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

  She glanced up then, her light blue-green gaze meeting his. Lucas didn’t know why he felt a bit abashed at having been caught staring. Surely she would understand his curiosity about the woman his brother had fathered a child with.

  After a moment, she looked back down at Danny. “Why don’t you go to the bathroom and wash your face, sweetie? I’m going to put the muffins in the oven.”

  Danny nodded and without looking at him, stood up and walked toward a room near the front of the house. After the door had shut behind the boy, Brooke got to her feet as well.

  “I need to finish up what we were doing when you arrived,” she said with a wave toward the kitchen.

  Though the open floorplan would have allowed him to still see her as she worked from where he sat, Lucas got up and followed her. He stood, hands on his hips, watching as she picked up one of the muffin trays on the counter and opened the oven to slide it inside. Once she’d put the second one in and closed the door, Brooke moved to stand behind the counter. She picked up a cloth that sat there, but instead of using it to wipe the floured surface, she twisted it in her hands.

  Finally, her gaze met his. “You’re not taking my son from me.”

  Lucas tipped his head to the side. “Why would you think I’d do that?”

  There was a flash of annoyance on her face. “Don’t think I’ve missed the way you’ve looked around and judged how we live.” She motioned toward him. “And it’s clear you have money.”

  Lucas looked down at himself. How exactly did his outfit tell her that? It wasn’t like he’d shown up in one of his suits. “I’m not here to take your son away from you. But honestly, would it kill you to get the air fixed?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with it,” Brooke said, dropping the cloth onto the counter and crossing her arms.

  “So why don’t you have it on? It’s the hottest day of the year, for Pete’s sake.”

  “Lifestyle choice.” She paused. “And how do I know you’re not going to take Danny from me? Take your word for it? Sorry, but I don’t know you.”

  “I can see you love Danny and, apart from the heat and the not-so-great neighborhood, I think you’re giving him a good home. Besides, I’m not worried about that right now. Like I said when I introduced myself, you and Danny were mentioned in Lincoln’s will. Money will no longer be an issue for you.”

  Brooke was silent for a few moments, her brows drawn together. “So if Lincoln was so willing to provide for Danny after his death, why didn’t he want anything to do with him while he was alive?”

  Lucas moved to sit on a bar stool at the counter. “I really don’t know. I knew nothing about Danny until Lincoln was officially…” He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Until Lincoln was officially declared dead. My best guess was that given the lifestyle he liked to live, he didn’t want to be tied down with a family.”

  “Well, I wasn’t wanting him to marry me,” Brooke said as she leaned a hip against the counter. “I just wanted Danny to have a chance to get to know his dad.”

  “I’m sorry Linc didn’t step up and take on that role. From what I see, it was definitely his loss.”

  “That’s for sure.” Brooke nodded vigorously. “Unfortunately, it was also Danny’s loss.”

  “You’ve told him a lot about Lincoln?”

  “Yes. I don’t volunteer information, but if he has a question, I always answer it honestly.”

  Lucas glanced toward the closed door behind which Danny had disappeared before saying, “Like I said, I don’t want to take him away from you, but I would like the chance to spend some time with him. He’s my nephew.” He hesitated. “And, I know my mother would like to meet him, too. This has been a rough time for her. Especially this last week.”

  This time it was Brooke’s gaze that went to the closed door. “What happened exactly?”

  Lucas let out a long breath as he rested his arm on the counter. “We’re not sure. He’d been gone for almost five months with only sporadic contact. From what little we’ve been able to piece together, he’d left Miami in his plane with a flight plan set for the Bahamas. He made it there and went on to Turks and Caicos and then the Dominican Republic. His next stop was apparently supposed to be Jamaica, but he never made it.”

  “How did you know he was missing?”

  “He’d made plans to meet up with some friends in Jamaica. When he didn’t show up, they started putting out inquiries. One of them knew who he…was—a Hamilton—and contacted the company to leave a message for me.” Lucas took another deep breath and let it out. “The local authorities sent out search parties to see what they could find. They were able to locate pieces of the wreckage fairly quickly. Unfortunately, they didn’t find his body.”

  Brooke frowned. “When did this happen?”

  “We first heard about the accident four months ago.” Lucas stared at the floor, still finding it difficult to believe that his brother was gone. “But it was just this week that they finally contacted us and said that based on their examination of the wreckage and where the plane went down, they didn’t think he could have survived the crash. The officials there declared him dead on Wednesday.”

  A light touch on his hand surprised him, and he looked up to see Brooke watching him as her fingers rested on his. Her gaze was sympathetic. “I’m very sorry for your loss. Lincoln was definitely one of a kind.”

  “He was that.”

  Brooke’s hand slid from his, and she straightened, her gaze going past him. Lucas turned to see Danny walking toward them. As he went to stand next to his mom, Lucas got his first real good look at the boy. It was like a punch in the stomach to see a miniature version of his brother standing in front of him. He knew it was a bit ridiculous because he saw a similar image every time he looked in the mirror, but this boy looked even more like Lincoln than he did. Danny’s hair fell in familiar long curls almost to his shoulders. The only thing that was markedly different was the color of his eyes. He had blue-green eyes like his mother’s instead of the gray of his dad.

  Danny glanced down at the counter. “Are they in the oven?”

  “Yep. Can’t you smell them?” Brooke said as she tousled his hair. “Feeling better?”

  The boy hesitated before nodding then turned his gaze to Lucas. “You’re my uncle?”

  “Yes. Your dad was my brother.”

  Danny looked at Brooke. Some sort of communication seemed to pass between mother and son because Brooke slipped her arm around his shoulders and said, “If you have questions, go ahead and ask them. I think Lucas will answer as best he can.”

  Lucas hoped he wouldn’t disappoint the boy. In all honesty, he hadn’t been as close to Lincoln in the past ten years as he’d been when they were kids and into their teens. They may have been identical twins, but they couldn’t have been more different in personality. In time, those differences had driven them apart. He hadn’t approved of the steady parade of women through Lincoln’s life. He hadn’t understood his insatiable need to put his life in danger on a regular basis.

  Lincoln had definitely been more like their father in that regard. Though his father had tended to take more risks when it came to his business, he’d still had a need for the excitement and thrill that came with living on the edge. Lucas, on the other hand, was much more like his mother with his cautious approach. Unfortunately, she’d spent a lot of years worrying first about her husband and then her son. Lucas had struggled not to be angry with both of them for what they put her through.

  As he looked at Danny, he hoped—no, he prayed—that this boy had not inherited that aspect of his dad’s personality. If he had, he hoped his mother wasn’t around to have to spend hours worrying about the actions of her grandson the way she had with her son.

  “What did he like to do when he was my age?”

  Lucas wasn’t sure what he’d expected Danny to ask, but at least that question was one of the easier ones to answer. “Well, he loved anything with wheels. He lived on his skateboard. Mom yelled
at him a lot about using it in the house. He also had a bike that he liked to jump off ramps. When he was your age, he raced go-karts and did some dirt track racing later in his teens. Even did a little dirt bike stuff. In the summer, we spent a lot of time in the pool, too, and in the winter, my dad would take us snowboarding. What kinds of things do you like to do?”

  “Riding my bike is my favorite thing. Mom and I usually take our bikes when we need to go anywhere as long as there’s no snow. I do have a skateboard, but I fell last summer and banged up my elbow. Had to wear a cast for a couple of months. After that, I just kinda stuck with my bike. I do like to swim though. I take lessons at the community center.” He glanced at Brooke. “I’m pretty good, right, Mom?”

  “Yes, you are a superb swimmer.” Brooke smiled. “He also knows how to bake, cook and garden. I’m determined to raise a well-rounded boy who appreciates all aspects of life.”

