Breaking Love (Full Hearts Book 2) Read online

  “Paris? That sounded like fun.”

  Megan tried not to wince. “How about Hawaii? I’d like to teach you how to surf.”

  “But you don’t know how.”

  “In a dream, we can be good at anything we want, and I’m going to be a champion surfer tonight. Now, time to sleep, my boy.”

  “See you at the beach, Mom”

  “See you there.” She kissed his little cheek before turning off his light.

  * * *

  An hour later, Megan checked to make sure Elliott was asleep before she picked up the phone to call Ian. Her heart sped up as she dialed his number. She hoped it was early enough in the evening that he would be sober.

  She waited for three rings and then a woman answered. “Hello?”

  Megan was surprised. “Oh, hi. I’m looking for Ian.”

  “Sure. He’s just in the shower. Can I tell him who called?” She sounded friendly and rather young.

  “I’m his ex-wife, Megan. I was just calling him about our son’s birthday.”

  “Oh hi, Megan. I’ll tell him to call you right back, okay?”

  “Thank you . . . um. Sorry, I don’t know your name.”

  “I’m Georgie.”

  “Georgie, are you two together now?”

  “Yeah, I moved in with him a couple of weeks ago.”

  Megan felt a stab of pain at the idea of Ian being able to hold it together for some other woman. But maybe he wasn’t. Maybe she was an addict too, or was willing to put up with one.

  “Good. We’ll, I’m glad he’s happy,” she said quietly.

  “Thanks. We both are. I’ll get him to call you.”

  “Perfect. Bye.”

  Megan hung up. As much as she knew she didn’t want Ian back, it was hard for her to think of him with someone else. He had promised to love her forever and he hadn’t even made it three years. Maybe Georgie could straighten him out in a way she couldn’t. Megan tried to busy herself folding laundry and tidying up the house while she waited for a call that never came.

  She thought about a time two years earlier, when Ian had been sober for several months. They had met at their friends’ guest ranch outside Colorado Springs and spent two lovely weeks together as summer wound down. She and Elliott had stayed in one of the cabins while Ian had stayed at his friend Ben’s home on the property. Ian and Elliott grew close during that time, while Megan kept a manageable distance, observing Ian carefully. Ian had spent every waking minute with their son, trying to make up for lost time. They played catch, swam in the pool and ended each day with Elliott sitting on his dad’s lap while Ian read to him. Elliott had fallen in love with having a dad during that trip and a horrible void was created when Ian relapsed shortly afterward, disappearing from their lives again. A pang of guilt accompanied each memory of that trip for Megan. If only she had known then what she knew now—that it was better to let Elliott remain ignorant of what he was missing than to give him a taste of it, only to have it taken away.

  By the time she turned her bedside lamp off that night, she was seething with that all-too-familiar rage at her ex-husband. She could try to convince herself that maybe he hadn’t been given the message, but she doubted it. He hadn’t called or sent Elliott a gift for Christmas. Megan had bought a train set and wrapped it, pretending Ian had sent it. So far, her son seemed to be fooled by her efforts on her ex-husband’s behalf for each special occasion, but Megan knew it was only a matter of time before he figured it out. Maybe she should just tell Elliott the truth: that his dad wasn’t well and would never be a part of Elliott’s life.

  * * *

  The next morning, after she got Elliott off to school, Megan tried Ian’s number again. This time he picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Ian, it’s Meg.”

  “Meg, hi. Sorry I didn’t get back to you last night. We had to head out for a dinner and I figured it would be too late to call you when we got home.”

  Megan paused for a moment, trying to push down her frustration before she spoke. “That’s okay, Ian. I was calling because Elliott was talking about his birthday last night. He thought maybe if we invited you early enough, you could make it to his party this year.”

  “Oh, well, I don’t know, Meg. I’ll have to see, okay? It looks like I might get a chance as a third-base coach for the Suns this year. His birthday is right during spring training camp.”

