Secrets Gone South (Crimson Romance)

by Pace, Alicia Hunter

  Luke just nodded. It was easy to see that he didn’t feel good about it but she didn’t have time to coddle him.

  “I’ve got to go. Will will be over soon?”

  “Give me a second to get my coat,” Luke said. “I’ll walk with you. I’m picking up the kids. Lanie’s staying in town until after book club.”

  Chapter Six

  Will didn’t do nervous, hadn’t done nervous in years. But as he rang the bell at the back door of Heavenly Confections, his heart pounded. He mentally prepared himself for Arabelle to let him in, but when the door opened, he found himself face to face with Luke Avery. And he did not look happy.

  “So,” Luke said grimly, “I understand congratulations are in order. Or welcome to the family. Or both.”

  “Thank you,” Will said. He had no interest in responding to Luke’s mood. It was easier to just take his words at face value.

  Luke moved aside and allowed him to step into the stairwell that led to the upstairs apartments.

  “I am not going to pretend to be thrilled about this,” Luke said.

  “Maybe you’ll get happier as time goes on,” Will said cheerfully. He liked Luke, had no wish to tangle with him.

  Luke looked a little chagrined. “Look, Will, it’s not personal. It’s just fast.”

  Will had not talked to Arabelle since this morning when she had called to tell him—quite tersely—the story she had concocted. He sure hoped she had stuck to it.

  “It hasn’t been fast,” Will said. “It’s been a long time coming. It’s only new to you.” He hated lying, hated it. He wanted to say, Out of my way, Luke. My boy is at the top of those stairs. I’ve lost time that I can never get back and you’re costing me more.

  “Arabelle has been through a lot,” Luke said.

  “All due respect, Luke. I know what Arabelle’s been through. I don’t intend to put her through anything else. I intend to make things better for her—and Avery.”

  Luke looked at him for a long minute. “I guess that’s what I wanted to hear.” And he extended his hand.

  Will shook.

  “Come on,” Luke said. “Everybody’s in the daycare apartment.”

  Will had no idea what that meant, had no idea who watched Avery while Arabelle worked. There was too much he didn’t know. So he nodded like he understood and followed Luke up the stairs.

  They entered an apartment that did, indeed, look like a daycare. What should have been the living room had shelves of toys and books. There was a child-size table and chairs and large pillows on the floor. Lanie Avery sat in a rocking chair reading to five-year-old Emma and Arabelle sat on the floor stacking blocks with Avery and John Luke.

  Will’s eyes went immediately to Avery. This was not how he had envisioned seeing his son—among all these people. He wanted to pick the boy up and go somewhere private.

  But that couldn’t happen.

  Lanie Avery smiled at him. She wore pants and an apron printed with candy hearts. “Hello, Will. It’s good to see you.” She looked a little puzzled. Unless he missed his guess, no one had told her yet about the impending nuptials.

  “You’ve got quite the little setup here,” Will said, looking around the room.

  “Luke and Emma lived here before we got married,” Lanie said. “Judith Garth watches the children during the day while we work. It works out well for everyone.”

  Will had to admit that was a satisfactory situation. Judith Garth had taught third grade for years so there was no question she was capable. “Read, Mommy!” Emma Avery said.

  “Sorry,” Lanie said to Will. “She will be asleep when I get home from book club tonight so we’re having our story before they go home.”

  Will didn’t remember Arabelle at all until she spoke.

  “We should go,” she said rising from the floor. “Lanie and Luke need to get things sorted out here.”

  Some response was called for. He placed a hand on Arabelle’s shoulder. “Did you have a good day?”

  “Yes,” she said as she bent to pick up Avery.

  “I thought we’d get some dinner,” he said. “Or if you don’t want to take Avery out, I can go out and get something to cook.”

  “We’ll see,” she said vaguely and kissed her niece and nephew goodbye. “Avery, give Uncle Luke and Aunt Lanie love.” Luke and Lanie kissed and cooed over Avery, who hugged them back.

  Cozy. Just what he wanted for his son. And he would be part of it.

