Little specks of red dotted his vision and Will was sure his brain had exploded. His mother and Hank? Jesus, that could be a disaster! And the crazy woman in front of him wanted to throw them together.
“This isn’t middle school! We aren’t having a party so our friends can make out.” His stomach rolled at the thought.
She roared right back at him. “We are having the party to reinforce this farce of a marriage you forced me in to, jock brain! Your mom and Hank are just the part that actually makes it worthwhile.”
Owen wailed in the background. Julianne moved toward the door. She paused briefly before leaving, her head bowed. “It’s lonely here at night, Will. You go to dinner with Gavin and I’m here with Owen,” she whispered.
He stopped her as she tried to pass. “That was your choice, Princess.”
“None of this was my choice,” she said as she slipped out the door.
Will felt her sucker punch all the way to his knees. Damn it! He stormed out of the pantry and grabbed Owen from Brody’s arms, shoving the bottle into the baby’s mouth. “Fine,” he bit out. “You’ve got your damn party.”
She was gracious enough not to gloat. “I’ll make a list of groceries I’ll need from the store.”
He pulled the car keys off a rack by the back door and tossed them onto the counter.
“Oh no, Princess. If you want this party, you’re doing the shopping.” He started up the stairs with Owen.
“But, Will . . .”
“The GPS will get you there.” He called down before shutting the door to the nursery.
Sixteen
Julianne gnawed on her lip as she stared at the car keys on the counter. Crap! Now what was she supposed to do?
“Hey.”
Brody’s voice startled her. She’d almost forgotten he was standing beside her.
“You okay?” he asked.
No! “Sure,” she lied. Again. “I’m just trying to come up with a grocery list before I head out.”
“So how come you look like you’re about to pass out?”
She brushed a shaky hand over her now-sweaty brow. How would she ever pull this off?
Brody snatched the keys off the counter. “Come on, I’ll take you there. I’ll teach you how to drive another day.”
He was out the back door before she could gather her wits. She shoved her feet into her flip-flops and grabbed the diaper bag that doubled as her purse before following him out the door. The car was already running when she slid into the passenger seat.
“How . . . how did you guess?” she asked as he pulled down the drive.
“Your face said it all.” Brody glanced over at her just before pulling out onto the main road. “It’s nothing to be ashamed about.”
She turned to look out the window. “I’m not ashamed. I actually know how to drive. Carly taught me. I just don’t like to do it.”
“Hey, I don’t need to know your secrets. I’m happy to drive you anywhere you want to go.”
“It’s not exactly a secret,” she told him. “I was in a bad car accident when I was young. I have been a little intimidated by cars ever since.”
Brody nodded. “That’s a pretty good reason.” He was silent for a moment. “Anybody die?”
Julianne rubbed the cross at her neck. “Yes.”
He cleared his throat. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with not wanting to drive. You shouldn’t stress so much about it.”
Julianne leaned against the headrest and smiled over at him. “You’re a nice guy, Brody Janik. How come a woman hasn’t already snatched you up?”
She studied his perfect profile as he drove. His jaw clenched for a moment as his fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly. Just as quickly, his face relaxed into his megawatt smile.
“I haven’t found a woman who’s as pretty as me,” he joked.
Julianne concluded he’d rehearsed that particular line a thousand times. There was more to Brody than just his good looks and his athletic prowess. She suspected he was waiting for the woman who could see past his charm and interact with the real Brody. Reaching over, she patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll find her, don’t worry.”
“Hey!” He shrugged her hand away. “No distracting the driver!”
An hour later, Julianne was white knuckled as she drove Will’s brand-new SUV along the main street through Chances Inlet. “Who knew there’d be traffic in this little town?” Getting behind the wheel of a car had seemed like a good idea after a latte and Brody’s relaxed encouragement. But now she wasn’t so sure.
“It’s Memorial Day weekend. This is the beach. I’d say everyone knew that but you,” Brody teased.
She licked her parched lips as she maneuvered the car past a cyclist. A few blocks later she turned onto the side street that led to the driveway, finally relaxing.
“You got this?” Brody asked.
“This is the easy part.” Julianne swerved to avoid nearly clipping a tree as she pulled up onto the parking pad.
Brody grabbed the dash as she jerked the car into park. “Yeah, well, I think you’re gonna need a few more lessons, Mario, before you go solo, but I’m proud of you for not wimping out. We’ll make a soccer mom out of you yet.”
Julianne leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Brody. You’re a prince among men.”
The smile he gave her wasn’t his forced cover-boy mug but a genuine grin. “Everything is going to work out, Julianne. You’ll see.”
Before she got the chance to ask him what he meant, his car door was yanked open and Will was dragging him out by his shirt collar.
“Will, stop it!” she yelled as she scrambled out of the car and raced to the other side. “What are you doing?” She grabbed onto the back of his shirt and pulled, but it was useless; both men were grappling to get a better hold of one another.
“Damn it, Connelly! Get your hands off me! I’m getting sick and tired of you going all caveman every time I’m around.” Brody kneed Will in the thigh and slipped out of his grip, causing Julianne to get tangled up in Will’s legs.
“And I’m getting sick and tired of you constantly having your hands on my wife!” Will charged after him again, but Julianne stepped in between them.
“I said stop it!” she yelled. Both men ignored her.
“Dude! If you were a little more sensitive to your wife’s needs, I wouldn’t have to step in so much!”
Julianne froze at Brody’s words. Did the man have a death wish? And what was he talking about?
Will’s voice was like a whip cutting through the air. “What’s that’s supposed to mean?”
“It means she doesn’t know how to drive a car, you idiot!” Brody shrugged at Julianne’s gasp. “My mistake, she does know how to drive. She just doesn’t like to. Sorry, Julianne, but he was bound to find out anyway, and I’m getting a little sick of fighting off his ugly mug in my face when I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m out of here.” He stalked off down the drive.
They stood in silence a moment and Julianne worked to regain her equilibrium. Will finally turned toward her, his face stony. “Storms, the ocean, and driving. Are there any more phobias you have that you want to share with me, Princess?”
She swore in Italian before storming around the car, pulling out the bags of groceries, and heading into the kitchen. Tears stung her eyes as she tossed the fresh vegetables on the counter. It was bad enough to live life as a quivering mass of phobias and insecurities, but somehow having Will know all her secrets made her feel totally exposed, raw. It was more than she could handle.
Will carried the remaining groceries in and began unpacking the bags. “It’s a fair question. You’ll be taking care of my son and I need to know what is going to . . . provoke you.”