“The rest of that night was fate, Julianne. It was nobody’s fault. Not yours. Not your mother’s. Not your father’s.” Nicky’s tone was unyielding. “You can’t continue to blame yourself. Your father doesn’t blame you.”
“I still don’t know how you can be so certain. Or why you involved my father in the first place.”
“Because as Carly said, the paintings are all you have left of your mother. They should remain in the family. For you and for Owen.” Nicky’s voice softened. “It’s not that your father doesn’t want them—or you. He just didn’t know how to get past his grief. Perhaps this is his way of making amends.”
A tear slipped from Julianne’s eyes. She didn’t dare hope that her father would ever be a part of her life again. That ship had sailed long ago. But she would do anything for her son’s sake. Hadn’t that had been her mantra since discovering she was pregnant? She could take her father’s guilt money and rebuild her company. Then she would figure out how to get Will back because that was one ship she wasn’t going to let sail away.
“My mother would be delighted that her grandson owned her paintings,” she said through her tears.
“That settles it,” Carly said as she wiped her eyes. “You’re taking your father’s money whether you like it or not. The paintings stay in the family for Owen.”
“What happened to the reserved, well-mannered girl who used to be your best friend?” Nicky asked Julianne, a teasing glint in his eye.
“She married the devil of the NFL and now he’s gotten her with child. You might want to stick around in case we need an exorcism.”
Will sat in his car, his hands firmly gripping the wheel. He was sawing ragged breaths in and out in hopes of getting some control over his bruised heart. The senator said Julianne hadn’t snitched on Will. That she loved him. He’d raced over to the house she was staying in to have the talk they should have had weeks ago. Before the sex messed things up. To work on cultivating that seed of trust before everything was ruined for good. To salvage a marriage that she’d only agreed to for the sake of their son.
When no one had answered the door, he’d walked around the back of the house. Staring into the screened porch, he’d seen her with her friends, locked in an embrace. There are only two people she trusts, the senator had said.
These past months, Julianne had been forced down a path not of her own choosing. Starting with the night in Sea Island when he’d taken her to his bed. The consequences of that night were just as much his fault as they were hers. He could no longer blame her for trying to shield him from those consequences by keeping Owen a secret.
Julianne didn’t need a bastard from the Seaside Vista Trailer Park to complete her. She had her talent and her friends—who she’d turn to in a jam. Friends she obviously trusted more than him, not that he could blame her. If Will loved her, and he did, he couldn’t stand in her way any longer. She wouldn’t keep Owen from him. And Will wouldn’t trap her in a marriage she never wanted. Sure, she’d said she loved him, but he knew she’d say and do anything to protect her son.
He forced his hand to turn the key in the ignition and drove away.
Twenty-nine
“Julianne! Julianne!” Annabeth clamored through the house shouting.
Julianne, Carly, and Nicky rushed into the kitchen to find her gasping, tears running down her face.
“Annabeth, where have you been?” Julianne raced toward her mother-in-law, panicked by her distress. “I’ve been trying to call you since I got here yesterday.”
Carly pulled out a chair and Annabeth sat down, her face a mixture of smiles and tears.
“Well, we’ve been trying to call the two of you for the past hour,” Annabeth said.
Carly grabbed her purse off the table and pulled out her cell phone. “Ohmigosh! She’s right. Shane, too.” She yelped as she read the text message on the screen. “It’s over, Jules. The hearing never took place!”
Julianne looked from her friend to her mother-in-law. “Is this true? Will didn’t have to testify?”
Annabeth shook her head as her smile beamed. “Nope. He wasn’t even named by Coach Zevalos as one of the offenders. Will is totally cleared.”
Shaking with relief and joy, Julianne retrieved her own cell phone, desperately hoping for a message from Will. Her body sagged as she scanned the screen and saw only missed calls from Annabeth.
“Give him time,” Annabeth whispered as she came up beside her, draping an arm over her shoulder. “He needs to process everything first.”
Leaning a head on the older woman’s shoulder, Julianne pushed out a breath. She’d never been a very patient person, and giving Will time was killing her. Hopefully, though, when Will processed everything, he’d see she hadn’t meant to hurt him.
“You did something to make this happen, didn’t you?” Julianne asked.
“Nothing that I shouldn’t have done years ago,” Annabeth confessed. “But the less you know the better.”
Julianne smiled at her. “I’m just glad it worked out.”
“The rest of it is going to work out, too,” she reassured Julianne. “You’ll see.”
“You still haven’t answered my question, though. Where have you been?”
Annabeth’s face flushed beneath her broad smile.
Julianne actually laughed. “Never mind. Your face just told me everything I need to know.” She hugged her mother-in-law. “Good for you. At least one of us is happy.”
“Hey!” Carly clicked off her cell phone. “Shane says they’re having a big party at the training facility. Roscoe and Will are supposed to get there soon. Jules, let’s get Owen and bring him.”
A spasm of misery clenched in Julianne’s stomach. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. At least not for me to go.” She turned to Annabeth. “You should take Owen, though. Will would want to show his son off to his teammates.”
“Oh, no you don’t, Julianne.” Annabeth’s hands were on her hips. “There’s no chickening out anymore. You two are going to resolve this if I have to lock you both in a room together.”
“Oooo,” Carly chimed in. “I know the perfect room, too. Shane and I had a nice little talk in there once. It was very productive.” Her grin and rosy cheeks told Julianne that a lot more than talking went on between Carly and Shane in that room.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Carly, get the baby.”
Nicky excused himself, saying he had business in Washington. The two women somehow managed to get Owen packed up quickly, bundling him and Julianne into the car before she could protest. When they arrived at the facility, the celebration was in full swing. All that was missing was the guest of honor.
Shane greeted them at the door, hugging both Annabeth and Julianne before wrapping his wife up in his arms. “Hey there, Dorothy,” he murmured, using his favorite pet name for Carly before kissing her soundly. He pulled away a little reluctantly, their gazes still locked in a form of nonverbal communication that hinted of something more to come later.
Julianne bit her lip to keep from weeping out of sheer jealousy. She and Will had briefly had that.
Hank slipped an arm around Annabeth, and Julianne’s anguish gnawed a little harder in her belly. Everywhere she looked she saw happy people, happy couples. Coming here was a ridiculously bad idea. She turned to make her escape, but Brody blocked her way.
“Little dude,” he said, holding his arms out for Owen. “Come to Uncle Brody and I’ll introduce you to the guys.”
He had the baby out of her arms before she could stop him. Owen squealed with delight. Tears stung her eyes as she realized even her infant son was having a better time than she was.