Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lance

Did Jordan say "Kevin"?

I let Claus free and get off the couch. As his laughter dies down, the conversation from the doorway drifts to my ear.

"I thought you weren't spending this Christmas with us," Jordan says. "I... we..."

I can hear the dismay and the worry in her voice.

"I thought so, too, but something good happened at work, and well, long story short, we're spending Christmas together again," a familiar voice speaks. "Isn't that great?"

My eyes grow wide. Isn't that Kevin's voice?

"Well, I'm glad you're here. I just wish you would have called."

"I wanted to surprise you."

"I am surprised. I'm just not prepared."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of it? You sound like you're not even happy I'm here."

"That's not it."

"Did something happen? What's - ?"

He stops as our gazes meet. My eyes grow even wider as they take in the sight in front of me.

A man shorter than me but still over six feet tall. Blond hair with more than a few strands sticking out. Black coat. Red shirt. SpongeBob tie.

That's Kevin Watts, alright.

But what is he doing here?

Wait. Watts? Does that mean he's Jordan's - ?

"Uncle Kevin!" Claus throws himself at the man who just arrived.

My eyebrows arch. Uncle? That means...

"Lance, this is my brother, Kevin," Jordan introduces him.

They're brother and sister? But they look nothing alike. Kevin has light blond hair. Jordan has ash brown hair. Jordan's eyes are larger. Her nose is smaller. Still, if Jordan says so...

Suddenly, something clicks inside my head. So that's why Jordan was at that building that night. She must have been attending the Christmas party at Kevin's office.

"Kevin, this is Lance," Jordan goes on. "He's... a friend."

A friend?

Kevin steps forward. As he stares at me, I remember the last time we met - that time we nearly had a fistfight in the smoking room. Yes, that was the last time. When I came back from a series of business meetings overseas, I found out that his company had suddenly moved somewhere else. I haven't heard from him since.

Come to think of it, I haven't heard about his company, either.

His eyes narrow. I lift my chin.

If he still wants a fight, I won't back down, though I'll try not to hit him for Jordan's sake.

To my surprise, though, Kevin extends his hand. A smile forms on his lips.

"Nice to meet you. Lance, was it?"

I take his hand and he shakes mine. But I don't smile. I don't understand.

Why is Kevin pretending he doesn't know who I am? Or has he forgotten about me?

~

"He has forgotten about you," Jordan tells me.

She and I are having coffee at the upstairs living room of the Marsh house. Kevin is spending time with Claus.

I shake my head in disbelief. "But he and I saw each other almost every day. His office was right above mine. He - "

"Kevin is suffering from amnesia," Jordan explains.

My eyebrows crease. "Amnesia?"

Jordan nods. "He had an accident about six years ago."

"Six years ago?"

Jordan lifts her mug and takes a sip. Then she sets it down and draws a deep breath.

"Six years ago, you and I met at the top floor of that building in Boston, remember?"

"I remember. I didn't know you were Kevin's sister. You were attending his Christmas party, weren't you?"

She nods. "He asked me to come to his party so that I would forget about the jerk who was cheating on me. I did, but I ended up just sulking, and then you found me."

I already figured she was drinking that night because of some guy.

Jordan looks at me. "If you had known I was Kevin's sister, would you... have left me alone?"

"I wouldn't have had sex with you, that's for sure," I admit. "Though I might have kissed you just for fun."

"Why? Why wouldn't you have had sex with me?"

"Because I would have known that Kevin would kill me for it," I answer.

"What did you care? Were you... friends?"

My eyes narrow. "He never told you?"

Jordan shrugs. "Like I said, he got amnesia. He can't remember anything from the past ten years."

"I see." I take a sip of coffee. "No. We weren't friends. Far from it. You could even say we hated each other."

"Why?"

"Because we were rivals. We were both CEOs of small companies, just starting to take over the world. Our companies weren't that similar, but we both needed good programmers. A lot of my employees moved to his."

"And you hated him for it?"

"Yes," I admit. "But I also respected him, because I knew he was smart."

Jordan nods.

"And I envied him."

"Envied him?" Jordan throws me a puzzled look.

"Michael used to compare us as company bosses and Kevin would always come out on top because he cared for his employees and not just about work."

Jordan's eyebrows remain creased. "But he hated you?"

I shrug. "Only he can answer that. Oh, right. He can't."

She sighs and places a hand on my thigh. "Well, I'm glad you didn't know I was Kevin's sister. Otherwise, Claus wouldn't be here."

I'm glad, too. Still, not having known that Jordan was Kevin's sister doesn't change the fact that she is.

"So, what does this have to do with the accident?" I ask her.

She lifts her mug for another sip. "The accident happened not long after Christmas. It was just a little after New Year's. I was feeling weird. I missed my period. I took a pregnancy test. You know the result."

Claus.

"And I'm guessing you told Kevin."

"I didn't. He found the pregnancy test by mistake. He thought my ex got me pregnant. I had to tell him that wasn't the case. I gave him your name and his temper just flew. Then he flew... out the door. There was a snowstorm going on at the time but he didn't care. He had to see you."

I nod. "I told you he was going to kill me."

"He looked like it, but he never got his chance."

Jordan falls silent. Her thumbs stroke the mug in her hands.

