Johnson Family 1: Unforgettable (18 page)

But the tranquility didn’t last.

Back at his condo, Lucas went into his home office to see if Brenda had left him a message about an upcoming project. Tension still existed between him and Priscilla, and he needed a break from pretending nothing was wrong. While he listened to a message from the freelance editor he worked with on his blog posts, a faint thumping sound came to him from somewhere in the condo. He went out to the living room in time to see Priscilla drop a suitcase at the front door.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m leaving. What does it look like?”

She went back into the bedroom and he followed. They’d been down this road before, but she’d never left him this soon after coming back. He stared as she dumped clothes and shoes into a black trash bag and slammed the dresser drawer shut. He hadn’t even known she had enough stuff there to fill a suitcase and a large trash bag. Like she’d said at dinner, she was there, but he didn’t really see her.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Priscilla said, scooping her lotions and perfume off the dresser with a swipe of her hand. They landed in the bag on the floor. “Everything and everyone is always more important than me. One day you’re traveling,” she said, marching over to the closet and yanking down a few dresses, pulling the hangers with them. “Another time you’ve got an important event you can’t cancel.”

Her comments rubbed him the wrong way. “My work is important. You know that.”

“Then your mother was sick,” she continued, stuffing the dresses into the same bag. She lifted her head, breathing heavily. “You never put me first. Never.”

She tied the top of the trash bag into a knot. “You need to decide what you want. I’m giving you another chance, but I’m leaving you and this time for good.” She stood still long enough to shoot him a look of defiance that still managed to look pleading. “Do you want to be with me or not? I’m not getting any younger.”

“’Cilla, listen to me—”

“Answer the question!”

Lucas fell silent. He didn’t know what to say. He could give her the answer she wanted to hear, but then he’d be a liar.

She shook her head in disgust. At herself, at him, he wasn’t sure. Her lower lip trembled and her eyes took on a shiny quality as they filled with tears. “That’s my answer, isn’t it?”

She grabbed the trash bag and walked out to the living room. He followed, still unable to find the right words. He made his living using words, but right now he couldn’t think of a single thing to say to make the unfolding situation any less contentious.

“’Cilla, you don’t have to leave. Stay and let’s talk.”

At the front door, she turned around. “My mother warned me. She said after two years, a man knows whether or not he wants to marry you, and if he’s not talking about a future with you by then, it’s time to move on.” Priscilla swiped a tear that spilled onto her cheek. She sniffed. “She even told me I was foolish to stick around when you made it clear you didn’t want children, even though I do. And when I told her you weren’t interested in getting married, but I felt pretty sure you would change your mind, she went ballistic. ‘When a man tells you the truth, believe him,’ she said. And I still waited for you to change your mind. But you haven’t. Five years of my life is enough, don’t you think?”

She flung open the door and grabbed her suitcase. Instinctively he moved to assist her, but she swung around before stepping over the threshold. “In your book you said ‘When a man wants you, make no mistake, he’ll do whatever he can to hold onto you. He won’t let you walk out that door, and if he does, trust he’ll be right behind you.’ You never once came after me, Lucas.” Her voice cracked at the end.

This was obviously painful for her, but it was painful for him to watch, too, knowing he caused the hurt in her eyes. They’d been in a relationship for years based on his terms and his comfort level. He gave her material possessions, and in exchange she never pressured him for a commitment.

“Did you ever love me?” she asked. The question was one last plea, and he wanted to give her the answer she longed to hear, but he couldn’t say the words if he didn’t mean them, so he tried to find words that were the truth without deepening the embarrassment for her. Unfortunately, he took too long to respond. “Fuck you, Lucas. I hope you die a miserable, lonely old man,” she said, and then she stormed out.

She struggled down the hallway with the suitcase and dragged the plastic bag behind her. He would have offered to help but knew his offer wouldn’t be welcomed.

Lucas closed and locked the door. In a daze, he sank on to the sofa. He looked around at his place, his bachelor pad for years. A one-bedroom oasis from his crazy travel schedule and the women who came in and out of his life. He’d let Priscilla get closer than most, but was it because she was special, or because she kept coming back? With her, he’d never had to change, so he hadn’t.

But she’d left him. The level of anger and pain in her face was different this time. She wasn’t ever coming back again.

Chapter Twenty

When Lucas arrived at Ivy’s to pick up Katie for the dance, his daughter stared up at him with such elation in her eyes his heart swelled. He could get accustomed to that look, as if he was some kind of prize.

“How are you?” he asked, bending to give her a bear hug. She smelled like strawberries, probably from the pink lip gloss.

“I’m fine. Mommy hired a photographer to take pictures of us.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him deeper into the condo.

Sure enough, Ivy and a photographer waited in the living room.

Ivy had made a big deal about the dance. In addition to sending their daughter to the hotel spa to get a mani-pedi with clear nail polish, she’d hired a stylist and hairdresser to get her ready. Katie’s hair was styled in long ringlets, and her fuchsia headband matched the fuchsia dress she wore with its sparkling bodice and full skirt.

“Are you guys ready?” Ivy asked. “This is Katie’s first date, so we have to take lots of photos.”

“Wait a minute.” Lucas removed the corsage from the box he’d brought in and attached the white petals to his daughter’s narrow wrist.

“Pretty,” Katie said.

Lucas straightened his black jacket and tie. “Now we’re ready.”

The photographer took photos of them standing next to each other and more with him crouched beside her, each with an arm around the other. Eventually they said their good-byes, and Lucas noted the wetness in Ivy’s eyes but didn’t comment.

He made a big production of opening doors for his daughter and made sure she was comfortable. He wanted to show her how she should be treated, so when she was older—much, much older—she’d already know what she deserved when some knuckleheaded boy stepped to her and wasn’t about much.

