Julie Garwood - The Ideal Man

Her sister perked up a little. “I did, didn’t I?”

“Yes,” Ellie said. Her head was starting to throb, her nerves were shot, and she was beginning to tremble in the aftershock of what she had been through. “Everything was gorgeous.”

“Thank you for admitting you ruined it,” Ava sniffed.

“Yes, I did, and I’m sorry,” she said for the third time.

“I’ll forgive you if you’ll just promise me one thing,” Ava said.

“Anything.”

“Promise me you’ll stay away from my wedding.”

Placated by Ellie’s apology, Ava and John went home.

“You need to get some rest, Ellie,” her mother said.

“I will,” she promised. “But I want to go upstairs and say good night to Annie first.”

She was surprised she got dizzy when she stood, but she was certain no one noticed. She didn’t take the stairs two at a time as she usually did and even held on to the banister to keep her balance.

Annie was sitting in the middle of the bed with the unopened pregnancy kit.

“Shut the door,” she whispered.

Ellie quickly did as she asked, then sat down across from her sister. “You haven’t taken the test yet?”

Annie shook her head. “Once I do…”

“Yes?”

“I can’t undo it. I’ll know.”

“You need to know.”

She nodded. “But what if I am? I don’t have a job, and I have student loans to repay. It’s a little overwhelming.”

“If you are pregnant, do you want the baby?”

No hesitation at all. “Of course I want the baby.”

“You aren’t alone, Annie. You know I’ll help you. You can move in with me. And there’s the father,” she said. “You should tell him.”

“I’m such a screwup.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You don’t understand. I don’t know where he is. I went a little bonkers, I guess. If I tell you something, will you promise not to be shocked?”

“What?”

“I’d never… you know…”

“What?” she asked again.

“Patterson scared me, and I didn’t want to have anything to do with any man. I wouldn’t let myself…”

“I see. I’m not shocked,” she said. “So the baby’s father was the first man you’ve slept with?”

Annie nodded. “Four months. That’s how long we were together. It was… raw animal magnetism at first, I guess. I can’t explain it.”

“I know what you mean. Trust me, I do.”

“It wasn’t just the sex, though,” she explained. “He was perfect. He was kind and considerate. We had so much in common. He loved the same things I did, and we could sit for hours and hours talking.”

“So what happened?” Ellie asked.

Tears streamed down Annie’s cheeks. “I don’t know. We’d spent a terrific weekend together at the beach. He left my apartment Monday morning, and I never heard from him again. No call… nothing.”

“What do you know about him?”

“He’s a Navy Seal,” she said. “I thought maybe he got a call from his commander and had to leave on a mission or something, but if that was the case, why didn’t he call, or leave a note, or at least text me? He made me feel like a whore,” she whispered. Tears clouded her eyes as she added, “I really did screw up.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“We used protection,” she said. “But I guess it isn’t always dependable.”

“Have you tried to get hold of him?”

“Yes. I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. I even left messages for him, but he hasn’t responded. Nobody will tell me anything.” She wiped a tear away. “If he cared about me at all, he would have left some word.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I talked to Max, and he’s going to try to find him for me.”

“And when he does?”

Annie straightened her shoulders. “If I’m pregnant, I’ll tell him because he’s the father, and he deserves to know, but I’ll make it clear I want nothing from him.”

“You’re emotional now,” Ellie said. “Take the test tomorrow morning and find out.”

“I could take it now.”

“Yes, but your hormone levels will be higher in the morning,” she said. “Or do one test now and another tomorrow morning. Either way.”

Ellie tried to get more information about the man, but Annie didn’t want to talk about him.

“You’ll take the test first thing in the morning, then?”

“Yes, I absolutely will,” she promised.

The sisters spent the next hour catching up. They talked about work, the people they knew, even Ava’s wedding.

Ellie stood. “I need a shower and a bed,” she said with a yawn. “I’m beat. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“You’re leaving Winston Falls?”

“Yes.”

Annie nodded. She watched Ellie open the door and then said, “It’s funny really.”

“What is?” she said, turning back.

“I was always the good girl.”

“You still are.”

Max was waiting for Ellie downstairs. They said good night to her parents and her aunts and went up to the apartment. Max had left the window unit on low, and the bedrooms and hall were quite pleasant. The kitchen and the living room, however, were sweltering.

Ellie tripped out of her clothes, tossed the bloody and torn dress into the trash can, and got into the shower. She stood under the cool water with her eyes closed and tried to get her muscles to relax. She washed her hair, being careful to scrub around the cut, but she didn’t bother to blow it dry. She brushed it over her shoulders, put on her cotton nightgown, her moisturizer and body lotion, and was ready for bed.

The storm outside had picked up. Lightning lit up the bedroom, followed by loud claps of thunder. Rain pelted the windows.

Ellie didn’t ask Max if she could sleep with him. She pulled the sheet back and slid into bed beside him. He was on his stomach, one arm over the side of the bed, sound asleep. His gun, holster, and badge were on his bedside table. She rolled over to glance at the alarm clock and was shocked to see that it was after midnight. She closed her eyes. It had never taken her more than a minute or two to fall asleep, but tonight was different. Ten minutes passed, then ten more, and she was still wide-awake. This certainly was different for her.

Ellie replayed the day’s events, but when she got to Patterson, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. She took several deep, calming breaths. The threat was over; he was locked up and couldn’t bother anyone. This, too, was different. She could go anywhere and do anything now, couldn’t she?

Not quite. There were the Landrys and the possibility that a man named Cogburn might come after her.

And then there was Max. He was going back to Honolulu, and she would probably never see him again. It was for the best, she decided. He’d be safer there where people like Patterson weren’t shooting at him. Ellie knew she wasn’t being rational, but she was so rattled inside, she couldn’t think straight. Was she reacting to Patterson’s attack or was it the realization that Max was leaving?

No-brainer, she decided. It was Max. Ellie wanted to cry. She’d told him not to get attached to her, and look what she’d done. She’d fallen in love with him. So not acceptable.

She had to distance herself, or she’d become a blubbering idiot when he left. If she continued to lie there thinking about him, she’d start weeping now. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to get up. Max stopped her.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked as he pulled her down beside him.

“No, I can’t.”

“Come here.” His voice was warm and husky. He covered her with his body and began to nuzzle the side of her neck. He rubbed her arms, then moved to her sides. “Your skin’s cold.”