Overnight Father
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Debbi Rawlins
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Chapter 1
“Prominent Divorce Attorney Arrested For Bigamy. I can see the headlines now.”
Matthew Monroe cringed at his friend’s teasing words. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not to him. He stared down at the certificate for a marriage that should have been annulled seven years ago. He was supposed to many his boss’s daughter in six weeks. “Don’t forget who got me into this mess, pal.”
“Oh, no, you’re not gonna pin this on me,” Brad said, holding his hands up. “I did you a favor by introducing you to Lexy. You wouldn’t have had enough money to get through law school if it hadn’t been for her.” Brad frowned. “Your ex-wife.” Then he grinned, his green eyes crinkling with amusement. “But I guess she isn’t your ex yet.”
Matt darted a nervous glance at his closed office door. “I don’t want to talk about this here,” he said, shoving the marriage certificate back into the worn, faded envelope. “How about we meet at Sandalwood’s for a drink after work? A martini sounds damn good.”
Instead of getting up, Brad slumped more comfortably
in his chair and peered at Matt over steepled fingers. “You’re going to have to tell Amanda.”
“The hell I will.” Matt snorted at the absurdity of his friend’s suggestion. “What we did was illegal. You know what a temper Amanda has. All she has to do is go running to Daddy and blow the whistle on me. And there goes my partnership.”
Brad stared at him in silence, his eyebrows dipping in a concerned frown. Matt let his gaze drop to the frayed corner of the envelope. No way was he getting into another useless discussion about the fallacy of his upcoming marriage. Marrying Amanda made sense for both of them.
He shifted against the uncomfortable silence. His friend’s penetrating stare seemed to summon the past like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Marriage to Lexy had been necessary. They were young. He needed money. She needed a Green Card. This was totally different.
Lexy.
He’d thought about her over the years. It wasn’t hard to picture her now, the long, dark hair, eyes as brown and rich as fine Belgian chocolate, the slim curves...she’d been something to look at, all right.
And sweet. Too sweet. A real dreamer. He hoped she’d found the white picket fence she wanted.
He shoved the envelope into his middle desk drawer and flipped through his phone directory. “Get out, Brad. I have work to do.”
The same stern tone that normally sent law clerks scurrying to do Matt’s bidding was lost on his best friend of eleven years. Brad yawned and stretched his arms over his head. When he was finished, he said, “You want me to talk to Lexy?”
Matt set aside the directory, leaned back in his chair and idly stroked the fine black leather. The thought hadn’t occurred to him. Although it held merit. He didn’t particularly want to see her again. Not after that last night. “I don’t know where she is. She could have moved out of the state for all I know.”
Brad shrugged. “Unless she’s moved back to Hungary, it shouldn’t be hard to find her. I doubt she’s done that.”
Exhaling, Matt nodded his agreement. Maybe this matter could go away quietly. “I’d owe you one.”
His friend straightened, his lips curving. “No problem. Pretty thing like her probably has a string of men lined up. I’d expect she’d want to get this straightened out, too, so I’d be doing her a favor.” His grin broadened. “No telling how grateful she’ll be.”
The cocky smile that normally made Matt chuckle angered him. They were talking about Lexy here. Sweet, soft-spoken, vulnerable Lexy. Not one of Brad’s bimbo girlfriends.
Matt cleared his throat. Emotion had no place in business. And this, essentially, was business. “Look, I don’t want to get you involved—”
“Hey, what are friends for?” Brad stood, looking a little more animated. He had that thrill-of-the-chase look Matt recognized well. As ambitious as Matt was, Brad was equally laid-back. Except when it came to the ladies. “I’ll get right on it. I bet I find her before happy hour at Sandalwood’s.”
“I’ll handle this, Brad. You have that big case coming up next week and—”
“Consider the matter closed.” Brad stopped at the door to waggle his eyebrows and dramatically adjust
the lapels of his Armani suit. “Old Brad will take care of everything.”
The swell of irritation nearly sent Matt flying out of his chair. In his best lawyer’s voice, he calmly said, “I’ll handle this myself.”
The total absence of expression on his friend’s face confused him. Brad wasn’t one to hide his feelings. But he just stood there, watching, waiting.
But there was nothing else to say. Lexy was off limits to the likes of Brad. Case closed. Matt had hurt her enough.
