“You faked an engagement,” his father interrupted, hands on hips, matching Sam’s anger.
“It was wrong. I know that now. The alternative was you following me around waiting for unicorns and rainbows to come spewing out of my mouth. It ain’t going to happen. Ever. Julia and I had a business arrangement and I messed it up. If I could go back and change things, I would.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
Sam and his father both turned as Scott spoke for the first time.
“You don’t know anything about me or what I would do,” Sam spat out. “Neither of you do.”
“I know you,” Scott countered. “I know that girl got too close. She got under your skin, and I bet it scared the hell out of you. It sure would have me. With her big eyes, long legs and cute baby. She made you feel things and the Callahans don’t like to feel.” He nodded toward Joe. “Another gift from you, Dad. I don’t know what she wanted or expected from you, but it’s a good thing you ended it when you did. We don’t do love. We’re not built that way.”
How could his brother be so right and so wrong at the same time? Being with Julia and Charlie had scared him. But it was because he realized he did love her even though he’d tried to ignore, then bury, his emotions. He’d fallen hard and fast, and it had made him want things that could never be.
She wanted someone to be a father to Charlie. Sam’s paternal relationship was so dysfunctional it was almost laughable. How could he be a decent father with the role model he’d had in Joe?
What if he tried and failed with Julia? He was capable of love, but not in the way a woman like Julia deserved.
Suddenly Joe fell back onto the couch, clutching at his chest.
“Dad!” Both Sam and Scott were at his side in a second.
“What is it, Dad?” Sam asked.
“It’s his heart, you idiot.”
Joe’s eyes drifted closed, and Sam moved his head and legs so he was lying flat across the cushions. “Call 911,” he ordered his brother.
Scott pulled his cell phone from his back pocket, but Joe’s eyes flew open and he reached out a hand. “No, I don’t need medical attention.”
“The hell you don’t,” Sam said on a hiss. “Make the call, Scott.”
“My heart hurts,” Joe said, his voice trembling, “because of the pain I’ve caused the two of you.” He lifted himself to his elbows and looked from Sam to Scott. “My sons, I’ve failed you and I’ll never forgive myself for it.” He covered his eyes with one hand as sobs racked his shoulders.
“Of all the...” Sam grumbled and sank to one arm of the sofa.
Scott threw his cell phone on the coffee table and stalked to the front window, grumbling under his breath.
“Scoot over, old man.” Sam sank down on the couch next to him. “You just about gave me a heart attack there.”
“I need a drink.” Scott’s voice was tense.
“Make it three,” Sam told him. “There’s a bottle of Scotch in the cabinet next to the stove.”
Joe still sat motionless, other than an occasional moan.
Sam’s headache spread until his entire body hurt. “Dad, pull it together. It’s going to be okay.”
“Do you believe that?” Joe asked finally, wiping his damp cheeks. “Do you feel like you’re going to be all right without her?”
No. Sam knew his life was going to be dark and dim, that he could spend years chasing the adrenaline rush that came with his career and nothing would compare with the excitement of having Charlie call him Dada. He felt as though he could be a hero to hundreds of nameless people, and it would pale in comparison to coaxing a real smile out of Julia.
“What choice do I have?”
“You always have a choice. That’s what I didn’t realize until recently. I had a choice to let your mother’s death practically kill me, too, or to keep living. I didn’t do a very good job of making my life count until recently. But I’m learning from the mistakes I made and doing my damnedest to make them better. You have a real chance for love with Julia. Take it.”
“What do I have to offer her?” Sam asked quietly, finally getting to the real heart of the matter. His own fear. “She deserves so much more.”
“I know you think that, son. But if there’s even a glimmer of hope, you’ve got to try. Hell, you’ve got to try even if there isn’t. Because what you have to offer is everything you are. It may not feel like it’s enough but that’s for her to decide. If you never put it out there, you’ll spend your whole life feeling empty and alone. Trust me, that’s no way to live.”
What if Sam opened himself up to try? He may not feel as if he had enough to offer, but he was certain he’d work harder than any other man alive to make her happy. He wanted to see Charlie grow up, to be there for every T-ball game and skinned knee. He wanted to watch Julia hold their babies and grow old with her and everything that came between.
She was everything he’d ever wanted but was too scared to believe he deserved. He nodded as resolve built deep within him. “I’ve got to talk to her.”
“You’d better get moving, then. She’s got a head start on you.”
Scott walked back into the room, balancing three glasses of whiskey. “Turn on ESPN and let’s drown your sorrows.”
Sam ignored his brother. “What do you mean ‘head start’?” he asked his father. “Where did she go?”
“According to Vera, Julia took Charlie and headed to Ohio this morning. They caught a flight out of Charlotte. She told her mother she had some kind of a plan and needed to talk to the ex-boyfriend before the final ruling.”
Sam’s head spun. All he could think of was that Jeff had offered to marry Julia—some sort of business deal where Julia would come to Ohio to raise Charlie near the grandparents and they’d pay all the living expenses. Not a real relationship, but it was no better than what Sam had offered. And it would end the custody battle once and for all.
