A Very Special Delivery

by Brenda Harlen

“And you don’t think you could love me?” he guessed.

  Julie didn’t know how to answer that question. Because the truth was, it wasn’t that she didn’t think she could love him but that she already did.

  * * *

  Because Jackson had insisted on a short engagement and the church that Kelly wanted to get married in was booked for every Saturday into the following spring, they decided to have a midweek evening candlelight service. And when the bride and groom held hands and looked into one another’s eyes to exchange their vows, it was one of the most beautiful and heartwarming ceremonies Julie had ever witnessed.

  Of course, being at Jackson and Kelly’s wedding got Julie thinking about her own aborted plans. She’d been so excited when Elliott proposed. As many young girls do, she’d dreamed about her wedding for a long time. She’d stockpiled bridal magazines, clipped out photos of dresses and flowers and cakes. Yet when Elliott put his ring on her finger, she’d never taken her planning to the next level. She hadn’t gone dress shopping or visited floral shops or sampled wedding cakes.

  And she had absolutely no regrets that the wedding had never happened. Because even if Elliott had never raised a hand to her, he’d also never looked at her the way Jackson looked at Kelly. Or the way she looked right back at him.

  Of course, Julie hadn’t looked at Elliott that way, either. She’d loved who she thought he was and the life she’d envisioned for them together, but in the end, she’d had no difficulty walking away from him. There’d been no void in her life when she left him. In fact, she’d felt a sense of relief, a feeling of peace that she’d finally made the right choice. And that choice had, eventually, brought her to where she was today.

  Glancing over at Lukas now, she saw that he was looking at her, and the warmth and affection in his gaze made her tingle all over. No one had ever looked at her the way he did; no one had ever made her feel the way he did.

  But did he love her?

  Despite Kelly’s conviction that he did, Lukas had never said those words to Julie. And why would he put his heart on the line when she’d told him that she wasn’t going to fall in love with him? Of course, she knew now that those words had been a lie even when she’d spoken them. But was she strong enough—brave enough—to trust in what they had together?

  She thought about that question through the meal and the numerous toasts and speeches in honor of the happy couple. The first dance of the bride and groom was usually followed by the traditional father and bride dance. Instead, it was the groom who danced with his daughter. As they waltzed around the dance floor, Julie marveled at the fact that Jackson had only recently learned that he had a daughter—and now he was dancing with her at his wedding to her mother.

  Her gaze shifted across the table to Lukas’s other brother. Matt, always the doting father, was sitting beside Georgia with Pippa in his lap. Certainly no one would ever guess that he wasn’t the biological father of the three kids he loved as if they were his own. Julie didn’t have to wonder if Lukas could ever love Caden the same way—because she knew that he already did.

  And it wasn’t just Lukas—his whole family had accepted Julie and her son, easily and without question. Well, Kelly had had more than a few questions, but Julie understood that her inquiries were motivated by concern and affection. She was trying to protect Lukas, and Julie could appreciate and respect that kind of loyalty.

  That was one of the reasons she could imagine herself living here, being part of this family, part of the community. Pinehurst would be a wonderful place to raise her son. In fact, Georgia had said one of the reasons she’d decided to move here with her family was to raise them in a smaller town with old-fashioned values. Looking at Georgia’s adorable twins now, Julie remembered Shane’s impulsive offer to share his building blocks with Caden, and she knew that she didn’t want to take him away from here.

  She wanted her son to know Quinn and Shane and Pippa. And although Ava was already mostly grown up, she absolutely adored Caden and Julie knew she wouldn’t ever find a babysitter for him that she liked or trusted more. Maybe they wouldn’t be related by blood, but spending time with Lukas’s family had made her realize that family was about so much more than shared DNA. It was the bonds and connections that developed through mutual respect and affection, but the greatest connection was love.

  Julie loved Lukas with her whole heart.

  And that, she finally realized, was why she had to go back to Springfield.

  * * *

  When the dance floor was opened up to all of the other guests, Lukas came looking for her. The third song had barely begun when she saw him walking toward her, determination in every step. There was something incredibly sexy about a man with a purpose. Or maybe it was the glint in his eye that made everything inside her quiver.

  He offered his hand to her. “Dance with me.”

  It was more of a demand than an invitation, but Julie didn’t care. She just wanted to be in his arms. Ava, back at the table after her turn around the dance floor, willingly took Caden from her.

  “Have I told you that you look absolutely spectacular tonight?” Lukas asked, as he drew her into his embrace.

  She shook her head.

  “Well, you do. When I saw you come down the stairs in that dress…you actually took my breath away.”

  She’d gone shopping for the occasion, because she knew she didn’t have any appropriate wedding attire with her, and because she was always happy for an excuse to go shopping. The emerald-green wrap-style dress was both flattering and functional, with long, narrow sleeves and a full skirt that twirled above her knees.

  He dipped his head and lowered his voice. “But as fabulous as you look in that dress, I can’t wait to get you out of it.”

