Way to Her Heart (13 page)

Lovely. So “Mother Stratton” ratted her out to her worst enemy. It was nice to know just how deeply the battle lines were drawn. Sherri was tired from a long day of work and ready for her evening with Lucas. She was short on patience right about then, and her clipped response showed it.

“Trevor, I’m very busy and I don’t have time for this. What exactly do you want?”

“I just want to talk to you, Sherri. That’s all. I thought I’d expressed myself adequately last night, but because you stormed out I don’t think you understand how important this is to me.”

“What
this,
Trevor? What could you possibly want from me?”

“I want you back, Sherri. I want you and my daughter back.”

Pure rage engulfed her from head to toe. “Seriously, Trevor? Well, that’s going to happen when hell freezes over. Now get out of my way before I call security on you.”

“Sherri, I think it’s in your best interests to listen to what I have to say. After that, I’m sure we can work out an amicable agreement that will be mutually beneficial. Can I have just fifteen minutes of your time?”

“Okay, Trevor, fifteen minutes. No more.”

Chapter 13

Sherri led Trevor over to a concrete picnic table under a cluster of trees. She could tell by the look on his face that this wasn’t what he had in mind. He could either sit down where the employees took breaks or he could go on his merry way; it didn’t make a bit of difference to her. All she wanted to do was find out why he was here in Columbia and what he expected to get from her. He was up to something—of that she had no doubt.

She sat and crossed her arms on the table. She tried with some success to keep the dislike she felt from showing on her face. Trevor hadn’t changed much. He was tall, although not as tall as Lucas. His smooth brown skin was the same; of course he still had the same slightly slanted eyes with long straight eyelashes and the same pouty mouth that she once found so sexy. He had a neatly trimmed goatee in addition to the thick “pornstache” that he affected. It used to make him look dashing, but now it just looked corny. She was pleased to see that his curly black hair was definitely thinning on top. In a few years he’d be good and bald, and it would serve him right. And she was pretty sure that he was toting a bit of a beer belly under his expensive suit. Her lips twitched as she tried to stifle a mean little snicker. Unfortunately, Trevor mistook it for a genuine smile and he immediately began to pile on his version of charm.

“Sherri, I can’t tell you how good it is to see you again. You’ve just blossomed—you really have. You were beautiful when you were in medical school, but now you’re just stunning. Stunning,” he repeated, as though his evaluation of her looks was somehow paramount to her well-being.

“You have fourteen minutes left, Trevor. Do you really want to waste them on crap talk?” she said coolly. To her amusement he started talking like she’d pushed his fast-forward button.

“I tried to tell you, Sherri, I’ve realized over the years that I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but the biggest mistake I ever made was letting you go. I have no excuse for my behavior—none—other than the fact that I was young, scared and stupid,” he said, reaching for her hand.

Sherri moved her upper body so that she and her hands were well out of his reach. Trevor hadn’t changed one iota; in one sentence he said he had no excuse, and in the next one he came up with three. She glanced at her watch and tapped it with her forefinger. “Twelve minutes, Trevor.”

Hastily, he began again. “I’ve had a lot of lonely nights to think about what I lost when I ran out on you. Not just your beauty, wit and loving nature, but your intelligence, your ambition. And most important,” he said earnestly, leaning forward, “you were the one who cared enough to bring my child into the world. You could have aborted it or given it up for adoption, but you didn’t. I’ll be on my knees to you in gratitude forever for that.”

“Why?”

Trevor looked blank for a moment because he wasn’t expecting Sherri to interrupt him. He gamely tried to get his smooth flow going again, but it was useless; she’d thrown him offtrack. Unfortunately, his only comeback was “What?”

“I want to know why you’ve come back to Columbia to unburden yourself. It’s been a long time, Trevor, and all of a sudden you come here and start spouting all this stuff about losing me and your child, a child that you have never even acknowledged in thought, word or deed, and I want to know why. Is this part of a twelve-step program or something?”

