Beyond the Consequences

  He squeezed her hand and put the car into reverse. “Let’s go see this cottage. They promised me it was the best one on the property.”

  In no time, Phil was swiping the plastic card against the reader on the door of the quaint Florida styled cottage. The manager at the desk had been right about its isolation. After passing many smaller dwellings, the road narrowed and disappeared into the jungle of cypress. The manicured lawns disappeared as only underbrush could survive the denseness of the vegetation. Then, like lifting of a blanket, the trees parted and a cottage the size of many homes came into view. By the description and map that Phil had been shown, he knew that there was a rear screened-in patio that looked out to a small pond. There were also trails that could take them around the grounds, and back near the main mansion was a stable with horses available for the guests. Not knowing how tomorrow would go, Phil had gone ahead and booked the cottage for multiple nights.

  “Oh, my!” Taylor gasped as she stepped into the living room. “This isn’t a cottage; it’s a house.”

  Setting down her purse, she roamed from door to door. Everything was open and bright with white tile floors, yellow walls, and colorful cushions gracing the furniture. Each room had large windows offering natural light in the heat of the day. In the kitchen, with a counter that arched toward the living room, Taylor spun completely around. “Look at this kitchen! I wish we were staying longer. I’d love to cook.” She turned her smiling gaze toward Phil. “See what you do to me. That’s not something I ever thought I’d say.”

  He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her toward him. “There’s a restaurant at the main mansion that also delivers.” He shrugged. “I also saw a small grocery store about ten minutes from the resort.” Phil scrunched his nose. “Do you know how to cook?”

  She slapped his shoulder. “Yes! Just because I haven’t done it in a while doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how to do it.”

  Taking a step and then two, he backed Taylor against the refrigerator pressing his body against hers. “Hmmm, speaking from experience, lack of recent activity has been no indicator of your level of expertise.” He ran his palms down her arms until their fingers intertwined. “As a matter of fact, I think I like being the one who’s fortunate enough to experience your return to previous activities.”

  “Oh, you do?” she murmured, as she leaned closer, lifted her chin, and kissed his lips.

  Phil nodded as their lips lingered. His chest pressing against her breasts, as the connection of their kiss remained unbroken. The thin material separating their skin did little to conceal the hardening of her nipples. Though the air conditioner roared, the temperature of their cottage rose with each passing moment. Her need filled his senses while her hands released his and began to pull his shirt from his jeans.

  He reciprocated and when his touch found the soft skin of her waist, Phil asked, “Shall we find the master bedroom?”

  Taylor didn’t speak; instead she reached for his hand and led him through the archway toward the adjoining room with the large king-sized bed. Beyond the unblocked windows, the small lake glistened with the last rays of the evening sun. The earlier redness had bled from the sky, pooled behind the large trees and left lingering purple wisps floating above the horizon as dusk offered the dimmed illumination of only the moon and stars.

  Phil didn’t need Taylor’s words to recognize her hunger. The appetite he witnessed wasn’t for food, but for connection. The path before her was more daunting than she wanted to admit. It would take strength and support. As their bodies became one and the world beyond the window darkened, Phil wanted to give her everything she needed. His desire wasn’t purely carnal, though that element’s presence was unquestioned. He wanted to be the one she could lean upon, to applaud her inner strength, and also to catch her if she fell. The woman below him wasn’t a damsel in distress. She was every bit as fierce as he, yet even he craved the knowledge of not being alone. Until Taylor, Phil had never known how badly he desired that connection.

  Her beautiful eyes stared into his as her body clenched and her moans subsided. He loved how she didn’t close her eyes, but watched him constantly as they united. Perhaps that too was a sign of her strength. Never did it feel as if she surrendered herself to him. On the contrary, she gave, a gift that only he was blessed to receive.

  Collapsing next to her, Phil pulled Taylor near. “Shall we get dressed and head up to the mansion for dinner?”

