CHAPTER 41

"I'm sorry." Jason said when Evan opened the door. He had left Miami as soon as he rounded off his meetings with the developers and some investors and rushed down to see her. Since speaking with her parents, he felt eager to work out the chemistry between them. He either had to quench it or see where it goes. But it had to be done. His child was involved, and he didn't want any tension between them.

"Can I come in?" He asked, looking at Evangeline, whose stomach seemed a little rounder. She also had this glow about her.

Stepping aside, she showed him in and locked the door firmly after him. "Water? Wine?" She asked without any enthusiasm.

"I brought groceries. I was hoping to cook." That got her attention. He turned away then smiled so she wouldn't see him smiling.

"Cook? You cook?"

"Better than most ladies." He announced proudly. "You don't look like you believe me." He laughed as she shrugged and went to the kitchen. Jason followed her. Then dropping the bags on the kitchen table, he looked at her bulging stomach again. She definitely was beginning to show. "You look... hasn't it just been two days ago that we saw?" He wondered out loud.

The words hung in the air. It was two days ago when they hadn't completed a path they started. After which, he had looked at her with sorrowful eyes like he regretted treading that path with her. Evangeline shrugged and replied to his comment about her bulging stomach. Not that she noticed any difference yet, "It's expected." Changing the topic, she asked, "What are you making?"

"I was thinking something light. My special Korean barbecue with fried chicken rice. Just to thank you again for doing this."

"But you bought me a car already." She smiled

Finally! Her smile. He let himself bask in that joyful moment. She probably wouldn't forgive him for the long silence. "And this is just a Thank-you meal." He started bringing out the items he got, putting them gently on the table.

"You need anything?" She asked and began to clear away the table. She had been about cooking when he came in. "I was going to make dinner when you walked in." She told him. "Sure you need nothing?"

"I got everything I'll need here." Then, smiling at her, he added, "But your company would be appreciated. All you need is sit down and let the chef do his thing."

"Chef Jason sure has a nice ring to it." She pulled out a chair and sat down.

Jason got an apron hung on the wall and put it on. He turned around so she could help him secure the back with the ropes, "Thank you." He said, walking away to get started. "For the company too."

While he chopped the carrots, she helped him dice the lettuce. "Cube shapes, please." He told her.

"Sure, chef. By the way, what's a special Korean barbecue again? How did you come across that? Koreans and the food."

"Well, though my developers are Ukrainians. I have a few Korean friends that I work with. Some work for me, offshore, though. So, I go there every now and then. They are really good with their computers. They come up with amazing designs. When I visited for the first time, I was surprised that they have so many dishes too. Those people know how to eat, my dear." He poured the chopped carrots into a bowl and started to wash the meat. "Their love for meat is another story. Anyways, one of them noticed how fascinated with their food I was. He taught me how to make some. This barbecue with chicken fried rice is my favorite. And I'm sharing with you."

"How nice." She smiled. The way he washed the meat and began to dice the chicken with expertise made her ask, "Have you always loved cooking? Or it's just about the food?"

Turning on the gas, he sauced the meat, added onions and some other ingredients then covered the pot. "My parents weren't always around while I was growing up. I was always alone with plenty of time and nothing really to do other than surf the net. I stumbled on a cooking site one day and tried one of their menus. I sent our driver to get me the items which he did. When I got it right the second time, I went on to try others. It became something I do to pass off time anything my computer bores me. The chef could have gotten it right off course, but I wanted to do it then. But it's long I cooked. I have chefs and restaurants that would get any dish I want right. Where's the time anyways." He shrugged.

"Hmmmn. I can't wait to taste this then."

"Sure... There's a special way they grill using a hot plate. I'm not sure if you have that."

"I do." She said and pointed at the cabinet behind him. "Up." She directed.

"Good." He said, seeing the appliance. He brought it down and began chopping the meat. He was also washing the tiny sticks he would use for the stake. "For the grill." He replied to her straightforward question. She nodded. He washed and sauced the meat, poured the chopped items and covered it. While it boiled, he reached for the chicken.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" She asked him, watching him work his way around her kitchen. He looked so confident, like he was in his home.

"Yes. Nothing excites me yet, though. But the baby us as well yours. What would you name him or her?"

She had never thought about it. "I didn't think I was going to have a...."

"Of course, you should." He rebuked her for thinking he wouldn't let her name her child.

"What's your dad's name?" She asked, smiling.

Her intention wasn't lost on him, "There's no way I'm naming my son after my dad or even my mom. I barely knew them." He told her. "Forget it."

