She held out her arms and David didn’t hesitate to walk into them. Maggie slipped back into the bedroom, leaving them alone for a moment. They held each other.
Luke was going to fill their lives with love and passion and joy and laughter and love. Luke would be her husband and a dad to David.
Finally, Alexandra stepped back and blinked to clear her eyes. “And your daddy would be so proud of the man you’ve become.”
She had taken Luke’s advice; she had opened up to David, told him things that she’d never told anyone about the weeks and months following Daniel’s death. He had been surprised, and he had responded with a maturity that hadn’t surprised her at all.
“Shall we go, madam?” said David, his attempt at humor a demonstrable sign that he was as moved as she.
“Certainly, milord. Maggie? Are you coming?”
Her son escorted her through the small crowd, no more than thirty of their friends, to the music of an organ. Alexandra held her head high; the smile on her face was unfeigned, unpretentious.
Luke’s eyes never left her as she and David made their way to where he stood with West and the minister. The minister was dressed in dark robes and held a prayer book in his hands.
A white satin kneeling bench had been placed before the huge rock chimney. It was a lovely setting for a wedding. Alexandra felt that the sunlight through the trees laid a warm blessing upon the scene.
The minister recited the traditional words in a deep, practiced voice, which lost nothing in its sincerity. When he asked, “Who gives this woman?” David answered in a clear voice and started to step back.
But Luke forestalled him. He reached for David’s arm and brought him back to the spot between them. “You belong right here,” he said firmly.
David grinned. Alexandra looked at Luke with her heart in her eyes. The minister took a moment to regain his composure.
And then it was over. The organist switched from classical to pop, the champagne flowed and the guests stuffed themselves on pâté, caviar and Brie.
* * *
Ignoring Luke’s glare, West pulled Alexandra into his arms and planted a long kiss on her lips. He had surprised several other lawyers present by serving as Luke’s best man. He claimed the dividend of a real kiss as a prerequisite of the job.
“The ceremony was nice,” he said. “And blessedly short. I hate those long, drawn-out weddings. They’re designed to make bachelors like me extremely nervous.”
“Forget any more perks. And get us another glass of champagne,” Luke said to West, drawing Alexandra firmly to his side. “We have another toast to drink.”
“Ah, yes.” He shot a look at Alexandra. “Do you think she’s going to kill us?” he asked with a grin.
“No, but we will probably end up killing each other,” Luke grumbled.
Alexandra gave her new husband a puzzled smile. “What are you two up to now?”
“We’ve resigned from the firm. We’re going into partnership together. Close your mouth, dear.”
Alexandra was fully aware that her new husband was planning to make a change. But West had never said a word. She was stunned and instantly apprehensive. “You and West? But your rivalry—you said yourself you fight all the time.”
“We discovered during ‘Henderson’ that we complement each other pretty well, actually,” said Luke. “And since we’ll always be on the same side, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
West returned bearing three glasses of champagne. “Here you go,” he said, passing them out. “To us, to new partnerships, new enterprises, new wives.”
“Get your own wife,” Luke growled. But he joined in the toast.
Then West asked, “Are you ready to give out the wedding presents yet? I’m afraid my Jaguar won’t survive for much longer with what’s inside.”
“David,” Luke called. “Stay with your mother, will you, while we get something from West’s car.”
“Sure, Luke. What’s this about, Mom? Can I have a sip of your champagne?”
“I have no idea. No, you may not.”
Just about everything about this day had been a surprise to Alexandra—and a pleasant one. Her fiancé had insisted she leave it all to him while she finished up the work she had scheduled for the next two weeks. He’d called on Maggie, hired the bridal consultant and made Alexandra an appointment to pick out her dress. And told her not to worry about a thing.
It was a measure of her trust that she did not worry. She was discovering that it was rather nice to have someone to depend on when she had work that had to be done.
As long as it didn’t go too far.
She intended to see that it didn’t.
She heard a stir among the guests and a gasp from David. She turned.
West came first with a long cardboard cylinder in his hand.
Luke was carrying a large basket with a huge white bow; and trailing behind him, right at his heels, watching anxiously, was the most beautiful golden retriever Alexandra had ever seen.
