No Stranger to Scandal

by Rachel Bailey

  “He has a son,” she found herself saying. “Hayden Black. He’s a widower with a one-year-old son called Josh.”

  Graham’s face folded up into a frown. “You’re too young to become a mother.”

  Not long ago, she would have thought the same. Since becoming part of Josh’s life, though, she saw motherhood and parenting differently, as something she’d relish if she had the opportunity. She’d been involved with babies through her charity for years, but getting to know Josh had been a new experience. And, no question, she’d fallen head over heels in love with the little boy.

  “He’s such a special boy. And he loves Rosie,” she said, remembering how cute they were together. “The first time I met him, I had Rosie with me and he called out ‘Goggie.’ When I met him again the next day, he wanted to know where she was.”

  “You haven’t asked me about Angelica,” Graham said abruptly.

  She hesitated, trying to catch the change of direction the conversation had suddenly taken. “That’s your business. I won’t pry.”

  “I never should have abandoned her as a baby.” He clenched a fist on the table. “I thought I was doing enough by paying money to keep a roof over her head and food in her belly. Sending her to school. But it wasn’t enough. I should have seen that at the time instead of being focused on my own distaste about being weighed down by a baby...or her annoying mother. If I’d raised Madeline, maybe things would have been different.” His expression drooped, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “Maybe she wouldn’t have turned out so bitter.”

  She bit down on her bottom lip. Maybe Angelica would have been different had Graham raised her—he certainly should have tried. Though saying that wouldn’t be helpful to a man already riddled with regrets, and in all honesty, was that the only problem Angelica had? She couldn’t think of a single useful thing to say, so she went with the generic. “Babies are so precious.”

  “You obviously have feelings for Josh,” Graham said, pointing a finger at her. “So you’re poised to repeat both of my biggest mistakes in one giant blunder. Are you ready to walk away from the man you love, as well as a kid you want to be yours?”

  She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms under her breasts as if she could pull herself away from the terrible picture he painted. “I don’t know, but I promise I’ll think about it.”

  He nodded, satisfied. “I know you’ll do the right thing. You always do.” He pushed his chair back and stood. “Now you go on and leave me here. You don’t want to spend your days keeping an old man company.”

  “I’ll be back to see you again before your court appearance,” she said, keeping the tears that threatened in check. The last thing Graham needed was to think he’d made her cry. “Whatever happens with your sentencing, I’ll be here for you.”

  By the time she made it to her car, she couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. She rested her head on the steering wheel and let them come. Tears for Graham mingled with tears for herself as they slid down her cheeks.

  If you still love him, go get what you want. Life’s too short, too unpredictable to waste a second of it.

  This time his words struck a chord deep inside her. Graham was right. She loved Hayden. It was as simple—and as gloriously complicated—as that.

  She didn’t care if Hayden had some ridiculous idea about their suitability or his heart’s capabilities. She was going to fight for their love, fight for them. All the other reasons they’d thought they shouldn’t be together, they were molehills, not mountains. Anything could be surmounted if they did it hand in hand. If she’d learned one thing from Graham’s example, it was not to live with regrets. To make changes in her life while she could. Even if talking to Hayden again was destined to fail, she at least had to try.

  She checked her watch—still early enough to catch a flight. She reached for her cell, dialed her travel agent and bought a round-trip ticket to New York. She’d just have enough time to get home, grab a couple of things and make the flight. She couldn’t take Rosie, so she’d need to be back in D.C. tonight. If things worked out with Hayden, Rosie would be part of their permanent plans, but for today, she’d have to wait here. Excitement fluttered in her stomach. She knew what she wanted and she was going to grab it.

  When a light turned red, she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. First order of business—she needed to work out what to say when she saw Hayden again. He’d been adamant this morning, so she’d need the perfect way to explain that nothing mattered more than the two of them creating a new family with Josh and their future children. Words swirled around her head, forming into sentences to convince him, then fell apart as she discarded them. Maybe on the plane—she’d have a bit of time on the plane to get the words just perfect. She should be thinking about what to grab at her house so that went as quickly as possible. Missing this flight was not an option.

  She pulled up in front of her place, grabbed her hold-all bag and flung open the car door. As she stepped out onto the road, she hesitated. Someone was sitting on the concrete steps to her front door. Two someones. Her heart stilled. Two someones she loved. Hayden stood and picked up Josh, but he didn’t make a move to come over to her.

  Her knees wobbled and she leaned against the car for support. His gaze met hers but it gave nothing away. He’d come back—did he need something, maybe some more testimony? Had he left something in her house? Clothes? His phone?

  The plan had been to tell him what she wanted for their future, but that was supposed to happen after she’d had time to get it straight in her head. Make the words perfect so she didn’t ruin the chance. But he was here. Earlier than her plan. She was going to have to make the best of it.

