Forever My Love: A Christian Romance (The McKinleys Book 2) Read online

  He looked toward where Than and Lincoln sat. His brother was slumped sideways in his seat, clearly asleep. His gaze met Than’s for a moment before looking away.

  “I just need you to listen to everything I have to tell you before you say anything, okay?”

  Silence then, “Okaaaaay?”

  “Back when I realized that Lincoln had been buying your paintings, I had to go through his computer and financials to find out the gallery he’d purchased them from and what he’d paid for them. During that time, I came across some things that raised some questions in my mind about Lincoln’s death.” He paused but in line with his request, Brooke didn’t say anything. “Some of what I saw had me wondering if maybe Lincoln had…faked his death.”

  He heard a sharp intake of breath, but still she said nothing. He told her about talking with Alex and the BlackThorpe guys. About the information Trent had found on Lincoln’s computer. And finally, about Than heading to the Caribbean to follow up on his suspicions.

  This time she didn’t stay silent. “What are you saying, Lucas?”

  “Than found Lincoln. He’s alive but has no memory of who he is or what happened.”

  “Well, isn’t that just convenient.” There was no disguising the undercurrent of anger in her voice. “Do you believe him?”

  Even though it would paint Lincoln in a worse light if he said no, Lucas knew it wouldn’t be right. “Yes. I believe him. There is no recognition in his eyes when he looks at me. Mannerisms that he used to have are gone, too. It’s just not…him.”

  “What am I supposed to tell Danny?” Her voice was low and tight. “The father he thought was dead is alive, and oh yeah, he doesn’t remember he has a son?”

  “Brooke, listen, I know this will be confusing for him.”

  “You think?”

  “While I’m not convinced Lincoln was planning to fake his death, I do think he had plans underway to move down there permanently.”

  “And that’s supposed to make Danny feel better? If he hadn’t been declared dead, we would still be living our normal lives. Now Danny gets to meet the man who denied his existence for ten years and can’t even get any answers from him. Lincoln owes him answers, Lucas.”

  “Yes, I know he does, but, unfortunately, unless things change, he doesn’t have them to give.”

  When Brooke lapsed into silence, Lucas could hear yells and shrieks in the background. It sounded like Danny and his friend were having fun. He hated to think how the next few days might change that for him.

  “And why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” More anger in her voice now. “I had a right to know. This affects my son. I get to tell him this news. I get to deal with the ramifications of it all. You should have told me as soon as you had suspicions.”

  “I did what I thought was right, Brooke. There was every possibility that my suspicions were wrong. I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up or create stress about something that may not be—”

  “Your mom. You didn’t want to get your mom’s hopes up.”

  “No, I didn’t. Since we’d never found his body, she already harbored hopes. I didn’t want to feed those hopes without more concrete proof.” Lucas drew his legs in and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.

  “I know you’re used to calling all the shots for your family, but you don’t have that right with me and Danny. If this didn’t involve Danny, I wouldn’t care that you kept it from me, but it does involve him.” She paused. “You know he’s become attached to you, Lucas. You may not have been his dad, but he connected with you in a way he never has with my dad or Eric. Now how is he supposed to have that relationship with you when his father is still alive?”

  Lucas swallowed hard and pressed a hand to his chest. How did he put into words what Danny meant to him? How many times over the weeks since he’d first met them had he wished Danny had been his son? It had started the first time the boy had wrapped his arms around him in a hug. But he wasn’t his son. He was Lincoln’s.

  “Brooke, I’m sorry. Was I supposed to just leave him down there? Not tell my mom the truth about her son? If you were in her shoes and it had been Danny, wouldn’t you want him back in whatever shape you could get him?”

  “Low blow, Lucas.”

  His heart hurt at the tone of her voice. “I need you to understand why I did what I did.”

  “And what if I said that I didn’t want Danny to know. That I don’t want him to meet Lincoln?”

  Lucas paused. That was something he hadn’t considered. For some reason, he’d just assumed that the next logical step was having the two of them meet. “I don’t know how we can keep that from happening.”

  “It can happen if you step back out of our lives as easily as you stepped into them.”

  “No.” The word came out harshly, but Lucas just couldn’t allow that to happen. “You wouldn’t do that to Danny.” And please don’t do that to me.

  He heard Brooke sigh and the band that had been tightening around his chest eased slightly.

  “No, I wouldn’t. You’ve made good and sure he would object to us not having anything more to do with you.”

  At that point, it sounded like she didn’t care one way or the other for herself, and that pained Lucas more than he cared to admit. “That wasn’t my intention. I didn’t know how this was going to play out. He’s my brother, Brooke. I love him. I love my mom. And, believe it or not, I love Danny, too. I’m not doing this to hurt him.”

  “I know.” These words were whispered and heavy with emotion. Another deep breath. “I’m just worried about my son.”

  “You’ve raised a fine boy, Brooke. I think he’ll be able to take this in stride. We’ll all still be there for him.”

  “I suppose you’re going to want this to happen sooner rather than later?”

