by Deanna Chase
Still clutching her mug, Luna followed Lin down a hallway and into the garage. He waved a hand at a four-person golf cart. “Want to drive?” he asked.
Luna laughed. “Maybe later? I’d really like to just see your gorgeous property.”
“You got it.” He climbed into the driver’s seat, waited for her to get situated next to him, and then backed out of the garage and maneuvered the cart around to the back of the house toward the family’s apple orchard. He was staring straight ahead when he said, “I bet you have a ton of questions.”
“I… um, yes, but there’s really just one I need to know.” Her face was hot, and she was sure her cheeks had turned bright red.
“I think we’re both anxious to know the answer to that question.” He turned down a path that led through the orchard. “How old are you, Luna?”
Luna swallowed hard. “I’ll be twenty-one in a few months.”
Lincoln turned to her, his eyes full of hope and regret and something else she couldn’t quite pinpoint. “It’s possible then.”
The words shot straight to her heart, sending ripples of both joy and pure pain through her. She wanted this. She wanted this man to be her father. It didn’t matter that she barely knew him. She knew enough to know that he’d never shut her out. Luna’s voice was shaky as she said, “I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
Lin stayed silent, and Luna was afraid to look at him. But then he reached over and took her hand in his and said, “Whatever the outcome, you’re family now. Whether you use the name or keep the one you grew up with, you’re a Townsend now. You have four sisters and a man who wishes with all of his heart that he’d known about you and been there for you while you were growing up.”
Hot tears fell down Luna’s cheeks. His words were too good to be true. No one had ever accepted her so unconditionally before.
Well, no one but Chad.
“Thank you,” Luna said, patting at her cheeks. “But you don’t have to say that. Gia, err Gabrielle, says she’s pretty sure that you’re not my… Well, it’s the reason she gave me up in the first place.”
Lin’s hand tightened around Luna’s. “Sweet girl, if Gabby hadn’t run off, even if she’d told me you weren’t mine, I’d have raised you as if you were. There’s no question about that.”
Luna turned to stare at him, her mouth moving but not working. Finally, she forced out, “But why?”
He let out a humorless chuckle, but when he met her gaze there was nothing there but sincerity. “I loved her. She was the mother of my children, and before she got hooked on potions, she was a wonderful partner. If she’d come to me for help, I’d have moved heaven and earth to help her get clean. In the end, she made her choices. And that’s something we’ve all had to live with. I believe you ended up with the worst of it.”
There was no denying that. If Luna’s adoptive mom hadn’t passed away at such a young age, Luna might’ve felt differently. It was hard to say. But she’d loved her mom and had fond memories of her early childhood. It was after her mom’s death that things got bad. But all Luna said was, “I have a good life now.”
“You have no idea how happy that makes me,” Lin said with a smile. “Now, we’ll have the DNA test because it seems like the right thing to do. Secrets never solve anything, but to be honest, it doesn’t matter what that test says. You’re a Townsend. You’re one of us, and if you’ll let me, I’d like to be your dad.”
His words had completely knocked her off her axis. Why was Lincoln Townsend being so kind to her? And why was he so ready to accept her as his before the DNA test? They’d met before, a few times at the brewery and at a couple of town social events, but they didn’t really know one another. Or at least not enough for this man to embrace her so quickly and without question.
“Luna?” he prompted.
“Yeah?”
“Would that be okay with you?” The kind, hopeful expression in his gaze made the tears fall again. She managed a nod but couldn’t get any words out.
Lin stopped the cart, jumped out, and jogged around to her side. After tugging her off the seat, he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry, Luna. You have no idea how sorry I am.”
He was talking as if he knew her past, and she wondered who’d told him. There was only one person who could’ve. Betrayal made her head swim, and as the anger took over, her tears dried. She pulled back, carefully extracting herself from Lin’s embrace. “What did Chad tell you?”
“Chad?” he asked, looking confused. “Barb’s stepson?”
“Yeah. That Chad. What did he tell you about me?” Her entire body had heated, and all the stress of learning about her biological parents rushed to the surface. “He had no right to tell you or anyone what my life was like before I came to Keating Hollow.”
“Luna,” he said softly. “I didn’t talk to Chad. I talked to Faith.”
“She’s not very happy about this new development,” Luna said.
Lin sucked in a deep breath. “She’s not happy with her mother. Faith needs time to process. I know my girl, and she’ll come around. And once she does, she’ll be all in. You’ll see.”
Luna nodded and was surprised by how much she wanted that. After Faith’s initial reaction, she’d resigned herself to the fact that her sisters might never fully accept her. It was something she was prepared for. Actually, it was the only thing she was prepared for. Letting herself dream of being one big happy family was just too risky. Her heart couldn’t take the rejection if she let herself long for the one thing she’d always wanted—family—only to have it crash and burn.
But Faith had talked to Lincoln straight away about her. She must not have told him anything too disparaging if he wanted a relationship with her. Luna filed through her brain, considering everything she’d ever said to the woman. She’d been careful to keep the details of her past vague, not talking about foster care, or her adoptive mom’s early death, or even how she managed after she turned eighteen. Those were all painful memories for her, and not something she wanted to talk about.