LEXY STARTED A SECOND stack of bills and purposely placed them near the chip on the right corner of the narrow yellow Formica counter. That way she knew she’d have enough room to lay out the other bills that would have to wait until next payday. Or the payday after that.
One good thing about having two jobs, she figured, was that she also had two paydays. Even though her combined income didn’t amount to much, they never went without milk as a result.
Staring at the bottom total of the electric bill, she shook her head. She’d turned the air conditioner up, started using the oven only once a week. How had the amount climbed?
She made a notation to pay this one in full. Last month she’d paid only half. This time it was the water company’s turn to wait for some of their money. She might be poor, more than a little humiliated, but she was at least fair.
She sighed and took another sip of water. She hated living this way. Her parents would be mortified if they knew. They’d sent her to this country for a better life.
But her parents were another problem. One she couldn’t think about right now. It was too depressing, and she had finals to study for. She wouldn’t get out of this financial hole until she finished her degree and got a real job. And she was so close...
The doorbell buzzed, startling her, annoying her. She was counting on a rare, peaceful afternoon to study. Tempted to not answer, she gave in and plodded to the door. Her caller could be here about Tasha. But if it was a solicitor, she wasn’t going to be nice.
She opened the door, and time stopped.
She was seeing things. Too many late nights working the dinner shift. Too much studying into the wee hours. And now she was hallucinating. Seeing ghosts from her past.
No... demons.
Lexy blinked. Familiar sapphire-blue eyes stared back at her. He automatically shoved that stubborn lock of light-brown hair off his forehead, the same way she remembered. Only, his shoulders seemed broader now.
“Matthew?” she whispered.
His lips curved in a tentative smile. That was new, too. Matthew was always very sure of himself. “Hi, Alessandra.”
“No one calls me that anymore.” The shock of finding him at her door continued to seep in, and her knees were getting all rubbery and useless. She stiffened. “What do you want, Matthew?”
His smile slipped and he stared at her with an odd expression on his face. “I would have called first, but Directory said you don’t have a phone.”
She blinked again. Last month things had finally
gotten too tight to warrant the small luxury. “Phones are an intrusion, and I’m a busy person.”
Her sudden boldness took her by surprise. In the old days she would never have dreamed of being abrupt with Matthew. She straightened, sort of liking the new her.
He nodded absently, his gaze fastened to her face. “Of course, I’ll get to the point.” He frowned. “What happened to your accent?”
His question flooded her with pride. She’d worked hard at her English. She shrugged. “I still have one.”
“Yeah, but not much,” he said, suddenly studying her so hard it made her want to squirm. “And your hair.” He started to reach out a hand, then stopped himself. “When did you cut it?”
She touched the ends of her shoulder-length hair and winced when she realized she’d barely run a brush through it since this morning. And makeup. She hadn’t bothered today. Oh, heaven help her, she must look awful.
Tugging self-consciously at her ratty white T-shirt, she backed up a step. Matthew took one forward, and she stopped, her other hand gripping the doorknob so hard she felt it give a little. She’d have to replace that screw one of these days.
“We don’t have anything to say to each other, Matthew.” He couldn’t come in. The apartment was possibly a bigger mess than she was.
“Wait.” He slapped a hand against the door when she would have closed it. “We have a problem.”
She laughed without humor. That was an understatement. “Nothing mutual, I’m sure.”
“I’m afraid so.”
She froze. He looked so serious all of a sudden.
Serious enough to make her heart start to pound, to make her head grow light. He couldn’t possibly know. He couldn’t.
The full impact of Matthew showing up at her door after all these years gripped her like a noose around her neck. He had to leave. Now. He had no claims here.
“I’ll call the police if I have to,” she said, and realized how foolish she sounded when he reared his head back in open astonishment. She took a deep breath. “What is it, Matthew?”
He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping past her, over her shoulder, into her small, shabby kitchen. “Can we talk inside?”
“No.”
His quick frown ended with a sigh. “What I have to discuss is a little touchy, and I doubt you want your neighbors eavesdropping.”
Oh, God, this was her worst nightmare. But how could he have found out? And why, after all these years, would he care? She tried to swallow back the fear that had lodged like a stubborn wad of bubble gum in her throat, but there was no easy answer for why Matthew was here. She was in trouble. She’d read about him in the newspaper once. He was rich, powerful now. And he was the most determined, single-minded man she’d ever met. She remembered that all too well. Their last night together was reminder enough.