  “Time isn’t going to change anything at this point. I’d like to bring Lincoln up there tomorrow. I’m taking him to see our doctor in the morning, and then we’ll come afterward.”

  “So soon?”

  “My mom needs to see him. Lindsay is telling her right now.”

  “What does Lincoln think of all this?”

  “He was confused when he first saw me, even though Than had talked to him a bit about it.”

  “What was he doing down there?”

  “Working in a bar. Hanging out at the beach.”

  “And no one realized who he was?”

  “He was in a different part of the area than where they’d been focused on searching. That’s how Than found him. Looking in the impossible places.”

  “Lucas, I am glad for your sake and your mom and Lindsay’s, too, that he’s okay. It’s just a…surprise. I had never imagined having to deal with him again when he didn’t respond to my letter. Then you showed up and said he was dead. This is a bit of a shock for me, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it.”

  That wasn’t really what Lucas wanted to hear. He wanted her to say she didn’t care one way or the other about Lincoln. It had been the main reason he had held back from pursuing anything with her and though it wasn’t easy, he was glad now he had. One less complication for them to have to deal with.

  “Will you talk to Danny before we come or would you rather wait until I get there?”

  Brooke sighed. “I’ll tell him tonight. I think he’ll need a little time to adjust, but I don’t want to interrupt his fun right now.”

  “Just tell Lindsay and Mom that you’re going to wait.”

  “My family was going to come out tomorrow, too. Should I ask them to not come now?”

  “I think they should still come. Be a support for you and Danny. There is plenty of room out there—as you’ve seen. If your mom wants to bring some groceries so they don’t have to go to the main house to eat for each meal, that would be fine. Both the cabin for them and the one for Eric and Staci have a complete kitchen.”

  “Of course they do. Along with their marble countertops.”

  Lucas was glad
to hear the trace of humor in Brooke’s voice. “Yes, but a cheaper kind.”

  She chuckled and then sighed. “So you’re going to be out here tomorrow afternoon, huh?”

  “Probably around supper time, depending how things go with our appointments in the morning.”

  “Okay. I’m sure Stella will have a big spread for everyone. My family is supposed to arrive mid-afternoon.”

  “If you need anything, just give me a call. I might not be able to answer if I’m in an appointment, but I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

  “Still taking care of everything for everybody?”

  Lucas paused then said, “That’s my job.”

  “Well, some of us would rather not be viewed as a job.” She said the words softly, and left Lucas wondering exactly what she meant. “Anyway, drive safely. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

  Before Lucas could respond, the line went dead. He lowered the phone from his ear and stared at it. What a mess.

  “Woman troubles?”

  Lucas looked up as Than settled into the leather seat across from him. “Women. Family. Business. It’s always something.”

  “But the women ones are always the most challenging.”

  “They really haven’t been up until now.”

  Than lifted a dark brow. “Miss Brooke got to ya, huh?”

  “Yeah, I guess you could say that, but he got to her first.” Lucas looked to where his brother sat still slumped to the side in sleep. “And now I’m bringing him back to her.”

  “Won’t matter. He is her past, and it’s a past they don’t even share anymore since he can’t remember it. Brooke needs someone like you.”

  “I think she’d probably sock you for saying that.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  Lucas stared at Than. “She’s punched you?”

  The other man shrugged, an amused look on his face. “Let’s just say she didn’t appreciate my flirting. We came to an understanding after that.”

  “Well, all I know is that if she liked a guy like Lincoln, she’ll find me incredibly boring.”

  “Hey, at least you know she likes your looks.”

  Maybe he’d give Than a punch to go with the one Brooke had apparently given him once upon a time.

  Correctly interpreting his expression, Than jerked his chin up and grinned. “Go for it.”

  Lucas chuckled and settled back into his seat. He let out a long sigh. “No. I owe you one for finding Linc.” He gave Than a serious look. “And I mean that. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you for your help.”

  Than lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Just doing my job.”

  The look they shared told Lucas that it had been more than that to the man, but he didn’t press the issue.

  “Will you need me once we land?” Than asked.

  “I don’t think so. We’ve just got to get through customs and then back to the house. I’m hoping that it’s not too soon to take him up to the cabin, but it was his favorite of all the properties we own. I’m hoping—perhaps in vain—that something there might jog his memory.”

  “I hope it works out for you guys.”

  He heard the skepticism in Than’s voice and felt it himself, but he had to hold onto something at this point. Anything.

  But by the next afternoon, Lucas didn’t have as much hope as he’d had the day before. In times like this, he was doubly glad for his wealth. It had meant being able to afford the immediate attention of their doctor and the tests that Lincoln had needed. The initial results of the scans and x-rays had supported what they already knew.

  Although the good news was that Lincoln’s brain scans hadn’t shown any permanent damage, there was no explanation for his continued memory loss. The doctor thought it was likely a combination of the initial physical impact on the brain in the accident and also the shock of everything.

  X-rays had revealed his leg had been broken in two places and had healed badly. The only possible solution was to re-break the bones and set them properly. For now they were going to leave that.

