On Friday afternoon, he picked up Heather at her office and drove her to his house. “Except for the first three years of my life, I’ve always lived here, and what you see represents my parents’ personalities rather than mine.”
“It’s a beautiful home. You haven’t changed anything?”
“Nothing. Since mom died I’ve been focused on clearing up the matter of my parentage. Eventually, I’ll sell it and build one that suits me.”
“Are you thinking about the Harringtons for the job?”
“I hadn’t, but I’ve seen Russ’s and Drake’s homes. They’re magnificent. Sure.” He looked straight at her, and without any semblance of a smile, he said, “Unless you’d prefer some other architect and builder.” The bell rang simultaneously with her gasp. He rushed to open the door.
Judson and Russ greeted each other with a brotherly embrace. “Come in,” Judson said. “Heather’s in the living room.”
Russ greeted Heather with a kiss on the cheek. “We’re glad you’re coming with us. Imagine Judson all alone among a bunch of lovers.”
Heather’s grin creased her smooth face, and sparks danced in her eyes. “Why? I thought he got on well with Henry.” She turned to Judson. “You did, didn’t you?”
“Keep it up,” he growled. “I may forget Russ is here.”
Both hands went to her hips in a gesture he hadn’t previously seen her make. “Really? Honey, I can’t wait to see what you’ll do.”
She challenged him often, but she hadn’t previously challenged him in the presence of a man he considered his equal. He took his time getting to her and, as if choreographed to do so, Russ stepped aside to let him pass. He stopped in front of her, stared down at the mischief dancing in her eyes and crushed her to him. Like a robot, her arms went around his shoulders, but he put on his thinking cap and resisted the temptation.
“When I do get you alone, I’m going to make you scream with pleasure, and that’s a promise,” he whispered in her ear.
Russ whooped. “From the expression on her face, Judson, you may as well have said it aloud. I was going to suggest that you two ride with Velma and me, but I wouldn’t like to have my car set on fire.”
Judson hugged Heather and kissed her forehead. “Try to behave.”
“Don’t I always?”
He picked up two of their bags, handed one to Russ and then lifted the one that contained gifts. “Sure you do, and Baltimore borders on Canada.”
Velma got out of the car and greeted them. “I’m so glad you could come, Heather. We’ve been looking forward to seeing you again.”
“As I think of it,” Russ said, easing away from the curb, “it’s not such a good idea, Judson, to have these two women together. My wife’s full of pranks and devilment, and challenge is her middle name.”
Velma turned so that she could see the backseat. “Don’t listen to him, Judson. I’m as innocent as a lamb born today. Nobody ever got away with challenging Russ, and there’s no point in trying to argue with him.”
“The way to keep a marriage nice and friendly,” Russ said, “is to forget about winning arguments. Women love to win. I couldn’t care less about that. I say what I think, and that’s it.”
“I love to win,” Heather said. “And I like a good fight so long as it’s genteel, clever and is conducted by rules of good conduct. You know…foxy, outwitting your opponent.”
“That’s why you’re a good ambassador,” Judson told her. How would she ever give up that goal and settle in Baltimore with him? The thought depressed him.
“That’s the trait of a first-class lawyer, too,” Russ said. “Life with the two of you should be exciting.”
“It is,” Heather said. “Judson’s a wonderful man.”
He reached for her hand, and she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
They reached Pinehurst in time to see the sun slip into the bay. Russ walked onto the boat first, looked back and called to Judson. “You all come on. I hired a captain for the weekend because I want to enjoy it. Steering a boat is as much of a responsibility as driving at high speed on a crowded highway. We’ll spend the night at Drake’s house in St. Michaels. He’s got a small boat docked there.”
“This is not a small boat.”
“No, but I didn’t want a second house, so I got a big boat. Velma and I spend weekends on it.”
