Falling

  Falling

  Wendy Smith

  Edited by

  Lauren Clarke

  Cover Design by

  Moss Cover Design

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Also by Wendy Smith

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Brooke

  “I can’t do this.”

  I raise my head from watching my breastfeeding baby and look into my husband’s eyes. I smile. “Let me finish feeding Kaia, and I’ll sort out dinner.”

  He shakes his head. “No, not dinner.” It seems like he struggles to swallow. “This. Us.”

  A lump forms in my throat, and I can’t fathom what he’s saying. “What do you mean?”

  Cole licks his lips. “I’m leaving, Brooke.”

  My pulse pounds faster. Is he … serious? “What do you mean, you’re leaving?”

  “This isn’t working. We both know that.” He sighs. “I wanted it to. I really did. I thought that things would be good between us, but they’re really not.”

  “I know, but it’s early days. We literally just had Kaia.”

  “I need to go now if I want to go to college this year.”

  My mouth falls open. “You’re leaving town?”

  He lets out a loud, slow breath. “I need to build a career. And I want to make sure that you and Kaia don’t ever have to worry about anything. So no matter what happens between us, our daughter always gets what she needs.”

  “You can do that here.”

  “Not while working in the hardware store. There’s a brighter future out there for both of us, Brooke. Whether we’re together or apart. I’ll work hard to make it happen.”

  I stare at him. I don’t even know what he means.

  “Dad said the house is ours to live in rent free, and I’ll make sure you’re looked after. I’ll come back and visit.” His smile seems forced.

  I swallow hard. “So you get what you always wanted, and I get what? Left behind? I know it’s been tough, but I don’t want a divorce.”

  “Neither do I. But we’ll kill off our friendship if we stay this way.” He strokes Kaia’s head. “I love you both, but I can’t live like this.”

  Tears prick my eyes.

  “This isn’t a marriage, Brooke. We’re trying so hard, and making each other miserable.”

  I nod. “I know. It just doesn’t seem fair.”

  “It’s not fair on either of us.”

  “I never thought you’d turn your back on me.”

  His expression is so pained, it hurts my heart. “I’m not. You won’t want for anything. I’ll make sure of it. And I’ll be back home as often as I can. Maybe in time we can make this work for us and build a life together.”

  “Cole. Please.” Tears roll down my cheeks. I’m trying to stay calm for the sake of the baby in my arms.

  “I’m sorry, Brooke.” He brushes away my tears with his fingers. “I love you, but I can’t live like this anymore.”

  Without even leaving the couch, I watch my best friend and husband walk out the door.

  The baby suckles at my breast. She’s completely oblivious to what just happened, and that’s the way it needs to stay.

  I’ll never let her become a pawn.

  Will Cole stick to what he just promised?

  All I feel is numb.

  1

  Cole

  Four years later

  * * *

  My PA has a perfect ass.

  I know this because she’s bent over, picking up some papers she dropped on the floor a minute ago. This happens on semi-regular basis.

  I’m not interested.

  A man can appreciate the shape of a woman from time to time, but now’s not that time. Nor is it the place.

  I turn my gaze from the open door of my office to the paperwork on my desk. It’s been a long morning, and I’m looking forward to lunch.

  “Ready?” Mike asks from the doorway.

  I smile. “So ready. I’m glad it’s Friday.”

  He nods. “Me too. Let’s go get some lunch and have a few drinks.”

  “Sounds good.” I slip my jacket on and follow him out the door of my office, past my PA’s desk. She looks up at me.

  “I’m out for the afternoon. Have a good weekend.” I smile.

  She gives me warm smile in return. “Thanks. Have a good weekend.”

  We’re nearly at the elevator when Mike nudges my arm. “Have you bent her over your desk yet?”

  I stare at him. “Dude.”

  “She would do you in a heartbeat.” He presses the down button.

  “Maybe, but I’m not starting anything with someone I work with. It’s asking for trouble.”

  “You don’t need to start something. Make it strictly casual. That’s what I do.”

  I shake my head. “Not with someone I work with.” Besides, I don’t want to disappoint my father. He’s the reason I got this job further up the food chain than most people.

  The elevator doors open, and we step in. I lean against the railing at the back.

  “When was the last time you got laid?” he asks.

  “Why?”

  “Because apart from this very moment, you’ve been off your game lately. I think you need to dip your dick in something soon.”

  I cross my arms, shaking my head. “Not everyone’s lives revolve around sex. And in answer to your question, it was about six months ago.”

  “Way too long. Let’s try that new place I told you about. There are bound to be some hot waitresses there.”

  I roll my eyes, following him out into the building lobby when the elevator doors open. Most of my co-workers have left for the day. Friday afternoon can be a bit of a dead zone at Wheeler Investment Services.

