Something to Believe In (20 page)

At that Lilah opened her eyes to stare groggily at him. “What
kind of situation?”

He drew a deep breath and then let it out. “My parents are
arriving tonight. In fact, they might already be here.”

* * *

A
LL
SLEEPINESS
FLED
from Lilah’s body as
she sat up. “Your parents? Why?”

Justin looked irritated and just as unhappy about the situation
as she but likely for different reasons. “Someone let slip that I was seeing
someone here. When Rudy couldn’t get ahold of me, he alerted my parents and they
thought you were a significant threat to my campaign so they’re on their way,
likely to talk some sense into me away from the prying eyes of the press.”

“Oh, God,” Lilah breathed, her hand going to her chest. “I
can’t breathe. They’re going to see that I’m pregnant. I mean, there’s no hiding
this!” She pointed to her belly and then tried to cover herself with the light
sheet. Suddenly, she felt overexposed. He grimaced and helped her cover up.
“They’re going to hate me.”

“They won’t,” he assured her but he looked worried. “I won’t
let them.”

Lilah groaned. “I don’t feel good,” she said, rubbing her
stomach and then rolling onto her side in pain. Damn her nervous stomach.

“Are you okay?” Justin asked, coming to her side immediately.
“Is it the babies?”

“No, it’s my nervous stomach. I internalize stress.” She
groaned in embarrassment as her stomach gurgled. “Get ready for something not so
sexy,” she admitted as her cheeks flushed with heat. She struggled to her feet
and waddled to the bathroom.

Moments later, Lilah reemerged and climbed into the bed. “So
what’s going to happen?” she asked, trying to be brave when she wanted to
run.

Justin bit his lip, contemplating his answer. “I’m not sure,”
he admitted. “Let me take point on this. Just follow my lead. I won’t let them
say or do anything that will offend you. I promise.”

She believed him but she was worried. Was he about to throw
away everything for her? Could she let him?

Her stomach grumbled again and Justin looked at her with
sympathy. “Still upset?” he asked.

She shook her head and admitted sheepishly, “No...now I’m
hungry.”

He chuckled and tucked her under his arm. “Well, let’s raid the
kitchen, then. Can’t let my babies and my girl starve.”

Lilah grinned and decided to worry about tomorrow when it
came.

* * *

J
USTIN
’
S
PARENTS
CONVERGED
on Larimar early the next morning after
receiving a message from Justin to meet him there. Lilah and Justin figured it
was better to meet them with home field advantage and if things went south, they
could always ask them to leave. It seemed a good plan, though Justin wasn’t sure
what he was going to say to lessen the shock when they saw Lilah’s stomach.

Lora and Heath agreed to take Pops out for a ride around the
island to give them some privacy while Celly covered the front desk.

Vernon and his wife, Virginia—or Ginny as her close friends
called her—arrived exactly on time as was the senator’s habit and walked into
the airy lobby of Larimar with stiff expressions on their wilted faces.

Justin thought it best to meet them and bring them into the
private section to avoid any altercations with the guests. He happened to catch
a look from Celly as she watched them walk past and the Caribe woman did not
look impressed with either of them. No doubt, she felt protective over Lilah and
seemed ready to give the Caleses a piece of her mind if they so much as looked
cross-eyed at Lilah. Justin appreciated Celly’s gruff nature. At least he always
knew where he stood with her, which was a quality he’d come to respect since
entering politics.

“Justin dear, why are we meeting here?” his mother asked,
pushing a strand of her hair from her face and pressing a linen handkerchief to
her brow. “Good lord, it’s hot. There was air-conditioning at our suite at the
Worchester. Why couldn’t we meet there?”

“You get used to the heat, Mother,” he said, gracing his mother
with a kiss on the cheek. “Follow me.”

Vernon made a sound of barely restrained impatience but
followed without a word. Justin’s instincts told him this was going to be the
battle of his life. He hoped he was up for it.

