Page 42 of Undefeated Love
Daniel slid into the opposite chair. “Nita and I both looked at the videos again. I think she’s genuinely sorry how that all played out, but she’s not about to let you off the hook just yet. You haven’t publicly dumped JJ.”
“I know. She’s been filming out of the country. I’ll wait until she gets back here. More paparazzi.” Alex grinned. “I like the Ladies’ ideas.”
Alex took a fortifying sip. “I doubt you’ll tell me the truth, but do you know where Kat is?”
“No. I don’t know where she is and that’s the truth. She didn’t let me know she was coming to the wedding until the day before.” He lovingly smiled. “It was great seeing her. We’re used to her coming over and playing with the kids, having supper with us, just hanging out when the team is in town. We all miss those times. The kids ask about her.”
“She doesn’t call them? Or you?” Alex was shocked.
Daniel shook his head side to side. “No. She didn’t leave just you, she left all of us.”
“Have you looked for her?” Alex had wondered if her family had tried to find her.
“Yes. Some. She owns several houses around the world. A few of them, I own with her, like the house in Costa Rica. I’ve checked with the caretakers of each one that I know of.” Daniel huffed. “I practically threatened them to tell me the truth, but she hasn’t been to any of them since she disappeared.”
“Why does she own so many houses? I thought she had them because they were your parents’ and you inherited them.”
“We did inherit several like the house in Costa Rica, the house on Smith Mountain Lake, our grandparents’ home in Fairfax, and one in Silver Spring, Maryland where our parents lived while they were stationed in D.C. We sold that one and I bought our house when I moved the kids back from Nicaragua and married Nita.”
Daniel sipped the whiskey and let out a long breath as though he considered whether to tell Alex the next part. “Katlin’s never had a home. Growing up, we always lived in base quarters, or housing provided by the government. They weren’t ours, although Mom tried like hell to make each one a home. Our parents never owned a house until Dad got stationed at the Pentagon. I believe owning property is important to Katlin. It’s an anchor. It’s hers. But she hasn’t made any of them her home. She doesn’t know what it’s like to come back to the same house, each and every time, sleep in the same bed, and know that she’s totally surrounded by her things.”
Realization dawned on Alex. “That’s why she designed all Guardian penthouses to look absolutely identical. They feel familiar no matter which city.”
“Probably,” Daniel agreed. “Most people, if they run away, would go to someplace familiar.” He grinned sardonically. “Katlin can make yourself at home anywhere and everywhere. She’s just as comfortable overseas as in the United States. It’s not like we could trace her hobbies or favorite thing to do. She’s as comfortable on a shooting range as she is at an embassy ball with real royalty.”
Daniel sipped his whiskey before he continued. “She once complained to me that Dad would have her on a shooting range and Mom would call. They would have to go back to the embassy where she’d be put into a pretty frilly dress and patent leather shoes with stark white lacy socks. She’d be expected to play parlor games in multiple languages to prove to everyone at the party that her parents were able to raise a smart and entertaining daughter while working sixteen hours a day on diplomacy and security.”
“Why do you think your mother did that to her?” Some of this was new information for Alex but mostly it gave him a better understanding of the woman he loved. Something might lead him to where she was living.
Daniel took a long draw on the excellent whiskey. “There are eight years difference between Katlin and me. Mom and Dad lost several children between us. Mom spent most of her pregnancy with Katlin in bed.” He smiled. “I used to bring her the mail, her favorite tea, and an afternoon snack when I got home from school. I’d sit on her bed and tell her all about my day. When Katlin was born, a couple weeks early, I wasn’t even allowed to hold her. The only time Mother would leave the house was for doctors’ appointments. Finally, Dad made us all go see a psychiatrist. I think I was ten when Dad got his first embassy duty. Although I got left in the United States to live with my grandparents, Mom insisted on taking Katlin.”
Daniel shrugged. “During my school breaks, I’d sometimes go to whatever embassy they were at, but most often, the whole extended family would meet at the house on Smith Mountain Lake.” He grinned. “Summers there were awesome.” His gaze met Alex’s. “She’s not there. I checked there first.”
Alex met his smile with one of his own. “So did I.”
“You told me once that she’ll come back when she’s ready.” Alex held Daniel’s gaze. “Is she sick? Is she still recovering from the TBI?” Alex slowly shook his head. “I was afraid she went back to work too soon. But maybe that was just my wish to keep her with me longer. I loved those months that we traveled together and slept side by side.”
“If I knew what was going on with her, I wouldn’t tell you. If she wanted you to know, she’d tell you. It’s not my place.” Daniel downed the last sip. “At the wedding, I gave her a copy of the videos and told her that she might want to give you a second chance. I did that because I believe the two of you were meant for each other. I never liked Tyler Malone. The first time I met him, I knew what he was: a lying cheater. Katlin was too good for him and I’m not saying that just because she’s my sister. I’m saying that because she’s such a good person in her heart.”
Daniel stood. “It’s not going to be easy for you to win her back, but I don’t think you have to worry about it for a while. She’s mad, and I can tell you from experience, Katlin can hold a grudge. Her memory is longer than an elephant’s. I told you before, she won’t come back until she’s damn good and ready.”
He took one step then turned to face Alex. “I don’t think the Ladies are mad at you anymore, but they’re sure as hell not happy with my sister. Thanks for the drink.”
So much to think about. Should he buy a house for him and Katlin for when she returned so she had a home to come to? If so, where?
As Alex thought about a home versus a house, he realized that since his mother sent him to Little Havana to live with Nana Rosa when he was fourteen, he hadn’t had a home either.
Thoughts of his mother filled his heart. As he paid the bill, he decided to head to her home. It wasn’t the one he’d grown up in, because he’d bought her and her second husband a townhouse as soon as he had enough money to move her out of the seedier side of D.C. But she’d made it home.
Maybe that’s what both he and Katlin needed, a home.
CHAPTER18
One MonthLater
Katlin Gone Three Months
Katlin curled up in the huge, overstuffed chair in her second floor living room and gazed out at Coronado Beach rather than read the newest thriller on her tablet. She’d rented the boxy modern concrete house for its magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean and its close proximity to the many San Diego military bases. The two-story house, with its amazing rooftop outdoor kitchen, was less than a mile from where she and her team had done their SEAL training.
