Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 (24 page)

Just thinking about you this morning and how much I miss you. I hope you have a good day.

Luke was a grown man, and hadn’t lived at home for the past decade, yet right now he was as homesick as he’d been his first week at scout camp when he’d been ten years old. Needing his mother more than he had in a long time, he stepped outside onto the back porch and called her number.

“Good morning,” his mom answered in a chipper voice. “I didn’t think I’d hear from you so soon.”

“I’ve actually been needing to talk to you and was just waiting until I thought you’d be up.”

“Uh-oh. Is it good news or bad news?”

Luke sighed heavily. “I’m not really sure.”

Knowing Vivian could be ready to go soon, Luke quickly explained the situation. His mother listened without saying a word, and Luke wished he could see her face. She wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions.

“How soon will you get the test results back?” his mom asked once he finished.

“It can take as long as three weeks, but I’m hoping my friend in the lab can expedite the results.”

“Well, I guess we won’t make any plans until we know, right?”

Knowing his mother alluded to the possibility of him returning to Montana, he reluctantly agreed with her. “Yeah.” Luke glanced through the glass sliding door and saw Vivian come out of the bedroom. “I gotta go now, but I’ll keep you posted.”

“I love you, son. Dad and I will be praying for you.”

“Thanks.” He gripped the handle of the sliding door. “Love you too, Mom.”

He ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket as he slid open the door. “Ready?” he asked Vivian. At the sound of his voice, Crew lifted his head off of his mother’s shoulder to look at Luke.

He was about to hold out his arms to see if Crew would come to him, but Vivian patted the little boy’s back, diverting his attention back to her. Her attention, however, was directed at Luke. He could see she wanted to ask him about his phone call and was surprised when she didn’t. “You’ll need to get Crew’s car seat out of my rental.” She handed him a set of keys.

“Okay.” Luke took the keys and grabbed his set of keys from the bowl before making his way toward the front door.

“Thank you,” Vivian said when he held open the door for her. The air was humid, making the scent of the lake and the surrounding vegetation prominent this morning. Vivian wrinkled her nose. “It smells awful here. How can you stand it?”

“It smells like a lake. And I like living here.” It was true. While he missed Montana and his family, it hadn’t taken long for him to fall in love with Georgia. Or maybe the transition had been easier because he’d fallen in love with Taylin. The thought of possibly leaving her to move back home was too much right now. He just needed to focus on getting the test done so he could make a plan.

Opening the car door, he ducked down to remove Crew’s seat. While Luke struggled with getting the car seat unbuckled, Vivian’s phone sounded an incoming call. She answered it but spoke too softly for him to hear anything. Finally freeing the buckle securing the seat, he pulled it out and closed the door. Vivian had her back turned to him, her voice tight with anger.

He walked over to the garage door to punch in the code to open it and overheard the tail end of her side of the conversation.

“I told you I haven’t decided what to do. I’ll call you later.”

Her call ended as Luke entered the last number on the keypad. He waited as the door lifted, refusing to give into the desire to ask Vivian whom she’d been talking to. The installation of the car seat wasn’t any easier than removing it. His hands were too big to thread the seatbelt through the slot on the back of the seat.

“It’s not that hard, Luke,” Vivian said from beside him.

“It is when you’re hand won’t fit,” he grumbled.

“Move over and I’ll do it.” She nudged him and then handed over Crew. Her eyes met his, her lips parting into a slow smile. “By the way, I have a perfect memory of your hands.”

Ignoring the innuendo, Luke shifted his gaze to Crew. Those big brown eyes studied him so intently, and he wished he knew what the kid was thinking. “Ready to go for a ride?” he asked with a smile.

Crew blinked and sucked on his pacifier, but his gaze never wavered from Luke’s face. Before Luke could do something to make the little boy giggle, Vivian held out her arms. Crew dove for his mother. It was stupid for Luke to wish the kid would’ve preferred to stay with him.

Once Crew was safely strapped in his car seat, Luke rounded the back of the SUV and slid in behind the wheel. Vivian climbed in the passenger side and shot him a peeved look. “Thanks for holding my door for me,” she said sarcastically.

He wasn’t looking for a fight this early in the morning, so Luke simply started the car and backed out, dodging Vivian’s rental in the process. Later on he would have to move her car to the other side so he didn’t accidentally run into her.

Vivian was busy texting, so Luke didn’t have to make small talk, making the drive to the hospital silent, with only an occasional baby noise from the backseat. Luke parked near the emergency room department, since the lab was across the hall.

As he climbed out of the car, his gut tightened with the anxiety of possibly running into someone from his department. If Zach happened to see him with Vivian and Crew, the guy would ask questions. It wouldn’t be long before everyone knew Luke had an ex-wife and a baby that may or may not be his.

