Will turned off the state highway onto the main drag of Chances Inlet as he bit back his second smile of the day. Could it be she was actually jealous of little Brandi Hamilton? More likely she just didn’t like being the only one who was designated off-limits. Either way, he had to admire her tenacity. “I believe we’ve already covered this, Princess; I’m not wearing a ring.”

“This marriage may not be real, but I won’t have you humiliating me by skirting your way through town while I play the dutiful wife. I never planned to embarrass you with my pregnancy. I would have kept it a secret to protect Owen. And you,” she finished softly.

For the first time in nearly a week, Will didn’t want to explode when he thought of Julianne keeping Owen from him. Whatever lunatic idea she’d based her actions on, it wasn’t out of malice. He understood that now. Of course, he still thought she was flighty and a bit of a fruit loop, but deliberately mean? Not so much.

He stopped at a traffic light and met her eyes in the mirror. “Relax. If I embarrass you, I embarrass Owen, and that’s never going to happen.”

She didn’t say a word; instead she turned sad eyes to the window, and Will felt like a bully. As they made their way toward the ocean, the familiar tree-lined streets grew more congested with tourists making their way down toward the antiques shops and restaurants lining the lanes adjacent to the piers. They passed the town hall and the large welcome sign.

“Chances Inlet, the home to second chances,” she read aloud. “Well, isn’t that ironic.”

“It’s bullshit, is what it is. A tale for tourists so they think the place is quaint. Folks in this town don’t give second chances.” Will maneuvered through the traffic of cars and tourists on foot to turn right onto a tree-lined street.

“If you’re so bitter about the way these people treated you when you were growing up, why do you still have a house here?”

“It’s not my house, it’s my mother’s. I offered to buy her a home of her own when I got my first pro contract, and this is where she insisted on living.” He pulled into a secluded entry gate and continued up the sand driveway.

“Wait, we’re living at your mother’s house?” Julianne’s voice didn’t sound as chagrined as he would have liked it to sound. “With your mother?”

“Yes.” He parked the car in front of a detached garage that featured a covered walkway leading to the side entrance of the house.

“Excellent,” she said cheerily as Will realized he’d misplayed the mom card. Julianne actually seemed happy to have his mother chaperoning, despite the fact that his mother was definitely on his team.

“Aside from our brief introduction, I didn’t get a chance to talk to her the other day at the wedding,” she went on. “Living here will give her the opportunity to get to know Owen better, too. He has only one grandmother to spoil him rotten.” Her voice was wistful as she climbed out of the car.

Will reached in and grabbed the baby carrier. He’d never thought to ask about Julianne’s parents. “Your mother is no longer living?”

“No.”

When she didn’t offer up any more information, Will pressed on. “And your dad?”

“Alive and well. He’s still with the State Department. He’s the ambassador to New Zealand. His current wife always wanted to live there, apparently.” She grabbed the diaper bag and headed up to the covered walkway.

Will sensed the distance in her voice. From her demeanor, he could tell she wasn’t close to her father. He got the impression she and her brother weren’t close, either. But she had devoted friends. Carly had tears in her eyes when they’d left the hospital earlier that day, promising to visit in a few weeks when her husband’s young brother got out of school. Her business manager, Sebastian, had already taken off for London, but not before making sure Will knew the consequences for hurting Julianne in any way. Will had to respect the man’s resolve, even if he didn’t feel the least bit threatened.

The priest, Nicky, was another story. Clearly, he and Julianne shared more than just a friendship; Will needed only to replay the scene of their encounter last summer as evidence of that. But Nicky seemed happy, almost relieved, that Julianne had married Will. And yet Julianne still clung to the priest like a lifeline. Will’s threat to divulge her little outburst from the hotel that night had been the thing that cinched her agreement to their fake marriage. The whole relationship didn’t add up. What worried Will more was that he even cared.

“Oh. My. God!”

Will stepped up onto the covered walkway next to where Julianne stood looking out at the magnificent vista the house overlooked.

“Incredible, isn’t it?” he asked. Waves from the Atlantic Ocean slapped against the barricade fifty yards from the verandah of the two-story home. A long wooden pier stretched over the dunes to the beach beyond. Boats bounced farther out to sea as a lighthouse kept watch from its perch down the peninsula. “My mother always dreamed of having a house on the ocean. This view is one of the reasons she’ll never leave here.”