“This is your wedding present, David,” he said with a smile. “Maggie and Morris have already given permission for you to take them to their house until we get back.”
David stared, mouth agape, as Luke gently set the basket down. The mother retriever checked immediately to make sure her two offspring were all right. Then she sat back on her haunches and looked up at David, tongue lolling, tail wagging.
David sank to his knees and buried his face in the dog’s neck. “Oh,” he said. “All three of them?” His voice was hoarse and choked.
Luke hitched his trousers and hunkered down beside the boy. He laid a hand on the dog’s head. “All three. The mother’s name is Martha, but the others don’t have names yet. I trust you can come up with something more interesting than Martha.”
“I sort of like Martha,” David said, scratching behind the dog’s ear. At the sound of her name, the mother dog wagged her tail and licked David’s cheek. “It’s very...motherly.” David looked at Luke. His eyes were wet. “Thank you, Luke.”
The guests had gathered close to see the dogs. At the intimate exchange between the boy and the man, they moved back.
Alexandra had to hold on to West to stay upright.
When Luke stood up again, she stepped into his arms. “You are...” She shook her head and raised her green eyes to his. “Words escape me,” she whispered, smiling. “Wonderful is so mild.” She wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck and brought him down for a deep kiss. “I love you.”
His arms tightened around her and he returned the kiss with barely restrained passion. “And I haven’t even given you your wedding present yet,” he said when he lifted his head.
“You do pick the most interesting things. What did you get for me? A vintage car?”
“Nope.”
To her surprise, the answer came from West, not Luke. He held out the cardboard cylinder he’d been holding to Luke, who took it.
“Thanks for picking it up for me, partner,” he said. He was grinning like a kid at Christmas.
Alexandra enjoyed a passing perception that a kid at Christmas was exactly what he was. This generous loving man had never known what a family of mother, father and children was like.
He’d soon find out, she vowed. He had already given her and David so much. They were going to make up to him for all the lonely years.
He nudged her. “Let’s go inside. We need a table for this.”
Alexandra led the way, intrigued. She hoped it wasn’t anything too extravagant. She had given him monogrammed cuff links and the portrait of herself and David for his desk, which he’d asked for. “Luke, you didn’t spend a lot of money, did you?”
He chuckled. “I like the idea of a thrifty wife. Now that we’re married, I’m turning over all the accounts to you, my love.” Hand at her back, he steered her into the dining room.
The table was from her condo, one of the few pieces of furniture that was in place. The beds were another. They would move the rest of h
er things when they returned from Hawaii.
“But this is something that is an absolute necessity. You’ll see.” Her curiosity grew as he worked the plastic end free and tilted the cylinder. A roll of blueprints fell out.
“Luke, we already have a home.”
“Yeah, but we’ve got to add on.” He spread out the roll, looking for something to anchor it with.
“Here.” She slipped off her shoes. He put them on one end, and they held down the rest of the curling roll with their forearms.
When Alexandra realized what she was looking at, she almost burst into tears herself. Her eyes grew as big as the proverbial saucers. “A real studio!” she breathed. “A real, big studio!” she amended when she looked more closely. “It’s wonderful, Luke. Tell me, where does it connect? What’s this? Is the whole wall storage space?” She leaned sideways, touching her head to his shoulder. “I love it. Just think, no more working out of a spare bedroom!”
He kissed her forehead, leaned closer to cover her lips. “I thought eventually, Mrs. Quinlan, we might have another use for the spare bedrooms.”
“Then we’d better get started,” said Alexandra, smiling at him with the shine of hope and anticipation in those emerald eyes.
West Chadwick stood on the deck, watching them through the glass doors. They were laughing, teasing each other. He had a feeling that the stodgy but resourceful Lucius Quinlan was gone forever. And that was no loss.
West was feeling strange today. Empty.
Ah, hell, he was just jealous. “I saw her first,” he said to himself.
“But it didn’t get you anywhere, did it?” answered an officious voice inside him. The voice often spoke to him, but he always managed to dismiss it.
He shrugged and went to look for the gorgeous gallery owner Alexandra had introduced him to earlier. What was her name, again?
* * * * *
ISBN: 978-1-4592-8707-5
Surrogate Dad
Copyright © 1994 by Marion Smith Collins
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