My face pales.

"He had an accident on the road?" I ask softly.

Jordan nods.

"And he suffered an injury to his head? To his brain?"

Another nod.

"So he lost some of his memories."

And we're back where this conversation began. But now I know. I know the reason why Kevin can't remember me.

"For a moment there, I thought his memories would return when he saw you," Jordan says.

"Well, he was staring at me for a long time."

"But they didn't. I guess I should be grateful. If they did, you'd be dead by now."

"But you still introduced me as a friend," I point out.

Jordan sets her mug down.

"He's still my brother. He'd still be shocked if I suddenly told him you and I were engaged."

"And he'd still try to kill me?" I ask.

She shrugs. "Maybe."

I grin.

"But don't worry." She squeezes my hand. "I won't let him."

"I won't let him either," I tell her. "Claus needs a father, after all."

"That he does," Jordan agrees with a smile.

"But you won't tell Kevin that I'm Claus's father either?"

She lets out a deep breath. "Well, I'm sure Claus has told him by now."

~

Sure enough, when I walk Jordan back to the house across the street, Kevin is waiting for me on the front porch. A cigarette sits between his fingers. A no-nonsense look gleams in his eyes.

"Jordan, could you let us talk alone for a minute?" he asks.

Jordan nods. "Sure."

She glances at me and whispers, "If you need help, just call me."

"I'll be fine," I assure her.

She squeezes my hand, glances at Kevin and goes inside the house.

"Sit down." Kevin gestures to the empty chair across from him.

I sit.

"Cigarette?" He offers me the pack he has in his pocket.

I shake my head. "I don't smoke anymore."

"Why not?"

"Someone kept telling me it wasn't healthy."

Kevin chuckles. His laugh is just as I remember. Strangely, he seems to be smoking the same cigarettes, too.

"Also, it's not good to smoke around kids," I add.

"I know. That's why I'm out here."

He takes a puff. The nicotine in the air travels to my nostrils and I try not to inhale it.

"So it's true? You're Claus's father?"

I nod.

"And where have you been all this time?"

I almost say Boston. Instead, I say, "I didn't know about Claus until just a week ago. If I had, I would have been here."

"So you're saying you didn't know you got my sister pregnant?"

I shake my head.

"Why didn't you? Weren't you her boyfriend?"

"No. We just met and - " I stop as I realize he's glaring at me.

I draw a deep breath. "You're right. I should have known. I should have been here all this time. But there's nothing I can do about that now. Now that I know the truth, now that I'm here, I'll just have to make up for the past."

For a moment, Kevin says nothing. Then he takes another puff.

"So you'll be providing for Claus from now on? Financially?"

I nod. "And if you like, I can reimburse you for - "

"I don't need your money," he cuts me off. "I don't want your money. Claus isn't charity. He's family."

I don't miss the warning in his voice.

"I'll take good care of him, I swear. And Jordan, too."

"What? Are you going to marry her?" he asks.

"Yes." I lean forward. "I asked her to marry me and she already said yes."

He sighs. "Well, I guess that's best for Claus."

"We're not getting married because of Claus," I tell him.

Again, Kevin watches me in silence. He holds his cigarette over the ash tray on the table beside him and lets the ashes fall.

"So you managed to fool her. Is that what you're saying?"

My eyebrows crease. "I'm sorry?"

"She wasn't in love with you or she would have chased after you a long time ago," Kevin says. "You must have tricked her into saying yes, into believing she's in love with you."

My fingers roll into a fist but I try to rein in my temper.

"Do you really think your sister is so foolish?"

"Well, she got pregnant, didn't she?"

I get on my feet. Damn. I feel like punching him again. Who knows? Maybe that will jolt his memory.

"If you insult Jordan one more time..."

"Oops. Sorry." He raises his hands. "I guess you really are serious about her."

Was he testing me?

"And Jordan must really love you if she said yes even though you weren't around all these years."

I say nothing.

Kevin sighs. "Just promise me you'll make her happy. She deserves that."

"I know," I tell him. "And I promise you I will."

He stands up and smiles. "Then you're my new best friend."

~

New best friend, huh?

I think of the words as I stare into the fire in my bedroom. I thought I wouldn't have to sleep here anymore, that I'd be sharing a room with Jordan. But here I am, back here, all alone again with just my thoughts for company. And all because Jordan's brother suddenly decided to show up.

I prop my feet up on the stool and let out a sigh.

Who would have thought Jordan was Kevin's sister? It seems like some cruel twist of fate. I don't know what's more cruel, though - that or the fact that Kevin lost some of his memories, including all memories of me. He set out to beat me to a pulp and he ended up forgetting all about me.

Cruel for him. Convenient for me.

Even so, my conscience seems restless.

I was the one who got Jordan pregnant. I was the one Kevin tried to see that evening, the one he rushed into a snowstorm to see. So it's partly my fault that he's the way he is now.

I'm sure Jordan thinks so, too. That's why she didn't come to me and tell me about Claus even though it would have been the right thing to do.

And what will happen when his memories return? He'll probably still hate me. I can't blame him.

But what if they don't? Can I really live with myself knowing I'm the one partly responsible for Kevin losing part of himself? Can I really pretend to be his new best friend?

I don't know.