Henry baited his hook and cast out as soon as the boat moved out to deep water. “Come over here,” he called to Heather. “You can hold the basket in case I catch anything.” Judson looked at Russ in time to see him throw back his head and laugh.
Heather had already planned to marry Judson, but she liked Henry, and she suspected he had a reason for his request. He didn’t keep her waiting. “How long is it gonna take you to get Judson’s ring on yer finger, Heather? He’s a fine man, he loves you and he’s lonely.”
“He doesn’t seem lonely to me, Henry.”
“Then you’re not as smart as I thought you were. Heather, a first-class man like Judson does not go around with the word lonely stuck to his chest. If you love him, you shoulda figured it out just like I did. Here, hold this while I support me back.”
“But suppose a fish bites.”
“Then you’ll hold on tight, ’cause that’s me best rod and tackle that Judson gave me.”
She heard the pride in his voice. “Isn’t the water too deep for fishing?”
“No, and don’t change the subject. If you show Judson you need him, he’ll get the courage to ask ye to marry him.”
“Why would he need courage?”
“Child, there’s not a man born who enjoys the word no coming from a woman and especially if he loves her. Ever hear of the male ego?”
“Gotcha. But, Henry, I think he wants the proof of his parentage first.”
“And ’spose he never gets it? Don’t you believe that. Look at him standing over there wondering why you’d rather be with me than with him. Go on over there. I can handle me basket when I need to. Don’t let it drag too long. You hear?”
“Thanks, Henry. You have a way of endearing yourself to me. Be back later.”
She walked over to Judson. “Is he pulling in anything?” Judson asked her.
“Not yet. I thought Telford, Drake and their families would join us. What happened?”
“Telford went directly to Drake’s house. Drake dropped Henry off here this morning. He wanted to catch crabs and, according to Russ, he pulled in a couple of bushels. Henry’s an expert fisherman.”
Judson took her hand and walked with her down to the bar where Velma was putting together snacks. “What do you want to drink, sweetheart?”
“Gin and tonic if I get something to eat along with it.”
Russ entered the room, picked up Velma and kissed her. Then he eased her down until her feet touched the floor and kissed her properly. She hung on to him as if her life depended on it. When Velma’s breathing accelerated almost to a pant, Heather forced herself to look away. But frissons of heat plowed through her, and she turned to leave the bar. Judson stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and gave her the drink.
“They love each other,” he said for her ears only, “and they’re free to do whatever they enjoy doing.”
She nearly spilled the drink. “I know. Oh, I know.”
He set her glass on the bar and pulled her into his arms. “No woman is more precious to a man than you are to me.”
She kissed his neck. “Do you really mean that? I want so badly to believe it.”
“If you trust me, I’ll show you beauty you didn’t dream existed. The sun will shine brighter, the moon will shimmer with a silvery glow, and your life will be fuller and sweeter than it’s ever been. Give me a chance, and I’ll show you a world you’ve never seen or imagined.”
She held him tight and snuggled closer. “If you don’t stop it, I may cry. If you give me all that, what can I give you?”
“Yourself is all I want and all I’ll need.”
“Our time will come, Judson. At least, I hope so.” She looked around. “Where did they go?”
“They saw that we needed privacy.”
“I guess. How long have they been married?”
“Around four years, I think. Drake’s been married almost three years and Telford, almost four years. Why?”
“They’re like lovers, courting,” she said, increasingly bemused. This was not her estimation of marriage.
“Why shouldn’t they be?” he asked her. “Drake and Pamela are the same. Love and passion do not end with marriage. The feelings should deepen.”
“Yes,” she said softly and tried to believe it.
“Supper’s ready,” Velma called. “We’ll be at Drake’s place in about forty-five minutes or so. Honey, pull Henry in here. He’d stay up there trying to get a fish all night.”
“Did you catch anything?” Heather asked Henry after Russ said grace.
“I got meself three good-size croakers and two mackerel. A big flounder got away.”