Most of the attendees at the dance were parents or male figures, but a few mothers showed up, having escorted their daughters because a male family member wasn’t available. If anyone thought it odd that Katie introduced him as her father, they never said, but their confused expressions spoke volumes. No one questioned him or his right to be there or even how she came to have another father.

His introduction made him realize that she still said father. Not “this is my dad” or “this is my daddy.” Father sounded more detached to his ears, and he took that to mean he still had work to do. But he was willing to put in the time and effort.

He watched his daughter whisper and giggle with her friends, occasionally looking back to make sure he was still there. They danced to a variety of music and the professional photographer on hand took additional photos. His favorite was when he crouched beside the chair she sat in and she put her arms around his neck as if she would never let him go. She then gave him a big kiss, which the photographer manage to snap at the right moment.

The dance lasted a couple of hours, but as far as he was concerned, it ended too quickly. It was the most fun he’d had in a long time, which was strange. Who would have thought hanging out at a kid’s dance would be considered a fun night out? He’d spent so much time drinking and bedding women over the years, he’d forgotten there were other equally satisfying ways to have a good time.

At the end of the night, they trickled out the doors with the rest of the attendees, and the driver pulled up to take them back to the condo. Katie, her stomach filled with punch, cake, and some amazingly good hors d’oeuvres Lucas couldn’t believe they’d served to children, was fast asleep by the time they arrived at the hotel.

****

Lucas showed up with Katie in his arms, and after putting her to bed, Ivy returned to the living room to get a play by play of the evening. “How was it?” she asked.

“Excellent.” He looked pretty happy. If she had to guess, he’d probably had as much fun as Katie. He whipped out an envelope of pictures and handed them to her. “These are your copies. I have mine.” He patted his breast pocket. “I took more with my phone of her and her friends. I’ll send those to you.” He looked mighty pleased with himself. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow? I’m here for the entire weekend.”

“If you like, you can spend the time with Katie. They don’t have school tomorrow. You can take her to her play date in the morning, and tomorrow night she’s all yours. Saturday I’m taking her over to my mother’s house.” Ivy flipped through the photos, smiling at the funny faces Katie and Lucas made at the camera. They looked like they had a blast. “I have plans with a friend, so I won’t be here tomorrow night.”

“You’re going out?”

Ivy looked up at the note of surprise in his voice. “Yes. That’s not a problem, is it?”

“No, not at all. I enjoy spending time with the little munchkin.”

“And she loves spending time with you. So we’re good?”

“Absolutely. So, play date tomorrow, and I’ll bring her back afterward. That’ll give me a chance to do a little running around. Then I’ll be here before you head out.”

He was in a really good mood, pumped up and energetic. All that smiling lit up his face and made him look so handsome. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and wished she didn’t notice anything about him.

“Tomorrow night, then.”

After he left, Ivy went back to her bedroom, contemplating their conversation. Their interactions were casual, but she still didn’t know how to behave around him. They’d agreed to be friendly, for Katie’s sake, but her attraction to Lucas hadn’t dissipated one iota, and being around him still made her edgy. She felt the need to be cautious, steering around him like she had wet hands and he was electrified wire.

She was sitting up in bed, working on a report that needed to be turned in the next week, when a soft knock sounded on her bedroom door. The door cracked open and Katie came in.

“Hey, munchkin, what are you still doing up? I thought you were asleep.”

“I was, but I woke up.” She climbed into the bed and positioned her body the same as Ivy, laid back against the pillows with her ankle crossed over her knee. She stared up at the ceiling for a bit. “Mommy?”

“Mhmm.” Ivy continued working on her laptop.

“I was thinking about something.”

Ivy looked up from the report. “What’s that?”

“I think I’m ready to call him daddy,” she said quietly.

They’d talked about it once. Katie had loved Winston, and though she couldn’t articulate her feelings, Ivy deduced she’d been worried about betraying him. She’d grown attached to Lucas and was torn. Ivy quickly allayed her fears, but her daughter had still held back.

“I think he’d like that very much,” Ivy said.

A big grin spread across Katie’s face. “Yeah. I think he’d like that, too.”

Chapter Twenty-one

Katie insisted on greeting Lucas at the door, and all Ivy could do was watch as she peered up at him. “Hi, Daddy.”

Her voice lowered bashfully at the end and she stared down at her feet. She’d been too nervous to say it when he picked her up for the play date that morning, but she’d bolstered her nerves before his evening visit.

Lucas looked at Ivy, shock evident in his eyes. She held her breath and waited on his reaction. When his gaze landed on Katie again, it softened and a muscle in his jaw twitched.

“Hey, munchkin.” His voice sounded hoarse.

Instead of giving her the customary hug, he lifted her into his arms and pressed his nose into her neck. He held her like that for a long time, standing in the doorway of the condo with Katie’s arms wrapped tight around him.

Ivy’s throat constricted and she blinked away tears. She’d dreamed about her daughter having a solid, healthy relationship with her father, and she was happy he hadn’t held what she’d done against Katie and had embraced their relationship.

Lucas put down his daughter.

“You’re ready to go?” he asked Ivy, his voice oddly husky.

“Yes, I guess I’ll see you guys later.”

They switched places. Ivy stepped outside the door and Lucas and Katie hovered on the threshold.

“Have fun on your date,” Katie said. “We’ll be fine.”

“Date?” Lucas’s eyes flicked to her, and he visibly stiffened. “With a man?”

“Uh…yes, actually.” Why did she feel guilty all of a sudden, as if she’d done something wrong?

“Mr. Gil is taking Mommy on a date to the museum. Is he going to kiss you? Mwah, mwah.”