Accidental Father (5 page)

“I'm very grateful to you for bringing my son to me, Julianne. If not for you, I would've lost even more time with him. I might have never known about him at all.”

Yes. His tone was definitely too serious.

She had a distinct feeling the flute wasn't the real surprise?

She placed her hands neatly in her lap, one on top of the other, a calming counter to the jarring turn she feared this conversation was about to take.

“I'm glad everything worked out,” she said. “I was so nervous coming to your office that first day. Especially since I thought you'd chosen to not be part of Liam's life.”

Alex remained quiet for a long moment. The sounds of the busy restaurant—the chatter and clatter of cutlery on china echoing in the void between them.

“There are some things we need to talk about before you go home,” Alex said. “Arrangements concerning Liam.”

Julianne laced her fingers together tightly,
willing herself not to fidget. Just because he was watching his spoon handle slip back and forth on the table and not looking her in the eyes didn't mean he was going to deliver bad news.

“I told you a little about my family yesterday,” he said. “That my brother is married to the queen of St. Michel. So even though Liam is not in line for the throne, he's still related to the royal family.”

Julianne nodded, holding her breath because she could tell by the way he paused that there was definitely something more. An
“and…”
waiting in the wings.

“And…I know I haven't spoken much about my job with iWITNESS, but it's a bit dangerous. Not in the same nature that Marissa's job was dangerous. Still, what I do can have serious consequences for some people. People who have no qualms about killing others who get in their way.”

What?

His words hit like a white-hot electric jolt.

He picked this moment to lift his lashes and look her in the eyes. The torment she saw in his face caused panic the likes of which she'd never known to hatch in her belly and start clawing its way out.

“Julianne, what I'm getting at is…Liam is a
prime target for retribution. And you are, too, if he lives with you—”

“Don't be ridiculous,” she said. “Who would hurt a baby?”

“Sadly, many of the people my organization opposes. Liam needs to be somewhere safe—”

“Are you suggesting I leave Liam with you? I won't give him up. He's all the family I have left. I may not be his biological mother, I've been his only mother for the past three months, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let a man who hasn't even known him forty-eight hours take him away from me.”

Alex opened his mouth the speak, but she didn't want to hear what he had to say.

“Do you really expect me to believe that safety is an issue? If so, how can you, as a single father protect him—no, not just
protect
him, how can you raise him, give him the kind of life he deserves while you keep a job that gains you enemies around the world?”

Her foot kicked the edge of the flute case, and she was struck with the urge to give it back to Alex. She'd given him too much credit. The only reason he'd purchased that flute was because he thought it would butter her up.

A flute in exchange for her baby?

Was he crazy? Using some cockamamy story about national security to frighten her into leaving Liam.

“Look, I'm sorry you don't believe me. I know this sounds unreal, but it is very real and you have to understand that. Remember the men you saw in the park? The ones you thought were following us down Boulevard St. Michel? They
were
indeed following us. I hired them to do just that. So, what I'm trying to help you understand is because of both iWITNESS and St. Michel's Secret Service, I have access to state-of-the-art security measures. But only if Liam stays here—or more precisely, in St. Michel.”

“No!”

Several people turned and looked at them.

Alex leaned in. “You're welcome to come with him.” He spoke in hushed tones, his voice barely above a whisper.

Because she didn't want others eavesdropping on their conversation, she lowered her tone, too. “We can't stay, Alex. We can't just unpack our suitcases and take an extended vacation. Liam and I have a life in Washington. That's our home. I have a job. That's where we belong.”

He nodded. “Yes, that is where your life is. I
assumed as much. But I had to make the offer for my son's sake. I know he is attached to you.”

Dear God, what have I done by involving Alex in Liam's life?
She'd only meant to introduce an uninterested man to his lovable little boy—to make life better for Liam. To ensure he'd always have enough to cover health care and schooling, college even. She never dreamed the Alex that her sister had described would suggest Liam stay with him permanently. That he'd try to take Liam away from her.

