Daughters Of The Bride(90)

By the time she was cleaning up her station for the night, her hurt and anger had faded a little and she’d had a chance to think about all that had happened with Greg. Or hadn’t happened.

She hadn’t bothered to actually talk to him and see that he was okay herself. She hadn’t let him explain. And maybe, just maybe, she’d overreacted to the situation.

She had no idea who the redhead was, but chances were if her ex was dating, she would know about it. As for thinking she’d been played—she honestly had no idea if that was true. Because whatever she and Greg were doing, they weren’t talking about it and that was as much her fault as his.

She drove to camp to pick up Josh. He stood by the curb wearing swim trunks and a T-shirt.

“Hey, Mom,” he said as he slid into the passenger seat and fastened his seat belt. “We went swimming today.”

“I never would have guessed.”

He grinned at her. “It was fun. We’re learning how to play water polo. It’s really hard. You have to swim the whole time and get the ball in the goal.” He frowned. “I guess it’s like soccer, but in the water and with hands, not feet.”

“So nothing like soccer?”

He laughed. “I guess I’ll have to learn more before I can tell you for sure.”

She hesitated, not sure if she should mention what had happened to his dad. She still didn’t know any details. Before she could decide, they rounded the corner and she saw Greg’s truck parked in the driveway. She wasn’t sure what to make of that except she now knew he’d been released from the hospital.

“Dad’s here!”

She reached for her son’s arm, holding him in his seat. “Your dad had an accident on the job today. He’s okay, but go easy on him.”

Josh’s smile faded. “What happened?”

“He was helping one of the rookies and he hurt his arm.”

Josh was out of the car before she could stop him, and racing to the house. “Dad! Dad!”

Rachel followed more slowly. Greg sat in the living room, a thick bandage on his arm and looking almost gray. Josh stared at his dad.

“Is he okay?” Josh asked in a whisper.

Greg smiled and held open his good arm. “I’m great. Come here and give me a hug.”

Josh raced to his dad and dived at his uninjured side. Greg pulled him close.

“I’m okay. I promise.”

“Good.” Josh stood. “I’m gonna take a shower. Then can we have pizza? Because, you know, Dad’s hurt.”

Rachel nodded. “Sure. I’ll wait until you’re out before I order.”

Josh whooped and ran down the hall. She waited until she heard his bedroom door slam shut before looking at Greg.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

He shifted on the sofa and winced. “I wanted to talk to you. The way you took off... I knew what you were thinking, and I knew it was bad.” His dark gaze settled on her face. “That was Heidi. She’s Tommy’s fiancée, that rookie I helped out. He was in surgery and she was totally freaked, so I was trying to calm her down. You know what it’s like to worry, but it’s new to her. And with him getting hurt...” He shook his head. “She wasn’t handling it well.”

He stood and swayed a little. “I don’t want you to think there was something going on, Rachel. There hasn’t been anyone but you. There was that one night, but that was the only time, I swear. I wish you’d stayed so you could have met Heidi.”

“Me, too. I should have stayed. Or at least not run away.” Which was the same thing, but she couldn’t seem to help saying stupid things. “You look terrible. Are you up for staying for dinner, or should I drive you home?”

“I want to stay with you.”

He meant for dinner. She knew that. But part of her wanted to believe he was saying something else. That he was telling her he missed being with her in every sense of the word.

“Greg, I—”

She never got to finish her sentence. He took a step toward her, then staggered a little. She reached to steady him, only to find herself in his arms. She wasn’t sure if they were embracing or he was holding her up. Then it didn’t matter because his mouth found hers and they were kissing.

For a second she felt nothing. Just pressure. No heat, no desire. For that single heartbeat, she could have pulled away. Maybe she should have. But she waited too long. Because in the next second, she felt everything. The soft firmness of his mouth on hers. His hands on her arms.

In that second, she remembered everything about them being together. Their kissing, their touching. The feel of his hands on every inch of her body. The way he always stared deeply into her eyes as he entered her. How he called out, “Come for me, baby,” when she was close. How they were always trying different things and sometimes the awkwardness of that made them laugh so hard they had to stop and simply touch each other until the laughter faded.