by Katie Meyer
“No one knew, your mom was the first person we told.”
“How’d that go over, anyway?”
Ryan drank deep to wash the taste of the memory away. “She wasn’t thrilled.”
“I’m guessing that’s the understatement of the year.” He turned toward Ryan, his face going serious. “You know, don’t you, that it’s not about the baby? I mean, she’s a big church goer and all, and not exactly a fan of sex outside of marriage, but when Cassie got pregnant before we got married, she was fine with it. Said something about babies being blessings and started knitting blankets and booties. It’s not being part of the wedding that she’d be angry about. And being kept out of the loop. She doesn’t like secrets.”
“She said as much, once she calmed down. Honestly, right now I’m more worried about how Jessica feels about all this than her family’s feelings.”
“Fair enough, man.”
They both sipped in silence for a few minutes. When their glasses were empty Ryan gestured to the bartender for another round, but Alex shook his head and waved him off.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Ryan protested. “I’m only partway drunk, and I’ve got plans to get all the way drunk before I go home. In a cab,” he added, not wanting his new brother-in-law, and fellow law enforcement officer, to think he was angling for a DUI.
Alex clapped him on the back. “New plans, brother. It’s your wedding night, what’d you say we go find your missing bride?”
* * *
In the end, Jessica told them everything.
Jillian and Cassie both thought she should tell Ryan about her inheritance right away. “If he’s as good a guy as he seems, he won’t care,” Jillian assured her. “After all, he still gets what he wants, which is to be involved with you and the baby.”
“Unless you tell him, and then he wants part of the money,” Sam argued. “If you’re married when you inherit he may expect half of it to be his. If you divorce I mean.”
“I’m planning on having the marriage annulled rather than divorcing,” Jessica clarified. “But you’re right. I have no idea how that would work, legally. Maybe he would be entitled to half of it.” Her pulse quickened at the thought. She’d planned on spending most of it on a place for her and the baby to live and saving the rest for childcare expenses.
“You know who would know?” Cassie asked, clearing the ice cream bowls from the table. “Dani. She is a lawyer after all, and I know she’s done family law stuff.” She stacked the dishes in the dishwasher and returned to the table, Jillian behind her carrying a bottle of wine and a glass of iced tea. “Want me to call her?”
Jessica took the tea and shook her head. “No, it’s late and she’s got a sick kid. I’ll track her down tomorrow.”
“Even if you only get half, you’d still qualify for child support payments to help out,” Cassie reminded her. “Or...you could just stay married. From what you are telling me he’s half in love with you already...and you—”
“Had a momentary lapse of judgment.”
“Which time? When you got pregnant, or tonight before I called you?” Cassie asked with a grin. “Seems like once is a mistake. But if you’re still having a hard time resisting him, maybe there’s a reason.”
“There is—hormones. It’s just all the hormones. Besides, even if I wanted things to work out, that’s no guarantee they would. And I can’t gamble my future on someone I barely know and have no reason to trust. No,” she said, forcing a sense of confidence into her words. “Ryan’s a good guy, but I can’t be dependent on him. I need to know I can do this on my own.”
“Still,” Sam said, wineglass in hand, “why can’t you at least get some action while this whole marriage scam lasts?”
“Because I don’t want to blur the boundaries. Things are weird enough already—I don’t want to confuse the situation.”
They spent the next hour debating the ethics of Jessica staying silent about her inheritance, and had gone through a bottle and a half of wine and most of a pitcher of iced tea when the doorbell rang. Jillian sprinted for the door, nearly knocking over her chair in an attempt to reach the door before whoever it was rang again.
From her spot at the table they heard a loud, “Shh, the baby’s sleeping” and then several sets of footsteps heading toward the kitchen.
“Who on earth could that be?” Sam wondered aloud.
Jessica’s stomach tightened. It couldn’t be Ryan, could it? No, of course not. He didn’t even know who Jillian was—much less where she lived. And besides, why would he come after her?
Cassie stared past Jessica, mouth open, at whoever was coming down the hallway. “Alex, what are you doing here? I told my parents you’d pick up the kids after your shift.”
“They called and told me the kids had fallen asleep watching a movie, and suggested we just let them spend the night. They’ll bring them home after breakfast.”
Cassie visibly relaxed, easing back into her seat.
“And as for what I’m doing here, this fellow seems to have misplaced his wife, and so as a fellow officer and brother of the bride, I offered to help him out.”
“Ryan?” Jessica stood, nearly upending her chair as she spun around. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure, really.” He shrugged, the loose motion a bit less coordinated than usual. “But your brother here seemed to think it was a good idea. And since he’d been nice enough not to pound on me, I figured the least I could do was go along.”
Jessica turned back to Alex. “You were going to pound on him? For what? Marrying me? Or for having sex with me?” Alex winced, but she wasn’t done yet. “That’s right, tough guy, I said sex. I’m not a little girl anymore, and you, big brother, are going to have to get used to it. I can sleep with whoever I want to. And you have no say in it.”
Ryan raised a wobbly hand. “Wait, do I get a say in that? As your husband I mean?”
At her perturbed look he backed down, but under his breath he muttered, “I’m pretty sure that was in the vows somewhere, is all I’m saying...”
“He has a point,” Alex agreed with a smirk.
“You shut up. You had no right to interfere in any of this.”
“He is your brother. Seems he had some right to know about his new niece. Or nephew. Or whatever,” Ryan countered from where he was precariously leaning against the refrigerator.
“So you’re on his side now?”
“No.” Ryan shook his head. “I don’t think so, anyway. I’m a little confused right now, to be honest.”
“What you are is drunk,” Jessica said. She tried not to sound judgmental. After all, the only reason she wasn’t sporting a good wine buzz was her expectant state.
“Maybe just a little bit,” Ryan agreed amiably. “But not as drunk as I would have been if Alex here hadn’t showed up.”
Jessica looked from one man to the other and sighed. “I don’t even know what to do with that information.”
“How about I make a pot of coffee,” Jillian suggested, breaking in. “Seems like Ryan could use some.”
“Irish coffee?” Ryan asked hopefully.
“Sorry, nope. I’m afraid we are all out of whiskey,” Jillian replied, not sounding at all apologetic.
“That’s okay. I’m fine with brandy. Or rum. Or—”
“Black. You’re getting black coffee,” Jessica interrupted.
“Man, not even cream and sugar?”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “If you’re good.”
“Aren’t I always?” His smile told her he hadn’t forgotten what had happened between them earlier. The problem was, he was right. He was good. Amazing, actually. His kisses had made her forget her problems, forget everything. But she didn’t have the luxury of forgetting. She had to focus on getting things in place before the baby came so that she could lan
d on her feet if everything fell apart.
Ryan might want her now, but once he found out she’d married him for money, for access to her inheritance, that would be the end of any feelings he thought he had for her. Maybe she didn’t know him well, but she did know that he valued honesty. More than that, he hated the way money had changed his family. To find out Jessica had done the same thing...well, it wasn’t going to go over well.
Which was why he couldn’t find out, not until she had a check in hand. She wasn’t a mercenary—normally money was an afterthought for her, not a focus. But this wasn’t about her anymore. