Queen of Harte's Read online

  The blue paint on the front door was just as damaged and depressing as always. Julian was impressed. It was a clever decoy. Eva clearly didn’t want him to suspect anything and ruin the impact of stepping inside. Either that or the budget had run dry and couldn’t stretch to a tin of paint. Eva had spent a small fortune on the project.

  Julian took a deep breath and opened the door fully. He expected to feel apprehensive and reluctant. He didn’t expect to feel overjoyed by the familiarity.

  His jaw dropped slightly and his chest was heaving as he stood in the open doorway, but he didn’t take a step forward. His eyes darted from one familiar wall to the next. From the floor to the ceiling and finally to Eva.

  ‘Surprise,’ she whispered, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

  Julian could tell that she was nervous. Maybe she was worried about his reaction. She didn’t have to be; this was the most beautiful gift anyone had ever given him.

  Eva walked slowly towards him as his eyes continued to circle his surroundings. She stopped just in front of him and held out her hand. He took it, his fingers sliding over hers as he held her tight. He glanced back outside, back to the car. Anthony was gone – as he’d expected.

  ‘You okay?’ Eva said, leading him into the hallway.

  ‘Really okay,’ Julian replied pulling Eva back.

  Eva spun around to face him. Julian looked her up and down. She looked utterly fuckable. Julian wished the house wasn’t full of well-meaning friends hiding in the background ready to throw the house warming of the century.

  ‘You look great,’ Julian said, kissing the top of her head.

  ‘New make-up,’ Eva mumbled.

  Julian smiled, but he didn’t say anything. God, she was a terrible liar.

  ‘Do you want to see more?’ Eva asked, her bright smile illuminating her whole face.

  Julian smiled back. Her enthusiasm was intoxicating.

  Julian could feel her fingers twitching against his as she waited for his answer. He pulled her a little closer and into his arms, slipping one hand behind her head, his fingers working through her silky hair. His lips pressed to hers. Her mouth opened in response and he slid his tongue between her lips, enjoying the soft underside of her tongue against the rough top of his. He circled around and around, losing himself in her taste.

  Eva pulled away after a few delicious moments. ‘Do you like it?’ she whispered.

  Julian tossed his head to one side. ‘The house or your mouth?’

  ‘The house, silly.’

  ‘I like both…very much.’

  Eva giggled. ‘Phew,’ she joked wiping her brow for dramatic effect.

  Julian tapped his foot against the shiny tiles. ‘Wow. These are nice. It couldn’t have been easy to get your hands on exact matches. I can’t tell which the originals are and which have been repaired.’

  ‘I had a little help,’ Eva admitted, giddily.

  Julian didn’t reply. He didn’t have to. He was glad Eva had built a circle of friends in Dublin. It would be important that she had that support when he was gone.

  ‘C’mon,’ Eva said, taking Julian by the hand. ‘The best bit is back here.’

  Julian followed Eva’s lead into the kitchen at the back of the house. Bright spring daylight was peeking out from under the closed kitchen door and Julian was actually excited to look inside.

  Eva paused outside the closed door for a moment, kissed Julian on the cheek, and whispered in his ear, ‘I love you so much.’

  ‘I love you, too,’ Julian replied as he watched her fingers close around the door handle.

  Eva walked into the kitchen first, and Julian followed waiting for everyone to jump out of their hiding places and yell, ‘Surprise.’ But there was no one there. It was just the familiar old kitchen, with its light coloured wooden cupboards and shiny white marble countertop. He let go of Eva’s hand to walk around the familiar room. It was perfect, just like an old photograph had magically been brought to life. All it was missing was the smell of his mother’s delicious home baking.

  ‘Thank you, Eva.’ Julian said, turning to face a very quiet Eva. ‘You blow me away, Evangeline Andrews, you really do.’

  ‘I’m so glad you like it. I was really nervous.’

  ‘I know.’ Julian took a step forward and ran his finger down the length of Eva’s nose. ‘I didn’t think I’d ever be okay with coming back into this place.’

  Eva sucked her lips between her teeth. ‘And are you okay?’

  ‘I’m more than okay, Eva. I’m happy.’

