Chasing Second Chances Read online

  Lloyd looked at him, his annoyance apparent. “Are you saying I didn’t take good care of her? Look around you, this house, all of this, came from me.”

  “Giving someone a lot of things is not taking care of her,” Bryan said.

  “You don’t know anything,” Lloyd told him, standing up. “You don’t know what Kate and I had or why we fell apart.”

  “It doesn’t matter. All I know is that you allowed what you had to fall apart. You hurt her.”

  Lloyd took a step forward. “You’re just jealous because she loved me first, because I’m the father of her children…”

  “If you had been even just one bit a good father, Kate would not be suffering right now.”

  “Oh, so it’s my fault? If I recall, you were the one who…”

  Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a scream. At once, Bryan ran up the stairs, Lloyd right behind him. He went straight to Kate’s bedroom, knowing that that it was she who had screamed, and sure enough, she was sitting on her bed, crying and shaking. Bryan wrapped his arms around her.

  “It’s okay,” he told her as he rubbed her back and stroked her hair. “It was just a dream.”

  “Oh, Bryan. The kids…”

  “Shh. It’s all right now. It was all just a bad dream. They’re safe and so are you.” He kept rubbing her back as she sobbed, waiting for her to relax against his chest. “I’m here. Everything is going to be fine.”

  Lloyd closed the bedroom door gently and stepped away.

  As much as he wanted to be with Kate, to comfort her as well, he knew there was only one spot for a man in that room and it had already been filled.

  And it was simply too painful to stand in the doorway and watch.

  Slowly, he walked down the hall, stopping by Lena’s bedroom, smiling when he saw the music box that he had given her, and the doll, and the lamp, and the picture frame…

  Giving someone a lot of things is not taking care of her.

  The words Bryan had spoken came back to him, cutting him just as sharply as they had the first time. He didn’t like Bryan, of course, didn’t approve of him even though he was a cardiologist and seemed to care about Kate a lot, but he had to admit the other man was right.

  He had failed to take care of his family and so had allowed it to fall apart.

  If only he had spent more time in this room, reading Lena stories before tucking her to bed and playing games with her, if only he had spent more time with his kids, if only he had spent more time with Kate and paid more attention to her, then he would be the one in the next room right now, holding her instead of a man she had met just a year ago.

  He shook his head. There was no point in having regrets. What was done was done. He could do nothing about the past.

  He could do something about the present situation, however.

  For the past few months, he had been thinking about it and now, he was sure. He had never really stopped loving Kate and after experiencing the amazing joy of having her in his arms again and the pain, the jealousy from seeing her in another man’s, he wanted her back.

  He was going to get her back.

  Fate had given him another opportunity and he would be a fool to let it go to waste as he had the opportunities before.

  And he was not a fool. In fact, he knew exactly what he was supposed to do.

  She was supposed to sleep only for a few hours, Kate thought as she looked at the clock on her bedside table. Yet, after recovering from her nightmare, which she could no longer recall, she had drifted into a long and dreamless sleep, so long that now it was already five in the afternoon and her body was covered in sweat beneath the thick blanket.

  She kicked off the covers, immediately feeling grateful for the cool breeze that caressed her skin, and sat up, reaching for her phone. There were no missed calls, just a few messages of concern and consolation from some of the parents of Lena’s classmates, who had probably heard the news by now, and she did not know whether to feel relieved or more worried.

  There was also one stem of rose and a piece of paper beside her phone, the note saying that Bryan had to go to work and that he was going to ask the hospital director for a leave so he could be there for her.

  And that he loved her.

  Immediately, she felt some of her worry dissolve and she smiled as she placed the folded note back on the bedside table, then sniffed the lone red rose Bryan had left for her.

  She was so lucky to have him.

  She sent a message to his phone, then got up, heading to the bathroom for a quick shower. Afterwards, she headed down the stairs, feeling hungry and anxious to know if there had been any new developments while she was sleeping.

  As she descended the staircase, she heard noise from the living room and she hastened, thinking that the police might have arrived with some news, only to stop at the bottom of the stairs with her mouth slightly gaping when she saw that the living room was cluttered and crowded with people she barely knew.

  What was happening?

  “Kate.” Lloyd stood up as soon as he saw her. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

  “Better, but still terrible,” she answered.

  “You must be hungry. Bryan got some food for you. They’re in the ref.”

  Kate nodded. Unable to restrain her curiosity any longer, she asked, “What’s going on here?”

  “Do you remember that I promised you we’d get the kids back? Well, I thought long and hard about what I can do to fulfill that promise and I’ve decided this is the best I can do.”

  “This?” Kate remained confused.

  “I’ve decided to use my connections,” he explained. “Basically, we’re letting anyone with a computer, television or radio know that Jack and Lena Evans are missing and asking them to help us find our kids.”

  Kate had to suppress a gasp. “You can do all that?”

