That Man of Mine (8 page)

“You came!” Shea said. She jabbed her elbow in Pilar's side. “I told you he would!”

Mimi looked at him with glazed eyes. Recognition set in. “You called
him
?” She turned to Shea. “I thought you were my friend!”

Moose Masterson stepped forward to shake Zeke's hand. He was a big, likeable guy. Knew his football pretty well. “Hey, man, sorry about the call, but as you can see Bunco got a little out of control tonight.”

“No problem.” Zeke glanced through the open door and into the living room where it appeared that the rest of the women were in various stages of their “drunken and disorderly conduct.”

“I'm calling all the husbands to come do pick up duty.” Moose looked uncertain. “I wasn't sure if we should call you or—”

“Shea was right to call me.”

Moose looked relieved. “Okay, glad to hear that.”

Zeke put an arm around Mimi and guided her toward his cruiser. “Hey! Are you just gonna let him take me off like this?” she called out to her friends.

“Yes!” Shea and Pilar called back. They both looked extremely pleased with themselves, as well as extremely drunk.

“Some friends you are,” Mimi muttered. She stumbled once on the way to the car. Zeke briefly thought of putting her in the back seat, but he was positive she wouldn't appreciate it come tomorrow morning when she remembered what went down. Of course, he'd never seen Mimi this drunk before, so he wasn't quite sure whether she'd remember it or not. It wasn't like her to lose control. Not like this.

He helped her into the front seat of the cruiser and strapped on her seatbelt. “Don't touch any of the buttons,” he warned.

Her blue eyes flared. “Oh!” She sat up straight, like she suddenly realized where she was. “You're taking me home in the police car! I've
always
wanted to ride in the front seat of your police car.”

He got behind the wheel and picked up the radio to check back in with dispatch. “Ellie, I'm taking my break now so I'll be off for the next thirty minutes.”

“Roger that, Chief.”

“
Help
!” Mimi shouted. “I'm being kidnapped!” Then her head slumped over like she'd fallen asleep. What the hell had she had to drink?

“Is that Mrs. Chief yelling in the background?” Ellie asked. “Is she all right? She doesn't sound like herself.”

“Everything's fine, Ellie,” Zeke said.

“Um, okay. If you say so, Chief. Over and out.”

The rest of the drive home was thankfully uneventful. He pulled into the driveway to the house he no longer lived in, and killed the car lights. Mimi let out a small sigh. She blinked, then glanced around.

“Where are we?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“Home.”

She pushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. Sitting here in his cruiser with her hair all mussed up, wearing jeans and sneakers, she looked more like a teenager than a thirty-five-year-old mother of two.

“I…you drove me home?”

“Yep.” He glanced at the house. Claire's bedroom light was still on. “Looks like you girls had quite a party back there.”

“We were…celebrating.”

A muscle on the side of his jaw clenched. Celebrating what? Their separation? “What's the occasion?” he asked carefully.

“How we…no, how
I'm
going to get Billy Beans for the
Spring Into Summer
festival.” She hiccupped.

Zeke hid a smile. There was no other woman on the planet who could possibly look this damn cute and be so out of it at the same time.

“You mean, Billy Brenton?”

“
Yeah
! That's who I'm going to get. I'm going to show up that Bruce Barnum and Bailey, all right.” Somehow, she managed to unclip her seat belt on her own. She turned to stare at him like she hadn't seen him before. “
Hey
! Who called
you
?”

“Shea did. Remember?”

“Oh…yeah. I'm mad at her.”

“Don't be. You're in no condition to drive.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Are you…let me see if I can say this right… Slytherin' Cindy's Hufflepuff?”

Definitely
not
the question he was expecting. “I'm almost afraid to ask what that means.”

“I don't think I could say it again.” She placed her hands between her head to steady it, like it hurt. Which it probably did. Only not as much as it was going to hurt tomorrow.

 “I'm pretty sure the answer to your question is no,” he said.

“Oh. Okay. I didn't think so.”

“Now it's my turn to ask a question.”

She gave him a suspicious look. “Shoot.” Then she laughed. “I probably shouldn't say that to a cop. I don't mean shoot as in you know,
shoot.
I mean, go ahead.”

“Why did you ask me to leave the house?”

It wasn't fair to ask her that now. Not while she was drunk and her defenses were down. On the other hand, maybe it was the perfect time to ask her. Maybe for once, he'd get a straight answer.

“Can't be with someone who doesn't trust me,” she muttered.

What the hell was she talking about
?

“I trust you. You're my wife, for God's sake.”