  “The Suns? Good for you, Ian. I hope that works out. Maybe you could come up before it starts or something. Bring Georgie. Elliott really wants a new ball glove and a bat this year, and he wants an expert to pick them out for him.”

  “He still likes baseball? That’s nice to hear. I’ll see what I can do. How is he doing?”

  “He’s good. He’s growing like a weed and he’s doing so well in school this year. He’s actually starting to read. It’s amazing to watch.”

  “That’s great, Meg. You haven’t emailed me any pictures for a while. I miss seeing what he’s up to.”

  “Right. Well, I didn’t hear from you, so I wasn’t sure if you were interested.”

  “He’s my son, Meg. Of course I’m interested!” She could picture his face screwed up into a scowl. “What? Is that some type of punishment for everything? To stop sending pictures?”

  Megan closed her eyes, trying to keep her temper in check. It would do no good to pick a fight. A fight would mean there was no chance that Ian would acknowledge Elliott’s birthday.

  She took a deep breath and then spoke quietly. “Of course not, Ian. I would never do that. I want you to be a part of Elliott’s life, no matter how things turned out between us. He needs his dad. Maybe we could arrange a Skype call this weekend?”

  Her placating words seemed to have the desired effect. “Yeah? Okay. I’d like that.”

  “Good. When would be a good time for us to get a hold of you?”

  “I’m not sure right now. I’ll email you to let you know, okay?”

  “Okay, Ian. We’ll wait to hear from you.”

  “Good. Talk to you soon, Meg.”

  “Bye, Ian.”

  “Meg?”

  “Yes?”

  “How are you doing?” he asked cautiously.

  “I’m fine,” Megan replied, trying to sound like she meant it.

  Ian’s voice was quiet as he spoke. “I think about you a lot, you know. Sometimes I worry about you driving around on those icy roads. Did you put snow tires on this year?”

  “Um, no. They’re pretty pricey. I have good enough tires, though, and I’m careful. Don’t worry.”

  “Listen, if I get this job with the Suns, I’ll be able to start sending you more money. You can get yourself some snow tires for next year,” he offered, sounding hopeful for the first time in years.

  “That would be nice, Ian. But just take care of yourself, okay? I hope you’re healthy.”

  “I’ve been doing really good lately. I feel like I might be able to kick this thing, finally.”

  Megan felt a lump in her throat. She had heard that line maybe a thousand times before from him. “I’m rooting for you, Ian.”

  There was a pause for a moment while Ian let her words sink in. “I don’t know how you can be so kind after everything I’ve put you through.”

  Megan blinked back tears that Ian would never see. “You’re the father of my son, Ian. I’ll always want the best for you.”

  “You too, you know? I keep thinking maybe you’ll meet some guy who actually deserves you.”

  “Oh, I don’t think that’s in the cards for me. Georgie sounds nice, though. Be good to her, okay? And to yourself.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “I know you will. I should go. Take care, Ian.”

  “Take care, Meg.”

  Jacksonville, Florida

  Ian sat at the patio table, under an umbrella, in his small backyard. Even though it was early, the sun was beating down already and it was going to be another hot day. He was dressed only in shorts and flip-flo
ps. He sipped his coffee, thinking about Megan and Elliott so far from him, in the cold winter. He hated how he felt each time he spoke with his ex-wife. The guilt was almost unbearable. Part of him wished she would let him have it just once—really scream at him for every shitty thing he had done: every birthday he had missed, every disappointment he had caused her and their little boy. He could imagine her punching his chest with her small hands, and how much better it would feel to take that pain from her, to just stand in front of her and let her unleash her hurt and rage on him. Carrying that burden would be a pleasure compared to knowing he had caused her so much hurt that she had as good as shut down. Ian knew she hadn’t dated in the years since they had separated. He knew she was remaining completely on her own and he knew why: she would never trust a man again.

  He was a complete fuck-up as a father and a husband. The regret and shame he carried weighed on him heavily every day, making it almost impossible to contact them. But with each day that went by, he gave Megan another reason to hate him and had another reason to hate himself. Ian drained his coffee, deciding to go for a jog before it got too hot.

