Chapter
EIGHTEEN
Warren woke the next morning with only the haziest realization that it was Christmas Eve. For years, he’d followed the same morning routine, and he did so again, hoping the sameness of brushing his teeth and making coffee would prevent him from thinking too hard.
His phone was overloaded with texts and voicemails. He checked the ones from his children—all asking if Julia was okay, if he was okay, if they needed anything. He texted them with reassurances and promised he would talk to them later.
He couldn’t respond to his daughter. Given her standoffish behavior at the party, he had a sick feeling that last night had had something to do with her.
The rustle of stockinged feet sounded behind him. He turned to see Julia in the kitchen doorway, looking soft and fragile in a pink fleece and black pants, her eyes smudged with dark circles and her skin pale.
“How do you feel?” He poured a cup of coffee for her and approached, reaching out to brush a lock of honey-blonde hair away from her forehead.
“Better.” She lowered her head to sip the coffee, her expression tensing. “Have you talked to the boys? Hailey?”
“Not yet. I texted them that you’re all right.” He took a breath and forced the question past his tight throat. “What happened with Hailey?”
Julia shook her head. Tears shone in her eyes.
“She found the letter. You’d left it on your desk, and she went in to get something… and she found it.”
Warren kept the intellectual part of his brain focused on that revelation, ignoring the emotions bubbling under the surface. His past wasn’t a secret from his children—God knew they’d all made mistakes—but he didn’t like the thought that this would change Hailey’s relationship with Julia.
“She heard you and Becca fighting about it.” Her lips compressed. “Honestly, I always thought you’d told Becca. But Hailey will never look at me the same way again. Not after knowing what I did.”
“I’ll talk to her.” His daughter wasn’t vindictive or one to hold a grudge. But she’d also been close to her mother, especially in a family of boys. Rebecca had occasionally been exasperated by Hailey’s tomboyish ways, but their daughter had been special to both her and Warren, and everyone knew it. Losing her mother had been the most devastating thing that could have happened to Hailey. To any of them.
But if Julia hadn’t stepped in, Hailey never would have recovered as well as she had. Of that Warren had no doubt.
“I love you.” There was nothing else he could say.
She looked at him, her eyes glittering. She loved him too. He knew it. Felt it down to his bones, the center of his soul. But she had yet to say it.
“Tell me,” he said.
She shook her head, dismay etching her fine features. “I can’t.”
He slid his hand over her smooth hair to the back of her neck. The scent of her filled his blood—lavender soap, Julia. Gypsy girl, fashion stylist, ice queen, kitten.
“You can still tell me everything,” he said.
But she didn’t.
He felt her surrender in the instant before she leaned into him, pressing her face to his shirtfront. A tremble rocked through her. He tightened his arms around her. Breathed her in.
“I have to go,” she mumbled. “Deck the Halls is tonight, and there’s a ton of stuff left to do.”
He forced aside his unease, his frustration with her inability to tell him she loved him. Now was not the time to unpack all the reasons she couldn’t say the words.
“I’m helping you,” he said. “What do you need me to do?”
“Talk to your children.” She pulled away from him. “Because if I tried to talk to them right now, they’d probably tell me to exit stage left.”
The clock on the mantel ticked so loudly it echoed in the silence. The bright Christmas decorations, the glittering tree, all were a stark contrast to the somber mood that hung over the room. Warren stood by the fireplace, studying his children. The boys sprawled on the sofa and chairs, none of them making eye contact with either each other or him.
“Where’s Hailey?” he asked.
“At my place.” Adam rested his elbows on his knees. “She wanted some time alone. Is Aunt Julia okay?”
“She suffers from migraines.” Warren dragged a hand down his face, suddenly feeling older than he had in ages. “Often severe. One hit her last night. She’s all right now, but the headaches can be incapacitating. She hasn’t wanted anyone to know because she… she always wants to be strong.”
“She is,” Luke said. “I mean, she has been.”
“Yes. And I want to remind you all that Julia has been an invaluable part of this family for many years,” Warren said. “After your mother died, she helped us in ways we’ll never be able to measure. So whatever you think of us as a couple, please remember that she gave up her life in London to move here and be with us. Everything that’s happened—good and bad—she’s been there. Not only that, she’s never wavered. So if any of you have any reason to object to us being together, then you direct those objections to me and me alone. I will not stand for anyone confronting Julia.”
The boys shuffled and exchanged glances.
“I don’t actually object,” Luke muttered. “I mean, it’ll take some getting used to, but… I can’t imagine what we would have done if she hadn’t been there.”
“It’s just a surprise,” Evan added.
“Oh, please.” Tyler rolled his eyes and put his feet on the coffee table. “You’re seriously surprised that Dad and Julia have finally gotten busy? I can’t believe they didn’t start banging years ago.”
“Thank you for your incredulity, son,” Warren said dryly.
“But Julia is Mom’s sister,” Carson added.
“Mom’s sister,” Adam said. “Not Dad’s sister, for God’s sake.”