“
Aha
! Now we're getting someplace…or somewhere. I forget how that goes.  So, you admit I'm your wife.”

“I don't think that point was ever in question.”

“But
why
am I your wife? Why did you marry me, huh? Cuz I was knocked up? Is that why?” Her words were still slurred but Zeke got the impression it was a question she'd been thinking about for a long time.

He raked a hand through his cropped hair. “You know why we got married. Sure, you were pregnant with Claire, but it was also because we love each other.”

“Don't you want to know why I married you?” Before he could answer, she said, “Because you were
hot
. You're still hot, you know?” She frowned. “Of course you know. Every woman in town tells me so on a daily basis, so they probably tell you, too.
Hey
! You're not Slytherin' anyone else's Hufflepuff, are you? Because…if you are, I might just have to chop off your…your Gryffindor!” She laughed.

“My Gryffindor, huh?”

“Go read
Harry Potter
,” she muttered. She tried to open the car door but he'd automatically locked it.

“Hold on.” He got out of the cruiser and opened the door for her. “Let me help you in the house.”

He took her by the elbow but she brushed his hand away. “No, no…I'm okay.” He watched as she half stumbled toward the front porch. Somehow, she managed to get the key in the lock. She turned and waved to him then disappeared inside the house.

He waited a minute, then went up to test the door to make sure she'd locked it behind her. For a second, he thought about following her inside. To make sure she got to bed all right. But that was just an excuse. She'd made it to the door and managed to remember to lock up, which meant she was okay. Which meant there was no real reason to follow her.

He sat in the cruiser for the next twenty minutes staring at the house. Claire's light went out and the house looked silent.

What the hell did she mean she couldn't be with someone who didn't trust her
?

He racked his brain, trying to remember all those counseling sessions they'd gone to. He could admit now to himself that he'd fucked that up royally. He'd been a world class dick. He hadn't taken them seriously and she'd been angry about that. The sessions were a complete waste of time but he should have at least pretended to be into them. He'd messed up at the city council meeting, too. Instead of waiting to ask her in private about her wedding ring, he'd assumed she taken it off as some sort of sign. Blurting out to the entire room they were separated wasn't like him. He was losing control of his personal life and he didn't like it one bit.

Maybe it wasn't too late. Sure, she'd kicked him out of the house, but if he offered to go to counseling again, would she give him another shot? It was definitely worth trying.

He only knew one thing. He loved her. And this marriage wasn't going down without a fight.

Seventeen years and about eleven months ago (let's not get picky)…

O
nce upon a time,
Zeke Grant had the world in the palm of his hand. At nineteen he had everything a guy his age could ever need or want. A job that paid the bills, a 1995 Honda CB500 that drove like a dream, and even his own apartment.

The job wasn't perfect. He worked as a mechanic's apprentice at Bert's Garage. Not something he planned to do forever, but for now the hours were good and he was learning a skill he could use in one way or another for the rest of his life. The apartment wasn't perfect either. It was a one bedroom shack, really, but it was just a few blocks from the beach and the girls liked it. They liked the bike, too. And for some reason, they liked him as well. Getting laid was never a problem.

Today, though, it was the world that had
him
by the balls. He sat in the Army recruiting station in Panama City and listened to the sergeant tell him what an outstanding soldier he'd make.

“Your test results are off the chart, Ezequiel.” Sergeant E.J. Craft smiled at him behind the government-issue desk with the look of a man who'd just reeled in a prized fish.

“Call me Zeke.”

“Sure, of course. But I'd rather call you Private,” Sgt. Craft said with a laugh. Zeke imagined he probably used that little joke on everyone who came through his door. He was in his late forties, the fatherly type, but still buff. Sgt. Craft could be the poster boy for good clean military living. “You're all set to go. Drug test, background check, it all came back good. Now, shall I show you what Uncle Sam has to offer a bright young man like yourself?”

“I appreciate the time you've put into this, sir, but I'm afraid I've changed my mind. I won't be enlisting after all. I was going to call, but I felt it was something I should tell you in person.”

Sgt. Craft leaned forward in his chair. “What happened? Did the navy sell you a bill of goods? I can top just about anything they might have offered you.”

“No, sir, I'm not joining any of the other service branches.”

“I don't get it. Just a few weeks ago you came in here all hell bent on seeing the world, saving up money, going back to school on the GI bill. What happened?”

Zeke thought about politely brushing him off. What happened was none of Craft's business, but he liked the guy. Sure, he was a little pushy, but he had to be in his line of work. He'd been good to Zeke and he deserved to know the truth.

“My grandmother was just diagnosed with a heart problem and she's my kid sister's legal guardian. It isn't a good time to be far away from them.”

