Forever This Time Read online

  “No. He died; took his own life.”

  Dark eyes assessed her. “I’m sorry.”

  “You weren’t to know. I think it’s one of the reasons I tried not to take this line of action. His parents are hurting and I understand that. But I have to think of my children and his folks are being more than a little unreasonable with their actions. They took me to court to try and take my babies away from me and lost that battle. Rob instructed in his will that his parents were to raise the children. It was more to spite me than anything. I wasn’t going to let that happen and I had to fight. Now they’ve decided to harass me at my home and to top it off, they’re trying to turn my employer away from me.”

  “Pain and loss can do strange things to people.” He tapped his pen against his legal pad. “Leave it with me. I’ll be in touch as soon as I have something to report. You won’t need to appear in court for this if I can help it. It’s a fairly standard procedure compared to what you’ve already been through. We have the evidence to back everything up if Ben filed a report, which I’m sure he would have done. I can do it on your behalf and I’ll bring up the last case as well to alert the judge to their past dealings with the court.”

  “Thank you. I feel better already.” She stood up, thankful it had been so easy to sort out.

  “It was nice to meet you, April.” He opened the office door and led her out.

  On a small table in his upmarket reception room, she noticed a stack of jars, full of golden liquid, a pricelist on the wall beside them. She had one just like it, thanks to Gigi. “Is that your honey?”

  David looked at her in surprise. “Yes. I keep a few hives and sell it from home and from the office. Bees are a hobby of mine, although its gone from a hobby to employing a young couple to take care of the day to day maintenance. It’s nice to have something away from the legal world to give my mind a break every now and then. Would you like some to try?”

  “Gigi gave me a jar the other night. It’s wonderful.”

  He stroked his beard again and smiled. “Thank you. Happy bees equal beautiful honey.”

  She hovered near the door, unsure what to say next. “I’d better get back to work. Thank you for taking care of my problem.”

  He opened the door and walked outside with her. “In the meantime, don’t worry too much and if you have any more visits or mail, call Ben straight away.”

  She hurried to her car, a little embarrassed that she now knew who Gigi’s man was. A flicker of admiration for Drew’s aunt warmed her. Her friend was very handsome and distinguished indeed. Blushing inside, April drove back to work.

  ***

  “Thanks, April. Lovely to meet you too.” Drew heard Sally Fraser as she left her checkup and headed out to reception and had the awful feeling she’d tried to push her birthing agenda at April. He tapped on Liam’s door.

  “Come in.”

  His partner sat at his desk, his eyes scrolling his computer screen. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Sally was just in getting a check-up with April.”

  Liam didn’t take his eyes from the computer. “So?”

  “I’m a little worried she’s going to try and convince April to do what she wants. April’s had midwife experience and if Sally finds that out…”

  “Oh, shit.” Liam spun around and stared at him. “You’d better talk to her then, before it gets out of hand. I’m not sure I told her it was our strict policy, but I did mention that we don’t like to have babies born here because of everything that could go wrong and how long it would take to transfer to Shoreside Hospital.”

  “I think you ought to do it. You hired her as the office manager. It might look better if you bring it up.” He sank down into the chair opposite the desk, leaning his chin on his hands.

  “I guess I could. Wouldn’t it be a bit too obvious though? I mean, wouldn’t she start asking too many questions?” Liam bit his bottom lip and tapped his fingers on the desk. “It might be better if you bring it up in a more casual situation. You know, not race into it now, but maybe over a coffee or something.”

  “Damn it. Why did someone with midwifery experience have to apply for the job? This is the last thing we need to face.”

  Liam stood up and started to pace his office. “Maybe we should have come clean already. I doubt it would really hurt us now. People know what we’re like and they trust us.”

  Drew snorted. “Seriously? You think anyone would trust us if they found out the truth? You’re dreaming if you don’t think we’ll suffer because of that. We can’t let April deliver babies here, midwife or not. I won’t hear of it.”

  He strode out of the office and slammed the door behind him. By the time he got back to his own office, his breathing escalated and he had to try to remain calm to prevent a panic attack. Bradley had shown him how to avoid them when he was a child. Drew put that into practice now and when he heard the knock on his door, he managed to answer it without sounding strained.

  “Come in.”

  April walked into the office. “Sorry to bother you, Drew. I wonder if you’ve had a chance to call your friend about talking to the children? I think it’s best to nip this in the bud before it becomes a bigger issue.”

  “I was actually going to call him shortly. I see you gave Sally her check-up. How is she today?” He smiled and kept his tone light, determined not to lose it with April. None of this was her fault.

  “She’s great. Blood pressure is fine, baby’s heartbeat strong. Head is engaged so she could go in the next ten days or so.”

  “Great. I’ll give her husband a call. He wanted to take her to the mainland to stay at her mother’s to wait for the birth.”

  “She told me she was packed and ready to go so I guess she has it under control.” She stood up. “I won’t hold you up, but if you could let me know, that’d be great. I’m keen to see the children move forward and I think this is the logical step.”

  Drew smiled. “I agree. I’ll let you know.”

