Part Of The Deal: The Brides Of Sugar Cove

by Lakewood, Anna

  “Dylan, you’re an amazing father. There's no doubt in my mind that you know what’s best for Ava. I’ll do it.”

  Dylan squeezed Julia's hand; his warmth made her skin prickle. She couldn’t believe what was happening. A smile of pure relief washed over Dylan’s face and reassured Julia of her decision.

  “Are you sure? You know now that all this chaos, my daughter Ava, it is all part of the deal.” Dylan explained, careful not to get his hopes up after having them shattered earlier this evening.

  “I know, and I’m positive. I want to do this.” Julia assured him, looking deep into Dylan’s hazel eyes. She was getting married. Julia felt lightheaded, giddy with the events of the evening. Her heart pounded as she sat opposite of Dylan. They both smiled.

  Julia wondered if she was in the middle of a crazy dream.

  Chapter 8

  By the time the morning sunlight squeezed through the sheer panels of the open window, a soft rap on the door caused Julia to jolt awake. To Julia’s embarrassment, the repeated knocking was not a relic of a dream long past, or a groggy, half-woke hallucination. It was real and the soft sound of knocking continued.

  “I’m coming,” Julia said, her voice cracking a little. Running to the mirror to inspect herself, not knowing who was on the other side of the door, Julia saw that her hair was matted. She pulled her blond locks into a high, messy bun. She grabbed a gray sweater she kept on the chair next to her bed and threw it over her pink nightgown. The sweater hung off of her shoulders.

  “Oh, hello.” Julia was startled as she slowly opened her door to find Dylan standing in his black sweats and a tight, white fitted t-shirt. Julia blushed, his hard jawline with the dotting shadow of a beard not yet shaved, smiled back at her. She found it nearly unfathomable that someone could look that good so early in the morning.

  “Hey, do you mind if I come in for a second?” Dylan whispered, already pushing past Julia.

  “No, not at all. What’s up?” Julia tried to subtly control her tone, so she sounded nonchalant as if it wasn’t a big deal that Dylan was in her room. Julia closed the door and took a seat on her bed, cross-legged and facing Dylan. She saw, almost imperceptibly, his face shift before he spoke. His eyes seemed more sullen when they met hers. Dylan's pink lips pursed slightly, and his already strong jaw hardened. He was upset.

  “Listen, I’ve been thinking a lot about last night," Dylan said. "I’m not sure if marriage is such a good idea after all. It was selfish of me to ask you.”

  “Oh,” Julia replied, the melancholy of the words hanging off of her tongue. For a moment, Julia was reminded of the rejection she'd felt after learning that her ex-boyfriend had been cheating on her.

  “Julia, you’ve been amazing with Ava, and I can’t thank you enough for that. But you’re so young. You’re so full of promise. I don’t want you to give all that up. It’s too much of a burden for you. I can’t ruin your life.” Dylan's voice tapered off into a whisper as he extolled Julia, and in the process took an enormous weight off of her shoulders.

  “Dylan, I’ve been lost for a while. Helping Ava come out of her shell has made me feel like I have a purpose. You’re not ruining my life. You’re helping it. I don’t take back what I said, at all.” Julia watched as Dylan moved. His back became straighter, and a smile slowly spread across his lips. "Besides, I have really bad luck with relationships anyway."

  “Are you sure? You have to be absolutely sure.” Dylan's eyes widened with newfound hope.

  “Absolutely sure.” Julia boomed. She had never felt surer of anything in her life.

  “Julia, I can't tell you what this means to me,” Dylan exclaimed. He watched her smile dimple her cheeks and the freckles that dotted her suntanned face stir below her deep blue eyes. He wanted to hug her, to kiss her rosy lips, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to make things uncomfortable.

  “So, what’s next?” Julia pondered aloud, which woke Dylan from his absent gaze. He cleared his throat.

  “Well, now we’ll make our engagement official. When we do that, you’ll have to attend the custody meeting with my lawyer and Marcie. Is that okay?” Dylan took a deep breath.

  “Of course. Anything I can do to help.” Julia reassured him, meaning every word. If Dylan got to keep Ava because of her, that was truly enough.