“I see.” Craft frowned, like he hadn't expected that answer. “And there's no other family around to help?”

“Our mom died six years ago. And…yeah, that's all the family there was.”

“No dad in the picture?”

Zeke felt his right eyelid twitch. He forced himself to take a deep breath. Just thinking about Sam Grant made him want to punch someone.

“Nope, just my grandmother.”

“How old is your sister?”

“She's thirteen.”

The sergeant sighed heavily. Zeke could only imagine his frustration. All that paperwork for nothing. “That's a tough break, son, but I understand. I admire you for putting your family first. If the situation changes, let me know. I'll be happy to do up the paperwork again.” He stood and they shook hands.

Zeke was out the door and ready to put on his helmet when he spotted the silver Toyota Corolla pull into the strip mall parking lot. Talk about Kismet. He knew that car. It belonged to Mimi Powers, ironically enough, the inspiration behind this whole enlistment idea.

He hadn't seen Mimi for almost four months, not since she'd broken up with him in January. He'd never intended to have a girlfriend. Girls were fine on a temporary basis. But more than a few dates and they started to think about the future and that was something Zeke wasn't ready for. Not until he first noticed Mimi Powers on that warm September evening in the bowling alley parking lot.

Mimi was only two years younger, but she was still in high school, which should have automatically made her hands off. But the instant she'd turned to look at him and they'd locked gazes, he'd been
hooked
. It wasn't her looks that had been the attraction. She was pretty, but he'd been with prettier girls. She was smart, and sweet, and he hadn't meant to ask her out. But he did. And she'd said yes. Which had surprised him. Seventeen year-old virgins (and it was obvious she fell squarely into that category) didn't go out with guys like him unless they were looking to rebel, and Mary Margaret Powers didn't seem like the rebelling kind. Not that he was a bad guy. But he wasn't boyfriend material.

So they went on a first date and then a second, and before Zeke knew it, she was all he could think about. When he was with her he didn't feel like Zeke Grant, pot-smoking surfer mechanic semi-loser. He felt like Zeke Grant, guy who could do anything he put his mind to. And the sex? It had been just like her—sweet and hot at the same time. And it only got better the more they saw one another.

He'd even introduced her to Buela, the Cuban grandmother who'd raised him and Allie after Mom died. Buela instantly loved her, of course. Because who didn't love Mimi Powers? She was sunshine and warm air and all the rest of that sappy crap people wrote songs about. He stopped smoking pot and starting thinking about going back to school. He'd been planning to tell her that he loved her when one evening out of the blue, she broke things off.

“I'm going away to Duke and you'll still be here, so it doesn't really make sense to keep seeing one another. Does it?” Her blue eyes had been misty, like she was ready to cry at any minute. But that didn't mean she regretted what she was saying. She was just the kind of girl who would feel bad about hurting someone else's feelings.

Zeke sure as hell didn't want her feeling sorry for him.

It had taken everything he had not to beg her to change her mind.

“You're right, I guess it doesn't make sense to stay together,” he'd said stoically.

She'd stood on tiptoe and kissed him goodbye on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “Do something
big
, Zeke. I know you have it in you to be so much more than what you are right now.”

The girl knew how to gut a guy, that's for sure.

In the four months since he'd last seen her, he'd not only given up the dope, but he'd managed to save most of his paycheck. He'd looked into student loans and the military, and in the end he'd chosen the military because it was the fastest way to get to where he needed to be. Only, this thing with Buela had come up and he couldn't abandon her. Not when he was all the family she and Allie had.

He stared at Mimi's car.

What was she doing in Panama City? She'd graduated from high school last week. He knew that because, living in Whispering Bay, you knew that kind of stuff. He wondered what she was doing for the summer. Maybe she'd gotten a job or maybe she'd be doing a gig as a summer counselor at one of those fancy camps in North Carolina. She'd talked about doing that. This could be his last opportunity to see her for a long time. Maybe forever.

He watched from a distance as the driver side door opened, but instead of Mimi, it was her brother Luke who got out of the car. Zeke had gone to high school with him. They'd shared a few classes together but they'd never been close friends. What was he doing with Mimi's car? Technically, though, the car didn't belong to her, it belonged to her parents. Maybe now that Luke was home from school for the summer he was driving it instead of Mimi.

Zeke followed him a couple doors down from the recruitment office into a doughnut shop. Luke was about to order when he turned around and spotted Zeke behind him in line. He looked a lot like his sister, dark hair, blue eyes, and Zeke automatically went to shake hands with him, until he saw the way those blue eyes went ice cold with anger.

