Lost and Found Family

by Jennifer Ryan

  Luke’s mother did something Sarah never saw coming. She handed the flowers to her husband and then hugged Sarah. She put both arms around her and Nick and held her so tight she thought she might shatter from the love she felt coming from this woman she’d only just met. She couldn’t remember her own mother, or anyone, ever holding her so closely, or with such reverence.

  Tears clogged her throat and threatened to spill from her eyes, the display of emotion embarrassing her even more.

  Lila stepped back, but held Sarah by the shoulders. “Luke didn’t do you justice when he said you were incredible. That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  “I like her, Mommy. She hugs like you.” Nick had finally pulled his face out of Sarah’s neck.

  “I like her, too.” That earned her another warm smile from Lila. Sarah swallowed back the unexpected emotions and looked down at Nick. “Do you want to go down yet?”

  “No.” He buried his face in her neck again.

  Sarah smiled at everyone and moved away from the door, so Luke’s father could close it. Luke moved toward her carrying Jack. He leaned down and kissed her and held it for a few seconds. The soft kiss held a lot of promises.

  Luke cocked his head toward the living room. “Come meet my brother and his wife.” He leaned down and kissed Nick on the head. “Hi, buddy.”

  Nick looked up, grabbed Luke’s shirt, and pulled him down for a kiss on the cheek. He turned back and buried his face again. Nick’s show of affection completely surprised Sarah. It proved how much he had become attached to Luke.

  Luke’s gaze met hers and they shared a moment of connection that said clearly how much Luke appreciated Nick’s love and how much he wanted to hold on to her and this.

  So did she.

  And the boys obviously wanted Luke to be their dad.

  Luke introduced her to the rest of his family. “This is Jason, Michelle, and Emma. Guys, this is Sarah and her boys, Jack and Nick.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Michelle gave her a warm smile. “Luke tells me you’re an extraordinary businesswoman. He says you put my husband’s work hours to shame. I don’t know how you do it with two boys. I have only one daughter and still haven’t managed to get back to work. I miss the challenge,” she added.

  “I haven’t figured out how to make the day longer,” Sarah confessed. “I split up my workday between them and my office. I work from home a lot. It’s good to be the boss. No one can fire you for going to the school play or a Little League game in the middle of the afternoon.”

  Michelle acknowledged that with a nod.

  Sarah tried to coax Nick out of his shyness. “Hey bud, want to give Emma her present?”

  Nick looked up and handed the little girl in Michelle’s arms a bag.

  “Thank you, Nick.” Michelle held the present in front of her little girl. “Emma, you got a present. Want to open it?” Emma stuck her little hand into the bag and pulled out the gift.

  Emma showed it to her mom.

  Michelle made big eyes at it for Emma’s benefit, then asked Sarah, “What’s this?”

  “It’s one of my projects. An electronic children’s book with four stories. Push the button and the story will begin. You can switch it to game mode and the different-shaped buttons will rotate through saying the name of the shapes and the colors, and then it will play a song.”

  Luke’s eyes went wide. “Sarah, you did that?”

  “I came up with the idea when Jack was a baby. I finished it a few months ago and a toy manufacturer is putting it out at Christmas if I can get all the marketing material ready. This is one of four prototypes I had made. I wrote the stories and it’s my voice on the recording. I hope Emma likes it.”

  Nick pointed to Jason and whispered into her ear, “Is he going to leave her alone, too?”

  Sarah hugged him tight and looked him in his sad eyes. “Jason is big and strong like Luke. Nothing is going to happen to him. Okay?”

  Luke cocked a brow. “What’s this about?”

  She kept her voice low so Emma wouldn’t overhear her talk about her dad, even though she was preoccupied playing with her new toy on the couch with her mom.

  “He wanted to know if Jason is going to die and leave Emma without a father, too.” She gave Jason a half smile. “I’m sorry. He has a hard time seeing other kids with their dads.” She rubbed her hand up and down Nick’s back. “Not all dads go away,” she assured him.