“She told me you said you didn’t have any family and that you hoped that Keating Hollow would be a place where you could put down roots because that’s something you’d never had before.”
Okay, she had said that. But so what? That wasn’t tragic. Just a fact of life. “You don’t need to be sorry for that,” she said softly.
Lin shoved his hands in his pockets and stared out at his orchard. “Maybe not, but I do anyway. If things with Gabby hadn’t gone so far south, maybe all of this could’ve been different. Maybe if I’d been more open to her issues, or noticed sooner, or insisted on help…” He frowned and hung his head almost as if in defeat. “Mostly I’m just sorry you didn’t have a chance to grow up here with your sisters.” He lifted his head and met Luna’s gaze. “I would’ve liked that very much.”
Luna didn’t know what to say or even how to feel. So instead she said, “Tell me about your orchard.”
Lin cast her a smile, walked back around the cart, and climbed in. After she did the same, he said, “Let me show you the first section we planted.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chad pulled the truck into the space in front of Incantation Café and put the vehicle in park. He twisted to glance back at Levi. The kid was dressed in ripped jeans, a vintage Stones T-shirt, and had put some product in his hair that made his curls appear perpetually wet. And was that eyeliner? Chad smiled to himself. The teenager had a hint of a smile on his face, and for the first time since they’d met, he appeared happy.
“Take this.” Luna held out some cash to him.
Levi shook his head. “No, Luna. I can’t.”
“Yes. You can.” She reached back and stuffed it into his hand. “Think of it as allowance or something.”
Levi stared down at the bills. “But I haven’t done anything to deserve an allowance.”
Luna shrugged. “You’ve made dinner and cleaned the kitchen ever since you moved in. If it makes you feel better, you can be
in charge of the landscaping. Mowing, weeding, raking, etc. Deal?”
“You better take her up on it, Levi,” Chad said. “Otherwise we’ll be here all night, and you’ll be responsible for messing up my date.” He winked at the kid. “Do me a favor and get out, would ya?”
Levi rolled his eyes but stuffed the money in his pocket and pushed the door open. “Thanks, Luna,” he said softly.
“You’re welcome,” she said. “Have a good time tonight. Call if you need anything. Anything at all. Or if you need a ride home. Okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” Levi said.
“Of course you will.” Luna nodded. “Even so, we’re only one phone call away if anything goes south. Understand?”
He chuckled, and his eyes started to sparkle with amusement. “I understand. And I will if I need anything. Now go. Enjoy your night in Eureka. And don’t miss curfew. I’m told it’s eleven pm.”
“Eleven-thirty,” Luna said.
Levi laughed. “Don’t want to cut the night short?”
Luna’s face turned a pretty shade of pink.
Chad grinned, enjoying their banter and Luna’s mild embarrassment. “Go on,” Chad said. “Go do teenager stuff. We’ve got someplace to be.”
“Don’t let me hold you up,” Levi said, taking a step out of the truck and up onto the cobblestone sidewalk.
Chad put the truck in reverse while Luna waved.
And just as they were pulling away, Levi shouted, “Don’t forget the condoms!”
Luna gaped at the teenager.
Chad just laughed.
“Can you believe he just said that?” she asked.
Chad raised one eyebrow at her. “The bigger question is why are you so shocked? He’s a teenager who has seen a lot of crap, not some sheltered kid.”
Luna leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. “Guh. I know you’re right. The things I said to people when I was his age…” Her voice trailed off and she looked at Chad, her eyes narrowed. “Is it weird that you knew me when I was his age?”
“Nope,” he said. “Not at all.” Chad turned onto the two-lane highway that led to Eureka. “The truth is I never saw you as anything other than a kid who needed help getting on her feet back then. This?” He waved a hand between them. “What’s going on now is completely new for me. And you, Luna Scott, are anything but a kid now.”
That flush on her cheeks turned brighter. “I, um… I used to have a crush on you.”
Something swelled in Chad’s chest. He’d figured as much but had never wanted to acknowledge the possibility for a couple of reasons. First, he hadn’t felt the same back then. And second, he’d known if they were going to go ahead with the plan of her living in his house once she turned eighteen, they needed clear boundaries.
“You knew, didn’t you?” she accused.
Chad nodded. “I guessed. But even though I cared a great deal about what would happen to you once you aged out of the system, that was never the reason why. I wasn’t looking to date you. I just wanted to give you a chance to make it in the world once you were on your own.”
“And what about now, Chad?” she asked, her voice so low and smoky it was like a caress on his senses.
“Now?” He chuckled. “You already know the answer to that. There’s no point in denying the chemistry that keeps pulling us together.” He reached across the truck and pulled her hand into his.
Luna ran her thumb over the back of his palm, sending tingles over his skin that made him let out a tiny groan.
“That feels really good,” he said.
She glanced up at him, frowning as she started to probe his hand with her fingers. “Your tendons are tight again. Does your hand always cramp up this fast? It’s only been a few days since the last massage.”
“No. I might have overdone it at the music store today.” He squeezed her hand to indicate it wasn’t that bad and had to bite back a wince. Son of a… what had he done to himself? “It’s all right,” he said.