“What the fuck are you doing in here? Are you following me?” Luke didn't bother to lower his voice, causing several of the doughnut shop patrons to turn and stare at them.

Zeke shook his head, confused by Luke's hostility. Yeah, he'd been following him, but it was because he was hoping to hear how Mimi was doing. “Take it easy, man. I don't have any problems with you.”

“Well, I have a problem with you. Let's go outside and have a little talk.” He nodded his head to indicate the parking lot.

What the hell was Powers so pissed off about? Maybe he'd found out his little sister had lost her cherry to him and he wasn't happy about it. Having a little sister of his own, Zeke could sympathize. Okay, so he'd let Luke chew him out, maybe he'd even let him get a punch in if it made him feel better.

They'd barely made the parking lot when the punch came. Fast and furious and with a lot more heat than Zeke expected.

He rubbed his right cheek. “
Damn
. You feel better now, Powers?”

“I'm never going to feel better about you, dickhead.”

“Look, I realize you're upset, but I cared for Mimi. She meant a lot to me. And I wasn't the one to break things off.”

“Who gives a fuck what you feel? You're not the one who has to listen to her cry every night. Do you know how much pressure my parents are putting on her to give up this baby?”

Zeke felt like he'd been punched again. Only this time it was in the gut and he couldn't get a breath in. “What the
fuck
are you talking about? What baby?”

“Are you shitting me? You must be one hell of an actor to pull off that off innocent act. My sister's six months pregnant. Like you didn't know.”

Mimi was pregnant
.

The realization took a few more seconds to sink in. He'd been careful to use a condom each and every time they'd been together. Obviously, not careful enough, though.

Had she known when she'd broken up with him? He did a few mental calculations. She'd been acting strange in the couple of weeks before she'd called it quits. One time, they'd gone to get fries at Burger World (Mimi's favorite were the chili-cheese) and she'd gotten sick in the ladies' restroom. She'd told him it was a stomach bug, but it all made sense now.
Why hadn't she told him
?

“I swear to you I didn't know. Where's Mimi now? Is she still at home? I need to see her.”

Luke studied him, like he was wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. “Mom said you didn't know about the baby, but I didn't think you were that stupid. I guess she was right.”

Zeke curled his hand in a fist, careful to keep it close to his side. He didn't want to hit Luke Powers. But if he didn't tell him what he wanted to know right now…

“This is my baby, too. I have rights.”

It was the wrong thing to say. Luke's face hardened. “If you're going to harass her you can forget about it. You might have a couple of inches on me but I swear to God, I'll take you down before I let you hurt my sister again.”

Zeke might be taller than Luke, but Mimi's brother looked like he was all muscle. Not that he'd consider fighting him. The guy had every right to call him out. Frankly, he was surprised Luke had left this to a chance encounter. If he was in Luke's position, he would have dragged heaven and hell looking for the guy who'd knocked up his little sister.

“I just want to make sure she's okay. And to offer whatever help she'll let me. Please, man, you got to believe I only want what's best for Mimi.”

After a few minutes of deliberation, Luke told him what he wanted to know. Mimi was currently at home. But not for long. She and her mother were leaving first thing in the morning to go hide out in some cabin in North Carolina. Zeke thanked Luke and jumped on his bike. He was careful to keep to just ten miles over the speed limit but it was hard. The urge to fly down the highway and get to her before her mother got wind he was on his way nearly choked him. Patience had never been his strong suit.

He pulled his bike into the Powers family driveway. Mimi's mother was distantly related to Earl Handy, the grandson (or was it great grandson) of Cyrus Handy, Whispering Bay's founding father. Some of the Handys were loaded. Some weren't. Mimi's mom fell on the ‘weren't' side of the family, although they still did better than okay. Her dad owned a couple of Ace Hardware stores, including the one in town, and her mom was an elementary school teacher. Luke had just finished his sophomore year at Duke, the Powers family alma mater. Mimi had told him it was always expected that she would go there, too.

He pressed the ringer and kept his finger on it. He didn't give a shit if he was being obnoxious, he only knew he had to see her
now
.

Mimi flung the door open. “What the?” Her blue eyes went wide. “
Zeke
…what are you doing here?”

She didn't look much different from the last time he'd seen her. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her face was scrubbed clean, making the tiny freckles across her nose stand out. She wore shorts and her long slender legs were pale, like she hadn't been out in the sun for ages. His gaze zeroed in on her stomach. She wasn't big pregnant, like some women he'd seen, but it was there all right, in the form of a strange looking bump in her tummy.