Vivian didn’t bother waiting to see if Luke would open her door. He should open it just to be a gentleman like his mother had taught him, but dealing with Vivian changed a lot of rules. Number one was not to engage if you didn’t have to.

His stomach churned as he approached the entrance to the hospital. It suddenly occurred to him that his friend might not even be working today. He should’ve called in ahead. If Ryland wasn’t scheduled, Luke could’ve driven into Macon to get the testing done.

He punched the big silver button and allowed Vivian and Crew to enter before he did. Apparently that part of his upbringing was too ingrained to let it slide. Besides, she was holding Crew.

After inquiring at the front desk, Luke found out Ryland was working, and he hoped the guy could expedite the process. Since paternity testing was a fairly common test these days, the clerk didn’t bat an eye when he told her what he was there for. Luke quickly filled out the paperwork for himself, while Vivian took care of the baby’s.

“Y’all just take a seat in the waitin’ room,” the clerk said, pointing to the right of her. “Ryland will be out as soon as he’s available.”

Luke stood up at the same time as Vivian. She turned to him and handed over the baby. “I need to find the bathroom.”

Just as she transferred the diaper bag to him, Abbie, one of the labor and delivery nurses Taylin was a friend with, walked in with some paperwork. “Hey there, Luke.” She glanced between him and Vivian. “Who’s the little cutie you’re holding?”

His neck felt hot as he struggled to find a way to reply without revealing too much or flat out lying. Vivian beat him to the punch.

“Hi, I’m Vivian, and this little guy is mine and Luke’s son, Crew.”

“Wow,” Abbie said to Luke. “I had no idea you’re a daddy.”

Welcome to the club
, Luke thought as he shifted his weight, moving Crew to the other side. Before Luke could utter a single word, Ryland came out and called Luke’s name, along with Crew’s.

“Gotta go,” he finally managed. Then he spun around and followed Ryland into one of the lab rooms with Vivian on his heels. As he sat down on one of the chairs, he knew that by the end of the day, the entire floor, and possibly the whole hospital, would know Luke had a son.

T
aylin waited
until her shift ended and she was safely in her car before she let herself cry. When Abbie had cornered her early this morning to tell her she’d just run into Luke down in admitting, Taylin knew from the look on her friend’s face that Vivian and her baby boy must have been with him.

Abbie asked a lot of questions, but Taylin only answered two of them. Yes, she knew about the ex-wife visiting in town, and yes, she knew about Luke’s son. It was hard not disputing Luke’s relationship to Crew, but it wasn’t her place to divulge whether or not he was actually the child’s father. Within an hour of Abbie’s encounter with Luke, the entire floor was talking about his family.

It had been so hard to act like nothing was wrong, so it surprised Taylin that she wasn’t sobbing after such an emotional day. She just sat in her car as silent tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She dreaded going into work tomorrow and contemplated calling in sick. It wouldn’t be a lie. She was sick—heart sick—and it hurt more than any illness or injury she’d ever experienced in her life.

Fellow employees were leaving the hospital, and she didn’t want one of her coworkers to see her crying in her car. Quickly starting the engine, she exited the parking lot and had just merged onto the street when her cell phone started vibrating in the pocket of her scrubs. Luke had tried calling her several times throughout the day, but she couldn’t bring herself to answer. She’d rationalized not taking his calls because she was at work, but he would know her shift had ended forty minutes ago.

He’d also texted her multiple times, but she’d ignored those as well. She was too afraid of what he might say to her. The possibility of him being the father of Vivian’s baby changed everything. At the very least, Luke would want to relocate back to Montana so he could be part of Crew’s life. But what if he wanted to give his ex-wife another chance while he was at it?

The phone stopped buzzing and when she hit a red light, she pulled her cell from her pocket and saw Luke had been the caller. Her finger hovered over the button to return the call, but she decided to wait until she was at home and in her room to call him back. She tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and proceeded through the intersection when the light turned green.

The rest of the drive home, she tried to think of what she would do if Luke didn’t want to see her anymore. For once, she wished she were more like her twin sister and could quit her job and run away to do something else.

Then she remembered the unanswered email about the international neonatal program. She needed to give them an answer soon, and if she said yes, maybe that was
her
answer. Except the hollow feeling in her stomach didn’t convince her it was the right thing to do. She would miss her family so much. Right now, she felt like she needed them more than ever.

There was one other option that might be a perfect solution. She could move to Macon and go back to school to become a nurse practitioner. The director over the program had talked to her graduating class and Taylin had been very interested. It wouldn’t hurt to email her former clinical leader to find out what she needed to do to apply for the program.

