Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
Katlin parked her Mercedes SUV in her designated parking space in the Guardian Security underground garage, turned off the engine, and exhaled deeply. She was so grateful for her assistant directors of operations at Section 7. She had no idea how Jack the ass had been able to handle the job twenty-four/seven. There was no way in hell she could with a relatively new marriage and an infant. Thankfully the secretary of Homeland Security had allowed her to expand her department. With teams on every continent, the world seemingly wanting to go to hell in an instant, Congress questioning every decision, she was exhausted. Thank goodness for online shopping at midnight in her pajamas or there wouldn’t be presents under the tree at their house when everyone showed up for Christmas in a few days.
She slipped off her pumps and walked in her stocking feet into the building she and Alex owned. Smiling at each of their employees, calling them by name, asking about their family, pet, or hobby, she made her way to her husband’s office and collapsed into his guest chair. “Would you mind if we went upstairs and grabbed a drink before we go get Ric? I need one. It’s been one hell of a day.”
She watched his eyes glance through the glass window that overlooked everything in the office. She saw the slight shake of his head side to side before he returned his gaze to her. “A drink sounds perfect and exactly what you’re going to need.” He stood and rounded his desk before he reached his hand out to grasp hers. He glanced at her feet and smiled. “You should start carrying bedroom slippers in your car. Louis keeps the floors clean enough to eat off of, but I’d hate for our men to get any ideas that if the owner can go practically barefoot, they can do it.”
Five minutes later in the privacy of their penthouse apartment, Alex poured two fingers of scotch into cut crystal glasses then handed one to Katlin, keeping one for himself.
She held up her glass, loving how it threw rainbow dots against the sage green walls while she examined the dark brown liquid. “By the looks of this drink you must’ve had as bad a day as I did.”
“Not really. My day was pretty damn good until about fifteen minutes ago.” He took a fortifying sip. “I’m sorry to break it to you, babe, but your day is not going to get any better.” He motioned to the long butter-soft couch. “Let’s sit.”
Alex set his glass down on the coffee table in front of them and pulled a paper from his back pocket that she hadn’t noticed on the way up in the elevator. He slowly unfolded the white sheet and stared at it for a long minute.
He was nervous. Katlin had rarely seen Alex this worried.
She knew everything with the business had been going well so it couldn’t be that. She’d reviewed the end of year reports, and they had discussed future expansion of certain lines of income. She also knew that if it had been Riccardo, his caregivers would have called her first. So, it wasn’t the baby. She couldn’t imagine Christmas giving him that much angst. She was coming to the end of a very short list of what would cause Alex to be so uneasy.
With her free hand she reached out and touched his forearm. “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it. Together.”
His grin was forced as he let out a long slow breath. “Yes, we will.” He glanced down at the paper before his eyes returned to hers. “But the choice is completely yours.” He extracted the glass of scotch from her hand and set it next to his on the coffee table. Alex slid both her hands into one of his and held her gaze. He lifted the paper. “I need you to brace yourself. This letter is from Ty.”
“That’s impossible. He’s been dead for years.” Unless he wasn’t. It wouldn’t be the first time the government killed a special operator so he could reappear and work for a different agency under a new name. That was an old trick of the CIA. But her uncle Tom Callahan was the deputy director, and he wouldn’t do that to her. Besides, her brother, Daniel, worked at the CIA. He’d always hated Tyler and would have told her if he’d suddenly reappeared in a different part of the organization.
“He’s definitely dead,” Alex reassured her, and he would know because Alex was the one to find Ty on the battlefield. “He wrote this letter a year or two before he died. It’s written to me but now concerns both of us. And before you jump to any conclusions, Commander John Carson just faxed this to me about half an hour ago. There’s some urgency to the situation, but I’ll let you read his letter first.” He handed her the letter and picked up his scotch, taking a hefty swallow.
Alejandro, if you’re reading this, I’m dead and so is the mother of my son. Yes, I have a son.
Katlin gasped and reread the first two sentences. So, the son of a bitch had a child with another woman. She reread the sentences for a third time. Realization hit her that the child’s mother was also dead. So, where the hell was Ty’s son? She read on.
His mother and I have had an on and off relationship since we were at the Academy.
Well, that explained a lot.
You have to know that I’ve always loved Katlin, but when Caroline turned up pregnant, able to give me something Katlin never could, I encouraged her to keep the baby.
Pain stabbed like a knife slicing through her heart. Her supposed inability to have children forced him into the arms of this other woman. But Katlin knew better than that. Ty was just a cheating son of a bitch. She drew in a reinforcing breath before continuing to read.
Watching my son be born was the most wonderful moment of my life.
“I’m sorry that I kept you from Riccardo’s birth,” she confessed to Alex, not for the first time.
He put his arm around her, pulled her tight to his side, and kissed her temple. “Keep reading.”
I suddenly understood why you told me that Jenny was the best thing you’d ever done. Holding my son was a miracle I knew I could never have with Katlin even though I love her from the bottom of my heart and always have. She is the only woman who has ever had my heart. I truly believe we were soulmates.
“Yeah, right,” she mumbled.
I hope you and Rachelle were there to take care of Katlin during and after my funeral. You and Kat always had a special relationship.
At least he was right about that. Katlin leaned up and kissed Alex’s jaw.
Since you’re reading this letter, that means my son’s mother has succumbed to the cancer she refused treatment for while carrying JT, Justin Tyler.
As a new mother, Katlin understood the pain JT’s mother must’ve felt knowing she was going to die and never see her boy growing to a man. Kat’s throat grew tight, and tears burned behind her eyes. She had to read on.
I know this is a big ask, but you are the best father I know.
