Do Date Your Handsome Rival (Jewel Family Romance Book 3) Page 10

  “How much later?” Luke asked.

  She lifted her hands. “I have no idea, Luke.”

  He didn’t respond, and crazily enough, that hurt her. It was crazy that it hurt her because this was her choice. She was being the bigger person, the rational adult.

  Standing, he gave her one more tortured look, then walked toward the front entry and the stairs. He paused and looked over his shoulder. “If you want to grab your stuff, I can send you home on my plane. My pilot was heading to Denver to pick up my lawyer anyway.”

  Mar stood, feeling shaky, and wondered if he was content to push her away. That wasn’t right, though. He needed to reconnect with his daughter. He was focusing where he should. “Does he have time? I’d rather have you get your lawyer here. I can take a commercial flight.”

  Luke shook his head and gave her a very unconvincing smile. “He’ll have time. It’s only eight a.m., and each flight is short.”

  “Thank you. I’ll hurry.”

  He stared longingly at her for a few beats. Mar could hardly catch a breath, and it was all she could do to not rush to him. He finally nodded and then walked out of her room. She heard his footsteps retreating up the stairs moments later.

  Mar bit down on her lip. She had no clue why, but she wanted him to fight for her, beg her to stay with him, and then she could stay by his side and hold his hand through this process. No. She didn’t need him as much as his daughter needed him. She’d only be a distraction, and she might mess things up with her fiery temperament.

  She walked slowly upstairs and packed her suitcase. Within minutes, they were loaded in the car and driving to the nearby airport. She had so many questions but didn’t know if he had the answers. His mind seemed to be in another place too, and she didn’t blame him. She couldn’t imagine how it would be to find out you had a child that you’d never met.

  They pulled into the airport, and he got her suitcase. He walked her to his plane and handed the suitcase off to the pilot, shaking the man’s hand. “Thank you,” Luke said.

  “Of course, sir. Happy to help.” He nodded to Mar. “I’ll be ready when you are, ma’am.”

  “Thanks.”

  The pilot pulled down the steps to the plane and walked in.

  Mar turned to Luke. He looked so distraught that she pushed aside her own need for reassurance and love, her worries if he still wanted her, and focused on comforting him. Wrapping her arms around him, she prayed for him to find peace, and that if Lacey was his daughter, he would know how to navigate a relationship with her.

  Luke buried his head in her hair and murmured, “I don’t want to let you go.”

  Mar’s heart leapt. He was in a mess, but he didn’t want to let her go. So at least she had that. Their connection was unreal but tenuous. If she left his side, she feared he’d forget all about her. He probably should, if it would help him focus on his daughter. Now was not the time for him to worry about their developing relationship. She knew she should run from him right now so she didn’t reveal how needy and uncertain she was. She could only pray that someday soon it would all work out.

  She pulled back and gave him a brave smile. “It’s all going to be great. Figure out things with Tracey and Lacey. I’m not going anywhere.” Why did the words all feel like lies? She “wasn’t going anywhere”? She was deserting him so he didn’t have to deal with her emotional baggage on top of everything else.

  He stared down at her. “But you are. Flying out of my life and back to your busy world. You’ll probably forget all about me.”

  She shook her head, tears pricking at her eyes. He’d admitted to exactly what she was fearing. “Never,” she said fiercely. Grabbing his shoulders, she used them to leverage herself, and he obliged her by lifting her off her feet and bowing his head to hers. He kissed her long and hard.

  When he released her, they were both gasping for air. Sadly, though the kiss had been amazing, she didn’t feel reassured. It felt like a farewell kiss, not a see-you-soon promise.

  Mar forced herself to pull from his embrace. “I’d better go so your lawyer can get here.” She was proud of how level her voice sounded.

  He nodded. His blue eyes were stormy, but that was probably because of his worries over his daughter. “I’ll come to you as soon as I figure all of this out.”