She especially hadn't meant to put her baby in harm's way—if the unbelievable scare tactics Alex was using were even true.

“We don't have to come to any conclusions right this minute,” Alex said. “However, this is something we need to iron out before you leave Paris tomorrow.”

“Sorry, but I won't be willing to give up Liam tomorrow, either.”

For once in her life, Julianne did something spontaneous. She pushed her chair away from the table, grabbed her purse and stormed out of the café.

A
lex found his seat in the balcony of the theater. Even though the Continental Symphony Orchestra was a small orchestra, he wanted to be sure he had the best vantage point to see Julianne as she played.

Alex had seen enough orchestra performances to know that as a flutist, Julianne would be seated in the row behind the strings, hidden by her colleagues. So, he'd exchanged the orchestra-level ticket she'd given him for a seat in the balcony.

As he settled in, other patrons began to file into the hall and the musicians began to take their seats on stage, arranging music stands and warming up
with scales and various tuning exercises. Alex's gaze immediately snapped to Julianne when she appeared from the wings as if he'd sensed her. Her hair was pulled back into a twist, making her neck look slender and elegant. She moved gracefully to her place, the silver of her flute brilliant against the plain black of her long dress. She settled herself on the edge of her seat, very much in the manner she had that first day in his office, and began the process of readying herself to play.

It was a fascinating glimpse into the world of the classical musician. Into Julianne's world. Though Alex had witnessed this pre-concert buzz numerous times before with different ensembles, actually knowing someone in the orchestra made him see it with new eyes.

Her flute's trill rose above the cacophony of the string and various wind instruments. She went into a series of scales played at a dizzying speed with deft precision.

And this is only her warm-up.

Julianne, like most of the musicians, kept to herself—in a sort of musical zone, it seemed. Cloaked in her typical cool aura, she didn't seem to be bringing any of the upset from today's lunch with her on stage.

Of course not. She is a professional.

Still, he was sorry he'd been forced to drop that unfortunate bomb on her so close to performance time. But there wasn't any other opportunity to talk to her. He'd known she'd need a period of time to digest everything. Once she'd had time to put everything into perspective, they would discuss what would happen next: whether she would send Liam to St. Michel alone or if she would to come with him. The only absolute was that Liam would be going to St. Michel.

Alex's heart felt leaden in his chest, because he knew she probably wasn't any happier now than when she'd left him at the restaurant this afternoon.

She'd set the Bundy flute case on the table.

“Thank you, but I have to turn down your donation because it feels as if you're asking me to exchange
my child
for a used flute.”

“Julianne, don't be ridiculous. I'm not trying to bribe or otherwise entice you to exchange
your nephew.
Don't make a rash decision about the boy's safety.”

He could see his words weren't winning her over so he changed tactics.

“You said yourself that one of your students could greatly benefit from this flute. In a similar
way, Liam needs you to keep an open mind for his well-being.”

The way she glared at him made it clear she didn't appreciate the analogy.

“How can you even lump the two into the same category? They're not even remotely similar.”

It was a no-win situation. Of course the two were not even in the same category. The flute was junk; Liam was priceless. And that was exactly why he couldn't take any chances with his safety, even if the thought of separating Julianne and Liam killed him.

“Julianne, please be reasonable. Think about the implications of taking Liam back to Washington. Are you really willing to put him in harm's way?”

“Harm's way? I have a hard time believing that a boy you didn't even know existed forty-eight hours ago could be used as a pawn.”

She'd been impervious to his words. He'd pushed the flute toward her anyway as she stood to leave.

She glanced down at it and then her blue eyes flashed angrily at him.

“You know what the worst part is, Alex? You want to ship him off, put him in cold storage. What kind of life is that for a little boy? You don't love
him. You don't even know him. How can you know what's best for him? But I do. That's why Liam and I are going home tomorrow.” She gestured towards the door as if it were the way back to the States. “Please forget you ever met me. You don't have to send money. Not a dime. Then there will be no trail for the bad guys to follow. We'll go so quietly that nobody will even know we were here.”

