Chapter 46
May 19, 2007
The plane was right on time. Carlos spotted them as they emerged from the skyway and he waved. "Hey, guys! Remember me?"
"You're Daddy's bodyguard," Jemma said with a grin.
"Right! How was the flight?" He picked Aaron up and indicated that Rachel should hold tight to Jemma. He started moving them through the terminal at a brisk pace.
"Where's Daddy?" Aaron asked.
"He's waiting for you at the hotel, buddy," Carlos grinned. "Champing at the bit to see you."
"Where's the hotel? How come he didn't come with you?" Aaron persisted.
"You're full of questions, aren't you? The hotel is about twenty minutes from here." Carlos glanced at Rachel. "And your Daddy didn't come with me because sometimes when he goes out in public-things get a little crazy. He didn't want anybody getting hurt." He looked from Aaron to Jemma. "You kids okay with that?"
Jemma nodded. Aaron looked at her, then at Carlos and finally at Rachel. That decided him. Rachel looked calm-like she had expected things to be this way. "Yeah, that's okay." Aaron nodded. "How long till we get to the hotel? Are we gonna ride in a taxi?" Where's my suitcase?"
Carlos started laughing. "Are you sure you're related to Kevin? Not Nick?"
He took them directly to the limo. "Give me the claim tickets, and I'll be right back," he said to Rachel. At her concerned look, he smiled reassuringly. "They got in last night and the place was mobbed. It took us forty-five minutes to get away from the curb. There are still some kids running around today-Lord knows why. I'm just following orders. He doesn't want anything to happen to any of you-or the fans." He glanced down at Jemma and Aaron for a moment. "And let's face it-it wouldn't take much for a 'dedicated fan' to figure out who their Daddy was." He smiled again as Rachel handed him the claim checks, and he disappeared into the terminal again.
Their arrival at the hotel was a little less dramatic. The limo pulled into the parking garage and they were whisked into an elevator that took them directly to the VIP floor. They never even saw the lobby. Rachel barely had time to collect her thoughts before Carlos was opening the door to Kevin's suite. He directed the bellboy to the bedroom that Rachel would be sharing with Jemma and Aaron, and then stepped back out into the hallway.
Kevin was sitting on the sofa, talking to Brian and Leighanne. He looked up and grinned when the door opened. Aaron had spotted him and had wiggled out of Carlos' grasp. He raced across the room and leaped into Kevin's lap. Jemma was about two seconds behind him. "Daddy!" they both screamed. Kevin let them tackle him and pin him to the sofa.
"Hey, guys!" He laughed. "I missed you!" He looked at them with a frown creasing his forehead. "Did you grow since I left?" He grinned again.
Aaron jumped to the floor and stuck out his chest. "I'm bigger!" he exclaimed. "I'm gonna take karate lessons! Rachel said so." He posed in a karate stance and chopped at the air with his arms.
Kevin looked up at Rachel. She hadn't moved from her place just inside the door. "Karate lessons?" he asked with a smile.
"Ellen volunteered to take him with JW and Bobby-when it's time for him to go," she said quietly.
"That sounds fine," Kevin replied. There was an awkward pause that was broken by a knock on the door. "Come on in," Kevin called, laughing. "Open house!"
Nick walked in. "Ari! Jemma!" He crouched down and held out his arms for a hug, and they ran to him. "I heard you kids were here. Coming to the concert tonight?" He looked up and grinned at Rachel.
Jemma turned to Kevin. "Are we Daddy? Are we? For real??" Kevin smiled and nodded. She turned back to Nick. "We're going, Uncle Nick!" She grinned and hugged him again.
No one was prepared for Aaron's reaction. He stood completely still for a moment and then he started jumping up and down, chanting, "We're going to the concert...we're going to the concert..."
Brian grinned. "Okay, Ari. Calm down." It was as if he was talking to the air.
Nick laughed. "Hey, Ari. Cool it, dude. You'll have Carlos in here looking for psycho fans." Aaron ignored him. He was bouncing on the armchair.
Leighanne tried. "Ari, sweetie, let's take it easy. You're going to hurt yourself." She could have been speaking a foreign language for all the difference it made.
"Aaron!" Kevin and Rachel had both spoken at the same time. Neither of them had raised their voices above normal conversation level, but the quiet that settled over the room was like a faucet that had been turned off. Aaron looked at Rachel first.
"That's enough now," she said with a smile. He turned to his father. Kevin held out his arms and grinned. Aaron ran to him and snuggled into his lap.
"I'm sorry, Daddy."
"It's okay, Aaron. I know you're excited," He chuckled as he held him close.
Brian laughed. "Maybe we should all start calling him Aaron. At least he knows to listen when you call him that." He paused. "Come to think of it, you two are the only ones who do call him Aaron-how did that happen?" he asked, turning to Rachel.
"That's what Aaron asked me to call him the day we met," Rachel said, smiling at the little boy. "I guess you'll have to ask him why." Brian turned to Aaron with a grin and raised his eyebrows in question.
"Cause that's what Daddy calls me," he said solemnly. "And Rachel came to be my Mommy."
There was complete silence in the room. The moment stretched and Rachel could feel the blush creeping up her face. Nick cleared his throat and stood up.
