Blake woke every morning to an empty bed and a sick feeling in his gut. Nor was he the only one to feel the impact of Bella’s absence. Drew was fussier than ever. Exhausting himself by crying for hours at night and then refusing to settle down for naptime. If Blake thought his son was too young to notice that Bella wasn’t around, he’d misjudged the bond that had formed between mother and son.
She hadn’t answered any of his numerous phone calls, but had texted him that she was fine and simply needed some time and space to think. He was beginning to worry she wouldn’t come back to them. No, he amended. She would return and take up her role as Drew’s mother. She loved her son and would fight to stay in his life.
Even if that meant suffering a relationship with Blake to do it.
His cell rang. Heart leaping in joy, he checked the display, but it was only Jeanne.
“We are having a few people over for dinner, tonight,” she told him, her tone authoritative. “You should join us.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Bring Bella. I’m sure Mrs. Farnes wouldn’t mind watching Drew tonight.”
“Bella’s not here.” He wanted to blame Jeanne for his predicament, but in all fairness, couldn’t pass on the blame for Bella’s leaving. “She went home to Iowa for a week or so.”
“Is everything all right?” Jeanne’s concern came through the phone.
“I don’t know. She won’t answer my calls.”
“Is this because she overheard our conversation?”
“What do you think?”
“I think you’re annoyed with me,” Jeanne retorted. “It’s not my fault that Bella left. You are the one who proposed to her under false pretenses.”
“They weren’t false. I intended for us to be a family. I wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt her or make her regret marrying me.”
“And there’s nothing you can do about that tonight. Come have dinner with us.”
“Another night.”
Blake hung up on his stepsister. He was unfit company for anyone.
Less than ten minutes later, his doorbell rang. Cursing, he went to answer, expecting Jeanne, but it was Victoria who stood on his doorstep.
“If you’ve come to persuade me to have dinner at Jeanne’s, you are wasting your breath.”
“That’s not why I’m here.” Victoria strode past him into the home they’d shared for five years. “Jeanne said you hadn’t taken down any of the pictures of me until the beginning of summer.”
“Don’t read anything into it.”
“Have you asked yourself why?”
“Because I hadn’t gotten around to it.”
“I think there’s a lot more to it than that.” Vicky gave him a crafty smile as she took the glass he offered. “Jeanne said you and Bella are getting married.”
“Did she also tell you that she and I are having problems?”
“She said you don’t love her.”
“I loved you and look how our marriage turned out.”
“Do you think a marriage without love will have better luck?” Victoria quizzed. “Or are you afraid to fail at love a second time?”
Her question cut him. “I’m putting Drew’s needs before my own.”
“That’s not going to work for you.”
For the better part of the past five days, he’d pondered his marriage to Vicky and the way things had gone downhill toward the end. He could blame her for choosing her career over Drew, and her disinterest in being a mother had definitely led to trouble between them, but he’d married her knowing how much she identified with being a model.
He’d been proud of her ambition. Enjoyed how she’d looked on his arm. Disregarded her insecurity as the modeling jobs dried up. She was beautiful and self-centered, exciting and infuriating. Demanding his complete attention and sulking when she didn’t receive it. Keeping her happy had required a great deal of his energy and there were days when he didn’t even try. They hadn’t had a partnership. They’d had a nonstop power struggle.
Being with Vicky had been exciting, but many days had felt joyless. There had been weeks when being married reminded him of the loneliness he’d felt as a child when his mother stayed in Paris for long periods of time.
“Did you know I told Bella never to contact us after Drew was born?”
“She told me.” He wondered where his ex-wife was going with her confession. “She said it was because having her around would create confusion and complications for Drew.”
“Partly. Mostly I hated the way you two got along. She was happy to listen to you talk about your business. The same things that bored me to death fascinated her. She made you laugh. You ate up the stories of her family. When you two were together, I felt like an outsider.”