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“No, not Sean and I. We have a son,” she corrected. “You and I. Tucker, this is Eli, your boy. He’s three months old as of last week.” Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for his reaction. “Though I suspected before you left, I learned I truly was pregnant right after you left for Mexico. Right before you…died.”
Clearly in shock, Tucker only stared, his chiseled features emotionless.
“The CEO’s secret baby,” Sean joked. Neither Lucy nor Tucker responded.
Oblivious to it all, Eli cooed again, turning his sweet little mouth into her neck, blindly searching for sustenance. Immediately, her breasts tingled as her milk came in. She’d have to let him nurse soon. But first, he needed to meet his father.
Still Tucker didn’t move, standing frozen near the entrance to the room, looking huge and awkward and completely out of place. Her heart melted a little bit more.
“It’s okay,” she said, reassuring both the man and the child. “Come meet him. He won’t bite.”
As Tucker stepped forward, she lowered their baby from her shoulder, holding him in the crook of her arm.
Still silent, Tucker shot her a questioning look before peering into his son’s small, round face. Eli gurgled, wide-eyed and grinning. His bright blue eyes, reflected back in Tucker’s, fixated for a moment on his father’s craggy face. Then he wrinkled his mouth again, and she knew he was on the verge of screaming in that ear-piercing way babies have. He was hungry, after all.
A second later, he began to cry. Shifting him in her arms, she rocked him slowly, murmuring wordless endearments and crooning soothing sounds.
Immediately, Tucker took a step backward, his expression closed and unreadable again. But not before she saw the flash of pain.
“Hey E, it’s all right.” Sean appeared in the doorway behind Tucker. Eli broke off midcry at the sound of Sean’s cheery voice. His chubby face smoothed out and he cooed, happy again. He really did like Sean. After all, until now Sean had been like a father figure to him. The only one he’d known in his short time on earth.
“Let me see him,” Sean said, flashing an easy smile at Tucker before reaching to take Eli from Lucy.
As Sean took the baby and began rocking him, Tucker’s expression shut down even further, becoming a frozen mask.
“He knows Sean, that’s all,” she said softly. “You’ve got to give him time to get to know you, too.”
Tucker made a sound, a cross between a grunt and a curse, which could have meant anything. Exhaling, Lucy stifled the urge to comfort him. Clearly, he felt Sean had robbed him of not only her, but his family. A family he hadn’t even known he had.
Oblivious to the undercurrent swirling in the room, or pretending to be, Sean looked from one to the other, smiling as he cradled the baby expertly in the crook of his arm. “I think we’ve all got some catching up to do,” he said. “Eli’s an amazing kid. You must be so proud. Welcome home, buddy.”
Gaze still shuttered, Tucker nodded. “Thanks.” He studied Eli for a moment more before his eyes found Lucy. The starkness of the pain she saw there felt like a knife twisting in her heart.
Her own gut twisted. True, she and Sean were engaged. But even before his so-called death, Tucker had been well aware she’d wanted the entire white picket fence and family thing. He’d told her right before he left for Mexico that he wasn’t sure he could provide that. Now, more than a year later, he’d returned from the dead to learn another man had stepped up to the plate.
So she’d gotten engaged to his best friend. She had a child to think about now. At least Sean had been willing to provide for and, more important, love another man’s baby.
She opened her mouth to say exactly that, but Tucker beat her to it.
“We need to talk,” he said, his low voice simmering with anger and pain.
At the harsh tone, Eli whimpered and turned his face searchingly in her general direction before letting out a lusty cry, then another.
“He’s hungry,” she said, as her feeding-time breast-tingling intensified, making her pray she didn’t leak. “I’d better nurse him.”
Sean transferred the baby effortlessly to her. When she finished getting him settled, she turned her back to the two men and unfastened her blouse and nursing bra. As soon as Eli latched on to her nipple, she grabbed a baby blanket from the crib and covered herself and Eli. She turned back to face the two men, only to find Tucker watching, his expression shuttered.
Once again, she ached to go to him, pull him into an embrace like she used to, as she’d dreamed of doing for so many agonizing, painful nights after learning of his death—but she couldn’t. She belonged to another man now. She’d given her word.
As if he sensed her inner turmoil, Sean came up behind her. He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her and Eli close. Staking his claim. Tucker watched with narrowed eyes, but made no protest. Had she really expected him to? He had no right.
In the past year, she’d welcomed Sean’s comfort too many times to count. Hell, she’d needed it. There’d been days when she honestly thought she couldn’t go on. Sean had always been there for her. He’d been a good friend, though she’d known he wanted to be more. He’d persisted and finally, after the one-year anniversary of Tucker’s death had passed, she’d given in.
If she couldn’t have Tucker, Sean made a solid choice. Like her, he valued hearth, home and family.
Looking up to find both men watching her, she sighed. For an instant, she compared them. One tall and lean and dark, the other compact, with dirty-blond hair.
She should be happy. Scratch that, she should be ecstatic. Tucker was here, he was alive and she wished she could celebrate his return without a single reservation. Only she couldn’t. She glanced at Sean, saw only love warming his gaze, and kept herself still. She’d be fine. They’d all be fine.
