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

  She was going to have to have a talk with Lucas, just to make sure they were on the same page. His family was not going to be buying Danny’s affections. She was going to make good and sure of that.

  The rest of the evening passed without further incident. Sylvia actually reminded Brooke a lot of her own mom. Once the guys had finished in the pool, she’d talked to Danny quite a bit about what Lincoln had been like when he’d been Danny’s age. Lindsay and Lucas both offered their versions of certain events that their mother recounted.

  It alternated between funny and sad, but Brooke could see it was good for the four of them to connect that way. She didn’t add much to the conversation and often found her thoughts drifting to the changes that loomed in her and Danny’s life. Lucas hadn’t broached how much involvement they wanted to have with Danny, but Brooke had a feeling they would want to make up for lost time. She certainly didn’t begrudge them that. Lincoln had robbed them of as much as he had Danny by not stepping into the role of father. Still, it was a bit difficult to listen to funny, endearing stories about a man she’d never held in much regard once her letter letting him know of Danny’s birth went unanswered.

  When it was time to leave, Brooke was more than ready to escape the huge mansion and get back to her little house. It had gone better than she had anticipated it might, but she needed some time with her own thoughts about everything that was going on.

  Danny was quiet on the ride home and though Brooke wanted to broach the subject of the paintings with Lucas, she didn’t really want to do it around her son. And then there was the subject of the time at the cabin that needed to be discussed as well. She had a feeling they were just two of the many discussions that were to come.

  Lucas could sense the tension radiating off Brooke. She did a pretty good job of hiding her agitation with him, particularly around his family and Danny, but he could feel it. Lindsay had given him the heads up that it appeared as if Brooke had put two and two together and come up with four where her paintings were concerned. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought to ask his mom not to mention his latest purchases.

  When he pulled to a stop in front of Brooke’s house, she glanced over at him. “Mind coming in for a few minutes?”

  Knowing there was no way he could say no, Lucas nodded as he opened his door and stepped out into the slightly cooler evening air. Danny jumped out of the vehicle and ran to the front door ahead of them, while Brooke followed him more slowly. As he brought up the rear, Lucas figured that nothing good was going to come of whatever it was Brooke had prepared in her mind to say to him on the trip back to her place.

  “It’s time for bed, sweetie,” Brooke said as they stepped into the house. “Why don’t you get ready and then come say goodnight to Lucas?”

  Danny nodded and trudged into his room.

  “Be sure and hang your suit up in the bathroom,” Brooke called out after him before turning toward Lucas. She gave him a smile that fooled him not one bit. “Would you like a drink or something to eat?”

  Was this her idea of a last meal before handing him his head on a platter? There was a reason he’d chosen to purchase the painting anonymously. He might not know her that well—yet—but he knew she was independent and didn’t want to rely on anyone. She wouldn’t understand why he’d done what he had.

  He sighed. “Any cookies left?”

  “Yep.”

  Lucas followed her to the kitchen and sat down at the counter—it was rapidly becoming his spot in the house—and waited for the other shoe to drop. And waited.

  Brooke didn’t say anything as she opened a container and placed some cookies from it on a plate. Next she pulled a couple of glasses down from the cupboard and filled them with water. She’d just set them on the counter when Danny reappeared.

  “Ready for bed?” She slipped an arm around his shoulders. At his nod, she said, “Say goodnight to Lucas.”

  Danny came around the counter and held out his arms to Lucas. Fighting back a sudden rush of emotions, Lucas embraced the boy, inhaling the scent of chlorine and toothpaste. “Goodnight, buddy.”

  “Thanks for swimming with me tonight,” Danny said as he stepped back. “Can we do it again?”

  “I think so, but that will be up to your mom.”

  Lucas watched as Brooke and Danny walked to the boy’s room. She was with him for a few minutes before reappearing, shutting the door behind her.

  “So, your mom tells me you bought some paintings yesterday,” Brooke said as she picked up her glass and leaned her hip against the counter.

  CHAPTER NINE

  LUCAS sighed. “Do you want to play the game or just get it all out so you can give me a piece of your mind?”

  One of her brows rose at his comment. “Why did you do it?”

  “I’ve always been good at putting pieces of a puzzle together. It didn’t take me long to figure out what Lincoln had done.” Lucas gestured to the painting on the wall in the living room. “I recognized the style that first day I came to visit you.”

  Brooke frowned. “Recognized the style?”

  “Yes. Lincoln has three paintings hanging in his room at the house that were similar to that one. I took a picture of the signature and compared it to the ones in his room and found them identical. That’s when I figured out that the initials were actually yours.”

  “He has the paintings hanging?” Brooke asked.

  “Yes. The one above his bed is the one with the boy and man flying.”

  Brooke’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t been sure about selling that one but Dorie phoned asking if I had more to sell and that was the only one I had ready to go.”

  “I haven’t found all the other paintings, but there were some in his closet still in their packaging. And I have a feeling others are in storage somewhere. I’m still in the process of going through all his stuff.”

  “And all these years I had hoped that people were actually enjoying my work.” Brooke looked down at her glass. “I suppose I should be glad he at least hung three of them.”