  “You enjoy doing those things?” Lucas asked, almost laughing at the idea of Lincoln stepping foot in a kitchen.

  Danny ducked his head but then nodded. “Mom said if I like to eat, I need to learn how to cook. And she makes it fun.”

  A ring tone sounded, and Brooke picked up a cell phone from the counter and looked at the display. She held it out to Danny. “It’s for you.”

  He took it and walked a little ways away before pressing it to his ear. He was back before Lucas could think of anything to say to Brooke.

  “Can I go with Mike? His folks are taking him the Mall of America.”

  Lucas saw emotion flash across Brooke’s face but couldn’t identify what it was.

  “I don’t know, sweetie, it’s a bit unexpected.”

  Danny took a couple of steps toward her and said softly, “He said it’s their treat.”

  Brooke’s shoulders slumped, and her head dipped. “Okay, baby. Be sure to say thank you for that.”

  “I will, Mom. I’m going to get changed.” He said a few more words to the person on the other end of the line then returned he phone to Brooke before heading back to the room he’d disappeared into earlier.

  When the timer went off, Brooke picked up a pair of hot pads. Lucas watched as she set the pans on the counter in front of him. His stomach rumbled at the delicious aroma that wafted from the golden brown muffins in the tins.

  Brooke looked at him, a smile lifting one corner of her mouth. “Would you like one?”

  “If they taste as good as they smell…”

  “They’re better,” Brooke said with clear confidence. She flipped one pan over and then quickly, with her bare fingers, righted the muffins on the wire racks then repeated the process with the other pan.

  She reached into the cupboard and pulled out a small plate. After setting it in front of him, she put a muffin on it. “Want some butter?”

  “Sure.” Lucas touched the muffin but jerked his fingers back. How had she handled them?

  This time she had a full smile as she put a container of butter and a knife on the counter next to his plate. “That’s not a move for beginners.”

  “Well, I guess I can’t argue that I’m definitely a beginner when it comes to baking.”

  She reached over and quickly removed the paper on the muffin. When she broke the top from the bottom, steam rose up. Setting the pieces back on the plate, she said, “Best to spread the butter on them while they’re warm.”

  “Thank you.” Lucas used the knife to get some butter from the container and smeared it on the muffin.

  “You’re welcome.” Brooke picked up the cloth and wiped the counter with quick movements. ““You never baked with your mom?”

  Lucas paused with a piece of muffin halfway to his mouth and laughed. “My parents had very old-fashioned views of the gender roles. Women did the kitchen related stuff. My dad would have had a fit if he’d found us boys in the kitchen. That was left up to my mom and my sister. Although, in reality, neither of them spent any time there either.”

  “You have a sister?”

  Lucas finished chewing the bite of heaven he’d just put in his mouth. “Did Lincoln not talk about his family at all?”

  “Nope. That wasn’t the sort of relationship we had.”

  Now that sounded like Lincoln. Danny was proof of just what kind of relationship they’d had. “Yes. My sister, Lindsay, is six years younger than Lincoln and me. It took Mom that long to convince Dad to let her try one more time for a girl.”

  “Spoiled much?” Brooke asked with a lift of one eyebrow.

  “Just a tad.” Lucas smiled as he popped another piece of muffin into his mouth. “But she’s a smart cookie. Keeps us all on our toes.”

  She set a glass of cold water on the counter in front of him. “You mentioned that your mom would want to meet Danny. What about your dad?”

  Lucas took a gulp of the water, appreciating the first coolness he’d encountered since entering the house. “My dad passed away several years ago.”

  Before Brooke could respond, Danny reappeared. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he’d changed into a pair of long jean shorts and a black T-shirt with a DC Lantern Corps symbol on it.

  Lucas gestured to the shirt. “Life?”

  Danny looked down at his shirt then up at him with a heartbreakingly familiar grin. “Yep. You a DC fan?”