She told herself she was not torn. True, everything had changed. Everything. Tucker was alive, and they had a child together. Of course, that would mean some sort of a relationship had to continue between them, for Eli’s sake. Nothing more. Tucker had to understand that. She’d accepted Sean’s proposal. He was a good man and she didn’t want to hurt him.
Eyeing the man she’d once thought she loved more than life itself, she relaxed into another man’s embrace and tried to reconcile her conflicted emotions. She’d loved Tucker once, but now she loved Sean, too. Her love for him might be less fiery, less passionate, but as a mother she trusted that the slow, steady warmth would endure for years, rather than flaming out of control in an unguarded moment.
Her choice had been solid, and not made impulsively. Sean would make a good husband, a fantastic father for Eli, who already appeared to love him.
Eli finished nursing and fell back asleep. Moving him to her shoulder, she refastened her bra and shirt before removing the blanket. Gently patting his back, she burped him. When she finished, she moved away, toward the crib.
“I’ll be right back,” she said softly. “Don’t talk about anything important without me.” She was only half kidding.
Moving swiftly, she placed Eli back in his crib and got him settled before she turned to face the two men waiting, still standing silently. The atmosphere felt charged with tension. Uncomfortable.
“He should sleep a little longer,” she said, trying to start a conversation.
Still, neither man spoke. She looked from Sean to Tucker and back again, feeling as though she was watching a tennis match.
“It’s good to have you home,” she said to Tucker. He dipped his chin in acknowledgment, but still didn’t respond.
“So,” Sean said, finally breaking the awkward silence. “About that explanation?”
Expression grim, Tucker headed for the den, then perched on the arm of the sofa. “I don’t know where to begin.”
Sean leaned forward, looking from Lucy to Tucker. “If you’re willing to talk, we’d love to hear what you have to say.”
We’d. Lucy caught the possessive pronoun, aware Tucker probably did, too. Again, the not-so-subtle staking of the claim. Or maybe she was just being hypersensitive.
“I’ve already told Lucy.” Running a hand through his dark, unruly hair, Tucker turned away. When he glanced back over his shoulder, the vivid blue of his gaze sent a shiver through her.
Expression surprised, Sean glanced from one to the other. “I guess she can fill me in later. Still, maybe you can give me the short version. Starting with the plane crash. All we were told was that there’d been a crash and all on board were killed. They found your wallet and your cell phone amid the wreckage. Everything else, including any bodies, was burned beyond recognition.”
“There was no plane crash. Or, let me put it another way. The plane Carlos and I were on landed safely.” Using much less detail than he’d given Lucy, Tucker filled Sean in on his capture and subsequent imprisonment.
Listening as he told the story again, Lucy closed her eyes.
“All right.” Sean accepted Tucker’s tale without hesitation. “But after the DEA got you out, they must have told you why. Someone had to know why the cartel held you prisoner for so long.”
Tucker gave him a long look. “Because they thought I took their money.”
This was new. Lucy opened her eyes to see a look pass between the two men. Not good, though Lucy couldn’t put a name to it.
“And now you’re home.” Sean finished the story.
“And now I’m home. Are you disappointed?” Tucker asked smoothly.
Sean laughed, as though he thought Tucker was kidding. “Right. Disappointed? Hell, this is freaking amazing. You could write a book and make a ton of money.”
Lucy noticed Sean didn’t answer the question. Tucker probably caught it, too.
“The plane crash was a setup,” Tucker said finally. He sounded certain. “And no one has been able to explain to me why someone found it necessary to make everyone believe I was dead. It all goes back to this missing money.”
“Seriously?” Sean leaned forward again, curiously expectant. “How much money are you talking about?”
Though Tucker spared him a glance, he continued to focus on Lucy. “Ten million dollars.”
Sean whistled, clearly stunned.
Shocked herself, Lucy continued to watch Tucker, unable to keep her gaze from moving over him like a caress. She’d missed him. So damn much.
“Yeah.” Tucker shook his head, shaking off the bad memories like a dog shaking off water. “Apparently, the drug cartel was using coffee beans to smuggle drugs. The scent can throw the drug-sniffing dogs off. I was questioned not only by customs agents, but the DEA, FBI and CIA.”
“Ten million dollars is a lot of money.” Sean raised a brow. “Did they ever find it?”
“Not that I know of.” He sounded unconcerned. “I didn’t take it. Right now, the money is the least of my problems.”
“Really?” Sean cocked his head, sounding intrigued. “I’d think a missing ten million would be high up there on the priority list.”
“Maybe if it were mine or even if I knew where it was. Which it isn’t and I don’t. So no. Their missing money is their problem. I was lucky that the DEA had agents undercover to rescue me. After I got back, I’d heard the Mexican police wouldn’t let the US FAA inspectors examine the supposed plane crash. Apparently, the drug cartel controls that area with an iron fist.”
“How’d they find you?” Lucy asked, her heart skipping as he turned his gaze on her.
“I don’t have any idea. Since I’d already been declared dead, it wasn’t like there was a missing US citizen that they knew of.”