  Judging from the crowds in the bars we pass along the way, my colleagues and I aren’t the only ones.

  “This is the place I was talking about.” Mike points at a bar on the corner. There are plenty of outdoor tables, and it looks like a great spot to sit in the sun on a Friday afternoon.

  “Milanos,” I say as we walk in the door. “I haven’t noticed this place before.”

  “It’s new.”

  Mike winks at the waitress when she approaches, and I take a deep breath. I don’t have trouble flirting, but sometimes he can come on a little heavy.

  She leads us outside to a table, and Mike orders two beers.

  “This is such a nice spot,” I say.

  “It really is.”

  I take off my jacket and drape it over the back of the chair.

  “Here we go.” The waitress appears with the beers, placing them on coasters in front of us.

  Mike winks at her as she leaves, and I cringe inside. I can do the flirty thing, but the way he does it makes it feel sleazy.

  “How are you doing this week?” he asks.

  I nod. “Good, actually.”

  He laughs. “Your idea of good is the same as my best week ever. Not bad for the newbie.”

  Grinning, I take a sip of my beer. “I’ve been there a year. Not quite a newbie anymore.”

  “Shit. Has it been a year already? We should celebrate or something.”

  “Any excuse for a night out.”

  My phone buzzes in my pocke
t, and I pull it out.

  “If that’s a client, tell them we’re out of the office on a fire evac.” Mike laughs.

  But it’s not. It’s the call I’ve been waiting the past few months for. I hold up my hand to Mike to show him I’m taking it. “Cole Masters speaking.”

  “Mr. Masters. It’s Jason Cartwright here.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “I’ve found your wife and daughter.”

  My heart’s in my throat. Four years ago, I left my family behind to go to college. Brooke and I were pushed into a marriage that wasn’t working for either of us, and I wanted more. For all of us. I’d hoped that over time Brooke and I would find our way back to each other. When I walked away, I lost not only my wife, but my best friend.

  There was too much left unsaid.

  And somewhere out there was my daughter.

  “Can we meet somewhere?” Jason asks.

  “When?”

  “I’m in town. Tonight works for me if it works for you.”

  I swallow. “You’re already here?”

  “Brooke and Kaia are a lot closer than you think, Mr. Masters. I’ve got a couple of other clients to pay a visit to, and I can meet you after them if you’d like.”

  My heart thuds. “As soon as we can.”

  “I’ll text you a time and place. And I’ll send you a photo to show you what I’ve found.”

  I close my eyes. “Thank you.”

  “They’ve moved around a bit, but they’re safe.”

  When I hang up the phone, Mike gives me a curious look. “Are you okay?”

  I nod. “He found them.”

  “Who found who?”

  I lick my lips, my mouth dry. This is finally over. Now I can find out what made Brooke leave, and I can see my daughter again. “I hired a private investigator to find my wife and daughter.”

  Mike’s eyebrows pop up. “You have a wife and daughter?”

  “Four years ago, when Kaia was a baby, things weren’t working between her mother and me. And I love Brooke. I always did. She was my best friend.” I take a sip of my beer. “Things changed between us, and I got Brooke pregnant. Our mothers pushed us to get married. It was a mess.”

  “She left?”

  I shake my head. “I did. I went to college. And I told her I’d be back at the first opportunity. We had a house Dad had bought us to live in, and I organized with him to pay her child support so she had enough to live on.”

  “What happened?”

  I lean back in the chair. “She left. I heard she’d moved back in with her mother, so I went there when I realized she was gone. They weren’t there. Every time I got a whisper about where they could have moved to, I was too late. So I hired a PI.”

  “Shit.”

  My phone buzzes again. On the screen is an image that’s unmistakably Brooke.

  She’s a little older, like me, and if anything she’s even more pretty than she ever was. Her blond hair’s cut shorter, hanging in curls, and by her side is a little girl. I can’t breathe when I see her. That’s my Kaia.

  She’s like a miniature Brooke.

  “Here they are.” I show Mike, and can’t help the grin on my face. I’m not sure why they’ve moved around so much, but now maybe I can check on them and make sure they’re okay.

  “She’s a looker. You’re insane.”

  I sigh. “I know that now. But I don’t know if our relationship or friendship would have survived if I’d stayed.”

  “Good luck. If I had the chance with someone who wanted to love me, and have my kid, wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” He takes a sip of his beer. “I know I seem shallow and restless, but I’d kill for a love like that.”

  His words make my heart ache.

  I have so many regrets about my actions four years ago, but I haven’t been able to tell them to Brooke.

  The thought of seeing her again fills me with hope.

  Maybe too much.

  It’s dark when I drive to the other side of town. I don’t come over this way often. It’s not got the best reputation, and that leaves me thinking of Brooke.

