Jamison squirmed and twisted in an effort to escape.
Sophie moved to scoop him up, but Lola angled away. “I got him. He needs to learn to appreciate who butters his bread.”
Sophie froze. “Butters his bread?”
“Pays for his education,” Lola said.
“His education? He’s six months old.”
“He’ll go to Harmon’s Academy, of course.”
“The private school?” Sophie echoed, shooting Luke a quick glance. She wanted to say, I’m the legal guardian so I should have a say in Jamison’s education and I believe in the public school system, but her legal training had taught her the art of diplomacy and the power of patient persuasion. “There’ll be lot of time to talk about his education.”
“I’ve already put his name down on the Bennet’s waiting list.”
“Bennet’s?” Sophie echoed, feeling sick.
“The preschool we attended,” Luke said in her ear.
“We should have registered him as soon as that chit got herself pregnant.”
Did this awful old woman really just call Chloe a chit? Sophie bristled and all her artistic diplomacy and powerful patience flew out the window. Luke must have sensed this, because he put a cautioning hand on Sophie’s arm.
Again with the tingles. They took her so off-guard, her words died before she could share them.
Jamison howled.
“Here, let me,” Luke said, scooping the baby out of Lola’s lap and returning him to Sophie.
Jamison snugged against Sophie with a muffled sob.
“Why don’t you sit down and I’ll fix you a plate of food?” Luke took her elbow and steered her to a down-filled sofa with an incredible ocean view.
Sophie sank down and leaned back, promising herself that she’d leave as soon as the old bat blew out her birthday candles.
“What should I get for Jamie?” Luke hovered above her.
“He doesn’t eat solids yet.”
Luke blinked as if this were news to him. “Of course,” he said quickly, kindly not mentioning last night’s green beans.
Sophie watched as Mia and Paige fluttered around Luke. A number of people Sophie didn’t know also approached Luke to hug him or shake his hand. You would think he was royalty, she thought, rather than the guy who bailed on his nephew after his brother’s death.
I’m here now. Luke’s words cut into her thoughts. But was he really? If he couldn’t be responsible six months ago, there wasn’t any guarantee that he could be responsible now. As Lauren always said, the way you do anything is the way you do everything, and past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Right now she trusted Luke Mason about as far as she could throw him. And seeing as how he outweighed her by about a hundred pounds, she doubted she’d even be able to lift him an inch. But maybe she could kick him.
He returned with two plates of food.
“Here, let me take Jamie,” Mia said, swooping in and pulling the baby from Sophie’s arms.
Jamison, who was more awake now, didn’t even flinch when Mia balanced him on her hip.
“You are the cutest thing,” Mia crooned.
As Sophie watched Mia walk away with Jamison, she felt her world slipping away from her. Again.
A cheer went up in the other room. Sophie twisted around to see what was going on and was surprised to see an elderly gentleman dragging an extension ladder into the room.
“No one’s going to tell me I’m too old,” he said with a swagger.
