“Well, his siblings are back in L.A. humping like rabbits trying to produce an heir first. So Trevor gets this brilliant idea—he’s going to marry you and bring Sydney home to the old man because that will make him first and he’ll have it all without lifting a finger. See, no one knows about you and Sydney. Because you never asked him for anything, he never had to own up to the fact that he’s a father and he’s trying to use that to his advantage.”
Alexis had returned to the living room by then, and the look on her face was priceless. “So why is he being so greedy? He’s this big-time attorney, so why is he trying so hard to get the promise of an inheritance?”
Royce gave her a crooked grin and said, “Sherri hasn’t had a chance to give you all the dirt. Trevor is not a practicing attorney. As I told her today, we went to law school together and he was at the bottom of our class. He has a law degree, but he hasn’t managed to pass the bar yet. Right now he sells used luxury cars in Pomona and, as you can imagine, the market isn’t too good for them right now. Not only that, he’s in debt up to the top of his head. He owes money to everybody, including the IRS and a couple of loan sharks. From what I can gather, he’s in deep, deep financial trouble and he’s grasping at any straw he can, which is why he suddenly showed up talking about marriage and family. He’s a desperate man and judging by his actions today, a potentially dangerous one.”
Jared spoke for the first time and he didn’t sound happy. “What actions today? What did he do?”
Sherri took a deep breath and explained the situation as succinctly as possible. Jared’s neck turned a deep red then spread to his face.
“Oh, hell no,” he growled. “Do we need to go have a talk with him? Because he’s gonna have to stay clear of Sherri and Sydney if he wants to live.”
“The restraining order should be enough to keep him at bay,” Royce said, “but I’d suggest that Sherri take extra precautions until he gets out of town. He’s not in any position to try to get custody or visitation, but he’s determined so I think that Sherri should consider getting an escort until this is over. He obviously knows your schedule and your locations, so just to be on the safe side, a bodyguard wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Lucas spoke in a low, lethal voice. “She doesn’t need one—she has me.”
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Lucas would protect her to the death, but Royce had one more suggestion. “If it’s possible, I’d take Sydney out of daycare for a few days. Is there somewhere else she can go, someplace that he wouldn’t know about?”
Lucas spoke again. “Absolutely. My folks will be up here tomorrow to pick her up and take her to their place on Hilton Head Island. Not a problem.”
Sherri looked at him in surprise while Royce nodded his approval.
“That’s a great idea. My feeling is that Trevor’s not going to be able to obey a restraining order, and he’ll be in custody before long. It sounds cold, but it’s probably the best thing for him. His family can cite extenuating circumstances and get him back to California for some much-needed treatment, and he might be able to salvage the rest of his life. In the meantime, I know it’s probably going to be annoying, Sherri, but you don’t need to go anywhere by yourself.”
Lucas’s eyes had darkened until they looked almost black instead of their normal green. “Don’t worry. She won’t.”
Chapter 18
Sherri didn’t know how to feel about Lucas’s surge of protectiveness. On the one hand, she was grateful for his support, but on the other, she hated the feeling that she wasn’t in control of her life anymore. But they both agreed that it was the best thing for Sydney to not be in the center of the Trevor’s irrational behavior.
“Sweetheart, nobody thinks that you’re not the best mother in the world,” he told her. “But we all love you and Sydney and we want to make sure she’s protected. It’s just for a couple of days. She’ll have the time of her life, and he won’t be able to touch her,” he said persuasively. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course I do,” Sherri said for what seemed like the tenth time. “I just hate to drag your parents into my drama. And I feel like I should be the one to take care of this on my own.”
They were in the living room, long after Royce had left. Alexis and Jared were still there, giving their support while Sherri packed Sydney’s things. Jared had brought the bag downstairs and Alexis helped her get the clothing and other things together.
Finally Sherri took a deep breath and decided that it was for the best. “I just never thought it would come to this,” she said, her voice full of emotion. “I’ve been living my life the best way I know how and now this.”