Maybe she shouldn’t antagonize him. Maybe if she were a little nicer. Maybe if...
“Lexy, are you going to let me in?” Matthew ducked his head to meet her gaze and smiled.
She took an extra-deep breath, trying to stabilize her
breathing. It didn’t work. It couldn’t. Matt was looking at her with those beautiful blue eyes of his, and she’d reverted to the same shy nineteen-year-old whose starry-eyed dreams wished for the impossible.
“Lexy?”
She briefly closed her eyes to clear her head, then stepped farther back without saying another word and watched him casually eye her dingy furnishings as he advanced into her minuscule living room.
She couldn’t imagine what he was thinking. Both the pink plaid couch and the leaning walnut side table had been purchased from a thrift shop. She’d picked up the pale green recliner at a yard sale. And she wouldn’t even have the small fifteen-year-old TV if it weren’t for her kindhearted neighbor.
None of the items reflected her taste. Only her empty bank account.
“Have a seat,” she said, and when he hesitated, she added, “It’s clean.”
Color seeped into his tanned complexion, and he turned wordlessly to settle himself on the pink couch. Even as it shamed her to have caused his discomfort, his reaction fascinated her, too. This wasn’t the brash young law student she remembered. The one who’d claimed he’d someday set the world of law on its ear. The same man who’d informed her that a family would only weigh him down.
“So, Matthew, what is it you think I can help you with?” she asked, pleased with the steadiness of her voice. However, she had to clasp her hands together to keep from shaking.
“Have you lived here long?” he asked, his tone pleasant, conversational, and she wanted to hit him.
“About four years.”
“Imagine us still living in the same city and not ever running into each other.”
“I only go to the country club on Thursdays,” she said blandly.
Annoyance replaced his smile. “Am I supposed to apologize because we don’t run in the same circles?”
Shame found her again and she looked away. She was happy for his success. No doubt he’d worked hard. He deserved it. “Look, I’m sorry. I—” She broke off and sank into the lumpy recliner. “I didn’t mean—”
“Forget it.” He tugged at his tie, and for a moment looked as uncomfortable as Lexy felt. “You look good.”
That startled a laugh out of her.
“What?” His surprise seemed genuine as a smile slowly spread across his face, and he once again looked like the handsome young law student she’d foolishly fallen in love with seven years ago. “What’s so funny, Lexy?”
She stared back at him, enjoying the way his left cheek grooved when he grinned, the sparkling blue of his eyes. Until a surge of anger mentally shook her. Nothing was funny.
Absolutely nothing.
She sobered, recalling the callous way he’d disappeared. “You haven’t told me why you’re here.”
At her abrupt change in mood, he frowned, then studied her for a long, disconcerting moment. “We’re still married.”
If he’d intended to shock her again, he’d done a heck of a job. She slumped against the recliner back, barely feeling the loose spring that poked her hip.
“But you were going to handle that.” She waved a
hand, irritated that she couldn’t find the proper English word. “That, that legal thing—” She exhaled in frustration. This only happened when she got upset. Normally, her English was nearly perfect
“Annulment,” he offered.
“So why didn’t you do that?”
“I thought I had.”
“Oh, some big-shot lawyer you are.” Her hand flapped through the air, the gesture so much like something her flamboyant mother would make that it gave Lexy pause.
“So I made one little mistake.” Temper flared in his eyes. “I’m not any happier about this than you are.”
“How do you know whether I’m happy? You don’t know anything about me,” she said, her voice rising, making her sound like her mother, too. And worse, her accent had become more pronounced.
One side of Matthew’s mouth started to curve. “You sound like your old self.”
She let out a low shriek. “No, I don’t I am not the same person you knew, Matthew. I will never be that—that naive young child again.”
He blinked, and something that looked like guilt cast a brief shadow across his face. “We were both young,” he said quietly.
She didn’t want to have this conversation with him. No sense in opening old wounds. Besides, she couldn’t really blame him. He’d been perfectly honest about what he’d wanted from her...and didn’t want. Sleeping with him that last night had been her choice. And given the chance, she would change nothing.
