The Marriage Bargain

“Wintertime, I always have pumpkin bread. I serve it with homemade whipped cream. I also have apple Danish.”

“Can I have whipped cream with apple Danish?”

“Now you’re talking.”

Today she was dressed all in black, which just made her blue eyes look more intense. Her hair was pulled back in a low bun. When she looked up with a smile, he said, “I bought a house.”

“What? That’s great! Congratulations!”

“Thanks. I’ve never bought a house before. I mostly live out of suitcases and overnight delivery boxes.” He’d never really thought about how pathetic that sounded.

“With your job, I guess you haven’t been in one place long enough to settle down before.” She slid a piece of apple Danish from the bakery case onto a plate. A squirt of homemade whipped cream from a stainless steel dispenser and a sprinkle of cinnamon topped it off. It looked amazing. “One second.”

Jules disappeared into the back and reappeared a few seconds later with a candle, which she stuck into the pastry and lit. “Now. A piece of Danish worthy of your celebration.”

“Can you join me?”

She hesitated, glancing behind her at the kitchen, but picked up a bottle of water and eased into the chair across from him, her hand keeping the baby in place.

Cam blew out the candle with a smile and cut a piece of Danish with his fork, but set it down again. “I didn’t have anyone to tell about my new house...so I came here. Thanks for being happy for me.”

She smiled, but her lip trembled. “You’re welcome. I wish Glory was here to see this.”

“Me, too.” He took a bite of his Danish and groaned. “Jules, this is good.”

“Thanks.” She patted Emma’s little back. “I’m just getting back to work, but luckily I have an awesome assistant who’s been with me awhile. So, you just went out this morning and bought a house?”

“Technically, I made an offer and they accepted, but yeah.”

“Where?”

“Now, that’s the best part. It’s next door.”

Her eyes widened. “To what?”

Feeling really satisfied from the apple Danish he’d just inhaled, he grinned at her. “To you. And the girls.”

“Oh. Wow.” She paused. “The Grayton house?”

“I’m not sure I heard it called that. Supposedly some country star built a house down here and didn’t realize it would be quite so quiet living in the ‘middle of nowhere,’ as the agent put it.”

“That’s it. Abbie Grayton built it. I think she was here for about two weeks before she went back to Nashville.”

“It’s a beautiful house with a pool and a pond. I think I got a little caught up in the idea of taking the girls fishing when they get older.”

“You fish?”

He laughed. “I’m an adventure writer. Of course I know how to fish.”

“When do you move in?”

“I already did. Or I will, I guess, when I take my suitcase in. I bought the place furnished, and arranged to rent for the month or so until closing.”

“Wow,” she said again, but she looked a little disconcerted.

“Jules, when I said I wanted to be a part of the girls’ lives, I meant it. I’ve been on my own a long time. I waited too long to come back, and missed having a relationship with my sister. I don’t want to make the same mistake with the girls.”

He paused and looked out the window to the street lined with flower boxes of pansies. He’d been away a long time. If he didn’t know homes like the one he grew up in existed in this small town, he wouldn’t believe it.

Maybe it was time he reclaimed his past and brought it into the future, where he could make peace with what happened to him. “Look, I know I messed up with Glory—believe me, I get that. But please, give me a chance with her girls.”

Jules put her hand on his and he felt a jolt of recognition. Kindness. He’d found it in every corner of the world in one way or another. It was more than he deserved.

She drew in a long breath and smiled. “Why don’t I bring Emma and Eleanor by tonight to see the house? I know they’ll love it.”

Undeserved kindness.

He cleared his throat and nodded. “I’ll be there.”

Chapter Three (#uc9161e85-c785-54eb-8e6a-ddb5d3aac218)

A few hours later, Jules’s bakery assistant, April, stuck her head in the door. “Hey, Garrett Cole is here for you.”

“Thanks. You can send him back here.” She checked the supply of chocolate chips, last on her list, and stepped out of the walk-in pantry just in time to see Garrett push open the door. “I think my pulse rate jumped through the roof when I heard your name.”

Garrett chuckled. “I get that a lot unfortunately.”

“So what brings you by? I assume if it was good news, you would’ve just called.”

He took a deep breath. “No easy way to say this, Jules. One of the family members filed for custody.”

Her stomach plummeted. She wanted to scream and fought to keep her violent disappointment in check. “I was so afraid Cameron was going to do something like this.”

“It’s not entirely unex—” He narrowed his eyes. “Who’s Cameron?”

“Glory’s older brother. He showed up at my house to see the girls a couple of days ago. But if he’s not the one who filed for custody, then who?”

“Victoria Porter.” Garrett pulled a sheaf of papers out of his leather case and handed them to her.

She reached for the papers with one hand and the edge of the counter with the other. “Glory’s mother.”

“Yeah. I’m so sorry. I know if the children’s grandmother had been a good plan for the children, Glory would’ve stipulated that in her will.”

“She and her mom didn’t get along. Vicky didn’t kick Glory out, like she did Cam, but she is the most selfish person I’ve ever met. If she’s filing for custody, there’s a reason, and it doesn’t have anything to do with what’s best for the girls.” Jules paused, tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn’t want to say this out loud, but she had to ask, “Does—does she have a chance?”

Garrett waved the stack of papers away when she tried to hand it back. “That’s your copy. And the answer to your question is I don’t know. We got assigned Judge Walker and he’s known to prefer biological family for child placement.”

“Even if the biological family isn’t suitable? And Glory named me as guardian in the will?”