I can't believe you came back to Persuasion.

Well, I had no choice. He took a sip of wine. Money was tight and I accepted a whole boatload of local scholarships to attend med school, with the promise of coming back here to set up shop.

But you wanted out of here as much as I did.

Yeah. I wanted out with you. Once you were gone, it didn't matter so much anymore.

Kat gave him a tentative but genuine smile. It was the first he'd seen since October 1987.

I thought you were a construction worker, Riley. So when you walked into that exam room tonight, I thought I'd die.

Riley laughed. Did he dare allow himself to think she was warming up?

The construction project is the Persuasion Rural Health Clinicmy baby.

State grants we'd counted on fell through a few months back, and the whole town has been pitching in to make sure the clinic gets up and running. I was hoping by some miracle to open by Christmas.

Kat nodded. Good luck with all that. Now tell me about my mom.

Riley ran his fingers along the goblet's stem, choosing his words carefully. She'd been sick for about six months. As she was dying she asked your dad to leave the room and told me to come close. She told me you'd had a boy and it was mine. She told me you were living in a small town in California, but she died before she could give me any more details. /California?/ Kat's wineglass hung in midair. I've never been there in my life.

Riley shrugged. That's what she said. I hired a private investigator out there, and when he came up empty-handed, Matt and I went out to look for you. We followed leads that took us to fifteen states, and I can tell you with authority that you are the country's best-looking Katharine Cavanaugh.

Kat set down her glass. Her mouth was pulled tight, but he could see her hands tremble. I never saw or spoke to my mom after I left that night. I don't know where she got her information. It was wrong.

She was right about the child, wrong about the location.

Kat's voice went soft. Did she suffer?

Riley nodded. She was in pain, though we tried to make her as comfortable as we could at the end. He studied Kat's eyes, trying to figure out what feelings lurked behind there. There was certainly something going on. Did you win your fortune as a card shark by any chance?

Kat snorted in surprise. Excuse me?

You've developed quite a poker face.

She raised her chin and walked past him to the chairs in front of the fireplace. She collapsed in one and pulled her feet up under her in silence.

Riley returned to his chair and propped his elbows on his knees. He stared at her profile. The same small nose and pouty mouth. The same graceful neck. She had grown into her looks. As a teenager, she had been cute. As a woman, she was flat-out beautiful. And cunning. How the hell did you make it, Kat? You were only sixteen.

Like I said. I was lucky.

How so?

She avoided looking in his eyes. I hitchhiked out of town and ended up in Baltimore. As she talked she glanced around the room and down at her perfectly groomed fingernails. A nice lady took me in, got me hooked up with prenatal care, and got me in a GED program.

Is this woman a relative?

Nomuch nicer than any relative I ever had.

Go on.

So I worked part-time at a flower shop and took evening classes at the community college. She watched Aidan for me. I lived with her for seven years, until I was working full-time and had the money to rent my own place.

Riley felt his eyes bugging out of his head. Your parents never tried to find you?

Never.

You never contacted them?

No. And I used another name so they'd never be able to track me down.

Riley's mouth fell open. Shit, Kat. You were serious.

Kat still didn't look at him. I was.

Riley shook his head. And what about me? Did you ever tell our son about me?

When Kat's gaze finally connected with his, Riley saw something that went way beyond stubbornness. I told him I didn't know who his father was. Kat squared her shoulders, ready for a fight. I did it to protect him.

A shout of surprise escaped from Riley's mouth; then he felt a deep stab of hurt. This woman had it so unbelievably wrong, for all this time! For God's sake, what exactly were you protecting him from? His history? His family? Being /loved/?

Her head snapped back like Riley had smacked her. You told me to get lost. I did. She swallowed hard. Is this your way of telling me you're going to sue me?

Riley blinked in bewilderment. Sue you for what?

Well. Kat looked down at her hands, then returned her gaze to his face.

At the construction site you mentioned that your lawyer would Riley laughed, setting his wineglass on a nearby table. Kat, sweetheart, the best lawyer in the world couldn't wrangle me any satisfaction out of this huge fucking mess.

OK. Kat sat up straight, readying herself for whatever more he had to say.

Because what I want is the twenty years you stole from me, all those years that my son was a baby, then a kid, then a young man. How's a lawyer going to get me that?

Kat's eyes remained steely, but her chin began to quiver. I did what I had to do, Riley. I'll be right back. She hopped up and ran into the adjoining bedroom, Riley catching a glimpse of that huge bed as he followed her movement. God, he wanted to throw Kat up on that high mattress and devour her until two decades' worth of emptiness had been filled up with passion. Love.

He still loved her. After all the damage she'd done to his life, he still loved her. It was as if seeing her again flipped a switch in his soul, adjusting the setting back to the way he was when he was sixteen, full of passion and dreams. It was hard to believe, but he'd just lost his temper! He was practically drooling on Kat, he wanted her so badly.

He was thawing out. He was coming alive.

Then she was back, standing at his side. This is the only photo I have with me. It's his high school graduation picture. You can keep it. I put his cell number on the back. I'll send you more.

Riley cradled the wallet-sized photo in his palm, almost afraid to look.

The instant his eyes made contact with the image, it felt like the rest of the world peeled away in layers, leaving only the core of his soulthis teenager in a clearly uncomfortable suit and tie, with too-long black curls and intelligent blue eyes. If Riley didn't know better, he'd think he was looking at Matt, circa 1992.

Oh God, Riley whispered. That's really my boy.

I didn't realize how much he looked like you until today. Kat's voice sounded far away as she settled back in her chair. I have to tell you, I took one look at you at the construction site and Riley's head dropped. He couldn't carry the weight of the grief anymore, and he cried. Kat's hand reached across the space between them and she stroked his knee.

I am so sorry, Riley.

He looked up, not caring that she saw him this way. You could have found a way to tell me. He let the tears fall down his face. You underestimated the hell out of me, and you cheated me out of my own life, /our/ life! Who's going to give me back the twenty years I could have had with /you/?

Kat's eyes got wide.

Fuck this. Riley stood up. This was no time for caution or reasonhe'd spent twenty years hog-tied by caution and reason. Riley glanced once more at the face of his child, tucked the photo into his pants pocket, and did what had to be done.

He pulled her to her feet and held her by her upper arms. Damn you, Kat.

He pressed his mouth to hers. There was so much hunger in his attack that she yelped in surprise. But she gave in. Within seconds they were feeding at each other, clutching at each other, the tears flowing, moans of desperation filling the room.

Kat managed to move her mouth from under his long enough to gasp, I hate you for throwing me away like you did!