  The words sent a quick thrill through her veins. And as much as she wanted the same thing, she couldn’t resist teasing, “You think you’re going to get lucky tonight?”

  He smiled, but his eyes were serious. “I think the luckiest day of my life was the day I met you.”

  “I feel the same way,” she admitted.

  “I realized something today, when Jack and Kelly exchanged their vows. For the first time in my life, I seriously envied my brother. And no—not because he was marrying Kelly, but because he was marrying the woman he loves. And because I know that they’re going to be together forever, happily ever after.

  “I want the same thing, Julie. I want to spend the rest of my life with you because you mean everything to me. But I don’t just want you—I want Caden, too. I want to be your husband and his father, and maybe, in the future, we could add another kid or two to the mix, but that doesn’t matter to me nearly as much as being with you.”

  Her heart was pounding so hard inside her chest it actually ached. “Is that your idea of a proposal?”

  “I’ve got the ring in my pocket,” he told her. “And I’ll get down on one knee right here and now if you want me to.”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  The last thing she wanted was the focus of all of Jack and Kelly’s guests on them—especially when she couldn’t give Lukas the answer he wanted.

  “I’m hoping for a different response to the spending our lives together part,” he prompted.

  “I want to give you a different response,” she admitted. “But I’m going back to Springfield. Tomorrow.”

  “What? Why?”

  “To see Elliott.”

  Though the music continued, he stopped moving. “You’re still in love with him.”

  “No.” Her response was as vehement as it was immediate, because she didn’t want Lukas to believe that for even half a second. “But I have to tell him about Caden. I’ve been putting it off, for reasons I’m not even sure I understand. But sometime during the past few days, I realized that I won’t ever be able to move forward with my life until I know that the past is behind me.” She held his gaze, not even trying to hide the depth of emotion she knew would be reflected in her eyes. “I want to move forward wit
h my life—with you.”

  He took her hand and guided her off the dance floor. But instead of heading back toward their table, he turned in the opposite direction. He found a quiet corner, behind an enormous Christmas tree, and faced her. “So when are we leaving?”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Do you really think I’m going to let you meet your former fiance without backup?”

  And that was just one of the reasons she loved him. But as much as she appreciated his protectiveness and willingness to rearrange his schedule to be there for her, she wasn’t going to let him go all Neanderthal man on her.

  “I’m meeting him for coffee at The Cobalt Room—a restaurant in the Courtland Hotel,” she explained. “It’s a public place, so there’s no need to worry about backup.”

  “You don’t want me to come with you?”

  “I do want you to come to Springfield with me, but I need to meet with Elliott on my own. I need to stand up for myself. You don’t have to like it,” she told him. “But I hope you respect me enough to understand that this is something I have to do.”

  “I don’t like it.” He touched his lips to hers. “But I understand.”

  “Do you think you can clear your schedule so that we can stay in Springfield for the weekend?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She took his hands, linked their fingers together. “Good. My parents will be home on Saturday and I’d really like them to meet the man I’m going to marry.”

  “Does that mean you accept my proposal?”

  “It means that I’m hoping you’ll ask me again after I’ve cleaned up the mess I’ve made of my life.”

  * * *

  Julie was more worried about her meeting with her former fiance than she’d been willing to admit to Lukas. Although she’d never loved Elliott with the same depth and intensity that she loved Lukas, she’d had genuine feelings for him. She didn’t regret walking away. She would not be a victim and she would never forgive Elliott for what he’d done, but she still worried that seeing him again might stir up old feelings that she didn’t want stirred.

  “Mr. Winchester called to say that he would be a few minutes late, but his table is ready, if you’d like to be seated,” the hostess told her.

  “Yes, please.”

  She wished she’d accepted Lukas’s offer to come with her. She’d wanted to do this on her own, to prove to herself that she could, but now she was regretting her decision. She wanted him there with her. She wanted the man she loved beside her, and she wanted the comforting weight of her baby in her arms. She felt so much braver and stronger when she was with Lukas, and she knew she was capable of doing anything to protect her son.

  She ordered decaf coffee and was stirring cream into her cup when she spotted Elliott crossing the room.

  She watched his approach, trying to view him through the eyes of an objective stranger. He moved with purpose and authority. He was a good-looking man, charming and charismatic, and he drew attention wherever he went.

  She exhaled a grateful sigh at the realization that she honestly didn’t feel anything for him anymore. Not even fear. And with that realization, a sense of peace settled over her, calming any residual nerves. He couldn’t hurt her. She wouldn’t let him. And she wouldn’t let him hurt her son.

  But could he hurt her father? That was the question that continued to nag at her.

  He reached the table and leaned down to kiss her cheek, and though she stiffened, she didn’t pull away. She’d wanted this meeting with Elliott to take place in a public venue for a number of reasons but causing a scene wasn’t one of them. So she forced a smile and kept it on her face while he seated himself across from her.

  “I’m so pleased you called,” Elliott said.

  “Are you?”

  “Of course. I know the situation between us didn’t exactly end on a positive note, but I hoped we could find our way back to being friends.”