Alexis sat down next to her on the sofa and took both her hands. “But you’re not in this alone, Sherri. Lucas and Jared and their parents are gonna make sure that nothing happens to you or Sydney, and that’s all that matters now. You’ve got us, sweetie, and that’s better than letting that idiot Trevor have the upper hand, isn’t it?”
“You’re right,” Sherri said, resolve coming back to her voice. “You’re absolutely right and I can’t thank you enough. You guys need to get some sleep. Go on home and I’ll call you later, okay?”
Jared agreed. “It’s definitely time for my bride to get some rest now that she’s sleeping for two,” he said with a sweet smile directed at Alexis.
It took a few seconds for his words to penetrate Sherri’s angst. “Sleeping for two? Lexie, are you... You’re having a baby!”
She and Alexis hugged each other tightly and tears of joy flowed.
“We had our first official appointment today.” Alexis sniffled. “That’s why we stopped by tonight. You’re gonna be an auntie!”
So the night ended on a high note with laughter after all. After Jared took Alexis home to bed, Lucas and Sherri were alone in the living room.
“You should probably get to bed, too, babe.”
“Just hold me for a while, okay?”
They lay down on the sofa and he pulled a throw over her body as he held her close. Even though she didn’t think she’d be able to sleep, in minutes she’d drifted off. He held her like that for the rest of the night.
* * *
The next day, Sherri found that sending Sydney to Hilton Head wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. The elder VanBurens came in the morning with Courtney and Gabriel to pick her up, and she was so excited at the unexpected treat that Sherri almost believed that it was simply a fun outing for her baby. Dr. and Mrs. VanBuren were so glad to see the child and so supportive that her fears were allayed all over again. After hugs and kisses and lots of goodbyes, she was alone again with Lucas, but he kept her spirits up. He dropped her off at the office and gave her a sizzling kiss goodbye, reminding her that it would only be a couple of days to the weekend when they would join Sydney and have a great time.
Work was definitely what she needed to keep her mind occupied. It was a long, busy day and she was grateful because she only had time to think about her patients. When it was time to go home, Lucas was right there to pick her up and everything seemed normal, except that Sydney wouldn’t be home that night. Lucas surprised her by taking her to the loft instead of the condo. He said he had a surprise for her and he hoped she’d like it.
When he opened the door to the apartment, she was stunned to see a big crate in the center of the room with two roly-poly puppies inside. Her eyes lit up with surprise, and she hurried over to take them out.
“Lucas, they’re adorable!”
“They’re Sydney’s birthday present,” he said with a smile. “I know you said you were waiting until you got a house, but they’re so darned cute, I didn’t want to pass on them. Think she’ll like them even though they aren’t Corgis?” They were seven-week-old West Highland White Terriers and they were fluffy white balls with bright eyes and happy smiles.
“She’s going to love them—are you kidding? They’re so adorable. She’s going to go crazy for them.” She sat on the floor and let them crawl all over her w
ith yips of joy. She’d never seen anything so sweet in her life.
“Where’d you get them, Lucas?”
“One of the hostesses at Seven-Seventeen has a friend that breeds them and when she told me that they were ready to be adopted I couldn’t resist. I hope you don’t mind having the puppies before the house.”
“They’re just perfect, Lucas. You’re the sweetest man in the world. I love you so much,” she said before pulling his head down for a kiss.
His face broke into a huge smile because it was the first time she’d said the words he’d wanted to hear for months. She played with the puppies while he watched her, pleased to see nothing but happiness on her face.
He had another surprise for her, too. He’d bought her an outfit to wear to work the next day so she wouldn’t have to go home to a house without Sydney in it. Everything she needed from toothpaste to new underwear was waiting for her in the bedroom. He picked up the puppies and took her by the hand to show her. She was once again thrilled by his thoughtfulness.
“Lucas, I really don’t know what I’d do without you.” She sighed. “You’re so wonderful to me and my baby. I can’t imagine our lives without you.”
“It’s a good thing you won’t have to, isn’t it?” he answered.
Both puppies barked loudly as if to agree. Lucas laughed and said they must be hungry. “You’re lucky your daddy is a gourmet chef, ladies. Let’s go grill you a steak!”
Sherri protested at once, saying they needed puppy chow for their tender baby tummies, but Lucas teased her by saying he was going to make them rib eyes for dinner. They laughed and teased each other so much that she forgot why she was there, at least for the night.
* * *
After a night spent secure in Lucas’s arms, Sherri went to work feeling like her old self. She stayed busy and focused until it was time to leave. Just before Lucas arrived to take her home, she got an odd phone call from Mrs. Haithco at the daycare center.
“Dr. Sherri, I feel like you need to know this. A man called here yesterday trying to find out when Sydney would be picked up. He was told that we don’t give out that information. Then he called again today and was told the same thing. There was a strange man loitering around the building and security asked him to leave, but I thought you should be aware of it,” she said. Sherri could hear the concern in her voice and thanked her for the call.
As she dialed Royce’s number, Lucas came into her office. She told him what had happened. Once Royce was also informed, he said he’d notify the authorities; they were all certain it had been Trevor behind the calls. Sherri’s stomach clenched in anxiety, but Lucas was right there to reassure her.
“Sweetheart, it’s handled so let’s go home and feed the babies, okay? Try not to get upset,” he soothed her.
They were on their way to the car when her cell phone beeped to signify a text message. She frowned at the screen, not recognizing the number. It was a picture and for a long moment she didn’t recognize what it was. Then she saw it clearly—it was her mother with a look of utter terror on her face. The caption read, “Mother Stratton wants you home right away. We’re waiting for you.”
“Lucas, Trevor has my mother! We have to get over there right now!”
Lucas drove to her parents’ house while he talked to Jared on the phone and Sherri called Royce. When they got to the house, she was horrified to see the flashing lights of police cars in the street and an ambulance in the driveway. Clutching at Lucas’s arm she stifled a scream. She stumbled getting out of the Rover in her haste to find out what was going on.
Royce was already there and he caught her before he could fall. “It’s okay, Sherri. Everyone is fine. I had an investigator watching their house and the daycare center because I was fairly sure that something might pop off. I also had the police on alert. My cousin works for the Columbia P.D. and I called in a few favors. There’s been an unmarked car here since yesterday.”
“What’s the ambulance for?” she asked in a shaky voice.
Royce nodded toward the house. “Trevor went a little berserk when he couldn’t find Sydney. His plan was to snatch her—or try to. Because she wasn’t at the daycare, he came over here and your mother let him in because she didn’t realize that he was nuts. He started out sane enough, but then he went ape-shit crazy, oh, excuse my language,” Royce apologized. “He started getting loud and hysterical and threatened her with a gun.” Sherri gasped. “That’s when he took the picture and texted it to you to get you over here.
“But your father saved the day. He came home unexpectedly and Trevor was doing so much ranting and raving that he didn’t hear your father coming in the back door. Your dad didn’t hesitate—he beamed Trevor with a Louisville Slugger and knocked him smooth out at the same time the police were coming in the front door. Your parents have had quite a day,” he said in the understatement of the century.
Sherri ran inside to see about her parents while Lucas took his first look at the man who’d caused his woman so much pain. He was handcuffed and bleeding slightly from his head wound. Lucas’s only regret was that he hadn’t been the one to knock the man silly. Royce seemed to read his mind.