She turned around and walked away before he could answer, leaving him stuck between this rock of reason and the very hard place of knowing what had to be done.

He did love Liam.

He had since the instant he'd seen the boy.

The St. Michel Secret Service men who were now assigned to Liam had reported that Liam was in the building with Anita, the woman who cared for him while Julianne worked. The bodyguards were backstage discreetly watching over the boy. Alex had told them to “blend in” with the backstage crew so as not to alarm Anita. The bodyguards said the babysitter seemed unaware of their presence. Case in point as to why Liam needed professional security.

Giving Anita credit, there was no reason that she'd think Liam needed security—and the best case situation would be that he never would. His
bodyguards would remain “off stage” in Liam's life and the boy would live a normal life. He wouldn't live in “cold storage,” as Julianne had described it. But even the smallest chance of danger was too much to risk. So, Alex would proceed with his plan.

The auditorium had filled. The lights were dimmed and the concertmaster took his place by the podium to tune the orchestra. Alex watched Julianne with her good posture and gaze on the violinist.

She obviously had her game face on, Alex mused and that was proof that she was a sensible woman. In time, he hoped she would understand that moving Liam to St. Michel was the best thing for the boy. He wasn't doing it to hurt her.

That was the last thing he wanted to do, and tonight after the concert, he intended to make sure she knew that.

How hard could it be to convince a sensible woman like Julianne?

 

Tonight was the first time Julianne had ever played a concert on autopilot. As she walked off stage, she realized she'd never been so relieved for a program to be over.

She always put her head and heart into her work.
But it was difficult tonight after being blindsided by Alex's announcement at lunch.

As she'd taken the stage tonight, she'd wondered if Alex had come to the performance or if he'd decided to skip it because they'd not parted on very good terms. Although she didn't know exactly where his seat was located, she had a general idea, and she hadn't seen him while the house lights were up. But once the auditorium started filling up, he could've easily slipped in unnoticed. If she'd been thinking straight she would've had the theater's security bar him from the building. A good thought in theory, because Alex was so wrapped up in security measures. Alas, it was logistically impossible because she didn't have the means to cancel his ticket.

She should've stuck to the original plan of leaving his ticket at will call rather than giving it to him earlier today.

To think at one point she'd actually wanted him there. She'd even imagined he'd been flirting with her, which she now knew was ridiculous.

Live and learn. She'd conveniently forgotten that daring Marissa was his type, not conventional Julianne.

She hurried through the backstage area to the green room where Anita was sitting with Liam.
The orchestra's executive director had asked everyone to gather there for a short meeting before the evening's dismissal.

Julianne was eager to see her baby before the meeting started. All night, she'd been wrestling with the gut-wrenching fear that Alex might find some way to take Liam while she was on stage. But she had a show to perform. Her colleagues were counting on her.

She was a professional, so she filed the fear in the same compartment in the back of her mind where she filed Alex's unlikely claims that a terrorist group might try to harm Liam. Still, her hand shook as she reached for the green room's door and jerked it open.

Relief washed over her when she saw her baby sound asleep in his travel crib. Anita sat in a nearby chair.

“Hi,” she said to Anita. “How was everything?”

“He was a perfect angel. You all sounded great out there.”

The scene was so reassuring—so normal—it made everything that had happened earlier that day seem no more substantial than a bad dream she'd just woken from.

A bad dream that had plagued her all day,
even after Julianne had had a chance to take a step back and think about everything Alex said. She'd seriously considered Alex's assertions. For a moment, she'd let herself go there, to the scary place of Alex's kidnapping monsters, but she kept coming back to the fact that Marissa hadn't been afraid that anything would happen to Liam—and Marissa had lived with her baby on the outskirts of hell.