  One unexpected wrinkle in everything had been Lincoln’s insistence that Than stay close by. In some ways, it reminded Lucas of imprinting. Than had been the first person to connect him with his missing past, so Lincoln had somehow formed a bond with him. Than had stayed at the mansion the night before and had accompanied them on their morning round of appointments.

  And now Lincoln was riding in Than’s car as he followed Lucas to the cabin. He’d been grateful that the other man had been willing to come along with them. It was a weird position to be in given that he didn’t really know Than all that well. But Eric would be out at the island, too, so at least Than wasn’t going to be surrounded by strangers. Not that that would have bothered the man. Lucas was pretty sure Than had never met a stranger.

  Once everything had settled down the night before, he’d been able to call his mom. It had been an emotional conversation, as he’d known it would be. But at least with her there had been no complexities. She was glad her son was back and that he was safe. End of story.

  Halfway through the four hour trip to the cabin, Lucas hit the button on the Bluetooth to call Brooke. After such a draining day, he’d decided not to call her again the night before, but he knew he needed to touch base before he got there to find out how things had gone with Danny. Lindsay had said she thought it had gone fine, but he wanted Brooke’s opinion—as Danny’s mother.

  “Hey,” she said when she answered.

  “How’s it going?”

  “As well as could be expected. Lots of questions.”

  “I can imagine. I think we all have lots of questions.” Lucas looked in his rear view mirror at Than’s car. “What’s his biggest concern?”

  Brooke didn’t answer right away but then said, “He’s worried that he might not like Lincoln as much as he likes you.”

  The breath squeezed from Lucas’s lungs, and he found himself fighting moisture in his eyes. The tightness in his throat kept him from being able to answer right away.

  “Lucas?”

  “Yeah.” His response was gruff with emotion. He hadn’t expected her to say that. For Danny to feel that way about him.

  “I told him that you can’t always control how you feel about a person.” She paused. “And that none of us expect him to force feelings for Lincoln. I told him that all I expect from him is that he be respectful and spend some time with him. If that’s what Lincoln wants.”

  Still trying to get his emotions back under control, Lucas cleared his throat. “I agree. I don’t want to force Danny to spend time with him if he’s not ready for it. I talked to Lincoln about him last night. Showed him pictures of the two of you.”

  “What was his reaction?”

  “Nothing, really. I’m having a hard time getting a read on him. Lincoln used to just put it all out there.”

  “Yeah, I remember that about him.”

  Not wanting to dwell on Brooke’s memories of Lincoln, Lucas said, “He is just not showing any emotion at all. I talked to him about Mom and Lindsay, too. The only thing he’s had any sort of strong feeling about is Than.”

  “Than? What in the world does he have to do with this?”

  “I think Lincoln kinda sees him as his best friend. They spent a few days together before I got down there. I think he has some kind of bond with him now. So, just a heads up that Than’s coming up to the cabin, too.”

  “Oh, man.” Brooke groaned but then said, “Hey, has he met Lindsay before?”

  Lucas laughed at the question. “No. He hasn’t.”

  “Ah. Fresh meat. At least I won’t have to worry about him.”

  “You wouldn’t have had to worry about him anyway.”

  Silence. “I wouldn’t have? Why is that?”

  “I just told him you weren’t interested in him.”

  “He already knew that and it’s never stopped him before.”

  Realizing that he was quickly moving i
nto a position where he’d have to reveal more than he could right then about how he felt, Lucas tried to redirect things. “Yeah, he mentioned that you punched him.”

  “He deserved it.” The line went quiet for a moment and then Lucas heard muffled conversation. “I gotta go. The boat just got here with my folks and the rest. How long until you arrive?”

  Lucas let out a sigh of relief. He had to be more careful about his conversation for now. “Probably another hour or so.”

  “Okay. We’ll see you when you get here.”

  Feeling a little more relaxed after his talk with Brooke, Lucas turned on some of his favorite worship music and tried to just zone out for the remainder of the trip. There were plenty of stress and emotional moments to come so he was going to try to chill while he could.

  Brooke listened as the boat’s engine faded into the distance. From what she remembered of the length of the trip from the mainland to the island when they’d arrived, the guys should be there in about half an hour. Nerves were alive and well in her stomach as she stood on the front porch of the cabin where she was staying with her parents, Tori, and Alicia.

  She settled down on the top step of the porch and watched Danny and his friend down at water’s edge not too far from the cabin. They had spent hardly any time in the cabins since arriving. She was so pleased that he was enjoying himself and knew it had been a good idea to bring his buddy along, too.

  He’d taken the news about Lincoln relatively well. However, Brooke didn’t have a lot of experience in how boys were supposed to act when the father they’d been told was dead was actually alive. No doubt coming face to face with him would be the true test of how well he was doing.

  After talking a bit with Lindsay, they’d decided that it would be best if Brooke and her family stayed at their cabins while Lincoln met with his mom. Depending on how that went, next would be Brooke and Danny, and then they’d all gather at the main cabin for the supper Stella had prepared for them.

  “You doing okay, darlin’?”

  Looking up, she saw her mom standing next to her. She turned her gaze back to Danny and Jeff as her mom sat down beside her.