Foolish Games(45)

Instead, she answered as she did each day. “He’s treating us fine, Stephen.” Which was sort of true; Will was treating Owen fine. Julianne, however, was being treated with the chilly reserve Will was famous for. Ever since their encounter in the nursery, they’d gone back to being distant housemates, alternating caring for Owen. It was better this way, she kept telling herself. Easier to make the break when they had to.

Besides, Will’s accusation about her and Nicky hurt more than she wanted to admit. People were forever making false assumptions about their relationship. Julianne never spent much effort refuting them because she truly did love Nicky. He was the one constant in her life, the one person who’d always been there for her, especially when she needed him the most. She didn’t think her heart was big enough to love another person. Until she’d had Owen.

But Julianne was a realist. Nicky loved her, she knew, just not enough. He loved another more. At first, she’d been devastated by his decision to become a priest. As the years passed, she rationalized his choice by being thankful that at least he would never love another woman more than he loved her.

“He’s bonding with Owen, then? Actually helping take care of him?” her brother asked.

An image of Owen sleeping on Will’s chest popped into her head. Will had taken to getting up in the predawn hours with the baby, Julianne taking the middle-of-the-night shift. When Owen hadn’t been in his crib this morning, she’d panicked, racing down to Will’s study to find the baby nestled atop Will’s slumbering body, his big hand securely cradling their son. The scene was so tender it brought tears to Julianne’s eyes. She’d quietly retreated to the kitchen, trying to figure out why she was crying. The purpose of their stay in Chances Inlet had been for father and son to establish a bond. Julianne wasn’t sure why she’d felt so left out.

“Yeah, they’re bonding, Stephen. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”

“Julianne!” her brother called before she could hang up. “Wait! I need to ask you something.”

“I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with my life, if that’s what’s keeping you up at night. But don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you by sleeping on street corners.”

Stephen sighed. “You and Owen are always welcome at my house. And I have no doubt you’ll figure something out. You’re a brilliant designer.”

Julianne nearly pinched herself. Her brother had barely acknowledged her career in fashion. A positive compliment from him was a shock.

“What I really want to know is what Will thinks about this whole mess with his former coach,” Stephen continued. “Has he said anything about it?”

Will hadn’t mentioned a problem with his coach, but then they’d hardly exchanged more than polite conversation these past few days. “What mess with his former coach?”

“It’s all over the sports media.”

Julianne rolled her eyes. She was more Project Runway and Chopped than ESPN, a fact her brother should know.

“It looks like he may be implicated in a bounty scheme where players are paid to hurt opposing players,” Stephen went on to say.

“Will? Or his coach?” Julianne asked.

Stephen took a long moment to answer. “Well, it could be both of them if the rumors are correct. Will is known for some pretty . . . aggressive play.”

Something within Stephen’s tone sent a chill down Julianne’s spine. The image of Will deliberately hurting someone else just didn’t fit. Sure, he was arrogant and bullheaded, but he was gentle with Owen and he’d been kind to her that night on Sea Island. Of course, did she really know the real Will Connelly? Could she trust him with her son?

Julianne quickly stood and folded up the blanket, shoving it and the forgotten sketch in the back of the stroller. “Well, Will must not be too worried about it. He hasn’t said a word about his coach or this scheme you’re talking about, and we talk about everything,” she lied. “I’ve got to go feed the baby now, Stephen. Thanks for the call.”

“Look, Julianne, things could get a little ugly. They’ll try to make him out to be a monster. If you need me, just call, okay?”

The more salacious her brother sounded, the more suspicious she got. She gave him a quick good-bye before hanging up. Clearly, he didn’t want his political career tainted by scandal brought on by his brother-in-law. He didn’t really care about the safety of his sister and his nephew. But Julianne wasn’t being fair. To Will, anyway. She’d never once felt threatened by him despite his strength and size. And she’d never seen him mistreat Owen. There had to be an explanation.