  A tear ran down Eva’s cheek and Julian caught it on his fingertip and pressed his finger to his lips.

  ‘I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. I’d have never had the balls to step inside.’

  ‘You would have eventually maybe? You’ve always wanted to come in, I think. The time just had to be right.’

  ‘Yeah. The time did have to be right. And it’s right now because you’re here with me.’

  ‘Julian…I…I’ve something to tell you,’ Eva mumbled.

  Julian pressed his finger against Eva’s lips, ‘Shh,’ he whispered. He had a suspicion of exactly what she was going to say, and they’d have an epic amount to talk about once she said it. Now, with a house full of people lurking behind curtains and hiding in the loo under the stairs, was not the time to discuss it.

  Julian took Eva by the hand and this time he was doing the leading. ‘This way, baby.’

  Chapter 36

  Eva’s eyes were scanning every corner as she followed Julian back into the hallway. She couldn’t figure out where everyone had gone. The plan was completely falling apart. They were supposed to all be waiting in the kitchen. But the house was silent and still.

  Julian led Eva to the bottom of the stairs and stopped.

  ‘There’s something upstairs I’d really like you to have.’ he said.

  ‘What? Upstairs? Something for me? How did you get it there?’

  Eva’s eyes pinched as the realisation that Julian had been one step ahead of her the whole time dawned on her. She realised he knew about the surprise she’d been planning all along. Why had he never said anything?

  ‘Julian?’ Eva said, questioning his motive with the tone of her voice as she said his name.

  ‘Go see,’ Julian said tilting his head towards the stairs.

  Eva caught the handrail reluctantly and looked back at Julian as she put her foot on the first step of the stairs.

  ‘Go on,’ Julian laughed. ‘The stairs won’t bite.’

  Eva tossed her eyes up the steps and onto the landing, looked back at Julian again. His delicious smile sent hippos on roller skates rippling around her belly. She raced up the steps with an enthusiasm she couldn’t hold in. She stopped at the top, not sure which room to search first. There was so many. It didn’t really matter; she was delighted with another excuse to visit each freshly painted room with a delicate, new bed linen. All the bedroom doors were closed though, except for one. It made sense to start there, Eva thought, expecting her search to end there, too. She was right.

  Eva gasped and her hands flew to cover her nose and mouth, as she stood starry-eyed in the doorway. An exquisite ivory dress lay on the bed. Eva raced to it, her jaw dropping as she took in the beauty of the sweetheart neckline. She traced her finger over the hand-stitched beading on the bodice, leading into a matte satin skirt that finished with a subtle kick out at the bottom. It was the most beautiful dress she’d ever seen. She moved closer, kicking a box she hadn’t noticed lying next to the bed. She picked it up and opened it. Delicate peep toe, ivory stilettos waited, cradled in soft ivory tissue paper that smelt like a summer’s breeze.

  Eva raced back out to the landing with the shoebox in her hand. She was so excited she hadn’t even taken the time to put it down. She leaned over the banister.

  ‘I love it,’ she shouted down to a waiting Julian. ‘I really, really love it.’

  ‘Put it on,’ he called back.

 
; ‘What. Now?’

  Julian nodded.

  Eva’s fingers twitched against the box with giddy excitement. ‘Okay.’

  She raced back into the room and began to undress. He must be taking her somewhere, she thought as she fumbled with zippers and buttons. Her mind was racing so much she gave herself a headache.

  She slipped into the beautiful, silky dress with ease, especially considering her expanding waistline. And she sighed with relief that the dress was a generous size around the middle. She slipped into the perfectly sized shoes and made her way back to the landing. Julian stepped forward as soon as he saw her. His waited on the ground, with one foot resting on the bottom step. Eva grasped the banister, feeling like a princess from an old fairy tale. And her prince charming was waiting at the bottom step. She glided carefully down each step, taking Julian’s outreached hand as she reached the bottom.

  ‘Wow,’ Julian gasped. ‘I knew you’d be beautiful. But I didn’t know it was possible to be that beautiful.’

  ‘You’ve changed,’ Eva said, noticing Julian had swapped his suit for an impressive tuxedo.

  ‘Couldn’t have you showing me up, Miss Andrews.’

