Harlequin Superromance November 2014 - Box Set 2 of 2: Christmas at the CoveNavy ChristmasUntil She Met Daniel

by Rachel Brimble

  The secret of his child—of Belle—fell like lead into his stomach and stayed there. Within hours he could be a father to a little girl he’d yet to meet. Would he let her down in the years to come too?

  He swiped his hand over his face. “Fine. Do what you have to do, but Bianca, Ella and Lucy have a right to know what’s going on, and they have a right to refuse to see him, too.”

  “You can’t hold on to this forever. Your resentment toward your father will destroy you in the end. No good comes from holding grudges.”

  Scott stared. “I get he’s human, but I really can’t see my feelings about the man changing.”

  “Would you not even try if I asked you to?”

  Her eyes pleaded with him and Scott’s anger deepened that already his father had pushed the beginnings of a wedge between him and his mum. He closed his eyes. “In time...who knows, but that’s the best I can do right now.”

  Relief relaxed her rigid body and she sat back in her chair. When she looked at him, her gaze was softer but marred with anxiety. “We’ve been exchanging texts and phone calls for a while, and he swears he’s changed. He wants my forgiveness for the cheating and ultimately leaving us. I’m old, sweetheart.”

  “What do you mean old? Since when have you cared about a number?” He smiled in an effort to ease his disquiet. “You often act, think and look younger than most women my age.”

  She smiled softly. “Nice try.”

  He came toward her and bent down on his haunches, taking her hands in his. He stared straight into her eyes, trying his best to figure out what this was really about. “What are you scared of? Why are you really considering starting something with him again?”

  Her gaze ran over his face. “I’ve been selfish letting you look after me and your sisters for so long. I shouldn’t have come to rely on you like I have. I live in your house, I interfere—”

  “You care. There’s a difference.” He lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. Carrie and Belle edged into his conscience once more. “Things change, I get that. Maybe one day I won’t always be here. Is that what this is about?”

  His mother studied him. “Bianca told me about this Carrie. She thinks you could be in a whole lot of love trouble. Her words, not mine.”

  God, if only you knew how much trouble. He smiled. “It’s nothing I can’t handle and it’s nothing that should make you think you have to run straight back into Dad’s arms so you won’t be alone. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it? You think I could fall in love and leave you.”

  Her cheeks darkened. “You’re not responsible for me.”

  “Yes, I am. You don’t need him, Mum. You have me.”

  “Scott—”

  “If I were to ever leave Templeton, I wouldn’t move to the other side of the world. I can be here whenever you need me.” He rose to his feet, still clasping her hands. “Come on. Go to bed. Think about what I’ve said and we can talk in the morning at a better hour than 2 a.m., okay?”

  She sighed and stood, bringing her arms around him in an embrace. “You’re a good boy, but this is my decision. If you really don’t want your dad here on Christmas, then I’ll tell him that but I’m not making any promises I won’t see him in the New Year.”

  Fear clutched like talons in Scott’s gut as he pressed a kiss to his mother’s temple. “Just think about this very carefully. You don’t need Dad to fix your worries. He’s the last person to rely on.”

  She lifted her hand to his cheek. “I love you, Scottie. Night, love.”

  Scott pursed his lips as she left the room, her slippered feet brushing the carpet and her shoulders slumped. Guilt twisted in his chest as the reality of his mother’s fears hit home. Hadn’t he said to Nick that Carrie wouldn’t come to the Cove? That he had no right to even ask her? If Kevin delivered, tomorrow Scott would know for sure if he was Belle’s father. If he was, he wanted both the child and Carrie close. He wanted to be a part of their lives. Every day. Scott closed his eyes. Would he ever find the determination to move away from Templeton after his family had endured his father’s abandonment?

  For the first time in his life, Scott questioned his ability and need to stay static. Maybe it was time he moved forward and put his father’s actions in the past where they belonged, once and for all. He wanted to explore a future with Carrie and Belle; wanted to be there for them as much as he was for his mum and sisters.

  He sucked in a breath as the breadth of the push and pull inside him hit full-force. The certainty he wasn’t ready to be a dad had somehow disappeared when he wasn’t looking, and now undeniable hope Belle was his simmered deep in his soul.

  He could’ve stayed with Carrie in her hotel room for hours, their arms and legs entwined, their bodies joined as one. His doubt of her telling the truth about Belle dissipated with each second they were together.

  From the moment she walked into his garage, he felt connected to Carrie...now the lust was beginning to give way to something a whole lot deeper.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  AFTER HER THIRD cup of coffee in a small cafe, Carrie walked across town toward the library, buzzing from caffeine and laden with bags of Christmas gifts she couldn’t afford. Passing the day while waiting for DNA results initiated frivolous spending. She looked to the heavy gray-white clouds and predicted further snowfall by the evening. She smiled. Waking to glistening whiteness in the morning would only add to her festive feeling. Her steps were lighter and her heart happier than it had been for a long time. The shadow of Scott’s caresses lingered on her skin and his kisses smoldered like a brand on her lips.