  “Okay.” She blew him a kiss and hurried onto the plane. For some reason, as the door of the plane slid shut, it felt like she was being sealed in a tomb that Luke wouldn’t be able to reopen. She buckled up in the comfortable leather seat and brushed tears away angrily. Luke had promised he’d come for her, but it felt like she’d never see him again. Dang her stupid insecurities. If only she could conquer them and trust that Luke would never desert her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Luke felt jumpy and on edge as he waited for Tracey and his lawyer at her lawyer’s office. Mr. Miles was welcoming but wouldn’t quite meet Luke’s gaze. It bugged him. Luke scrubbed at his beard. So many things were bothering him right now, and it was odd that he was focusing on a lawyer being erratic. He wished Mar was here. He felt like she’d pushed him away, and he hadn’t really reacted well. Why hadn’t he begged her to stay? Was her meeting more important than him? Did she not want to be with him because of the mess he was in? Was he being needy wanting her by his side right now?

  Finally, Tracey swept in.

  “Where’s Lacey?” Luke asked in way of greeting. He wanted to see her again. Maybe then he could reaffirm that she was his and that there was a very special reason why he was going through all this turmoil, especially letting Mar go like that while he didn’t have a clue how to navigate being a father.

  “At my mom’s. I wasn’t going to expose her to all of this.” She swept her hand around the office. “Did he sign?” she asked Mr. Miles.

  The man shook his head and started laying papers in front of Luke.

  Luke started reading through them. The visitation seemed okay: one weekend a month and eight weeks in the summer, with an explanation that he could have more if he lived closer or was willing to fly to them so as not to upset Lacey’s school schedule. The child support was much less than he’d thought she would ask for, eight grand per month. Did she not have a clue what his net worth was, or did she feel guilty that she truly was only offering the opportunity to know his daughter because she needed money?

  “You can sign when you’re ready,” Mr. Miles said.

  Luke sat back and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m not signing anything without my lawyer looking through it.”

  “Oh, of course.” Mr. Miles looked to Tracey for guidance.

  Tracey let out a groan of frustration, but then held up her hands and said quietly, “Sorry. I’m not trying to rush you. I just don’t like being away from Lacey for very long.”

  Luke gave her an incredulous look. On one hand he was glad Tracey seemed to love their daughter so much; on the other hand he was peeved that she didn’t seem to feel guilty that she’d kept Lacey from him. “I can understand that. I’ve been away from her for nine years.”

  Tracey’s eyebrows arched and she said quietly, “But you don’t know her like I do.”

  Luke wanted to remind her whose fault that was, but he thought it better to bite his tongue until they figured out the legal mess. “We can wait a few more minutes for my lawyer,” he said instead.

  Tracey nodded, gave him a forced smile, and then pulled out her phone as if searching for something else to look at. He wanted to drill her with questions about Lacey, but again forced himself to wait.

  A few minutes later, the receptionist showed in his lawyer, Doug. Luke stood and shook his hand. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Of course.”

  “Can you look over everything, please?”

  “For sure.”

  Doug was a tall, thin guy with a military cut. He was dry and efficient, and Luke trusted him. Sitting, Doug took the stack of papers and started perusing them. Mr. Miles clicked on his computer, his eyes shifting from
Doug to Luke every few seconds, then back to his computer. Tracey searched through something on her phone and kept making concerned little sigh sounds.

  Doug finished and said to Mr. Miles, “Can you show us to a private office where I can advise my client?”

  Mr. Miles said nothing, just stood to lead the way.

  “Advise him on what?” Tracey’s blue eyes looked concerned, panicked. “I think this is more than fair. I could’ve asked for a lot more child support, but I wanted to be fair with you. If you don’t sign now, the courts might make you pay a lot more and give you less visitation as you haven’t been a part of Lacey’s life.” She looked to her lawyer for confirmation, and he nodded.