How could he have been stupid enough to let her go? What if she wouldn’t take him back? What if she figured Charlie’s father was a better deal?
Sam had to stop her. He loved her with his heart and soul. His life would be incomplete without Julia and Charlie in it, and he’d fight as long and as hard as he could to win them back.
He jumped off the couch and grabbed his keys and wallet from the side table. “I’ve got to go,” he yelled to his father. “Lock up behind you.”
Scott grabbed his arm as he strode past. “Don’t do this. No woman is worth running after like you’re some cow-eyed schoolboy.”
“You’re wrong,” Sam answered, shrugging him off. “Julia is everything to me. Someday I hope you’ll find a woman who makes you want to risk your heart. You deserve that. We both do. Dad’s right. He messed up after Mom died, but we don’t have to repeat his mistakes. I’ve got a chance to make it work and you’d better believe I’m going to take it.”
“What if it’s too late?”
“I’ve got to try.”
Scott shook his head, disgust obvious in his angry gaze. “You have to be in D.C. tomorrow at eight o’clock sharp. You’re going to make it, right?”
“I sure as hell hope not.”
Scott cursed under his breath. “Idiot,” he mumbled and drained his glass of Scotch.
“Sam.”
Sam turned to his father. “I’m going to make it work, Dad. You know how relentless we Callahans can be.”
“Good luck, son.” Joe smiled at him. “I’m proud of you.”
Scott snorted and picked up a second drink. “You go turn in your man card. I’m getting drunk.”
Sam wanted to shake his brother, to open his eyes the way Sam’s had been, but he didn’t have time. His only priority right now was Julia and getting to her before she made a deal with Jeff Johnson.
“Sam?�
��
He turned to his father, who threw a small, velvet box in his direction. Sam caught it in one hand. “Is this...?” His voice trailed off as emotion overtook him.
“I had it sent down from Boston. Your mother would want you to have it.”
He nodded. “Thanks, Dad,” he said on a hoarse whisper then sprinted out the door.
* * *
“You’ve got a lot of nerve coming into my home uninvited.” Maria Johnson looked down her nose at Julia. “Watch your child,” she barked suddenly. “That’s an antique Tiffany vase.”
Julia leaned forward to pick up Charlie, who had toddled over to a wooden table and reached up to rub his tiny fingers on a glass vase perched on top.
“Hi, Mama,” he said. His gaze went to Maria, who scowled at him, causing him to bury his face in Julia’s neck.
Julia looked around the formal sitting room where a housekeeper had led her. It was cold, sterile and, like the rest of the house, totally inappropriate for an energetic boy. Even now she heard Maria tsk softly when she noticed the fingerprints Charlie had left around the bottom of the vase.
She’d asked for Jeff, but he was on his way back from a round of golf with his father. Unwilling to be distracted from her mission, or maybe afraid she’d lose her nerve, Julia had insisted on being let into the enormous house. She’d known Jeff’s family had money when they’d dated, but the Dynasty-sized home gave her a much better perspective on how rich the Johnsons really were. They clearly had unlimited resources at their disposal to get what they wanted.
Which brought her back to the matter at hand.
“I still can’t believe you have the nerve to try to take my son from me,” she said with a dry smile. “I guess that makes us even.”
“Your case is crumbling, and you lied about your relationship status. It’s only a matter of time until they take him from you. It will be better in the end. We can give him so much more than you could ever dream of. Look at Jeffrey.”
“Speaking of Jeffrey, he asked me to marry him.”
Maria didn’t speak but the anger in her eyes said it all. Her face remained as smooth as marble, her expression typically blank, thanks to one too many cosmetic procedures. “Why would he do that? We don’t need you to raise the child properly.”
“Maybe giving a kid every material thing they want doesn’t cut it. Your son is a loser, truth be told.”
“How dare you! He’s a respected professor with—”
“Funny, I thought that, too, when I first met him. Turns out, Jeff is a bit of a joke around campus. He does his research expeditions, conveniently funded by your husband’s corporation, but little else.” Julia sat Charlie on the floor and gave him several plastic toys from the diaper bag to keep him occupied. She dug through her bag for a stack of papers. “I have written documentation from the university about the sexual-misconduct charges filed against Jeff by four different undergraduates. Apparently, when he was teaching, it took a bit of extra work to get an A from Professor Johnson.” Julia didn’t mention that three of the incidents had happened during the time she’d been dating Jeff.
Maria tried to narrow her eyes, but they only moved a fraction. “How did you get those?”
Julia wasn’t going to say where because she honestly didn’t know. She hadn’t even known until this moment whether the information she’d been given was real or fake. She’d been desperate, racking her brain for a way to make the custody battle go away, even wondering if she actually should accept Jeff’s horrible proposal for Charlie’s sake.
Then, two days ago, a package had arrived for her at the salon, containing the information about Jeff and other sordid details regarding the Johnsons.
At that moment, Jeff and his father walked into the room.
“What’s she doing here?” Dennis Johnson said through his teeth.
