Proof of Life: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 4) Read online

  Lifting her chin, Rebecca allowed her gaze to find Alex. He stood several feet away—obviously giving them space—watching them without any expression on his face. There was much that was still the same about him. His height. His piercing blue eyes. His square jaw.

  But there were differences too. His hair, once buzzed short for the military, was now more clearly styled short on the sides and longer on top and was a darker blond than she remembered. He’d also bulked up. Even though he wore a leather jacket, she could see that. His lanky frame now seemed to carry more muscles than it once had. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a white collared shirt under his black jacket. Even though it was a somewhat casual outfit, there was an air of confidence and authority about him that he hadn’t had before.

  Rebecca bent to pick up her laptop bag and then watched as Alex walked toward them. She hoped that neither he nor Jordan could hear how her heart was pounding.

  Alex kept his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he came to a stop beside Jordan. “Hello, Rebecca.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  SEEING HER SON with his father was a surreal experience for Rebecca, and she had to fight to keep her focus on the conversation—such as it was. “Alex. There was no need for you to pick me up. I told Jordan I’d be renting a car.”

  “I know, but that’s not necessary. We have a car that you can use.”

  We? As far as she knew, they were still married, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t in a relationship with another woman. “I’d really rather have my own car.”

  If Alex was frustrated by her response, he didn’t show it. “How about we just get you out of here and once we talk a bit more, if you want to rent a vehicle, I’ll make sure you get one.”

  Of course, he’d have that kind of control. Part of the previous night had been spent googling Alex Thorpe, and what she’d read had been enlightening.

  She glanced at Jordan and found him watching her expectantly. His expression seemed to want her to just go with the flow. Going with the flow was difficult though since she’d been the only one responsible for herself and Jordan since the day he’d been born. But she had to remind herself that there were likely bigger battles to be fought in the days ahead.

  “Okay. Just let me get my bag and we can go.”

  Alex’s brows drew together briefly, almost as if he’d been expecting an argument from her. Without saying anything more, Rebecca turned toward the baggage claim carousels and found the one for her flight. It was already circulating bags, and Rebecca spotted hers right away.

  She handed her laptop bag to Jordan and stepped forward to lift the suitcase from the conveyor belt. After setting it upright, she pulled the handle up and turned to face Jordan and Alex. “This is all I have so we can go.”

  “Let me help you with that.” Alex held out his hand to her, and Rebecca had a sudden memory of him doing that and of her slipping her hand into his.

  She flashed him a quick smile that she hoped didn’t look totally fake. “I’m fine, thanks.”

  Apparently he was also saving his arguments for the bigger battles because he just nodded and fell into step on Jordan’s other side as they walked toward the exit. Thankfully, the weather was similar to what they were experiencing in Chicago so her jacket was sufficient.

  “You can just wait here while I go get the truck,” Alex said.

  Rebecca wasn’t even tempted to argue with him if it would give her a few minutes alone with Jordan. She watched as Alex walked away from them, his long strides confident.

  Once he was out of earshot, Rebecca turned to Jordan. “Are you doing okay?”

  “I’m doing great!” A big smile spread across Jordan’s face. “The house where they live is amazing. It has an indoor pool, and he has a gym and everything.”

  “Who are they?” Rebecca asked, letting curiosity get the better of her.

  “Alex, Adrianne, and Melanie. They live in a really big house.”

  Rebecca recognized the names of Alex’s sisters. “They all live together?”

  Jordan nodded. “It’s super cool. Plus they have a place for you to stay as well.”

  “That’s where you stayed last night?”

  “I slept on the couch in Alex’s rooms. Then today, we went and got furniture and stuff for the place where we can stay now that you’re here.”

  “You’re going to stay with me?” Rebecca asked.

  Jordan shrugged. “Alex said it would be better if I did. But the apartment is right next to the house so I can see him when I want.”