“Are you ever going to tell me how this happened?” she asked. “What really happened, I mean?”
Oh, hell. He’d meant to come clean with her about that night three months ago. The night that had ruined his career and sent him spiraling down a completely different path. He just didn’t want to do it right before their first date. But maybe he knew he had to. If he put her off, she was likely to feel betrayed. “I actually meant to tell you sooner,” he started. “But we got interrupted and…” He shrugged. “It’s been a little hectic.
“You’re not wrong about that.” Luna’s powerful touch skated over his skin, her magic slowly but surely easing the tension in his palm. “But we’re here now, and I’m listening.”
“Okay.” He steeled himself. That night he’d told her about his call to the cops that ultimately ended up with her in jail is the night he should’ve told her about the rest. But then Levi had called, and his priorities had shifted instantly. “You know how you said that Pam told you she’d give you your school money back after you delivered the potions to the dealer?”
“Yeah. But what does that have to do with your hand?”
“She never had any intention of giving you that money back,” Chad said. “She spent it on—”
“She gave it back to me when I was released from juvy,” Luna said. “A messenger met me outside of the gates with a box and all of it was there. In fact, there was even a couple hundred extra. I always figured she felt guilty for what happened to me and that it was her way of making it up to me.” Luna’s tone was bitter as she spit the words out. “Like two hundred dollars could give me back months of my life. Pathetic.”
“Luna,” Chad said, pulling his hand from hers while he made the turn into Eureka. “Pam didn’t send that money or set up the short-term rental. I did.” He couldn’t see her face; he was too focused on the road. But he did hear her startled gasp. Then there was silence. Chad glanced over at her. She was staring at him with wide eyes. “Hey,” he said softly. “Say something.”
“I—what the hell, Chad?” she yelled. “Seriously? You just coughed up a few thousand dollars and didn’t even tell me? I spent all this time thinking Pam had at least a sliver of a soul, but it turns out I was right the first time. My foster mother only cared about herself, and you decided to play savior but kept that from me. Why? Why didn’t you tell me right away? Why didn’t you leave me a note along with the rental agreement? And for god’s sake, what does any of this have to do with your hand?”
He winced. He’d known he should’ve told her sooner, but he hadn’t expected her to be that angry. “I was the one who was responsible for landing you in jail,” he said. “It had only been a few months, but my level of guilt was… well, it was off the charts. I didn’t leave a note because I didn’t think I deserved any credit. Don’t you see, Hope? I blamed myself for a long, long time. I sent the money because I just wanted you to have a chance.”
“You sent it because you felt guilty,” she snapped. “Well, congratulations. I absolve you. Your conscience is clear.”
The fire in her gaze told him there wasn’t anything he could say in that moment to make things right between them. She was too angry and needed time to process. But he couldn’t just drop it. There was more she needed to know. “My conscience isn’t clear. I doubt it ever will be.”
She let out an irritated huff. “I’m not, nor have I ever been, your problem to fix, Chad.”
“I know.” He did, too. Still, he’d never stop trying to protect her. He just cared too much. And he hated that he’d ever been a part of anything that had hurt her. “Leo had plans to bring you back to Pam’s after you were released from jail.”
Luna blinked at him. Then she sucked in a breath and said, “What?”
Chad pulled into the parking lot of the large Victorian where the evening’s event was being held. After killing the engine, he turned to look at her. “After you were arrested, I went to your house to find out what happened. Leo was on a bender, talking about how when y
ou got out, you’d have no choice but to work for him. We got into it. A few punches were thrown, and the cops were called. He took off before they arrived.”
“Like I was ever going to go back to that house,” Luna scoffed.
“I knew as long as you had resources, you’d never do that,” Chad said with a nod. “So I called Pam about a week before your release. I tried to talk her into giving you the money she stole from you, but of course it was long gone. She said something about you making it back in no time once you came crawling back to them. Leo was already planning on keeping an eye on you. Pam said she knew you wouldn’t want to, but when times got tough enough, Leo would lure you back.”
Luna pressed a hand to her stomach and shook her head. “Never.”
Chad desperately wanted to reach out and touch her, but he kept his hands to himself. Now wasn’t the time. “If the company I went to work for hadn’t been on tour, I would’ve been there to meet you myself when you were released. But since I was in Europe at the time, I hired someone to hand deliver you the money. It was the only thing I could think of to make sure you had what you needed so that Leo wouldn’t manipulate you into his drug business… or worse.”
Her eyes narrowed as she studied him. Her utter defiance was palpable as she asked, “Do you really think I would’ve let him get his claws into me?”
“No. Not if you could help it,” Chad said gently. “But you were eighteen, fresh out of jail and had no family to rely on, so I did the only thing I could to try to help.”
“All without leaving a note. Or even a phone number. Hell, Chad. What if your money hadn’t worked? What if Leo had gotten to me anyway? What would you have done then?”
He felt his cheeks heat, and he glanced away as she added, “You remember the woman who was there with the money?”
“Yes,” she practically barked out.
“She also kept an eye on you. She was a private investigator. I asked her to check in on you periodically just to make sure you were safe.”
More silence filled the vehicle.