“Julia, have you finally realized my offer’s the best you’re going to get?” Jeff gave her a wink and a sneer. To think she’d once found him attractive. She’d been such a fool. Charlie threw the set of plastic keys then went to retrieve them. Both men looked at him as though he was some sort of flesh-eating alien. There was no way she was going to let this family get their hands on her son for one minute, no matter what she had to do to prevent it.
“Jeffrey, be quiet.” This from Maria. “Thanks to your on-campus dalliances, Ms. Morgan thinks she has some hold over us.”
Jeff’s voice turned petulant. “Mom, I didn’t—”
“Sit down, son.” Maria’s voice took on a dictator-like quality and Jeff’s mouth clamped shut. “You were groomed for so much more. We gave you everything.” She pointed to the damask-covered couch. “Sit down and let your father and I fix this problem like we have all your others. You’ve messed up things for the last time. We’ve got another chance with your son. I won’t let you get in the way.”
A sick pit grew in Julia’s stomach as Jeff’s shoulders slumped and he threw himself onto the couch. She’d known he didn’t get along with his parents and now she understood why. She wondered how many of his problems were thanks to being raised by Mommy Dearest’s twin sister.
Julia might have problems, but she knew she’d always put Charlie’s best interests first in her life. Which was why she straightened her shoulders and said, “Jeff’s not the only one in the family who has trouble keeping his parts in his pants.” She waved a few more papers toward Dennis. “Like father, like son, from what I’ve discovered.”
Dennis swallowed visibly as Maria sucked in a harsh breath. “How do you know that? No one has that information. I paid good money to make sure of it.”
“Not enough, apparently.” Julia picked up Charlie, who was grabbing at her legs. “Now let’s talk—”
The door to the sitting room opened and Sam burst through, followed closely by the Johnsons’ housekeeper.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the older woman said, gasping. “He barged right past me.”
Sam stood in the entry for a moment, looking every bit the bull in a china shop. Oh, how she loved him, even now. Every part of him. Julia’s heart seemed to stop for a second. Charlie squirmed in her arms at the sight of Sam, squealing with delight. Julia hated that her body had the exact same reaction.
“The fake fiancé?” Jeff drawled from the couch. “Really, Julia? This is a bit of a production, even for you.”
Sam pointed at Jeff. “Shut your mouth, pretty boy, or I’ll come over and do it for you.”
“What are you doing here, Sam?” Julia asked, her voice hoarse with emotion. She didn’t want to need him. She didn’t want to need anyone but was so relieved to not be fighting this battle alone, she could barely hold it together.
He looked at her and she knew he saw it, saw everything about her. He knew she had a tough exterior but was soft and scared at the core. And she knew it was okay to be vulnerable around him, that he wouldn’t judge her or use her weakness to his advantage. Even with all that had happened between them, she ached to trust him. To lean on him and use his strength as her own.
“I’m here because at your side is where I belong. Forever.”
“Don’t bother,” Maria said with a sniff. “There’s no audience. The judge isn’t here. No use pretending now, Chief Callahan. It’s too late.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Sam took a step forward. “At least I hope you’re wrong. Is it too late, Jules?”
“For what?”
“For me to be the man you want and need me to be.” He walked toward her then bent to his knee. “For this.” He pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it, a diamond flanked by two emeralds twinkling up at her.
Julia and Maria gasped at the same time.
“It was my mother’s ring. I want you to have it.” He smiled at her hopefully. “I want all of it, Julia. You and Charlie and me. I love you. I wa
nt to spend the rest of my life proving how much. Proving I can be the man you deserve.”
“What about the U.S. Marshals job?”
“I called today and said I wouldn’t be joining them. The Brevia town council has renewed my contract for another three years. I’m there for keeps, and I want it to be with you. We’re going to make this work. I’ll be at your side fighting for Charlie, for our family, as long and as hard as it takes. Just don’t give up on me, Julia.”
Confined to her arms long enough, Charlie practically dived forward toward Sam, who wrapped his arms around him. “Hey, buddy. I’ve missed you.”
He took the box from Sam’s hand. “Here, Mama.” Perched on Sam’s knee, Charlie held the ring up to Julia.
She held out her hand, and the two men she loved most in the world slipped the ring onto her finger. “I love you, Sam. Always have. You had me at the car wreck two years ago.”
He straightened and wrapped both her and Charlie in a tight hug then kissed her softly, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears that flowed down her cheeks.
“This doesn’t change anything,” Maria hissed. “We’ve got all the time and money in the world.”
“But don’t forget the information I still have. I don’t want to use it but I will, Mrs. Johnson. I’ll do anything to keep my son safe.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Jeff stood, looking as thoughtful and serious as Julia could ever remember.
“Jeffrey, stay out of this.”
“Not this time, Mother.” He took a step toward Julia and Sam. “I don’t want to be a father. I never did. But I can tell you that my son deserves better than what I had growing up.”
“You had everything,” Dennis argued, his face turning bright red.
“He deserves a family who loves and cherishes him.” Jeff’s gaze never left Julia. “Have your attorney draw up the paperwork for me to relinquish custody and send it to my office at the university. I’ll sign whatever you want me to.”
Her Accidental Engagement (Harlequin Special Edition) Page 19