Twenty
Owen kicked his feet and pumped his arms in his bouncy seat.
“I’m going to have to start calling you Cheerio, little man. You’re way too happy in the morning.” Will took another swallow of his coffee, reaching over to wipe a spit bubble off his son’s chin. “Daddy is not a morning person, so you’re gonna have to tone it down a notch.”
The baby let out a delighted gurgle at Will’s words. Will smiled in spite of himself. Now nearly two months old, Owen was awake for longer spurts of time. Usually Will didn’t mind, but this morning he’d hoped to have his son fed and back to sleep before Julianne finished her shower. Unfortunately, Owen had other ideas, meaning there wouldn’t be a repeat of yesterday morning’s soaping of his wife’s back, among other things.
For the past two days, he and Julianne had secluded themselves in the house, taking care of their son and each other. Since her storming of his bedroom, they’d had sex at least a dozen times, and Will still couldn’t seem to get enough of her. What they hadn’t done was talk. At least not about their relationship. That subject seemed to be the elephant in the room, neither of them wanting to disturb it.
That wasn’t the only thing Will had been avoiding. Roscoe had been calling and texting him since their phone conversation the other night, but Will hadn’t bothered to answer. The mess with Bountygate was getting uglier, and Hank and Roscoe had been correct: Will’s name was right in the center of the storm. He needed to decide what to do, but Paul Zevalos wasn’t returning his phone calls, either.
As if all that weren’t enough, finding his mother in the woods outside the house making out with his team’s GM was proof enough that Will’s world was beginning to resemble a busted play. He wasn’t naïve enough to think his mother had remained celibate since his birth; she was young and very pretty, after all. But she’d been discerning of her reputation, and his, for many years, keeping her relationships very private. Much as she kept the rest of her life. Hank Osbourne, on the other hand, cut through a swath of rich divorcées like Brody Janik ran through defenses after a catch. His mother wasn’t on the same level with the socialites Hank wore on his arm. Will still believed Hank was using his mother to gain information on his relationship with Coach Zevalos, and he worried she’d end up hurt.
Julianne’s cell phone buzzed in its charger. Her phone had rung twice already this morning and it was barely nine o’clock. Will handed Owen a mini Blaze football. The baby’s hands immediately clamped around it, his long-fingered hold sparking a burst of pride in Will before Owen brought it up to his mouth and began gumming it.
With Owen now occupied, he meandered over to where Julianne’s phone sat on the desk. He told himself he wasn’t snooping, just curious about whether he should alert her that she had messages. This was the problem with their not having talked. Will was fairly certain he knew all her secrets—surely she couldn’t have more—but her brother was still a major player in Bountygate, and Roscoe’s warnings about not trusting her played like a highlight reel in the back of his mind.
Two missed calls and one text message from her brother. His whole body tensed. The shower was still running upstairs. Damn it! If he didn’t check, Roscoe’s voice would poison every interaction he and Julianne had today, including the sexy one he’d been planning for the boathouse later on. If she had something to hide, she’d keep her phone locked or out of sight. With one finger, he slid the keypad open and read the text from her brother.
Call me. You haven’t checked in for two days. I need to know what’s going on with Will. How’s the baby?
A bead of sweat ran down his back. She was checking in with her brother daily? He didn’t get the impression they were that close. And she was giving her brother updates? On him? No! Will wasn’t going to let Roscoe’s paranoia get to him. He needed to trust Julianne. And not just because he was beginning to need Julianne.
“Dude, are you just gonna let that kid gum that football to death?”
Will jumped at the sound of Brody’s voice, nearly flinging Julianne’s phone onto the tile floor.
“Jesus, Janik, have you ever heard of knocking?” Will gently placed the phone back in its spot.
“I didn’t have to knock. I saw you from the verandah so I knew you were home.”
“What are you, a freakin’ peeping Tom?” Will needed a punching bag to take out his anger on, and Brody had arrived uninvited. “What if my wife were walking around naked in here?”
A slow grin spread over Brody’s face, further stoking Will’s anger.
“So it’s now that kind of marriage, huh?”
Will still wasn’t sure what kind of marriage he had, but he wasn’t discussing it with Brody. He lunged across the kitchen at him, but the agile tight end, adept at avoiding linebackers in pursuit, danced out of his way.
“Dude, I brought breakfast!” He shook a white paper sack from the Queen of Hearts Bakery in front of Owen’s face. The baby squealed in delight. “Do you want a scone, little dude?”
“Give me that!” Will snatched the bag from Brody, his stomach rumbling as the scent of fresh blueberry scones wafted out of the bag. “You’ve done your good deed for the day, now get out.”