  She swept out of the office and he breathed a sigh of relief. That was easier than he’d thought it would be. Thank goodness Sally had listened to him.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “Why do we have to talk to him?” Leo kicked his foot against the table, making his glass of water slosh perilously close to his homework.

  “Careful, honey. It’d be a shame to ruin all that hard work.” April moved the glass and gazed at her son. “Let’s not make a big deal of it, okay? Drew thought it would be good for you to have someone to talk things over with and I happen to agree.”

  He glanced up at her. “Why can’t I talk to Drew?”

  “You can, but it’s his opinion that Bradley would be good for you.” She ruffled his hair. “I’m trying to do what’s best for you two. Can you at least give it a go, for me?”

  “We will, won’t we Leo?” Tilly nudged her brother. “It can’t hurt.”

  Thank goodness for her wise girl. “No, it can’t and who knows, Leo, maybe you’ll enjoy it. You can talk to him about anything you know. Doesn’t have to be about what happened.”

  “Can I tell him about Gram and Pop?”

  So that was his biggest worry? “Sure you can.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Okay.”

  “Thank you. I’m going to take you both up there after you finish your homework. Bradley thought it would be nice to be outside so we’ll meet at the coffee shop near his office and I’ll wait while you go for a walk on the beach with him.”

  “We don’t have to lay on a stuffy couch and tell him about our dreams?” The spark in Tilly’s eyes made April smile.

  “No, honey. They don’t do that anymore and Drew told me that Bradley wants to see you in more comfortable surrounding and since you like the beach so much, that’s where we decided you’ll go.”

  An hour later, homework all completed April walked the children down toward the beach where the psychologist had suggested they meet. She carried a book so she could sit and read at the café overlooking
the water while the children talked about their worries with Bradley. It wasn’t hard to find him. He was the only person sitting and looking as though he was waiting for someone and as Drew had told her, he would more than likely have a scruffy terrier with him.

  “Bradley, nice to meet you. I’m April Williams and this is Tilly and Leo.”

  Leo crouched down and held his hand out to the dog.

  “Nice to meet you all. And this is Rocket. Rocket, meet Leo and Tilly.” Bradley gazed down over the beach. “I love this harbor, don’t you? Always something to see, boats coming in and out, spewing out tourists to our lovely island, filling the business coffers with much needed funds. I have to admit, I do like it when they go home and we have the island to ourselves.”

  “It’s a gorgeous place to live. I didn’t realize how much I missed it when I went away to college. So nice to be able to bring the children back here.”

  Bradley handed the dog’s lead to Leo. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Everything I ever wanted is on this island. How about you be in charge of Rocket, Leo?”

  “Sure.” Her little man gripped the lead tight in his hands, grinning at his sister.

  “Right, let’s go then. I feel there are seagulls to chase and Rocket is ready and willing.” He turned to April. “Enjoy your quiet coffee, April. We’ll be in plain sight during our walk and probably take about an hour or so depending on how the children feel. Okay with you?”

  “Yes. I’ll buy myself a drink and have a quiet read if I can drag my gaze away from the view.” A quick stab of panic sliced through her as she watched the children walk away with him, but she chided herself. Drew wouldn’t have recommended him if he had any doubts that it was the right thing to do and he did say they would always be in sight. April ordered herself a coffee and watched them walk down the path to the beach. Tilly removed her sandals and left them by the steps to pick up later. Leo ran ahead with Rocket, scattering the seagulls, no doubt chortling with laughter as the little dog yipped in glee.

  Before long, Tilly’s hands moved as they did when she was telling a story and April started to relax. The psychologist had obviously won her daughter over and for that, she was grateful. She opened her book and started to read, only pausing to thank the waitress for her coffee and to take a quick look as the trio traipsed down the beach.

  So engrossed in her book, it took a while for her to notice when someone sat down at her table. She blinked, startled. “Drew. What are you doing here?”

  “I thought you might like some company. I had you figured for stressing out while the children were with Bradley, but I see that’s not the case. You’re buried in your book.”

  She slid her bookmark in between the pages and put the book down. “It’s not often I get the chance to read undisturbed so I was making the most of it.”

  “I’m sorry. And here I am being a pain butting in.”

  She gazed at his face, noticed the sparkle in his eyes, and melted just a little. He was being so kind. She didn’t deserve him but what harm could it do to be friends? She wanted more and so did Drew, but it didn’t seem fair to dump all of her garbage in his lap.

  He reached out and covered her hand with his. “I can see that mind of yours ticking over. Tell me what’s going on inside that brain of yours.”

  Drew had always had the knack of reading her face. No point trying to avoid his powers of deduction, she’d fail. “I worry that you’re taking on too much with me and the children. We have a long way to go before we’ll be settled, Drew. They have issues and you know I do as well. I don’t want to get you tangled up in our affairs and end up being hurt.”

  He laughed and the sound went straight to her gut. “Oh, April. I love how you try to save me from myself, but honey, I don’t care about your baggage or your problems. I’m more than ready to take on anything and everything about you. I adore your children already. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because they aren’t yours? I don’t know, you tell me. We’re a frightful mess and a handful. Surely you would be better off starting from scratch with someone else that doesn’t have any issues and have your own children. Like you planned.”