He’d never gone toe-to-toe with his father before and won. In
the past he’d been too weak, too spoiled to risk losing what he felt was his way
of life. Now he realized he had bigger purpose. His father would learn that he
wouldn’t be pushed around. Not anymore. Hopefully, his father would respect that
he was finally standing up for something bigger than himself and even more
important than politics.

“Mother, Father,” he said, pushing open the door to the living
room where Lilah awaited. “I’d like to introduce you to Lilah Bell, the woman I
hope to marry. Lilah...these are my parents, Vernon and Virginia Cales.”

It didn’t take long for all hell to break loose.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“Y
OU
’
RE
P
-
PREGNANT
!”
Virginia Cales exclaimed as she sank into a nearby chair and her husband began
to bellow.

“What is the meaning of this!” Vernon Cales shouted, his face
turning a florid red as he looked to Justin as if he wanted to throttle him.

Lilah cringed as Vernon clenched his fists and looked ready to
punch a hole in whatever was near enough. It seemed useless to cling to the
usual social etiquette of exchanging pleasantries so she didn’t bother; not that
anyone would’ve heard her attempt anyway as Vernon and Justin had started
yelling at one another and Virginia had begun to cry.

Lilah wanted to cry, too, but just as her eyes began to swim,
she felt the babies kick and roll around in her womb as if doing somersaults.
She straightened and her gaze narrowed. This was ridiculous. There was no way
they could hold a decent conversation among all the ruckus. Putting her two
fingers in her mouth she blew hard, producing a whistle loud enough to shatter
eardrums. Everyone stopped and clapped their hands over their ears, including
Justin, as they turned to stare.

She wagged her fingers in a subtle gesture, explaining shortly,
“A little trick my Grams taught me. She could whistle and we would come running.
Sort of a family thing.” Now that she had their attention, she drew a breath and
continued in a more pleasant voice, “It’s very nice to meet you. I wish the
circumstances were different but they’re not. The facts are simple—Justin and I
met while he was on vacation and I discovered I was pregnant after he left.”

“Convenient that you managed to snare a wealthy young
politician hopeful,” Vernon muttered, earning a black look from Justin. If it
weren’t for the restraining hand Lilah placed on Justin’s shoulder, he might’ve
toppled the old man into the tall plant beside the sofa. “We’re going to require
a paternity test. You can bet on that.”

“Justin...are you sure it’s your baby?” Virginia ventured
stiffly. “Mistakes happen, of course, but one must be sure it’s
your
mistake.”

Lilah swallowed, hating that she’d referred to their babies as
a mistake but she tried to stay focused and not dissolve into tears. For better
or worse, these uptight people were going to be her babies’ grandparents. Oh,
God, the idea made her shudder.

Justin corrected his mother, saying, “Babies. Lilah is a twin
and she conceived twins.”

“Twins,” Virginia repeated faintly, as if the thought of one
baby had been bad enough. Now two? Lord have mercy. “Darling...we should’ve
discussed this in private. These are delicate matters...”

“There’s nothing delicate about it, Mother. I want to marry
Lilah. Plain and simple.”

“Ah, hell,” Vernon grumbled to the ceiling. “Now he wants to
get married. Son, you’ve barely begun to care for yourself, much less a wife and
two kids. Does your girl know about your exploits back in the city? How you’ve
never held a job long enough to collect a true paycheck? Too busy partying and
having a good time to bother with something as menial as work.”

Justin’s cheeks burned but he said, “What about the campaign,
Dad? I’ve been doing a pretty good job of running my own life since I hit the
campaign trail. Remember how proud you said you were of me just last week?”

“That was before—” he gestured wildly at Lilah “—
this!
Now it seems I was hasty in my praise. I never
in a million years would’ve suspected that you’d screw up this big.”