Brody turned one of the kitchen chairs around and straddled it, tickling Owen’s bare feet as he sat in front of the baby. “No can do. Roscoe told me I couldn’t leave until I physically saw you call him. Seriously, that guy’s a pain in the a . . . keester.” He winked at Owen. “I may have to look for other representation if he keeps using me as his tool.”
Roscoe was getting desperate if he was resorting to forcing his other clients to do his bidding. Not that Brody had to be forced to butt into Will’s business. He’d seemed to make a career of it. Will pulled out his cell phone and texted his agent, telling him he’d call him when he was damn well ready.
“Done.” He shoved the phone back into the pocket of his shorts. “Now, you can go.”
“Jeesh, your daddy is grouchy in the morning,” Brody said to the baby.
Will rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, Brody, you were right the other day. This . . . thing could get a little ugly before it gets resolved. While I appreciate your lapdog determination—”
“Hey!”
“—you’ve got a good career going and I don’t want it to get tarnished by a bunch of gossips who want to take down a good coach.”
Brody looked him in stony silence.
“Really, Brody. For yourself and the team, you need to distance yourself from me right now. Get out of here. Go back to Baltimore. And please, take Hank Osbourne with you.”
Brody chuckled. “Sorry, dude, but the Wizard of Oz is pursuing his own agenda here in town. I have no pull with him. But I am leaving today, and it has nothing to do with you bossing me around.”
Will was relieved, and not just because Brody was always underfoot. He’d meant what he said about protecting his teammate’s career and the reputation of the Blaze. “When’s your flight?”
“You’re leaving, Brody?”
Julianne breezed into the kitchen, clean and sweet-smelling in a V-neck T-shirt and jean shorts. Her hair was still damp, pulled back from her face in a big clip. She looked fresh and bright-eyed and Will wanted to throw her over his shoulder, carry her upstairs, and muss her up until her lips were swollen and her scent was musky.
“And look who’s still up!” She nuzzled Owen’s toes while Will groaned behind her. “Ooo, give me that sloppy, yucky ball, sweetie.” The baby shrieked as she tried to take the football from him.
“Hey!” Both men yelled at the same time.
Julianne rolled her eyes, handing the ball back to a screeching Owen. “I hope Carly has a girl,” she mumbled.
Will handed her a cup of coffee from the Keurig. “Are you going back to Baltimore?” she asked Brody.
“Cape Cod, actually. My whole family gets together for a three-day party at the beach every Memorial Day weekend.”
“Well, by the time you get there, you’ll have missed most of it,” Julianne pointed out.
Brody shrugged. “They can be a little . . . overbearing en masse like that. My sisters invite all their single friends and I feel like I’m at a cattle auction or something.”
Julianne peered over the top of her coffee mug at Brody. “Some guys would love all that attention.”
“Yeah, well, it’s impossible to make everyone happy, and by the end of the weekend, one or all of my sisters will be gunning for me. It’s better to keep my visit as brief as possible.”
“Oh! Speaking of your sister . . .” Julianne put down her mug and went to rummage around the desk. Will tensed for a moment, thinking she’d notice her phone wasn’t as she left it, but she tossed it aside to pull out a large envelope. The same one that Brody had brought his sister’s picture in.
“Here.” She handed it to Brody, a shy look on her face. “I finished the design.”
Brody’s jaw dropped. “You did?”
“I don’t know if she’ll even like it, but if she does, I know a seamstress in Boston who can make the gown.”
He pulled the sketch out of the envelope and a wide grin broke out over his face. “Wow, Julianne, this is perfect. I know she’ll love it because it’s . . . her. You’re a genius.”
“Sophie had some ideas for jewelry pieces, too.” Julianne lifted a now-whimpering Owen out of the bouncy seat.
“Huh, merging the two businesses already,” he muttered low enough for only Will to hear.
Will glared at him.
Brody laughed. “Well, my business here is complete. Connelly, I’m going to kiss your wife now, so you might want to turn your back so you don’t go all caveman again.”
“Like hell I will.”
“Stop it, both of you!” Julianne pulled Brody in for a hug. He kissed her cheek and bussed Owen’s head.
“See you both back in Charm City. And Will, don’t forget to make that call,” he called as he went out the door.
Owen was rubbing his eyes as Julianne turned to him. “What call?” she asked.
Will hesitated. Why was she interested? “I need to call Roscoe, my agent,” he finally answered.
“Oh.” She smiled at him. “In that case, I’ll take this little guy upstairs and put him down for his nap so you can have some privacy.”
He felt like an idiot for not trusting her. “No, I’ll take him. It’s a holiday weekend. I don’t need to talk to Roscoe today,” he lied.
