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

  So last night for the first time in—well, longer than she could remember—Brooke had prayed. It hadn’t actually been a prayer, more like an attempt to bring her situation to God’s attention.

  I could really use some help here, God.

  Of course, it may not have been her pathetic attempt to reach out that had brought about the sale of her paintings. She knew her parents prayed for her on a regular basis and had clearly been aware of her tight finances since they’d brought her groceries. Perhaps they had prayed for God to provide for her. That was the more likely answer. After all, why would He give her any attention when she’d done her best to distance herself from Him?

  Thank you, God, for providing. Just in case it had been her prayer, she wanted Him to know that she was grateful.

  “Hey, Mom!” Danny came flying in the back door, letting it slam behind him. “Can we go to the pool?”

  “Sure, but first I’m waiting for a delivery. Once that gets here, we can go.”

  “You don’t need to take me. I can get a ride.”

  “Who else is going?”

  “Jeff, Pete, and Jesse. Jeff’s mom said she’d drive us so you don’t have to.”

  “Okay. I need to run a couple of errands so if you get back before I do, can you just hang at Jeff’s?”

  “I think I can, but I’ll ask before we go.”

  “Thanks, sweetie.”

  He was just heading out the front door with his swimming stuff when a courier vehicle pulled up. Brooke took the envelope he handed her with anticipation. After signing for it and saying goodbye to Danny, she went back inside.

  Standing at the counter, she took a deep breath before slipping a finger under the flap to break the seal and slide the check out. Her mouth dropped open and once again she felt herself struggling to catch her breath.

  This buyer put the other one to shame. What this latest buyer had paid for those three paintings would be enough to live on for at least two years. Three, if she was careful with it. She stared at the check as she sank down on the stool at the counter.

  It was made out from Dorie’s account so there was no way to know who the actual buyer was. The more she stared at it, the more the questions started to come. Although it wasn’t as common as it had once been, it wasn’t unheard of to have some sort of benefactor in the art world. Up until meeting Lincoln, she’d been waiting tables and painting when she could. He had actually encouraged her to try to find a gallery to showcase her work, had even made some suggestions.

  After he’d left her, she’d decided to give it a try. She’d gone to the different galleries he’d mentioned and after seeing the type of art Dorie featured in her gallery had approached her about bringing in some of her work. Dorie had agreed they’d be a good fit and ever since then had been the conduit through which her anonymous benefactor had purchased her paintings. Those purchases had allowed her to stay home with Danny.

  But as the wheels in her head started turning and the timing of things fell into place, Brooke felt a little sick. The purchases had stopped six months earlier. Lincoln had gone missing four months ago. Which would have been a month or so before another purchase would have been made. And now, just days after Lucas appeared in their lives, another purchase was made. A large one.

  Had Lincoln been the one buying her paintings all these years? Had that been his way of supporting his son? Brooke closed her eyes and let out a long breath. It made sense, in a strange sort of way because it would have eased Lincoln’s conscience. He would have been able to continue to live his life knowing that his son was taken care of but without having to deal with him personally.

  Anger bubbled up inside Brooke. For years, she’d assumed it was someone who thought her paintings had worth buying them. Instead, she had a strong feeling that they had been purchased as a means to an end. Not by someone who valued her work but by someone who used them to assuage any guilt they may have felt about not being in his son’s life.

  And Lucas? He was no better than his brother. She’d known he wanted to help out. The fact that she’d resisted his help should have been enough to warn him off. But no, he had to go and take things into his own hands. And once again, her paintings had been used.

  Of course, she had no real proof of her theory, but it fit so well she had a hard time believing it was all a coincidence. She didn’t bother phoning Dorie to ask because, in the past, the woman had told her the condition of any future sales was that they remain anonymous.