If Marissa had believed Liam was safe in Afghanistan of all places, unguarded by anyone other than a babysitter, then Julianne had to believe that her sister would've thought the safe little life Julianne and Liam led in the States was perfectly fine.

Knowing that Alex's brother had married royalty, Marissa hadn't tried to hide the identity of Liam's father—good grief, she'd even named Alex on the birth certificate. So it wasn't as if Liam's paternity was a big secret—yet Marissa hadn't felt the need to surround her son with Secret Service agents. Yes, it all made sense now. She'd wanted him to live a normal, ordinary life: the kind of life Julianne was giving him; one where he could run and play and go to school and make friends like any other normal, ordinary child.

That's why she'd named Julianne his guardian.
She certainly hadn't asked that the boy be sent to live with his father or his extended royal family.

Because of Marissa's choice, Julianne believed that Marissa would've wanted for Liam exactly the kind of life Julianne was giving him.

So she would honor her sister's wishes.

That's why she decided she couldn't allow Alex to secrete the boy away to St. Michel.

Even after rationally coming to this conclusion, Julianne still had to ask herself why Alex had been so dramatic about the situation. Was it because he wanted custody of his son? Because he didn't necessarily want custody, but he didn't want there to be an ocean between them?

Or maybe he wanted the fact that he had a child kept on the down low. If he sent Liam to St. Michel he'd be out of the way. No one else would ever know that Alex Lejardin ever had a son. Whether he was in the market for hot girlfriends or a prestigious wife, a baby by another woman could be a hindrance.

Suddenly Julianne was wondering if that might not have been the reason he abandoned her sister when she was pregnant. A baby didn't fit in with his plans. Not then, and not now.

Her cell phone vibrated in the pocket of her skirt. Since Liam had come to live with her she
always carried her phone with her everywhere—even on stage. Just in case. Thank goodness there had never been any emergencies.

Alex Lejardin's name registered on the phone's display. Julianne sent the call to voice mail. The moment the phone registered the message, she dialed her voice mailbox.

“Hello, Julianne, it was a fabulous concert this evening. I wanted to come backstage and congratulate you myself, but the restaurant will be a better place to meet. I know you were unhappy with me earlier today, but I also know that you're a reasonable woman. In that vein, I look forward to having dinner with you tonight so that we can iron out the details. I'll see you at the Bistro Garnier on the Rue des Capucines. I look forward to having this settled between us.”

She was debating whether to call him back when Hal Ford, the orchestra's executive director, called the meeting to order.

“First, I want to congratulate everyone on a fabulous end to a fabulous tour. Three weeks on the road, and I know that everyone is looking forward to getting home. You should have your tickets and return flight information. If you have any questions, please see me.

“I can't say enough good about the performances.
We've gotten rave reviews throughout Europe. I'm so glad we can leave on such a stellar note. And that brings me to the main reason I've gathered everyone together tonight.”

The room was so silent that you could have heard the proverbial crickets chirping if not for the sudden, weighty shift in air.

“It gives me great pain to announce that this was the last performance for the Continental Symphony Orchestra.” A collective gasp sounded and murmuring rippled through the room.

“Unfortunately,” Hal continued, “the sponsor we were negotiating with has decided to take funding in a different direction. That, I'm afraid, leaves us no choice but to disband. I know this must come as a great shock to most of you.”

Most, but not all.

A group of astute “old-timers,” who had played together in orchestras of many incarnations, had already caught wind that something like this might happen and had been talking about reorganizing. They'd included Julianne in those talks. Even though they knew something like this was coming down the pike, they'd been hoping to get a little mileage out of the European tour.

Nothing definite had been put together yet but they'd be able to reorganize in a matter of months.
If not for Liam, Julianne would have considered this the exciting start to a new venture. But all she could think, as she handed Liam to Anita and began folding his crib and gathering his gear, was that she was unemployed, perhaps for months. Perhaps even longer.

And that put her in a very vulnerable position where Alex Lejardin was concerned.