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“Family unity was drummed into us from the cradle. My mother’s last request was that I keep everyone together until Papà returned. But the police wanted to separate us. I couldn’t let them.”
“You did your best, Luc,” she said urgently. “You were so young. Too young to care for an infant, to supervise four rambunctious boys.”
His hands tightened on hers, communicating his pain and distress. “Don’t you get it? I was in charge. It was my duty to keep us all together until Papà came home. I tried. Heaven knows, I tried. But I didn’t succeed. They took my brothers, one by one. Soren and D’Angelo, who were next oldest. The twins, Matteo and Dante. Then finally Brand. They needed three policemen to hold me down while they got them all out of the house.” He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. “We were dispersed to various foster homes. Three weeks later Papà came for us.”
“He didn’t blame you, did he?” she asked in alarm.
“Never. But I knew I’d failed.” He stepped free of her hold and turned to face her, his expression carved into lines of unwavering determination. “I won’t fail again. I swear, I’ll do anything—anything—to regain custody of Toni until Carina and Brand return.”
“What are you planning?” she asked uneasily.
He gazed down at her, his eyes dark with a passionate intensity. “You and I,” he informed her in a clipped, stony voice, “are now officially married.”
“You can’t be serious,” she exclaimed, taking a quick step back.
He caught her by the shoulders, anchoring her in place. “I’m dead serious. Hatcher said having a permanent female presence in the house might tip the scales in our favor, and that’s just what I intend to have.”
“But what about Will... William?”
“What about him?” he demanded.
There was a recklessness about Luc that worried her, and her gaze slid nervously from his. Perhaps this wasn’t the best time to mention her supposed fiancé. “I’ll discuss it with him.”
“Yeah. You do that. In the meantime, I want as much of your stuff over here as we can carry. When Ms. Emergency Response Worker arrives on my doorstep, I want her to find a happily married couple. That means his-and-hers hairbrushes on the dresser. Our toothbrushes sharing a tube of toothpaste. And my shoes playing footsie with yours on the closet floor.”
If only she had time to think, time to line up all the reasons why his plan wouldn’t work. She pulled from his grasp and tightened the sash of her robe, thrusting her hair back from her face. “In case it escaped your notice, I haven’t agreed to your request.”
“Are you refusing to help?”
Was she? She frowned, eyeing the empty crib with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. With each passing hour, Luc drew her further and further into his personal problems. When Dom returned, could she face him honestly and say she’d kept their agreement? No, not even close. But then, how could she leave Luc in such dire straits? How could she desert him?
“Do we have to claim we’re married?” she asked. “The police think we’re engaged. What happens if they compare notes?”
“Then we’ll show them our marriage certificate.”
She stared at Luc in shock. “What?”
“Tomorrow we apply for a license, just in case a temporary marriage is necessary.”
“No! I won’t do it.”
He approached, towering over her, his face set in hard, determined lines. “Oh, yes, you will. I don’t care what it takes. I’ll give you whatever you want, but you will do this. If not for me, for Toni.”
She faced him defiantly. “You have such a way with words.”
He inhaled deeply, pain etching deep furrows across his brow. “I’m sorry. I know I’m doing this all wrong. But, please, Grace. I need you. I need your help. I can’t let them take Toni away.”
She closed her eyes, knowing she should turn him down flat. A strident voice of logic told her there wasn’t a single valid reason for helping him, and every reason in the world for refusing. If she were smart, she’d listen to that voice. If she were smart.
“All right,” she whispered. “I’ll do it.”
And then he kissed her, a kiss of such passion and heat, it was more than enough to still even the voice of logic. Desperation clung to the edges of the embrace, filled with dark memories and a heartache she longed to soothe. He’d always seemed to accept his role as the one in charge, the most responsible of his siblings. The man others turned to in their time of need. He’d never shown any sort of vulnerability.
Until now.
Now he needed comfort. He needed someone to turn to in his time of need, and she was the one he’d chosen. “It’s going to work out,” she whispered against his mouth. “We’re in this together.”
“Together. I like the sound of that.” He didn’t give her time to think, but swept her into his arms and carried her through to his bedroom.