Red blotches crawled up Justin’s neck. “I’ve learned a lot and
changed even more,” Justin said in a steely tone. The tension between the two
men was enough to choke a horse and Lilah could only watch apprehensively as
they squared off. “It’s true I didn’t know Lilah was pregnant, but I never
forgot her. As soon as I got some time off from the campaign, I came here to be
with her. I wanted to marry her then. Learning she was pregnant, well, it just
made everything fall into place even more snugly. It feels right. It’s what I’m
going to do.”

Virginia looked pale whereas Vernon’s face was florid. Lilah
felt obligated to offer something cool to drink. “We have fresh lemonade,” she
said, in an attempt at hospitality.

Virginia appeared reluctant to accept anything from Lilah but
was just miserable enough to overlook that fact and nodded brusquely. “If you
wouldn’t mind.”

“I’ll be right back. Try not to kill each other.”

Lilah knew the minute she left the room, they’d start talking
about her specifically but she had faith in Justin. He’d stand up for her.

And their babies.

* * *

T
HE
MINUTE
L
ILAH
WAS
OUT
of earshot, Vernon turned to
Justin, his expression thunderous but resigned to the distasteful business at
hand. “We have a fund we can tap to make this embarrassment go away,” he said in
a low tone. “Admittedly, two babies will be more expensive but we’ll do what we
must to protect your future.”

Justin glared at his father. “The only embarrassment I feel
right now is that I’m related to you. My children are not an embarrassment and
neither is Lilah. How could you even suggest such a thing? Those babies are your
grandchildren.
Think about it, Dad. You would
honestly rather make them go away to save some idea in your head for my career,
rather than embrace your own flesh and blood?”

His father’s mouth tightened even as his bottom lip trembled,
whether it was from rage or something else, Justin didn’t know, and frankly
didn’t care. He looked to his mother. She watched them with a stricken
expression that was equal parts horror and bewilderment and he knew he wasn’t
going to get the support he’d hoped for from that corner. He made a sound of
disgust and said, “I’d rather stand with her than beside you if you can honestly
stand here and call your grandchildren
embarrassments.
”

Vernon swallowed and had the grace to look ashamed but he
countered with an emphatic display. “She will ruin you! Is that what you want?
How will this look for your campaign? You knocked up some random girl while on
vacation and now you’ve sullied any chance you might’ve had of landing a decent
wife. No one is going to be willing to take on this kind of baggage. It’s too
messy, too humiliating. People will judge you and they will pass their judgment
in the form of their vote. You might as well have just given the seat to
Campbell Duncan and have done with it!”

“How could you, Justin?” Virginia asked in a trembling voice as
if Justin had betrayed her. “This is...unfathomable that you would be so
careless with your family name. We don’t know a thing about this girl. I never
imagined that you might be so...oh, just so careless.”

“I love her,” Justin said simply, his heart weighing heavily in
his chest for his parents’ lack of support. He’d hoped for a miracle; he
should’ve known he wouldn’t be so lucky. “If she says yes, I’m going to marry
her. End of story. If it ends my political career...so be it.”

Vernon threw his hands up. “It’s always this way for you, isn’t
it? So easy to screw over anyone who ever built a bridge for you in your life.
Well, that’s not going to happen. I forbid you to marry this girl. I forbid
it!”

Justin forced a laugh. “You forbid it? You don’t have that
option.”

“I will cut you off so fast, your head will spin,” Vernon
ground out, nearly spitting the words. “Try supporting your island tramp on the
fumes of your love and see how many diapers it buys.”

“Vernon!”
his mother exclaimed,
horrified by her husband’s coarse words but his father didn’t back down, in
fact, he refused to even admit he’d overstepped but that was his father in a
nutshell. He always rode the course, no matter how far off the track he’d
traveled.

“Don’t you dare call her that again,” Justin warned. “You can
cut me off, I don’t care about your money. But believe me when I say, I will
also cut you off. You will never see me or your grandkids again. You don’t
deserve them anyway, you pompous, arrogant, control freak.”