  Eva’s heart was pounding. The last time she’d seen Julian dressed like that was the night of the ball in his country mansion. He’d turned her world upside down that night and her head was spinning as she wondered what he had in store for her now. Did the princess really get to keep her prince charming, she thought, knowing whatever lay ahead, with Julian in control it was going to be spectacular.

  Julian let go of Eva’s hand and took a step away from her. He looked her up and down and she couldn’t stop smiling. What was he doing?

  Eva’s breath caught in the back of her throat as Julian dropped one knee onto the ground, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a little black box.

  ‘Evangeline Andrews, will you marry me?’

  Eva didn’t speak. Her mouth was open but no words were coming out. She couldn’t take her eyes off the little box, resting open now in Julian’s hand. It was a smoky cream inside and waiting in the middle was the most sparkly, solitaire diamond ring she had ever seen. She had planned to surprise him. But instead, he had turned all the tables and taken her breath away.

  ‘A contract?’ Eva mumbled.

  ‘No. Just two people who are madly in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together,’ Julian said.

  Eva’s whole body smiled hearing her words leave Julian’s mouth.

  ‘I want you. I’ve always wanted you,’ Julian continued. ‘I want to wake up next to you every day. I want to introduce you as my wife. I want to know other men hate me because you’re mine and they can’t have you…and I want to be a great father to our child.’

  Eva raced to him and pulled him to his feet, crying as she threw herself into his arms. ‘You know about the baby?’

  Julian bent down and kissed the material of her dress covering her belly. ‘When were you going to tell me?’

  ‘I wanted to for ages. But it was hard to find the right time.’

  ‘Who else knows?’ Julian said pulling himself upright again.

  ‘No one.’ Eva shook her head.

  Julian raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

  ‘Honestly, Julian. No one knows. I didn’t want to tell anyone before you.’

  Julian nodded, and Eva knew he believed her. What she didn’t know was how he felt about it. She couldn’t read him right now.

  ‘Are you okay?’ she mumbled, feeling like the question was pathetic and tired.

  ‘I’m about to become a father, and I’m still waiting for an answer to my previous question, but I’m hopefully about to become a husband. I’m very okay, Miss Andrews.’

  ‘Oh, my God. Yes. Julian. Yes. My answer is yes.’

  Eva couldn’t believe that she hadn’t already answered. She didn’t need any time to ponder over the answer. She wrapped her arms around Julian’s neck and he kissed her deeply before lifting her off the ground and spinning her around.

  ‘You’re not upset?’ Eva said as Julian put her back down.

  ‘No. Why would I be?’

  ‘It’s just the baby…well, you married Mia because you didn’t want Daniel to grow up alone. But our baby might. You know, if things take a turn for the worst.’

  Eva couldn’t believe how awkward she was being. She’d rehearsed this conversation in her head over and over, but now that she was saying it out loud, she felt sick. Asking someone how they felt about dying was tough. Asking the most important person in the world to you about it was excruciatingly difficult.

  Julian lifted the ring out of the box and took Eva’s hand in his, slipping the platinum ring onto her finger. He placed the box back into his pocket, pulled out something else, and passed it to Eva.

  ‘I don’t get it?’ she said looking at a photo Julian gave her.

  It was a picture of a woman she didn’t know, sitting on her front porch with two little boys. One sitting on each side of her. They were about four and six, maybe, and their bright smiles were so sweet they made Eva want to smile, too.

  ‘Her name is Lilly Rose Henderson. She’s a prostitute from Dallas,’ Julian said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘She’s thirty-six and a mother of two. And she swears if it wasn’t for The Andrews Harte Foundation, she’d be high or dead, and her boys would be in state care,’ Julian said looking down at the photo in Eva’s trembling fingers.

  Eva’s heart fluttered. She loved that something that brought her family back together was saving other families, too. ‘Andrews Harte is fantastic, Julian. I’m so grateful for it. But why did she send you this picture. Do you know her personally?’

  Julian shook his head. ‘We’ve never met. But she knows of me.’