  The anger was tinged with discouragement as well. Her work had sat in Dorie’s gallery for the past six months, and no one else had wanted them. Maybe she’d been chasing a pipe dream with her painting. It was quite possibly time to put aside the dream of being an artist and settle into a real career. This latest check would allow her to go back to school or try to find a job that would be something she’d enjoy.

  If she kept it. Right then she wanted to walk up to Lucas and rip it up in front of him.

  Pride can cost you everything but leave you with nothing.

  The words floated through her mind in her mother’s voice.

  Pride comes before a fall.

  Brooke looked back down at the check. Did it really matter if it came from Lucas? She wanted to say it was a matter of principle, but the reality was…it was a matter of pride. It hurt to think her paintings weren’t worth anything except as a way to funnel money to her for Danny’s sake.

  For Danny’s sake.

  And that right there was why she’d cash this check. Regardless of the motives Lincoln and Lucas had when they’d bought her paintings—if, in fact, they had—her reasons for painting and selling those paintings had never changed.

  For Danny’s sake.

  Her pride was not as important as being able to care for her son.

  She stood up and made her way into her bedroom to change into something a little more presentable before going to the bank to cash the check. After she put gas in her car so she didn’t end up stranded somewhere.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  AS HE pulled up to Brooke’s house, Lucas had to admit to being mildly surprised that he hadn’t heard from her since he’d left on Sunday. He’d been convinced that she would contact him—through text most likely—to let him know that dinner with his mom was off. Just to be sure—though it wouldn’t matter at this point—he took his phone out to check for new messages.

  Not finding any, he shut the car off and climbed out into the sweltering afternoon air. He still wore his suit from work and it was just about killing him. The heat had to break at some point…he hoped.

  As he went up the steps to the front door of Brooke’s house, he noticed the inside door was closed. Frowning, he pressed the doorbell. While he had expected her to cancel, he hadn’t thought she might just not be home when he arrived to pick them up.

  He was relieved when the inside door opened to reveal Danny.

  Danny pushed the screen door open. “Hi. Come on in. Mom said she’d be ready in just a minute.”

  The minute he stepped inside Lucas realized why the door had been closed. The air conditioning was on. Glad neither she nor Danny had to endure the heat in their home, Lucas smiled at the boy. “You said you liked to swim, right?”

  “Yep. I just went swimming yesterday, actually.”

  “Why don’t you bring something to swim in? We’ve got a pool.”

  Danny’s eyes lit up. “Really? Cool!”

  As the boy darted off, Lucas spotted Brooke walking out of what he assumed was her room. She wore a long sundress in several different shades of turquoise with some flowery pattern around the bottom. It had a gathered top and fell in folds to her ankles. The narrow straps showed off her lightly tanned shoulders. He found it a bit surprising that she had any sort of tan given the color of her hair, but it definitely worked for her.

  For the first time since he’d met her, she was wearing her hair down. It was a mass of curls that fell to the middle of her back. She carried a pair of white sandals and a pu
rse.

  “Will I pass inspection?” Brooke asked as she stopped to slip on one sandal and then the other.

  Lucas wasn’t sure about his mom and Lindsay, but she looked just fine to him. He’d told his mom that dinner would be casual because Brooke and Danny didn’t strike him as the type to “dress for dinner.” He wasn’t either, but usually did it for his mom’s sake. Or rather, he would just stay in his work clothes through dinner and then change.

  “You look very nice.”

  “Thank you.” A quick smile curved her lips as she glanced away from him toward Danny’s door. “Isn’t he ready yet?”

  “He was. I told him to bring something to swim in. We have a pool and, with it being so hot, I thought he might like to take a dip.”

  Before Brooke could say anything, Danny came back out of his room with a bag in hand. He was dressed in long dark denim shorts, a light blue polo shirt and a pair of loafers. The outfit looked similar to the one he’d worn when his grandparents had dropped him off after church.

  “Ready to go?” Brooke asked him.

  Danny nodded then looked at Lucas. “Do you swim?”

  “Yes, I do. I’ll probably join you. Anything to get cool in this heat.”