"I think you have it all wrong. Naming kids after your patents is like something dear you want to hold on to. How about we name her Ellen if she's a girl?" His face lights up immediately. She could see how much he loved his late wife. "See? You want to keep her memory. You remember her every time you see your child or use the name."

"This is different. I want to keep this memory because it's good. The other one, I don't." He checked the cooking meat. "I've always wanted to name my child Isle or Isabelle." He chuckled when she pouted. "Doesn't sound right?"

"No."

"I just want it special. How about we deliberate on it and come up with nice names?" He suggested as he scooped out the meat and drained the water out. Evan passed him the sticks and let him stick them out in fives per stick. He was so meticulous.

"Deal." She agreed.

CHAPTER 42

He went ahead to grill the meat while focusing on the other meal. He poured the rice he had washed in hot water earlier and poured that in boiling water. As the rice cooked, he faced the chicken. Occasionally, she passed him a bowl of ingredients to use. But he didn't let her stress herself. He did the majority of the work. Finally, he was done.

Evangeline yawned as Jason took his time dishing the meal. He was so serious about it. His face was stern as he carefully placed the fried chicken on the fried rice, something he did so methodically she didn't know rice could be fried that way. The rice was so green she couldn't wait to start eating. "Mr. Chef, can we eat here please? I could faint before we get to the dining."

"I figured we should too." He passed her the food tray where he had dished a plate of fried rice with chicken. Beside it was the barbecue. He handed her the cutlery and dished his food too. Before sitting, he opened the bottle of champagne but got Evan bottled water and juice. "Sorry." He apologized. "I promise to stop buying wine except for the nonalcoholic ones."

"It's fine. I want juice anyway." She waved off the apology as she dug into the meal. She was chewing excitedly, "Hmmmn. It's really good." She said.

"I know, right." He smiled.

Sampling the barbecue, she said, "It tastes different. What's the secret ingredient?"

He laughed. "I noticed that you didn't pay attention when I added my secret ingredient. So, no ma. Not telling."

"I'll figure it out, you know." She teased as she ate with such enthusiasm that Jason laughed.

"I love a lady that eats well." He told her as he started eating too. "The baby doing that to you?"

"I eat well naturally." She smiled, looking down at herself. "You saw how curvy I was then, even now, I'm not showing yet. So this is still all me. Although, I do have stronger urges now. I eat more too."

"You're showing already." He told her. 'Just look at the mirror when next. Scrutinize yourself well."

She smiled and sighed. She had just finished her meal. She smiled at the grilled barbecue for just a second, and she dug into it. "It's well sauced, and I love the mild taste of the honey."

"We aim to please." He joked, picking a line from the famous book Fifty shades.

"You read the book?"

"Of course. I skimmed through a couple of pages..."

"Men and books." She rubbed her head. When she started to cough, Jason looked at her, worried. He passed her the water. "I'm fine." She opened the water and drank slowly, smiling as he looked at her, still worried. "I'm okay."

"No more of that." He moved her hand away from the barbecue, but she quickly grabbed a big chunk and ran out of the kitchen. It was in her mouth before he could leave.

"Just sit down and enjoy your meal in one piece." He said, backing off. "And please don't choke on the meat."

"Yes, boss." She said, sitting down.

******

Sam and his team, who had been on a stakeout for the two men in the grey Camry, waited in the car all day. They had been on the lookout now for two days, and the car seems to have disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared in Miami. It's been close to 12hours that he and his team had been waiting now without any success, and his team members were getting impatient. So, as the leader, he pulled a call through to his boss. James picked instantly.

"Any news?" James asked.

"Nothing from this end. Anything from the guy digging into their records?" Sam asked.

"No. He's yet to call. Though the man is insisting the said pilot was on the Smiths' payroll. So far, there's no concrete evidence. I need proof."

"I may have a way of getting that. I just got a contact that has solid dig into the Smiths. He can be a double agent, though."

"We can use him. Or her?"

"Him." Sam confirmed.

"Let me figure something out. There's an old colleague of my dad at DSS, and I'm meeting with him soon. The outcome will determine if we can still work your contact."

"Okay then."

"In the meantime, I still want you on the stakeout. The men are still here. I'm sure of that. They're probably just lying low for now. That only means they know they've been spotted." He warned. "Be careful."

"Sure, man."

***********

About that time, Jason and Evangeline had just finished their meal. After the dinner, Jason cleared the table while Evan insisted on washing the dishes. He stayed until she was done, and they both left the kitchen. She excused herself for a quick shower. When she got back, he had his suit in hand and was ready to go. "You're leaving?" She noted, somewhat disappointed

"Yes. I've got an early appointment tomorrow." He explained then offered, "Want to come down to Miami with me?"