She handed him the baby and he leaned in and gave her an openmouthed kiss that turned fiery in an instant.
“Come upstairs with me,” he whispered.
Her cell phone buzzed just as she turned to follow him up.
“It’s been going off all morning.” Will hoped he sounded nonchalant.
Julianne checked the screen and turned off the phone. “Just Stephen.” She wrapped her hands around his waist, Owen now dozing on Will’s shoulder. “Upstairs, buster.”
“Does he call you often?”
“Ugh, every day since I’ve been here. He’s suddenly turned into a doting older brother. It’s annoying.”
Will laid Owen in his crib, relief coursing through his veins at her words. Roscoe had tainted his common sense with all his warnings about not trusting Julianne. But she wasn’t conspiring with her brother. She couldn’t be because Will was becoming too dependent on the feel of her beneath his hands, the taste of her on his tongue, and the warmth of her wrapped around his body.
He stalked to his bedroom, where she was already naked on the bed. Will whipped his T-shirt off and stepped out of his shorts, her smile of appreciation arousing him more. If he had any niggling doubts about his wife, he’d bury them now, as he buried himself inside her. When he was alone with her, he forgot all about Paul Zevalos, Bountygate, Hank Osbourne, and Julianne’s brother. It was just him and her finding that perfect symbiosis he’d been unable to find with any other woman. For now, that was enough. He’d worry about the world outside Chances Inlet later.
• • •
The designs were coming to her fast and furiously now. Only they weren’t wedding gowns. Julianne gently swayed on a porch swing in the lush back garden of the Tide Me Over Inn sketching, of all things, baby clothes. Owen slept peacefully in his stroller, Sophie sitting Indian style on a blanket on the lawn next to him, sorting beads from a plastic container.
“Gwen Stefani designs baby clothes.” Sophie said around the string she held between her teeth. “And she’s cool. Besides, I’ll bet most of your former clients are having babies, and they’d probably buy anything you design. You should really try to market those.”
Julianne couldn’t help but smile at the young girl’s exuberance. The idea of creating an entire line of baby clothes had actually begun percolating in her head over the past few days, although she hadn’t given much thought to how “cool” her new venture might be. Unlike her elaborate, sophisticated bridal gowns, the baby clothes were bright, simple, and fun. Sebastian would have a fit because they screamed mass market, but Julianne wanted other mothers to be able to afford what she was creating. Not that she’d even mentioned the idea to her business manager. She hadn’t even told Will yet.
Glancing across the garden, she spied her husband chatting with Gavin and a few other men she’d seen around Chances Inlet these past few weeks. It was Memorial Day, and Patricia McAlister was hosting her annual picnic for the inn’s guests as well as her family and friends. After nearly four days of seclusion, Will and Julianne had ventured out into town again, this time as husband and wife in every sense. True, they hadn’t done much talking, at least not about anything involving their relationship. She still had no idea where their marriage would end up, but she felt a deeper connection to Will and a greater sense of optimism that things could work out eventually.
As if he sensed her watching him, Will looked over and their eyes met. Warmth pooled in her belly as her body registered the intense hunger in his eyes. He saluted her with his beer bottle before rejoining his conversation. Blushing, Julianne returned to her sketchpad, the lion on the onesie she drew grinning mischievously back at her as if he, too, could read her thoughts.
Could she share her ideas with Will? Julianne scrunched her eyes closed. She desperately wanted someone to share her life with. To share her dreams with. Nicky had been her imaginary partner for so many years. But now she wanted the real thing. She wanted Will. The problem was, she didn’t know if he wanted her. For anything more than sex, that is.
“Finished!” Sophie held up a beautiful lapis bracelet.
“Annabeth is going to have to change the sign on her shop to read ‘Antiques and Jewelry’ if you keep this pace up, Soph.”
The girl smiled. “This one isn’t for the shop. Mrs. McAlister commissioned it.”
“Ahh, cutting out the middleman already?”
Sophie’s face fell. “Ohmigosh! I didn’t mean to cut out Annabeth! Do you think she’ll care?”
Julianne doubted her mother-in-law would even notice, much less care. Annabeth’s attention was firmly fixed on Sophie’s father. She peered beyond the carriage house, down the lane, where the two had disappeared, hand in hand, nearly half an hour before. They’d gone to walk along the beach before dinner. Hank and Sophie were leaving tomorrow, and Julianne sincerely hoped this wouldn’t be the end of Annabeth and Hank’s blossoming relationship.
“Of course not,” she reassured Sophie. “I was just teasing. Annabeth will be thrilled you’re making something for her friend.”
