Anything but Love

Luke eyed the bottle of scotch then his watch. Eleven thirty. “What the hell.”

Dev poured. “How far along is she?”

“About seven weeks.”

“Not far.”

“Rae asked me not to tell anyone. Not yet. She said the first trimester is iffy.” Luke took one of the glasses from his brother. “I need you to keep this to yourself, Dev.”

“Understood.”

They both drank then Dev said, “At the risk of pissing you off, let me ask you the same question you asked me when I faced this situation all those years ago with Janna. Are you sure the baby’s yours?”

Janna. Dev’s high school obsession. A girl who’d played loose with his heart and slept around. A girl who’d run to him when her parents tossed her out because she was pregnant. The girl he’d married, accepting the child as his own even though there was a chance it wasn’t. A child he’d mourned when his wife, now ex-wife, had miscarried five months into the pregnancy. If anyone could commiserate with Luke, it was his big brother.

“Timing’s right and I wasn’t protected. Don’t ask.” Luke slammed back the rest of his shot. “Rae said the baby’s mine and I believe her.”

“You’re taking the word of a woman who pretended to be someone else, who lived a lie for an entire year?”

“Yeah.” Luke jammed a hand through his hair. “Listen, Dev. There’s a lot I don’t know about Rae. What I sense is that she’s a good person. Even though she led a privileged life, I think it was a shitty one. I met her mom and her stepfather. If they’re any indication…” He shook his head. He hadn’t like Geoffrey Stein. He had a feeling he’d like him even less when he learned the source of tension between that arrogant bastard and Rae. Luke would bet money Stein was the one angling to derail her life. But why? “She’s as good as alone in the world. I know she can take care of herself, but there’s the baby to think of, too.”

“This is a pattern with you, you know,” Dev said. “You rescue desperate women like Jayce rescues unfortunate animals.”

“This is different,” Luke said.

“Yes and no.”

“I invited Rae to dinner tonight.”

“Should be interesting.”

Luke set aside his glass. “I’d appreciate it if you’d make her feel welcome.”

“When have I not been welcoming?”

“Oh, let’s see. The first time Gram invited Vince to Sunday dinner?” There’d been a huge blow out between Daisy and Dev because Dev had been prickly and wary of the two seniors hooking up. “You’re kind of intimidating when you’re in protector mode. Let me assure you Rae’s not looking to take advantage of me. She’s smart. She’s rich. She could live anywhere. Work anywhere. She came back to Sugar Creek with good intentions. To help the Cupcake Lovers. To reestablish Sugar Tots. And to offer me a chance to know my kid.”

Dev raised his palms in surrender. “I promise to be nice.”

“And to keep our secret?”

“Your secret’s safe.”

Luke blew out a breath, his shoulders feeling lighter by the second. Dev’s support meant a lot. “The Shack?”

“I’ll have the papers drawn up. We’ll work it out. You’ll be sole owner by the end of the month, maybe sooner.”

“Great. Good.” Luke offered his hand. “Thanks, Dev.”

His brother clasped his palm, “Sure,” then raised a brow. “Anything else?”

Bothered by a wisp of doubt, Luke shrugged. “About the numbers. The bookkeeping. It might take me awhile.”

“You’ll get it.” Dev squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll make sure of it.”

TWENTY

It had taken Rae a while to get a hold on her mini meltdown. Deep down, she knew Luke meant well when he’d assured her he would love their baby. It was the “more than me. Except maybe you” that had thrown her into a panic.

She didn’t doubt Luke would love his child. He was all about family. Except for that brief period in Bel Air when he’d been a total jerk, he was one of the kindest people Rae had ever known. Salt of the earth. What spooked her was the uncertainty of their relationship. Once she contacted that New York publisher, once she flaunted her socialite status and made her whereabouts known, the paparazzi would start trickling into Sugar Creek. Even if it was only one rabid cameraman, it wouldn’t be pretty.

The question beyond Could Luke handle the invasion of privacy for a while? would be Could he handle the gossip-hungry media for life? Rae could lay low, absolutely. But there would always be a reporter looking for that one sensational story—Had her mother really had a secret affair with that uber famous and uber married actor? And a photographer always hoping for that one compromising shot. Even royalty had been caught with their pants down or tops off. Those super- telescopic lenses could capture the most intimate or careless moments. What if they snapped a shot of Rae breast-feeding? Or Luke going down on her? Of the two of them making love?

What if Luke couldn’t handle the constant threat? What if he considered it detrimental to their child? Would he cut himself off from Rae and fight for sole custody? Growing up surrounded by Hollywood drama, she could name dozens of domestic disasters. Bitter divorces. Custody wars.

Those were the fears that stormed through her mind in what should have been a sweet moment—Luke pledging his love and support to their child.

“I can turn back.”

Luke’s soft, deep voice jolted Rae out of her obsessive mania. “What?”

“The closer I get to Gram’s, strike that, Rocky’s house, the more panicked you look. I was wrong to push.” He plucked his cell from his jacket. “I’ll cancel.”

Rae stayed his hand. The last thing she wanted was to be perceived as a coward. A hindrance. She’d always been a hindrance to Olivia. “No,” she said. “Let’s do this.” She refrained from elaborating. Luke had stated why he thought it was advantageous for her to mingle with key Cupcake Lovers before the official Thursday meeting and she agreed.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Next thing she knew, Luke was hanging in the living room with his grandma and great-aunt and the attending male contingent, and Rae was standing in a state-of-the-art kitchen surrounded with women she’d considered “friends” throughout her “lost year.” Considering she’d lied about who she was, it should have been awkward. It wasn’t. It was as if she’d never left.

She didn’t trust it.

Instead of greeting her with questions—Why did you pretend to be someone else? Were you and Luke attracted to each other before or did he fall head over heels for your new, polished look? What’s a celebrity heiress like you doing in a low-profile town like Sugar Creek?—they’d drawn her into conversations about sending Valentine’s cupcakes to lonely heart soldiers and a joint club venture to bake and decorate Rocky and Jayce’s wedding cake.

“I know I didn’t send you an official invitation,” Rocky said as Rae helped her to prepare the salad. “But I would love it if you’d attend my wedding. I assume Luke will bring you as his guest, but I wanted you to know I’m hoping you’ll come.”

Rae swallowed, feeling humbled and flustered. “I wouldn’t miss it. Saturday, right?”

Rocky nodded. “Jayce suggested Valentine’s Day. But how sappy is that, right?”