what had prompted this unexpected visit. âThanks.â
âI saw one of your coffee tables the other day at Susan Milfordâs house,â April said. âYou do such beautiful work, Luke.â
He grinned, suddenly realizing a possible reason for their being here. âLet me guess, you want me to make you a crib. Sure, Iâll be glad to do it.â
âOh, Luke, that would be wonderful, but thatâs not the reason we stopped.â April smiled at Mark, as if to encourage him. âGo on, ask him.â
Mark was obviously ill at ease as he looked first at his wife, then at Luke. âWell, you know April is pregnant,â he began. Luke nodded. âSince we found out, she and I have been talking andâ¦wellâ¦weâd like you to be the babyâs godfather.â
Luke stared at his brother and sister-in-law in stunned silence. âIs this a joke?â He couldnât imagine why they would want him to hold such an exalted position in the life of their child. Being a godparent was certainly nothing to take lightly.
âOf course itâs not a joke,â April replied with a sweet smile. âMark and I both agree that you would make a wonderful godfather. We both know that beneath your superficial charm and bad-boy reputationis the heart of a loving, caring man, the kind of man we want in the life of our child.â
Her words caused an unsettling ball of emotion to well up inside Luke, and he instantly swallowed. He didnât want this.
How could he be a good godparent and leave Inferno in seven months? He didnât want chains holding him here, and this felt like an emotional chain of mammoth proportions.
He swallowed again and cleared his throat. âI really appreciate the thought, but maybe it would be better if you asked Matthew.â
Luke saw the disappointment in his brotherâs eyes and instantly regretted his words. But it wouldnât be fair to the baby to have a godparent who wasnât here to share life experiences.
âOkay,â Mark said. âThen I guess weâll ask Matthew.â He turned on his heels and left the workroom.
April looked at Luke one last time, confusion wrinkling her delicate brow. âYou Delaneys are the most complicated people I know,â she said, then turned and followed her husband out the door.
In the ensuing silence, Luke got back to work, trying not to think of what had just occurred. The idea that April and Mark would want him as a godfather still stunned him.
For the first time in his life, Luke felt as if his brother had been reaching out to him, trying to make a connection beyond the superficial one they had shared all their life.
And heâd rejected it. And apparently heâd rejected it badly. Luke sank down on a bench and raked a handthrough his hair. If heâd wanted a drink before, he desperately needed one now. All he had to do was walk into the house and help himself to the bar stock Matthew kept on hand. A few drinks, and the pain in his chest would disappear.
Yeah, right, he thought dryly. His pain might go away but heâd be back on the treadmill that led to nowhere. Heâd drink himself into the loser his father had always told him he was.
Aprilâs words replayed in his mind. She was a sweet woman but obviously seeing characteristics that werenât there. Beneath his superficial charm and bad-boy reputation wasnât much of anything else. And he was not a good bet for a godfather. Matthew would be a much better choice.
He drew a deep breath and thought of his siblings. His brothers and sister were fools for wanting to keep this ranch alive, for being sentimental enough to want to hang on to a place where theyâd endured nothing but heartache.
He was the smart one, the strong one who intended to get away. He had a hunger to be somebody, to make something of himself, if only to prove his father wrong.
Funny, each and every one of the Delaney children
Marta Perry
Isabel Cooper
R. L. Stine
Olivia Cunning
Paul Doherty
Ruth Rendell
Stephanie Alba
Meredith Towbin
Peter Tremayne
Nora Roberts