  “Thanks and congratulations, Miss Woods,” Dylan teased.

  “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Greene.” Julia smirked back, and she swore she could see a hint of redness dot Dylan’s cheeks.

  “If we’re going to make this work, I think we better get to know each other a little. How does breakfast sound? I can pick you up at nine.” Dylan said it with a wink. Before Julia could answer, he headed out the door, leaving Julia alone to process everything that had just happened.

  Julia took longer than usual in front of the mirror that morning. She couldn’t shake her first date jitters. After all, they were getting married. There was no need to be nervous, but Julia couldn’t quite convince herself otherwise. She picked out a beautiful lavender skirt that flowed freely in the light breeze, and tucked in a nice, white tank top, showing off her tanned arms and long legs. She carefully lined her eyes with brown pencil and used an ounce of mascara to accentuate her lashes. By the time the clock struck nine, Julia had looked in the mirror one last time.

  “Wow, you look great,” Dylan exclaimed as Julia made her way down the grand staircase. She walked carefully to conceal her clumsiness. Walking in heels was never her forte.

  “Thanks, you do too,” Julia said when she reached the bottom of the stairs. She tried not to ogle at Dylan’s snug dress shirt that was tucked into his black dress pants. It astounded her how he always looked so professional.

  Dylan escorted Julia to one of his many sports cars, and the two of them drove through Sugar Cove.

  “This is my favorite little place,” Dylan explained as he parked and opened Julia's door.

  “It looks beautiful.” Julia stood in awe of the quaint little restaurant on the beach. The small tables overlooked the shimmering blue ocean waters, and tiny fairy lights strung above their heads with vines growing up the side gave the whole atmosphere a romantic, fairy tale feel. The two of them quickly sat down and ordered breakfast.

  “So, if this is going to work, I think I need to know more about you,” Julia stammered.

  “I suppose I wasn't very open with Christina,” Dylan said with a laugh. “Well, you know, this wasn’t always what my life was like.”

  “Oh, really?” Julia asked, shocked. She knew he'd made a fortune later in life, but she had assumed he was one of those people who was lucky from the very beginning.

  “It’s true. I had nothing when Marcie left Ava and me to travel the world. I ended up living in my parent's basement while I tried to figure out how to raise a kid.”

  “I had no idea,” Julia murmured, completely in shock.

  “It was rough. But a few months after Ava was born I got a call from a buddy of mine from college. He told me I could have a job at his tech startup if I invested. I had no other option. No job prospects at all. So, I decided to invest with all the savings I had. Ava was my good luck charm because the company did very well.” Dylan nodded as he reflected on that part of his life.

  “That’s amazing. You’ve come so far, and you’re a great father to Ava. I can tell you have a strong bond.”

  “We do," Dylan agreed. "I'm glad she doesn’t remember that hard patch in our lives. Everything I do now, it’s because of her.”

  Julia looked up at Dylan and felt overcome with emotion at Dylan’s sudden vulnerability. Dylan was much more than she had ever imagined. He wasn’t just any wealthy guy, obnoxious and arrogant. He was a gentleman, and he cared for those he loved.

  “So what happened, with Marcie?” Julia hesitated to ask, afraid she might hurt Dylan by bringing her up. But if she was going to see Marcie in court, she wanted to know.

  “Honestly, nothing. I think I did love her once, but we grew apart. I di
dn’t expect her to leave us so soon, but Marcie didn't take too well to the idea of motherhood. When she’s bored, she leaves. I haven’t thought about her until she contacted a few months ago.”

  “I’m so sorry this is happening to you and Ava,” Julia said, and she instinctively reached across the table to grab Dylan’s hand.

  “It’s okay," Dylan responded. "We'll get through it. Enough about me. What about you? How were you able to bond so quickly with Ava?”

  For a moment, Julia considered not telling Dylan about her childhood or her grievous heartbreak. But looking at his careful smile and sincere eyes, and feeling the warmth of his hand in hers, she felt safe.

  “Actually, I was about Ava's age when my parents got into a very messy divorce. I remember crying in court, countless custody battles, and my mom and dad screaming at each other so much that the lawyers had to pull them away. It was terrible. I never want Ava to go through that.” Julia's eyes watered even thinking about that horrific time in her life.