  The sweet aroma of Taylor’s shampoo wafted through the air as she shook her head against his shoulder. “No, I meant what I said about cooking. I saw a grill outside, past the screened porch. Let’s drive to that little grocery.” She lifted her head and filled his hazel eyes with crystal blue. “I want to cook that dinner for you.”

  “You don’t have—”

  Her kiss stopped his words. “I know. I want to. Let me spend tonight thinking about other things, like salad, and steak, and maybe some wine.”

  Flipping their world, Taylor’s hair fanned out on the pillow and her smile grew. “Well,” Phil replied, “if keeping your mind occupied is my main mission, I’ll do my best not to fail.”

  Taylor’s back arched, confirming their connection. Unlike before, they were skin to skin. “You’ve already done a great job. But don’t get too comfortable. I think it could be a long night.”

  Sighing contently, Phil replied, “You know me, always a workaholic. I strive for perfection.”

  Finding himself lost in her aura, Phil realized what he’d just said—you know me—and the tips of his lips moved upward. Such a simple statement, truer than anything else he could utter, and more powerful in meaning.

  The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

  —Thich Nhat Hanh

  “HOW DO YOU like having two children?” Julia Simmons asked Claire, as they walked with their sons back to the screened porch from the nursery.

  “Now that this little guy is sleeping through the night, I like it a lot more.”

  Julia smiled. “Yes, Christopher started doing that around five months. At first, I’d wake up to make sure he was all right. Caleb had to convince me not to wake him.”

  Claire laughed. “I know the feeling.”

  “And Nate sure isn’t little,” Julia assessed. “Goodness, he’s grown.”

  “Yes,” Claire replied as she juggled her son on her hip. Making her way to the sofa, wisps of her hair blew in the breeze of the ceiling fan as it circulated the warm summer air about the porch. As she sat, she heard squeals of delight coming from the backyard and pool. “He’s over doubled in size since he was born. The doctor said that he’s over the one hundredth percentile in height.”

  “Well, look at Tony, Claire,” Courtney chimed in. “Of course Nate will be tall.”

  “But look at Nichol,” Claire replied. “She’s not nearly as tall. I mean, they say to double your height at age two. By age three she was only thirty-two inches.”

  Emily shrugged. “She’s petite, like her momma.”

  “But a fireball like her father,” Courtney added.

  Claire grinned. It was true: someday despite her petite size Nichol Courtney Rawlings would be a force to be reckoned with, just like her father. Even now, Claire heard her daughter’s voice above the glees and splashing coming from the pool.

  “Look at them,” Emily said. “It’s like a daycare center here.”

  Claire scanned their backyard. For only a second she remembered the serenity and stillness of the estate when she was first brought here, maybe not serene but lonely. Now the pool and deck were filled with people she loved. Not only were Tony and Nichol in the pool, but so were John, Michael, Tim and his two sons, Shaun and Steven, as well as Brent and Caleb sitting on the deck. The sight was heartwarming as the children and fathers played and laughed.

  Shaking her head, Claire agreed. “Like a daddy daycare.”

  “Well, that’s fine with me. The boys love having time with Tim,” Sue said. r />
  Emily smiled, watching her daughter walk from lady to lady, petting the babies. “I think she thinks she’s hot stuff.”

  “Well, she should,” Claire confirmed. “She can walk. Nate and Christopher are still content to watch the world. Although, Nate is rolling all over the place. It’s so funny. The first time I laid him down on the carpet and a few seconds later he was missing, I was shocked—he’d rolled himself under the coffee table.”

  “Well,” Julia continued, “Christopher isn’t that content. He’d rather be crawling all over the place.”

  “You can put him down. He can’t get off the porch.”

  The bright sunshine warmed the air throughout the afternoon as the shrill laughter turned to pangs of hunger. Eventually, all made their way into the house for dinner. Shannon took Nate as Claire helped Nichol change out of her bathing suit. Once they were in her room, there was a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” Claire called as she worked to convince Nichol that her shorts and top were better dinner clothes than her Disney princess costume.

