Kim was running late as she entered the house. A meeting to discuss the budget for the Abuse Clinic had kept her at the hospital, and she still had to get Andrew and Jeannie ready for the party at her parents. At the rate Kim was going, they would be at least a half-hour late.
She raced up the stairs and headed for Andrew's room. But she stopped halfway down the hall when she heard Shane's voice.
". . . you don't want to do is settle for less than you deserve."
Kim heard Eve next. "Like you did with Kayla?"
There was a brief silence as Kim snuck close to the door to Eve's room. She was out of sight, but she could hear every word. Then Shane spoke again.
"Yes. . . . That's exactly what I was doing," he said. "And it and everything that's happened the past few months has taught me one thing. If you're lucky enough to find that one special person in this world, you can't settle. And if you have a chance to live a life with that person, you'll never be truly happy without them."
Kim forced her eyes closed, as she heard the sadness underlying his words.
"The only thing I want for you, sweetheart, is for you to be happy. And I know you enough to know that you'll never be truly happy if you're not with someone you truly love."
It was obvious that he was not just talking about Eve. Shane's daughter knew it also.
"Are you talking about me and Frankie or about you and Kim?"
Kim could not see Shane, but she suspected he was blushing slightly. "I . . . I can't say I'm not speaking from experience. I mean. . . . What I'm trying to say-"
Eve interrupted, but Kim could tell from the tone of her voice that she was teasing. "Can you get to the point, Dad?"
"Hey, joke all you want. I'm trying to help you out here." Then Shane grew serious. "You won't understand this until you're a parent, but when you have children, you'll understand how much you want to help them avoid making the same mistakes you made. So you can listen and maybe learn something, or you can go out and make the same mistakes I made."
"Okay," Eve said. "So this is about you and Kim." Shane must have nodded, because Eve responded. "So you think you need Kim to be truly happy? But why? You have us."
Kim heard Shane chuckle. "Oh, sweetheart. . . . I adore you. I love you and Andrew and Jeannie so much, it's indescribable. You bring me so much joy. . . ."
"But it's not the same, is it?" Eve asked.
There was a pause before Shane said, "No, it's not the same. It's not like loving Kim makes me love you any less; it's just that when you love someone like I love Kim. . . . well . . . I know my life can't be complete without her."
Outside the room, Kim's heart clinched. She could hear the sincerity in Shane's voice.
"Can you understand that?" Shane asked.
"I guess so," Eve said. "But maybe that's how you feel. . . . I don't know if I want to go through all that pain. At least, that's how it seems things are with you and Kim."
It was odd for Kim to hear Eve talk like that. She sounded protective, but also hurt. Obviously, Eve had seen that Kim and Shane hurt each other terribly. That spoke volumes that Eve, who always seemed so self-absorbed, could have seen and been so deeply affected by the turbulence in her father's marriage.
"I've told you that's part of loving someone as much as I love Kim," Shane said slowly. "And I made a lot of the mistakes, so it's hardly Kim's fault. But most importantly, it took me a long time to realize that, as painful as that love can be sometimes, it's worth every minute of pain just to have those moments of sheer joy you get. And that's what I want you to have more than anything else. I don't want-"
Shane cut off abruptly as Andrew's voice echoed down the hallway.
"Mommy! Look at me!"
Kim leaped away from the door and jerked her head toward Andrew's room. He was standing in the hallway in complete pirate regalia - boots, knickers, billowy shirt, pirate hat, and eye-patch. In his hand, he waved a plastic cutlass.
Quickly recovering from her surprise, Kim faked being afraid. "It's Dread Pirate Andrew. Oh no!"
An instant later, Eve poked her head out the bedroom door. "He's gotta be the shortest pirate in history," she teased as she gave her brother an appraising look. "Did you get that all together yourself?"
Andrew nodded proudly, then frowned slightly. "I couldn't get the parrot on. Can you help me?"
Kim was about to answer, but Eve spoke first. "Sure, squirt. Let's get you all ready. You can't be a pirate without your parrot." She gave Kim a knowing look as she slipped by and followed Andrew to his room.
"A parrot?" Shane's voice echoed by Kim's ear. It startled her to realize he was so close.
Kim shrugged. "You heard your daughter. You can't be a pirate without a parrot." She turned to Shane, who was now standing in the space vacated by Eve. "It's just a little toy bird that gets tied to his shoulder."
Shane nodded, but kept his eyes focused down the hall toward Andrew's room. "So when did you get home?"
What he really was asking was how much of his conversation had she overheard, but she did not want to admit eavesdropping. "I just got here. I heard your voices, but Andrew spotted me almost as soon as I got near the door. How's Eve doing, I mean, about the article and all?"
"Remarkably well," Shane said, obviously believing Kim's story. "But I suspect you played a role in that. Did you talk to her? I detected a distinct sense of 'I don't care what people think about my past' in what she said."
Kim looked down at the floor. "I hope you don't mind."
