Summer Street Secrets (The Hills of Burlington Book 3) Page 21

  Unlike Addie, and perhaps even Court, Carrie wasn't at all surprised by Nick's offer. In her mind it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility if Nick had made the offer without any forethought. But once made the public relations possibilities he could draw from it were untold. No, she wasn't surprised. What did throw her off was the look on her niece's face. A look that told her as excited as she was about it she would scruff it with one word from her. "I think it's a wonderful idea. And just think Addie of the feedback it would bring." The relief on Addie's face answered all her questions. And told her something she hadn't expected. She ranked high on Addie's list of who was important to her. She knew her niece loved her. They had always been close. But with the divorce she had never been quite certain what the impact of that might have been on their relationship. Loyalty and love ran strong she knew but she also knew that blood ran stronger. Usually. "You should call Casey and see if she can set things up before your uncle has to leave."

  Addie looked at her uncle questioningly.

  "I'll be here until later on tomorrow. I checked into the downtown hotel so I'm close by. Why don't you give her a call and see if you can set something up for anytime through tomorrow afternoon?"

  "Cool!" Then just before she made it through the doorway she turned back around. "Is it okay if I go over and tell Mallie and Aunt Charlie?" At Carrie's nod she flew out of the room and they all heard the front door slam on her way out of the house. Carrie had no doubt Addie was already dialing Casey on her cellphone.

  "Carrie," Nick spoke quietly, cautiously. "It's good to see you."

  With a sigh Carrie turned back to the man she married and for a long time, loved. "Court," she tilted her head slightly, acknowledging Nick's words even as she made the introductions she hadn't yet had the chance to. "This is Nick Bristow. Nick, Court Gordon." She watched as the two men shook hands and wondered if it was a wary sort of motion or simply her imagination.

  "I've spent many hours enjoying your books," Nick took in the man that he knew without asking had his ex-wife's back in all the ways that mattered. Wondered how that, the relationship and the man, might affect what he’d come here to ask of her.

  "Carrie told me," Court wanted to make sure the man across from him understood that he and Carrie talked about all manner of things. Something he had long ago determined hadn’t occurred much between these two during all the years they were husband and wife.

  Carrie sighed. She knew Nick well enough to know something else was on the burner and he was trying to figure out to spill it out without losing what he wanted in the end. If it weren't for Addie she wouldn't care. But he had, no doubt about it, brought happiness to that young woman whether he meant to or not. For that she could be gracious. "What brings you here, Nick?"

  "I have a huge favor to ask of you." One that would cost each of them in more ways than he cared to count. "And I'd like you to consider it overnight before giving me an answer."

  "You're that concerned she'll say no?" Court interjected grimly, already not happy about where the conversation was going. A conversation that had yet to begin.

  "Yes," Nick answered honestly. He'd come to the conclusion on the trip here that the only way this would work for everyone involved was if he was absolutely honest with his ex-wife from start to finish. It was, he was ashamed to admit especially to himself, a novel way to handle a situation that hadn't occurred much in their marriage.

  With another heartfelt sigh and a look at Court that asked for patience she gave Nick a nod. "Go on."

  "I made many mistakes in our marriage, I won't even begin to deny that."

  "Nick," Carrie didn't want to go there, not now, not here, not ever.

  "I'm not here to go over old stuff Carrie but what I am here about has to do with one of those mistakes," he spoke softly, not at all his usual tone and the gravity of the situation in his eyes conveyed itself to the other two in the room.

  "Nick," Carrie began slowly, she had a feeling she knew where this was going but had no idea why. Or why it would involve her.

  Nick shook his head effectively silencing her. He knew this would be difficult but he hadn't realized just how hard it would be simply to start the story he had to tell. He ran his hand through his already ruffled hair. "I have no excuses and wish there was a way not to have to go into this with you but I have no one else I can trust with him."

  "Him?" Court prompted after a silence fell over the room. He was surprised when it was Carrie who broke it.

  "Nick," she took a deep breath, wished she had some clue why this was so important to bring up now. "Is this about your son?"

  The previous silence was nothing compared to the shocked silence after her statement. Both men stared at her as if she needed a bath.

  "You've known all along?" Nick scrambled through his memory wondering what could have alerted her. He'd been so careful. If she knew...who else knew? Not that it would matter much in the days to come.

  Carrie couldn't hold back a shaky breath. "His mother contacted me not long after he was born. She wanted me to know." She stared at her former husband willing him to defend the woman and see how she felt about that. When he said nothing and gave even less away in his expression she continued her explanation. "She also wanted me to know that she had no problem making it known to all who cared to listen that she’d given birth to the son of a certain U.S. Senator. Of course," she couldn't block the sarcasm from her voice, "she was more than willing to keep it to herself for a price."

  "And you paid it?" Nick couldn't believe it. Hadn't he paid enough? He was stunned at the thought this woman had quietly paid for silence that would benefit him far more than it would herself. And both of them knew it. "Why?"