  Brooke went to the kitchen to pick up a basket that sat on the counter. “Well, let’s get this show on the road.”

  Lucas led the way out to his car, opening the front and back doors on the passenger side for Brooke and Danny.

  As he climbed behind the wheel, Lucas heard Danny say, “This is crazy cool.”

  He glanced back at the boy in time to see him looking wide-eyed at the luxury of the vehicle. Sometimes—often—Lucas took for granted the trappings that his wealth allowed him. It was kind of refreshing to be reminded that not everyone lived as he did. And that people didn’t need the wealth he had in order to be happy.

  Brooke definitely echoed Danny’s sentiment with regards to the car. Compared to her car…well, there really was no comparison. About the only thing they had in common was the use of four tires. There was a subtle scent of cologne that lingered in the car. She watched as Lucas manipulated the wheel with ease as they pulled away from the curb and into the traffic.

  Music drifted softly through speakers that made it sound amazing. She recognized the song from her days in church. His music choice brought to mind his comment on Sunday that he’d been on his way home from church when he’d gotten her text. It appeared that perhaps his faith was important to him like it was to her parents. Lincoln certainly hadn’t had any sort of faith that she had seen. But then, he probably could have said the same of her even though her family was all Christian. So it was entirely possible that Lincoln had been the black sheep of his family as well.

  She clutched the basket of muffins and cookies she and Danny had worked on earlier that day. It had been such a relief to be able to turn the air conditioning back on while they were baking. But now faced with obvious wealth, Brooke felt a flutter of nerves. She was not from a family with money. Eric and Staci were the most financially set, but neither of them really lived any differently. They had nicer cars, but nothing like what Lucas drove.

  She listened as Lucas and Danny talked about video games and sports. Thankfully, this visit wasn’t about her, so hopefully she wouldn’t be required to talk too much. For once, she was feeling a bit out of her depth.

  “Oh. Wow.” Those were Danny’s words as they drove up to a large wrought iron gate. Lucas pressed a button and slowly the gates began to swing inward.

  The nerves that had been a flutter earlier grew considerably more active as Lucas drove along a winding treed driveway. When the house came into sight, Brooke realized she’d made a very big mistake agreeing to this meeting. There was no way she and Danny could ever fit in to this world. Nothing intimidated her much, but this did. She wanted this to go well for her son, but right then she was sure that what they wore was totally out of place, and they were going to look like just what they were—the poor relatives.

  “That’s your house?” Danny asked as Lucas pulled to a stop in front of a huge two story palatial estate home.

  “It’s my mom’s actually, but Lindsay and I live here with her right now.”

  “It’s…big.”

  “Yeah, too big, really,” Lucas said. He shut off the engine and opened his door.

  Brooke was a little slower moving which gave Lucas time to get around to open the door for her. When he offered his hand, she paused for a moment before gripping it. Once she had her feet on the ground, she felt him give her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it.

  When she glanced at him, he smiled. “They won’t bite.”

  Well, it didn’t really matter if they did. She could bite back, if necessary. Danny came to stand next to her and slipped his hand into hers. With the basket of baked goods tucked into the crook of her elbow, she followed Lucas as he walked toward the wide stone steps leading to the front door of the house. Danny stuck tight to her side as they approached the house.

  Lucas opened the door and stepped back to allow them to walk in ahead of him. A wash of cool air met them, and Danny’s grip on her hand tightened even more. The foyer they stood in was bigger than both her and Danny’s bedrooms put together. A sweeping curved staircase on the left side of the room led to the second floor and a balcony.

  There was rich, and then there was…this.

  “Let’s go through to the living room. See if Lindsay and Mom are there.”

  Walking straight ahead through a short hallway led them into another even bigger—if that was possible—room than the foyer. The way they had come in had them facing a huge bank of windows. There was a fireplace to the right and large pieces of furniture were situated at various angles through the room.