Lexy tried to smile. She actually had a lot to be happy about This problem was very mild compared
to what she’d imagined. She just had to get rid of him before Tasha came home, then life would be back to normal.
“Okay,” she said, and tried not to notice how attractive she found him. He’d always had great hands, but they looked stronger now, more capable. They’d done wonderful things to her breasts. Abruptly, she lifted her gaze to his face. “You need me to sign something?”
He nodded, a slight frown creasing his forehead. Age agreed with him. He looked more rugged, not so boyish. “You aren’t married, are you? To someone else?”
“No.”
“Have you ever been?”
She shook her head.
“I didn’t think so.”
At the confident look on his face, irritation singed her. Did he not think she would make a fine wife? She glared at him. “Why?”
He shrugged. “You kept the name Monroe. That surprised me. Made you easy to find, though.”
“Oh.”
“Since neither of us have married since our so-called annulment, this problem shouldn’t be too hard to
The fact that he hadn’t married again should have meant nothing to her but it did. She glanced at his hands and smiled. “Whenever you have the paperwork ready I’ll come by and sign it.”
“I’m having the documents drawn up now.” He tugged at his tie. “We’ll have to settle this right away.”
She pursed her lips. Something else was bothering him.
“Will you be available tomorrow?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I have two finals.”
His eyebrows rose. “As in exams?”
Lexy straightened. Why couldn’t she learn that a simple no was sufficient? He didn’t need to know anything personal about her. “Yes.”
“You’re still in school?”
She sighed. “Yes. How about next week?”
Frowning, Matthew stared absently at her. After a long pause, he said, “I need this settled immediately.”
“Okay.” She mentally flipped through her calendar. The restaurant had her scheduled every night for the next week. Studying would ease up, but she had the administrative offices to clean before the end of school break. She’d do that first thing each morning. Then, of course, there were Tasha’s ballet lessons, laundry that could no longer wait, grocery shopping, the cookies she’d promised to bake...
“Lexy?” He waved a hand in front of her face. “You still with me?”
“I’m not the one who left, Matthew.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to crawl between the warped kitchen floorboards and disappear forever. How could she have said such a thing? She tried to swallow, but her throat no longer worked.
Chancing a fleeting look at Matthew’s displeased face, she pushed to her feet. “I’m sorry I didn’t offer you something to drink,” she said. Too late, she realized she didn’t have anything to offer. Maybe a little milk, but that was it Without waiting for his answer,
she grabbed the glass of water she’d left on the counter and took a large gulp.
The liquid soothed her acid tongue and glided down her parched throat. She wasn’t going to apologize. She wasn’t the one who’d suddenly shown up after seven years without a word. “Did you want something?” she asked.
“A little slack?”
“How about some water?”
His lips curved in a wry smile. “This doesn’t have to be difficult, Lexy. And for what it’s worth, I am sorry about what happened between us.”
“Nothing happened, Matthew.” The irony of that truth was like a slap of common sense. “How does Saturday sound?”
His gaze roamed her face, briefly touched her breasts, and the way his eyes suddenly darkened, she knew he was remembering that last night, too.
She turned away to get more water. Not because she wanted it but because her traitorous body was getting all tight and hot from the look he’d given her.
“Maybe I will take some of that water,” he said, and she stifled the sudden smile that tugged at her lips.
She got a jelly glass out of the cupboard and filled it with tap water. No doubt he was used to some fancy mineral stuff. Too bad. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He crossed the small room and accepted the glass, making no move to avert his eyes. His gaze met hers squarely. “I’m getting married.”
Taken aback by the news, she clutched the side of the counter for support. She wasn’t supposed to care. But he’d said he’d never marry, that he wanted a career, not a family.
She forced a smile, pushed away from the counter and shouldered past him. “Congratulations. When?”
“Next month.”
“I see.” She carried her water to the recliner and sank into the lumpy green upholstery. “So you need to make our marriage go away.”
He jerked a little at her tone. Staring at the back of his head, she winced, too. She hadn’t meant to sound bitter. She was happy for him. Really. As her young American co-worker would say, good riddance.
“Look, I’ll squeeze some time out tomorrow,” she said, hoping her boss would give her an hour or two off before the dinner rush. “But it will have to be before five.”
