by Amanda Ashby
“And did it?”
“Not so much.” Bec sighed. As far as experiments went, it was a failure of epic proportions. She lifted her hands up to her face. Lincoln might be gone, but the faint stubble of his cheek was still with her, the taste of his mouth, the scent of his aftershave, all causing her senses to go into hyperdrive. Not to mention that she’d misjudged him. Yes, he’d been trying to protect his family when he’d flown over here, but it was for a real reason. He was trying to save the family farm, same as she was.
And I want to rip his clothes off.
Which is good. But also bad.
Emmy pushed her lips together as if considering her words. “I love Ben Cooper like a brother, but since when has it been a good idea to take dating advice from him?”
“I know.” Bec dropped her shoulders. “I only did it because it coincided with what I wanted to do. Though, I don’t even think he was talking about me. He’s got something going on he won’t tell me about.”
“Probably because you have quite enough on your plate as it is.” Emmy shrugged then reached out and squeezed Bec’s hand. “And here’s the way I see it. You and Lincoln are having a baby together, which means he’s going to be in your life for a very long time. It also means if you make a mistake, you can’t just run away from it.”
“I don’t always run away,” Bec interjected. But Emmy just gave her a warm smile and patted her arm.
“I know, sweetie. I just mean you need to sort things out between you. Find out what he actually wants.”
Bec leaned back in the old wooden chair, listening as it creaked and groaned in response. Everything Emmy said made sense. It also means there can be no more kissing. Which is a good thing. Allegedly.
“I know what he wants. He wants to convince me he’s a good guy and that he wants to be part of the baby’s life.”
Emmy frowned. “And you don’t believe him? Is this because you didn’t know who he was when you first met?”
Bec shook her head. “No. Well, yes, but not because he didn’t tell me. Don’t you see? He’s from a family that’s practically royalty. They’re used to getting what they want. And he has this notebook he keeps writing things down in. What if it’s prove I’m not going to be a good mother? What if it’s custody he wants?”
“Have you ever thought he doesn’t trust himself to do the right thing? To be a good father? From what you’ve told me, he didn’t have a great role model.” Emmy spoke in a gentle voice, reminding Bec just how much she’d missed her sister. “I can’t tell you what to do, but perhaps you should sit down and talk to him about how you’re both going to be parents. Let him be part of it. Because right now it seems you’re both putting your interests before the baby’s.”
Bec opened her mouth to protest. Of course she wasn’t putting her interests first. From the second she’d seen the thin pink line on the pregnancy test, it had consumed her. She’d written pages of notes, trying to work out what their future would look like. She’d taken hundreds of photographs for her baby to look back on, to give her child the kind of home she’d always wanted.
And I kissed Lincoln knowing he can never give that to us. Oh, crap.
She let out a soft groan.
Emmy was right. For good or bad, she and Lincoln would have to be in one another’s lives for a long time. And the life he had was very different to hers. It was in England, trying to save his family home. His responsibilities would always come first. He’d told her so himself. No good could ever come from forgetting they were in two different orbits, only linked by a child.
She turned to her sister. “I see your point.”
“Does that mean you’ll talk to him properly? About the baby?” Emmy asked as Christopher walked back into the room. Her sister’s face once again lit up, and Bec again tried hard not to be jealous. Emmy had managed to get everything she wanted. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be possible for Bec. But still, she could give Lincoln what he wanted, and then at least one of them would be happy.
Bec sucked in her breath and slowly nodded. “Yes, it does mean that.”
Chapter Seven
“So, the next visit will be for the three-month sonogram. That’s when you can see the baby and listen to the heartbeat,” the doctor said. He stretched out his arm and shook Lincoln’s hand. “And it’s nice to meet you, son. I hope I’ve been able to ease some of your concerns.”
“Yes, thank you.” Lincoln returned the handshake. “And sorry for asking so many questions.”
“You can never be too prepared for what’s about to happen,” the doctor assured him. “But, please, put your mind at ease. Bec and the baby are in perfect health.”
“I’m pleased to hear it,” Lincoln said as he looked over at her. She was sitting on the edge of the examination table, draped in a white gown that made her look small and fragile. After Emmy interrupted them, he hadn’t been sure how Bec would react to the kiss yesterday. Perhaps angry, uncertain, or at the very least confused. Instead, she’d sent him a text message inviting him to go along to a doctor’s appointment with her.
For the first time since he’d arrived in Sunshine, he felt like he was making progress. That she might trust me again one day, so I can be the kind of father I never had.
He tightened his grip on the small shopping bag in his lap. When her text had come through, he’d wanted to buy her something as a thank you gift. To let her know what it meant to him to be included. Unfortunately, despite being drowned in etiquette lessons for as long as he could remember, he had no idea what to get her. While Sunshine was extremely picturesque, it didn’t have unlimited shopping possibilities.
Bec coughed, bringing him out of his trance. “And that’s your cue to leave. So I can get dressed.”
I knew that.
“Of course. So, I’m going to wait outside,” he said as he quickly got to his feet and made his way out into the waiting room. It was filled with people, their curious gazes all landing directly on him. Not that he was surprised. He might not have been in town for long, but Miss Dottie assured him that everyone knew he was. The father of Bec’s child. In a strange way, he found it refreshing. At least it beat the way people looked at him at home.
Bec breezed into the waiting room and smiled. “Sorry I took so long.” The gown had been replaced by a white cotton button-down shirt that grazed her thighs and showed off her tanned legs, while on her feet were a pair of brogues that had seen better days. Around her waist was an old tie, and on anyone else it would’ve looked like she’d raided her grandfather’s closet. But on Bec it was perfect.
Which was the problem. Because right now he had too many other things going on in his life, like his family home, his legacy, and being a good father. Discovering that his feelings for her were getting stronger complicated things.
And she deserves more than that. More than me.
“It’s fine,” he said as he got to his feet. “So, how are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been prodded and poked. I’m glad it’s over.” She let out a dramatic sigh as she slung her leather backpack over one shoulder and waved good-bye to the receptionist, along with every other patient in the waiting room.
“You don’t like the doctor?” Lincoln frowned as he followed her out to the street. “Because we can easily get someone else, or a second opinion, or a third. Whatever you want.”
“Um, no. This is Sunshine. You change doctors and you’ll cause an avalanche of gossip that’ll bury you alive. Anyway, he’s okay, he just has this habit of treating me like I’m still a six-year-old kid who suffers nightmares.”
“I didn’t realize you had nightmares,” Lincoln said in surprise. Bec was fearless. Then he let out a soft groan. Her parents died when she was a child. And the winner of the Insensitive Bastard contest goes to… “I wasn’t thinking. Sorry.”
“You didn’t know.” She shrugged as they walked outside and over to where a bright red sports car was sitting. She’d borrowed it from her friend Coop, and while she
might say they were only friends, in Lincoln’s world, friends didn’t let their other friends drive their Stingray. Or read pregnancy books for them. Or, appear in quite so many conversations.
And he probably knew about the nightmares.
Was that why she’d looked so relieved when her sister had interrupted them yesterday? He clenched his fists. Bec and Coop made sense. Best friends who lived in the same country, and from what Lincoln could tell, Coop didn’t have any pressing family obligations that could stop him from fully committing to her.
It’s what she deserved.
So why the hell am I so pissed off?
“Do you still get them? Nightmares about losing your parents?” he asked despite himself.
“No. Not for a long time.” She shook her head and fumbled around in her backpack for the keys, not meeting his eye. He could hear her suck in her breath. “The nightmares weren’t even about losing them. They were about not remembering what they looked like.”
Lincoln was perfectly still. “I had no idea.”
“Why would you?” Bec shrugged, still not returning his gaze. “It’s no big deal. I used to think I remembered when they took us to the park and I fell into the duck pond. Turns out Pepper was the one who fell in. I must’ve heard the story so many times I tried to make it my own. It’s kind of dumb.”
“It’s anything but dumb.” Lincoln, who could remember his father all too clearly, from the broken capillaries in his nose through to the half-baked promises that he never kept, shuddered. He’d never considered that having some memories were better than none. “It’s trauma. Losing your parents and not remembering anything about them? That can’t help but affect you.”
Her eyes were two pools of dark blue, like lapis with flicks of gold woven through them. “I never thought about it like that.”
“Well, you should.” Annoyance ran through him that someone like Bec had spent so much of her life feeling confused. “And I just wanted to say thank you for inviting me along today. I didn’t expect it.”
“Yeah, well, I guess I owe you an apology. Pepper, Coop, and Emmy have all been telling me that regardless of how awkward this is, we need to sit down and discuss how things are going to work with the baby. I figured this was the first step. I’m sorry I’ve been so closed off about it. I just wanted to avoid thinking about the future. For me. For you. For everyone.”
“You know, you could’ve just told me,” he said as the car’s automatic locks opened and he climbed into the passenger side, Bec sliding into the driver’s seat. “It could’ve saved me the cost of a wedding.”
Her face went pale, and Lincoln immediately regretted his attempt at a joke.
“I wanted to talk to you about that. The best thing to do is to just give you the money back. You only booked the damn thing because you were desperate to find out more about the baby. I should never have shut you out.”
“Bec, we went through this yesterday.” Right before we kissed and my body went into meltdown. “You only did what you did because you thought I’d been an arrogant oaf. Which, for the record, was quite possibly true.”
“You know it’s impossible for you to sound like an oaf when you have a hot accent.” She leaned back in the car seat and closed her eyes, as if trying to find the exact words she needed. “But I still think we should cancel the wedding.”
Lincoln rubbed his chin. What she said made sense, especially now she knew the truth about the pressure the estate was under. But where would that leave them? He’d go back to England, and a wall of silence would go up between them. And if there was a wall between him and Bec, there’d be a wall between him and his child.
Not happening.
And she thinks I have a hot accent.
The investor’s meeting was in two weeks, but until then he wasn’t going anywhere. And, if the wedding went ahead, it would give him more time to spend with her, to fully earn her trust, so that he could insure he was always in his child’s life. And the fact he could be in Bec’s life for two more weeks was a bonus.
