The Forgotten Child, Lorhainne Eckhart [bearly read books txt] 📗

and repeating, “Eeg, eeg, eeg,” over and over. Katy, now finished playing with her sandwich, was unsettled and trying to get out of her chair.

“I've gotta go.”

“Emily, I have more to say.”

Brad leaned over Trevor, watching Emily in his hard, difficult way. Then he circled his hand in the air to wrap it up. So she turned away, lowering her shaky voice “No, you’re done, and I’m going to ask you not to call here again.” Emily’s hand was shaking when she hung up. She pressed her forehead against the wall, taking a deep breath before she turned. She jumped. Brad was right behind her. She never heard him approach. He’s mad.

“Um, Brad that was—”

“We’ll talk after lunch.”

Every nerve in her body tightened. Her stomach became unsteady. She forced herself into mommy role, sitting down, feeding the kids, and wiping up after Trevor dumped his soup. Lunch was long, and awkward; Emily couldn’t choke down one bite.

After lunch, Emily washed the dishes, taking longer with the chore than she normally did. Brad must have known as he appeared beside her and poured himself a cup of coffee from the full pot beside the stove.

“Put a show on for the kids, it’s time to talk. Coffee?”

She looked up into a face that gave nothing away. “Sure.” Oh, crap, here we go.

Emily popped in a DVD; one of the Winnie the pooh movies Trevor loved and would watch for hours. Katy, wrapped in her baby blanket, popped her thumb in her mouth. She’d probably fall asleep before it was half over.

Emily stepped back into the kitchen. Brad was seated at the head of the table, with a cup of coffee. A second cup, in a matching blue floral mug, was sitting in the spot right beside him.

Tears burned the back of her eyes. She blinked hard, refusing to allow one tear to fall. She wanted to kick herself for this weepy reaction. She wasn’t one of those women who cried at the drop of a hat. She was stronger than that.

His face softened as she sat. She couldn’t look at him. Her hands trembled, so she placed them in her lap.

“What’s going on?” There was kindness in his voice.

“I’m so sorry.” She whispered looking into the eyes of a man filled with so much power and passion, it poured from his eyes. He gave her all his attention. “Why are you sorry; did you do something wrong?”

Emily blinked. “Actually, no, I didn’t. That was my, soon to be ex, mother-in-law on the phone.”

“You don’t have a good relationship with her?”

“No. She pretty much blames me for ending my marriage to Bob.”

“Your ex—he knows you’re here?”

“Yeah, he knows. Listen, Brad, we never talked about my personal life, but I can assure you it won’t affect us here. I’m pretty sure she won’t call back again.”

“Emily, she hassled you here; in my home. And that’s my business. If she calls and gives you a hard time again; I’ll handle it.” He reached out and touched her hand, a touch that was so tender and full of support; Emily would swear her heart skipped a beat.

“I’ll be filing for divorce soon. He doesn’t have the backbone to cause trouble. It’s easier for him to let me handle everything. He’s a mama’s boy; forgot to cut the apron strings, as you can tell by the phone call.” She tried to make light of her pain, but closed her eyes when he winced at her humiliation.

“I’m sorry, Em. If you ever need help with him, let me know. I have to get back to work.”

She nodded, fearing her voice would crack if she answered. She stood up when he did, and reached for his cup to clear the table. But he stopped her with a soft touch to her arm. And that’s all it took for the tears to fall; so much for holding it together. Brad did the unexpected; he ran his hand over her shoulder and pulled her into his strong arms. Arms she was sure could cushion and protect her from every harsh bite reality dished out. An unsettling feeling considering she worked for him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall apart.”

He must have sensed her embarrassment as he allowed his arms to drop. He stepped back and shoved his chair in with his boot. “That’s a lot of hurt you’re hanging onto. Suppose you start at the beginning and fill me in.”

He slid her chair out. “Sit down.” He pulled his chair out, so he faced her when he sat.

“Look, he’s just a jerk. He’s self-absorbed and thinks of no one but himself. I’m just angry because I didn’t see it. He went to work, brought in a paycheck. I was to look after everything else, pay the bills and care for Katy and the house. If something needed fixed; I did it. He refused to give me a break; even slipping out to the store to buy groceries, when he was home, became a fight if I wouldn’t take Katy with me. There was no relationship between me and Bob. I mean, he worked in Olympia and commuted; the first thing he did when he walked in, most nights, was call his mother. It bothered me, but, as the distance grew between us, I started seeing him as he really was; a stranger who I no longer loved. I felt resentment, and tension rose between us to the point where we no longer sat in a room together. There was no peace, no communication and his mother became the third person in our marriage. He shared everything going on, in his life, with her through his nightly phone calls. That’s how I found out what was going on with him; by overhearing him on the phone.”

Brad leaned forward resting his hand on the table beside Emily. “You listen to me; no real man would put that entire load on a woman’s shoulders. That’s bullshit, Em. He sounds like nothing but a little boy, not a man.

“Is he supporting your Katy, sending you money?”

Her face heated “Yes, some.”

“There are minimum guidelines for child support; is he meeting them?”

She couldn’t look him in the eye. She’d asked for very little. “No.”

“No? Do you not have a lawyer?”

“I have a lawyer, who’s already lectured me on how I let Bob off the hook. But I want this over; the easiest way possible. I may be a fool for that, but he can’t afford much.” What she didn’t say was that he’d probably bought himself a new car or a new entertainment system. He was worse with money than she was.

His brows furrowed. He leaned closer. “He’s an asshole, that’s what he is.”

“Brad, that’s not all. I’ve been reading some research online lately about some unusual symptoms in children. I read about a mother whose child would scream and shout and flail his arms during a Christmas lineup. And all she could do was carry the young child out. He wouldn’t play with other children. Noises and scents would set the child off in uncontrollable fits. The behavior was odd and the child wouldn’t talk to other people.”

“You do a great job, Em. If you need any help or have any problems with your ex, or his mother, you come to me, you hear me? I know his kind, and I know how to deal with him.” He tapped the table with his fingers.

Did he not hear anything she said? Maybe she was too vague. But then he reached out and slid his fingers down her cheek, then pulled back, as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Brad jumped out of his chair so fast that Emily wondered if his chair would tip. But he gave it a shove, balling his hands into fists. Then he grabbed his coat off the chair and faced her. “I meant what I said, Em. I’m a man of my word.”

A difficult man walked out the door. One who was hiding his feelings; his thoughts. A man she’d need to be careful with. Keep both eyes open; this man had the ability to cloud her good judgment. Except, a thought surfaced in that moment, as she listened to the gravel crunch beneath his feet: What it would feel like to be loved and protected by a man like Brad?