“I assure you that it wasn’t his intention. Neither of us wanted this to happen. It just did.” She paused. “I won’t try to convince you not to tell John about Bonnie. I’ll have to face it sometime.”

“No, you won’t.” His eyes were suddenly glittering with moisture. “You’re not going to have to worry about my John any longer. That’s why I had to gather my courage before I faced you. I got this notification last month.” He fumbled in his pocket and brought out a crumpled piece of paper. “He’s dead. He was lost off the coast of North Korea a few weeks after he arrived there. The remains were discovered in an inlet five weeks ago. They say the dental records are indisputable proof. The Army is very sorry about my loss. They’ll probably send me a damn medal.” His voice was suddenly bitter. “His loss. He was only nineteen years old. His life was hell from the minute he was born. They shouldn’t have let him die before he had a chance to live.”

“Dead?” she whispered. It came as a complete shock. She had rejected the possibility of John Gallo’s death, but it was there before her. “They’re sure?”

“Read the notification.”

She took the crumpled paper and scanned it. All very official. All very sad. But, as Ted Danner had said, it didn’t tell the real tragedy of the death of that strong, young man who had just started to live. Memories of John Gallo were suddenly bombarding her. John at the hospital, John carrying Sandra up the stairs, John moving over her in bed. Always strong, always dominant, always vibrant and complicated, with a presence that could be either restrained or explosive. He had been in her life for such a short time, and yet he’d had more impact than anyone she’d ever met. And John Gallo was no longer alive? She was suddenly feeling a terrible sense of loss. She handed the notification back to him. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Danner.”

“So am I.” He stuffed the paper back in his pocket. “I promised him I’d keep an eye on you. Would you mind if I still do it? It would make me feel I’m doing something for him. I won’t get in your way.”

“I don’t mind.” She reached out and touched his shoulder. “Maybe you could come to dinner some night. I’m a lousy cook, but my mother is pretty good.”

He shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t impose. You have your life to lead.” He smiled with an effort and gently brushed his hand on Bonnie’s cheek. “She has the look of him, doesn’t she? She’s going to be pretty as a picture.”

“Yes, she is.” If he wanted to see John in Bonnie, she wouldn’t disillusion him. “And I’m grateful every day that I have her.”

He nodded. “I’ll leave you. I just wanted to let you know about John. You and I were the only ones who really cared about him. I guess I wanted to share.” He started down the street. “Good-bye, Eve. Take care of that little girl.”

“I will.” She stood and watched him slowly walk away. She could feel her throat tighten. He wasn’t an old man, but between his injuries and sorrow, he appeared that way.

Bonnie gave a cry, and Eve saw that she had dropped the pink rabbit toy that Sandra had given her. She automatically picked it up and handed it back to her. Bonnie was immediately happy. It didn’t take much to make a baby happy, particularly Bonnie. Her daughter had the sunniest disposition on the planet. “Come on, Bonnie, let’s go back. I don’t feel like walking anymore.”

But she stopped when she reached the green bench outside the front door that she always considered Rosa’s bench. “Maybe we’ll get a little more sun before we go back inside.” She sat down on the bench and turned Bonnie’s stroller to face her. “It’s not fair to cut your outdoor time short just because I’m upset.”

And she was upset. She had told herself a thousand times that her relationship with John had been based entirely on the physical, but that didn’t seem to matter anymore. A part of her life had vanished from the earth. She couldn’t ignore it. She didn’t want to ignore it. Not when she was gazing at her daughter’s smiling face.

No, Bonnie wasn’t smiling now. She was staring gravely at Eve as if sensing that her mother was troubled. Eve had noticed before that Bonnie appeared to be attuned to her every mood. Imagination? Maybe. But Eve knew she had that connection with Bonnie, so why shouldn’t her daughter have that same bond?

“He’s gone, Bonnie,” Eve said softly. “He was your father, and I don’t even know what to tell you about him. I didn’t know him that well myself. But everyone should know something about the people who brought them into the world. I don’t know anything about my father. Sandra didn’t want to talk about him. I think he hurt her. Your father didn’t hurt me.” No, he had disturbed her, aroused her, and taught her about some of the most beautiful, heady moments a woman could know. “I know he was hurt himself. Though he wouldn’t talk much about it. But what I do know is that he was strong, and beautiful like you, and he never lied to me. Those are all good things.”

Bonnie was clutching her rabbit, but her gaze was fixed on Eve’s face.

“You don’t understand any of this.” Eve could feel the tears rise to her eyes. “Sometimes, I don’t either, but we should try. If I tell you about our time together, maybe I’ll understand it, too.” She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. “Though most of it I’ll have to skip because it’s X-rated.” She laughed shakily. “And that’s a shame because that’s the part where you came on the scene, and that’s the best part of the story.” She leaned forward and kissed Bonnie’s cheek. “The very best part.”

Then she leaned back on the bench. “I guess I should start at the beginning. I met your father on a hot summer night right here, very close to where we’re sitting now. He came to my rescue like some hero out of the storybooks I’ll be reading you when you get a little older. His name was John Gallo…”

CHAPTER

8

Lake Cottage

Atlanta, Georgia

Present day

“EVE.” IT WAS CATHERINE KNOCKING on the door. “Answer me. We have to talk. You’re making me feel guilty as hell. I did what I thought best. How the hell did I know you were going to go into a tailspin like this?”

Guilty? Catherine should not feel guilty because Eve had responded like an idiot. No, like that sixteen-year-old girl she had been when she’d given birth to Bonnie. She had run into her room and tried to hide in the darkness, in the only safe haven she’d ever known. For heaven’s sake, she was a mature woman who had gone through hell and returned. She could handle anything that came her way.

Except the accusation that Catherine had made. Because if Catherine was right, then her whole life and everything she believed was upside down.

But Catherine was wrong. She had to be wrong.

“Eve.”

“Coming.” Eve got heavily to her feet and moved toward the door. It was fully dark, and she flipped on the light as she unlocked the door. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was a little … surprised.” She grimaced. “Understatement.”

Catherine came into the room and closed the door. “Why do you think I hesitated to talk to you? I knew it wasn’t going to be a welcome development.” She went over to the kitchen. “Let me get you a cup of coffee. I could use one, too.”

“Stop coddling me, Catherine. As I said, I haven’t thought about John Gallo since Bonnie was born. It was just a shock having you bring up his name in connection with her death.” She paused. “Even though I knew it had to be a mistake.”

“It’s no mistake.”

“John Gallo was killed while he was in the Army.”

Catherine shook her head. “No, he was still alive at least six months ago.”

“Catherine, I saw the official death notification.”

“And since when does that guarantee anything? I’ve been in the CIA for years, and most of the time nothing ends up what I think it’s going to be. It’s a twisted world, Eve.”