  She put her handbag up on her shoulder and set the keyless lock. Then she took a deep breath and pushed away from the car. One foot in front of the other. As she approached, Josh squealed and reached for her, but Hayden kept his hold on him.

  “Hello,” Hayden said, a slight frown line marring his brow.

  She straightened her spine and found a welcoming smile. “Did you forget something?”

  “Yes.”

  Her heart shattered and she only held herself upright through sheer force of will. He’d returned because he’d forgotten something. Though that didn’t mean she couldn’t convince him. “You’d better come in.”

  She moved around him and unlocked her front door. If she could get them inside, she’d have a better chance of having a fair hearing for what she needed to say. Maybe lock the door behind them. She pushed the door open with a trembling hand. Rosie rushed at them and greeted everyone with the enthusiasm of a dog who hadn’t seen people for hours, standing on her hind legs and wagging her curly tail.

  Forming her argument in her mind, Lucy walked into her living room. It was a safe place for Josh to crawl around on the floor so she could have all of Hayden’s attention. Then she swiveled and planted her hands on her hips. “Before you get whatever it is you forgot, there’s something I—”

  “You,” he said, voice deep and serious.

  She stopped midsentence, mouth still open to form the next word. “Pardon?”

  He put Josh on the sofa, where he was immediately joined by Rosie. Then Hayden looked back to Lucy, eyes intense. “I forgot you. As soon as the plane took off, I knew I’d made a stupid mistake. A colossal mistake. When we disembarked in New York, I found a flight straight back again.”

  She started to tremble. The hope was so strong, it was painful, but none of this made sense. “You want to continue our fling?” she asked.

  “I want more than a damn fling. I want everything, Lucy.” He took her hands and gripped them tightly. “I want to live my life with you.”

  The trembling inside grew stronger, until she could feel her lips quivering, and her fingers as Hayden’s gripped them. All that she wanted seemed so close, but she wouldn’t live with regrets. She wouldn’t settle for anything less than the whole package.

  “What about Josh?” sh
e asked, looking down at the little boy who was rubbing Rosie’s tummy. “I couldn’t be with you and be excluded from your relationship with him. You said you’d never share him again.”

  “I was wrong.” He dropped her hands and speared his fingers through his hair, looking nervous. “One of the things I thought about on that flight was that parenting a child with you would be a world apart from parenting with Brooke. It was fear talking—fear of being edged out of my son’s life again. The best thing for Josh is to have two parents who love him. But I know it’s asking a lot to take on me and Josh together. You should be—”

  She placed a finger over his lips. “You’re not about to tell me what I should be doing again, are you?”

  His mouth curved under her fingers. “No, ma’am.”

  “Good,” she said and grinned. “Because I love Josh. When you flew away, I was missing him almost as much as I was missing you. I want you both as a package deal.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed slowly, then he knelt down on her living room carpet and took her hands. “Lucy Royall, marry me. Marry me and Josh.”

  Joy bubbled through her body, filling every cell, every dark corner inside her until it was too big to be contained and seemed to flow out and fill even the air around her. But, aside from a smile, she managed to keep from reacting just yet.

  “Before I answer that,” she said sweetly, laying her Southern accent on thick, “I want to set some ground rules.”

  His mouth opened. Closed again. “Ground rules? You’re killing me, Lucy.”

  She held up a finger. “First rule—no more thinking you know what’s best for me.”

  “Agreed,” he said, chuckling. “I failed pretty bad at that anyway.”

  “Also, I’ll be flying back to D.C. at least once a week to visit Graham no matter what happens with his sentencing, so I don’t want to live too far away. Though I won’t want to be far away after he gets out, either.” She’d meant it when she’d told Graham earlier that she’d be there for him.

  Not letting go of her hands, Hayden stood. “I expected you’d want to be nearby and I’ve had a suggestion. I’m open to setting up an office for my business in D.C. if you want to stay here. Or we could live in both cities—Josh has a few years before he starts school, so we don’t have to be chained anywhere just yet. We’ll work around Boyle’s sentence.”

  After tracking Graham’s crimes and being the one responsible for catching him, Hayden was still willing to work around the man’s sentence, to change his business, if needed? For her. Because he knew it was important to her. In that moment, she knew he genuinely loved her. “You’d really be happy with that?”

  “I learned a couple of things from my first marriage. This time I want a true partnership, where our lives reflect what we both want, what we both need. Graham is part of your life, so we’ll include him. I’m sure I’ll come to appreciate his virtues,” he said wryly. “One thing I do like about him is he honestly cares for you. I can respect that.”

  Emotion clogging her throat, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I didn’t think I could love you more.” It was almost too much, and tears of joy began to creep down her cheeks. “You know, he told me about an hour ago that I should come after you. I’ve booked a flight to New York. I was going to convince you to give us a chance.”

  He chuckled. “Who would have thought I had Boyle to thank for something good?” He tucked her head against his chest, smoothing her hair down. “Your house is too big for one person anyway—we may as well fill it up. Why do you have such a big place?”