  “But, Momma, it’s dinner. I want to dress up.”

  “Honey, these are very nice shorts. You’ll look beautiful.”

  Her lips pouted and dark eyes narrowed. “Not as butiful as I do in my princess dress.”

  Emily entered.

  “You can wear the dress after dinner. You don’t want to get it dirty with food, do you?” Claire asked.

  With a sigh, Nichol agreed.

  “What’s up?” Claire asked turning to see her sister.

  “I wanted to tell you something in private,” Emily replied.

  Claire’s green eyes widened. “Okay.”

  The three chatted as Claire combed Nichol’s wet hair. Once she was presentable, Claire said, “Honey, why don’t you go find the other children? I’m pretty sure that Shannon and Becca have a special table set up for you, Michael, Shaun, and Stephen.”

  Her shoulders fell. “Why do I have to sit with all boys?”

  “Because you’re the princess and they’re your court,” Emily volunteered.

  Nichol’s eyes brightened. “Oh, yeah.”

  Moments later, Nichol was gone, happily ready to find her court.

  “What do you want to speak to me about?” Claire asked.

  “It’s not that big of a deal. I just wanted to tell you John and I spoke with Harry the other day.”

  Claire took a step back. She hadn’t thought of Harrison Baldwin in quite a long time. Well, she had when she’d been told about Amber. The whole story made her sad. But honestly, she’d been too preoccupied with her own family to give him much thought. After all, it had been over five years since she’d left California.

  “Wow, that’s out of left field.”

  Emily shrugged. “Not really. John and I have stayed in contact with him. We got to know him and Amber while we were living in Palo Alto.”

  “Really, Em, this doesn’t need to be in private. Tony couldn’t care less about Harry, and to be honest, I think I’m still upset that he lied to me.”

  “He’s been through a lot. Besides, were you totally honest with him?”

  “Excuse me?” Claire’s volume rose. “What does that mean?”

  Emily shook her head. “Nothing, never mind. I just mean that when you were out there, you weren’t over Anthony.”

  “Emily, that was a long time ago, and I don’t want to rehash it. Say what you wanted to say.”

  “I wanted to tell you that he’s doing well.”

  “Good.”

  “He told us that he’s seeing someone and he’s happy.”

  “Well, I’m happy for him. I always wondered if he and Liz got back together.”

  Emily smiled. “See, you have thought about him.”

  “Not recently, but I wondered that.” Claire thought back. When had she wondered that? Too many things had happened.

  “They did,” Emily replied, “for a while. But a few years back, when he left the FBI, he moved to North Carolina to be close to his ex-wife and daughter. Liz stayed in California.”

  Claire gasped as her eyes widened. “What did you just say?”

  Emily reached for her arm. “Oh jeez, Claire, I thought you knew that.”

  Her head moved from side to side. “H-How would I know that?” She paused and sat on Nichol’s bed. “He has a daughter and an ex-wife? Is that new?”

  “No. I think his daughter is about eight or nine years old.”

  “Well, isn’t that interesting.” Claire’s eyes narrowed. “No matter what my feelings for Tony were while I was in Palo Alto, I told Harry I had an ex-husband. Harry never mentioned an ex-wife or a daughter!”

  “I didn’t tell you this to upset you,” Emily explained. “I told you, well, because I thought you’d be happy for him. I mean, you’re happy. At least you seem to be. Don’t you think he should be too?”

  Claire nodded. She was happy and of course she wanted Harry to be happy too, but this was a lot to digest. Not only had he misled her with his job and initial intentions for their friendship, he never told her he was married. Emily’s words interrupted her thoughts.

  “Claire, I don’t think I ever told you, but Harry came to see John and me, while you were… sick. He wanted us to know the truth about his job and about you. He’s the one who told us that you and Anthony left your island to save us from Catherine. I’m not sure I would’ve believed it coming from anyone else. What he did helped to open our eyes.”