Judson sampled a piece of baked bluefish. “That’s quite a haul for a couple of hours, Henry.”
“I ain’t tired, though. I caught two bushels of crabs earlier, got meself a couple hours of sleep, and now I could fish all night.”
“But you won’t,” Russ said, in a no-nonsense voice. “You’re going in that house and go to bed like the rest of us.”
Henry looked at Heather. “When I was raising me boys, they never considered talking back to me, but this one here’s got to the place where he thinks he’s me daddy.”
“But you know he loves you,” Velma said. She looked at Heather. “I didn’t grow up in a loving and peaceful home. You don’t want to know what it was like to be around my parents, and especially at night. I never knew what a loving family could be like until I met Russ, his brothers and Henry. They loved each other and they showered love on Alexis and Tara. That’s why I love Henry. He planted the seeds for that. Witnessing the genuine affection and love among them changed my life and the way I looked at life.
“When I realized and accepted that Russ really loved me, I saw myself and everything around me differently.” She sniffed back the tears. “And it seems like we love each other more every day.”
The pressure of Judson’s knee against her drew Heather’s attention to him. He let his expression say, “Isn’t that what I told you?”
She reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, but what she wanted most was the assurance of his arms around her. If only she could know where she’d be, with whom, and what she’d be doing a year hence. She smiled because he needed it from her.
They finished supper shortly before the captain spoke through the intercom. “We’ll be docking in a few minutes. I see Mr. Harrington’s signal lights.”
“Are we docking at the edge of Drake’s property?” Judson asked.
“Exactly,” Russ said. “He’s got a pier that extends out into the bay. Henry’d sit there all night and fish if we’d let him. You go on, Henry. I’ll take your fish and your suitcase in.”
“I’ll help you with this stuff,” Judson told him. When they reached the gangplank, he saw Drake and Telford coming to meet them. “I’ve finally got some brothers,” he said to himself happily.
The brothers embraced him and Heather and took the bags that he carried. “We’ll be back for the crabs,” Drake called to Russ.
“If there’re any mosquitoes,” Heather whispered to Judson, “I’m not coming back outside.”
“Not to worry, baby. I’ll cover you with this spray I bought, and neither the mosquitoes nor I will come within a mile of you.”
Pamela met them as they entered the front door and embraced first Henry and then Heather. She put an arm around Heather and walked toward the stairs. “You may share with Judson or have your own room.”
“Thanks, but I’ll suffer alone.”
Pamela laughed. “That’s what I figured. Sharing with him would be a mistake, ’cause Henry would give you a tongue-lashing.”
“Why? Is he that old-fashioned?”
“Indeed not, but he told me not to make it easy for Judson.”
“I guess I’m backward about these things,” Heather said. “If he wants the benefits of marriage, he’ll have to get married. Making love is one thing, but keeping house for a man goes with a solid commitment and witnesses to that fact. And even then, housekeeping will be a shared activity. Slavery is out.”
“My sentiments exactly. Telford and his gang will have the master bedroom. You and Judson will have the two guest bedrooms, Henry will have the other bedroom, and Drake and I will sleep in the den on the Murphy bed. So there’s plenty of room.”
They walked into a room that faced the bay and which Pamela had decorated in aqua and white for a very feminine effect. “This is beautiful,” Heather said. “I love the colors, and it suits this environment.” She sat down. “I know you’re busy, but I’ve wanted to ask you something. I’m sure women make a fuss over Drake because they literally throw themselves at Judson, and they’re dead ringers for each other. Does it annoy you?”
Pamela sat down and exposed a perfect pair of legs when she crossed her knees. “What used to get to me was the way they ignored my presence. Some would suggest to him that I’d caught him. One woman put her arm through his and asked him where he came from. Another one asked me where I found him, but he grinned at her and said, ‘I found her.’ Drake detests that adulation, and he has a sharp-tongued way of putting the women in their place.