A bonus that can go nowhere.
Even if I want more, it would never work. We would never work.
And yet there’s no way I’m leaving before I have to.
“If we cancel it, what about your vendors? Miss Dottie told me last night Abby has started ordering all the flowers and Fred’s begun on the cake. You have a reputation to maintain. Plus, Julia and Richard would be devastated.”
“Well, we couldn’t have Julia and Richard getting upset so close to their big day.” Her eyes brimmed with laughter, and desire caught in his throat.
“You know how temperamental bridal couples can be,” he said, pleased she was still talking to him. For now. He licked his lips. “But, there’s something else we need to discuss. Yesterday at the bridge—”
“No. We definitely don’t need to talk,” she immediately replied. The speed of her answer was hardly flattering. “More importantly, we can’t do it again. Ever, ever, ever.”
“It’s okay,” he said before she could elaborate further. It was the right decision. The only decision. But the fact she’d reached it so easily wasn’t exactly good for the ego. Probably not a great time to give her a baby present, either. He dropped the bag onto the floor of the car. “I agree.”
“Oh.” She opened her mouth and then shut it again. “Well, good. I’m glad it’s sorted.”
“Me, too. So, what are we doing today? Harpist, vicar, important wedding candle maker?”
“None of the above.” She shook her head. Lincoln’s pulse flared. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she was smiling. “Today we’re driving out of Sunshine to the nearby town of Daisy Hill.”
“Really? Is that allowed?” Lincoln lifted an eyebrow. He might not have been here long, but he knew most people from Sunshine held the neighboring town in aversion. Especially Miss Dottie, who crossed herself every time the place was mentioned.
“Relax. Everyone around here thinks I’m eccentric,” Bec said as she glanced down at her outfit. “Going shopping in Daisy Hill is the least thing they’ll be talking about.”
“Well, if your reputation can handle it, then so can mine. And what exactly will be looking for at Daisy Hill?”
“Stationary.”
“Oh.” A stab of guilt ran through him. He still hadn’t turned his attention to finding a bride and groom, which meant he also didn’t have a list of guests, just the random number he’d selected—fifty people. “Are you sure it’s a good idea? I haven’t even found the happy couple yet.”
“You said you wouldn’t let me down. I believe you. Besides, the printer can get the final names done as long as he has one week’s notice,” Bec said as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the road.
…
An hour later, Bec stood in the old-fashioned workshop where Rufus ran his printing business. It was straight out of a Dickens novel. Outlandish looking machinery filled up the entire room apart from the towering pile of books and the boxes of tools scattered across the large bench under the window. She glanced over to where Lincoln was studying the hand-bound journals Rufus was famous for making. Her idea had been to send each guest a journal with just the date, time, and address stamped onto the cover. Then it would be up to each person how they wanted to record their memories of the special day.
Unfortunately, while her journal idea had been brilliant, she wasn’t quite sure her idea to take Lincoln to the doctor’s appointment had been quite so successful. Especially the part where she’d accidentally told him about her parents. What was I thinking? After all, she’d managed to go through a good portion of her life without mentioning it to anyone. Her only explanation was he’d asked her quite specifically, which no one had ever done before, and she had no idea how to answer him without lying.
It wasn’t ideal. Nor was the kissing conversation, though at least she’d managed to dodge that one. Which was good, because if they had talked about it, she’d want to do it again and what if her sister wa
sn’t around to interrupt them?
She ran her hand through her short hair and was just about to say good-bye to Rufus when she caught sight of Tara King.
Her skin was even more glowing than before, her dark hair freshly blown out and her baby bump even larger. Next to her were two more impossibly gorgeous women who were holding a mountain of shopping bags. And I’m wearing an old man’s shirt clinched in at the waist with one of Charlie’s ties. Note to self—next time you decide to leave the house wearing something just because it’s clean…don’t.
“Bec.” Tara squealed, and Bec found herself being embraced in a tight hug—encircled by Tara’s delicate silk clothing, the jingle of her gold jewelry, and the faint citrus tang of her perfume. Tara finally released her with a radiant smile. “I’m so happy to see you. Oh, and I’ve been meaning to say congratulations. I heard about your own baby news.”
Of course she had.
Tara might live three towns away, but Bec had never been in any doubt about just how far the Sunshine gossip machine could spread. It was one of the many reasons she’d been so eager to leave the town where she’d been raised. And yet here she was talking to a pregnant goddess while wearing a sack. Never had she wished to be hiking down a trail in Spain more than she did right now. Hell, waiting for a bus would be preferable.
“Thank you,” she said as Lincoln put down the journal he’d been studying and walked toward them. Tara’s friends both gave him an appreciative smile, but if he noticed, he didn’t show it. “This is Lincoln. He’s my—” She paused as she tried to find the right words. Father of my child. Man I want to kiss. Client.
“Friend,” he said simply as he held out his hand to Tara. Bec tried not to mind how quick he was to put a name on their new status. Relieved, even. Which is a good thing. Right?
Once the greetings were done, Tara rubbed her baby bump with one hand and waggled her finger at them.
“So, let me guess—you’re in here ordering your shower stationary, too?”