  Lucas felt bad as he realized how it must be for an artist to find out that the things they worked so hard on were hidden away.

  She tilted her head up to look at him, her hair falling across her shoulder. “What do you plan to do with the three you bought?”

  “I planned to hang one at my apartment, one in my bedroom at the house and then give one to my mom.”

  Brooke nodded and bent her head down again. “Why did you buy them?”

  “I think you already know the answer to that.”

  “It was too much. They’re not worth that much. And they weren’t worth what Lincoln paid for them either.”

  “I beg to differ,” Lucas said as he picked up a cookie and broke it in half. “You’re very talented.”

  “Then why did the three you just bought not sell until you plunked down way too much money for them?”

  “Dorie? Is that her name?” At her nod, Lucas continued, “She told me that Lincoln had told her to not sell the paintings unless someone was willing to match what he paid.”

  “So even if someone were interested, if they weren’t willing to pay what Lincoln would, Dorie wouldn’t sell them?”

  Lucas nodded. “And there were interested parties but when they wouldn’t match Lincoln’s price, Dorie wouldn’t sell them. Of course, no one could foresee what would happen to Lincoln. Dorie wasn’t sure what to do after so many months had passed without him showing up. She’d called his phone but got no answer, of course.”

  “All this time…” Brooke’s words trailed off as she set her glass on the counter and crossed her arms over her waist.

  “All this time you were providing for Danny the best way you knew how.”

  She glanced up at him. “Except if it hadn’t been for Lincoln—and now you—I wouldn’t have been able to.”

  “I have no doubt that you would have found a way to take care of Danny. Lincoln provided the only way he thought he could for his son. Emotion
ally he wasn’t prepared to take on that responsibility but you were. He gave you the ability to give Danny what he needed. A mom who was able to do what she enjoyed and still have time to raise her son.” Lucas took a sip of his water. “Lincoln wasn’t trying to control how you raised your son. He was trying to give you the freedom to do it however you wanted.”

  A frown pulled her brows together. “I still don’t like it.”

  “I agree that it wasn’t the best way to handle things, but honestly, I think we both know from our interactions with Lincoln, that it was the best case scenario.”

  Brooke seemed to be considering his comments as she didn’t say anything in response to that.

  “And one more thing. Money will soon be the least of your worries.”

  Brooke looked at him. “What?”

  “You and Danny are Lincoln’s only heirs. After my dad’s death, the Hamilton fortune was divided into four. You now get Lincoln’s quarter. I am named as trustee to help with managing it, but there is enough there that you will never have to worry about money again.”

  Brooke’s mouth dropped open as she stared at him. “When you said that Danny was mentioned in Lincoln’s will…”

  “I wasn’t sure at that point what type of woman you were. I needed to make sure that our company was still protected. I wanted to get a feel for who you and Danny were.”

  A corner of her mouth lifted. “And now you’ve decided that we’re okay?”

  “Better than okay. I know that you’ll always put Danny’s needs first and part of that is protecting his interests in the company as well.”

  “I really am not interested in the money. Danny and I have been doing fine.”

  “I know you have. I can see that Danny is a happy, well-adjusted ten-year-old. The inheritance will just make it easier for you.” Lucas looked around the house. “Don’t think I didn’t realize that the reason you didn’t have your air conditioning on when I came that first day was because you couldn’t afford to run it. It’s things like that you will never have to worry about. You don’t need to buy all the latest gadgets, but you will be able to live in whatever state of comfort you deem necessary for you and Danny.”

  “You live in a mansion,” Brooke pointed out.

  “Yes, I do at the moment. My own place is not quite as spacious.”

  “You still have all the trappings of massive wealth. The car. The condo. The clothes.”

  Lucas couldn’t argue with that. “I was raised differently. These things are really just part of the life I’ve always known.”

  “Could you live in a place like this?”

  If I was living with you and Danny.

  The thought was like a lightning bolt out of the sky. What on earth? Lucas dropped his gaze to the plate of cookies on the counter. He hadn’t even known her for a week. What on earth was a thought like that doing in his head?

  “Lucas?”

  Hoping she wouldn’t be able to read anything on his face, Lucas looked up and met her gaze. “What?”

  “Could you live in a place like this?” She waved her hand in the air. “This whole house would probably fit in your living room.”

  “My mom’s living room,” Lucas corrected. It seemed important that she not associate him with the over-the-top wealthy lifestyle his dad had adopted for him and his mom. There had been no reason for his mom to abandon the home she’d lived in since they’d married. And Lindsay had been quite happy to keep her company at the estate after Leon Hamilton’s death. Lincoln hadn’t bothered to get a place of his own since he was on the move so much, and Lucas’s room had always been waiting for him there as well. “Yes, I could live in a place like this.”

  Brooke arched a brow, her expression skeptical. “And what about your car?”

  “Well, for that, I might need a garage.”

  As the tension melted into a grin on Brooke’s face, Lucas felt something tighten in his chest. He needed to get out of this house. Away from Brooke. This situation was just way too complicated to add in any sort of feelings on his part. He had no doubt anything like that would only ever go one way. She’d already had the Lincoln test.

