen, leaving me and my thoughts alone in the hallway. I was thinking about a life with Cin; hell, that was nothing new. I’d been thinking about that since the day we found out about Britt. What I needed now was a plan.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Cindy