  "For the same reason you've apparently come here." She explained quietly and even though she saw the understanding in his eyes she went on, she wanted no confusion on what she did and why. "For the child." She turned to Court now, needing him to understand in the way that she no longer cared if Nick did. "He would have been hounded by the press. It wouldn't matter he was only a child. I haven't paid her a dime since I came here." She turned back to her former husband. "I figured she would have contacted you when she couldn't get to me and you would take care of it however you saw fit."

  Nick took a deep breath before he said what needed to be. "She died about three months ago. DWI. She was behind the wheel and died instantly."

  Court rose from where he was sitting. He needed a drink and figured everyone would by the time they got to the end of wherever this was going. When he sat back down it was with three old wine glasses he'd found in one of the cupboards and a bottle of Carrie's favorite wine, good and cold fresh out of the refrigerator. He didn't skimp when he poured and noted Nick emptied half his glass with a few large gulps. Feeling for the man in a way he preferred not to he leaned forward to refill his glass.

  Carrie spent the time thinking and after a few sips of her wine asked what she decided was most important. "And the boy?" Though she knew the child was now in his teens she’d always thought of him in terms of a small, helpless child. That hadn't changed.

  "He's been in the hospital ever since then. His mother's family contacted me and to put it bluntly they are the scum of the earth. He means nothing to them other than what they can get out of him."

  Carrie studied the man she often thought she knew better than he knew himself. Certainly better than the people he represented. But at the moment she wasn't certain she knew him at all. That man wouldn't be here. Wouldn't have the tone of remorse that she heard in his voice.

  Court leaned back and took another healthy swallow of his wine. "You mean what they can get for him, don't you." He waited until the Senator turned his gaze in his direction. "They want you to pay for him."

  Nick studied his grip on the glass in his hands. "His mother wasn't the best person on this earth but she loved him. She was greedy and cared more for what money could buy than what it could do." He sighed deeply before continuing. "But she spent a lot on him
." He lifted the glass wondering how many it would take to deaden the regret. "Her family is a totally different story. They don't give a flip about him. Live or die, doesn't matter to them except they get more if he lives." He turned back to Carrie. "His name is Robert. He's always gone by Robbie though he's becoming insistent it be shortened to Rob."

  "You've seen him since the accident?" Court was trying to get his hands around the situation. If he hadn't been sitting here listening he would’ve said it was nothing more than a damn good plot for a pitiful book.

  Carrie absorbed the meaning behind Nick's silent nod. "What is it you want from me Nick?"

  "I'm going to go public with it. And then I'm going to petition the court for full custody." He took a deep breath. "I'd like you to be part of the petition because I'm asking you to raise him here."

  "Holy Mary, Mother of God." Court whispered the words under his breath but they may as well have been shouted at the top of his lungs the way they bounced off the walls in the quiet kitchen.

  Carrie had an abundance of questions but only one seemed important. "Why me?" She wasn't even certain they could do what he asked, they were divorced for Pete's sake.

  "Because you're the only person I can trust him with." He looked at her then past her somewhere beyond her shoulder at something only he could see. "Very much like you were the only person in this world my sister would consider trusting Addie with." He looked back at Carrie. "Not just physically but the emotional aspect of what Addie deals with. Rob is not at his best at the moment for numerous reasons, most of which I'm certain you can imagine."

  Carrie didn't say anything immediately because she was shocked clear to the bone. Speechless didn't come close to the numbness that had overcome her voice. And she knew without a single doubt that Nick meant every word he'd just spoken. She also began to get a better perspective of his distant attitude during their fairly recent divorce proceedings. This had been very much on his mind. She unconsciously reached out for Court finding the calm she sought when his hand gripped hers. Because she simply couldn't come up with anything to say she waited for whatever Nick had to say next. She didn't have to wait long.

  "I'm not going to lie to you." He let out a long sigh, he better than anyone knew she had little reason to believe him. "Not on this. Never about this," he stated quietly almost like a prayer. Carrie looked at him now with something more than shock and he hoped he could keep that interest. Robbie's life might depend on it. Not physically. Not the life he was living now but the life he could live. The life he wanted for him.

  Court squeezed Carrie's hand gently. He knew without asking that she realized as he had that whatever motivated her former husband went way beyond politics and the public relations nightmare this would end up being for him no matter how he handled it. How they handled it, he corrected himself silently. He knew that in a matter of moments the Senator had shifted the direction too of how Carrie was leaning. It was no longer about her former husband. It was now solely about the child. And not even a child he closed his eyes on the thought. A teenage boy with all the things that went with that...probably more considering the life he'd led to date.

  "It won't be easy, the Lord only knows that Robbie's never been easy. If you tell him any damned thing he'll argue the point until you have no clue what's up or down. You tell him the shirt he's wearing is green he'll go to the mat swearing it's blue." Nick shook his head wearily wondering if he was crazy for asking Carrie to take this challenge on. But he’d spoken the truth. There was no one else. His own niece was with her because his sister couldn't handle the crisis that had fallen on her own daughter. There was no way he could be certain she would be able to deal with all the issues his son was dealing with. Would deal with for months to come if not longer. But of the many things he knew about his ex-wife, when she dug in and committed she didn't cave. Hell. She'd stayed with him far longer than anyone expected her to. Longer than he’d expected her to.

