Nightchild

Chapter 37

Early the next morning, Nate refused Blythe's offer to drive him to the airport, claiming he had no idea when he'd be flying back and would like to have his car there for convenience when he returned. Blythe acquiesced, but with reservations. This was the first time they'd been separated and she didn't like being cheated out of the opportunity of saying good-bye to him at the airport. But she was growing submissive to his will and though it both frightened and angered her, she felt helpless to fight it.

Nate said a quick farewell to his wife, drove to the airport and boarded a flight to Reno. He hated deceiving the people he cared about but there was no way Blythe MacLarren Stevens would understand him going to see her ex-husband. Someday, he'd tell her. Maybe when all the pain of her past is behind us, Nate rationalized.

In Reno, he rented a car and drove to Tahoe. There was an hour before his appointment with David Faraday, so he stopped for lunch and called Blythe to let her know he'd arrived safely...in Nashville. She was politely remote and again, Nate berated himself for his duplicity and the detective work he was doing. But the compulsive need he had to find out information about his wife spurred him on with the feeling his actions were justified.

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David Faraday was an average man, attractive in a nondescript pleasant way. Though his office was large, the furnishings and décor opulent, the man himself did not put on airs. He was self-confident, yet kind. He exuded class but was down to earth, both feet planted firmly on the ground.

Nate guessed him to be around fifty from what little Blythe had told him, but there was a serenity about the man which gave him a more youthful appearance. Nate could see immediately why Blythe had cared for and trusted this man. He was strong...strong enough to survive and succeed in the cutthroat world of corporate law. Yet his strength was neither threatening nor intimidating.

"Thank you for seeing me." Nate extended his hand.

David accepted it with an equally firm shake. "It's my pleasure. After all, we have something very important in common."

He indicated a chair and waited for Nate to be seated. Then instead of going behind the desk, he took the chair next to his ex-wife's husband, turning it to face him. "You must love Blythe very much or you wouldn't be here."

Nate nodded. "I'm sorry if this is hard on you. The last thing in the world I want is to hurt anyone."

The older man shifted in his seat. "It's alright. I've accepted things now. At first it was difficult. I'd convinced myself that she'd grow to love me and I think she did, in her way. But deep down, I always knew she was elusive, that I could never hold her for long. She's mercurial...can slip right through your fingers while you watch and you're not even aware of what's happened or how.

"No, Mr. Stevens, I've come to terms. I'd deluded myself into thinking she wasn't capable of loving anyone completely. Then quite naturally, when I found out about you...well, I was devastated. But that's over. All I want now is for Blythe to be whole and content."

He paused, glancing away then back, meeting Nate's perusing eyes. "To be honest, I was mad as hell when I'd heard she'd remarried. It's hard for a man to see all his hopes and dreams die and even harder to admit he's wrong. After I became accustomed to the idea, after I quit feeling sorry for myself and started thinking of Blythe, I began wishing for her happiness. Lord only knows she deserves it.

"After all, the fault was mine. She never lied to me...was brutally honest, in fact. So, you see, I do want the best for her. I still love her. I always have and I suppose I always will. The question is, are you the best for Blythe?"