“Smaller than I ever would have guessed,” she agreed. “Because your brother Lukas delivered my baby.”
“So this little guy is the one?” He crouched down to get a closer look at the sleeping infant. “Well, he doesn’t look any the worse for wear.”
“I feel very fortunate that your brother knew what he was doing—or at least how to fake it.”
“Then you’re not here to sue him for malpractice?” Jackson teased.
She managed a smile. “No. I just wanted some general information. At least, that’s why I originally requested to see you.”
“And now?”
“Now that Caden was born in New York State, I have some specific questions about registering his birth.” She opened her purse, pulled out a checkbook. “How much do you need as a retainer?”
“I don’t need a retainer at all if I’m only answering a few questions.”
“I’d rather keep this official.”
“The minute you walked through the door of my office, the rules governing solicitor-client privilege came into effect,” he assured her. “I’m not going to repeat anything you say here to anyone—not even your brother or mine.”
She dropped her gaze. “I feel a little disloyal,” she admitted. “Talking to you instead of Lukas.”
“If you need a rabies shot, my brother’s your man. If you have legal questions, not so much.”
She smiled again. “Fair enough. Okay, the first question is about the paperwork I have to fill out to register Caden’s birth. Do I have to include his father’s name?”
“Are you married to him?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Then there’s no presumption of paternity,” he told her. “He could sign an acknowledgment of paternity, in which case his personal information would be included on Caden’s birth certificate, but if he isn’t willing to do so, you would have to apply to the court to request a paternity test.”
“What if I don’t want him named on the birth certificate?”
He considered her question for a minute. “Your son’s biological father has certain rights and responsibilities, regardless of what either of you wants,” he finally said. “Has he indicated that he is unwilling to fulfill his responsibilities?”
She dropped her gaze to the sleeping baby. The beautiful baby who was the reason for everything she’d done since she’d learned of the tiny life growing inside her. The reason she was here now.
“He doesn’t know about Caden,” she admitted.
“I try not to make judgments,” he told her. “Especially when I don’t know the whole story.”
“I appreciate that.” And she knew it couldn’t be easy for someone with his personal experience to remain objective. Lukas had told her about his fiancee keeping the existence of their child a secret for twelve years. But despite that history, they’d obviously worked things out and were together now.
Julie knew that she and Elliott would never work things out, because she would never forgive him for what he’d done—or herself for not taking control of her life sooner. And right now, she wanted to focus on her son, to be the best mother that she could be, and to keep him away from his father.
“But I can’t give you legal advice specific to your situation if I don’t know what that situation is,” he told her. “So you’re going to have to give me at least some of the details.”
“I can do better than that.” She reached into her purse again, this time pulling out a slim envelope of photographs. “I can show you.”
* * *
When Julie looked at the calendar Saturday morning, she was surprised to realize it was the fifteenth of November. The month was already half over and her stay in Pinehurst had been extended from a few days to more than two weeks.
Even more surprising was the fact that she wasn’t eager to leave. Part of her reluctance was because her parents were on the other side of the world, but another—maybe even bigger—part was that she enjoyed spending time with Lukas.
And she was starting to worry that she was enjoying this unexpected detour a little too much, and starting to seriously crush on the man who had delivered her baby. So when Lukas asked if she wanted to go over to Matt and Georgia’s for a while after breakfast, she decided that was probably a good idea. Being around other people would help keep her focus off the man who occupied far too many of her thoughts.
She started questioning her decision when she stepped into the entranceway of Matt and Georgia’s house and realized that the entire Garrett family was in attendance—adults, children and pets. Her reservations multiplied when Kelly said, “Don’t take your coat off—we’re kidnapping you.”
Julie took an instinctive step back, holding Caden tight against her chest. “What?”
“Only for a couple of hours,” Georgia said, her tone reassuring. “And you will thank us for it—I promise.”
Her panicked gaze met Lukas’s amused one. “Did you know about this?”
“Not until about two minutes ago,” he assured her. “But I heartily approve of their plan.”
“What is the plan?” she asked warily.
“A mini-spa retreat,” Georgia said.
Wariness gave way to interest. “Really?”
Kelly grinned. “Massage, pedicure. A few hours of girl talk.”
“No boys allowed,” Jack’s fiancee said firmly. “Not even baby boys.”
“But—”
“No buts, either,” Georgia said.
“I’m not sure about leaving Caden,” Julie admitted. While she was undeniably tempted by the invitation, she couldn’t help but think that abandoning her two-week-old baby into someone else’s care made her a bad mother.
“Of course you’re not,” Georgia acknowledged. “It’s the scariest thing in the world for a new mother to leave her baby for a few hours. But he’ll be with Luke and Matt and Jack—they know what they’re doing.”
“Their hands will be full with the twins and two babies, three puppies and two kittens.”
“Ava’s here, too,” Kelly reminded her.
Which made Julie feel a little better. Jackson and Kelly’s daughter might be twelve, but she was mature for her age. She promised Julie that she had “tons of experience” looking after Pippa, and her easy confidence and obvious competence in handling the infant reassured the new mother.