“I’m doing this badly, Sherri. I’m not expressing myself the way I want to, probably because this is the most important thing I’ve ever done. I realize now that I was a fool to let you go. No woman has ever made me feel the way you did, and I know I’ll never feel like that again. I was a fool to abandon you when you told me you were pregnant. I was a total fool. But I want to make it all up to you, Sherri. I want a chance to put things right, to show you that after all the years we spent apart that I’ve changed. I’m a different man now, and I’m ready to be the kind of man you need. I’m ready to be a real father to my child,” he said, his voice choked with the nuanced fervor of a 1950s doo-wop singer.

Sherri glanced at her watch. “Fourteen minutes and twenty-five seconds. Good timing, Trevor. I have to say that I still don’t know what you think you accomplished with that speech because I didn’t understand what you were trying to say. I’ve got to go.”

She started to rise, but this time Trevor was successful in grasping her hands to stop her.

“What I’m trying to tell you is that I want you back, Sherri. I want to marry you and make a real home for our child. I want you to give me another chance to be the man you deserve,” he said with what he thought was passion.

Sherri jerked her hands away and got up from the table so fast that Trevor almost hit his head on the concrete. “Trevor Eugene Barnes, I think you’ve lost your mind. Do me a favor and stay far away from me from now on.”

She was halfway to her car when he caught up with her and grabbed her elbow. “All right, Sherri, all right. Maybe I’m moving too fast. I can accept that. But I have a right to see my kid. You can’t keep her away from me indefinitely and I don’t want to have to sue you for visitation, so think about that. And don’t keep me waiting too long. I’ve already waited long enough.”

* * *

Sherri parked her SUV in front of Lucas’s building and took a deep breath. The building had once been a sizable warehouse but it was now loft apartments. Jared had lived here when he first came to Columbia, and he passed it on to Lucas once he and Alexis married. Sherri didn’t rush to get out of the car; she needed a few minutes to collect her thoughts.

What kind of craziness was looming in front of her? Trevor had to be on some serious narcotics if he thought that she was going to let him into Sydney’s life. All that hoo-ha he’d been talking about wanting her back and wanting to build a life together was too far-fetched to be true. He had to be up to something, and right now she didn’t know how to find out what his endgame was.

She finally got her things out of the car and made her way to Lucas’s door. She was going to try to put the whole annoying incident out of her mind, at least for a little while. Putting her finger on the bell, she smiled, thinking how good it would be to see Lucas. He always made her feel better no matter what was going on. Sure enough, when he opened the door with his beautiful smile a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he greeted her. She didn’t have a chance to respond before he picked her up and gave her a lingering kiss, right there in the doorway. Finally she was able to speak.

“Hello, yourself. You’re looking awfully handsome.”

He was wearing an untucked oxford-cloth shirt in a green-blue color that made his eyes look spectacular and a pair of jeans that showed off his long, hard legs and his butt. It had to be against some law for a man to look that good in casual clothes.

She took a deep sniff and grinned. “What smells so good?”

“Something I think you’ll really like,” he said. He picked up her overnight bag from the hallway and brought it in, scolding her for carrying it. “You should have let me bring your things in, Sherri. You know that’s a VanBuren law. No hauling, toting, cleaning or heavy lifting for our ladies.”

Sherri didn’t pay his words any attention because she was too taken with what she saw in the loft. Candles were lit all around the big living area—on the mantel over the fireplace, in the fireplace, on the dining room table and on the coffee table. It looked beautiful. Besides being full of candlelight, the loft was filled with music. Sherri tilted her head and recognized the distinctive sound of “Mother Nature’s Son” by Ramsey Lewis, some of the most seductive jazz in existence.

“Wow,” she said in a whisper. “This is amazing, Lucas.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. Come with me,” he invited. He took her hand and led her to the bathroom. The big soaking tub was partially filled so it would be ready for her. The big ivory pillar candles were arrayed around the room, and a big fluffy bath sheet was at the ready on a stool by the tub. There was a stand with an ice bucket containing a bottle of green tea and a crystal flute along with a bowl filled with strawberries.

“Lucas, this is the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Ahh, we’re not done yet,” he said, leading her into the bedroom. The bed was freshly made with expensive white linen and big down pillows, and strewn across it was an array of beautiful lingerie—bras and panties and camisoles in delicate colors and patterns, plus a couple of really seductive sheer nighties. Sherri was overcome by his good taste and generosity.