  As they headed toward the door, Will said, “Did you get Jiffy?”

  That got a smile of approval from Luke and Lanie. In the end, they would probably be easier to please than Arabelle.

  • • •

  Arabelle opened the door of her apartment and set Avery on his feet. She wondered what would happen if she tried to close the door in Will’s face. She took Jiffy out of Avery’s bag, placed her phone on the side table, and turned to Will, searching for something to say to break the silence.

  But there was no need. He stood still and silent watching Avery, who was toddling over to the basket where his trucks were.

  Avery was oblivious but Will’s expression was nothing short of euphoric. Sadness and joy washed over her. Sadness because that big dimpled smile would probably never be directed at her again; joy because it was directed at her child and that was good, no matter what.

  She dropped onto the floor where Avery was lining his trucks up and set Jiffy to the side. “Play trucks, Mama!” he said.

  “Come here,” she said, pulling him into her lap. “I want to tell you something.” She was going to do right, do what she promised. “There’s somebody here who is good at playing trucks.”

  Will knelt down beside them. “Hey, pal,” Will said. “I’d love to play trucks.”

  Avery buried his face in her shoulder and then peeped around at Will, intrigued by someone willing to play trucks.

  “Avery,” Arabelle said. “Do you remember this man? When we had chicken and dumplings? This is your daddy.”

  She watched them look at each other. It was as if the DNA they shared surfaced and bonded, chasing away any shyness that Avery might have ordinarily felt.

  Arabelle wondered if Will would make a heartfelt speech about how he would love and care for Avery forever or try to pick him up—something Avery would not tolerate from a stranger. But no. Will just wiggled out of his coat, turned over on his stomach, and reached for a big red dump truck.

  “This one will go really fast!” Will said and rolled it across the floor making what passed for truck noises.

  Avery squealed with delight and scampered away from Arabelle toward the man that she would forever have to share him with. Not even a backward glance from either of them.

  That was that. She might as well go back to Atlanta right now, or Africa for real. Clearly, she would never have Will’s talent for playing trucks. She didn’t even know what to do with herself. Usually, this was a busy time.

  She wasn’t much of a cook but maybe she would see about some dinner.

  “I’m a road!” Will laughed like he’d told the funniest joke in Joke City. Avery was running a truck up and down his back and babbling. Will flipped over on his back and lifted Avery over his head. “I’ve got you!”

  Arabelle waited for Avery to scream and reach for her. Playing trucks was one thing, but this was another.

  When he didn’t react, she said, “Avery, are you hungry? Do you need some milk?”

  No response. Yep. Might as well go to Africa.

  Avery waved a truck in the air and giggled. Maybe he’d drop the truck on Will’s head.

  “Jiffy go for a ride?” Avery said.

  Will put him down and pulled the rest of the trucks out of the basket. “Hmm. You don’t have a truck big enough for Jiffy to ride in. Well, we’ll fix that. Tomorrow, I’ll buy you a big truck—big enough for Jiffy.”

  “Big truck!” Avery spread his arms wide.

  Clearly, she wasn’t even proficient at buying the right trucks. Oh,
well.

  She turned to go into the kitchen—and there was a knock at the door.

  What now? Did Will have distant relatives that he’d invited over to also deprive her of her child?

  When she opened the door, there stood Lanie, bright eyed and smiling. “Luke just told me!” She didn’t wait for an invitation. She walked right in and threw herself on the sofa and patted the place beside her. Will waved at Lanie but did not quit his game of Use Trucks to Make Avery Forget His Mother.

  That was okay. Avery would get hungry eventually. Probably soon. He’d need her then.

  Wearily, Arabelle sat down beside Lanie. “You look happier than Luke did.”

  Lanie waved her hand like she was clearing away a cobweb. “Never mind him. He’s a worry wart. Just look at that!”

  And it was something to see. Now, Avery was climbing Will like a jungle gym. They were bumping noses and laughing. Never had Avery taken to anyone like this.

