by Desiree Holt
“If you came to expose what you think is some big secret, we know everything.” His voice sounded so deep and mature Julia wanted to cry.
“You think so?” Rod’s voice had its usual nasty edge she’d gotten used to. “Including the fact she’s a whore and your so-called sister is a bastard?”
Courtney’s face turned chalk white, but Beth reached over and took her hand, smiling encouragement at her.
Luke rose from his chair, his face dark with rage, and stood so close to Maguire the other man was forced to take a step back.
“Here’s a couple of things for you, asshole. One. Do not ever speak of this woman or our child in this manner again. And I mean never.” He held up two fingers. “Two. Do not ever, and I mean, never, come to this house again under any circumstances. Or approach any member of this family.”
“You can’t stop me,” Maguire sneered. “I’ll ruin you. I’ll go to Alan Wilson, who by the way belongs to the same clubs I do and serves on a lot of boards with me. I’ll tell him what a mistake he made hiring you. Who do you think he’ll listen to? And I’ll urge him to pass the word along in the industry. By the time I’m finished, you won’t be able to get a job selling T-shirts at the county fair.” He looked at Julia. “Wait until everyone in this town knows the sordid details of what you did. None of you will be able to hold up your heads again.”
“Three.” Luke reached into his pants pocket, pulled out his money clip, and extracted a business card he’d stuck in there. He held out the card to Maguire. “This is my attorney. Eugene Walsh. I believe you’re familiar with him. He assures me he has more clout than anyone else I can retain. He said he’d be delighted to face off with you in court over a suit for libel or slander, whichever method you choose.”
Before Luke could say anything else Julia, rose from her chair. “Luke and I have both talked to Alan Wilson, Rod. He has the whole story. You might be interested to know he doesn’t have nearly as high an opinion of you that you seem to have of yourself. And that story? It’s old news. Perhaps I should tell everyone why you’re so dedicated to Charles’s memory. That would make a nice story, too.”
Rod’s face paled even as an ugly expression gripped his features. “You’d better keep your mouth shut, bitch.”
Beside her she sensed Luke’s seething rage and she put a hand on his arm. “As should you. You’ve done enough damage to me and to my family. You can’t bully us anymore. So do us all a favor and get the hell out of our lives.”
Luke tucked the business card in Rod’s pocket. “Oh, and by the way. My attorney will be calling you about the trusts you’re managing for this family. Looking out for our interests, so to speak.”
“I see. You think you’ve fallen into a pot of gold and you plan to protect it.”
“That’s enough.” Julia snapped out the words. “Luke doesn’t need my money, or the funds left to the children. But they deserve it and I won’t let you screw them out of it.”
Luke clamped his hand on the other man’s elbow. “And now, I believe you were just leaving.”
Julia was half laughing, half crying when he closed the door. “I should have had a camera to take a picture of his face.”
“He’s a bully,” Luke said. “I know why you didn’t fight back when the kids were younger, but it’s time to get the monkey off our backs.”
Courtney was still pale and shaking. Luke pulled her up from the chair and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s okay, kitten. All taken care of. Nobody—and nothing—is going to hurt you. I promise you that.”
There were still legal strings entangling them. Julia wanted the fund her money came from liquidated and distributed among the three children, and she was still worried Rod might pull funny stuff with the trusts for the twins. But apparently one meeting with Eugene Walsh had been enough to get things straight. Somehow, Gene even got Rod to hand over Charles’s letters he was holding. Luke had given them to Julia and they conducted a little ceremony out on the patio when she burned them.
Building trust with Courtney had taken some time and patience, but Luke hung in there and eventually she began to respond. Even more amazing was how quickly something special had grown between him and the twins. Watching Luke with her children had given birth to an idea. A month after they were married, when Luke was in Los Angeles at a conference, Julia swore everyone to secrecy and flew to Boston to meet with Mark and Jared Buchanan. She hadn’t even been sure they’d accept her phone calls, but with her children gathered around her for courage, she’d dialed the numbers. She was sure only curiosity made them take her calls and agree to meet with her, but she’d taken whatever she could get.
They’d gathered in a restaurant at the Boston airport, a meeting that began in hostility but ended with a hint of conciliation. She’d brought pictures, not only of Luke and Courtney but of the twins, of Luke speaking at events, and of their family gatherings. Although they’d called her separately a few times afterward, each time cautiously and with more questions, she hadn’t been sure she’d actually be able to heal the breach. Nevertheless, their relationship with their mother was fractured and she’d sensed they were looking for some kind of familial anchor.
Holding her breath, she’d extended the invitation to Luke’s fiftieth birthday dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. Not only had his sons come, but also their wives and children. She was sure it was the first time she’d ever seen Luke Buchanan speechless. The evening had produced many moments of strain and unease, but it was a good beginning. Now at least Luke and his sons kept in touch with each other and she and Luke had already made two trips to Boston.
So many changes, Julia mused, as she searched for her shoes. Not the least of which was what everyone referred to as “the move.” Luke had insisted she sell the house and they build a new one.
“It’s diseased,” he’d told her. “No wonder no one’s happy in it. No way can we make a fresh start in this place.”
Even in a slow market, it sold quickly, along with most of the furniture. They’d camped out at Luke’s suite at the hotel during the time the new house was being built at the northwest tip of the city. Luke had insisted Courtney be included in every decision, including the shopping for furnishings, and she’d bloomed under his love and care. Maybe Beth had been right and what her child had lacked the most was a father. Or maybe it was just this father.
The Connell Wilson launch had gone so well Bright Ideas client list had grown exponentially. Bigger clients had approached them. They’d hired more staff and moved into bigger offices. But at the end of the day she always came home to Luke and the comfort of his body in bed.
Now, on this special day, Courtney burst into the room, breathless. “How do I look?”
Julia’s breath caught in her throat. Her sullen, angry, rebellious child had grown into a beautiful teenager, with acceptable grades and a blossoming personality. The result of Luke’s work, she knew, and it hadn’t been an easy task for him. Courtney twirled around, the skirt of her soft blue dress spinning with her like a cloud, her shining black hair hanging in waves to her shoulders.
“Gorgeous.” Luke kissed her on the cheek. “I’d hug you but I don’t want to disturb such beauty.”
Courtney laughed. “Daddy, you crack me up. I guess I’ll just have to hug you.”
And she did, bringing tears to Julia’s eyes.
Dimly, she heard the front door open and close, and Miranda hollered up the stairs, “Beth and Andy are here. Y’all comin’ down or not?”
Luke smiled at her. “I guess we’d better go.”
Miranda waited in the foyer with a camera. “I want plenty of shots to post on my Facebook page.”
Courtney’s jaw dropped. “You have a Facebook page?”
Miranda cocked an eyebrow. “Any reason why I shouldn’t? Now everyone get together. That’s right. Boy, don’t you just look like a fine family.”
Julia looked at each of them. “Yes, we do.”
&nb
sp; And as they stood together posing for Miranda who snapped away, Julia realized that at long last, after so many years of incredible misery, she’d not only found the love she’d been missing, she’d found herself.
Desiree Holt
Known the world over as the oldest living author of erotic romance, and referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, Desiree Holt is three times a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award (and a winner in 2014), a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio as well as twice a CAPA Award winner for best BDSM book of the year, and winner of the Holt Medallion for Excellence in Romance Literature. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.
“Desiree Holt is the most amazing erotica author of our time and each story is more fulfilling then the last.” (Romance Junkies)
Learn more about her and read her novels here:
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Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2014 Desiree Holt
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.
First Electronic Edition: September 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-639-1