  “Is everything okay now with your parents?” Dylan asked.

  “They can be in the same room now," Julia confided in him. "But I've since had a rotten streak in the relationship department."

  “How do you mean?”

  “To put it plainly," Julia began, "I always pick losers. My last relationship ended two months ago when I found my boyfriend in bed with my best friend. Between that, and the divorce, I don’t think I will ever be able to trust anyone again.” Julia dabbed at a tear that trickled down her cheek and Dylan quickly handed her a napkin.

  “Julia, I would never do anything to hurt you,” Dylan said. "And you can still back out if you want to."

  “I’m wondering if this arranged marriage thing is the best sort of marriage,” Julia said, laughing. To her surprise, Dylan knelt in front of her. He pulled out a small, blue felt box from his back pocket. Julia gasped, tears streaming down her face.

  Dylan opened the small ring box to reveal a beautiful, small-cut and brilliantly shimmering diamond. It wasn’t big, or flashy, but it was striking, and exactly Julia’s style.

  “Julia Woods, will you marry me? I know the ring is small. It’s my great-grandmother’s, but—” Dylan started to ramble, his nerves getting to him.

  “Yes, of course,” Julia exclaimed, stretching out her hand.

  Dylan delicately held Ava's hand as he slid the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. At that moment, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. Julia couldn’t shake the feeling that meeting Dylan and Ava was somehow her destiny.

  Chapter 9

  After a breakfast filled with laughter and pleasant conversation, Julia and Dylan stood for a while on the warm beach sand. They waded out together into the water, stepping around the rocks with their bare feet.

  “How do you think Ava will take it? Do you think she’ll be okay?” Julia slipped on a rock, focusing intently on her question. Dylan grabbed her arm just in time.

  “I think she’ll love the idea," Dylan replied. "She likes you. It might take her a while to get used to it, but she’ll come around.” They walked hand in hand down the beach with Julia practically jogging to keep up with his long strides.

  “I hope so,” Julia responded. Dylan led the way toward Sugar Cove’s local farmer's market. Julia watched Dylan closely, his eyes intent and thoughtful. She could tell he was deep in his own thoughts. “Where are we going?”

  “I think I may have an idea that will help Ava come around to this new arrangement,” Dylan remarked, excited by his own idea. It didn’t take long for Julia to realize what it was when they stopped in front of the town’s pet store.

  “You’re a genius.” Julia smiled. She knew immediately that if she carried a new little puppy, Ava wouldn’t be able to be upset.

  “I know.” Dylan smirked as they walked through the door to the sound of yips and barks.

  “Hey y’all, what can I get the beautiful couple today?” The store clerk smiled and spoke with a thick southern accent.

  “Do you happen to have any Maltese puppies?” Dylan asked. The store clerk looked up in recognition.

  “Oh, I remember you," he said confidently. "You bought two Maltese puppies a few years ago. I believe you had your daughter with you.” The store clerk walked over to a pen filled with newborn puppies. “These little guys are ready to find new homes. Have a look.”

  “Perfect,” Dylan exclaimed excitedly as he and Julia bent down to examine the puppies.

  “They’re all so adorable," Julia commented. "I don’t know how to choose.” Julia pet a few.

  “What about this little guy?” Dylan asked, turning to Julia. She felt her breath escape her lungs at the sight of Dylan, such a handsome, muscular man, holding a small puppy in his arms. The puppy was brown, and unique from the other dogs, including Peanut and Pancake.

  “He’s perfect,” Julia agreed, already anticipating the excitement on Ava’s face when she would see this new addition to their family.

  Dylan paid for the dog, and a new golden leash and the two of them made their way back to Dylan's car. Julia insisted on holding the new puppy the whole way home, though Dylan reassured her that the dog was perfectly capable of walking. It was amazing how comfortable Julia felt with Dylan already. She had never opened up to a man like she had with Dylan. She had never felt like she could trust someone as much as she did Dylan.