"Nah. I'll pass."

"Okay then." He turned and started to walk out. Evan walked him to the car. The other driver working instead of James, got down to open the door and went back to the driver's seat. "Take care of yourself. I'll come to get you over the weekend if you want that."

"Yes. The weekend is okay."

"With me. Stay the weekend with me."

She hesitated, looking away and didn't see as he reached out for a hug. She was in his arms before she could object. When he thanked her, she asked, "What for? I should be the one to thank you." And he pulled away only to give her a full-blown kiss. Evan held onto him lightly. He smelled of a sweet mixture of his aftershave and sweat and the grilled meat all in one. She returned the sweet kisses with such enthusiasm that he became carefree too. He had wanted just a chaste kiss. Now, he leaned into her and backed them to the car, using it as support. She wanted to, wanted all he offered, but then, remembering the look on his face the last time things had progressed speedily, she pulled back.

If Jason noticed any change, he said nothing. He only smiled at her. "This weekend then? It's a date."

Evangeline stood on the spot, watching the car back out of her driveway. She waved just as another vehicle pulled over almost recklessly. Yelling at the driver, she stepped away only to be surprised the maniac driver was Logan. "Logan? Are you drunk?" She looked to see if Jason had spotted him but didn't see his car. He would have come back had he seen the other man.

"Did I just see you all tangled up with your baby daddy? Jason?" Logan asked, seething. He had been worried about her and came to see if they could talk about their relationship one last time. With Mary pulling the club stunt on him, he wanted to clear the air. But Jason beat him to it yet again. And he was so angry when the man pulled his woman to himself for a kiss. But what had stopped him was that Evan had leaned into him and kissed him right back. He needed no one telling him then that somehow, those two had grown on each other, leaving him out of the equation. He forced himself to listen as Evan said something to him.

"And?" She eyed him viciously. "We're done. What stops me from having a relationship with him?" She started to walk away. But he followed her even though she hadn't extended him an invitation in.

"Is that your excuse?" He stopped her and turned her to face him. "That we're done?" She shrugged, and he ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. "It's wrong. You can't be seeing that man. He isn't who you think he is, and he just lost his wife. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

"No. Nothing." She began to walk away. He followed her.

"He's using you both ways."

Evangeline sighed in irritation. She stopped at her door. "Really? That's all you can come up with? It's a wonder." She opened the door and wanted to shut it at him, but he pushed through.

"You can't be seeing him, babe. I want you back." He admitted.

Sighing, she sat down and pointed that he sits too. "We can't be together." She told him. Then, pointing at her stomach, she added, "I'm carrying his child."

"As his surrogate." He refused to concede, "It should end there. Give him his child and move on."

She smiled. "If only it were that simple."

Logan looked at her in total shock. The expression on her face said it all. He had lost his woman. He stormed out of her apartment in anger, wondering if they were really over. As he drove off in anger, he would deliberate how a particular friend had ruined his relationship. He would count back how his life had changed in just three months. His relationship had been going smoothly. Left to him, he had thought they were headed for the aisle. Who would have thought Evan would become a surrogate? Somehow though, he couldn't help shaking off the feeling that had all been perfect between himself and Evan, she wouldn't have been a surrogate to Jason Valdez, and now, he was stealing her heart away too.

CHAPTER 43

James stood looking at the evidence that the man, his father, had asked him to speak with gave him. This couldn't be right, even though the file stated otherwise. The man had dug through their archives upon hearing the pilot's name. He was a senior DSS agent where his dad had worked too. They always had information about everyone. They couldn't trace anybody. But what he was starting at now wasn't even possible. "I still can't believe this."

"You'd better do. Thomas is going to have a fit for sure." The man said sadly. "But that man right there was on the Smith's payroll."

"But he died. Why would he give up his life just like that?"

"It bothers me too. Something really smells funny in there. But wait, I've got an idea. There's a friend at DSS headquarters that I can speak with." He dialed the friend's number while James waited impatiently. He held his hand up for James while he placed the man on speaker. "Please, I need information about a certain Nicholas Dickson. He died in a plane crash in Miami years ago. I'll send his picture now." He sent the picture to the man on the other end. "Seen it?"

"Oh. Yeah. He's here." The man said instantly, "He's alive."

"What?" James stopped staring at the file to look at the man. "He's alive?" He whispered. The agent echoed his question to the other man on the phone.

"Yes. We've been keeping a tab on Nick because he's involved in so many shady deals here in Washington, murders too. We stumbled on his recent victim, and it's how we found him. He wasn't the man who died. According to the record, he was the pilot that day. But he didn't pilot the plane. He was out at the last minute. The public record says he died too."