  The intimidated feeling from earlier grew even stronger. Keeping Danny pressed to her side, Brooke glanced around looking for some sign of life.

  “About time you got here, Luc.” The voice came from a room off to the side.

  “We left the office at the same time, and I told you I was picking Brooke and Danny up.” Lucas responded without any type of defensive tone to his voice.

  As he turned to Brooke and Danny, he smiled and motioned toward them. “Brooke. Danny. This is my sister, Lindsay. Linds, this is Brooke and Danny.”

  Brooke watched as a voluptuous woman about her height stepped into view. Her hair was a few shades darker than Lucas’s and looked to have been professionally highlighted. It lay in perfect curls over her shoulders and matched the expertly applied makeup on her face. She wore a gray suit with a hot pink blouse that fit her perfectly.

  Given Lucas’s laid back attitude and approach, Brooke hadn’t really expected his sister to be so…impeccable. Her light gray eyes flitted over Brooke and then focused on Danny. When she took a couple of steps in their direction, Danny pressed more tightly to Brooke’s side and his grip on her hand increased almost painfully.

  “You’re scaring him, Linds,” Lucas said with a trace of humor in his voice. “Why don’t you go get changed into something a little less intimidating. I told Mom we weren’t dressing for dinner even though we were having guests.”

  Lindsay’s gaze met hers for a moment before moving back to Danny and then to Lucas. “I’ll be right back.”

  “That’s the professional Lindsay,” Lucas said with a grin as he shrugged out of his suit coat and laid it across the back of a nearby chair. “We try not to let her out after business hours.”

  “Lucas?” This voice was softer, gentler.

  Danny’s grip on her hand eased a bit as an older woman approached them from the opposite side of the room from where Lindsay had appeared. Lucas went to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

  “Hi, Mom.” He slid an arm around her shoulders as he guided her to where Brooke and Danny stood. “This is Brooke and Danny.”

  Though this woman wasn’t dressed like Lindsay had been, she still exuded an elegance that Brooke knew she’d never in a million years be able to
pull off.

  “This is my mom, Sylvia.”

  Though the woman’s hair had streaks of silver in it, it looked more like it had been highlighted that way. It was cut into a smooth bob that just brushed the tops of her shoulders. She wore a short sleeve cranberry sweater set over black slacks. Definitely more casual than what her daughter had been wearing, but still elegant. Her eyes were like Lucas’s and regarded them warmly.

  She smiled and held out her hand. “Brooke? It’s nice to meet you.”

  Thankfully, Danny let go of her hand so she could take the older woman’s in a firm grip. “Likewise.”

  As her hand slid from Brooke’s, Sylvia turned her gaze toward her grandson. “And you’re Danny.”

  Brooke was proud of Danny when he nodded and took the hand the older woman held out to him. She gave his shoulder and encouraging squeeze. They’d talked a bit about what the visit with Lucas’s mom might entail. So far, so good.

  “I’m so glad you could both come for dinner,” Sylvia said as she let go of Danny’s hand.

  As her gaze went to Lucas, Brooke saw pain in her eyes. It hit her then. Until that moment, Lincoln had been the man who’d abandoned her son. But he’d also been a son to this woman. He’d been to Sylvia what Danny was to her. Her heart clenched at the thought of how she’d feel if it were Danny that had passed away.

  No wonder Sylvia had wanted to meet Danny. The defensive shield Brooke had put in place before Lucas had come to pick them up slipped a little. A love for their sons leveled the playing field. Wealth or the lack thereof no longer mattered. They were just two mothers who loved their sons.

  Lucas reached out and drew his mom to his side. He smiled down at her with affection. “Lincoln would have been so jealous of Danny’s hair, wouldn’t he?”

  Sylvia looked again at Danny and smiled tremulously. “When he was your age he wanted to wear his hair long. Leon—his father—absolutely forbade it. I think that’s why he let it grow as soon as he was out of high school.”