“Why? Why would William not want to know his own son?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. But Granddad did know your father. He was friends with him. He did know his son, Paige, just not the way he should have.”
“Yes. They talked often, and William was very fond of my father.”
Her voice trailed off again.
“It looks like Millie got pregnant almost right after their marriage. She died in childbirth. There is a note in here, a letter. It’s from Granddad…to you.”
Paige looked at me, fear etched in those beautiful eyes. Her hand shook when she took it.
Slowly, she opened it and read out loud.
Dear Paige,
You were but only a week old the first time I laid eyes on you. Oh, how I wish I could have held you. Time had healed my broken heart, but by then it was too late for the truth to come out. I wanted to tell you the truth tonight. As we decorated the Christmas tree outside. Oh, how I wanted to tell you how much you looked like your grandmother. Millie was beautiful. She was also my savior. She saved my life, Paige. She was there for me when I was broken in more ways than one. Wounded and sure I would never be able to love again. I was on my way to the train station in Austin, off to run after my first love, May. You see, May was a free spirit when she was younger. An adventurer, much like you. I asked her to marry me, and she got spooked. Ran off to Europe. It didn’t take me long to figure out I needed to go after her. But fate had other plans, and I was in a car accident. In the hospital, I met and fell in love again, with a beautiful woman who had been my nurse. Your grandmother, Millie Miller. I used to tease her about her name. Soon, I realized I wanted to marry her. I asked her to move to Johnson City and be my wife. She agreed. When I got back to Johnson City, months after the accident, I had all of May’s letters waiting for me, unopened. I couldn’t bring myself to read them. I wrote to her and told her I had met someone and fallen in love and was to be married. May returned home right before the wedding, but she must have had second thoughts and never came to the wedding. She left for England a few days later. For the longest time I was so conflicted. You see, I had been in love with two women. I loved your grandmother with all of my heart. When she died giving birth to your father, I nearly lost my mind. No, I did lose my mind. I couldn’t care for Phillip, and your great-uncle, whom you have known as your granddaddy, stepped in and raised his nephew as his own son. I took every piece of furniture that had been Millie’s and put it in the barn after she passed. I couldn’t bear to see it because it brought me such sadness. Eventually, I had it all put into a proper storage unit, but you will most likely know that before you ever find this letter. I saved it all for you, Paige. Of course for your brother too, but he never has been the one for those types of things. Those were pieces that meant something to her, family heirlooms, that belong to you. Please let Tom and your daddy look through it as well.
After Millie’s death, I took to the bottle. That was when May appeared back in my life. I missed her, I truly did. She was the first woman I had ever given my heart to, and she would always own a piece of it. When she heard about Millie’s death during childbirth, she came back to America. I loved Millie, but Lord, I also loved May, and seeing her again sparked that love once more. May had her own demons, and she had fought them while we were apart. When she showed up on my doorstep, she was nearly three months pregnant. I knew in my heart I wasn’t going to let her go again. I couldn’t lose another love. We married as quickly as possible. The only person who ever knew the truth was your great uncle. I told him, explained to him that I needed to raise this child, that it was my second chance to get things right. The three of us agreed that we would keep it a secret. All of it. May had a son six months later. We told everyone the baby was premature, and he was little enough to make our lie believable. He was the spitting image of his mother. We named him after her father.
Paige stopped reading and looked up at me. I instantly knew, but found myself asking, “What was his name?”
“Carl. Carl Lee Foster.”
I sat there, dumbfounded. “Does he say if my father knows?”
Fumbling with the letter, Paige went on. “Um, let me keep reading.” She took my hand in hers.
Carl Lee Foster is and will always be my son. Just like your father Phillip is my son. I loved them both, but I could only show one that love. Neither of them knows the truth, Paige. I would ask that you honor that wish. It is my hope that Lucas is there with you, if my plan works like I think it will. I know I don’t have much time left on this Earth, and with how stubborn the two of you are, I know I will have to work magic to give you both the second chance you need. It’s a little push, if you will. An idea I got a few months back when you were speaking about this house. I love you both, Paige. Lucas was my everything, and I do wish I could have told you and Tom how much you truly mean to me. When you were little and fell in love with the observatory, May told me someday you’d marry there, just like your grandmother had. It was why she held the teas in there with you and showed you all the flowers. She knew how much it had meant to Millie and that it was in your blood.
Do not be angry with me. Tell Lucas not to be angry. Everything worked out as it should have. Now, the journey continues on with you both.
Love always,
William
Paige dropped her hands to her lap and the letter fell to the floor as her eyes lifted to meet mine.
“I’m dreaming, right?” she whispered.
I shook my head, leaned down, and picked up the letter. I folded it and looked back at the chest. Another letter was in there, with my name on it. I picked it up and let out a sigh. We’d had enough letters for one day.
I pushed it into my back pocket, then shut the chest and pulled Paige into my arms.
“Lucas,” she whispered, her arms wrapping around me. “I need a drink.”