  Rebecca wasn’t sure she was happy staying that close to Alex for her own sanity, but she was grateful to have Jordan with her. If that was the price she had to pay to have her son back with her, she’d pay it. For now.

  When Alex pulled up in a big black truck a few minutes later, it still felt like it was far too soon for Rebecca. She could have gone another ten years without seeing him instead of just ten minutes.

  Once he stopped the truck, he hopped out and came around to put her bags in the back seat and then held the front door open for her. Jordan climbed into the back behind the driver’s seat. Rebecca looked over her shoulder at him as she snapped her seat belt into place and saw the excitement on the teenager’s face. Clearly he loved his father’s mode of transportation.

  If Rebecca had been worried about holding a conversation with Alex, she needn’t have been. Jordan was more than happy to fill the silence with a report of all he’d done with Alex and his sisters since he’d been with them. After her little date with Google the night before, Rebecca was aware that Alex wasn’t the only Thorpe who worked for BlackThorpe Security. And she was also aware that there was a fair amount of wealth attributed to Alex as one of the founding partners of the company.

  Not that she was poor by any stretch of the imagination. She’d worked hard at each of the jobs she’d had and been frugal with their money. But she was a single parent so she’d always tried to live on the cautious side financially. She could have afforded a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood and a fancier car, but in the back of her mind, she always cautioned herself that should something ever happen where she couldn’t work for an extended period of time, she needed a nest egg. And so she’d focused on building that instead of buying more expensive things that they didn’t really need.

  Though Rebecca tried to stay engaged in the conversation with Jordan, it was hard. Each time she turned to make a comment about something he said, she had to look past Alex and, way too frequently, her gaze snagged on his profile.

  Rebecca watched familiar sights go by as they headed out onto the highway. She had no idea where Alex lived now but was pretty sure it wasn't anywhere near where they used to live. Her house had been just three blocks from where Alex had lived with his family. She was a bit surprised to hear that he still lived with his sisters.

  There was no denying that she had some nerves over meeting the two women again. Melanie had been a few years younger than her so they hadn't spent much time together. Adrianne had seemed friendly though reserved whenever she'd been around her, and after Alex had left for basic training and then his first posting, she hadn't seen her at all.

  What would they think of her having kept Jordan from their family all these years? Had Alex told them the truth?

  Rebecca pressed the palms of her hands to her thighs to stop the slight tremor that had started up at the thought of what was about to unfold whether she wanted it to or not.

  ~*~*~

  Alex only half-listened to what Jordan was saying. He'd heard most of it on the drive to the airport so he knew he wasn't missing much by not giving Jordan his complete attention. That was directed at the woman sitting in the passenger seat of his truck. It was a bit of a surreal situation, if Alex was honest with himself. It was also a scenario he'd never allowed himself to consider happening. And he was pretty sure he wasn't the only one.

  Tension was radiating off Rebecca in waves. She'd barely moved except to glance back at Jordan occasionally.
He could only imagine what was going through her mind...and imagine it was what he'd have to do because something told him she wasn't going to be sharing her innermost thoughts with him anytime soon.

  The midday traffic wasn't too heavy so they reached the turnoff to the estate without too much delay. He pressed the button to open the gate as he approached it and then drove through, watching as it shut behind him.

  "Isn't that cool, Mom?" Jordan said from the back seat. "The security around this place is sick."

  "Is there a reason you have so much security?" Rebecca asked, the question clearly directed at him and not Jordan.

  "We've had to upgrade our security in light of a few incidents that have happened recently," Alex said as he guided the truck along the curving driveway to the house.

  "Is it safe for Jordan to be here?"

  Alex glanced over at her. "I've gone over things with him and as long as he pays attention to what I've told him, he will be fine. Most of this is just a precaution."

  "Is this part of the situation you said you couldn't leave?"

  "Yes." Alex didn't bother to expand on things. He had a pretty good idea of how she'd react and he didn't really want to have that conversation in the truck with Jordan present. "The girls are at work for a couple more hours, so I'll show you where you'll be staying."

