Trish Wylie - Project - Parenthood

‘Okay. Thanks again.’ Though even as she said the words she knew she would do everything in her power to make sure she didn’t have to make that call.

After the door closed behind him, she stood in the same place for a long while. The house was silent, bar the background noise from the television in her front room. If it hadn’t been for that noise to remind her she wasn’t alone she might have allowed herself to wallow in the moment of loneliness she felt.

But it wasn’t because of him, she reminded herself. It was just the way she’d probably always felt but had never really allowed herself to acknowledge. It was an emptiness inside that she’d taken years to control and to bury—even from herself, it seemed.

Part of her truly hated him for the fact that he had reminded her it was there. That it might have been well hidden but it hadn’t gone away. Maybe never would.

She wasn’t the only one who fought it, though, she guessed.

Although right at that moment she may have wanted to kill her sister for taking this trip of hers, and inconvenient timing as it was, she couldn’t hate her for it. Because she understood.

Eimear was probably fighting her own version of that hollowness, and having her children obviously wasn’t enough on its own. She wanted the whole shebang—wanted a man by her side, to be made to feel loved and safe. While Teagan had chosen to find the solution in her career and a modicum of financial security.

Teagan didn’t doubt for a second that she would be back soon. Eimear hadn’t abandoned her children; she’d just set them to one side while she tried to fix her second attempt at marriage.

Teagan herself would never have set her own children to one side for a man, moot point though that was. She’d made her choices. She was the stronger one of the two of them—the one who got on with it, alone. As she’d just have to get on with it this time.

She’d just have to find a way to do it without Brendan McNamara’s help. She didn’t need a constant reminder of how close she could have come to being like her sister in seeking happiness through some guy. Even when that guy’s presence still stirred up a memory in her that she’d never really been able to shift.

No, she would never allow herself to rely on someone else for her own happiness. Could never expect to find love as it was described in the movies. Because it just didn’t exist. Teagan knew that, even if Eimear didn’t.

But then Teagan remembered more than her little sister. She’d made sure of that. It was her job to do everything she could to ensure Eimear was happy.

If that meant playing at being Mummy then that was what she would do. Other women coped, balancing careers with families.

Teagan was a mature, capable woman. She could deal with problems when they arose. Could manage her time.

It was only for a couple more days. Eimear had said a few days. And she’d survived two already.

She’d just have to find a way to survive another two. Without Brendan McNamara.

BRENDAN smiled through his window as he watched her bundle the children out through her door and into her car.

She looked harassed again. Sleek, shoulder-length dark hair flying into her face as she moved from car door to car door. Even the movements of her slight figure were jerky, hurried, while she brushed at her hair with an irritated hand.

His smile grew. Thing was, even from across the street he could see that that ruffled-round-the-edges look suited her. It was sexy. It reminded him of how sexy she’d been at twenty-one. Though he’d bet serious money she wouldn’t believe him if he told her.

Not that he was likely to.

He wasn’t going to even allow himself to touch on the subject of how she’d looked back then. Even Shannon, with her cover-girl blonde looks, hadn’t affected him the way that Teagan could with one flick of her long dark hair or a flash of dimples when she smiled. She’d been tough to forget.

But she was determined to do without his help. Something he should have been happy about. If only from a work point of view. And it wasn’t as if she’d shown any real enthusiasm to spend a great amount of time in his company since he’d moved in across the road from her.

That should have been enough of a hint for him to leave it alone. But somehow all it did was make her more interesting to him.

Maybe it was just the thrill of the chase? After all, he hadn’t had to do that much chasing until he’d met Teagan Delaney. And when he’d finally made his move on her all those years ago she’d run. Literally miles away. As if her pretty little behind was on fire.

He swung back and forth on the leather chair in his home office while he let the memory of that one kiss seep into his mind. Not for the first time either. It was almost as if seeing her had opened a well of memories he’d shut away.

It had been one hell of a kiss—one he’d gladly have repeated. And he’d thought about repeating it way, way too much, for months afterwards.

But alongside the memory of that one kiss was the memory of when she’d opened her eyes and looked at him with such an expression of anguish that it had literally knocked him back on his heels.

It had been as if that one sweet, softly warm kiss had torn her heart from her chest.

Some guy somewhere had done a real number on her, hadn’t he? How come he hadn’t known that?

He sighed. It wasn’t his problem now. Well, that was what he kept on telling himself. Women with baggage just weren’t his style. They were too much work for someone who’d just got out of one big mistake and had baggage enough of his own, thanks very much.

He really should have been backpedalling like crazy to keep away from Ms Teagan Delaney.

But he wasn’t. Instead he was volunteering every five minutes to help her out, when she would quite obviously rather chew off her own arm.

It was quite pathetic, really. And enough was enough.

What he should be doing was going straight out to pursue someone less complicated. Or a string of someone elses—with less history involved, of course. A series of flings to fill in the time; that was what was needed to take his mind off his new neighbour. Nothing else.

His focus was drawn back to the window as her car pulled out into the street and disappeared. He then watched with widening eyes as a second later her front door opened and a small figure appeared.

She’d left one behind?

With a shake of his head he got up from his chair, grabbed his keys and jogged across the street. Again.

This time definitely had to be the last time.

‘Hey there, Johnnie.’

Johnnie looked up at him, blinked a couple of times and then answered, ‘Hey.’ As if nothing in the world was wrong.

‘Your Aunt Teagan was in a bit of a hurry this morning, I take it?’ He smiled.

‘S’pose.’

‘I bet she’ll be back in a minute.’

Johnnie shrugged.

Brendan glanced up the street and then looked back at the house. ‘I don’t suppose you left the door open?’

The boy shook his head.

‘Didn’t think so.’ They both stood silently, and then Brendan turned round and sat down on the stone step, ‘Well, I guess we better wait for her, then. I’m sure she’ll be right back.’

The boy thought for a moment, and then sat down beside him. And they sat. And then they sat some more. In silence.

Brendan told himself he was okay with that. Being quiet was fine with him. But after a couple of minutes he glanced sidewards. ‘So, how you doing?’

‘Okay.’

‘Aunt Teagan looking after you?’

‘She’s tryin’.’

Brendan nodded. ‘That’s good, then.’

He honestly thought he was going to have to discuss the weather with an eight-year-old when Johnnie announced, ‘She doesn’t have no kids of her own.’