Laughing, I slid my arm around her waist and guided her toward the steps. “I need more than one drink.”
After making a few phone calls, we had gathered up friends to meet at Luckenbach Dance Hall. Both Paige and I needed a night of distractions. No house, no letters, no adoption papers. Just friends. Something we both had needed more than we had realized.
When Paige met me at the front door, I couldn’t drag my eyes off of her. Her hair was pulled up in one of those messy buns. A green dress hugged her body in all the right places, finished off with brown cowboy boots. She smiled when she saw me.
“Don’t you look handsome, cowboy.”
I winked and pulled her into my arms. To hell with slow.
“I’ve been itching to dance with you.”
Her brows lifted. “Really? Just to dance with me?”
I nuzzled my mouth next to her ear. “If you’d rather I fuck you, I can do that first.”
When her breath hitched, I couldn’t help but grin.
“Such a mouth on you, Mr. Foster.”
“Come on,” I said, holding out my arm. “Let’s go.”
Paige and I had decided we were not going to talk about the discoveries we made earlier. The drive to Luckenbach was filled with small talk until it went silent.
I, for one, was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Paige was Grandad’s birth grandchild, not me. It wasn’t that it bothered me; I knew Granddad had loved me, but all I could think about was all the time I’d wasted. I was sure Granddad and Grams were happy, but had Granddad really not wanted to know Phillip better? Anytime I saw William with my own father, he showed nothing but affection. He loved him, as he should have.
“You’re thinking, Lucas. Stop,” Paige said, reaching for my hand and squeezing it.
I forced a smile as we pulled into the parking lot of the dance hall.
Milo had pulled in right next to us, jumping out of his truck and making his way around the other side to let out his date. Jen and her husband Gene walked down the path toward the dance hall. Soon, a small group of our friends made their way in.
Milo look
ed back at the truck with a smile and a quick thumbs up. I gave him a head pop. I’d texted him earlier with an idea I’d need his help with. Turning, I looked at Paige. She was staring at me, a delicate smile on her face.
“The only dream I’ve ever had was marrying you, Paige. It doesn’t matter to me where, when, or how, I just want to be with you, and I’m sorry I couldn’t figure that out sooner.”
Her lips parted slightly, then she looked down at her hands before she met my gaze again.
“So what you’re telling me is you’re not planning on selling me your half of the house?”
Laughing, I shook my head. “No. I’m not.”
“And no chance you’re moving out?”
“No chance at all.”
Her teeth dug into her lip as a smile bloomed over her beautiful face. “I’m not selling you my half, and there is no way I’m moving out. So where does that leave us exactly?”
I opened the door to the truck and got out. As I walked around the front, Paige watched me. Opening her door, I reached for her hand and helped her out. She leaned against the truck and looked up at me. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Milo. Paige gave me a confused look.
“We’ve handled so many things badly. I don’t want to mess this up again.”
“You won’t. We won’t,” she whispered.
Music filtered from the dance hall as we looked into each other’s eyes. A light breeze blew her curls, and I lifted my fingers to brush one from her face.
“Do you remember that night we danced in the parking lot of the football stadium after the game?”
With a small nod, she replied, “I remember.”
My chest rumbled with thunder as the memory of that night came back in a rush.
“Do you remember the song?”
Before she had a chance to answer, the song started to play.
A single tear slipped free and moved slowly down her cheek. Leaning down, I kissed it away, then whispered, “‘To Make You Feel My Love’ by Garth Brooks.”
“Oh, Lucas.”
“I made a mistake, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, Paige.”
I took her hand in mine and drew her against my body, slowly dancing while the song played. I was going to owe Milo big time for making that happen at the exact freaking moment I needed it to.
With the only woman I’d ever loved held tightly in my arms, I sang to her and we let everything but that moment slip away.
When the last note played, I pulled out the ring in my pocket and got down on one knee. Paige shook her head and looked at me in complete shock.
“Lucas.”
“Don’t say we need to move slow. Ten years is pretty damn slow, if you think about it. We are moving slow…just backwards. I’ve been carrying this ring with me for a long time. I think it’s time I slipped it onto your finger.”
Her soft brown eyes were lost in a sea of tears. She bent down and kissed me as she let out half a sob and half a laugh.
“Is that a yes? I need a firm, confirmed yes.”
“Yes! That is a confirmed yes.”
My cheeks burned with a wide smile as I slipped the ring on her finger. I stood, framed her face within my hands, and pressed my mouth to hers. After a soft moan, I deepened the kiss. I wanted to take her back to our house and make love to her all night, but I also wanted to shout to the world that this woman, this amazing, beautiful, loving woman was going to be mine.
We broke the kiss when we both needed to breathe. Paige gazed up at me, and I swore I saw the stars dancing in her eyes. I wished Granddad were here, so I could tell him thank you. If it hadn’t been for him, none of this would be happening.
Meeting her gaze, I kissed her forehead and said, “Tell me what you’re thinking, Paige.”
She touched the side of my face and took in a slow breath before letting it out.