Matthew slowly turned away from the open kitchen and faced her. He made no move to sit down. His expression pensive, he asked, “Why are you still in school? You were a sophomore when we—”
“I know.” She shrugged. “Things came up.”
“Money problems?”
She shifted, her pride tweaked. He’d handed her a great opening. She could be nasty and remind him that he’d taken most of her savings in exchange for their fake marriage. But she kept her mouth shut and shrugged. “Among other things.”
He turned to the window and squinted out at the gray May sky, his forehead furrowed as if he were deep in thought. She glanced at the small antique clock, one of the few possessions she’d brought from Hungary. Tasha would be home in forty minutes. He needed to leave.
“I have an idea,” he said.
She stood in order to hurry him along.
“I’m giving you back the money you paid me.”
“What?” She nearly flipped over her glass. “We had a deal. I don’t want your charity now, Matthew.”
“This isn’t charity. I’m just trying to make things right.”
He wanted to pay her off, soothe his conscience. That stung. She pushed past him toward the door. “Out, before I really get mad.”
The doorknob wouldn’t cooperate. She jiggled it, but it had finally gotten so loose, it wouldn’t open. Great.
“Come on, Lexy, don’t let your temper stand in the way of reason. Let me explain. This isn’t—”
She skewered him with a dirty look and hit the knob with the heel of her hand. “My temper is none of your business, Matthew. I am none of your business.”
“Are you going to let me explain?”
“No.”
He closed the distance between them, and she held her breath when his shoulder brushed her arm and his chin grazed the top of her head. Hesitantly, she gazed up to stare into his eyes, her heart turning over. His arm came up to circle her. He was going to...to...
Oh, God.
She exhaled sharply, feeling both relieved and annoyed as he reached around to try the knob.
He gave it a firm shake. “Have you got a screwdriver?”
“Get out.”
“Lexy?” His bewildered look might have been cute some other time. “About the money. I’m just trying to make things legal. If I pay you back we can call it a loan, and no one can accuse us of anything later.”
She wanted to laugh. And here she’d thought he was trying to help her. He was worried about his career.
Silly her. Sighing, she leaned against the wall and folded her arms across her chest. “You don’t have to return the money. If anyone asks, I’ll say whatever you want.”
He was still too close, but it didn’t matter anymore. Not now that she’d remembered she wasn’t that besotted young fool who thought she could reform him.
“Tell me where to go tomorrow and I will be there,” she said.
“I insist you take the money, Lexy.” He wiggled the doorknob, ignoring her as if he had final say. “What about that screwdriver?”
Okay, now he was really irritating her. “I will give you one more chance to tell me where to go tomorrow before I tell you where—” memory of her friend’s phrase momentarily failed her “—where to stick it.”
His eyebrows rose. “What’s wrong?”
“When I was nineteen and you were twenty-four, I thought your overbearing personality was cute.” She pushed his hand away from the knob and managed to jerk open the door. “Now, I don’t.”
He narrowed his gaze. “I’m not overbearing. I’m being logical.”
“Fine, Matthew. Kindly do it in your own home.”
“Come on, Lex.” He put his hand on her arm and his fingers lightly brushed her left breast.
She uncrossed her arms and shifted away. But it was too late. His innocent touch had sent an electric impulse straight to her core and nearly rattled the common sense right out of her.
Glaring at the offending hand, her gaze snagged on the gold Rolex watch circling his wrist. Tasha would be home in half an hour.
Lexy took a quick breath. No sense in cutting it too
close. She lifted her lashes, about to agree to any time, any place when his eyes met and held hers.
He’d felt the jolt, too. The telltale tic at his jaw told her even more than his heated gaze.
“Lexy?”
“Okay, tomorrow.” She pushed forward, trying to force him out the door.
“I haven’t given you the address yet,” he said, not moving.
She raised her hands, tempted to bodily push him out. But his chest looked too solid, too inviting, and she balled her hands into fists and dropped them to her sides. “What is it?”
“It’s 1020 Berkshire.”
“I’ll see you there.”
He grunted when she crowded him over the doorjamb. “What time?”
He was doing it again, looking at her with those eyes, mesmerizing her, making her knees weak, her head fuzzy.
“Mommy.” Tasha’s high-pitched giggle pierced the fog. “What are you doing to that man?”
Lexy jumped back.
And met her daughter’s wide, sapphire-blue eyes.