  Luke put his hand on his father’s shoulder. “Hey Nick, this is my dad. He’s been with me and Jason our whole lives. Just like Jason will always be with Emma. And I want to be with you. Okay?”

  Nick smiled at Luke. “Okay.”

  Luke’s dad poked Nick in the belly. “I hear you’re really good at the race car game. I’m not as good as Luke and Jason, but how about a game?” James’s obvious love for the kids showed in his warm smile, and Nick responded: “I can totally kick your butt.” Nick jumped down from his mother’s arms and raced for Luke’s office with Jack on his heels and James following in the rear.

  Jason spun around. “I want in on this.” And off he went to catch up with the boys and his dad.

  Sarah shook her head. “I guess I don’t need to worry about the kids for a while.”

  Lila tugged on Sarah’s arm. “Come into the kitchen. We’ll get you a glass of wine and get to know each other better.” Lila went ahead.

  Luke stepped in front of her before she could follow. He leaned down and kissed her softly. “I’m so glad you came tonight.” He cupped her face. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Luke kissed her right there with his sister-in-law watching with a smile and Sarah felt like she belonged because it seemed everyone was happy for her and Luke.

  They’d welcomed her, Jack, and Nick and made them feel like part of the family because she and the boys were connected to Luke.

  “What is it, sweetheart?”

  “I really like your family.”

  “They like you, too.” Luke kissed her again. “But not as much as I like you.” Then he kissed her with all the heat and desire that usually sizzled between them.

  “Luke!” his mother called. “Bring her here before you set the house on fire, dear.”

  Luke smiled down at her, rolled his eyes, took her hand, and led her into the kitchen, where his mother handed her a glass of wine, and clinked her glass to Sarah’s. “Thank you for ending his bachelor streak.”

  And just like that, all the reservations Sarah didn’t think she harbored about whether Luke was really serious about moving their relationship along so quickly evaporated.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Sarah sipped her wine. Somehow they’d ended up staying in the kitchen, sitting at the island counter, watching the chef Luke hired cook. The young guy didn’t seem to mind the company. He even threw together a cheese, cracker, and fruit plate for them to snack on before dinner. Sitting in the kitchen with Lila and Luke seemed cozy and such a family thing.

  She’d never had family dinners growing up, but she’d imagined it was something like this. That’s why she always made time to have dinner with the boys.

  Lila stacked a slice of sharp cheddar atop a cracker. “Luke, the house looks great. I love all the changes you’ve made. I know things were in need of an update, but what you’ve chosen to do has kept the feel of the house and yet made it more modern and you.”

  “I’m really happy with the renovation.”

  Sarah loved the white Shaker cabinets, black hardware, and big, bold island he’d done in a dark gray that offset the gorgeous white countertops and played off the black chandelier over the breakfast nook. The wood barstools gave the room warmth along with the hardwood floors that ran through the house.

  “My favorite is the great room,” Lila said with a bright smile. “The wood and beams on the ceiling are so warm against the white walls that set off the paintings of Greece.”

  Luke nodded. “Raising the ceiling and add
ing the wood and beams made the room. The blue wall in the dining room plays off the ocean color in the paintings. The place finally feels like me. And with Sarah and the boys here, it feels like home.”

  Sarah caught her breath, completely caught off guard that he’d so openly reveal that to his mom. Her heart swelled with love for him. “Luke . . .”

  He brushed his fingers down the side of her face and held her gaze. “I mean it.”

  She put her hand over his heart and leaned into him, too caught up in her emotions to find the words to tell him what that meant to her.

  Lila sighed next to them. “You two seem really great together.”

  Luke brushed his hand over Sarah’s hair and smiled. “I thought Margaret was coming with you?”

  “She’ll be here soon. When her doctor’s office couldn’t see her for three weeks, I called the local hospital and set up a video chat with their top specialist. He’s the best, according to the hospital administrator, but he’s also a shark when it comes to negotiating a little something extra to get him to see her immediately.”

  “You bribed him?” Shock filled Luke’s voice and eyes.

  “Can I have the rancher back, please? The lawyer in you is so uptight.”