Carson shrugged. “It’s still a little strange.”
“No it’s not,” Tyler argued. “They’ve known each other forever. Objectively speaking, Aunt Julia is incredibly hot. Why wouldn’t Dad want to hook up with her?”
“There’s a lot more to it than a hook-up,” Warren said. “But yes. Julia is indeed incredibly hot.”
“Right?” Tyler gave Carson a pointed look. “And what better way to start a relationship than as friends? That’s exactly what Kate and I did, and look at us. We’re so freaking happy together the bluebirds should start singing whenever we kiss.”
“What bluebirds?” Spencer asked.
“The bluebirds.” Tyler scowled and nudged his brother. “Of happiness or whatever. Are you really such a nerd you don’t know about the bluebirds?”
“Forget the fucking bluebirds.” Luke rubbed his hands over his face. “Dad, this is your business. We want you to be happy.”
“What if it doesn’t work out?” Spencer asked.
The logic of the question quieted everyone for a second.
“Why wouldn’t it work out?” Adam said.
“Well, how long have you been together?” Spencer asked Warren.
“Two weeks.”
“So what if a month from now you decide you made a mistake?” Spencer asked. “Not to be grim, but wouldn’t that be a problem? Isn’t that part of what Hailey is worried about?”
And what Julia had worried about.
“We’ve been romantically involved for two weeks,” Warren said. “But we’ve been together for far longer than that.” He cleared his throat, deciding that now was as good a time as any to tell them the complete truth. “I love her. I hope to marry her one day. Your blessing… all of you… would mean everything to me.”
The boys fell silent again, several of them glancing at Luke.
“I don’t want or need an answer now,” Warren said. “We could all use some time to think. I hope you all still plan to support Julia at Deck the Halls tonight. She needs you.”
They all nodded and muttered that they would be there, carrying out their assigned volunteer duties.
After thanking them, Warren went into his office. His gaze skimmed over the unfinished airplane model he’d left on the worktable. He started toward his desk. The room spun around him, almost knocking him off his feet.
A curse blistered through his head. He grabbed hold of a chair and shut his eyes. A heavy tone resounded in his ears, blocking out sound, pressure filling his head. The attack felt as if it lasted an eternity, though when the sick sensations finally began to fade, only a few minutes had passed.
A few minutes too long. On the mountain, in winter, he needed to be capable of making split-second decisions. He couldn’t even think when a spell hit, much less decide anything.
What if…
He picked up his phone and called the ENT’s office. The specialist was available for emergency appointments until one, and the receptionist promised to fit Warren in.
He sank into his desk chair, his insides churning.
“Dad?”
Warren looked up. Luke stood in the doorway, his hands in his pockets and his expression shadowed.
“Come in, son.” He straightened, gesturing to a nearby chair.
“Just wanted to tell you I’m okay with everything.” Luke sat down, a troubled gleam appearing in his eyes. “I mean, you and Aunt Julia. She drives me crazy, but I know how much she’s done for us. So you have my blessing no matter what. And obviously we all want you and Julia to be happy.”
Warren’s chest tightened. “I appreciate that.”
“Okay.” Luke nodded, tapping his fingers on the chair arm. “I… uh, I also wanted to apologize.”
“For what?”
“For being an asshole about you retiring. I don’t want to be that way about Julia.”
“You haven’t been. You won’t be. I get that my retirement is a rough transition. Have you thought any more about a replacement?”
“Yeah, actually. Can I ask your opinion?”
“Sure.”
“What do you think of Kate Darling as a candidate?” Luke asked. “She’s young, but she’s proven herself in countless ways, she’s excelled at whatever task she’s been given, everyone respects her, and she and I already work really well together. Out of everyone, she might be the best fit.”
“I agree.” Pride rose in Warren, banishing the lingering unease of the dizzy spell. “In fact, I was waiting for you to figure that out.”
“Great.” Luke let out his breath, clearly relieved. “It’s still going to take a long time to get use to the idea of you retiring. When you first mentioned it, I had this flashback to the months after Mom died, when we were just struggling to keep the company afloat. And with Hailey in the hospital, every night before going to bed I thought we wouldn’t make it.
“Then I’d get up in the morning and go back to work. Because I thought, Well, this is what Dad would do. I’ve made a lot of decisions that way, either asking you or thinking about what you would do. So when I realized you wouldn’t be at Sugar Rush anymore… well, I felt about five years old, walking into kindergarten for the first time and knowing you couldn’t stay there with me.”
A smile tugged at Warren’s mouth. “I didn’t want to leave you at kindergarten. Spent the whole day watching the clock for when I could leave to pick you up.”
“Yeah, well…” Luke looked down, rubbing his hands on his thighs. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m the thirty-five-year-old CEO of the Sugar Rush Candy Company, and I can… probably… handle the transition of the president’s retirement.”
“I know you can.”
“Okay.” Luke rose to his feet. “Good. I’ll see you later, then.”
He started toward the door.
“Luke.”
His son turned to look at him.
“I’ll still always be there to pick you up.”