Winning Over Skylar

by Julianna Morris

  “All right.” Aaron gave her a quick, hard kiss and left.

  He drove to the house, but when he got there and went inside, it was too empty without Melanie. The only twenty-four-hour restaurant in Cooperton was the truck-stop café by the highway, so he went there and ordered a cup of coffee.

  He wanted to propose to Skylar, but she had little reason to see him as a decent husband and father candidate. His performance to date had not been stellar, and he wasn’t sure she’d give him points for effort.

  Of course, there was only one way to find out, and it required a leap of faith.

  “Hon, you gotta have something to eat,” the server said, plunking down a plate when she refilled his cup for the third time. On it was a generous slice of homemade berry pie. “Yer stomach’s gonna revolt with nothing but Tad’s coffee to chew on.”

  “Oh...well, thank you. It looks delicious.”

  “Day old, anyhow. We were fixing to throw it out.”

  She bustled away, and he smiled as he ate the pie. Throwing the delicious dessert away would have been a crime, but he doubted the “day old” part of the story was true. The server just had a kind heart with natural mothering instincts.

  The thought took him by surprise. Not long ago he would have suspected her of ulterior motives.

  When Aaron had consumed every crumb, he glanced around the café. A family on the far side were the only other patrons. The father had a steaming cup in front of him, but the mother and children were just sitting quietly. The kids looked hungry, but they were well behaved.

  He frowned. “Uh...ma’am?” he said when the server came by again. “That family...is everything all right with them?”

  “Down on their luck, I think,” she murmured. “Headed for Bakersfield. The dad’s going to run a convenience store, but their carburetor went out. Our mechanic just replaced it. I doubt they got more than enough money for a cup of coffee. The cook and me wanted to give ’em a meal, but they wouldn’t take it.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. Keep the change,” he said, handing her a twenty before walking across the café. “Hello, folks.”

  The father nodded distractedly, looking worried and focused on some internal debate.

  Aaron thought hard, trying to decide the right thing to say. “I understand you’re taking a management position down south. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your employment background?”

  The other man blinked and seemed to notice him for the first time. “Oh...out of college I went to work with a company called Wiztek Software and worked up to manager, but when they sold, most of us were laid off. It isn’t easy starting over in this economy,” he said dully.

  “Wiztek, huh? I used to work in the computer industry and they put out some fine software.” Aaron handed him a business card. “My name is Aaron Hollister. I’m always looking for good people to work for me, and if you’re interested, I’d like to interview you for a job here in town. Cooper Industries isn’t computer related, but we’re a good company.”

  “I... Yes. I am interested.”

  “Excellent.” Aaron took out his wallet and extracted several hundred-dollar bills. “Since it’s the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I won’t be in the office until Monday, but I’ll pay your expenses to make it worth your while to stay until then.”

  “We couldn’t.” It was his wife protesting and Aaron saw a fierce spark of independence in her weary eyes. “We’ll drive on to Bakersfield.”

  Aaron glanced at their daughter. She reminded him of Karin, but he’d never seen Karin with that hopeless expression, and prayed he never would.

  “I’d consider it a personal favor if you’d stay, ma’am. Someone who means the world to me was injured tonight—not seriously, but bad enough. You’re all tired, and I’d hate for you to risk being in an accident, especially with all the holiday traffic out there. If things work out, I’m sure you’d enjoy living in Cooperton.”

  “Mom, please,” begged the daughter.

  The woman bit her lip, then finally nodded. “All right. But we’ll pay you back, Mr. Hollister. Every penny.”

  “Just worry about getting some rest.” He wrote a note on another business card and gave it to her husband with the money. “I’ll see you Monday at ten.”

  Aaron hurried out before they could change their minds. He didn’t care if he saw the man or the money again; he just wanted those kids to have a meal and a place to sleep.

  Instinctively, he drove back to Skylar’s house. He parked and gazed at the front door, wishing he was on the other side of it, and wanting to be the kind of man who should be inside that door. Before finding Skylar again he wouldn’t have even noticed a struggling family, and he certainly wouldn’t have done anything for them. She’d made him a better person, and he didn’t want to slide back to being cynical and alone.

  Images flashed through his mind of Skylar when they were kids, and the extraordinary woman she’d become. They were different people now, and they might have failed horribly if they’d tried to make it when they were eighteen, with all of their childhood ghosts to haunt them. But now...maybe they had a chance. The ghosts were still there, but they were quieter and further away and could be dealt with.

  Just then the front door opened and Skylar stepped out; she must have heard him drive up.

  He met her on the porch.

  “Did you forget something?” she asked, zipping up the parka she’d worn ice-skating.

  Some guys declared themselves with flowers and a ring in a romantic moment, but Aaron didn’t want to waste any more time.

  “No, it’s just that everything important to me is right here. Melanie, Karin...you.”