  “Build it and they will come,” she quoted softly. Being an only child who’d lost both her parents, she hadn’t been able to contemplate a condo or something small. “I think I’ve always been waiting for a family of my own.”

  “You have one now.” His voice was as rough as gravel. “Josh, me and Rosebud.”

  Rosebud came trotting over at the sound of her name, panting with her curly tongue peeking out. Lucy looked from Rosie to Josh on the sofa to Hayden in her arms. And smiled. “The perfect family.”

  “So is that the end of your ground rules?” Hayden asked, leaning back enough so she could see his eyes.

  “Yes.” There was nothing more she could possibly want. She was ready to marry the man she loved. “I’ll—”

  “Well, I have a couple of my own before you answer my proposal.” He pulled her down on the sofa so they were sitting with Josh—Lucy in Hayden’s lap and Josh in Lucy’s, with Hayden’s arms around both.

  She blinked. “You do?”

  “First ground rule,” he said, eyes narrowed, “no more secrecy. If I want to kiss you in the middle of a park, or on the steps of the Capitol, I will.”

  She bit down on the wide smile that threatened, needing to at least appear serious in the negotiations. “I think I can live with that rule.”

  Obviously bored with the lack of action, Josh crawled out of Lucy’s lap and over to the other end of the sofa and began patting Rosie’s nose, giggling when she licked his fingers on each pat.

  “Second rule,” Hayden said, bringing her attention back to him by maneuvering her to straddle his lap, then resting his hands on her hips. “There are no conditions on where we can make love anymore. Only being able to have you at your place was driving me insane.”

  She kissed a path across his jaw and was rewarded when he shuddered. “Another rule I can wholeheartedly approve,” she murmured in his ear.

  “Then—” he cradled her face in his palms, bringing it back in front of his “—I think we might just have ourselves an agreement to get married.”

  The intensity in his eyes, his love for her that was shining there unguarded, made everything inside her sing. Then he captured her mouth and kissed her, and she knew she’d never want more than this: being with the man she loved, who loved her, and the family of her heart.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A Conflict of Interest by Barbara Dunlop

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  One

  It was inauguration night in Washington, D.C., and Cara Cranshaw had to choose between her president and her lover. One strode triumphantly though the arches of the Worthington Hotel ballroom to the uplifting strains of “Hail to the Chief” and the cheers of eight hundred well-wishers. The other stared boldly at her from across the ballroom, a shock of unruly, dark hair curling across his forehead, his bow tie slightly askew and his eyes telegraphing the message that he wanted her naked.

  For the moment, it was investigative reporter Max Gray who held her attention. Despite her resolve to turn the page on their relationship, she couldn’t tear her gaze from his, nor could she stop her hand from reflexively moving to her abdomen. But Max was off-limits now that Ted Morrow had been sworn in as president.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” cried the master of ceremonies above the music and enthusiastic clapping that was spreading like a wave across the hall. “The President of the United States.” His voice rang out from the microphone onstage at the opposite end of the massive, high-ceilinged room.

  The cheers grew to a roar. The band’s volume increased. And the crowd shifted, separating to form a pathway in front of President Morrow. Cara automatically moved with them, but she still couldn
’t tear her gaze from Max as he took a few steps backward on the other side of the divide.

  She schooled her features, struggling to transmit her resolve. She couldn’t let him see the confusion and alarm she’d been feeling since her doctor’s visit that afternoon. Resolve, she ruthlessly reminded herself, not hesitation and definitely not fear.

  “He’s running late.” Sandy Haniford’s shout sounded shrill in Cara’s ear.

  Sandy was a junior staffer in the White House press office, where Cara worked as a public relations specialist. While Cara was moving from ball to ball tonight with the president’s entourage, Sandy was stationed here as liaison to the American News Service event.

  “Only by a few minutes,” Cara shouted back, her eyes still on Max.

  Resolve, she repeated to herself. The unexpected pregnancy might have tipped her world on its axis, but it didn’t change her job tonight. And it didn’t alter her responsibility to the president.

  “I was hoping the president would get here a little early,” Sandy continued, her voice still raised. “We have a last-minute addition to the speaker lineup.”

  Cara twisted her head; Sandy’s words had instantly broken Max’s psychological hold on her. “Come again?”

  “Another speaker.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “It’s done,” said Sandy.

  “Well, undo it.”

  The speakers, especially those at the events hosted by organizations less than friendly to the president, had been vetted weeks in advance. American News Service was no friend of President Morrow, but the cable network’s ball was a tradition, so he’d had no choice but to show up.

  It was a tightly scripted appearance, with only thirty minutes in the Worthington ballroom. He would arrive at ten forty-five—well, ten fifty-two as it turned out—then he was to leave at eleven-fifteen. The Military Inaugural Ball was next on the schedule, and the president had made it clear he wanted to be on time to greet the troops.