“You’re right. It’s time.”
He tipped her face up so she was forced to look in his eyes. “There’s no place to hide any more. Whatever it is, I want to hear it all. Okay? Please?”
She searched for a place to start, but once she began it seemed she couldn’t stop, like a storm unleashed. Charles’s explicit terms, her promise to agree to them to protect her children, the letters still in Rod Maguire’s safe. Maguire himself, who’d always hated her and took great pleasure in controlling her life. Her pitiable miserable existence. And the guilt she’d lived with year after unending year.
Luke stroked her face and she was so pathetically gratefully for just the little bit of tenderness, she almost began crying again. He heaved a great sigh and brushed a kiss against her forehead.
“Julia. My God.”
“I’m so sorry, Luke. Everything is my fault. And now the children know anyway. Oh, hell.” She burrowed against his chest, trying to hide from whatever she might see in his eyes.
He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. She tried to read him, but there was so much going on in her own mind.
“Listen to me. I’m a lot of things right now. Pissed off. Murderous. Sad. Hurt. The list is endless. But mostly I’m upset you let a man bully you into sacrificing your life because you wanted to protect me. Julia, I’m a grown man who’s not without resources, and Rod Maguire sounds like nothing but a penny ante tyrant. Most likely just as Charles was.”
“But—”
“No buts. Okay?” His breath was a warm breeze against her chilled skin. “I won’t lie to you. I dealt with a lot of emotions today, not the least of which was anger. But there’s so much to sort out here. Now I’m thinking about the kind of hell you’ve lived in for the past fourteen years. This won’t be easy but we’ll sort it out, honey. I promise you.”
She pressed her face against his chest. “I love you, Luke. I’ve never stopped. I have to make you believe what I’m telling you.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I know you do. Same goes here. I guess it’s the reason it hurt so much. But we’ll get past it.”
“I did try to find you a few times,” she said in a small voice. “Now I wish I’d tried harder.”
“And I could have stopped feeling sorry for myself, said to hell with it, shown up here and taken care of whatever had to be done so we could be together. So we each have regrets.” He pressed a soft kiss on her lips. “Meanwhile, we have a lot of damage control to do. Have you told the kids why you’ve never said anything about this?”
“Yes. Today.” A small hysterical laugh escaped her. “I think they were angrier than you or me, if that’s possible. Especially when I told them why Rod felt so beholden to Charles. Andy called him the asshole of assholes.
“I couldn’t agree more.” He kissed her again. “But now we need to make some plans. Maguire will be looking to do his worst. I’m sure it pissed him off the way you stood up to him just now.”
“I really don’t want him to confront the kids,” she whispered.
“He won’t.” He took one of her hands in his. “We have a lot to sort out, including what’s between us. But I think this is enough for tonight. Tomorrow is Sunday. Let’s have a civilized brunch. Then we can decide what we’re going to say to Courtney. Together. After that, we’ll make plans. Okay?”
She gave him a weak smile. “Okay.”
* * * *
A light rain misted in the air when they left the restaurant, but by the time they turned onto Julia’s street a capricious wind had whipped up a full-blown storm. Yet even through the rain, Julia saw Claire’s car in the driveway behind Andy’s and Beth’s. For some reason they’d turned on every light in the house. Her stomach clenched and a sick feeling rushed through her.
“Something’s wrong.” She fought to keep herself together. What else could possibly happen tonight?
“Don’t borrow trouble yet,” he told her. “Let’s see what’s up first.”
“But there’s no reason for Claire to be here tonight. She and Brad made plans.”
“Let’s get inside first before we panic. It may be nothing.”
Apparently, someone watched for them, because the front door opened and Andy hurried out with a big umbrella. Luke hunched his shoulders against the rain as he opened Julia’s door, then squeezed her between Andy and himself as they ran into the house. Miranda, a strained look on her face, waited for them in the foyer with towels to blot themselves dry.
Julia looked around. Claire and Beth sat on the stairs. Brad leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets. No one smiled. Julia unconsciously reached for Luke’s hand, five pairs of eyes noticing the movement.
“All right. What’s wrong? Is it Courtney? Where is she?”
“First of all, don’t get too excited.” Claire rose and came over to her, giving her a hug. “I’m sure everything’s going to be fine.”
“My God.” Julia trembled. “Is she sick? Did you take her to the hospital? What is it?”
“Mom?” Andy was next to her now. “Don’t freak, but she’s gone.”
“Gone?” Julia thought her heart stopped beating. She squeezed Luke’s hand as hard as she could to keep herself together. “What do you mean, gone?”
“I checked on her right after you left,” Beth said. “Andy and I thought we’d take her out to eat, but she wouldn’t open her door. Wouldn’t say anything except tell us to go away. I should have just opened it the way you do. ”
Andy picked up the thread. “We waited about a half hour and then I went up. I was ready to