  Jordan was quick to exit the truck when it came to a stop, but Rebecca didn't move at all. With a sigh, Alex turned toward her.

  "Stay here for tonight. If it's still abhorrent in the morning, I'll drive you to the nearest hotel."

  When she turned her gaze to his, it was all Alex could do to keep his mind in the present. Her blue-green eyes framed by long dark lashes threatened to pull him into the past. The past where those eyes had gazed at him with love. With devotion. With adoration. He never saw the look of horror that had no doubt filled them at his demand she end the pregnancy. The look she gave him now was reserved and revealed nothing else of what she was thinking.

  "For tonight." She gave her head a jerky nod then turned to pull the handle to open the door.

  By the time he got around to the other side of the truck, Jordan had the back door open and they were getting Rebecca's bags out. Jordan seemed to be very excited to show his mom the studio apartment he'd worked with Melanie and Adrianne to prepare.

  It had surprised him—even though it probably shouldn't have—how well Jordan had gotten along with his aunts. Melanie, in particular, had jumped into the role of aunt with both feet. At dinner the night before, Jordan had happily answered all the questions she and Tyler had about his life. He supposed he should have been the one asking the questions, but he was still just trying to adjust to the idea of having a son.

  "It's up here, Mom," Jordan said as he led the way toward the set of stairs that ran to the second floor of the garage.

  The small apartment above the garage had been one part of the estate that he hadn't paid too much attention to when he'd bought it. Instead, he'd focused on the main house, but Adrianne, Melanie, and Jordan had tackled it over the past twenty-four hours. Alex was kind of curious to see what they'd done with the place as he had just handed over his credit card and let them go to it.

  As he followed Rebecca into the studio, Alex glanced around. Taking in the new furniture set up in the open area, he knew that his card had taken quite a hit. Where there had once been only dusty, empty space, there was now a brand spankin’ new couch, love seat, recliner and a dining room set. He moved further into the room and added another thousand dollars to the total in his head when he saw the large flat screen hanging on the wall.

  He could only imagine what they’d spent to fix up the bedroom. Alex suddenly found his mind flooded with images he hadn’t thought of in a very long time. Images that would not help the current situation and certainly had no place in his mind even if Rebecca was still technically his wife.

  Taking a deep breath, Alex focused instead on Jordan’s words as he showed his mother around.

  ~*~*~

  Rebecca tried not to be impressed by the cozy one bedroom apartment. Jordan was so excited for the part he’d played in picking out the furniture with his aunts. He had never really struck her as the type of teenage boy who was all that interested in furniture. She was going to chalk it up to him enjoying spending time with his newly discovered aunts.

  "We even put a desk in the bedroom in case you needed to do work while you were here," Jordan said, waving his hand in the direction of a doorway on the other side of the apartment.

  His mention of work brought to mind her new release. On a normal release day, she would be monitoring the book's sales. Posting to social media about the book being available. It would have had her total focus. It was one of the reasons why, when Jordan had asked to spend a couple of days with his friend, she had readily agreed. He knew how focused she got during those new release days and he'd used it to his advantage.

  She turned to Jordan, watching as he talked to Alex about how Melanie had sweet-talked more than one sales person into giving them rush delivery on the furniture. His face was animated in a way she hadn't seen recently. And there was no denying the admiration on his face for Alex. His father.

  Which reminded her...

  "Jordan?"

  He swung around to face her. "What?"

  "How did you find out about Alex?"

  The question drew Alex's attention. He crossed his arms and stared at Jordan, his jaw firm.

  Jordan's gaze dropped to the floor as he shuffled his feet. "Robby and I were boarding at the park when this kid came up and gave me an envelope. He said he'd been asked to deliver it to me."

  "By whom?" Alex was the one who asked this time.

  "He didn't say." Jordan’s gaze shot to Alex and then to her. "I'd never seen the kid. He was about our age, but I didn't recognize him from the neighborhood."

