Free Marrying a Delacourt by Sherryl Woods Page B

sympathy. The only thing that would really matter to him was her ability to find some way to guarantee them a better future. How in heaven’s name was she supposed to do that when an overburdened social services system was just waiting to swallow them up again?

Chapter Six
    A fter a full day of sun and exercise, both Jamie and Josh were exhausted. To Michael’s astonishment, right after an early dinner, they agreed without protest to go upstairs to take baths and go to bed.
    They were almost out the kitchen door when Josh turned and ran back to enfold Grace in a hug. Clearly startled by the gesture, she stood totally still for an instant before allowing her hand to come to rest on the boy’s head.
    Michael watched the play of emotions on her face—surprise, sorrow, yearning—and wondered for the first time if he had dragged her into the middle of something that she wasn’t emotionally equipped to handle. As usual, he’d selfishly thought only of his own desperation when he’d called her. He hadn’tstopped for a second to consider what becoming involved with the boys might do to Grace.
    Despite her tough demeanor as a lawyer, he knew better than anyone how tenderhearted Grace really was, how easily bruised her feelings could be. He also knew just how badly she had once wanted a family of her own, how much she had envied him his large collection of relatives. When she had willingly sacrificed all of that to cut him out of her life, he had finally realized just how deeply he had hurt her.
    Worried by the strain he thought he detected, he watched her intently.
    Finally, after some sort of internal struggle, she forced a smile for Josh and said in her usual bright manner, “Off with you. Lights out in half an hour, okay?”
    “Could you maybe come up and tuck us in?” Josh asked hopefully.
    “Aw, come on, Josh, we’re not babies,” Jamie protested. He had remained hovering in the doorway. From his expression it was evident he longed to be where Josh was, but it was just as clear he thought himself too old for such an overt demonstration of affection.
    Grace seemed to sense his longing, too. “You may be too big for me to tuck you in, but I’ll come up anyway,” Grace promised, then grinned. “So be sure to wash behind your ears, guys. I’ll check.”
    Jamie’s expression brightened at the teasing. He was clearly relieved to have found a way to be included without giving up his adolescent dignity.
    “You’ll have to catch me first,” he retorted.
    “You’d be surprised how quick I am when I’m motivated,” Grace warned him.
    After the boys had gone, she leaned against the counter and sighed.
    “Grace?” Michael asked. “You okay?”
    She frowned at the question. “Would you stop asking me that? I’m fine.”
    “Are you sure you’re not in over your head? If you are, it’s my fault and we need to move ahead with this, get it over with.”
    “We’re not going to rush it. My involvement is not your fault,” she said, avoiding the thrust of his question. “I’m here of my own free will.”
    “You’re here because I called.”
    “Michael, don’t make a big deal out of it,” she said with a trace of impatience. “I’m a lawyer. This is what I do.”
    “No. This is above and beyond what you normally do,” he corrected. “You’re living under the same roof with Jamie and Josh. You’re seeing on a minute-by-minute basis how deeply they’ve been hurt in the past. You’re seeing how badly they crave attention and love. It’s tearing you apart, isn’t it?”
    “I’ll survive,” she insisted, her gaze daring him to contradict her or to prolong the discussion.
    “I think we need to put a stop to it. Let someone else take over.”
    “Absolutely not,” she said fiercely. Her gaze clashed with his. “If you do that, Michael, I will never forgive you.”
    Michael knew enough to let it go. It wouldn’t help if he became any more a part of the problem than he already was.
    “Okay, then.