Treasure on Lilac Lane: A Jewell Cove Novel (32 page)

“And instead I sent you away. Oh, Jess. I’m so sorry. So, so sorry.”

“You’re not angry with me?”

“For keeping this from me? Considering how you found me that night, how could I possibly be upset? I’ve got no one to blame but myself.”

She blinked and looked down, the yellow blanket on his knees blurry through her tears. “I know it’s unexpected, but I want to keep the baby, Rick. You don’t have to decide anything now and whatever role you want to take on is okay. I just know that I’m ready, and I’m not afraid of being a mom. Not now.”

“Whatever role?” Rick pulled his chair closer and put his hands on her knees. “Father,” he said plainly. “Look at me, Jess. Please.”

She looked up.

“I told you earlier that I loved you. Do you think that changes because you’re carrying my child?” He blew out a breath. “God, that’s a huge thing, isn’t it? Life altering.” And yet a smile started curving up the corners of his mouth. “You’re having my baby,” he said again, shaking his head. “It’s a damned miracle, that’s what it is.”

Her throat was so tight with emotion she couldn’t respond. Rick’s smile faded and he reached out, placing a knuckle beneath her chin and lifting. “I guess the big question is whether or not you love me back. If you can forgive me for what I did. If you can trust me to put you first. I’m not perfect, Jess, but I’ll do my best. I’ll do what it takes, and that’s a promise I can keep. Do you love me, Jess? Because I love the hell out of you, with or without a baby.”

She nodded. She couldn’t help it. This was the Rick she remembered, only better. Because he’d been through trials, walked through hell, and come through it a little worse for wear but stronger and with a greater appreciation of the good things in life. He’d lost everything he thought was true and still he was here pledging to be there for her and their child. He was, she realized, the miracle she’d often prayed for and never quite believed existed.

“I do love you, Rick. I think I always have, and I think that’s what’s always scared me so much.”

“Don’t be scared,” he whispered, lifting his hand and cupping her jaw in his palm. “I have a theory. Want to know what it is?”

She waited, on the edge of something so huge she half-believed she must be imagining it.

“We are two wounded souls, you and me. But when we’re together all the bad parts seem to melt away. And so you shouldn’t be scared, because together we bring out the best in each other. We love harder, stand taller, feel stronger. We accept each other but know what else? We accept ourselves. And that’s something I’ve never really had before.”

She put her hand over his. “When I’m with you I almost believe anything is possible.”

“It is. I promise you it is. And if you stumble a time or two, I’ll be there to catch you.”

Jess closed her eyes. This was the hardest part. After having so much taken from her—her independence, her
self
, it was terrifying to willingly give it away. But then she felt Rick’s hand leave her face and the warmth of it pressed against her stomach and she had no choice. Her heart was no longer her own, and it was time she trusted it.

“And I’ll be there to catch you, too. I promise.”

Before she could say any more, Rick slid off his chair and onto his knees in front of her. He cupped her neck in his hand and she cradled his stubbled face in her hands as she kissed him at last. It was full-on, open-mouthed hunger with the taste of victory as they came together. The blanket dropped to the floor and Jess melted off her chair into his embrace until they were twined together on the floor of her shop, making up for lost time. He took little nips at her neck, molded her breasts in his hands until petting was no longer enough and clothes came off in a tangle of arms and legs and fabric.

Jess ignored the hard surface of the polished floor as she lifted her hips and welcomed him home once more. It was only then that their fevered actions slowed and Rick braced himself up on an elbow, utterly still inside her, his gloriously dark eyes delving into hers.

“I love you, Jess.”

Moisture gathered at the corner of her eyelids. “I love you, too.”

Making love with him had always been amazing but tonight was different. It didn’t matter that they weren’t on a plush mattress with candles and lacy lingerie and atmosphere. It was different because for the first time ever they’d given themselves completely to each other, heart, body, soul. When Jess cried out goose bumps rippled over her skin and Rick called out her name as he found his release.

