As she scurried down a long hallway toward the bank of elevators at the far end of the hotel, Julia thought back to that moment the day before when she and Jake had first arrived at the resort.
She’d been pushing Jake in his stroller while a bellman followed with a luggage trolley stacked to the top with Julia’s suitcases and conference supplies and piles of baby paraphernalia. From across the wide-open lobby, someone had cried out her name.
“Julia, what a delightful surprise!”
She’d been shocked to see Sally Duke standing there when she turned to look. Normally, she would’ve been happy to see her Dunsmuir Bay friend. After all, Sally Duke had put Julia’s bakery on the map when she’d insisted that her sons carry Julia’s products in all the Duke resorts.
But before Julia had even been able to say hello, Sally had bent over to take her first look at baby Jake. Julia would never forget her own sense of apprehension as she watched the older woman’s reaction to the baby. Would she recognize the strong resemblance to her own son?
Julia had hesitated, then said, “Sally, this is my son, Jake.”
“Oh, how wonderful.” Sally knelt down in front of the stroller, grabbed hold of Jake’s foot and said, “Hello, you little darling. I’m so happy to meet you.”
Jake giggled and his dimple popped out on his right cheek. Sally gasped and her mouth dropped open. She stared at the baby for another moment, then looked up at Julia with tears in her eyes.
“It’s impossible,” she whispered.
There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Maybe Julia was overdramatizing things, but she could barely breathe.
“Is it true?” Sally asked.
“What are you talking about?” Julia tried for casual, but she stumbled on the words.
“Oh, honey,” she said softly. “He’s Cameron’s, isn’t he?”
Julia felt her own eyes water as she slowly nodded.
“I thought so,” Sally said, gazing back at Jake and touching his nose playfully. “That little dimple is better than a DNA test.”
Julia had smiled, but her worry had increased. She could only hope Cameron took it this well when he finally learned the truth.
When Sally looked up again, she sniffled and said, “I’m in love with him already. Thank you so much.” She wrapped Julia in a tight hug.
Completely distressed, Julia swore Sally to secrecy until she could break the news to Cameron herself.
“He doesn’t know?” Sally had asked in shock. “Why on earth haven’t you told him?”
Julia hastily explained that she’d tried, but Cameron had never called or returned her messages.
Sally rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Why am I not surprised? I’m sorry Julia, but my son can be stubborn.”
Then Sally promised Julia that she wouldn’t say a word to Cameron. Her lips were pursed in determination as she called over the hotel manager and told him to put Julia and the baby in Cameron’s suite. Julia had protested, but Sally managed to convince her that Cameron would be gone for the next two weeks.
“He’ll never know what happened,” Sally had said with an innocent smile. “Trust me.”
Julia let herself into the suite and was surprised by the silence. There were no lights on, no sounds of activity anywhere. Back home, her house was never this quiet. Had Cameron taken the baby somewhere? Maybe Sally Duke had followed through on her promise to babysit and rushed up here to take the baby off to play.
Julia left her briefcase and purse on a dining room chair and considered pouring herself a glass of wine. The thought was irresistible but she would check on Jake first, then see about the wine.
It had been a long, intense day. She would have to talk with Cameron’s mother eventually.
The fact that Sally had set them both up still baffled Julia. And she had to wonder what Sally would think when Julia told her that Cameron had discovered her in his shower.
“Maybe I won’t go into quite so much detail,” Julia muttered to herself. Removing her high heels, she walked down the hall to the baby’s bedroom and still didn’t hear anything. When she pushed the door open, the first thing she saw was the empty crib. She suffered a moment of consternation as she wondered where her baby could be. The room was dim with the lights off but the drapes were open, letting in the dusky twilight. Looking beyond the crib to the twin beds, she finally spotted Cameron laid out, with little Jake sprawled on his chest, sound asleep. Cameron’s big hands were splayed protectively across the baby’s back, holding him in place.
Julia’s heart stuttered in her chest as she tried to swallow the emotional lump in her throat. Had she ever seen anything more beautiful than the sight before her?
Oh, she was in such big trouble.
She sighed, wondering if she could possibly be a bigger sap than she’d already been over Cameron Duke. There was no way she would fall for him again. Hadn’t she learned her lesson about commitment-phobic men? Besides, she and Jake were doing just great on their own, thanks very much.
But now Cameron was back in the picture and he’d made a few things quite clear. First, despite his apparent affection for Jake, he didn’t yet believe that the child was his son. Second, he’d like a repeat performance of the wild affair they’d had the last time they were together. But Julia had her child to consider now, and she was no longer interested in sex without love. Cameron wasn’t about to open his heart to her, let alone fall in love and marry her.
And she was fine with that. She'd grown a lot stronger in the year and a half since Cameron had refused to answer her messages. She was happy. Her life was full. She neither wanted nor needed Cameron Duke in her life anymore. No, the only thing she needed right now was someone who could convince her that everything she'd just told herself wasn't a big, fat lie.
Four
Cameron heard a sigh and his eyes flew open. Julia stood a few feet away, staring down at him and Jake. She was still dressed in her serious business suit but she looked softer, almost more fragile now than she had that morning. He didn’t budge from his position as he whispered, “He’s asleep.”
“I see that,” she said quietly. “So were you.”
“Nope,” he countered. “Not asleep. Just resting my eyes.”
“Ah.” She smiled. “We should probably wake him up now or he won’t sleep through the night.”
Cameron frowned. “I never thought of that.”
“That’s okay, you didn’t know,” she said, walking to the edge of the bed.
Cameron patted and stroked Jake’s back. “Hey, buddy, mom’s home. Time for some grub.”
The baby stretched and grunted. Cameron watched as he blinked, then stared into Cameron’s eyes and began to whimper.
“Shh,” Cameron said, as Jake’s lips quivered. Concerned, Cameron shifted his gaze to Julia. “Why is he going to cry?”
“He’s always a little crabby when he first wakes up from a nap,” Julia said, reaching for the baby. “He’s a bit disoriented and probably needs his diaper changed.”
“Again?” Cameron frowned, feeling strangely bereft without the weight of the baby on his chest. “But the babysitter took care of that before she left.”
“I’m sure she did,” Julia said, smiling as she snuggled Jake against her shoulder. She slipped her feet into a pair of flat shoes she’d left by the bed. “But knowing Jake, I’d better check anyway.”
“Okay,” Cameron said, standing and stretching. “I’ll watch what you do. Just so, you know, in case you’re not around, I’ll know what to do.”
“Oh.” She seemed taken aback, as though the thought had never occurred to her that he was capable or interested in taking care of the baby. “Okay. Good idea.”
Sure enough, Jake needed a clean diaper in a big way. As Julia handled the task with an efficiency Cameron could only marvel at, she asked, “Did you speak with the nurse?”