“Look, I know you want to protect your woman, but if you’d put your hands on him he’d be dead right now. Scuzzbucket though he is, you wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for taking your new daughter’s father out, right? I do appreciate the additional information you got from your friend, though. When your friend found out that Trevor also had a drug problem, it made it easier to get the restraining order and keep the police on a 24/7 alert. I didn’t want to say this in front of Sherri, but you saved her mother’s life today. Without that additional stuff on Barnes I wouldn’t have had all this backup,” he said as he shook Lucas’s hand.
“Royce, I appreciate everything, man. Send the bill to me and if there’s anything I can do for you anytime, let me know.”
“Hey, an invitation to the wedding is all I require. I have a feeling it’s gonna be the best party of the year,” Royce said as he laughed.
* * *
Lucas went inside the Stratton house to find Sherri sitting on the sofa with her mother sobbing in her arms. “Sherri, I’m so sorry, so sorry! I had no idea that man was crazy—just none. I was so wrong about so many things,” she wept. “I was so wrong.”
Sherri had her arms around the older woman, patting her and saying comforting words. “It’s okay, Mother. It’s going to be okay. Shh, calm down, calm down,” she said over and over.
After a while, with the application of cool cloths to her face and sips of water provided by her husband, Mrs. Stratton did calm down. Sherri sat between her parents, holding her mother’s hand while talking to her father. “Are you sure you’re okay, Father? Did the EMTs take your blood pressure while they were here? Do you need to lie down?”
“I’m fine, daughter. Maybe for the first time in years, I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong here that we can’t handle, your mother and me. What I want to know is—where is my grandbaby? That man was going to try to take her,” he said with anger in his voice. “I wish I’d hit him a few more times,” he added. “Damned crazy bastard.”
“Sydney is just fine. She’s on Hilton Head with Lucas’s parents having the time of her life. She’s perfectly safe,” Sherri assured her father.
Her mother piped up, “Who is Lucas?”
Sherri realized that her parents had never met the man she loved. She held out her hand to him, and he came close enough to the trio to take it. “This is Lucas VanBuren, Mother. He’s very special to me.”
Her mother blinked as she looked up at Lucas. “My goodness. We have a lot to catch up on, don’t we?”
“Yes, Mother, I think we do.”
Chapter 19
If anyone had told Sherri how they would be celebrating Sydney’s birthday, she wouldn’t have believed them. It was a huge celebration with so many people invited that they had to have it at Alexis’s house because she had a large backyard. T
here were a group of Sydney’s little friends, including Courtney and Gabriel, the VanBurens and Grandmother Delilah, Aretha Sharp and Alexis’s sisters, Alana and Ava. Even Royce was there, looking debonair as always. To Sherri’s surprise, her parents were there, too, and they weren’t being standoffish and stiff. The whole Trevor debacle had given them an opportunity to start over as a married couple and as parents, and they were taking full advantage. They laughed and conversed with everyone and were obviously having a great time.
Sydney was absolutely thrilled with her puppies. She named them Sugar and Sweetie, and they were equally happy with her, doing their best to lick her face off. They tumbled around the yard playing with Alexis’s dogs. The sight of all of them chasing each other around barking with excitement was absolutely adorable. Sherri was so happy she thought her heart would burst. Lucas never left her side, not even to cook. He let Jared and his father handle the grill because he couldn’t stop holding Sherri’s hand and looking at her with eyes of love.
Every time they had a moment alone he was kissing her madly, and she would giggle like a teenager in love because that’s what she felt like. She’d always been a happy person, happy with her daughter and her career, but now that she had Lucas in her life, she was truly filled with joy. He completed her in a way that no other man ever could and she loved him more than she could’ve imagined. She understood now why Alexis was so blissfully happy and at peace. She had watched her friend smiling as Jared rubbed her still-small baby bump. They looked so good together that Sherri had a moment of wondering if she’d get a chance to share that kind of emotion with Lucas.
A while later, Lucas and Jared had gone into the house and Alexis made her sit down with her on the love seat under the trees. “Come talk to me,” she said. “I think you’re having more fun than Sydney.”
Way to Her Heart Page 15
