Lori looked anxious but Leonard ignored the comment. “Hello, Kate.”

Linc sighed with relief. At least Leonard wasn’t yelling.

She gave a curt nod. “Lenny.”

Linc suspected Kate was the only woman in the world who could address Bellamy as “Lenny.” He carried the coffee into the living room and handed Leonard and Kate each a mug before returning for the other two. Both declined cream or sugar.

Earlier he’d brought two kitchen chairs into the small living room so there’d be four places to sit. Linc and Lori sat down on the chairs, leaving Kate and Leonard no choice but to take the sofa. They sat as far away from each other as possible.

“Would anyone like a cookie?” Lori asked, hopping to her feet a moment later and picking up the plate.

Kate shook her head.

“None for me.” Leonard held up his hand, palm out.

Lori sat down as though disappointed. She turned to Linc, her eyes pleading with him to say or do something to ease the tension in the room.

“I’d like to propose a toast,” Linc said.

The two older people regarded him skeptically.

“To marriage.” Linc didn’t wait for anyone to chime in, but raised the mug to his lips.

They each took a small sip. Linc noticed that Kate clung tightly to the mug handle and focused all her attention on her coffee. Leonard, on the other hand, kept staring at his wife as if he couldn’t stop himself.

“I didn’t know if you were aware of the fact that I went to see Leonard this week,” Linc said to his mother-in-law.

“No,” Kate told him. “Lori didn’t say anything about it.”

“I would have, Mom, but anytime I mentioned Dad you said you didn’t want to hear his name again.”

“I didn’t and I don’t,” she snapped.

Rather than allow the two women to get sidetracked, Linc continued. “We had a nice, long chat. Isn’t that right, Leonard?”

“We, uh, did,” Bellamy said.

“What I found interesting was the story of your courtship.” Linc paused and waited for some reaction. “Kate had talked about a few things, but Leonard filled in the blanks.”

“That was a long time ago,” Kate said, then added pointedly, “When I was young and foolish and didn’t know any better.”

“We were both young and foolish.” Leonard took another sip of coffee and set the mug aside.

For just an instant, Linc feared the other man was about to walk out. Fortunately, though, Leonard sat back, crossing his arms over his chest.

“That conversation made me understand why Leonard and I started off on the wrong foot.” Linc reached between the two chairs to link hands with Lori. “Leonard worked hard to prove himself to your family, didn’t he, Kate?”

“He did,” she agreed begrudgingly.

“How many years did it take?”

“A few… I’ve forgotten now.”

Linc would bet that Kate knew, right down to the day.

“Five,” Bellamy supplied. “Five long years.”

“Lori and I didn’t wait,” Linc said. “We each saw what we wanted and went for it. That was a mistake, and one I’ve regretted ever since.”

“You regret marrying me?” Lori asked, wide-eyed with shock.

Linc squeezed her hand. “Not for one second.”

“Give yourself time,” her mother interjected. “The regrets will come.”

“Kate,” Leonard said in a sharp voice. “Can’t you see how much in love these two are? Don’t disillusion them.”

“What I regret, Lori,” Linc said to clarify his statement, “is that I didn’t go to your parents and give them an opportunity to meet me first.”

“I didn’t want you to meet them,” Lori insisted.

“I know,” Linc said, “but I shouldn’t have listened. I should’ve followed my instincts.”

“You didn’t want him to meet us?” Kate asked, staring at her daughter, her expression aghast.

“No, I didn’t,” Lori said again. “I was afraid you’d tell me what bad judgment I’d shown with Geoff and that you couldn’t trust me to find a good man and…and I didn’t want you to try to talk me out of marrying Linc.”

“In other words, you didn’t care what we thought,” Leonard said. His arms remained crossed.

“I did but…” Lori didn’t finish.

“None of that’s important now,” Linc continued. “Lori and I are married, and while Leonard and I still have some way to go in building a relationship, I believe we’ve come to terms.”

“Have we, now?” Bellamy arched his brows.

“I believe we have,” Linc returned calmly. “We just got off to a rocky start.”

“You mean you’re willing to forgive and forget everything my husband—my soon-to-be-ex-husband—did to sabotage you and your business?” Kate asked aggressively.

Linc met his father-in-law’s look head-on. “I’m willing to forget it because when I stopped to analyze Leonard’s reasoning I could see his point.”

Leonard uncrossed his arms and leaned forward.

“This was a man who loved his daughter enough to put an upstart like me to the test. Hopefully I passed.”