  “Do you have a spin doctor on your political team now? Because ‘didn’t exactly end on a positive note’ is an interesting interpretation of the fact that you slapped me around.”

  He winced at the bluntness of her assessment. “I’d had too much to drink. I lost my temper.”

  “That doesn’t justify what you did.”

  “I’m not trying to justify it,” he assured her. “I know the alcohol isn’t an excuse, but it is part of the reason.

  “When you left—when I realized what I’d done to make you leave—” he hastily amended “—I hit rock bottom. I finally accepted that I couldn’t fix everything on my own. I went to an AA meeting, then I found a counselor who specializes in anger management, and I turned my life around.”

  “If that’s true, I’m glad.”

  “It is true. But I couldn’t have done any of it without Genevieve.”

  “Genevieve Durand?” She’d met the woman, whose family had been close friends of the Winchester family for years, on several occasions. But she’d never thought that Genevieve and Elliott were particularly friendly.

  “Well, she’s Genevieve Winchester now.”

  She just stared at him, still not comprehending.

  Elliott’s easy smile faded. “You didn’t know?”

  “Know what?”

  “I got married. Four months ago.”

  “Oh. Well…congratulations.”

  “I’m sorry—I honestly thought you knew. The engagement announcement was in both the Globe and the Herald.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve been out of town. I didn’t know.”

  If she had known, she might not have stressed for so long about the possibility that he might want to reconcile for the sake of their child. The child who was, of course, the reason she’d needed to see him today.

  “Does Genevieve know what happened between us?”

  “I told her everything.”

  “Not quite everything,” she countered.

  Elliott’s gaze narrowed. “What do you mean?”

  She blew out a breath. “I had a child,” she finally said. “He was born the first of November.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  It went against every instinct Luke possessed to let Julie meet with her former fiance by herself. He understood why she wanted to do so, but he didn’t like it. And if she left that meeting with even one hair on her head out of place, the aspiring politician was going to be very sorry.

  He’d been tempted to follow her, to lurk behind a potted plant in the restaurant or hover at the wine bar. And maybe she suspected that he would do something like that because she’d left Caden in his care. Or maybe she just didn’t want the baby anywhere near his biological father.

  Julie never referred to Elliott as Caden’s father. As far as she was concerned, he might have contributed to her son’s DNA but that didn’t make him his father. Lukas agreed that biology was only part of the equation, because while there was absolutely no genetic link between him and the little boy, there was an undeniable connection. And there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for the child—or his mother.

  Which was undoubtedly why he ended up babysitting while Julie went to meet with the man she’d once planned to marry. The man who had used physical strength and threats to intimidate her.

  Thankfully, she’d been strong enough to break away from Elliott. And while he understood that she wanted to prove that she could stand on her own two feet, he suspected that she’d also wanted to keep Luke a safe distance from her ex. Because if he came face-to-face with the man who had dared laid a hand on Julie, Luke knew it was entirely possible that he’d end up in jail on an assault charge.

  Which reminded him of one more thing that he wanted to take care of while they were in town.

  He’d dropped her off at the restaurant where she was meeting Elliott, and it turned out that the Courtland Hotel was conveniently located across the street from the DA’s office. And by the time she called for him to pick her up, he’d made the necessary calls and contacts.

  He very ne
arly forgot the plan when she came down the steps from the hotel lobby, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glowing. Just looking at her took his breath away. And when she planted her lips on his and kissed him, long and hard, right in the middle of the sidewalk, she took his breath away all over again.

  “You look…happy.”

  “I am.” She took Caden from his arms and held him close for a minute. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For coming with me—and for staying away.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said dryly.

  She grinned. “I’ve got something to show you.”

  “Here?” He looked pointedly at the pedestrians moving around them.

  “Right here, right now,” she said, and pulled a manila envelope out of her purse.

  His curiosity undeniably piqued, Luke opened the flap and took out the papers inside. It was a formal legal document prepared, he noted, by Jackson Garrett. As he skimmed through the legalese, certain key phrases caught his attention, most notably “acknowledgment of paternity” and “voluntary relinquishment of parental rights.” And it was duly signed and dated by Elliott Davis Winchester III.

  “Why are you frowning?” Julie asked him.

  He hadn’t realized that he was, but he couldn’t deny that he was a little perturbed by this unexpected turn of events. “I can’t believe that he signed away his legal rights without ever seeing his child.”

  “I knew he’d be worried about the potential scandal of having an out-of-wedlock child. It turns out, that’s only half of it.”

  “What’s the other half?”

  “His wife is pregnant.”

  “He’s married?”

  She nodded, apparently unfazed by the news. “They had a small, intimate ceremony in Boston four months ago.”

  “I guess it didn’t take him long to get over his broken heart,” he mused.

  “I never thought I was the great love of his life, but I did think our relationship was about more than politics. But Elliott had a precise plan mapped out for his road to the House of Representatives, and finding a devoted wife was an important part of that plan—almost as important as his carefully documented ancestry and Ivy League education.”