  “Arabelle,” Lanie said quietly, almost shyly. “I know you and Will have plans tonight, but please come to book club with me. It’s at Lucy’s. Just for a little while. Just an hour. I want to get some champagne and celebrate with you. And we can talk about Saturday a little bit. There isn’t time to do much, but Lucy always has great ideas. Please.”

  Lanie sounded so pitifully close to begging that Arabelle felt shame. When she’d visited Merritt, it had been easy to shop and have lunch with Lanie and her friends. She had even been to book club once. But that was before she knew she would be living here. These were not her people. Her people were dead.

  Yet, Lanie and the others kept asking. They didn’t understand.

  “I cannot possibly, Lanie. Avery hasn’t had dinner. I don’t even have a plan. And I need to call Mother and Daddy. As far as Saturday, I don’t need anything.”

  Lanie looked crestfallen, but not surprised.

  “Sure you can.” The voice came from Truck Land.

  She slowly turned her head and realized this was the first time Will had spoken to her since they had entered her apartment.

  “Go!” He stood up and lifted Avery to his hip. “We’ll be fine. Won’t we, pal? Tell your mama to go have fun.”

  “Go, Mama!”

  The ultimate betrayal.

  “Will, no. I was going to fix dinner. Avery needs—” She couldn’t think of exactly what Avery would need but whatever it was, it needed to come from her.

  “I’ll take care of dinner. I can cook. I’ll ramble around and work something out. Or I’ll go to Big Starr, if you don’t have anything to fix.”

  “Of course I have food. There’s chicken, fresh vegetables, fruit.”

  “Rice?”

  “Yes!”

  “See there. I can make stir-fry.”

  Damn. In her eagerness to defend herself against having an inadequate pantry, she’d sold herself down the river.

  “Oh, good!” Now Lanie was in on the act. “Will, usually all the guys get together on book club night but Harris and Missy’s kids have the sniffles and Nathan’s out of town. But you can go out to the farm if you want to. Brantley’s taking pizza out there for everyone.”

  “Thanks,” Will said, nuzzling Avery’s head. “But my pal and I have some road construction to do. We’ll be fine.”

  Arabelle could think of nothing else to say. All her choices had been taken away.

  “I need to shower.” Lanie gestured to the chef’s pants and apron she still wore. “I’ll knock when I’m done and we can ride together.”

  “No,” Arabelle said, resigned. “You go ahead. I want my car. I might be a little while. I have to call Mother and Daddy.”

  “But you’ll come?” Lanie asked.

  “I’ll come.”

  The second the door closed after Lanie, Arabelle turned on Will. “I did not want to go.”

  “That was clear,” he said.

  “Then why did you do that to me?”

  “Why?” He set Avery on the floor and began to move a truck in front of him with his foot. “For the same reason I’m going to start going to church with you. For the same reason I’m finally going to Rotary, like they’ve been asking me to. It’s for him. We’re not going to be the weird reclusive people who never take part in anything. That’s what I’ve been and that’s what you show every sign of being. Lucy Kincaid is perplexed that you will have nothing to do with her. She likes you and she doesn’t understand. You even came to her wedding.”

  “Where did you get that? Brantley Kincaid is a bigger gossip that Marcia Tate at the Blossom Shop.”

  “I got it from Lucy. I’m making a bed for a client of hers.”

  “I like Lucy,” she said defensively.

  “Then act like it. Go to her house and do whatever it is women do at book clubs.”

  “Well, with that bunch, it’s not discussing books. That’s for sure.”

  “I don’t care if you play hopscotch. Their kids are going to be the kids that Avery grows up with. These are the people he will build history with. That group is like family. They care about each other’s kids and lives. They’ll be there for each other for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and funerals. Avery’s going to have that. He’s never going to be on the outside looking in.”

  Obviously he’d thought about this a lot. Maybe that’s what he’d lived.

  “Avery will need his diaper changed. Have you ever changed a diaper?”

  “I’ll figure it out.”

  “He needs to eat soon. He goes from fine to starving in five seconds.”

  “I’ll start dinner now. If it’s not done before he’s hungry, I’ll give him a cracker.”

