Barbara Wallace - I Do... - Her Accidental Engagement / A Bride's Tangled Vows

She studied him for a moment. “He didn’t quite come crawling. More like trumpeting his own horn. He told me the reason they’re coming after Charlie is because his parents want an heir to the family business.”

“They’ve got a son. Let him take over.”

“Not his deal, and Jeff isn’t going to have other children. He’s made sure of that. Although it’s crazy to think they could start grooming a mere toddler. No wonder Jeff has so many issues. If only I’d been smart enough to see it when we were together. You know what the strange part of this is? No one in Jeff’s family has tried to get to know Charlie. It’s like they want him on paper but they don’t care about having a grandson. I want him to know their family if they have a real interest in him. But I saw how Jeff suffered from being a pawn in his parents’ power games. I can’t let the same thing happen to Charlie.”

He held her hand, his brilliant blue eyes warm with emotion. “Your son needs you. He needs you to fight for him.”

She nodded and wiped at her nose.

“What you need is a plan of defense. You flaked on some jobs. It happens.”

“There’s a reason,” she mumbled, almost reluctantly.

“A reason that will explain it away?”

She shrugged and shook free from his hand, adjusting the vents to the air-conditioning as a way to keep her fingers occupied. “I have severe learning disabilities.”

When he didn’t respond she continued, “I’ve been keeping it a secret since I was a kid. It’s a neurobiological disorder, both visual and auditory. Only my family and a few teachers knew, and I kept it from them for as long as I could. Everyone else assumed I was lazy or didn’t care.”

“Why would you hide that?”

“You have no idea what it’s like, how much shame and embarrassment is involved. To people who’ve never dealt with it, it seems cut-and-dried. It’s not.” Her hands clenched into fists as she struggled with her next words. “I’m a good mimic and my bad attitude served me well as a way to keep everyone from digging too much. I got by okay, but I can barely read. Numbers on a page are a puzzle.”

“All those books on your shelf...”

“I’m nothing if not determined. I’ll get through them someday. Right now, I’m working with a literacy specialist. They have a lot of methods that weren’t available when I was in school. But it never gets easier. For years, I tried so hard in school but people thought I was a total slacker. Ditzy blonde cheerleader with no brain. A lot of the time that’s how it felt. Once I was out on my own, I hid it as best I could. People can take advantage of me pretty easily when it comes to contracts or finances. And that’s what happened. A number of times. It always seemed easier to just move on rather than to fight them.”

“Every time someone got wind of it, you left.”

She nodded. “It was cowardly but I don’t want to be treated like I’m stupid. Although, looking back, I acted pretty dumb most of the time. Especially when it came to boyfriends. I trusted Jeff. He never let me forget it.”

“That you had a learning disability?”

“That I’m just a pretty face. The blond hair and long legs. When I told him I was pregnant, he told me that once my looks faded I wouldn’t have anything left to offer.”

“He’s a real piece of work.” Sam couldn’t believe how angry he was. At her idiot ex-boyfriend and all the others who took advantage of her. But also with Julia. Watching her, Sam could tell she believed the garbage people had fed her over the years. He threw the truck into gear, not wanting to lose his temper. “Where’s your car?”

“Around the corner.” She pointed then shifted in her seat. “Thanks for coming today, Sam. I was a mess after the mediation. You helped.”

“I could have helped more if you’d let me be in there with you.” He pulled out from the curb and turned onto the next street. Her car was parked a few spaces down.

“Maybe next time,” she said quietly. She reached for the door handle but he took her arm.

“You have a lot more to offer than looks. Any guy who can’t see that is either blind or an enormous jackass.” He kept his gaze out the front window, afraid of giving away too much if he looked at her.

“Thanks.”

He heard the catch in her voice and released her. After she’d shut the door, he rolled down the window. “The Mardi Gras Carnival is tonight. I’ll pick you and Charlie up at five.”

“I’m beat. I wasn’t planning on going.”

“I’ll pick you up at five. You need to take your mind off this, and it’s a good place for us to be seen together.”

Her chest rose and fell. “Fine. We’ll be ready.”

After she’d gotten into her car, Sam pulled away. Although the air was hot for mid-March, he shut the windows. Julia’s scent hovered in the truck’s cab. Sam wanted to keep it with him as long as he could.

He’d meant what he said about taking her mind off today. As police chief, he was obligated to make an appearance at town events, but he looked forward to tonight knowing he’d have Julia and Charlie with him.

Chapter Nine

Julia dabbed on a bit of lip gloss just as the doorbell rang. She picked up Charlie, who was petting Casper through the wire crate.

“Let’s go.”

“’Bye, doggy.”

Casper whined softly.

“We’ll be back soon,” Julia told him. The doorbell rang again. “Coming,” she called.

She grabbed the diaper bag off the table and opened the front door, adjusting her short, flowing minidress as she did.

“We’re ready.”

“Sammy,” Charlie said, bouncing up and down in her arms.

“Hey, bud.” Sam held out his hands and Charlie dived forward.

Julia worried for a moment about Charlie bonding so quickly with Sam. In a way it worked to their advantage, at least as their pretend engagement went. But she had concerns about Charlie’s clear affection for Sam. She didn’t want her son to be hurt once their time together ended.

“You don’t have to take him.”

“My pleasure.” Sam looked her over from head to toe then whistled softly. “You look amazing.”

Julia felt a blush creep up her cheeks. “You, too.”

It was true. Tonight he wore a light polo shirt and dark blue jeans. His hair was still longer and her fingers pulsed as she thought about running them through the ends. He hadn’t shaved, and the dusting of short whiskers along his jaw made him look wilder than he normally did as police chief.

It excited her more than she cared to admit. She hadn’t been on a real date in over two years. This wasn’t real, she reminded herself. This was showing off for the town, convincing people their relationship was genuine.

Not that being in this relationship had helped her earlier. She’d barely said two words in her own defense as the Johnsons’ attorney had put forward more and more information about her deficiencies as a person and how they might be detrimental to raising her son.

The mediator, an older woman who was all business, hadn’t said much, nodding as she took in everything and occasionally looking over her glasses to stare at Julia.

Sam was right. She needed to get her mind off the custody case. So what if this night wasn’t a real date and Sam wasn’t her real boyfriend? It wouldn’t stop her from enjoying herself.

Because of Charlie’s car seat, she drove. Once they were close to the high school, she could see the line of cars. Half the town was at the carnival. She knew Lainey and Ethan would be there along with her mother.

“Is your dad coming tonight?” she asked, a thought suddenly blasting across her mind.

Sam nodded. “I told him we’ll meet him.”

“My mom is, too.”