  She might be feeling better now, but she hadn’t slept entirely peacefully the night before. When Scott left her room, she dozed and then woke a couple of hours later. An hour-long marathon of tossing and turning under a blanket of guilt ensued. She’d slipped her wedding band back on her finger and removed it again more times than she could count.

  Maybe Gerard wouldn’t have wanted her to spend the rest of her days alone and lonely, but she couldn’t imagine he’d want her tumbling under the sheets the way she had with Scott, either. Yet she’d waited to regret making love with Scott, had waited to start beating herself up for being so impulsive again...but hours later, remorse was yet to surface.

  To say she felt sorry about even a second of her actions would be a lie. The moment had felt utterly right. Being in Scott’s arms and surrendering to the powerful feelings she had harbored for years, despite her love for Gerard, had brought moments of pure joy she’d never forget, whatever the future held. They were Belle’s parents. They’d made a beautiful child together. Their reunion was bittersweet, and Carrie prayed Gerard looked down and gave his blessing.

  She blinked back tears and lifted her chin.

  Today was a new day and she’d wait for Scott’s call telling her when to meet him at the doctor’s office. She pressed her hand to her stomach. In the meantime, she’d go and spend some time at the local library.

  As Carrie strolled along the street, she couldn’t help but notice the sidelong glances of several people, teemed with the blatant stares of others. She swallowed and pretended not to notice. Templeton was most definitely a small town and, as much as she’d enjoyed the hen weekend, it was a place she wouldn’t want to raise Belle. The feeling it gave her was that of a closed community—one in which outsiders would never truly be welcome.

  She stared down one particularly openly hostile-looking woman about her age as unease niggled inside her. Could this be another of Scott’s lovers? Carrie snatched her gaze away.

  It was more than Amanda insinuating Scott’s womanizing that made Carrie worry she’d be a fool to trust her instinct that she meant more to him than the others. Even though her heart longed to explore what burned between them. She was independent before Belle and she was independent now. Gerard had been her partner,
not her savior. She’d fallen in love and welcomed him into her heart. She hadn’t been with him because she needed him. She’d loved him—and now everything in her heart told her she had fallen for Scott, too.

  She marched on, confidence increasing her pace. Marian and Angela were the only two people in Templeton who’d made her waver against the feeling of a lingering phantom waiting in the wings to lynch her in this sleepy seaside town, and maybe their kindness should be at the forefront of her mind today when Scott knew for sure Belle was his.

  Yet, for all her best intentions, Carrie couldn’t help but worry what mutually agreeable arrangement she and Scott would come up with in regard to Belle and her best interests. For a time, she’d been only too willing to imagine a scenario where Scott was the bad guy and she was the good mum who’d done the decent thing and tried to connect with him. What she envisioned hadn’t happened at all.

  Scott not only wanted to see Belle, he’d made love to her mother like he wanted to do it again and again. There had been no running for cover or shirking his responsibilities. No nonchalance or doubt in the way he’d touched and talked with Carrie into the early hours. But where did they truly go from here?

  She inwardly chastised herself. She was thinking too deeply, too fast. They needed to get Christmas done with their own families and then decide their relationship in the New Year. For now, all she wanted was to get to know Scott better and tell him everything he wanted to know about the daughter he never knew he had.

  Life changed in a heartbeat—and it had a habit of happening to her more than most because of her impulsive decision-making. She refused to make another mistake. Whatever happened between her and Scott, romance or friendship, it had to be for keeps for Belle’s sake. There could be no in-between if she had any chance of protecting her from further heartbreak after already losing the only father she’d ever known.

  The town’s ice rink came into view and Carrie’s worries scattered. “Wow.”

  Having only seen the rink from a distance, she felt the true magic of it clearly needed to be seen up close. Smiling, she hitched her bag higher onto her shoulder and walked nearer, sliding her forearms onto the barrier running around its circumference. It was barely midday but the winter sun shone brightly, its beams dancing and playing on the surface of the ice and in the eyes of the children skating.

  The pay booth in the corner was beautifully decorated in glittering golds and greens, and a gorgeous line of bells edged its eaves. Carrie smiled, her heart warm. Despite her internal worries, she couldn’t deny the beauty of Templeton, whether in winter or summer.

  The smiles on the children’s faces and the delight of their mothers as they skated or called to them from behind the barrier brought Belle deeper and deeper into Carrie’s heart and mind. I miss you, baby.

  Tears burned and Carrie hastily wiped them away just as her cell phone rang from inside her bag. She quickly extracted it and looked at the display. Michaela. Carrie grinned and pressed the talk button. “Hey, you.”

  “Hi, yourself. Are you okay? You sound awfully pleased to hear from me.”

  “I’m good. Right now I’m watching someone else’s kids having the time of their lives on the most beautiful ice rink.”

  “How lovely.”

  “It is and it’s making me think of Belle and how much I want to be with her. Have you seen Mum?”

  “Yes, and Belle’s fine. I saw them in town yesterday and Belle is being spoiled rotten. Stop worrying about her and tell me what’s happening with Mr. Sexiness instead.”

  Carrie grinned, despite the immediate knotting of her stomach as Scott’s face filled her mind’s eye. “Do you have to call him that?”