  Luke’s eyebrows shot up. She was right that the courts might give him less visitation and demand he pay more, but under the circumstances, the judge might give him more visitation simply because of all he’d missed. It was a gamble for sure, but he didn’t like being rushed on something this important. It felt like Tracey was trying to speed up his decision simply to save him money, which struck him as odd. Lacey was more important than money, and he wanted to make sure with Doug that there wasn’t anything hidden in these documents and that signing them was the right path.

  “Excuse us,” he said, although he wanted to tell her off. How did Tracey think she could demand he sign anything? He hoped his lawyer would tell him they had a case to sue for full custody and cut Tracey out of Lacey’s life for nine years, see how she liked it. Even as he had the vengeful thought, he knew he couldn’t do something like that to his daughter’s mother. She obviously loved their little girl.

  He followed Mr. Miles and Doug out of the office and down the hall. Mr. Miles opened the door to another office and nodded them in.

  “Thank you,” Doug said.

  The door shut, and Doug studied him. “Do you trust me, Luke?”

  Luke nodded.

  “Don’t sign those papers. Not yet, anyway.”

  “Why? Will she try for more money? Will I not get to see my daughter?”

  Doug pursed his lips. “I’m advising you to get a paternity test. If you are indeed the father, we’ll request a full child custody evaluation and then reevaluate with her lawyer and maybe a mediator. If she’s not reasonable, we’ll let the judge determine how much visitation you receive and how much child support you should pay. Even if you pay a lot more than what she’s asking for, you’ll do what’s right for your daughter, and for you.” He blew out a breath. “Something’s off. This feels like a scam to me, Luke.”

  Luke’s heart wrenched painfully. He was obviously too emotionally involved to feel that something might not be right. He just wanted to sign and be with Lacey. “You don’t think I’m the father?”

  Doug splayed his hands. “Why would she be pushing you to sign so quickly?”

  “She feels guilty for not telling me about Lacey.” He looked down. “And I’m sure she needs the money.”

  “I don’t doubt that.” Doug’s mouth twisted. “Let’s slow down, get the test done, and go from there. I think they take seventy-two hours and can sometimes be expedited. We can all wait that long for those papers to be signed.”

  Luke knew Doug was right, but for some reason, Tracey’s urgency had infected him. He didn’t care about paying her some extra money if it meant he could get more time with Lacey. He wanted to be around his daughter, get to know her, spend time with her and Mar, introduce her to his parents and siblings—wonderful people she’d never met—and eventually be a real father to her.

  “If you are the father, you want to make sure your daughter’s home environment is good and you get the most time you can with her while still giving her a stable childhood. Those documents in there give you a decent amount of visitation for probably less than you’ll end up paying if it goes to court, but if Tracey will be reasonable and wait for the paternity test, maybe we can work it all out without a judge.”

  Luke’s gut twisted again. If he could get more time with Lacey, it would be worth waiting a few more days. He didn’t care if he ended up spending more money. Yet that meant more time away from Mar. He knew Mar was strong, but she’d been abandoned as a child and he wanted to hold her and reassure her he’d never leave her. Why had he let her leave? Well, she’d been the one to leave, but he still wished she were here.

  Instead of asking his dry lawyer for love advice, he focused on the issue at hand. He nodded. “Let’s get the paternity test done.”

  Tracey got sad and withdrawn when Luke requested a paternity test and a child custody evaluation. Luke stood firm, even though he didn’t like hurting her. The hospital who did the test said it usually took seventy-two hours, but they would expedite it, and hopefully it would only be forty-eight.

  The next forty-eight hours seemed to take years off Luke’s life. He buried himself in work and went on countless hikes and mountain bike rides. He thought about Mar and Lacey all the time. He could hardly wait to spend more time with Lacey, and he missed Mar. Had she left because she thought he needed time with Lacey? Was she worried about having an instant family if their relationship progressed? Or had she wanted the break? Neither of them were experts in relationships. Maybe he’d messed something up again, and instead of getting mad, Mar had decided it was time to walk away. He wanted to call her and talk things out, but it had to be in person. He had to be able to see her, read her cues, know if she loved him like he loved her. He’d never gotten the chance to tell her that there were two people who loved her now: Cosette and him. Sadly, he couldn’t act until he knew what was going to happen with Tracey and Lacey.