  “A bit. Your dad was a bigger fan than me.” Lucas glanced over at Brooke. “In fact, I’m pretty sure he had that same T-shirt at one time.”

  Brooke nodded but then said, “Danny picked that one out all on his own with his birthday money.” The chirp of her phone drew her attention. “Looks like they’re almost here.”

  Danny gave his mom a quick hug. “Thanks for letting me go.”

  As he watched them, Lucas reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He pulled out a few bills and held them out to Danny. “Here you go, bud. Buy yourself something to eat and maybe find something special for your mom.”

  “Hey—” Brooke said as her son reached out to take the money from him. “You don’t need to do that.”

  “I know I don’t. Consider it an uncle privilege.” Lucas rested his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “Have fun.”

  “Thanks.” Danny beamed at him. “I will.”

  He was relieved to see a smile on the boy’s face instead of the tears of earlier. It as probably good that he had the chance to go do something fun after receiving the news he had. Lucas much preferred to see the boy smiling. “See you around.”

  Danny nodded. “I’d like that.”

  From the look Brooke shot him as she followed Danny to the front door, Lucas didn’t think his mother was as receptive to the idea. Too bad. He’d told her he wasn’t going to take her son from her—and he wouldn’t—but he and his family had a right to get to know the boy. Especially now that he was their only connection to Lincoln.

  When Brooke came back into the kitchen, anger radiated from her in waves. Lucas stayed on his stool, not saying anything, just watching as she jerked a cabinet open and pulled out a basket. She plunked it on the counter next to the muffins then opened a drawer and snatched out a piece of fabric before slamming it shut. Lucas winced but still said nothing. He’d had his fair share of experiences with fiery women. Though his mother was fairly laid back, Lindsay was anything but.

  Brooke began to pick muffins up and put them into the basket. Thankfully, she didn’t inflict her anger on the innocent baked goods. She’d just flicked the corners of the fabric over the muffins when her phone rang.

  If at all possible, the scowl on her face got even more fierce.

  CHAPTER THREE

  WHAT do you want?” she barked into the phone when she pressed it to her ear. “Yeah, I know that’s no way to answer a phone, but I’m not in the mood to deal with men today.”

  A pause. “Well, true. I’m never really in the mood to deal with you men, but that goes double for today.” She shot a dark look in his direction.

  Lucas almost laughed. That sounded so much like something Lindsay would say.
He had a feeling these two would be a man’s worst nightmare if they ever got together. Too bad for him it was just a matter of time.

  “So what did you want?” Brooke demanded. She continued to move around the kitchen, putting away the remainder of the muffins.

  When she suddenly stilled and then looked in his direction, a glint of humor in her eyes, Lucas got an uneasy feeling. Again…so much like Lindsay.

  “Actually, I will be bringing a date to your wedding.”

  A smile was spreading across her face as fast as the feeling in Lucas’s gut that he was going to end up having to do something he didn’t really want to.

  “You don’t need the name. Just put Brooke’s date on the place card.” She paused. “Yes, it’s a guy. And no, it’s not Danny. He’s already a given since he’s in your wedding party. Yes, I’ll have him at the rehearsal dinner on time.”

  When the call ended, Brooke set the phone back down on the counter and returned to what she’d been doing before the phone rang. Lucas continued to watch her, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe now was a good time to make his escape—his departure.

  He started to stand up, but she glared at him and pointed back at the stool. “First…eighty dollars? Really? What does a ten-year-old boy need with eighty dollars?”

  Too late. Lucas sank back down. “Was that how much I gave him?”

  Brooke’s mouth dropped open, but she quickly snapped it shut then said, “You didn’t even count it?”

  “Well, no. I just wanted to give him some money to spend.”

  “Thanks to you, I’m gonna be getting a phone call from my mom asking what’s going on.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because Mark’s parents are friends of my family. They attend the same church as my parents. I’m sure they’re going to comment to them that Danny showed up with a wad of cash.”