His Long-Lost Family. Brenda Harlen

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      She blinked, clearly startled by the inquiry. “What? Who?”

      “Your ex-husband,” he said. “Because I’ve been wracking my brain, and that’s the only reason I could imagine for taking a child three thousand miles away from her father.”

      Kelly dropped her gaze and shook her head. “No, Malcolm wasn’t abusive.”

      He wanted to feel relieved—he was relieved. And yet, he couldn’t let go of the suspicion that there was something more Kelly wasn’t telling him.

      A suspicion that was confirmed when she looked up again and said, “And he wasn’t Ava’s father.”

      Kelly held her breath, waiting for Jackson’s response to her revelation. But before he could say anything, the doorbell rang and Ava was racing down the stairs in response to the summons. “Pizza’s here!”

      And that quickly, any chance of taking the conversation further was gone.

      Her daughter flung open the door without first looking through the peephole to confirm that it was their food delivery. Of course, in Seattle no one could gain access to their door without first being buzzed into the building, so now that things were different they would have to have a discussion about basic safety precautions.

      Or maybe not, considering that this was Pinehurst, where many of the residents didn’t even lock their doors during the day. And wasn’t that one of the reasons she’d brought her daughter here? To give her the benefits of living in a small, close-knit community. Of course, an even bigger reason stood right beside her.

      As it turned out, it wasn’t their pizza at the door—it was Lukas with his arms full of grocery bags. Setting the bags down inside the door, he swept Ava up for a big hug. “There’s my favorite girl.”

      The girl in question would have been absolutely mortified by such an overt display of affection from her mother, but her cherished “uncle” got away with a lot. And Kelly suspected that the prospect of living in close proximity to Lukas was the one reason that Ava hadn’t kicked harder and screamed louder about the move.

      He ruffled her hair. “What’s with the purple streaks?”

      “Mom wouldn’t let me have a belly button ring.”

      “Makes perfect sense to me. And speaking of your mom…”

      He turned to wrap his arms around Kelly, squeezing her so tight she could hardly breathe, but it felt so good—so right—to be in his arms that tears filled her eyes.

      “I missed you,” she told him now. “I never realize how much I miss you until I see you again.”

      “I’m just glad that you’re finally home.” He released her with obvious reluctance and looked at his brother. “Thanks for doing the airport run.”

      “When have I ever objected to picking up a beautiful woman?” Jackson asked.

      Lukas chuckled. “Never.”

      The knots in Kelly’s stomach returned. Was Jackson’s comment just brotherly banter or a statement to her—a reminder that she’d never meant anything more to him than any other casual pickup? And why did she even care? She hadn’t come back to Pinehurst to rekindle her relationship with Jackson but for Ava to establish a relationship with her father.

      Now his words gave Kelly pause. Was he still a relentless flirt and unrepentant playboy? Because that was hardly the type of male role model that she wanted for her impressionable daughter. Or was she just looking to find fault, to justify her own actions? Since that was a question she couldn’t answer right now, she shifted her attention to Lukas instead.

      “I should have figured you’d be here in time for pizza,” she said, as the delivery car pulled up in front.

      “Am I?” He turned to follow her gaze and grinned. “My timing is impeccable as usual.”

      As Kelly dug in her purse for money to pay for their dinner, she couldn’t help thinking his timing would have been much better if he’d been able to meet them at the airport. But she could breathe a little easier now, confident that she’d survived her first face-to-face with Jackson relatively unscathed.

      She knew they had to finish their interrupted conversation at some point, but not today. Not when her heart was already feeling battered and bruised by the callous remarks of a man who probably had no idea how much he could hurt her. Instead, she gestured for Jackson to follow Ava—and the pizza—into the kitchen.

      He shook his head. “I need to get going.”

      “I thought you were going to stay for pizza,” Kelly said.

      “I’ve got files to review for court tomorrow.”

      Lukas retrieved the bags he’d dropped. “The files will still be there in half an hour,” he pointed out to his brother.

      “I’m sure you guys have lots to catch up on,” Jackson said. “You don’t need me hanging around.”

      “Your choice—and more pizza for me,” Lukas said with a shrug and a grin as he headed toward the kitchen.

      Kelly wished she could be so nonchalant, but she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed that Jackson was leaving. She followed him to the door. “Thanks again for meeting us at the airport.”

      “It wasn’t a problem,” he assured her.

      Her heart was pounding so hard and fast, she was surprised he couldn’t hear it, and she had to moisten her suddenly dry lips before she could speak. “What I started to say, when we were in the kitchen, about Ava’s father—”

      “It’s not really any of my business,” he said.

      Actually, it is, she wanted to respond. But aloud she only said, “I want to talk to you about it. There are some things you should know.”

      He frowned. “Do you have legal questions about custody?”

      She wondered how he could be so oblivious—or maybe she expected too much of him. After thirteen years, he had no reason to suspect that she had news that would turn his whole life—all of their lives—upside down. And instead of being exasperated, maybe she should be grateful that he had no clue, because it meant that she could keep her secret a little bit longer.

      Except that coming face-to-face with her daughter’s father, she was forced to acknowledge that thirteen years was already too long. Jackson needed to know the truth, and she needed to deal with the consequences of that revelation—whatever they might be.

      “It’s nothing like that,” she said to him now. “I don’t want to talk to you as a lawyer but as a…friend.”

      “Okay,” he finally said. “Why don’t you give me a call when you’re ready to talk?”

      If she waited until she was ready, she knew that the conversation might not happen for another thirteen years. But she nodded. “I will. Thanks.”

      “Okay,” he said again, and then he was gone.

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