“How happy I am. How unimaginably happy I am.”
Paige
THE MOMENT WE walked into the dance hall, our friends erupted in cheers. Lucas wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to him. Milo walked up to us and shook his head.
“Jesus, Mary, and all the Josephs in Bethlehem. Only you two would go from enemies to engaged in what? A week’s time?”
Lucas shot him the finger. “What are you talking about? This is us going slow.”
Milo looked confused, and I laughed as I exchanged a look with Lucas. The private joke was just that, private. We didn’t need to explain anything to anyone. I knew the only people who would worry would be our parents. My father, mostly, who would say we were moving entirely too fast. But that was a worry for later.
We spent the rest of the evening simply enjoying ourselves. We danced, we kissed, we made out in a back corner like two teenagers, then we danced some more. Jen was confused, especially when she saw the engagement ring on my finger. We hadn’t told anyone, and even though Jen had caught a glimpse of it right off the bat, she didn’t push the issue, and honestly, I was relieved. So many emotions had hit me in the last twenty-four hours. I wasn’t sure I was able to take any more.
Our friends slowly started to bug out, one by one they said their goodbyes and we thanked them for coming. I had been worried at first about how it would go. Neither Lucas nor I had really hung out with our friends from Johnson City in ages. A few had gotten married, one or two had kids, but once we all got together, everything fell into place. When we had called our friends and told them we were going out to celebrate getting back together, they’d all been so supportive. I had missed this group of friends. The small talk between the years, the random texts or Christmas cards hadn’t been nearly enough. Lucas made everyone take a vow we’d do this once a month.
When only Milo stood before us, the last of our friends, he picked up my hand, smiling at the ring. His eyes lifted, and he looked at me, then Lucas.
“Do I even want to know what happened between you two?”
Lucas and I exchanged a knowing look, then both said at the same time, “No.”
“Fine, I’m going to just go with it. You’re back together, you may or may not be engaged, and I’m going to guess there is no more talk of buying anyone out?”
“You would be correct,” Lucas said.
“On which part?” Milo asked.
“All of it,” Lucas said with a slap on Milo’s arm.
He rolled his eyes. “You two were always so weird.”
I stood in the middle of the large, open room. “I can see it now! The brick walls will be painted white. Maybe some cabinets over here, in a light shade of pink or even white and grey.”
Lucas leaned against the opposite wall with a wide grin. It had been four days since we had stumbled onto the two chests. Two weeks since he had moved in. And everything had been perfect.
“You know, the furniture in the storage shed…there might be some pieces you could use for the flower shop.”
I smiled. “Lucas, that’s an amazing idea.”
We had yet to make our way to the storage unit. I knew we were afraid of digging up any more secrets.
“Will you sell other things, besides flowers?” Jen asked.
“I think so! It would be so fun going to market. You could come and help me pick out some things.”
“What is market?” Lucas asked.
“It’s a trade show where you can go and look for items to carry in your stores,” I answered.
Jen walked around tapping her finger to her chin. “You know, there is a girl here locally who makes soaps and lotions using goat milk. You could talk to her about carrying her items here. She even does soap petals to put into baths. They are amazing.”
Excitement bubbled up. “I love that idea! And the apiary that’s right outside of town has products from their honey bees. We could stock their stuff, as well.”
Jen nodded in excitement.
“What about baskets?” Lucas said out of the blue.
Jen and I turned to look at Lucas. So far, he had remained quiet
, asking a question here or there.
“Baskets?” I asked.
He looked unsure of what he was going to say. “Never mind. I was thinking out loud.”
“Please tell me what you were going to say. I want your input too, Lucas.”
His smile seemed uneasy. “This one time I saw this flower shop, and it reminded me of you. On the outside, the owner had wicker baskets that were filled with flowers. It reminded me of you when you would walk the flower garden with your mom and Grams. You’d cut the flowers and lay them in the baskets. I always thought it looked nice. Might look cute outside your little flower shop.”
My jaw fell open, and I rushed over to Lucas, throwing myself into his arms.
“It was a cute idea, but don’t you think you’re giving him a little too much credit?” Jen asked.
Lucas chuckled and wrapped his arms around me. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
I kissed him. Lucas pushed his fingers in my hair, drawing me even closer as he deepened the kiss.
“Okay, seriously, I know you’re making up for lost time, but no one falls into a romantic kiss like that for the hell of it!” Jen stated.
Smiling against Lucas’s lips, I whispered, “You just named the shop.”
His brows pinched in. “What?”
“When I was in France, right outside of Paris, there was this little flower shop, it was called The Little Green Shop. I thought at the time that it was a cute name. You said the little flower shop, instead of green, but it’s the perfect name.”
I took a step back and tilted my head as I regarded him. “As a matter of fact, there were baskets outside, with flowers in them.”
Lucas let his smile slip, and I realized why he had acted so indifferent. “You’ve seen that shop, haven’t you?”
“I’ve seen hundreds of flower shops, Paige.”
Divided Interests Page 18