  “No peanuts. Nothing remotely in the peanut family—ever. Not that there’s any of that here.”

  Will looked alarmed. “Is he allergic?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “So you are going to helicopter him?” he scoffed. “What have you got planned to protect him from an alien kidnapping?”

  “I’m serious, Will. If you’re going to make fun of me about what I know about, we just won’t do this thing. We’ll go with Plan B and let the chips fall.”

  “Okay. No peanuts.”

  “Look, Luke has a severe peanut allergy. Very severe. And there is evidence that most peanut allergies are genetic. I had a blood test done but it’s inconclusive. When he’s older, I’ll take him to an allergist, who will give him a small bit of peanut butter in his office.”

  Will looked serious and a little remorseful. “Are Luke’s kids allergic?”

  “Emma isn’t,” Arabelle said, “though they still watch her when she has peanut products. It could still develop, though it probably won’t. We don’t know about John Luke yet.”

  Will nodded. “I’m sorry, Arabelle. I know it’s hard for you to turn him over to me. But he’s mine and I’ll take care of him. I will not be flippant again but you’re going to have to get used to me. I’ll call you if anything comes up. And you can call. I’ll always answer the phone for you. I promise.”

  She needed to quit while she was winning.

  “Well. Okay. I guess if I’m going to do this, I need to shower and call the parents. There’s chicken and the pots and pans are—”

  “I’ll find what I need,” he said. “You go get ready.”

  “Here.” She reached into her pocket and brought out a pacifier. “You will want this.”

  Will looked at it like was an alien object. “When does that stop?”

  “I’ll let you know when I know.”

  As she turned to go, he called her back.

  “I almost forgot.” He picked up his coat and reached into the pocket. “I have something for you.” He handed her a box from Reed’s jewelry.

  Inside, there was a matching pair of gold bands and an engagement ring with three impressive diamonds.

  “If you don’t like it, we can exchange it. Mr. Reed said to bring it in for sizing if need be.”

  She slipped the ring on her finger. Not exactly how she would ha
ve pictured getting engaged. She looked up at Will but he had already turned away.

  “Come on, pal!” He lifted Avery to his shoulders. “Let’s see about getting you some dinner!”

  Chapter Seven

  After showering and having a far too lengthy conversation with her mother, Arabelle emerged from her bedroom to delectable cooking smells—and silence. No baby sounds. No trucks. No clatter of dishes.

  Will had stolen Avery.

  In a panic, she ran first to Avery’s empty room and then the kitchen. Everything was clean and put away but there was a refrigerator dish of still warm stir-fry on the counter. She jerked the dishwasher open. Yes. Sippy cup and dirty dishes that weren’t there before.

  Her heart racing, she ran down the stairs. The first thing she’d do was check to see if Will’s truck was still on the parking pad out back. Then she was calling her daddy, her brother, the police, the National Guard, and the Pope. If they didn’t do her any good, she’d find a Mafia contact.

  She saw the truck before she saw Will and Avery but they must not have been more than a couple of minutes ahead of her. Will was carrying Avery but, just as she cleared the doorway, he set him on his feet when they stepped onto the parking pad.

  “Truck!” Avery squealed and tried to break away from Will.

  Will held fast to his hand. “Yep, that’s my truck.” He squatted down. “That means it’s your truck. Everything I’ve got is yours.”

  Arabelle ran up behind them. It wasn’t too late to stop them—though Will didn’t seem to be in any hurry.

  “Ohhhhh!” This time, Avery made it to the truck and touched it, though Will grabbed his forearm and was right behind him. “Avery’s truck?” He turned and looked at Will with wonder.

  So Will wasn’t stealing him—just showing off. She should have bought a truck. Maybe she still would. Bigger. If there was bigger, which she doubted. Unless it was a semi. Or some kind of big construction truck. Or monster truck. She didn’t know what that was but she’d heard of it and it sounded good.

  Will, still oblivious to her presence, laughed. “Sure, pal. It’s your truck too. Our truck. We share it. I like that. We’re going to share lots of stuff.”