  “We planned to have children together. Just because they’re someone else’s before they become mine, doesn’t make any difference to me. I’d determined to make you see that I want you all, April. I don’t give up easily and you should remember that about me.”

  “How can you say that after all the grief I’ve brought to your shores in the time I’ve been home?”

  He sighed, shook his head. “They’re only problems because you make them seem bigger than they are. I see them as small diversions, road blocks that can be brought down. You have to stop thinking the worst. I’ve always loved you, you know that. The children are a bonus as far as I’m concerned, not a problem.” He squeezed her fingers in his. “Sure they have a few issues, understandable but nothing that we can’t all overcome together if you’ll give us the chance.”

  “I want to, but I don’t know.” Tempting as it was to give in to him, something made her hold back. Could it be the fear of being hurt again, or was she still scared of what he would say if he knew all the dirty little secrets she kept from her marriage?

  “Look, give me a chance to prove it to you. Gigi will be at your house at seven tonight to babysit. I’m taking you out for a romantic dinner, just the two of us. Let me show you how much I care. See how good we can be together.”

  Did she dare to let herself get excited and hope it would all turn out right?

  ***

  Drew gasped when April opened the door. She was gorgeous. Her dark hair had been swept up into a messy knot on the top of her head showing off the crystal drops shimmering in her ears. A swathe of midnight blue silk wrapped around her tall body, crossing over her breasts, scooping across her shoulders before draping from her hips down to float around her knees.

  She smiled serenely while he stood desperately searching for words. He’d never seen her look so beautiful.

  Gigi walked up behind him, nudging him out of the way. “Drew, stop staring with your tongue out. Use your manners.” She giggled and brushed past her nephew as she walked in. “You look stunning, honey. Now what are those darling children up to?” Gigi kissed April on the cheek.

  April laughed and Drew couldn’t remember when he last heard her that relaxed. It did something to his heart that had him worrying for his ability to focus tonight.

  “They’re watching television. Homework is all done, and they’re to be in bed in an hour. Don’t let Leo try to con you into any later, or he won’t wake up in the morning. I knew I shouldn’t have let Drew talk me into a date on a school night.”

  “You couldn’t resist my charm, admit it.” He took her arm, pulled her close. The heady perfume wafted over him and he couldn’t wait to get her alone. A quiet dinner overlooking the bay and a chance to prove to her that she needed him in her life. What could possibly go wrong with her in his arms?

  “Off with you two, and don’t hurry home. I’m more than happy sitting here on my own.”

  “Thank you, Gigi. It’s very kind of you to offer, although I fear that Drew probably didn’t give you any choice.”

  His aunt laughed. “I offered, April. And anytime you want someone to look out for the children, you only need to shout out to Atticus or myself. We’re family, you need to remember that.”

  “How could I forget? You’re all too kind to me.” She picked up her purse, kissed Gigi on the cheek, and hurried to hug the children while Drew stood watching her.

  “Make sure you don’t leave her wondering if you’re serious, Drew. She doesn’t need someone who isn’t prepared to follow through.”

  “You can count on me. I’m not letting her get away from me again. Of that you can be assured.”

  “Good. I love her like one of my own.”

  April came toward him, cheeks flushed, her purse gripped in her hands. “I’m ready.”

  Drew held out his hand. “Le
t me.” He tucked her hand under his arm and led her down the path to the car where he helped her into her seat. He walked around and slid in. “Dinner at the boat club then some quiet time overlooking the lighthouse. How does that sound?”

  “Fabulous. I love it, Drew.”

  Warmth enveloped him as he started the car and drove down to the harbor. He’d booked a table out on the sheltered veranda since the night was so clear. They would eat overlooking the water before he took her for a drive to one of their favorite spots to round off the evening. She would go home tonight enveloped in the knowledge that he loved her, and that they would make a future together just as they’d planned.

  The waitress led them to the table and Drew held out a chair for her before taking his seat opposite. They took the wine menu and placed an order for drinks before the waitress left them alone. Drew reached for her hands. “How did the children do today with Bradley? Did they like him?”

  April smiled, a satisfied glow about her. Drew had left after telling her he was taking her out for dinner and he hadn’t seen the psychologist return with the children. “Yes, they did. Tilly was impressed that he listened and didn’t try and tell her what to think. I guess she had the idea that what she was feeling was wrong and she was waiting for him to tell her she was a terrible child for hating what happened. Bradley let her talk and get a lot of suppressed anger out. It was good for her.”

  “And my little friend Leo?”

  “Ah yes, Leo. All I’ve heard since he got home was how wonderful Rocket is. I know I’m being buttered up for a dog. I can see it now.”

  Drew laughed, loving how much she relaxed when she talked about her children now compared to when she first arrived back on the island. “It might be just what he needs.”

  “Not yet. I’m not really in the right place for an animal to take care of.”

  “It’s something we can look at long term. I’m more than happy to have a dog.”

  “Drew. Don’t tease me with things that may not happen, please. I don’t think I could stand it.” A worry line creased her brow.