AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thanks, guys. I love you all so much. Tell Max and Rhys I adore them, too.” She kissed her friends and then the babies before letting herself out the front door. She’d been expecting the cab to be waiting for her.
To her surprise, Jamie stood outside, leaning against the huge tree in Melina’s front yard. He waved. “Hey.”
“Why didn’t you come in?” she asked. She searched the road for the cab.
“I sent the cab away. And I didn’t come in because I needed to talk to you. In private. Would you take a walk with me?”
* * *
“You want me to take a walk with you,” Lucy repeated. She looked at Jamie as if he’d lost his mind, and maybe he had, but he had to act cool, calm, and confident if he was going to get her to agree to his plan.
“That’s right.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” He held out a hand for her. “I’ve just been thinking about something and I want to talk it over with you.”
Lucy took Jamie’s hand and they began walking. They’d only gone about a block when she suddenly stopped and turned to him. “Jamie, if this is about last night—or this morning, for that matter—we both agreed nothing’s changed…”
Everything had changed, he thought. At least for him. But even if things hadn’t changed for her, he was determined to help her. “This isn’t about me wanting to start a relationship with you again, Lucy. At least, not the way you think. This is about me helping you get custody of Milly so the two of you can start being a little family or…” He held up a hand to forestall her saying she wasn’t sure keeping the baby would be the best thing for her. “Or you can make arrangements for her to go to caregivers you’re comfortable with. Although I just want to say again, I think any child would be lucky to have you as a mother.”
“Go on,” she said.
He took her hand and they started walking again. As they did, they passed charming houses, some with tricycles and swings in the front yard. To anyone looking at them, they’d appear to be just another couple taking a stroll. “I talked to my lawyer, and from everything I’ve told him, he says you’ve got a long, ugly battle ahead of you. If there was a way to get Mason’s family to drop their opposition to custody, that would be the best option.”
“Of course it would, but they’re not just going to do that.”
“Maybe they would if they realized you wouldn’t try to keep Milly from them. I’m betting, given your estrangement with your family, that’s really what this is about.”
“Oh. Well, I never considered that.”
Of course she hadn’t, Jamie thought. She was determined to believe the worst of people, and Mason’s family had certainly given her reason to, but Jamie was still hoping they could be reasoned with. “Milly needs to know her aunt and grandparents, no matter what’s happened in the past, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure me just telling them that is going to change their minds.”
“No, but maybe me telling them will. Not just as your friend, but as something more.”
They stumbled to a halt and Jamie tightened his hold on her. He’d given this a lot of thought, and it seemed like such an easy way to help her. And while he usually hated dishonesty in any form, this was Lucy and Lucy’s niece and they’d both been through so much already. He wouldn’t allow Mason’s family to make Lucy feel bad about herself, especially when Mason had done such a good job of that already.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I have an idea that I’m not sure you’re going to like, but hear me out, okay?”
“Okay…” she said again, obviously even more nervous now.
He sucked in a deep breath and said, “What if you and I pretend to be engaged?”
Lucy’s eyes went wide and she started to protest but he put his finger to her lips. “Hear me out. Please?”
She nodded, but her eyes stayed wide as he went on, “We pretend we’re engaged, announcing it before my sister’s wedding. I’ll get my sister to invite Mason’s family.”
“Why on earth would your sister invite Mason’s family?”
He shrugged. “Their social circle overlaps my family’s slightly. The Lancasters have long been on the fringe, just waiting for an entrance into high society. Recently, Evelyn Lancaster served on the same charitable organization as my mother, so it wouldn’t be unheard of that they get invited to the wedding. Then there’s the fact you recently saw them again, and had a prior relationship with their son…”
“And that they just happen to be contesting guardianship of Milly. They’ll see right through us.”
“Maybe not. I was with you the night of the accident, remember?”