  * * *

  IT TOOK SEVERAL seconds for Skylar to process what Aaron had said. But when it sank in, her knees wobbled.

  “Aaron, I don’t... What are...?” Jeez, she didn’t even know what to ask.

  “I’m saying I love you and want to marry you. Give me a chance to make things right for us. I know I screwed up when we were kids.”

  Skylar had trouble breathing. She cast a glance at the house before grabbing his hand and dragging him off the porch and out of easy earshot.

  “You’re just upset about what happened tonight—give it time before you talk about marriage. Think about what it would be like introducing me to the Coopers and Hollisters. That should cool you off. Your father already knows my background, and it wouldn’t be hard for your mother and grandparents to find out, as well. They’d be appalled to see me on their family tree.”

  Aaron snorted. “My family would be lucky to have you. And if they aren’t smart enough to recognize that, then it’s their problem. For God’s sake, Skylar, you said it yourself, the Coopers and Hollisters are messed up. I hope you won’t turn me down because of that, but I have to be honest. And my father isn’t a problem anyway. He thinks you’ve done a terrific job with Karin—he was all for Melanie moving in here.”

  Skylar’s jaw dropped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I’d just learned that Karin might be my kid, which swamped everything else. Put yourself in my shoes—Spence dropped that bomb as casually as he’d pop a champagne cork.”

  “How did he know how Karin was doing?” she asked, pressing a hand to her spinning head.

  “Because he had someone check things out every few months to be sure you were all right. It was his weird idea of taking care of you both.”

  “Aaron, I am never going to understand your father.”

  “That’s okay, neither am I.”

  “Not that I have anything to brag about when it comes to my own parents,” she said, casting him a sideways look.

  He grinned wryly. “That makes us perfect for each other—we don’t have to apologize for our families. By the way, I told Spence and Eliza that Melanie is stayin
g with me for good. I think they were relieved.”

  “They aren’t the only ones. I felt terrible for her tonight. It breaks my heart how anxious she is to be loved.”

  “I’m lonely and anxious, too, Skylar.”

  Skylar leaned against the Mercedes and counted to ten. She’d never expected to fall in love again, especially with Aaron. And a marriage proposal? It was almost incomprehensible.

  “You don’t trust me,” she said finally. “That’s a lousy basis for a marriage.”

  “Hell, I’ve never trusted anyone. But I figured something out over the past few weeks...I’ve never given anyone a reason to trust me. It’s a two-way street, and for once in my life, I want to act on faith. We’ll tell Karin who I am if the right moment ever comes. I’ll always be sorry I lost those years with both of you, but I don’t have to make the same mistakes over again.”

  Skylar gulped.

  He believes me about Karin, she realized, stunned by Aaron’s raw vulnerability. She needed to protect her daughter...but it was just as bad to see him hurting. And keeping the truth from Karin would hurt.

  “Think about it,” she whispered. “I’ve seen the look in your eyes when Karin talks about Jimmie. Nothing is going to change how important he was to us. Or the Gibsons—they’ll always be Mom and Dad to me, and Grandpa Joe and Grandma Grace to Karin. Do you know how difficult it would be, day after day, to be reminded that Karin doesn’t know you’re her biological father?”

  * * *

  A SURGE OF hope went through Aaron.

  Skylar was worried about how he felt. Did it mean she cared...or even loved him?

  Yet before he could say something stupid, he made himself consider what she’d said. Her concern was valid. It was hard not having Karin know who he was. He recalled his daughter’s proud, happy, sometimes humorous stories about her adoptive father and tried to weigh what it would be like to keep hearing those stories. After all, she had a lifetime of memories to share.

  “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy,” he said carefully. “But you just said something important—you called me Karin’s biological father. Your husband loved her wholeheartedly. He didn’t care about biology, which means Karin can learn to love me the same way, even if she doesn’t know everything. We can tell her when and if the time is right.”

  “What if it’s never the right time?”

  Aaron cupped Skylar’s face. The moonlight caught the sparkle of tears in her eyes, and he hated seeing them. There’d been enough tears.

  “Then it’s never right. Sweetheart, Karin’s grief is painful, not the relationship she had with Jimmie Gibson. I’m grateful she had him as her dad—I only hope I can measure up. And while I can’t promise to be perfect, I promise to try every day to be a better husband and father than the day before. I love you so much. Will you give me a chance and help me do that? I can’t stand being alone any longer.”

  * * *

  SKYLAR HESITATED.

  Yet how could she refuse to give Aaron a second chance? She’d gotten her own share of second chances—from Jimmie and his parents, who’d taken her into their hearts without reservation, and from her sweet, smart, comical daughter, whose birth convinced her that she could be more than a messed-up girl from the worst part of town, with the worst kind of parents. Marriage wasn’t easy, but neither was life. It was loving with all your heart that made it worthwhile.