  Luke gave her a mock dirty look. “Was it necessary to bribe the guy?”

  “Yes. Margaret is in pain. She put this off too long. I wanted her seen immediately, so I made it happen.”

  “Of course you did, sweetheart. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing you can’t do.” Luke studied her. “I guess you and Margaret are on good terms now.”

  “We spoke some more and I came to realize that what Margaret really wants is someone to take care of her. She lost her husband and son, Bridget is lost in anger and grief over her divorce, and Margaret feels abandoned, I think.”

  “You’d know something about that,” Luke said, understanding her so well.

  “So I took care of a few things. The doctor’s visit. A housecleaning service and gardener. The house and property will be put back to rights, and she’ll be a little pampered and, well, happy. Emotionally, she took a big hit. It will take her some time to reconcile the Sean she loved so deeply with the man she’d hoped he’d be. Margaret, Bridget, and I, we’ve turned a corner, but there’s still a lot of healing left to do for all of us.”

  She shrugged and took a sip of the cold wine, loving the sweet taste of the Moscato Lila chose.

  Luke and Lila remained completely silent, staring at her.

  When Sarah noticed, Lila took the lead. “You did all of that just to pamper her and make her happy?”

  “It was just a few phone calls.”

  Lila squeezed her hand. “It’s so much more than that.”

  She caught Luke’s steady gaze and found the love and admiration he always showed her shining brighter than ever.

  Lila sipped her wine, then added, “You’re a good daughter, Sarah. Margaret is lucky to have you.”

  Sarah managed a half smile, feeling a pinch of pain for the family she never had growing up.

  “Mom, Sarah’s mom died when she was very young and her father didn’t know about her until she was grown. She grew up in foster care and with an abusive uncle.”

  Lila set her glass down. “Oh dear, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I only meant that what you did was sweet and kind.”

  “It’s okay. Few people were nice to me as a child. Now that I’m grown, I know the importance of giving people kindness. Look at Luke. When I first met him, he was grumpy and disillusioned with his life. You seem much happier now.”

  Luke laughed. “I am, thanks to you.”

  “Grumpy. That’s how you describe him?” Jason laughed under his breath, walking into the kitchen.

  Luke sneered at his brother. “I’m sitting right here, you know.”

  “Yes, honey. We see you.” Sarah leaned in and gave him a mischievous grin that he kissed right off her lips.

  Margaret walked into the kitchen. “Sorry I’m late, everyone. I’m sure Sarah made my excuses.”

  “Margaret. Nice to see you,” Luke called out over the counter.

  Lila stood and embraced Margaret. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Too long,” Margaret agreed. “And look.” She waved her hand toward Sarah and Luke. “My daughter-in-law and your Luke.”

  “They’re perfect together,” Lila said.

  “They are,” Margaret easily agreed, taking Sarah aback.

  Jason took Margaret’s coat. “Wine, water, soda, something stronger?” He held up his glass of whiskey.

  “Wine, thank you.” Before Jason made off with her coat, Margaret pulled a phone out of the pocket. “Sarah, you left this on the table and the thing hasn’t stopped going off. I thought maybe you’d forgotten it.”

  “I did. Thank you for bringing it.” The phone rang as if on cue. Lila and Margaret started talking about the house renovations Luke had done a few months earlier. Luke and Jason moved to the table to discuss some business thing Jason wanted Luke’s opinion on.

  Jack walked in, drawing Sarah’s attention before she answered the call.

  “Mommy, I want to talk to Aunt Abby. Can I answer it?”

  “Sure, honey. Make sure to say hello first.” She handed the phone over without looking at the caller ID. No matter how desperate Abby was to get in touch with her, she’d always make time for Jack, who answered with a cheerful “Hello.”

  Jack’s eyes filled with trepidation. “You’re not Aunt Abby?”

  Luke beat her to asking Jack, “Who is it?”

  Jack pulled the phone away from his ear and handed it to Sarah like he couldn’t get rid of it fast enough. “It’s the lady Daddy kissed the way you kiss Luke. The one who made you cry.” Jack ran across the room and threw himself into Luke’s outstretched arms.

