The Perfect Match (Blue Heron #2)(43)

“Four years. I met Melissa when I was here on holiday and ended up staying. We got engaged a few months later, and she died a few months after that.”

“How did it happen?” Honor’s voice was soft.

“She was hit by a car crossing the street.” An utterly stupid and completely preventable incident. With great care, he put the Stearman back in the box.

“I’m so sorry,” Honor said again. “My mom died in a car accident, too. It’s an awful way to lose someone. Not that there’s a good way.”

“True enough.” He stood up. “I’ve got eggs and toast, and I’d be more than happy to make you breakfast.”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.”

“More coffee, then?”

“That’d be great. Thanks.”

He got up and poured her a cup.

“So why aren’t you close, you and Charlie?” she asked as he handed her the coffee, and some coffee sloshed over the rim, onto her skirt.

“Shit. Sorry,” Tom said, grabbing a dish towel and blotting at the stain.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” She looked at him, straight in the eye, as he was kneeling at her side.

Brown eyes. Lovely, really, dark and quiet. And at the moment, she was giving him a no-nonsense look, a tolerates-no-shit look combined with something else.

Kindness.

He looked back at her skirt and blotted some more.

“He blames me for her dying. She was...away when it happened. With Charlie’s dad, who apparently liked to pop in and out just enough to f**k with everyone’s head. So off they went for a weekend, and I was watching Charlie like an absolute wanker, really, taking care of my fiancée’s kid while she was screwing around. Then she decided to text me while crossing the street against the light, and that was that.”

“Oh, God.”

“Right. When the dust settled, Charlie’s dad didn’t want to take custody.” The familiar red haze flared, then faded. “I wanted to adopt Charlie, but I didn’t have any claim on him.”

The clock over the door ticked. Honor was still looking at him. “So this whole green card is so you can be around Charlie.”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t get one, did you?”

He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “No, I didn’t.” He stood up and took his coffee cup to the sink, dumped it. Outside, the snow fell from the branches in clots, the temperature having jumped overnight.

The chair scraped as she stood up. She came over to the counter and leaned against it, folding her arms over her chest. “What other options do you have?”

“Not many. I’ve been looking for another job in the area, but I haven’t had much luck. The truth is, I imagine Charlie’ll be relieved to be rid of me. He barely speaks to me.”

Honor nodded. Took a slow breath and released it. “So let’s get married.”

He glanced at her sharply. “Oh, no. That plan is off the table. Thank you, but it’s not...necessary.”

“Of course it is,” she said briskly. “You love this boy, you need to be around for him. I’ll marry you and you can stay. You should’ve said this up front and not been such an ass.”

He gave her a quick smile. “Right. Sorry about that. But you’re not going to marry me. Marrying a stranger isn’t going to cure your own issues with Brighton—”

“Brogan.”

“Whatever. And you want rug rats, sure, but you barely know me. You strike me more as the sperm donor type. That way you can get the whole list of assets—blond hair, green eyes, Harvard education—and boom. A happy single mum with an adorable tot. Possibly twins, given that you’re getting up there in age. Am I right? You’re more likely to pop out a duo when you’re past forty?”

“I’m thirty-five. And don’t pull that idiot act again.”

Busted. “Sorry.”

“The grandparents...is he close with them?”

“They do their best.”

“I’ll take that as a no.” She pursed her lips. “Look. I’m not going to let some poor kid who’s already riddled with abandonment issues watch his unofficial stepfather get deported. You need a green card. I’m offering.”

The image of Charlie’s bloody ear flashed. The sound of the boy trying desperately not to cry in the car. “You’re right. I want to stay near him. But there are other ways.”

“Which you’ve already tried.”

He took a slow breath. “Honor, you’re being a real champ here, and I appreciate it. But oddly enough, I like you, and I don’t want you to marry me because you feel bad for some kid you’ve never met. I mean, what do you get in the bargain? It’s a bit drastic, isn’t it?”

“Sometimes drastic measures are called for.” She looked at him steadily for a moment. “You want to get married or not?”





CHAPTER NINE

HONOR MANAGED TO sneak back into the house without running into Dad or Mrs. J. Why neither was around was a question best left unexplored, but still, at least Honor wouldn’t be caught in her walk of shame.

It had been years since she spent the night in a man’s bed. The entire night, that was. With Brogan, she’d yearned to stay...but he was usually in town only for a day or so, often flying out early the next morning. And despite her advanced age, she did live with her father, who would need to be informed just why his baby girl wouldn’t be coming home that night.