  “I love you, too. And we’ll help each other,” she promised, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Thank God.” Aaron pulled her into a kiss she never wanted to end.

  * * *

  “WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Melanie asked as she peeked through the curtains. “It’s awful romantic in the moonlight.”

  Karin scratched under the edge of her cast. It was already itchy, even though it still hurt. “I think we’re going to be sisters for real,” she said, peeking out, as well. Her mom and Aaron were in a clinch, kissing for all they were worth.

  “If they get married, it makes me your aunt.”

  “I’m not calling you Aunt Mellie.”

  Mellie giggled. “I like sister best. Do you mind about Aaron and your mother? You know...because of your dad?”

  “A little, but I’ll get over it,” Karin said philosophically. And she would. Her dad had wanted them to be happy, and if Aaron made her mom happy, it would be okay.

  Twenty months later...

  THE GRADUATING CLASS of Cooperton High was marching slowly into place for the commencement ceremony, and pride filled Aaron as he watched his sister in her cap and gown, looking confident and happy. She’d gone from being behind in all of her classes, to a perfect 4.0 grade average in her senior year.

  “Be careful, you’ll bust all your buttons,” his wife warned in a low voice.

  “Yeah, like you don’t feel the same way,” he retorted.

  Skylar laughed. A light breeze ruffled her dress and he put a hand over her swollen tummy. The baby was due in a month, and the wait was driving Karin and him crazy.

  From the beginning he’d made it clear to Karin that he wanted to make his own place in her life, not fill the one left by Jimmie Gibson. They’d grown closer with the passage of time, but it was Skylar’s pregnancy that had cemented their relationship. Karin loved that she was going to be a big sister, and along with Melanie and the Gibsons, they were a united front, trying to make Skylar rest and not overdo things.

  Aaron looked around the assemblage of friends and families, still hoping to see Spence and Eliza. He’d threatened, cajoled and demanded they make it to their daughter’s graduation, but good old S. S. Hollister was in Bordeaux, romancing a French actress, and Eliza was in Japan with her husband. Flying home to the States wasn’t likely.

  His mouth tightened.

  He could forgive Spence for missing his own high-school and college graduations; it was harder to tolerate him disappointing Melanie. As for Eliza, he’d expected better.

  Skylar slipped her fingers into his hand and squeezed. “Let it go. You can’t make someone change,” she whispered.

  True enough.

  He struggled enough with changing himself. At home, with Skylar and the girls, it was easier—Skylar was his compass, drawing him in the right direction. They still fought, but making up was fun. With his employees and grandparents and the rest of Cooperton, he had more trouble.

  Things were improving, though. Skylar had gotten the city council to approve his expansion plans and the new facility had been up and running for several months; it made for safer, more pleasant working conditions, and his employees seemed to approve.

  As for the Coopers...at least they’d stopped serving him sherry before dinner. Of course, that was mostly because of Skylar, too. She was so forthright, his grandparents had hardly known what hit them. Despite their obvious recollection of her reputation as a teen, they liked Skylar. They just didn’t know what to make of her.

  He leaned over and gave his wife a long, lingering kiss, grateful beyond measure for the fate that brought him back to Cooperton. If life was about making choices, then he’d finally made the right one.

  “Aaron,” Karin scolded, slapping the back of his head with a commencement program. “Stop smooching and watch Mellie graduate.”

  “Bossy, isn’t she?” Skylar said conversationally.

  “Mooommmm.”

  Aaron and Skylar smiled at each other and obediently turned their attention forward.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from FOR THE RIGHT REASONS by Kara Lennox.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  “I THINK MOST of you know Eric Riggs.” Daniel Logan, the billionaire CEO and founder of Project Justice, spoke from an enormous video screen positioned at the head of a gleaming mahogany table, making it appear as if he were actually in the conference room, presiding over the staff meeting.

  Eric nodded in acknowledgment and tried not to look as nervous as he felt. This conference room was not so different from countless others he’d visited as an attorney. But it had been three years since he’d worn a suit. Three years since he’d focused on anything except proving his innocence and getting out of prison.

  He’d accomplished that goal, with the help of his brother and this very organization.

  Eric had always thought that once he was free, he would simply start living again—albeit without his wife, the woman he’d thought was his true love. But nothing about his life was simple. Prison had changed him.

  His old firm hadn’t wanted him back. They were a stodgy lot, and they wanted nothing to do with what they referred to as Eric’s “unsavory notoriety.” But Daniel Logan had generously offered him a temporary job here, just until Eric got his bearings. His specialty was real estate, not criminal law, but Daniel had assured him he wouldn’t be required to do that much—maybe file a few pleadings, oversee contracts with clients and act as a consultant.

  He was still nervous as a kid facing a dentist with a drill. He surreptitiously wiped his palms on his pants.