“Frankly, I don’t see why he felt it was necessary to test you at all,” Kate said. “All he had to do was read the investigator’s report to know you’re a good man. But he wouldn’t believe that. Oh, no, he was prepared to risk our relationship with our daughter just to prove he was right. He was absolutely convinced you’d turn out to be underhanded.”

“What investigator’s report?” Lori blurted.

Leonard ignored her question. “That was before—”

“Before the two of us talked this week,” Linc finished for him.

Leonard nodded.

“Now, while I was talking to Leonard in his office, there was something else I learned. Something that struck me as profound.”

Leonard leaned forward again. Kate, too, seemed interested.

“I discovered how much Leonard loves his wife and family. He’s an example of the kind of husband and father I want to be to Lori and our children.” While that was a stretch, it was close enough to the truth. The essential part of his remark was genuine. Leonard might be arrogant and controlling but at heart he wanted the best for his family. His intense desire to protect them sometimes made him oblivious to their desires and to their ability to make independent decisions about their own lives.

Kate glanced at her husband and Leonard met her eyes. “It’s true,” he whispered. “I love my wife and my children.” As though he couldn’t stay seated any longer, he jumped to his feet and began to pace. “I suppose that’s why what happened on Friday came as such a shock. I never thought my wife would stop loving me.”

“How can you say that?” Kate retorted. “I’ve loved you all these years, haven’t I?”

“A woman who serves her husband with divorce papers brings that into question.”

“I hope you got the message.”

Leonard turned to face her. “I got it all right, loud and clear. You want to end our marriage and—”

“Mom,” Lori said, cutting off her father. “Do you still love Dad?”

“Of course I do. That’s a ridiculous question.”

“Will you still love me if we’re divorced?” Leonard asked.

“Yes, but I’d learn not to.”

“Which you seem quite willing to do.”

“It’ll be difficult, but I’ll manage.”

“Difficult and completely unnecessary,” Linc inserted. He gestured toward Leonard. “When I went to his office, I found a man who’s lost and broken without his wife.”

Leonard opened his mouth to contradict Linc, but apparently changed his mind.

Kate shook her head. “One thing Lenny’s never been is lost or broken. His pride would carry him for the rest of his life before he’d admit he was wrong.”

“Is that so?” Leonard challenged, glaring at her.

Kate glared right back at him. “Can you admit you made a mistake? And that you regret the way you’ve treated our daughter and her husband?” she demanded.

Leonard looked from his wife to Linc and Lori. “I…might’ve been a bit hasty in judging Linc’s motives for marrying Lori.”

“See what I mean?” Kate muttered. “He’s still not convinced.” She stood and carried her mug into the kitchen. “He hasn’t been able to admit he’s wrong in over thirty years.”

“I…may have jumped to conclusions on occasion,” Leonard said in a loud voice.

“There’s no need to yell, Lenny. My hearing is perfectly good.” She left the kitchen and strode to the front door. “He simply can’t acknowledge when he’s made a mistake.”

Linc frowned at his father-in-law. If Leonard didn’t stop Kate now, there was nothing more Linc could do.

Kate was opening the door when Leonard shouted, “Okay! Okay. Fine, if it’s so important for me to say the words, then I will. I was wrong about Linc and Lori. There. Are you satisfied?”

Kate froze, one foot inside and the other out the door.

“Did you hear me?” Leonard asked.

Slowly she turned toward her husband, her head held high. “Can you apologize?”

Leonard hesitated and his jaw tightened.

“See what I mean?” Kate murmured.

“All right, all right. Linc, I apologize.”

“All is forgotten,” Linc said, and they exchanged a handshake.

“Satisfied now?” Leonard asked Kate.

Instead of answering, Kate looked at Lori.

Leonard sighed. “Lori, you, too.”

“You, too, what?” Kate said.

“I apologize.”

“Thank you, Daddy.” Lori walked over and gave her father a hug. He returned her hug and held his daughter close.

“Anyone else?” he asked Kate.

She offered him a smile. “That wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

Leonard shrugged. “Actually, it was, but now that I’ve done it, I feel a lot better.” He reached out and squeezed Lori’s hand. “I love you, you know.”

“Yes, Daddy, I know.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

“I love your mother, too,” he said. “If she leaves me, I—”

“I could be talked into reconsidering,” Kate broke in. “Under certain conditions, of course.”

Leonard’s features softened. “Would it be possible to talk right now, just the two of us?”

Kate smiled and then nodded. “I think that would be very nice.”

A few minutes later, they left together, in their own cars. Linc didn’t hear where they planned to go but it wouldn’t surprise him if it was the family home, where they both belonged.

“Oh, Linc,” Lori said, slipping her arms around his waist. “That went so well.”