Katlin looked up at Alex. He was a good father, especially to Ric. She understood better than anyone how as Jenny had grown, he didn’t know what to do with her, how to treat her. Kat had helped him for the past several years develop a relationship with his daughter to the point that they both looked forward to their visits.
Would you take JT and raise him as your own?
“What the fuck?” Her eyes jumped to meet Alex’s. “He wants you…us…to take care of his bastard child?”
Alex kissed her temple again. “Keep reading. And remember what I told you. It’s your choice.”
Give Jenny a younger brother, if you and Rachelle have not already done that. I have no one else to ask. You’ve met my brothers and know what assholes they are. And how self-centered my sister is. My parents are too old…
“Well, at least he made a good choice not asking his family.”
“Yep,” Alex agreed as she continued to read.
…and there’s no way in hell I’d ask Katlin, although I’m sure she would be a wonderful mother.
“Well, thank you, Tyler Malone, for that vote of confidence.” Katlin certainly hoped she was a good mother to their son, Riccardo. With the stress of her job and the hours she spent away from the baby, all too often she wondered.
Please, I beg of you. I don’t want my son to end up in the state system possibly raised by horrible foster parents. Would you please do this one last thing for me? Ty
“That fucking bastard.” She looked into the brown eyes of the man she loved, and probably should have married rather than Tyler. But Alex had been married at the time to Rachelle.
Katlin cupped his cheek and pulled Alex’s face toward her. “You are a wonderful father, and I totally understand why he’d want you to raise his son.”
“If we do this, I’m not going to be the only one raising Tyler Malone’s son.” Alex’s gaze was intense. “This has to be your decision.”
Oh, hell. He was right. Katlin’s feelings were all tied up. Her heart went out for the little boy who had no parents. But she still carried so much anger about Ty’s constant betrayals. This was so much bigger than any affair he’d ever had with any other woman. He had a child with this one. Obviously, while they were still married. Part of her wondered what excuse he’d given her when he’d gone to watch his son be born. Had he seen his son grow up? Spent time with him the way Alex held and played with Riccardo? Did Tyler do these things for the woman because he believed that Katlin could never give him a child? Had there been something deep within Katlin that knew she should never have a child with Tyler? Or was it simple fate that she’d never conceived, even though she and Ty had tried every chance they got, until she’d made love with Alex?
No. Cheaters cheat. All the old feelings of inadequacy swelled up once again. Was she not woman enough for him that he sought release in other women? Or was she too much woman for him to handle and he needed a woman more subservient?
None of that mattered. Tyler was dead.
Somewhere out there was a little boy without a mother and father. It wasn’t the child’s fault that his sperm donor was a cheating asshole. Nor was it the child’s fault that his mother died of cancer.
“I’m going to need some time to think about this,” Katlin admitted.
Alex pulled her onto his lap. “Unfortunately, time is something JT doesn’t have.”
Oh, no. “Is he…sick?” Katlin heard her voice break. She couldn’t bring herself to say the word dying. If anything ever happened to Riccardo, she couldn’t handle it. Until she had him, she wasn’t sure she understood unconditional love. She certainly did now.
“No, he’s not sick.” Alex corrected himself, “at least not that I know. But he is in foster care and has been for the past two years. Unfortunately, he has to be removed from the foster home within the next twenty-four hours.”
“Just days before Christmas?” Katlin was appalled.
Alex nodded. “It seems he’s been in this foster home for the past two years, but the father recently got injured on the job and they can’t afford to keep him. They have children of their own to consider.”
Although Katlin was accustomed to making quick decisions in her job that were often life or death, taking on a child, Ty’s kid, would affect the rest of their lives, and Ric’s.
Suddenly she wanted to hold her baby. “Let’s go get Ric and take him home. We can talk about it in the car.”
Alex stood and threw back the last of his scotch. “We need to make a decision sooner rather than later. If the child is removed from the home, he’ll be taken to the state orphanage where he may not get another foster family until after the new year.”
Katlin stood and finished her drink. “I need to talk to Uncle Francis. We’ll call him on the way home.”
When her uncle didn’t answer his cell phone, she tried his office at the Pentagon. “Monsignor Callahan.”
“Uncle Francis, do you have a few minutes?”
“For you, little one, always.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“Alex and I are on the way home. Riccardo is playing in the backseat so if you hear baby babbling it’s not our coworkers. We have you on speakerphone.” They quickly explained the situation.
“Katlin. And Alex. Your union was blessed by God. I know; I performed the ceremony. And God has blessed you with that beautiful little boy in the backseat who I had the honor of baptizing. Every child is a gift from God, and I believe he has blessed you this Christmas with this child.”
He quickly added, “Katlin, I completely understand how you feel about the child’s biological father. I, personally, wasn’t very pleased by some of Tyler’s actions, and I know those decisions hurt you deeply. You’ve carried the pain around for years. But Tyler Malone is gone, and you need to forgive him. This child will not be Tyler Malone’s son. He will be yours. I don’t question why God does things. It’s all part of his plan so I have to believe that JT coming to you at this time is for a purpose. I know you’ll make the right decision.”
Katlin reached across the console in the SUV and squeezed Alex’s thigh. “Thank you, Uncle Francis. You’re right. We have been so blessed. I can’t wait to see you Christmas morning.”
“I’ll be there. Drive carefully. You have precious cargo on board.”
Katlin was quiet for the next several minutes as they drove through D.C. traffic. She quietly asked God for guidance. She remembered the familiar phrase from her uncle’s sermons; no one knows what’s in someone’s heart except themselves and God. She remembered the line in Ty’s letter claiming that he had always loved her and considered her his soulmate. At one time, she’d felt the same way about him. Closing her eyes, Katlin silently forgave Tyler.
A weight lifted from her soul.
In that instant she knew what she had to do.
“We need to give this boy the wonderful life he would never have without us.”