But truthfully, Julie would never have even considered saying “yes” to the proposed outing if she didn’t know that Lukas would be there, too. And she had pumped so that she’d have the option of giving Caden a bottle instead of nursing at Matt and Georgia’s house, so she didn’t have to worry about her baby going hungry if she wasn’t around.
“You need this,” Kelly told her. “And even if you don’t think you do—we do.”
Julie smiled at that.
“Everything is new and exciting now,” Georgia told her. “But trust me, a few hours away from your baby to recharge your batteries will make you an even better mother.”
* * *
“The new mother looked panicked at the thought of leaving her little guy for a couple of hours,” Matt commented when the women had finally gone, leaving the men with the kids and a menagerie of pets.
“Maybe she was just panicked at the thought of leaving him with Lukas,” Jack teased.
“I don’t blame her,” Luke said. “What do I know about babies?”
“A lot more now than a couple of weeks ago,” Matt guessed.
“Which means you have more experience at this stage than I do,” Jack admitted. “I never knew Ava when she was this young. In fact, I can’t believe that she was ever this small.”
“Next time around, you’ll be there every step of the way,” Matt said.
“The next time around is going to come sooner than either of us expected,” Jack confided.
“Really?” Matt grinned. “Kelly’s pregnant?”
“Due next summer—July twenty-seventh, to be exact.”
“Congratulations,�
� Luke said.
“It’s hush-hush right now,” Jack told them. “Because it’s early days, but mostly because Kelly doesn’t want to tell Ava until we’re married.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t want your twelve-year-old daughter to suspect you’ve had sex with her mother out of wedlock when your wedding isn’t scheduled for another few weeks,” Matt said dryly.
“We’ve had the talk,” Jack said. “Ava knows all about the important role of the stork.”
His brothers laughed.
“Seriously, though,” Luke said. “You’re good with Kelly’s pregnancy?”
Jack nodded. “I’m thrilled. I think Kelly’s a little apprehensive, because Ava’s almost a teenager. But I know our daughter will be all for it. She desperately wants to be a big sister.”
“She certainly enjoys being a big cousin,” Matt commented. “She’s great with the twins and Pippa. And she’s jumped up to check on Caden every five minutes since he went down for his nap.”
“Yeah—Luke’s managed to limit his checks to every seven minutes,” Jack said dryly.
He just shrugged.
“It’s pretty obvious you’ve fallen for the kid,” Matt said. “The question is—have you fallen for his mother, too?”
“I’m just helping her out,” he said.
“By inviting her to move in with you?”
“She hasn’t moved in,” he denied. “She’s only staying with me temporarily.”
“Temporary is a couple of days,” Jack said. “Julie’s been sleeping in your bed for longer than that already.”
“Jesus, Jack. She just had a baby two weeks ago—she’s not sleeping in my bed.”
His brother’s brows lifted. “I was speaking figuratively. The house and everything in it is yours, including the guest room bed. Therefore, she’s sleeping in your bed.”
“But that was quite the vehement protest,” Matt noted.
Luke glowered at him.
“She’s a beautiful woman, you’re both single and living in close quarters. You wouldn’t be human if you hadn’t thought about taking things to the next level.”
“And what is the next level of friendship?”
Jack shook his head. “You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t fool your brothers.”
And, of course, they were right. Luke was attracted to Julie. But he had no intention of putting the moves on a woman who’d had a baby just two weeks earlier—he wasn’t a completely insensitive idiot.
Unfortunately, her time in Pinehurst was limited. Exactly how limited, he wasn’t sure. He’d half expected her to start packing up when she got her vehicle back, and the fact that her parents were away had obviously been a factor in her decision to stay in Pinehurst a little bit longer. But how much longer? And would she stay long enough for him to figure out if there was any fire to go with the sparks he felt whenever he was around her?
“You can’t fool Missy Walsh, either,” Matt interjected.
“What does any of this have to do with Missy?” Luke demanded.
“I heard she was absolutely distraught after seeing you cuddling up to Julie in the grocery store,” Jack told him.
“I wasn’t cuddling up to her,” Luke denied.
“It’s not like Missy to get her facts wrong. At least not where you’re concerned.”
“I was purposely flirting with Julie,” he admitted.
“Is it possible to accidentally flirt with a woman?” Matt wondered.
“Actually it is,” Jack told him. “If flirtation is perceived but not intended.”
Matt turned back to Luke. “But you were purposely flirting with Julie.”
“I just wanted to give Missy something to think about.”
“How is Missy?” Jack teased. “Has she got a new pet yet?”
“I’m glad you think it’s funny. But at least I haven’t come home and found her in my bed,” Luke retorted.
His middle brother winced at the memory of what a former client had done to try to win his affection. As if that scenario wasn’t awkward enough, Kelly had been with him when they found the naked woman in his condo.
“Not yet,” Matt warned.