  Luke scooped up Jack, set him on his lap, and held him close to his chest.

  Margaret and Lila stared at Sarah.

  She could feel Jason’s intense gaze all the way across the room.

  Though the hired chef kept his back to them, stirring his pots and tending the food, she felt his attention, too.

  Shit.

  She’d been expecting the call, despite wondering if Trish would ignore Luke’s request, but didn’t expect it to come so soon.

  Sarah met Luke’s steady gaze. “I’ve got this.” His encouraging nod helped ease her mind, even if her heart jackhammered in her chest and her anxiety hit an all-time high.

  All she could think about was how this woman had inserted herself into her life and marriage, how she changed everything, because of her own selfish needs and wants.

  Sarah walked out the back door without looking back, because she didn’t want the past to taint what was so alive and wonderful in that house: Love. Family. Joy.

  Everything she’d ever wanted.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Luke felt everyone’s gaze, but he kept his focus on Jack. “You remember the lady on the phone?”

  “Daddy used to bring me to see her.”

  Luke didn’t think his opinion of Sean could sink any lower, but yep, it did. “Did he do that a lot?”

  “No. Just sometimes because he knew I didn’t like to go.” Jack sighed, then looked up at Luke. “I heard Daddy fighting with Mommy. He said he was going to take us away, that we would live with the lady like he did. He said if she wanted to see us again, she wouldn’t quit and keep working. Mommy cried.”

  “What did your mom say to your dad about that?”

  “She told him he couldn’t have us. He got really mad and yelled at her more.”

  “Then what happened?” Luke didn’t really want to know, but needed to hear it all the same so he could understand Jack and Sarah even better.

  “He left. Mommy wouldn’t let him take us. She said if he did, she’d destroy all the computer stuff.” Jack traced the grain in the wood table. “He was always at Trish’s house. Mommy said Daddy didn’t like her anymore and he was happier with the other lady. She
said it was okay because she wanted Daddy to be happy. I guess he did like Trish because he bought her a bunch of sparkly diamonds.” Jack looked up at him, anger flashing in his eyes. “He said we were going shopping, but he didn’t buy me anything. He only bought the lady stuff. He took me to her house to give it to her. She was real happy, but she didn’t want me there, only Daddy. I wanted to go home to Mommy. If you take me shopping, will you buy me something?”

  “Sure, buddy. Did your Mom find out about the diamonds?”

  “I told her. She was really sad. She doesn’t have any. Daddy gave her something for her computer. I don’t think she liked it. It wasn’t even a fun game or anything.” Jack scrunched his mouth. “You know what?”

  “What, Jack?”

  “I don’t think Daddy was very nice to her.”

  “I don’t think so either.” Margaret came to stand next to Jack and brushed her hand over his head. “I’m very sorry your dad treated your mom that way. It wasn’t right. But you know what?”

  “What?”

  “Your mom deserves to be happy, too.”

  “Luke makes her smile all the time.”

  Luke hugged Jack close. “And I’ll never be mean to her,” he promised.

  Margaret held her hand out to Jack. “Let’s go find your brother.”

  Luke met Margaret’s concerned gaze. “He’s in the library with my dad playing video games.”

  Margaret took Jack’s hand. “Jack will show me the way. Why don’t you check on Sarah? She probably needs you right now.”

  Luke gave Jack a hug and a kiss on the top of his head and sent him with his grandma. He sat at the table with his brother until Margaret and the boy left the room.

  His mother stood, came closer, crossed her arms across her chest, and dropped her voice. “Who takes their child to buy jewelry for their mistress? Who does that? I like Margaret, but her son . . . What kind of man does that?”

  “He turned into an even bigger asshole than I imagined. Sarah confessed to Margaret the other day that Sean had been having an affair and embezzling money from the company. That’s probably why he threatened her. In addition to the theft, he’d been passing off her work as his own.” Luke fisted his hands. “If Sean wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him for treating her the way he did.”