“Someone went to a great amount of trouble,” Sean said.
“They even brought us a box of your effects.” Reaching down inside her shirt, Lucy brought forth the ring she’d been wearing on a chain around her neck ever since it had been given to her. “Your college ring.”
Fumbling with the clasp, she finally got it open. Removing the heavy ring, she handed it to him. “Here. You’ll be wanting this back.”
Watching as he slid the ring back on to his finger, she had to struggle to maintain her composure.
“We had no way of knowing,” she repeated, feeling absurdly guilty. Which was ridiculous. If there’d even been a single indication that she should have hope, she would have fought the devil himself to find him. Surely he understood this.
Instead, when they’d come to her with news of Tucker’s death, she’d fallen apart. Even remembering the worst day in her life brought back the heavy remembrance of her pain, making her feel queasy.
Jerking his chin in a quick nod, almost as if he heard her thoughts and understood, Tucker spoke again. “Obviously our people were misled, too, unless our government was entirely in the cartel’s pocket. They only told you what they believed to be true. That I was killed in a freak accident.” Pain warred with fury in the rawness of his voice.
She could tell from his voice that he was done, that he wanted this to be enough to make his life go back to normal. And maybe it would have been, if she hadn’t gotten engaged to Sean. She’d truly believed him dead. She’d mourned him, felt her life was over, and carried and birthed his child without him.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, aware an apology was all she could give him at the moment.
Gaze still locked with her, he swallowed hard but didn’t speak. Finally, he dipped his head in what could have been a nod. “I’m sorry, too.”
“You survived. That’s what matters.” She hoped he could hear the truth in her voice.
“Yes,” Sean interjected. “You made it back in one piece.”
“Barely, but yes, I did,” he agreed. He closed his eyes, as if by doing so he could shut out the images of whatever horrors haunted him.
Standing next to her fiancé, with his arm around her, Lucy still ached for Tucker and longed to comfort him. Of course she wouldn’t, she couldn’t even as a friend. Things were different now. They’d never be the same again. She wondered if he regretted this as much as she. Doubtful, considering the issues still unresolved when he’d left for Mexico.
Eli chose that moment to let out a wail. Lucy pushed to her feet, waiting to see if he’d continue or—hope springs eternal—go back to sleep. Another loud cry came from the nursery, then another. Eli was awake again, and he never went back to sleep if allowed to cry too long. Which meant they’d all been granted a reprieve. For now.
Giving him one last lingering look through her lashes, she stood. “Eli calls. If you’re hungry, there’s plenty of food in the fridge. Make yourself a sandwich or something. I’ll be right back.
Tucker watched her go. Motherhood suited her. She’d always been beautiful, but now she had a softness about her. The adoration in her face as she gazed at Eli made his chest tighten. Once, she’d looked at him like that.
As soon as Lucy left the room, Sean cornered Tucker. He’d expected it, so he was reasonably prepared.
“What the hell are you up to?” Sean demanded. “Whatever you’re really involved in, you’d better not be doing anything that could endanger Lucy and Eli—your son.”
Tucker eyed the man who’d been not only his business partner, helping him start the flourishing coffee company from the ground up, but his best friend since childhood. “You should know better than anyone that I’d never do anything like that.”
“I don’t.” Sean’s words leached bitterness. “But even I can tell you’re not giving us the entire story. When the government people informed us of your supposed death, they also mentioned this drug cartel. If you actually were kept a prisoner, I’m assuming they had a reason to think you had their money, though I can’t imagine what that might have been. So why don’t you enlighten me?”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
His friend’s accusatory tone stunned him. “You know me better than that.” Shaking his head, Tucker started to walk away. But something—Confusion? Anger? Hurt?—on Sean’s familiar face made him stop. “I don’t understand why you’re acting like this. None of what happened to me was my fault.”
“Maybe not, but still…” Sean gave him a hard look. “What are you hiding?”
This time, though Sean was right, Tucker countered with an accusation of his own. “Why are you so suspicious?”
“Because I care about Lucy and Eli, damn it. If you being here jeopardizes their safety, we have the right to know.”
As if Tucker was the outsider. Though he tried to pretend it didn’t bother him, truth was, it did. Hurt like hell, in fact.
“I’m here because this is my home,” he said simply. “Where I used to live, remember? And Lucy was my girlfriend and you were my best friend. And whether you like it or not, Eli is my son. I’m back now. Here to stay. You’d better get used to that.”
“You can’t live here with her anymore. She’s my fiancée now.” There. Sean had actually said it. Tucker supposed he should be glad it was all out in the open.
And so it was. Tucker struggled to control the sudden surge of rage. The last thing he’d expected had been to come home to this.
“I realize that,” he replied, his tone steady, even, and completely rational.
“Great.” Unaware of Tucker’s internal struggle, Sean placed a hand on his shoulder. Though he meant to be brotherly, Tucker couldn’t restrain himself. He knocked it off.
“Look,” Sean said, his voice ringing with disapproval. “There’s no need to be like that. Circumstances have changed. Obviously. No matter how you feel about the way things are now, we can still be friends.”