  “Kate, I’m the Vice President of the News and Public Affairs department,” he told her. “I’ve given up a lot for my job, including my family, and it’s about time it gave me a back a little before I retire.”

  Kate blinked. “You’re retiring?”

  “I was thinking about it,” Lloyd admitted. “I don’t want to wait until I’m old before I start enjoying my life, after all.”

  “Okay,” Kate said, still in awe as she tried to process all the information that she was learning for the first time. “Wait, do the police know about this? Do they approve of this? Did they call?”

  “They didn’t call,” Lloyd answered. “And they should know about it by now. Don’t worry, Kate. I consulted my lawyer before doing this and he told me we’re not doing anything wrong.”

  Kate nodded, understanding.

  “Mr. Marrick, I have Mr. Ferguson on the line,” a woman with short blond hair spoke.

  “I’ll take that call,” Lloyd said. He turned to Kate. “If you’ll excuse me.”

  Kate watched as he answered the phone, still unable to believe what was happening. She had known about Lloyd’s position but she had never really understood his job—he had never talked about it and she had never asked—but now she was starting to get an idea of what it was like, and she was starting to see a side of him she had never seen.

  He gave precise orders in a tone that made it clear they needed to be done, even without raising his voice, and the people around him quickly followed, their respect for him apparent. In spite of the fact that there were papers all over the living room, he was organized, too, knowing exactly what needed to be done and who to ask to do it.

  She could not help but admire him.

  She watched for a while, trying to understand what the people in her living room were trying to do, but mostly studying the man she once married. Then, remembering that she was hungry, she went to the kitchen, and had just finished placing the food that Bryan had ordered out for her from a Singaporean restaurant when the house phone rang.

  Quickly, she picked it up. “Kate Evans.”

  “Is this the hou
se of the Evans who lost their children?” It was the voice of a woman in her sixties.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “I’m Carol Singer and I just saw your children on television,” she said. “I’m calling because I know where they are.”

  Chapter Eight

  Kate kept her fingers crossed, every now and then shifting nervously in her aisle seat while Lloyd sat beside her, calm as the eye of a storm, the complete opposite of her.

  After receiving the call from Carol Singer last night, they had booked the earliest flight to Rapid City, South Dakota, and she and Lloyd were now on it, just a few hours away from their destination. Bryan had stayed behind to keep an eye on the development of the case and also because he had not yet managed to secure his leave.

  Kate could see that he was annoyed by the fact, but he had tried his best not to make a big deal out of it, for which she was grateful. As much as she wanted to take him with her, she knew she couldn’t just drag him away from his job, especially when he had already been away recently, and she couldn’t wait to check out Ms. Singer’s story.

  In fact, last night, she had been about to jump into her car and start driving all the way to Rapid City, but Lloyd had stopped her, telling her that it could be a false lead and that they should just send someone else. When she had not listened, he gave in, though he told her it was better for them to take a plane. He also told her not to get her hopes up too much, especially since they did not really know who Carol Singer was and it was a little fishy how she refused to contact the police in her area, saying that she hated cops because her son was killed by one.

  Even so, she could not help but hope. She had to or she would be lost.

  Please, let the kids be there.

  “It’s going to be all right.” Lloyd placed his hand over hers, sensing her anxiety. “Whether the kids are there or not, it’s going to be all right.”

  Kate nodded. Still, she didn’t know what she would do if it all turned out to be a wild goose chase and the kids were not there, because that would mean that they were somewhere else, lost and lonely, possibly hurt…

  No, she would not think of that.

  Still, she did not know what she would do if her hopes were in vain.

  Please…please…

  * * * *

  “Please call me Carol,” the woman with grey curls said as she ushered Kate and Lloyd into her home. Just as Kate had suspected, she was a woman in her mid-sixties and to her relief, the woman looked completely sane.

  “I appreciate your hospitality, Carol,” Kate said. “But I would really like to see the kids. I’m sure you understand.”

  “I do,” Carol said. “I’m a mother, too, after all. At least, I was once. Now, I’m just an old woman.”

  “I’m sure motherhood isn’t something that can be undone,” Kate found herself saying, surprising even herself. Just yesterday, she had been in despair, thinking she would be nothing without her kids, so where had that come from?

  “You are a kind person,” Carol said. “You must be a very good mother.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want a cup of coffee or tea?”

  “No, thank you,” Kate said. “I would really like to see the kids.”

  “I’m sure Luke and Jenny would like to see you, too.”

  “Lena and Jack,” Lloyd corrected, wrinkling his nose.

  “Right.” Carol turned to him. “Are you the father?”

  Lloyd nodded. “Where are the kids, Ms. Singer? We’ve come a long way and we really would like to bring them back home as soon as possible.”

  “Well, they’re not here,” Carol said.

  Kate immediately frowned. Before she could say anything, however, Carol continued.

  “They’re in the house at the end of the street. I saw them yesterday while I was walking my dog, Ida. That’s short for Idaho where I was raised.”