“Oh, good, because I don’t want Annabeth to be mad at me. I really like her.” She looked at Julianne slyly. “Do you think she likes my dad?”
A pair of figures moved in the trees behind Sophie. Annabeth and Hank were locked in a serious kiss. Julianne bit back a laugh. “I think she might, actually.”
Will and Gavin made their way across the grass toward her. Uh-oh! If they come closer, her husband would have a perfect view of his mother and Hank. Will had been staring down the Blaze GM all afternoon, his caveman persona in full force.
Julianne leaped off the swing. “Would you mind watching Owen for a few minutes, Sophie? Will and I are just going to go for a quick walk.”
A quick walk in the opposite direction if she moved fast enough.
“Hi!” She tried to make it sound casual as she met them halfway.
“Hi yourself.” One of Will’s eyebrows inched up, as if he sensed she was up to something. “We were coming over to check on the baby.”
“He’s still sleeping.”
“Uh-huh.” Will eyed her warily. “Gavin hasn’t seen him in a week. I told him how Owen’s changed a lot since then.”
Gavin gave the halfhearted shrug of a guy doing whatever it took to appease his best friend.
“Oh, he has, Gavin,” she said earnestly. “You should go peek at him. His mustache has completely come in already.”
Will scowled at her while Gavin choked back a laugh.
She traced a finger down Will’s arm. “You were going to show me that tree with the trunk that grew in the shape of a heart, remember?”
Gavin snorted. “Jeez, Connelly, are you still using that old tree trunk line to lure girls into the woods?”
Will pinned his friend with his death stare.
“Fine.” Gavin put his hands up in front of his chest. “I’ll go check your son’s facial hair. Maybe I’ll take him to the barber while you two play in the woods.” Gavin ambled over to the stroller.
“So, what’s with your sudden interest in dendrology, Princess?”
His overstuffed brain was really obnoxious, especially poised as it was on the body of a virile Viking warrior.
She crossed her arms. “You told me about it, and now I want to see it for myself. Are you going to show me, or do I ask one of your fellow gym rats over there?” She pointed to the men he and Gavin had just separated from.
“If you’re gonna ask one of them, you probably shouldn’t use the word dendrology.”
Julianne huffed in frustration as she marched around the massive body that blocked her way and stormed toward the path into the woods. “Never mind. I’ll find it myself.”
The man was so infuriating! The heck with Annabeth and Hank. She was done protecting them. Let them face the wrath of William the Conqueror on their own.
With his long legs, Will caught up to her in three strides. No sooner had they rounded the corner of the garden shed than he had her pushed against the wall, his big body holding her prisoner. Julianne relaxed immediately into the warmth of his embrace, laying her cheek against his chest. She let her hands roam the length of his back while he nuzzled her ear.
“What am I going to do with you, Princess?”
“Mmm, I have a few suggestions.” She lifted her lips to his jaw.
Will kissed her temples, her eyelids, and the tip of her nose. She moaned, trying to pull his lips in for a kiss.
“Unh-uh.” He pulled his mouth away. “I’m trying to think of an appropriate punishment for you for running interference so I wouldn’t intercept my mother and Hank.”
Busted. Julianne leaned back against the Hardie board wall of the shed, her breathing uneven. “Really, Will. Why does this thing with your mom and Hank upset you so much?”
“Because I don’t want to see her hurt!”
“She’s a big girl.” She stroked a hand over his muscular chest. “And I think Hank must really feel something for her. Or else why would he risk angering his team’s star player? He’s risking a lot for a relationship with your mom.”
Will’s eyes shuttered as his giant brain processed her theory, clearly an idea he hadn’t considered before.
Julianne arched back into his body, her lips making a beeline for his jaw. “Besides, this part is kind of fun. Sneaking around and all that. Can you blame your mom?”
His big body trembled. “Julianne, that’s not the mental picture I want to have of my mother and Hank Osbourne.”
She laughed as she slid a finger into the waistband of his shorts, gently tracing the warm, soft skin beneath. Will instantly stiffened, his lips finding that sweet spot where her neck met her shoulder.
“This is what I wanted. I wanted you to drag me back here because you missed me.” His breath against her skin made her shiver with need. “Because you want me.”
For such a smart man, he was really an idiot sometimes. Did he not see how much she wanted him every moment? How much she needed him? How much power he had over her?
“Oh, God, Will. Don’t you get it?” she confessed, giving him the power to destroy her if he wished. “I miss you whenever you leave the room. I miss you as soon as you leave my body. Sometimes . . . sometimes it’s so overwhelming that I’m beginning to think I really am bat crazy.”
“It’s bat-shit crazy. And I think we both probably are.” And then he finally kissed her.