Lucky shook his head. “What fraud? Couples get engaged all the time.”
“But we’re not really engaged. When we don’t get married, they’ll know we’re lying. I need to hire a private detective to find the children’s uncle. Maybe I can find him in time, and no one will find out the truth. We can tell everyone you changed your mind.”
“Calm down. I already have several people searching for their relative.” He cocked his head to the side. “Why not tell them you broke up with me?”
Willa rolled her eyes. “No one will believe that.”
“I’m getting tired of you putting yourself down. Don’t do it again.”
Willa felt the chill of his displeasure and unconsciously shivered. Desperate, she changed the subject.
“Thank you for helping me keep the children and finding a place for Sissy. I know she regrets her actions.”
“No, she doesn’t. I didn’t do this for the children and for damn sure not Sissy. I did it for you.”
“Why?” She was confused. Why would Lucky help her?
“You’ve worked hard to keep that family together. They owe you a debt, not the other way around. Lewis attacked you. No one blames you for killing him.”
“I blame myself. I should have hit him with the gun, tried to knock him out.” She had bought the gun to protect herself. Lewis had been more and more demanding, frightening her into the rash purchase, a decision she would regret to her dying day.
“What if you hadn’t? What if he took it away and killed you?”
“I wish I had never bought that gun.”
“Why? It served its purpose. It protected you and Rachel. What if you didn’t have it that day?”
Rachel would be dead, and she would be, too. There had been a mad glaze in Lewis’s eyes that day. Willa saw it every night in her nightmares.
“You can’t bring the bullet back, Willa. Unfortunately, there aren’t any do-overs where a life is concerned.”
“No, there aren’t,” Willa agreed.
“Since you’re dressed, I suggest we wake the children and go out to dinner. We need to let people see us around town together. Go wake the girls. I’ll get Charlie.”
“But I have orders I need to get done for tomorrow.”
“I’ll help you when we get back.”
“You’ll help?”
“I can keep the kids occupied and put them to bed. It will get them used to me.”
“Why do they need to get used to you? We’ll have to pretend to break up before the two weeks are up.” Willa tried to think about how hard it was going to be to get out of the lies they had told.
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes. Right now, our priority is to make Child Services believe us.”
Willa nodded. The threat of the Wests taking the girls was the only incentive she needed to keep the pretense of being engaged.
She woke the still-sleeping girls.
“We’re really going out to dinner with Lucky?” Leanne asked, rising up in her bed when Willa told her where they were going.
“Yes,” she answered, dressing Chrissy and Caroline in warm clothes.
“Why does he want to take us out to dinner?” Leanne asked, jumping out of her bed.
“He wants to get to know all of you better.”
“Sissy got us into a lot of trouble, didn’t she?”
“Yes, and Lucky wants to help.” Willa studied the girl seriously. “Leanne, if you want to stay with the girls and Charlie, we have to show that I can care for you and your cousins. Can you please help me with that?”
Leanne lowered her head, unable to meet her gaze. “I’m really sorry, Willa. I didn’t think they would take us away. I shouldn’t have let Sissy talk me into not telling you she was sneaking out.”
“She could have really gotten into a bad situation and been hurt.”
“I realize that. I was stupid.”
“Not stupid, you were just trying to make your big sister happy.” Willa handed her the hairbrush after she brushed out the two little girls’ hair.
“Ready?” Willa asked the apprehensive girl when she was done with the brush.
Without her sister, a different girl was emerging, although she didn’t like to think unkindly that Sissy wasn’t a good influence on Leanne.
Downstairs, Lucky was waiting with Charlie, who couldn’t hide his excitement about going out with the large man standing patiently by the doorway.
Willa grabbed her purse, holding the girls each by their hands. Lucky reached down, taking Chrissy’s.
“Leanne, take Caroline.” Leanne took Caroline’s hand as she went through the door.
“I had her,” Willa protested.
“Leanne is able to place her in the car.” Lucky closed the door behind them.
Willa was walking toward her car when Lucky stopped her.
“We’ll take my car.”
Willa stopped in her tracks, used to him on a motorcycle. She looked at the curb, seeing a large, black Yukon sitting there.
“Caroline and Sissy need car seats.”
“Knox put them in the back seat,” Lucky stated, opening the back door.
Willa stood aside, watching him first buckle Chrissy then Caroline into their seats. Leanne climbed in then Charlie.