  Luke’s phone rang at hour forty-four. The hospital. He swiped to answer the call with a steady hand, but his heart was walloping out of control. “Hello,” he said.

  “Mr. Jewel. We have the results of your paternity test.” The person paused, and Luke knew the next words across the phone line would change his life.

  He was more than prepared to be a father. It might be a lot of work co-parenting with Tracey, and he’d probably have to relocate, but it would be worth it to have his daughter in his life. If only he could have Lacey and Mar in his life. He couldn’t imagine anything more perfect.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mar worked long hours the next few days, trying to push away all the confusion and angst of missing Luke; she couldn’t be his focus right now. She wondered if he’d call or text or FaceTime her, but he didn’t, and it hurt and scared her. She recognized that she was the one who’d chosen to leave, but it felt like he’d given up on her. He’d promised to come once everything was resolved. Would he really? How long was it going to take? Would he have a sweet daughter in tow? Mar would be thrilled for him if he could work things out with Lacey and Tracey, but she had an uneasy feeling inside, as if she should warn, strengthen, and comfort Luke. It wasn’t really her place. They’d decided they were dating but they weren’t engaged or married. She needed to temper her usual strong responses, be chill, be patient. She hated patience.

  Friday afternoon, she left work early and walked through the Presidio for hours, trying to work things out in her mind, but nothing was settling. Today she’d dressed down at work and worn a long-sleeve T-shirt, yoga pants, and running shoes. She’d gotten a few stunned looks, but no one commented. It was freeing to not wear her spike heels and be able to go on a long walk in comfortable tennis shoes. That was all because of Luke explaining that she was beautiful even without being dolled up. Not that she still wasn’t dolled up ninety percent of the time, but every once in a while, it was nice to be casual.

  It was a chilly summer afternoon in San Francisco, but the fog hadn’t rolled in yet. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the ocean and wind were semi-calm. She turned to head home, not sure what she’d do tonight by herself. She was only certain that she hated being alone, and she didn’t see any end in sight.

  Those few days spent with Luke, Isaac, and Cosette, and then the two spent alone with Luke, were some of the best of her life. She’d felt like she was
truly loved. Luke had never said he’d loved her, but she’d still felt that way. Yet she could never begrudge his daughter, and she just prayed that everything was working out well and Luke was getting to know that beautiful child. Her gut wrenched as she thought about Lacey’s equally beautiful mother. Luke had fancied himself in love with her back in high school. What if those feelings returned? Oh goodness, how she hated her mind wandering there. As if she didn’t have enough worries about her and Luke ever getting together.

  She was approaching her house, thinking of the takeout she might order and the romance novel she might read tonight, when she saw someone sitting on her porch. She reared back. There were a lot of homeless in San Francisco, and sadly, many of them were drugged, drunk, or mentally unstable, but they didn’t usually come to her neighborhood and she’d never had one set up camp on her porch.

  Yet as she peered closer, she saw that the man was dressed in a shirt and tie and his golden-brown hair looked familiar. “Luke!” she screamed, rushing toward him.

  Luke stood quickly and hurried her way with a wide grin. When they met, he swept her off her feet and swung her around. Mar clung to his neck, savoring the smell of her and Cosette’s Businessman cologne. He was here. What did it mean? She wanted to hear everything about his daughter and even though Mar had so many doubts and fears, she hoped she could somehow overcome them all and fit into Luke and Lacey’s future plans.

  Luke set her on her feet and kissed her, softly at first, but then their need for each other and the days apart that felt like months fueled their desperation. She found herself clinging to him, and each kiss became more needy and deep.