  Claire stared at her sister as words failed to form. Memories rushed forth too rapidly to decipher. She suddenly remembered the Harrison Baldwin who took her to buy a cell phone and a used car. She hated that those memories were tainted by his undercover work. At the same time she recalled how happy she’d been. Those small things meant the world to her. Now to know that he’d gone out of his way to explain things to her family, she did want him happy. Then she remembered Amber.

  “Em, I do want him to be happy. I can’t imagine what he went through with Amber and the revelation about Simon. I still have trouble comprehending all of that. I’m glad he’s found someone. Is he remarried? Does he see his daughter?”

  A smile graced Emily’s lips. “It sounds like he has a great relationship with his ex-wife, and because of that he’s gotten very close with his daughter. I forget the woman’s name, but they’re not that serious. I guess she was Jillian’s—that’s his daughter—teacher. So at first they kept it quiet. Now that a new school year is coming and Jillian has a new teacher, they’ve made their dating status public.”

  Nichol’s door opened and dark questioning eyes peered around the frame. “There you two are. Dinner’s ready.”

  Claire smiled toward her husband. “We’ll be right there.”

  He opened the door wider. “The natives are restless. Thankfully Shannon and Becca have the little ones eating.”

  Claire reached for Emily’s hand. “Thanks for telling me. I am happy.”

  She saw the question in her husband’s eyes and knew without a doubt this was a conversation she’d be retelling once they were alone.

  “Where’s Phil, Taylor, or Eric?” Emily asked as they made their way back downstairs.

  Claire shrugged. “They’re here. It’s like I told you before, even though they’re here, they don’t hover.”

  “I miss Madeline and Francis.”

  “I do too,” Claire admitted. “I understood their desire to get back to their home, but I know Nichol misses them too. We’ll definitely need to plan a trip to visit them in the future.”

  LATER THAT NIGHT, the conversation Claire had anticipated came up for discussion as she and Tony readied for bed. She’d just settled onto the soft sheets with a sigh when Tony asked, “What was the big secretive meeting with Emily all about?”

  Claire had contemplated this conversation every which way since Tony entered Nichol’s room. However, she didn’t expect him to be so forward. Well, fine. She’d be just as forward.

  “She wanted to te
ll me something about Harry.” When Tony didn’t respond, Claire clarified, “Harrison Baldwin.”

  “Yes, I’m well aware of who you meant.”

  “All right, that’s it,” Claire said, as she laid her head on the pillow. “I’m exhausted.”

  “I’m thinking not.”

  She rolled to face her husband. “You’re thinking I’m not tired?”

  His chest expanded and contracted. “I’m thinking that’s not it.” He emphasized the word. “What did she want to tell you about Mr. Baldwin?”

  She worked to suppress a smile. “You know you’re cute when you’re jealous.”

  “I’m not jealous.” His dark eyes widened in a ploy of innocence. “I’m merely curious.”

  Sitting back up, Claire scooted closer, close enough to feel his radiating warmth. She reached out to touch his chest. “You’re warm. I think you got a lot of sun today with the kids.”

  Tony grasped her hand and looked her in the eye. “Curiosity, Mrs. Rawlings. Could you please help me out?”

  “You know what they say about curiosity, don’t you, Mr. Rawlings?”

  “You’re playing with me right now, and I’m not in favor of it.”

  Claire giggled. “Would I do that? Maybe I should get you something for the burn. You should’ve worn sunscreen…”

  Before she could finish, Tony’s lips were on hers and she was back on her pillow. When he broke their kiss, his nose lingered millimeters from hers. “Thank you for your concern. Perhaps you could be as considerate of my mental health.”

  “Emily told me that Harry’s in a relationship and he’s happy.” She lifted her lips to his. “See? No big deal.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why does she think you need to know that?”

  Claire pulled away from the weight of his chest and sat back up. “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess she wanted me to know that he’s doing well.”