Jess was sure she couldn’t feel any more complete, but she was wrong. Rick tenderly put her back together, clipping her bra and pulling her sweater back over her head. He reached beneath the collar with both hands and pulled her hair out from beneath the fabric, spreading the curls out over her shoulders as a smile played over his lips.

“What?” she asked, tugging on a boot that had been tossed aside.

“I hope our daughter has your hair. And your eyes.”

She melted.

“Well, chances are
he
will have your eyes. That’s basic genetics. Brown is dominant.”

“Healthy, happy, and with both of us works for me. He could have purple eyes for all I care.” He put out his hand and helped her up. “I nearly forgot. I brought you something. I thought I might need an ace up my sleeve.”

“You thought you might have to buy me off, is that it?” She grinned up at him, amazed at how an hour could bring such a change and take her from dismal to blissfully happy.

He led her over to the sales counter. “The night I sent you away, I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a drink more. I just wanted to forget about all the pain, but I knew I couldn’t, not after how far I’d come. So instead I started this.” He opened the top of the shallow box. “I talked to Tom. He said he could fit this into your current door or put it in a new one, whatever you like. Merry early Christmas, Jess.”

She stepped up and gasped at the beautiful sheet of glass on the counter. With trembling fingers she reached out and picked it up, the soft glow in the room backlighting the design. Lilacs, tons of them, in shades of purple and white, with delicate leaves surrounding them. It was the most beautiful piece of his she’d seen.

“For Treasures,” he said quietly. “For your front door. I thought it would be appropriate for Treasures on Lilac Lane.”

“Oh,” she said softly, staring at the stunning creation. “It’s amazing. You did this for me?”

He looked at her over the edge of the glass. “I did.”

Reluctantly she put it back down so she could wrap her arms around his neck. “Who needs a treasure,” she whispered in his ear, “when we have all this?”

He squeezed her close. “Will you marry me, Jess? Maybe I would have taken things slower if it weren’t for the baby, and I know it seems rushed. But we would have gotten here eventually. I know that as sure as I know I love you. Will you do it? Will you be my wife?”

It was fast, he was right about that. But she’d known him all her life and loved him for probably half of it. “Yes,” she whispered, surprising even herself. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He picked her up and spun her around, kissing her jubilantly until she started laughing and squirmed against his embrace.

“Rick, I have ten women coming here in less than an hour to make Christmas ornaments. You have to put me down.”

“For now,” he murmured softly. “But not for long.”

C
HAPTER
23

Rick and Jess kept the engagement under wraps for the first few days, but it was clear that they were back together as they stuck together like glue. Everyone seemed happy that they’d worked things out, and so Rick invited Abby to meet up with them at his house to clear up their unfinished business.

He was nervous. He couldn’t quite explain why, but he sensed there was something important about that necklace that would change things somehow.

Jess grazed her hand over his back as she passed by him to put a pot of tea on the table. “Relax. It’ll be fine,” she soothed, and she’d barely said the words when there was a knock at the door.

Abby came in, a smile on her face and a foil-wrapped parcel in her hands. “I made fruitcake!” she announced proudly. “I thought I’d bring you some.”

“Fruitcake?” Rick asked, a bit dubious.

“Don’t knock it until you try it. It’s Marian’s recipe.”

“Have a seat, Abby.” Jess invited her in, taking the cake and Abby’s coat. As Abby sat at the table, Jess sliced the cake and added it to the plate of cookies sitting next to the teapot.

They spent a precious few minutes pouring tea, but Abby only took a few sips before getting down to business. She reached into her purse and took out the velvet bag. “This is for you,” she said, handing it to Rick. He held out his palm, too surprised to do anything else.

“It is?”

“It’s rightfully yours.”

He frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Rick, you know that Tom and I know you were adopted. When we started digging around about the necklace, something extraordinary came to light. Something I could never have dreamed up in a million years.”

Abby was smiling at him. What the hell?

“I need to go back a bit, you see. My great-aunt Marian never married. What most people don’t know is that she bore a child out of wedlock. Elijah sent her away to have the baby. The thing is … she was told the baby died. But my investigator turned up some new information.”