“Don’t worry about it, and whatever you do, don’t be jealous. He could have had any of them, but you’re the one he wants and the one he loves. Never forget that, and you’ll be happy. Do you want to marry him?”
“We love each other, Pamela, and I haven’t loved any other man. But what I saw in my parents’ relationship was not conducive to faith in marriage.”
“Every marriage is different, Heather,” Pamela confessed. “My dad worships the ground my mother walks on, and she doesn’t want to be away from him ever. After thirty-five years of marriage against their families’ wishes and without their support, they’re still passionate about each other. It’s an interracial marriage, and they’ve had a lot of social problems because they live in the South, but I’ve never heard them say one cross word to each other.”
“Which one is African-American?”
“My mother. Her dad didn’t speak to her for seven years after she married my father, but they reconciled a good while before he died.”
Heather shook her head as if saddened. “My mother just walked off one day when I was ten and never came back. I can’t understand how she could leave a nine-year-old child and never look back.”
“Maybe she did look back. Sometimes when you close a door, you can’t reopen it.”
Heather nodded. “I’ll think about that. It’s an angle I hadn’t considered. Let’s go down. I haven’t greeted Alexis and Tara.”
Tara met them on the stairs. “Hi, Miss Heather. I was afraid Mr. Judson didn’t bring you.”
Heather hunkered in front of the little girl and hugged her. “I’m so glad to see you, Tara.”
“Are you going to marry Mr. Judson? If you do, I’ll have another auntie. I love my aunties.”
“I don’t know about that, Tara. Be patient. We’ll see.”
“Okay. I’ll be patient as long as you don’t say no.” Heather hugged the little girl. So Telford’s family had discussed her relationship with Judson, and it seemed as if they wanted Judson to marry her. They must have seen something deep and loving between them.
“There you are.”
Heather looked up and saw Alexis reaching toward her with open arms. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you and Judson here. This is always a bang-up weekend for us,
and it’s probably the last we’ll have this year.”
She embraced Alexis. “I was wondering how long Drake keeps this house open. I’ll bet it would be a beautiful place for Christmas festivities.”
“I imagine it would, but everyone gathers around Henry, Telford and the family home at Christmas. I hope you’ll be with us this year. We have a wonderful three- or four-day celebration.”
“Thank you, Alexis. I confess that I feel happy with this group. Love and affection seem to spill out of everybody.”
“It does. We don’t go barhopping or night clubbing, and we don’t seem to need much entertaining. I guess that’s one of the reasons why we’re so close to each other.
“Come on, we’re having coffee and dessert here. Velma made the dessert, and Drake’s in there making the coffee. I think we’re having it in the den.”
“Where’s the baby?”
“Marc’s upstairs sound asleep. I’m just having dessert. I don’t take in caffeine while I’m nursing. The most difficult adjustment to that wasn’t the coffee, but giving up chocolate. I love chocolate.”
“Thanks for telling me. The minute I decide to get pregnant—if I ever do—I’m going to pig out on chocolate. So I won’t miss it as much.”
Alexis let a grin spread over her face. “And start drinking orange juice.”
Heather threw up her hands. “I’d better make a list. I always thought that all you had to do was…”
Alexis interrupted her with a big laugh. “Dear Lord, that’s huge! Honey, that’s the least of it.”
After dessert, Tara went to her bed, Velma and Drake served espresso and cognac, and Pamela treated them to a rendition of “Climb Every Mountain” because Henry asked her to sing it. Drake played some CDs of Buddy Guy’s gut-bucket blues and jazz. It surprised Heather that the brothers immediately paired off with their wives in slow dancing. She didn’t look toward Judson, and hoped that Henry would ask her to dance, but instead, he announced that he was going to bed.
“Dance with me?” She looked up at Judson, and shivers soared through her body. Zombielike, she took the hand he held out to her, walked into his arms and let the flow of love and passion possess her. She loved the way he danced and gave herself over to it.
Love Me Tonight Page 18