“Lucas, this is too much, honey. These are so beautiful, but there’re so many! I can’t believe you did this,” she murmured.

He gave her a rakish grin and pulled her into his arms for a long hug, followed by an even longer kiss. “Believe it, Sherri. Look, I like the basic schoolgirl white undies—they’re as cute as can be. But when I saw you in the fancy ones you looked so damned sexy I wanted you to have more. And if you feel compelled to put on a fashion show for me later, don’t hold back,” he teased her.

“You’d just love that, wouldn’t you?” she said with a sassy smile. “I will, but only if you do a striptease for me.”

“That can be arranged. You know I’m not modest in the least. Listen, you get undressed and relaxed while I finish filling the tub for you. I didn’t fill it all the way because I wanted it to be nice and hot.”

“You are the most thoughtful man in the world. That sounds like a lovely idea.”

“And when you get done, you’ll have a fabulous dinner waiting for you.” Lucas kissed her on her forehead and then her cheek.

Sherri sighed deeply as she got ready to get in the big tub. Tonight she was just going to take pleasure in the wonderful surprises he had given her, and that was all. The Trevor mess could wait for another day.

* * *

After the best bath she’d ever had, Sherri was completely carefree. She rubbed coconut oil all over her body and slipped into a set of her beautiful new underwear, choosing a sheer peach demi-bra with a matching thong. When she emerged from the bedroom wearing a bronze silk tank top and a pair of wide-legged, leopard-print silk pants, she hoped she looked as sexy as she felt. Lucas apparently thought so because he stopped what he was doing in the kitchen to admire her.

“That’s a hot outfit, sweetheart. Turn around and let me get a good look.”

She did her best imitation of a runway model as she admitted she’d never worn it before. “It was an impulse buy from T.J.Maxx, and it’s really impractical for a working mom of a small child. But I just had to have it. I always hoped I’d have a reason to wear it one day.”

“I’m glad you gave in to your impulse because you look fantastic. I’m also glad that I’m the only one to see you in it. If you’ll sit down, dinner is served.”

He’d made the dining room table look romantic with candles and a single gardenia floating in a bowl of water. The food was delicious, as was everything Lucas prepared, but this was special because it was one of her favorite meals. A first course of pesto-stuffed mushrooms was followed by eggplant parmesan, fettuccini with puttanesca sauce and a green salad with crostini. Sherri was in heaven. Everything was sublime and she told him so several times. He’d even made one of her favorite desserts, tiramisu.

“Lucas, you are too good to me. You’re spoiling me something awful,” she said, showing her dimples in a beautiful smile.

He scoffed as he poured more wine into their glasses. “You’re so sweet that it’s a pleasure to do things for you. You deserve it. Anyone who works as hard as you do, and who’s raised the world’s most adorable little girl, is entitled to be treated like a queen every day of her life.”

“Lucas, you’re going to make me cry,” she warned.

He came around to her side of the table and held out his hand. “Then I’ll stop, at least for now. Go in the living room and I’ll be back in ten minutes to ravish your body from head to toe.”

“Suppose
I
want to ravish
you?
”

“Then I’ll be back in five minutes and you can do anything you want to me,” he promised.

When Lucas finished in the kitchen he was pleasantly surprised to find that Sherri wasn’t in the living room at all. But her sexy leopard-print pants were there, draped over the sofa. The bronze tank top was hanging on the back of a chair and the sheer bra was on the doorknob of the bedroom like an invitation. He entered the room and found Sherri on the bed, bathed in candlelight. She was lying on her side wearing a seductive smile. The thong was dangling from one finger and she was waving it idly from side to side.

“Someone has on too many clothes,” she said, her voice a sultry purr.

“I can take care of that,” Lucas assured her.

He kicked off his loafers and began to unbutton his shirt with excruciating precision. Sherri sighed in anticipation, but he kept at the buttons, one at a time, as slowly as possible. He finally opened the shirt to reveal his broad golden chest flexing so that his pecs moved one at a time.