  He had been clean for a month, but now the desire to use was almost undeniable. He knew getting high would put a safe distance between himself and the feelings he didn’t want to face. Georgie would be at work until suppertime, so he would have to find a way to get through the day on his own. He checked his phone and found the schedule for the Narcotics Anonymous meeting. He had time for a run and a shower before the next session. He would go and hope it would be enough to keep him clean just for this one day.

  * * *

  When Megan got off the phone with Ian, she took a large gulp of air, trying to blink back her tears. Things had gotten much easier between them, but she wondered if she would always wish things had turned out differently. She had loved Ian—really loved him—and part of her heart would always belong to him. He had loved her too, for a time, and she could hear in his voice the guilt each time they spoke. Maybe that was part of why he stayed away. It was still so painful for him.

  She poured herself a cup of coffee and stared out the window for a minute. She saw Charlie walking along his sidewalk, sprinkling salt around to melt the ice. She threw her coat and boots on and walked outside to see him.

  “Hi, Charlie!”

  “Good morning, Megan. How are you this frosty morning?”

  “Fine. How are you?”

  “Good. Keeping busy.” He smiled.

  “I talked to my mom about you. I think you might have a shot, but she’s definitely going to play hard to get. She’s claiming that she’s too old to start dating.”

  “Well, that makes two of us, then, but what the hell else are we going to do with our evenings?”

  “Tell you what. She’ll be here all day Saturday with Elliott. Maybe you could pop by to borrow a cup of sugar or something?” Megan smiled at him. He was a kind person and she knew he would be good to her mom. Why not give things a little nudge?

  “A cup of sugar. . . .” He considered it for a moment. “Okay. Sounds good, Megan. Thank you.”

  “Alright, I better get to work. I have some photos to edit this morning, and they aren’t going to edit themselves!”

  Charlie chuckled and got back to work. “See you later, Megan. Thank you.”

  “You bet, Charlie! Have a great day.”

  ELEVEN

  Paris

  It had been five days since he had seen Megan, and Luc was becoming increasingly unsettled. He had never had a hangover from a woman last this long before. He wanted to get back to feeling like himself—confident, satisfied and ready for his next business endeavour. Instead, he felt more like a cat in a cage—bored, frustrated and needing to get out. He still had two days until his trip to Aspen. It was late at night as he drove home to his empty apartment. He had stayed at Cloud until it closed up for the night, wanting to be with other people. There were dozens of beautiful women he could have taken home, but he had no interest in any of them. This fact alone bothered him.

  The two things that normally quashed any feelings of restlessness—kickboxing and women—were doing nothing to help him now. He felt like a pathetic schoolboy, mooning over someone he had known for only two days. Ne fais pas le con, he told himself. Shake it off, you idiot.

  Later in bed that night, he decided to relieve some of his tension, sliding his hand under the covers. Pulling on his now hardening length, his mind allowed him to see only Megan. Her face, her breasts, the touch of her skin, the smell of her were all there for him as he climaxed. He sighed when it was over, feeling fed up with himself for this foolishness.

  * * *

  Friday morning arrived and Luc hummed to himself as he finished packing. He would be in Aspen in time for dinner and would be meeting Clarissa, a woman he knew well. She was always up for whatever Luc had in mind, whether he needed someone to accompany him to an event or just come by his hotel room for sex. If anyone could stop him from thinking of Megan, it was Clarissa.

  Boulder

  Megan woke early again for the fourth day in a row. She had been going to bed right after getting Elliott off to sleep all week, telling herself she needed to catch up on her rest after her trip. The truth was that she just couldn’t face the evenings alone right now. Not after her night with Luc. She had been reminded of what it felt like to be touched and held and adored. Now that she had had a taste of romance, the loneliness had become unbearable again. It was almost as bad as it had been when she left Ian. Now waking at 4:30 a.m., her body felt well rested, but she wished she could just go back to sleep for a few more hours until Elliott woke up.