  When we were at school, people didn’t like her because she came from the wrong side of town. She came to the same school as me because her mother wanted something better for her, even if she didn’t seem to want it for herself.

  I always saw the other side of the little girl with the hand-me-down clothes but the big and beautiful heart.

  When I met her, we were five. While her dress looked new, her shoes appeared to be about third-hand. Sometimes, it doesn’t take a lot for kids to be cruel.

  That was the year we pinky promised to be best friends forever. And I kept that promise, right up until prom night when we became something so much more.

  Then it all seemed to fall apart.

  I pull over at the side of the road where Jason’s instructed, and step out of my car. Spotting a man with close-cropped silver hair resting back against the side of a building near the end of the block, I head toward him.

  “Jason.”

  He turns his head toward me. “Mr. Masters.”

  “Please, call me Cole. Why are we standing out here?”

  He tilts his head to indicate that I should look at the other side of the street. “Just wait a few minutes.”

  I shiver in the cool evening air, but the sensation doesn’t last.

  Prickly heat rolls over me when I spot Brooke walking. Where’s she going at this time of the evening, and walking alone in the dark? If anything ever happened to her, it’d kill me.

  “That bar across the road. That’s where Mrs. Masters is working nights.”

  I swallow, hard. “She works nights? Where’s Kaia?”

  “From what I could tell, Mrs. Masters goes to work in the morning and takes the child to day care. After work, she picks her up and they go home before Mrs. Masters changes and she leaves for her other job.” He hands me a manila folder. “Here are the photos from the surveillance. I had a chat with the older lady you’ll see in some of them. She takes care of your daughter in the evening until around midnight.”

  I open the folder. There are Brooke and Kaia, plain as day. My heart lurches.

  “Her address is in there, as well as the details of her work. She’s a receptionist for a legal firm, and works not far from where you do.” I meet Jason’s gaze. “Kaia’s day care is about a block and a half from the building you’re in.”

  “That close?”

  He nods. “They’ve been right under your nose. For the last ten months at least.”

  “I’m just so grateful that you’ve found them. Dad put people on it, but they never came up with anything.”

  Jason sniffs. “About that. I don’t want to speak ill of your father, but I wouldn’t believe him. It took a while to trace where they were, but it wasn’t the hardest job I’ve been on. Mrs. Masters wasn’t hiding, but the easy ways to track her like being in the white pages were made harder by the fact that she doesn’t have a phone at home. She might have a mobile, but it must be prepaid.”

  I nod. “I understand. It’s why I hired you. I didn’t believe that enough was being done. I don’t want to push my way into Brooke’s life, but I did want to know where she was and if she was okay.”

  He gives me a small smile. “Well, now you have the info, do what you will. For what it’s worth, I saw a young mother struggling to keep a roof over her head. That’s it. She keeps your daughter safe, and she works very hard.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate it. I’ll send through the remainder of your payment when I get home.”

  Jason nods. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

  “You too.”

  He climbs into a blue truck by the curb and drives away, leaving me standing there.

  I walk back to my car and climb in, dropping the folder onto the passenger seat.

  I’ll go home and digest this. I pay child support. Brooke should have more than enough money not to have to work at night. She s
houldn’t be struggling.

  What went wrong?

  2

  Cole

  At five p.m. on Monday, I leave my office.

  I’ve spent the weekend poring over the folder Jason gave me. There are photos of Brooke and Kaia in the morning and afternoon, and documents telling me where she lives, and details of her employment.

  It’s so intrusive, and I hate that I resorted to it. But now I know where they are, and even if Brooke doesn’t want anything to do with me, I’ll still check and make sure they’re okay.

  I take a brisk walk to the day care Kaia attends, and wait outside. According to Jason’s notes, it’s around now every day when Brooke shows up. I’d thought about going to her apartment, but meeting her before she picks up Kaia might give us a moment to speak alone.

  She’s already here.

  Brooke walks out the door, hand in hand with Kaia. Dark glasses cover her eyes, and her face is made up with bright red lipstick, her hair swept into a bun. As she walks down the steps in her six-inch stilettos and turns, the dress she’s wearing hugs her slight curves. She’s all class, and it’s the hottest thing I think I’ve ever seen.

  Kaia tugs on her hand. “Mommy, can we go and get an ice cream?” The little girl with the blonde curls just like her mother tugs at my heart. She really is a miniature Brooke.

  Brooke turns to her. “Not today, Kaia. There’s ice cream at home.”

  “Mommy,” Kaia whines.

  “I’m sorry, but we have to get home for Rosalyn to take care of you while I go to work.”

  Taking a deep breath, I stride toward them. “Brooke?”

  She turns, removing her glasses, and I find myself looking into the blue eyes that watched me with so much sadness for an entire year. I always thought Brooke was pretty. Now, she’s dazzling.