James could see the 'but' coming. He stilled himself for it.

"But we dug into the case. His co-pilot took over when he got down at the last minute complaining of a heavy stomach upset. There was no time to change the record. So, everyone just assumed he died in the crash. Whereas..."

"He was never in." The man completed getting the trick Nicholas Dickson had played on everyone.

"For clarity, was there a bomb or anything to indicate foul play?" The agent asked the man on the phone.

"No. In fact, if we didn't know what to look for, we would have missed it too. It was a mechanical issue that causes the crash. But we found out the engine wire had been chipped off. It only had to roll a few times to cut off, and boom... Crash."

James released a rush of air on hearing that. He started pacing the room as the two men chatted briefly on the phone before ending the call. When he hung up, James thanked him and asked to take pictures of the file. Given the go-ahead, he snapped the photos and stood to leave. They shook hands, and the man walked James out. "You're telling your father, right?" He asked.

"Not now." James said, and the man smiled. He had been one of the men Thomas had stalked when his wife died. He had almost been shot once by the brooding man. He sighed. "This could drive him over the edge. Better to keep him in the dark a little."

"I'll take your advice. I don't want more pressure. Not now, with everything going on. I might have to send him off to his brother far off the county."

"That's better and safer for everyone. Him too." The man conceded. They were at the car parked at the entrance of the DSS office. James shook hands with the older man and took his leave.

As James drove past the heavy Miami traffic, he hurried to get to the office. He called Sam while driving into the office to leave the stakeout and meet him at the office. They needed to strategize and bring in more hands. And so, the security team for the Valdez went for a meeting to get fully armed and prepared to protect their boss.

The next evening came slowly for Adriana Swiss. She would have preferred Noah leaving without the kids being involved. But he had come up with this line that seemed sensible at the time. Now, she wasn't sure this was the best tactic to it. He had agreed to move out even though he didn't do anything his wife accused him of. To this, Adriana had scoffed and asked what he wanted.

"Nothing." he told her, "But I think we should keep the kids out of the drama."

"And how do we do that?"

"Let them see me leave. We can tell them I'm travelling and will be gone a while."

"You think that's the best for them?"

"Yes. I think so."

And here they were, the twins stood hugging their father. Ethan clutched his leg while Elizabeth was being carried off. Adriana shook her head, not enjoying the scene one bit. They were always like this whenever he travelled, and they'd cry themselves to sleep afterwards. She wished she hadn't listened to this insane plan.

"Kids." she called at them, "Come down and let daddy go. He'll be late." She just wanted him gone...for now. She was hurting, and it was a pain to even look at him.

Ethan let go of his father's leg reluctantly, but Elizabeth hugged him tighter. "You'll call?" She asked.

"I always do." He replied but looked pointedly at their mother. Adriana shrugged, not getting his unspoken question. "I'll call." He repeated so she could understand. Adriana picked, he was asking if he would be allowed to call. She agreed, of course. They had a right to that. She wouldn't deny them that, despite the pain that numbed her.

"And you won't stay longer than two weeks?" Elizabeth asked again.

"Hopefully." He answered. This time he didn't look at his wife. He knew the answer to that just as she did. Whatever was going on, two weeks wouldn't cover the event about to unfold. But he couldn't tell his kids that. He looked down at Ethan, who was pulling his trouser gently. "What's up, buddy?"

"The Spiderman costume you promised me. You have to get it this time."

"Okay, buddy." He said, still holding his sister, "I'll get you that and get Elizabeth a...."

"Elsa's costume too." The young girl told him cheerfully

Noah looked at his wife lost. "What's that?"

"It's her favorite character in Frozen."

"I'll look for one and send it, okay?" He said before he realized what he just said, but Elizabeth caught on

"Send? No, bring them with you when coming back. You don't intend staying longer than two weeks, do you?" She asked again.

"I'll try to get everything all wrapped up early." He replied, saying as much as he could promise

"Family hug," Ethan called. Adriana lifted him and hugged Noah with Elizabeth. Noah brushed a kiss on her forehead and the kids'. It was only then that Elizabeth came down. The three stood as he closed the boot where his luggage was, and he waved as he drove off. They watched him go before the twins ran inside and their mother followed sadly. As they ran happily inside the house to scatter their rooms, she wished she could have someone to speak with. She reached for her phone and dialed her sister.

"Why the hell aren't you in Miami?" She asked Evangeline.

"I'm coming this weekend. Need to tie up some loose ends here." Evan told her, "Hello to you too."

"I want you here, please." She pleaded, "Noah left."