  She decided to get her equipment ready for the wedding the next day. She put all her batteries into their chargers, then backed up her memory cards onto her computer. Pulling out her cleaning kit, she carefully inspected and cleaned her lenses, then replaced them in their bag.

  Megan sat down at her computer to check that the files had backed up, then opened the photos she had taken in Paris. Slowly clicking through them, she found the ones she had taken at the Louvre. The memories of her day with Luc came flooding back to her. She stopped at a photo of him in front of the museum. The light was perfect and she had asked him if he would mind posing so she could practise something Anita had taught her earlier that morning. Now as she looked at him, staring back at her, she felt a surge of desire mixed with grief. He looked so incredibly handsome, with his strong jaw, his eyes—the colour of worn leather—and his sexy grin. She remembered that just before she had taken the shot, he had run his hand through his hair in that way he did when he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. Part of her wished he would show up at her door right at that moment, just so she could see his face again, hear his voice, feel his touch on her skin.

  She quickly closed the file and switched off her computer. There was no way she was going to torture herself like that. He was a one-night stand, a womanizer and nothing more. Even though he had seemed to genuinely believe they had had something more, she knew it was nothing of any substance. She needed to shake him off. Looking over at the clock, she realized it was time to wake Elliott for school.

  Aspen

  “Clarissa, you look beautiful, as always.” Luc stood to greet her as she made her entrance into the restaurant at his hotel. He had been seated at a table for twenty minutes already, waiting for her. This was normal with Clarissa. She was always running late, and he suspected it was solely for the purpose of making him watch as she crossed the room.

  He kissed her on both cheeks and held her chair out for her. Clarissa was a gorgeous, curvy brunette with full lips. She had on a tight black minidress that was low cut enough to give anyone who wanted it an eyeful of her ample breasts. She owned an upscale lingerie shop that catered to the rich. Luc and Clarissa saw each other from time to time and it always ended well for them both.

  “So, Luc, what brings you to town?” she purred, giving him an opening to say something provocative.

  “I’m here o
n business. To check on the club and take a look at a few properties I might purchase,” he answered, pouring her a glass of red wine.

  Clarissa was surprised at his dull response. He normally said something that made her blush. “That’s nice. How long will you be in town?”

  “A few days. Until Thursday,” he answered, smiling politely.

  Luc looked across at her. She was certainly beautiful, but he wasn’t getting the feeling of pure lust he normally did when he saw her. His cock hadn’t reacted in the least when she sat down and leaned toward him, exposing the top half of her breasts in the process. Usually that was good for at least a semi.

  They ordered their meals and ate in awkward silence. Finally Clarissa looked up from her dessert. “Luc, what’s wrong tonight? Something’s different with you.”

  Luc shrugged. “No, everything’s fine. I am maybe a little preoccupied with these real estate deals. That’s all.”

  Clarissa reached her hand across the table, tracing his hand with her fingertip. “Luc, you can tell me. We’re friends, remember? I’ve known you for a long time.”

  “It’s nothing. Really. Would you like to go upstairs with me?”

  She gave him a skeptical look. “Are you sure you want to?”

  “Of course I am. Nothing would please me more.”

  Luc signed the bill to his room and the pair went upstairs to his suite. When they got there, he walked directly over to the bar and poured them each a Scotch. He gave her one of the drinks and sculled his back in one gulp, quickly pouring himself another. Clarissa stood observing him. She knew him well enough to know something was seriously off. The evening had been completely devoid of their normal sexual banter, and now that he had her in his room, he hadn’t even laid a finger on her. Usually he would have his hand up her skirt by the time the elevator doors closed. She decided to up the ante and make him talk.

  She sauntered over to him, letting her hips sway from side to side like a pendulum. When she reached him, she pressed her breasts against him, running her finger down along his stomach to the front of his pants. Giving him a “come and get me” look, she let her finger slide lower.