  “Why not? I bet he hasn’t changed a bit.”

  “Well, he’s certainly still gorgeous...” She glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “And pretty amazing in bed.”

  Michaela squealed. “You haven’t!”

  “I have.” Carrie squeezed her eyes shut. “I think I love him, Michaela. I think I always have.”

  “Oh, Carrie. That is so amazing. I’m happy for you, really I am. And he knows about Belle?”

  “Uh-huh.” Carrie exhaled. “We’re picking up the DNA results later today and then the whole what happens next begins.”

  “You had a test?”

  “It’s a long story.” Carrie stared out across the rink, her gaze falling on a young girl with dark hair, a little older than Belle. “One I can’t go into now.”

  “But everything is going as you hoped?”

  The unsettling feeling Carrie had of not belonging slipped over her once more before she could stop it. She silently admonished herself. Why was she fighting the kindness of the good people she’d met in this small, picturesque town? Why was was she forcing herself to reject them for fear of what it would do to her if Scott turned out to be someone so different than who she hoped?

  Michaela cleared her throat. “Carrie? Are you still there?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Uh-oh. What’s wrong?”

  Carrie sighed. “Nothing. Something. Oh, I don’t know.” She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers into the pulse of a headache at her temple. “Scott really belongs here.”

  “And?”

  “And if we’re going to give us a try, I’m going to have to ask him to leave at some point.”

  “If he loves you, he’ll move wherever he has to be.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Listen, I know you. You wouldn’t have let him get close enough to...you know, if you thought he’d bail. What’s going on? Don’t you trust him?”

  Carrie opened her eyes and stared once more at the laughing families ahead of her. Light snowflakes had started to fall and the children’s faces were brighter than ever as they cheered and whooped in welcome of a white Christmas. “It’s not about trust.”

  “What is it about?”

  “I didn’t come here because I need his help with Belle. I’ve got that covered. But...”

  “But what?”

  Carrie closed her eyes again. “If it’s possible, I think Belle will love Scott more than I do. Now I’m with him again, it feels so right. Have you ever known a guy to mention his family unless he was in something for the long haul?”

  Michaela laughed. “No way.”

  “Exactly. Scott’s more of a father than he realizes, before he’s even sure Belle is his.”

  “And that’s great. Carrie, don’t beat yourself up over the past. I can hear it in your voice. Maybe you made a mistake by not coming back to the Cove to find Scott when you found out you were pregnant, but at the end of the day, no one got hurt by you not coming. You did what you thought was best at the time. Did you lie to Gerard at any point about Scott? Deny you had feelings for him? That the night was a mistake you’d rather forget?”

  Carrie’s heart beat faster as the point Michaela made broke through her psyche and filled her soul. She’d done nothing that couldn’t be fixed. She was a human being who sometimes got it wrong. She smiled. “No.”

  “Did you see, speak or contact Scott during the entirety of your marriage?”

  “No.”

  “So there you go. You’re living your life the best way you know how. You still are. We all are.”

  Carrie shivered as memories of her and Scott’s lovemaking whispered through her. “God, the minute I saw him...”

  “You were run over by him a second time?”

  Carrie smiled. “Exactly.”

  Michaela laughed. “Then it’s just as well you went back.”

  Carrie looked down at her newly-bared ring finger and her smile faltered. “My husband’s dead—”

  “Gerard loved you. You made him happy and he died wanting you to be happy. Deep in your heart, you know that, right?”

 
Carrie’s vision blurred. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

  “Good, because the only unforgivable thing about this entire scenario will be if you don’t take this second chance to find out if you’re meant to be with a man you fell in love with years ago. I for one, my friend, want to know if love at first sight truly exists.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  SCOTT GOT OUT of his car outside the town’s ice rink and leaned against the hood, his phone in his hand. When he’d called Carrie half an hour before and she asked if he could meet her here, a million questions had been on the tip of his tongue, but he’d kept quiet. He hoped she didn’t plan on taking him up on his offer of skating when they were due at the doctor’s office in a while. Spinning around on his ass and making a fool of himself had been an option to make her laugh, not to turn up at Kev’s battered and bruised and have his friend rib him for the next fortnight.

  He glanced toward the rink, lit up like Santa’s grotto, and smiled. He could just imagine what Carrie would look like trussed up in that fur-collared coat of hers, her hair loose and sexy down her back and donning professional and very white skates. Yep, the image was pretty damn beautiful.

  The trouble niggling him was he wanted to see her there in the spring, summer and autumn too but couldn’t expect her to up and leave her job and move Belle from the only home the kid had ever known. The moving would be in his court.

  He stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. If Belle was his, he wouldn’t be waiting until spring to see her. Even the thought made his blood hum with frustration. He saw Carrie and his stomach knotted. She walked toward him but her gaze was on the skaters on the rink beside her. A soft smile played on her lips and her eyes were wide with happiness.

  Scott straightened and exhaled an appreciative breath through clenched teeth. Her thick, blond hair lay in a single plait over her right breast, her sexy bangs whipping back and forth from the cold breeze. Wearing her fur-collared coat over blue jeans and black patent, high-heeled boots, she looked amazing.