She paused and reached over to take his hands in hers. “The baby didn’t die. Rick, Elijah
paid
to make the baby disappear. She was raised by a family by the name of Murdoch—Stephanie Murdoch was a nurse in the ward at the hospital where Marian had the child. The baby was christened Alicia. Elijah set the Murdochs up with enough money to be very comfortable. All the detective needed to do was follow the money trail.”

“I still don’t see what this has to do with how my mother came to have it,” he said.

“The necklace was passed down through generations. Marian passed it on to her child … presumably to Stephanie, probably thinking it would be buried with her baby. That baby went on to have a son. In Camden. On June fourth…”

“That’s impossible.” He cut her off as his heart began to pound.

“Marian facilitated the adoption of her own grandchild,” Abby said, nodding, “without even knowing it. And that child was you, Rick.”

“I’m Marian’s grandson?” His voice sounded stunned to his ears. Holy hell, what a thing to try to wrap his head around.

And how sad that Marian had been separated from her own child against her will, and had met her again without even knowing it.

She smiled. “Yeah. All we can figure is that the necklace was given to Roberta to keep for you. And that’s why she put it in the safe deposit box.”

He sat back in his chair, trying to make sense of it all. “Wouldn’t Marian have recognized it?”

Abby shrugged. “Only if she actually saw it. But you know what this means, right? This makes us cousins. In fact, you have more of a claim to the mansion than I do. You’re a direct Foster descendant. I’m from the black sheep side of the family.” She gave a little chuckle.

“Go figure.” Christ, a Foster. Who would have thought it? “Don’t worry, I’m not about to serve any eviction notices or contest any wills. I’ve got my mom’s place. That’s all I need. Besides, you belong there.”

“It does sort of feel like the house was waiting for me,” she admitted. “And believe it or not, I’m excited about the news. I thought I didn’t have any relatives left. It’s kind of cool to realize that we’re probably related. Which brings me to one last suggestion.”

“Go on,” he said, “you’re on a roll.”

“I thought we could ask Josh to do a DNA test and send it off to a lab. We’d know for sure if we were related then.”

It wasn’t a half-bad idea. He started to laugh a little and he shook his head. This was so hard to believe, and yet he knew Abby wouldn’t ask unless she was sure.

“What’s funny?” she asked.

“I was always the odd man out,” he replied. “When we were all kids together, I was like a part of the Collins and Arseneault families but I wasn’t really part of the family. And now it looks like I’m a Foster and a part of the family anyway—only through you and not the boys. Life sure is a kick in the pants sometimes.”

“It’s a lot to take in for one day,” Abby acknowledged. “Why don’t you take a while to think about it, come up with any questions you might have for the investigator. We can dig a little deeper for sure, or let it go, whatever you want. Either way, I want you to know that the necklace is yours, and I hope one day you’ll give it to your firstborn, too.”

Rick didn’t answer, but he met Jess’s eyes, saw the happy glow there. Just when he’d thought himself truly alone, he found himself with love. Family. History. Things had been taken away, but he was blessed, too. Blessings that he would never take for granted again.

*   *   *

The Saturday of the Evergreen Festival was chaotic to say the least. Jess was in the workroom, supervising a constant influx of children coming in to make their “Santa’s List” holders. Tessa and Meggie were manning the store, which was overflowing with customers—each one carrying a greeting card and collecting stamps. Once all the spaces were stamped by local businesses, the cards could be dropped off for a chance to win a shopping spree at any of the participating stores. An extra stamp was handed out at the chicken à la king lunch at the church hall—and each year the lunch tickets sold out.

Rick was at Treasures, too, helping out. He fetched coffee, kept the hot cider going for the patrons, brought in sandwiches for lunch, and stocked store shelves. His hand-painted candle holders and ornaments were flying off the shelves and every time Jess looked up to see him nearby a warm glow filled her body.

Just for today she wore the ruby necklace beneath her hand-knit turtleneck featuring jolly snowmen. Rick had given it to her first thing that morning, before she’d left his place for the shop. She didn’t want a traditional engagement ring—she wasn’t really the flashy diamond type—so he’d given her the necklace instead with a promise that they’d have matching wedding bands custom-made.