  “Are you sure they’re the kids you saw on television?” Lloyd asked.

  “Well, they certainly looked like them,” Carol replied.

  “And you’ve never seen them before?”

  “Never. I only saw them yesterday. They were playing in the front yard when all of a sudden, this man came out of the house and he started shouting at them. He sounded very upset that they had played outside when he told them not to.”

  Kate turned to Lloyd. “Let’s go see for ourselves if the kids are ours.”

  Lloyd nodded. “The house at the end of the street, Ms. Singer?”

  “Yes, the one with the blue roof and the potted spider plants in front. I would take you there myself but that man is quite scary.”

  “We understand,” Lloyd said. He took Kate’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  They walked down the street, stopping in front of the house with the blue roof that Carol had described. Kate’s hand tightened around Lloyd’s and she swallowed the lump in her throat as she felt her heart begin to race.

  Please let it be the kids.

  Lloyd remained calm as he rang the doorbell.

  After the second ring, there was still no answer and Kate was about to begin pushing the button frantically when two kids came running out of the house – a little girl with brown hair in pigtails and a younger boy with black, curly hair.

  They stared at her just as she stared at them, her eyes filling with tears.

  They were complete strangers to her.

  * * * *

  “Kate, wait!”

  Lloyd ran down the street, trying to catch both his breath and Kate. He did not know where she was going and he doubted that she knew either, but he knew he had to catch up to her, even though that was easier said than done. He had forgotten that Kate had run marathons before she got pregnant.

  “Kate!”

  She did not seem to hear her, simply running down the street as fast as she could. She probably wanted to get away from everything right now and he couldn’t blame her.

  Finally, after two blocks, she stopped at the children’s playground just as it started to rain. She sat on one of the swings, ignoring the droplets of water soaking through her shirt, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. He, too, breathed heavily as he sat on the empty swing beside her, slumping forward with his folded arms on his lap.

  “Don’t you dare tell me ‘I told you so’,” Kate said angrily.

  “I won’t,” he promised her. “But I will tell you what I told you earlier. Everything will be all right. This…this mistake doesn’t change anything. It may not have moved us forward but it hasn’t set us back, either.”

  “Is this all a game to you?”

  “Of course not,” he told her. “You know it’s not.”

  “I should have listened to you,” Kate said. “You’re always right, after all.”

  He got out of the swing and placed his arms around her. “You’re punishing yourself again.”

  “Because I made such a stupid mistake.”

  “It’s not your fault that you can’t stop hoping. You’re a mother.”

  “I am such a fool.”

  “So you were foolish this time. That doesn’t make you a fool. Just as acing one test doesn’t make one intelligent.”

  Kate didn’t seem to hear him, sobbing even more. “I am such a fool, such a fool.”

  “Shh. It’s all right.”

  “I am such a despicable…”

  He wanted to stop her from hurting herself even more, from going down that slope of self-pity and self-destruction again, and so he did the only thing he thought he could do at the moment—kiss her. Kate did not respond at first, probably too stunned by his sudden action, but he persisted, fueled not only by his determination to make her forget her pain but by a renewed passion for her that was beginning to stir inside of him. Finally, gradually, he felt her melting into him, her lips parting as she surrendered to him.

  He placed one hand at the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss, his other hand supporting her back so that she didn�
�t fall off the swing, their tongues mingling over and over as the rain fell all around them, gliding down the chain of the swings, dripping down from the monkey bars and creating puddles on the ground.

  He devoured her mouth hungrily, as if he was trying to get his fill of sustenance that he had been denied for so long, ignoring the fact that he was getting soaked.

  Then, as abruptly as they had begun to kiss, they stopped just as the squall began to subside, Kate tearing her lips away from him and burying her face in his chest, sobbing again, though he could not distinguish her tears from the raindrops on her cheeks.

  He felt a surge of frustration at the abrupt finish, which was not what he was hoping for, but quelled it, holding her until she calmed down, until she finally stopped trembling. When she did, she pulled away from his embrace, standing up.

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered.

  He was about to say he wasn’t but kept silent, not wanting to disappoint or confuse her further. “It’s all right.”

  “Please don’t tell Bryan.”

  He nodded, unable to resist the pleading look she had on. He had never been able to, which made him think that if she had asked him to stay, he would have.

  But she had never asked him to stay. In fact, she had only asked him to leave, which just went to show how much he had failed her in the past, something which he did not intend to do so again.

  “Let’s go home, Kate.”

  Chapter Nine

  By the time they got home, Kate felt better, her emotions under control once more and the whole incident at Rapid City forgotten. She felt terrible physically, though, her head feeling as if it was being split in two from behind, and so as soon as they arrived, she took in a pain reliever and went straight to bed, falling asleep with her pillow covering the upper half of her face.

  When she woke up, it was still dark and her head still throbbed but as soon as she saw Bryan sitting at the desk near the window, she smiled.