“I can’t imagine her trying to break in when she knows Julie and Caden are there.”
“So it’s the new mom-and-baby security system,” Jack concluded.
“Which might work with respect to Missy but has to put a damper on the rest of your love life.”
“It would if he had one,” Jack scoffed. “He hasn’t even dated anyone since Sydney Dawes—and how long ago was that?”
More than six months, but Luke wasn’t going to admit that. Instead, he just shrugged. “I got tired of going through the same routine with different women, and I decided I wasn’t going to do it anymore.”
“You’ve given up dating?”
“I’ve given up dating for the sake of dating,” he clarified.
“You’ve finally realized that all those meaningless relationships were…meaningless?” Matt teased.
“Just because I’m not looking to hook myself up ‘till death do us part’ like you guys doesn’t mean I don’t want to meet someone different, someone who matters.”
“How can you possibly know if someone’s different unless you get to know her—by dating her?” Jack demanded.
“You ask her to move in with you,” Matt said, not entirely tongue-in-cheek.
“Julie and Caden are only staying at my place for the short term,” Luke reminded his brothers.
“You just keep telling yourself that, and maybe you’ll even start to believe it,” Jack said.
“Or maybe,” Matt suggested, “you’ll figure out that a real relationship isn’t such a bad deal, after all.”
Chapter Ten
When the women arrived at Gia’s Salon & Spa, they were escorted to individual treatment rooms. Julie enjoyed a head and neck massage with warm oils and scented wraps that worked out knots she hadn’t even known existed. After that, she rejoined Georgia and Kelly in the pedicure area. It was set up like a private living room, with the chairs arranged in a semicircle facing the fireplace. Flames were flickering in the hearth and soft music was piped through speakers in the ceiling.
Totally relaxed now, they talked about everything and anything—from recent movies and favorite books to local events and sports legends—which, Julie learned, included the three Garrett brothers.
When their toenails were painted and they were sitting around waiting for the polish to dry, Kelly looked at Julie and huffed out a breath. “Dammit,” she said. “I like you.”
“Thank you,” Julie said cautiously.
The other woman smiled. “I didn’t want to like you,” she admitted. “Because I know that Lukas is falling for you and I’m afraid that you’re going to break his heart.”
Julie felt a jolt of something—surprise? alarm? hope?—in her chest in response to Kelly’s words, but she shook her head. She didn’t believe it, couldn’t let herself believe it.
She was just beginning to acknowledge to herself that she had feelings for Lukas. And under different circumstances, she knew that she could easily fall for him. But circumstances weren’t different. Maybe he was the right man, but this was definitely the wrong time. Her life was simply too complicated right now to even consider a personal relationship, no matter how much she might wish otherwise.
“I think you’re misreading the situation.”
“I don’t think so,” Kelly denied.
“Lukas has been incredibly kind but—”
The other woman snorted.
“He is kind,” Georgia confirmed, shooting a look at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “But I think Kelly’s suggesting that his motives aren’t quite so altruistic where you’re concerned.”
Julie shook her head. “He knows that I’m not staying in Pinehurst, that my life’s in Springfield.”
“Is it?”
The question surprised Julie. But then she realized that Kelly was right to challenge he
r statement, because in the two weeks that she’d been in Pinehurst, she’d barely thought about her former life at all. She certainly didn’t miss it.
Yes, she missed her family. But they were still her family and always would be, regardless of where she made her home. On the other hand, she had no reason to consider making her home in Pinehurst. Her growing feelings for a sweet and sexy veterinarian aside, there was nothing for her here.
“It used to be,” she finally said. “Although the truth is, I’ve been on the road working for the past seven months.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a curator at The Grayson Gallery in Springfield, but I’ve been traveling with a private collection since April.”
“You haven’t been home in all that time?” Georgia asked.
Julie shook her head.
“I’m thinking there’s a better reason than an art show to stay away for so long,” Kelly mused.
“A lot of reasons,” she agreed. “Although I fully intended to be home before my baby was born.”
“Except that Caden had other ideas.”
“Or maybe it was fated that you would get stuck in Pinehurst,” Georgia suggested.
Kelly frowned, obviously not pleased to consider that stronger forces might have factored into setting up the current situation.
“It wasn’t fate,” Julie denied. “It was simply the combination of no snow tires and a freak blizzard.”
“The snow melted last week,” Kelly pointed out.
“I just got my car back from Bruce on Monday.” Which even she knew was a lame explanation, considering that it was now Saturday and she was still there, still without any firm plans to leave or any set date to do so.
“Monday,” Kelly echoed in a considering tone. “So maybe Lukas isn’t the only one who’s falling?”
Julie sighed. “I’m not falling. But I will say that Lukas is handsome and kind, sexy and sweet. He’s smart, funny, warm, compassionate and probably the most incredible man I’ve ever met.”
“She’s definitely falling,” Georgia confirmed. “Can you believe it—all of the Garrett brothers finding true love in the same calendar year?”
Kelly shook her head. “You read too many romance novels.”
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