"Why would I mind?" Shane said. "As hard as it is to believe, I think Eve values your opinion . . . as do I. You put your past behind you, and that's part of what makes you such a strong, incredible woman."
Her cheeks flamed a little. Even as she heard the love and admiration in Shane's voice, Kim felt a little hollow. He doesn't know. He wouldn't say I put the past behind me if he knew what I did with Cal.
"I just want Eve to be happy," Kim said, trying to stifle that unsettling voice. "She didn't deserve what Rachel Knight did to her."
"No, she didn't," Shane agreed. "But you know what? It's out now. She's 20 and now she can live her life never worrying about her 'secret' being revealed. In the long term, I think that may be for the best. Eve doesn't have to harbor the guilt of keeping secrets."
Kim shivered, wondering if Shane could read her thoughts. "Guilt. . . ." Her voice trailed off lamely.
He immediately became apologetic. "Oh, God, Kim, I didn't mean to suggest anything."
"It's okay," she said quickly. "I wasn't implying anything." She turned and smiled at him. "Honest. I was just thinking about all that guilt I carried when I first came home. Not just about what I did in Europe, but about Uncle Eric. I-"
"Mommy, are you ready?"
Kim shut her mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was have Andrew overhear her talking about Uncle Eric. She turned and saw that Andrew and Eve had emerged from his room. Andrew's costume was now complete, with the stuffed parrot tied firmly to his shoulder.
Next to her, Shane grinned. "Now that is one good-looking pirate." As Andrew sneered and swung his cutlass in a manner he probably thought was menacing, Shane laughed. He raised his cane and let Andrew hit it a few times with the sword, before saying, "All right, I surrender. Just don't make me walk the plank."
Kim could not keep from laughing at their antics. "Okay, you two. . . ." She rolled her eyes, which only elicited more giggles from Andrew. To him, she said, "Go get your coat."
"Do I haveta?" Andrew whined. "It's not a pirate coat."
"Yes, it's cold outside." Seeing his scowl, Kim added, "We can take it off when we get to the patio, so Grandma and Grandpa won't see it."
The scowl disappeared and Andrew turned. "Great!" he said, as he scampered to his room.
Kim turned to Shane. "How about you? You know you're welcome."
He shook his head. "I don't think I'm up to it." She could hear a twinge of regret, but mainly he seemed embarrassed at his lack of strength. Kim could understand. Just walking from the car to the house would take a lot out of him.
"By Thanksgiving, you'll feel up to it. I'm sure of it." Kim tried to sound certain, then turned to Eve. "How about you, Eve? You haven't really spent any time with my folks since you've been back."
Eve smiled apologetically. "Thanks, Kim, but I can't. I have to get over to Wings and help get everything set for the party tonight. Julie's counting on me, now that I'm the manager again."
"That's great," Kim said, now getting a better sense of what had precipitated Shane and Eve's conversation.
"Yeah, and I don't even have my costume ready." Eve's eyes narrowed. "I was thinking of going as Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman.' You know, with a short wig, thigh-high boots and a short, blue mini."
Shane nearly shouted. "Eve!"
Eve laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. "I'm just kidding!" She grinned. "Though it would show I've got a sense of humor about all of this . . . but, no, Julie gave me a dress to wear from the 1960s, so I'm going to go as a hippie. I actually think Julie used to wear that thing."
Kim chuckled. "I don't know about hippie clothes. Julie was always the fashion plate when she was younger. I remember how envious I always was of her clothes."
"Whatever it is, it's got to be a lot better than you going like a. . . . like a. . . ." Shane did not finish his sputtering sentence, because Eve gave him a dramatic eye-roll and then kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you for caring, Daddy," she said. "Now, would you two let me get into my bedroom so I can get ready." She waved at them, so they moved out of the doorway, went into the room, and shut the door. That left Kim with Shane and Andrew, who shifted impatiently from side to side.
"Can we go now?" he asked.
Kim nodded. "Go on downstairs. I'll be there in a few minutes." She just needed to get Jeannie into her costume, which thankfully, was nothing more than a black onesie, some cat ears, and a couple of drawn-on whiskers.
As Andrew started to race off, Shane called out, "Don't eat too much candy, Sport. You wouldn't want to be an evil pirate with a tummy ache." His eyes were twinkling and he looked back at Kim, beaming.
"You sure you don't want to go?" Kim asked.
Shane shook his head, but kept smiling. "Go and have a good time, and you and Andrew can tell me all about it when you get back. I think I could use a little rest." He nodded at his cane. "All this swordplay has me beat."
Before Kim could turn, he reached out with his free hand and brushed her cheek. For a second, Kim started to back away, but she stopped, enjoying his light touch against her skin. Unconsciously, she closed her eyes and leaned her head into his hand. Then it hit her what she was doing and her eyes blinked open and she stepped back.
"I'd better go," she said.
He seemed disappointed, but did not push. "That's right, of course, you'd better go. Andrew's waiting and you probably still have to get Jeannie ready." He lowered his hand and smiled softly. "I'll see you later."