Having an alternative plan made her feel a tiny bit better. At least she would have a backup plan if Luke did tell her it was over.

Her temporary peace of mind ended when she pulled into her driveway. Luke’s SUV blocked the way. Her heart rate tripled when she saw him standing with his back pressed against the car and his arms crossed over his chest. The scowl on his face only made him look more appealing.

Her fingers trembled as she turned off the engine, pulled the key from the ignition and climbed out of the car. Luke didn’t move, his muscles so rigid he looked like he was made of stone. His gray eyes glistened like chips of ice as he focused solely on her. Goodness, how could a man look so angry and so sexy at the same time?

Tentatively, she closed the distance between them. As she drew closer, his eyes softened and he dropped his arms to his sides.

“You’ve been crying,” he said in a gruff voice.

“No I haven’t,” Taylin said, not sure why she was denying it. While her makeup was waterproof, her red-rimmed eyes were a dead give away.

He held her gaze for a few more seconds and then sighed heavily. “I was all ready for a fight about why you wouldn’t talk to me, but I’m guessing you’ve had just as bad of a day as I have.”

Without warning, her lower lip started to quiver and tears stung the back of her eyes. She was so selfish to think only of herself. Luke looked miserable too and her ignoring his attempts to reach her today had probably only added to his stress.

“I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you,” she said as a tear slid down her cheek.

“It’s okay.” He pushed away from the car and opened his arms. “Come here for a minute.”

Taylin rushed forward and threw herself against his chest, her hands slipping around to his back. As Luke’s arms enclosed around her, she buried her face into his shirt, loving the familiar spicy scent of his cologne. She heard his heart beat quicken as he tightened his hold and pressed a kiss against the top of her head.

“I wanted to warn you about Abbie seeing me in the lab with Vivian and Crew,” he said after a long moment. “She did tell you, right?”

Taylin edged back to look up at him. “Yes.” She sniffed. “But I didn’t tell her anything, other than admitting I already knew they were here visiting you.”

“I’m not worried about that, Taylin.” He leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. “I was just worried about you.”

Fighting back the tears again, she pulled away and shook her head. “You shouldn’t have to worry about me. Not with everything you’re dealing with right now.”

A baby’s cries sounded from Luke’s car. “Is Crew with you?” Taylin asked.

“Yeah, he fell asleep on the way over here.” Luke released his hold of her and twisted around to open the back door. He ducked inside the car and came back out holding the little boy. “Hey, little guy, it’s okay,” he said, trying to calm the child by gently jiggling him up and down and patting him on the back.

Mixed emotions swirled through Taylin as she watched the pair. She loved children, and she loved Luke. She knew she could easily love Crew if she and Luke ended up together, but what about when she and Luke decided to have children of their own? Could she really love the child of another woman as equally as her natural born children? Plus, she knew Luke’s ex-wife would always be present in their lives.

Luke glanced up and caught her watching him. A worried look crossed his features, and she knew her face must have revealed her troubled thoughts. “I hope it’s okay I brought him with me. I needed to see you, Taylin, but when Vivian found out where I was headed, we argued… and then she left Crew with me for the evening. I think he needs a diaper change and he’s hungry and I have no idea what I’m doing… if you could just—”

“Stop, Luke,” Taylin said, placing her hand on his arm. “Of course it’s all right.” She knew it was her fault he felt like he couldn’t ask her for help. Without asking for permission, she took Crew from him. “Yep,” she said, getting a whiff of something unpleasant. “He definitely needs a diaper change.”

“Thank you,” Luke said, giving her a smile for the first time.

“Do you have a clean diaper?”

“Yeah, let me get the diaper bag.”

Crew continued to whimper so Taylin started for the house. Luke joined her a moment later and opened the front door for her. Once inside, she carried the baby to the family room and knelt down, laying the baby down on the carpet. Crew didn’t try to roll over and crawl away, like some of her nieces and nephews tended to do at this age. He just calmly stayed put, sucking on his pacifier as she removed the cutest pair of tan corduroy pants and then the soiled diaper.

“Wow,” Luke said from behind her. “No wonder he wasn’t happy.”

“You feel a lot better, don’t you?” Taylin asked the little boy as she used several diaper wipes to clean the baby. She was rewarded with a wide grin that showed off two bottom teeth.

Luke handed her a clean diaper and crouched down beside her. “You make this look so easy.”

“My job has given me a lot of practice.” Taylin put the child’s pants back on and then sat him up.

Crew started to reach for the dirty diaper, but Taylin snatched it away. “Oh no you don’t,” she said in a sing-songy voice. “We need to find you some toys.”

She stood up and Luke held out the diaper bag. “I’ll trade you and take the diaper out to the trash.”