  Ava's new puppy leaped and pawed at her lap. All felt right until they rounded the corner to the manor. Julia's head banged in fear and worry as Dylan and her were greeted with at least ten police cars, lights on and sirens blaring, in front of their home.

  Dylan sped into the driveway and parked the car abruptly. He swung open the door without bothering to shut it. Julia ran out to join him, and she heard his panicked voice boom for miles.

  “What’s going on? What happened? Where’s Ava?” Dylan shouted, and a dozen police officers rushed over to him. Julia could barely hear what was going on, but she knew it wasn’t good. Her whole heart felt like it was about to shatter like a wave on the rocky shore.

  Julia watched Dylan as he yelled and waved his hands in the air. He bent over, sobbing, and at that moment, Julia felt useless. She wanted to comfort him, but the circle of blue vests and questions barred her. Suddenly, something touched Julia's shoulder.

  “Virginia, thank goodness,” Julie gasped. “What is going on?”

  “My heart is too fragile to stand this,” Virginia cried, tears streamed down her reddened face, and she clutched her heart dramatically with her hands.

  “Virginia, what is going on? You need to tell me.” Julia was beyond frustrated.

  “That crazy woman, Marcie, came by the house," Virginia finally spoke. "She tried to take Ava. Luis and I ran her off. He called the cops, and poor Ava was so upset that she ran. We haven’t found her yet.” Virginia’s voice moved so fast that Julia could hardly understand her. Julia was in shock, and her whole body froze. Marcie had tried to kidnap Ava? This was too much. This was all too much.

  “Ava is missing?” Julia asked. A shiver ran down her spine when she saw Virginia feebly shake her head yes. “Tell Dylan I’m going out to look for her.” Julia handed the shaking puppy to Virginia. She wasn’t sure where she was going. All she knew was that suddenly, a part of her heart was missing, and she wouldn’t be whole until she found Ava.

  Chapter 10

  “Ava! Ava!” Julia ran, the soft sand kicking up in clouds of dust beneath her feet as she frantically searched for Ava. She had looked outside the house. She had looked in the town square, and she'd even looked in the manor's cellar. The more time that went by without holding Ava in her arms, the more Julia’s heart ached.

  Julia had run down the long expanse of sand before the water met the shore when her heart stopped. Just beyond a dune, she saw brunette strands peek out from two pigtails.

  “Ava!” Julia ran with all she had left past the dune, where she found Ava sitting on a bench. The same bench she had sat on only a few weeks ago to paint a
portrait of her beloved dogs. Julia’s skin was salty with sweat and seawater. Her body ached with worry, but she couldn’t feel any of it now. All she could feel was utter happiness. Ava was safe. She could breathe easy. “Ava, what happened? Are you okay?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Ava replied meekly, and Julia could see that her eyes were red and puffy. Ava's cheeks were stained with a mixture of sand, dirt, and tears.

  “That’s okay. You don't have to talk if you don't want to.” Julia knelt down and gave Ava a huge hug. To Julia’s surprise, Ava hugged her back.

  “Why don’t we head home," Julia suggested. "I know your dad is worried sick about you.” Julia stood, grabbing Ava’s small hand to lead her back home.

  “I don’t want to go back there,” Ava cooed, her voice shaking. Julia felt sick. She couldn’t imagine how scared Ava must have been when Marcie had shown up.

  “I know," Julia said, almost pulling Ava up from the bench. "But your dad and I have a surprise for you back home." Eventually, after promising that there really was a big surprise, Ava left willingly with Julia. The two-headed hand in hand up the beach and toward home.

  “Ava, you’re home,” Dylan said as he sprinted toward her. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I love you so much.” Dylan spoke through tears as he hugged his daughter tight.

  “I’m sorry daddy,” Ava replied.

  Julia looked up, suddenly taken away from the moment she was so immersed in. She saw a row of police officers clapping at the happy reunion. Virginia openly sobbed, and Luis tried but failed to hold back his tears.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about, sweetie. Come inside. Julia and I have a surprise for you.” Dylan took Julia’s hand, and they walked inside. It was like they were a real family. Julia felt Dylan squeeze her hand when he heard Ava shriek with joy at the new puppy that was already playing in the foyer with Peanut and Pancake.