  "What are his injuries?" Court knew the question was a moot one but knew too Carrie needed time to gather her thoughts so she could put voice to them when she was ready.

  "They were extensive but he's recovered from most of them." He was being vague, something he swore he wouldn't be.

  "Nick." Carrie didn't state the obvious. She simply waited.

  "Broken bones." He sighed deeply, wished he could stop there. "Lots of them. He's had to go through a lot of rehab to regain the use of muscles that were torn and tendons that literally broke apart."

  "Jesus." Court spoke low but was easily heard in the quiet that had fallen in the room. The weariness in Nick's voice spoke volumes and both listeners understood much was being left unsaid.

  "The impact was tremendous." Nick looked up from his study of his hands, looked into Carrie's eyes. "His heart muscle was torn from the sudden impact forcing him forward then backwards." He shook his head warily, still astounded at the miracle that had kept Robbie alive. "The doctors drew it out for me. The best I can explain it is that the skin or lining, whatever it is in the heart, acted like a balloon and somehow kept him from bleeding to death right then and there at the scene of the accident."

  "Oh my God." Carrie couldn't stop the image she was forming in her mind.

  "From what I could find out he was conscious off and on until they got him into surgery. He won't talk about it but he remembers pieces of it."

  "His mother?" Court didn't think he needed to be specific and was right in his assumption.

  "He won't talk about it but I'd bet my last dollar he saw her. If he was conscious before they got him out of the car she would be his first thought. For all her faults she was a good mother. She wasn't a perfect mother but she took care of him first. And Lord knows she could have done differently considering her family." And coming to that realization in the last months had been an epiphany in its own. One of many he'd had to come face-to-face with. None of which had been pleasant experiences. None of which he came out looking too terribly good.

  "Nick." Carrie rubbed her hands together trying to generate some warmth in them. "Does Robbie know what you want....that you want for him to live here with me?" At the reaction that generated he gave her the answer without a single word spoken so she took it a step further. "How does he feel about it?"

  "Who the hell knows." Nick stifled the need to pace, it wouldn't help and Lord knew he'd already done plenty of it. "He'll agree to just about anything right now if it will get him out of the hospital." He paused, thought back to their last conversation though confrontation would probably be a better way of describing it. "And despite what he says...or doesn't say...he's probably just as desperate to not find himself in the company of his mother's family. I'm not certain exactly how much he's been around them but however much it seems to have been enough to show him that's not somewhere he wants to go." He tossed back another refill Court had wordlessly poured into his glass. "Realizing his feelings...or lack of...for his mother's family has probably been the single reason I believe he can…that he wants to be something different." He smiled for the first time. "He refers to you as the babe." He watched the ire rise in his ex-wife's expression. "Believe me, it's a heck of a lot kinder than anything he uses to describe his aunts on his mother's side of the family. Anyone in that family for that matter. I can't even repeat most of those phrases," he laughed, the sound rusty but relaxed. "I'm not even certain what some of them mean."

  Despite the laughter Carrie saw and heard the worry. There were lines stretched across his face that had little to do with age or political jockeying. She didn't know how well Nick knew his son. Had no earthly idea just how much time he’d spent with the boy over his short lifetime. But she had no doubt that he cared about him. Deeply. She could put him off until tomorrow. That's what he expected. What he had asked for. But it wasn't who she was. Not anymore. Procrastination might be the name of the game in the life she used to lead but not now. Not here. She intently turned her head slightly to meet Court's eyes. Held them. They hadn't discussed the deta
ils but had danced around them enough that she knew their futures were tied together. She wasn't waiting on him. It was the other way around. He was simply waiting for her to be ready. So now she held his gaze steadily. Waiting for him to let her know, for him to see her thoughts on what had been put before them. At his slight nod, completely indiscernible to anyone who didn't know him and know him well, she turned her look back to the other man in the room. She might not love him as she once had but their lives would be forever connected because of what had once been. And now their future would be far more connected because of the decision she was about to give him.

  "I'll do it." She turned away from the surprise in Nick's face to look back into Court's beloved face. "We'll do it." The hand that reached out across the small expanse of table to enfold hers was warm and secure.

  "I don't know what to say." And he didn't which was something that rarely happened to him. Nick had spent the last decades knowing exactly what to say and how to say it to his benefit. This time though it was for someone else's benefit and he had no idea how to respond. He had expected to be able to talk Carrie into it. If nothing else she’d always been a soft touch. But the addition of Court Gordon had been an unanticipated ingredient. It had been quickly apparent he would have a voice in the huge request he’d laid out on the table. His acquiescence, silent but definitive, wasn't something he took lightly. And now minutes later he was still stunned into speechlessness.

  "I think," Carrie began tentatively, exhausted from the day and especially from the last hour of it, "we might want to all get some rest. I know I'll have plenty of questions tomorrow and no doubt Addie will too." At his look of concern she continued carefully. "We can't keep her out of it. She's come so far since she arrived and I don't want that to be damaged. She'll accept it and if you would prefer her to keep it quiet she'll do that as well." She let her breath out slowly, believing what she said and willing Nick to believe the same. "Addie understands better than most the need for discretion in all manner of things."