"Hey, you two," he said looking first at Jemma and then at Aaron. "Do you know what they have downstairs here? There's a place that sells soft ice cream. And they have about a million flavors. How about you help me find the best one?" He looked at Kevin. "I'll take Carlos and Billy with me," he said quietly. Kevin nodded. Nick left holding Jemma and Aaron by the hand.
"We really have to get back to our room," Leighanne said, standing up and prodding Brian. "Marcus isn't going to be too happy about being stuck there once Hal and Ashley wake up from their naps."
"Yeah," Brian agreed hastily. "And I've got some mail to answer." He looked at Rachel. "We'll see you later. Dinner?"
"Sure," Rachel said softly.
"It's nice to see you again, Rachel." Leighanne smiled as she hugged her on the way out the door. Suddenly Rachel and Kevin were alone in the room.
Rachel had never felt so uncomfortable in her life. Or so upset over what it appeared her impending departure was going to do to Aaron. She looked up. Kevin hadn't moved from his seat on the sofa. He was staring intently at his boots. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. "I'm sorry, Kevin," she whispered. "I had no idea that's what he thought."
He glanced up at her quickly and then resumed his footwear inspection. "I don't think anybody did," he said softly. "But it pretty effectively cleared the room." He chuckled. "I've never seen Nick backpedal that fast before." He got up and walked to the windows.
"There's a nice view from here," he said looking out. "It's so clear today. The mountains look like you could reach out and touch them." There was a hawk circling in the distance, riding the thermals..its movement so smooth and effortless.
Rachel stared at his back and then with a deep breath to control her racing heart, she joined him at the window. She nodded. "It is beautiful."
She was standing so close, and he could smell her perfume. "Rachel..." he whispered. She turned to him and he looked down into her eyes. He couldn't read anything in them. What if I'm wrong? He retreated. "I-um-thank you for bringing them. I really appreciate it."
She looked away. "I'm just doing my job, Kevin. That's what you pay me for. To make sure that they're safe."
"You've done a lot more than that in the last year or so," he said quietly. "Thank you just seems a little inadequate..."
"Kevin, please don't," she whispered. "You don't owe me anything. I helped you get through a very rough time in your life, and I did it successfully. That's what I do. All three of you came out of it closer to each other and happier. That's what's important."
"You're right-except for one thing," Kevin said softly. "Not all of us are happier." Please let Jerry be right about this. "In fact, I don't think any of us are going to be happier-including you."
"What are you talking about?" Rachel didn't dare to look at him.
He was still looking out the window, watching the hawk as it swooped and wheeled. Flight for the sheer joy of flying. "Do you really want to leave, Rachel?" he asked gently. Do you still love me, his heart cried.
"I don't think I have a choice, Kevin," she whispered. "You don't need me any more, and I'll only be in the way when you..." She stopped. The tears were starting and she couldn't seem to control them. She stared out at the mountains, trying to force a lid back down on her emotions. The hawk stooped and dove out of sight.
"When I...what?" Kevin turned to her. She didn't answer him, but in the silence he suddenly knew what she was thinking. And he had his answer. "Rachel?"
"I think I'd better go and get Jemma and Aaron unpacked," she said suddenly. "It was a long flight, and they're going to need to take a nap if they're going to the concert tonight." She turned away from Kevin abruptly and headed toward the bedroom. She got as far as the door before Kevin spoke.
"You know...I've been doing some reading this past week," he said quietly. "Not my usual fare, but pretty interesting stuff." Rachel stopped with her back to him, her hand on the door handle. "One book in particular-Jerry sent it to me. I have to return it though. He borrowed it." She froze. "All about the grief process," Kevin continued, watching her. "But then...I guess you'd know that."
She heard him cross the room toward her but she couldn't turn around. And then his hands were on her shoulders.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered. "Why didn't you try to let me know what was going to happen?" She tried to draw a breath and it came out a sob.
"Because," she choked out. "You wouldn't have believed me before, and after it happened it was too late. It wouldn't have made any difference."
"Maybe not right away." Kevin's arms slid around her and pulled her shoulders back against his chest. "But if I had known that it was a normal reaction, maybe it wouldn't have taken me such a long time to realize that I'd made a monumental mistake," he murmured into her hair. Rachel's hands crept upward and gripped his arms. He smiled gently as he felt her tears against his skin. "You read all the words and learned all the facts, Rachel. But you didn't allow for how much I love you." He turned her around to face him and pulled her in close again. Her head came to rest on his shoulder. He automatically reached up and pulled the clip from her hair. When it tumbled loose, he stroked it.
"I've had a devil of a time trying to get you to understand that-right from the beginning." He chuckled and putting his hands on either side of her face, tipped her head up and looked down into her eyes. They were shining now and he smiled at her. He bent down to bring his lips to hers. He meant it to be a gentle kiss. It started that way. But as each of them realized that they had come through the crisis to a safe harbor, emotions erupted and they clung to each other. They were both breathless when they pulled apart.
Rachel looked up at Kevin and brushed his hair back. "Are you sure, Kevin," she whispered.
"Don't you start that again," he growled softly with a smile. "My question is-are you sure?"
Rachel's answer was to pull him back into another deep kiss. As Kevin responded to her, she pressed closer to him and her hands combed through his hair and slid down his back. He broke away from her with a gasp. "That's it-you're fired," he grinned. "For real this time. Move your things into my room."
Chapter 47
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