“This isn’t on the ocean,” Julianne breathed, her voice panicked. “This is in the ocean.”

Thanks to his quick reflexes, Will managed to wrap his free hand around Julianne just as her face went white and her eyes rolled back in her head.

Ten

Julianne leaned her head against the cool granite countertop, her eyes closed tightly in an effort to keep the room from spinning. Owen was beginning to fuss and she didn’t have time for a nervous breakdown.

“Has she eaten anything at all today?” Annabeth’s voice sounded as if she were under water. Not a good sign.

“I have no idea.” Will’s voice was clearer; she could easily make out the sound of his disgust. And closer, she could feel the heat radiating off his body from where he stood beside her. “Here, drink this.”

Julianne cracked open an eyelid. A tall glass of orange juice sat on the counter. It would be easy to reach for it and drink it, but her arms felt like cement. She hadn’t eaten more than a banana today, but it wasn’t the lack of food that was causing her faintness, it was the familiar panic attack she felt whenever she got near an ocean. Of course, she’d never actually fainted before this. Annabeth might be right, Julianne would be better able to handle the situation on a full stomach.

Owen began his catlike wailing, his I’m hungry cry, and Julianne’s body moved instinctively off the bar stool she was perched on. Will grabbed her immediately.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he ordered, pushing her back down and placing the glass in her hand. “Drink this. Mom and I can take care of Owen.”

Annabeth had already scooped Owen out of the car carrier and was carrying him around the warm great room adjacent to the kitchen. As Julianne’s mind began to clear, she took in the room’s stunning décor. High ceilings and floor-length windows took advantage of the view. The furniture was light wood, upholstered in seafoam green. Ceiling fans whirred softly overhead. The far wall was lined with bookcases with a small fireplace tucked among them. The room was flawlessly accessorized, every knickknack placed properly for display. Everything was so perfect the room looked like a magazine spread.

Will put together a bottle for Owen and handed it to his mother, who sank down on a leather bench overlooking a well-appointed screen porch that could have been featured in a gardening catalog.

“Drink,” Will commanded, refocusing her attention.

The orange juice was cool and tangy. Julianne felt her head clear a little more with each sip. Of course, that meant Will’s menacing form came into focus as he belligerently stood in front of her.

“So what drug is it this time?” he asked quietly, presumably so his mother wouldn’t overhear.

“Excuse me?” Julianne sputtered.

“You heard me. Last time it was migraine medicine that made you loopy. You don’t look like you have a headache, so what’s today’s excuse, Princess?”

Julianne slowly stood. Unfortunately, she gave up the advantage of being at eye level once she left the bar stool, but she wasn’t going to take his accusations sitting down.

“I. Don’t. Take. Drugs.” She spun on her heel and marched into the kitchen. The preponderance of culinary equipment nearly took her breath away, defusing the heat of her anger a bit. Everything about the room was state of the art. The appliances gleamed like new. Pots and pans hung above the massive eight-burner range looking as if they were shined daily. The spices in the elaborate spice drawer were filled to exactly the same level and were placed in alphabetical order. This kitchen was a chef’s fantasy. Like the rest of the rooms in the house, it looked unused—almost like a movie set.

Will prowled up behind her. “Something laid you out back there. I swear if I find out you’re using, you’ll never see Owen again.”

As threats go, Will’s had teeth. She shivered slightly at the thought of him taking her son away. But Julianne had the truth on her side. At least the truth about not taking drugs. She pulled a bag of peanut butter crackers out of the diaper bag, willing her hand not to tremble. “I just had a baby. I’ve spent the last five weeks in a hospital eating and sleeping only when I had to. I’m hungry. That’s all.”

Will donned his William the Conqueror expression, which probably intimidated plenty of quarterbacks but had little effect on Julianne.

“I’m happy to pee in a cup for you. You just say the word.”

He didn’t so much as blink, and Julianne slid past him as she shoved a cracker into her mouth. Annabeth was humming softly while Owen sucked forcefully on his bottle.