Vernon buttoned up his mouth in an angry press of his lips and
then gestured to his wife angrily that they were leaving. “Your son has made his
choice,” he said. “Enjoy your new life in poverty.”

Virginia seemed reluctant to leave things as they were,
something had changed in her eyes when Justin had counter threatened but she
wouldn’t go against her husband. Not openly. Justin watched them go.

To his shock, tears began to fall.

When Lilah returned with the lemonade, she found him sobbing
into his hands, unable to stop.

* * *

V
ERNON
C
ALES
WAS
SO
ANGRY
he couldn’t see
straight and it didn’t help that the roads in St. John were engineered by a
drunken crazy person with all the twists and turns and left-handed driving.

“Vernon, slow down,” his wife exclaimed when the tires on their
rented Jeep Cherokee squealed in protest around the turn. “I don’t want to lose
my son and die all in the same day!”

Vernon spared his wife a short look but eased up on the gas
pedal. He would’ve paid for a driver but there hadn’t been time to find one and
he’d been anxious to find out if the rumors had been true. Damn it all to hell!
That boy was going to ruin his life!

“Why? Why now? He was just starting to become a son a father
could be proud of,” he lamented loudly. “No more whoring and late-night parties
for the paparazzi to catch at all hours of the night doing who knows what! And
now, this!”

“He says he loves her,” Virginia said, grabbing on to the
armrest as another sharp turn made them lean. “Maybe we were too hasty in our
judgment.”

“You’ve always been too soft on the boy,” Vernon groused with
open irritation. “Turned him into a worthless boy who wants to play at being a
man.”

“Stop it,” Virginia warned, a note of steel weaving its way
through her voice. “You’re going too far.”

Vernon was surprised at her tone with him. She never raised her
voice or spoke brusquely. He wasn’t sure he liked it. “What do you propose we
do? Embrace this girl with open arms?” he suggested, sneering. “She’s a nobody,
a gold digger who just found a way to get her hooks into our pocketbooks.”

“You don’t know that,” Virginia responded with uncertainty.
“She didn’t call and tell him when she discovered she was pregnant. In fact, she
waited and my guess is that she wasn’t going to tell him at all. It was just
luck that put him back on this island to discover that fact.”

“Maybe she wasn’t sure who the babies belonged to and wanted to
wait and see who the babies favored,” he shot back with ill humor. “Who knows?
Fact remains, I want a paternity.”

“Husband dear, you’re being a royal ass about this. Of course,
it was a shock but I’ve never seen Justin so solid in his conviction. He never
wavered. Not one ounce. He truly loves this woman. It doesn’t matter what the
paternity will reveal. Those are his babies because he loves her.”

“It matters to me,” Vernon retorted, but he couldn’t ignore the
logic in his wife’s statement. She was right. Justin hadn’t quailed, not even in
the face of being disowned. He’d live in poverty with his woman if that’s what
it came down to. And what would that look like in the press? Former New York
Senator Cales’s Son Living in Poverty. The headlines would destroy his
reputation as a family man. He’d always tried to protect his reputation by
quietly dousing fires his son had sparked. From the frat parties to the
multitude of women...Vernon had always managed to make those stories go
away—usually with money.

But there was no making it go away if Justin didn’t want his
help.

Or his money.

An odd pang that felt suspiciously like heartbreak followed as
he realized that money had been the only thing between them for years aside from
animosity. Whatever had happened to that sweet boy who’d smiled up at him with
joy and adoration as he’d taught him how to bait a hook and catch a fish?

That boy was long gone.

And the man he’d become looked at him with anger and
disappointment.

His lip began to tremble but he stiffened as he said, “He’s
made his bed. Let’s see how long he’d like to sleep in it.”

If his own gut hadn’t been telling him that he was making a
grave error, the mutinous expression on his wife’s face would’ve shouted it.

Mistake or no...he was going to stick to his decision.

The boy had to learn his lessons the hard way.