“Thank you,” she said as they made the switch. While Luke took the diaper outside, Taylin rummaged through the bag and found a couple of toys, two containers of baby food and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Using a small amount of hand sanitizer, she rubbed her hands together and then picked up one of toys and placed it in front of Crew. Taylin laughed when his pacifier popped out and he grabbed the toy and started chewing on it.

Luke came back inside and washed his hands before coming to stand beside her so their arms touched. “Thank you again.”

She turned her head to look up at him. “You’re welcome.”

Their eyes met, and Taylin immediately fell under whatever spell Luke had cast over her. The attraction between them was like the invisible force of two powerful magnets that when placed in close proximity couldn’t help but be drawn together.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he said as he brought his hands to her face and threaded his fingers into her hair.

“I’ve missed you too.” There was so much more to say, but with his lips so close, all she could think about was how much she wanted his kiss.

Slowly, Luke lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her softly. She melted into his arms, letting her hands drift over the hard muscles of his arms. The kiss ended when Crew let them know he didn’t like being ignored by tugging at Taylin’s pant leg and jabbering baby talk.

“Somebody feels left out,” Taylin said. She bent down and scooped up the little boy, kissing him on the cheek. Crew grabbed a chunk of her hair and put it in his mouth. Taylin laughed at the face he made. “I think we need to feed this little guy.”

She looked to Luke for a response, and her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze. She longed to ask him what he was thinking, but Crew was done being patient and started to cry.

Taylin freed her hair from the baby’s chubby fists and handed him to Luke. “My mama has a portable high chair we can use to feed him.”

“Okay, but what do we feed him?” The I-have-no-idea-what-I’m-doing look was back on his face.

“There’s baby food in the diaper bag.”

After securing the high chair to one of the kitchen barstools, she helped Luke strap the baby in. Then she found a baby spoon in the back of the silverware drawer and handed it to Luke.

“This stuff smells weird,” Luke said when he peeled back the lid to the chicken and applesauce combination. Crew reached for it and almost succeeded in getting the plastic container, but Luke pulled it away. “He seems to want it pretty bad though.”

Taylin pulled up a barstool and sat next to Luke. “My sister-in-law will attest that it doesn’t taste much better than it smells.”

“She ate this stuff on purpose?” Luke asked.

“Yeah,” Taylin said with a laugh. “She decided to taste test a few of the flavors before feeding them to her daughter. Most of them were bland, but some she claimed were downright disgusting.”

“Brave woman,” Luke said, dipping the spoon into the food.

Between the two of them, they managed to feed the baby without making too big of a mess. The moment was kind of sweet, almost like a glimpse into the future—their future—but Taylin wanted the child in the high chair to be
their
child, not his and Vivian’s.

While Luke cleaned the little boy up, Taylin found a box of baby toys her mama kept for when grandkids came to visit. She hoped it would keep Crew content long enough for Luke and her to talk before her parents returned home from their dinner party.

“He’s so cute,” Taylin said, settling next to Luke on the loveseat.

“I know.” Grasping her hand, he slipped his fingers between hers and turned his head to look at her. “I’m trying not to get too attached until I get the test results back, but I think it’s already too late.”

Anxiety lodged like a heavy stone in her stomach. If the test proved him to be the father, she had no doubt that Luke would want to be located near his son. Taylin hated the idea of him moving for more reasons than being separated from him. He’d be in close proximity to Vivian. While it was evident he didn’t like his ex-wife very much, that could change because of their mutual love for Crew. And Luke had a history of forgiving Vivian for cheating on him over and over again. What if Vivian asked him to give her another chance so they could be a family?

“When will you get the results back?”

“In three days.”

Swallowing, Taylin shifted her gaze to the baby. “What will you do if Crew is yours?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same thing,” he said with a heavy sigh.

He didn’t elaborate, and Taylin didn’t press him. Besides, it wasn’t fair to make him give her a concrete answer right now.

“So,” Luke said, gently squeezing her fingers, “how bad is the gossip at work?”

Taylin thought about the stories circulating around the floor. None of them put Luke in a favorable position. She decided to be honest, since she’d want to know what was being said about her. “Basically, that you divorced your pregnant wife and abandoned her and your son to move to Georgia.”

Luke pressed his mouth into a tight line. “Before I even had a chance to say anything, Vivian introduced herself to Abbie and then introduced Crew as our son.” He shook his head and let out a sarcastic laugh. “I didn’t know what to say after that. I certainly wasn’t going to explain we were there for a paternity test.”

“Maybe you should’ve,” Taylin said.

“What?” Luke’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Why would I?”

“Well, I’m sure Vivian wouldn’t appreciate you tellin’ everyone that she has no idea who had fathered her child. It would make her look like the cheating wife she was.”