  ‘I suppose that makes sense. You’re the money behind Andrews Harte, after all. Most of the girls probably Googled you. I know I would.’ Eva didn’t admit that her internet search history was full of articles on Julian. She’d Googled him more times than she could remember when she’d first returned to New York.

  ‘Maybe some do, I suppose, out of curiosity.’ Julian tossed his shoulders. ‘But that’s not why Lilly Rose got in touch. Apparently, a reporter visited most of the safe houses over the last couple of months. He filled them in on all the shit with the Da Lucas. Gave them a goddamn history lesson on how the charity came about, by all accounts.’

  ‘Nathan?’ Eva gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth.

  ‘Looks like your friend can do undercover after all. I had no idea about any of this,’ Julian admitted.

  ‘Looks like Nathan is better at surprises than I am, then.’ Eva pulled a face.

  Julian threw Eva a delicious smirk. ‘He told them about the last night in Vertigo and about the unfortunate legacy it left me with.’

  A large lump of air plummeted down Eva’s throat. She suspected Julian wouldn’t appreciate Nathan shooting his mouth off. Especially about something that painted Julian as weak or hurt.

  ‘And…’ Eva said stretching her eyebrows.

  ‘And almost every girl volunteered to be tested. Nathan was determined to find a tissue type that matched mine.’

  ‘Lilly Rose Henderson,’ Eva said running her finger over the photograph.

  ‘Bingo.’ Julian smiled. ‘Turns out, Nathan Shields might be the man who saves my life.’

  ‘Oh. My. God. Julian really? This woman…’ Eva turned the photo around to show Julian as if he hadn’t seen it before. ‘She is a match? Really? Is it confirmed?’

  ‘Yes, Eva. She is a match.’

  Eva actually wanted to jump up and down on the spot like a giddy schoolgirl. ‘That’s fantastic news, Julian. But you said you’ve never even met her? I think it’s great that she’s a match, but I just don’t understand why anyone would give a kidney to a stranger. She’s doing all this because Andrews Harte helped her?’

  ‘Because Andrews Harte saved her life. Now, she wants to save mine.’

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nbsp; ‘She sounds amazing. But this is a huge deal. What if she changes her mind? Chickens out, or something.’

  ‘She won’t, Eva. I understand Lilly Rose. Some girls will take what they can from the charity and move on. That’s great, and it’s what the foundation is there for. Other girls, girls like Lilly Rose, will feel they owe something back.’

  ‘Like a debt, you mean?’ Eva said. ‘She shouldn’t have to feel that way. Andrews Harte is there to help, not take.’

  ‘Exactly. But girls like Lilly Rose don’t take handouts. I know what the feels like, Eva.’ Julian leaned forward and kissed Eva on the forehead. ‘And I know what it’s like to do anything and everything you have to until that debt is repaid.’

  A tiny shiver ran down Eva’s spine. Repaying the debt Julian felt he owed to her family was what got him into this mess in the first place. She couldn’t understand what that felt like, but she knew how strong willed and determined Julian was. He would have stopped at nothing; he’d have given his life if he had to, he almost did. If Lilly Rose was anything like Julian, then Eva didn’t have to worry about her backing out or changing her mind at the last minute.

  ‘And you’ll do it? You’ll really go ahead with the surgery?’ Eva mumbled, knowing the last hurdle was Julian accepting help.

  Julian placed his hand on Eva’s tummy. ‘I don’t relish the thoughts of accepting a donor's kidney…’

  ‘Julian, it doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human.’

  ‘I wasn’t finished,’ Julian said, his hand circling her tummy. ‘I know what it’s like to grow up without a father. I’m going to do everything I possibly can to make sure our child never has to know that feeling.’

  Eva sighed. It was the deepest most relieved sighed she’d ever experienced. Like the weight of the world exhaled from inside her with that breath.

  ‘Julian Harte. I fucking love you.’

  Eva threw her arms around Julian’s neck, the photo still in her hand. She kissed him all over, his neck, his lips, his cheeks. She couldn’t get enough of him. Julian reached for her hands and forced them back to her sides. He slipped his fingers between hers and he didn’t let go. The photo floated to the floor and landed with the faces smiling up at them. Eva was smiling just as much as the family in the photo but the look on Julian’s face warned Eva to brace herself.