  He swallowed down the water that remained in his glass. “I really should be going.”

  Brooke looked surprised at the sudden change of subject but slowly nodded. “We still need to talk about the cabin.”

  “I’ll check my schedule and see if we can arrange a time.” Lucas stood up. “Thanks for the cookies.”

  “Why don’t you take a couple for the road?”

  He gave her a quick smile. “Thanks.”

  She followed him to the door and out onto the porch. “We had a good time tonight. Thank you for making it so easy for Danny.”

  “Thank you for allowing us to meet and spend time with him. You could have chosen to make it a whole lot more difficult, and I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

  “That wouldn’t have been what was best for Danny.”

  Lucas stood for a moment looking at her, her auburn hair shining in the light spilling from the hallway behind her. “Good night.”

  He didn’t look back as he crossed the lawn to where his vehicle sat and by the time he pulled away, the door to the small house was shut.

  Brooke went back to the kitchen and cleaned up the glasses and cookies. Her conversation with Lucas played over and over in her head. The revelation about the inheritance had shocked her. And scared her a bit. No doubt this would give him a fair amount of control over her life even though he hadn’t made it sound that way.

  Lucas Hamilton was a man used to controlling things. For all that Lincoln had been a carefree gadabout, Lucas was responsible and in control. Even his mother deferred to him. And though Lindsay came across as in charge, she also seemed willing to let Lucas control things.

  Oh, he was subtle about it, but there was no doubt that Lucas Hamilton was the man in charge of his empire. He could downplay it all he wanted, but when push came to shove, Brooke had no doubt that he’d do what he had to in order to protect his family and his fortune.

  She wondered what he would have done if he’d discovered she was a gold-digger or a druggie and if Danny had been an out of control hooligan. She smiled at the thought. That might have rattled his world a little.

  She was a bit mystified by his abrupt departure. In addition to the conversation she’d wanted to have with him about the cabin, she was just going to confirm his presence at the wedding on Saturday. It wasn’t a big deal if he changed his mind, though having him there would have made the wedding a fair bit more interesting.

  But one thing she was going to have to do between now and then was a little shopping. Now that she had some breathing room in her budget, she was going to get a new outfit for herself and new shoes for Danny. The boy grew out of them so quickly.

  Over the course of the next few days, Brooke found thoughts of Lucas popping up at the oddest of times. Like when she was looking for the outfit she wanted to buy for the wedding. It shouldn’t have mattered if he liked it or not—particularly when she still wasn’t sure he was going with them—yet the thought was in the back of her mind as she looked through dress after dress.

  She hadn’t heard from him again since he’d left so abruptly. Several times over the days following she’d replayed their conversation trying to figure out if she’d said something that had offended him. She’d started to call or text him a few times but then had stopped. If he wanted to make contact, he knew how to get hold of her.

  “Mom, we’re going to be late,” Danny said as he appeared in the doorway of the bathroom where she was putting the finishing touches on her outfit.

  It was to be an outdoor wedding held on the property of Eric’s boss, Marcus Black. Thankfully, the stifling heat of earlier in the week had eased off to more moderate temperatures. At least they wouldn’t all be melting as the bride and groom said their vows.

  Danny wore long pants and a short sleeve shirt with a bow tie and suspenders. Brooke hadn’t been too sure a
bout the combination, but with his hair in loose curls and his tanned skin, he pulled it off quite magnificently.

  Her own choice for the wedding had ended up being a soft lavender chiffon knee length dress. It had small capped sleeves and ruching that started just beneath her breasts and ended at her hips. From there a filmy chiffon skirt fell in loose gathers to her knees. The square neckline framed the simple silver heart pendant necklace she wore with matching earrings. She’d splurged on a pair of strappy silver heels and hoped she didn’t break her neck walking around in them.

  “Just let me finish my hair and we can go.” She reached for another bobby pin, glad that she’d cranked the air earlier. The last thing she needed was to sweat her makeup off as quickly as she applied it. She slid one last pin in to secure her curls and then used a liberal amount of hairspray before spritzing on a bit of perfume.

  Brooke gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Pleased that her efforts had paid off, she went back into her room and grabbed her purse and shoes. Heading for the door, she slipped one shoe on and then took a couple of steps out the door before pausing to put the other on.

  “Ready to go, my handsome date?” Brooke asked as she focused on tightening the strap around her ankle.

  “Mom, Lucas is here.”

  Brooke straightened with a jerk, her gaze meeting Lucas’s.

  He gave her a lopsided grin. “Hope I’m not late.”

  “No, you’re not. I wasn’t sure you were still planning to attend.”

  “I said I would.” He held his hands out to the sides. “Hopefully I’m dressed appropriately.”

  She took in his light gray suit, white shirt and dark blue tie. Oh yes, he was definitely dressed appropriately. The man could wear a suit, that was for sure.

  “You look fine. I just hope you don’t sweat to death though. The wedding is outdoors. I suppose I should have mentioned that.”

  “Wouldn’t have mattered. I still would have worn this. I’ll be fine. I can always take the jacket off if it gets too hot.”