The Marriage Bargain

“Yes. There’s a small apartment on the second floor. Any questions so far?”

“Do you think it would it be possible for me to rent the place until the closing date if I make an acceptable offer?”

The older lady turned to him, a delighted expression on her face. “Why, yes. I think that could be arranged. I don’t believe the owner has any interest in the property at this point.”

“Write it up at full price. It’s worth that, probably more.” He could see the dollar signs like stars in her eyes and smothered a laugh. “Let’s try and get this done today. I’ll come by your office in an hour or so to sign the paperwork.”

That brought an instantaneous furrowed brow. “That timeline’ll be pushing it, but I’ll do my best. Feel free to look around. I’ll just head back to the office and get started.”

He walked her out before turning back to the great room to look around. The space had warm wood tones and comfortable furniture. He envisioned a puzzle on the round table in the corner and a cozy fire burning in the fireplace. Laughter echoing off the vaulted ceiling.

Half-embarrassed, he shook off the thoughts. He couldn’t shake off the longing as easily.

Cam tried out the word: home.

He’d been traveling for more years than he could count. A few months here and a few months there. He’d had all kinds of adventures all over the world and people paid him to write about them.

Was it possible that he could build a life here? Have family nearby? He wouldn’t have considered it until he’d seen the faces of those little girls, seen their beautiful eyes full of sass and darkened with sorrow.

He wasn’t a family man, but with that first glimpse of his nieces came a rush of love and a desire he’d squashed for years. He wanted roots. He wanted...

Home.

* * *

“So he just knocked on the door and introduced himself?” Juliet’s older sister, Wynn, sat on a stool beside the frosting station in the kitchen of the bakery, her eleven-month-old baby sleeping in a stroller beside them. “Girl, that is gutsy.”

Juliet looked up from the tray of doughnuts she was filling with pastry cream. “I know. I wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. It was obvious that he was blown away by the girls.”

“Of course he was. We’ve all fallen in love with them.”

Jules paused in her work to glance at her phone. Nothing.

“It must’ve been hard to come back here after what happened with his mom and stepdad. It was hard for me and I had you guys.” Wynn paused. “Jules, what’s going on with you? I’ve never seen you so tied to your phone. You’ve checked it at least six times since I’ve been sitting here.”

“It’s the girls’ first day at day care. I’m a nervous wreck. It’s only been a few weeks. What if I’m pushing them too hard?”

Wynn shrugged, but Jules noticed she glanced over at the stroller, where Addie Jane lay sleeping. “You have a business. You can’t take off forever. Did they fuss, going in?”

“Not really. Eleanor saw a friend from church and she was excited to play. She’s outgoing like her mom.”

“See? It’s going to be fine. What about Emma?”

“Stuck her bottom lip out, but didn’t cry. The ladies in the baby room are sweet. They’ve already sent me one picture of her, playing with blocks on the floor.” Jules slid a doughnut over to Wynn and twisted the pastry bag to keep the pressure on the tip as she continued.

“Thanks. I’m glad you’re testing the waters before I have to put A.J. in there.” Wynn glanced at the baby again. “She looks angelic when she’s sleeping, doesn’t she?”

Jules laughed. “Yeah. It’s when she’s awake that’s the problem.”

“No kidding.” Wynn paused in the act of taking a bite, doughnut in midair. “How are you sleeping?”

Jules slid the tray of doughnuts into the waiting rack, pulled out a tray of vanilla cupcakes and picked up a different piping bag. “Sleep? I don’t sleep. It’s my first day back at work and already I feel like I’m failing them.”

“I know this is going to be difficult to hear, Jules, but you’re not perfect—and that’s okay.”

“I like being good at things.” She paused in making her signature frosting swoops on the cupcakes as Wynn snorted. “Stop it. I’m being serious. Besides, this is important. Glory left the children with me, but she didn’t really give me any advice on how to deal with her mother, who’s drunk texting me all the time, or...whatever.”

“Whatever, like Glory’s brother showing up?” Wynn licked her finger and grabbed a napkin from the table.

“Yeah, exactly.”

“What does he look like?” Wynn tapped on her cell phone’s keyboard.

“You know the biracial doctor on Grey’s Anatomy? Like that, but with more intense eyes.”

“Whoa.” Wynn turned the phone around to show Jules the picture she’d pulled up from Cam’s author website.

“Yep, that’s him.” Jules sighed. “So if the situation’s not awkward enough, I’m also tongue-tied because he’s that good-looking.”

“That’s so rough.” Wynn’s words were compassionate, but the laughter behind them gave her away.

Jules rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the sympathy.”

“Anytime. So have you heard from Garrett about a court date for finalizing the guardianship?”

“No, but he said when he gets word from the clerk, he’ll let me know as soon as possible.”

The baby stirred and Wynn jumped up with a panicked look on her face. “Uh-oh. I better get back to the office. I know you’re anxious to get all this finalized, but don’t worry. Garrett knows this stuff inside and out.”

“I know.” Wynn’s law partner was well-known for his skills in family court. But Jules wouldn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the legal papers were signed by the judge.

She picked up the piping bag again. She had two more trays of cupcakes to frost and then she was going to check on her babies at preschool. Maybe that made her a helicopter mom, but she didn’t really care. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for those girls.

* * *

An hour later, Cam pushed open the door to Take the Cake, which he found on Main Street next door to the Hilltop Café. He hadn’t been in Juliet’s business before, but he was impressed. It had a charming homey feel, with some reclaimed architectural pieces on the walls and a couple of tables that looked like they came out of someone’s barn. However, even those tables were glossy, and the glimmer of glass from the bakery case gave the whole place a polished, intentional look.

The door from the kitchen swung open and Juliet came into the customer area with Emma in some kind of contraption strapped to her chest. She stopped short when she saw him. A hesitant smile curved her lips, lighting her eyes. “Oh. Hi.”

He smiled back. “Looks like you have company today.”

Jules crossed her arms around the sleeping baby. “She... I went by to check on her and the day care workers said she was having a hard time going down for a nap, so I brought her back with me. I know it’s probably not the right thing to do, but she just lost her mom and she’s had so many changes—”

“Jules, you’re not gonna get any judgment from me. I think it’s fine.”

“You do? Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Sorry, still new at this mom thing. Can I get you something?”

“I didn’t have breakfast. How about a cup of coffee and some kind of pastry?”