  "Did you ask him for any details about the guy?"

  Jordan looked at Alex. "No. I didn't realize I needed to ask about that. I didn't know what was in the envelope yet."

  "What was in the envelope?" Rebecca asked.

  "It said something like your father is Alex Thorpe and then gave the address for BlackThorpe Security."

  "Did you keep the letter?"

  Jordan nodded. "It's in my backpack."

  "I need to see that letter," Alex said. He nodded his head toward the door. "Let's go get it while your mother settles in." He looked over at her. "We'll be back in a bit. Or if you want, you can come to the main house when you're settled."

  "I'll come over when I've unpacked."

  Alex gave a quick nod of his head and then turned to leave. Jordan glanced at her, his hands shoved in his pockets. "I'll see you in a few."

  Alone in the apartment, Rebecca took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. She stood in the middle of the room for a moment, letting the stress of the day slip away with Alex's departure.

  She had done it. She'd faced Alex after fifteen years and hadn't dissolved into a puddle of conflicting emotions. It helped that Alex hadn't shown any emotion when he'd seen her for the first time. It was almost like meeting a total stranger. And yet they weren't strangers at all. Because of their marriage, he knew her in a way no one else did. And back then, even if he presented a stern, emotionless face to the world, his expression had always softened when he looked at her. He made her feel special in a way no one else had.

  But today, from the moment she'd seen him, she'd been the recipient of his "other people" face anytime he looked at her. She was angry by how much that hurt. After all these years, he shouldn't be able to make her feel that way. But he was the only one who had ever looked at her like that and now that she was with him again, she found herself missing it even though she knew she shouldn’t.

  Rebecca pulled her shoulders back and gave her head a shake. She reached for the handle of her suitcase and pulled it toward the bedroom. Pausing in the doorway, she took in the surprisingly large bedroom. There was a queen size bed with a white wrought
iron frame against the far wall between two tall windows that were covered with lacy curtains. Sunlight cast a dappled pattern on the hardwood floor.

  There was a large comfortable-looking arm chair in the corner with a table and tall lamp next to it. The wall beside it had another large window with a desk underneath it. She spotted two other doors and assumed they led to a closet and possibly a bathroom. It was a beautifully decorated room and very similar to her room in their house in Chicago. Had Jordan kept that in mind when they'd gone shopping for furniture?

  She lifted the suitcase and laid it on the bed, leaning forward to grasp the zipper. Once open, she lifted a stack of clothes out and went to one of the doors. Nice bathroom with a large tub and shower. The other door opened into a walk-in closet to die for. Places for shoes. Drawers for clothes. Lots of places to hang things.

  Rebecca paused before opening a drawer and setting the stack of T-shirts inside it. She hadn't really thought how long she'd stay. Looking at how the apartment was furnished, it was hard not to wonder if Jordan was hoping she'd feel so comfortable she wouldn't mind staying as long as he wanted.

  The truth was, she could stay indefinitely. Her work was portable as long as she had her laptop and internet access. Even Jordan could do his school work here since it was primarily online. But just because their lifestyle allowed them flexibility in when they returned to Chicago, it didn't mean she wanted to stay any longer than necessary.

  Abandoning her suitcase, Rebecca walked over to one of the windows beside the bed. A forest of trees greeted her as she looked out. Some were bare—their leaves gone with the start of winter—and others—the evergreens—still had thick green branches. It appeared that Minneapolis had as little snow as Chicago. The gray sky above the trees, however, seemed to promise an end to the snowless state of the city.

  Rebecca ran her hands up and down her arms as a sudden chill swept over her. She couldn't allow herself to get comfortable here. This was not her life. This was not Jordan's life. Their lives were back in Chicago. And with Christmas coming, she wanted to be in her own home. Not that they'd decorated or anything for the coming holiday. That had been on her to-do list once her book had been published. Her plan had been to do minimal writing during the month of December so she could focus on Jordan and Christmas.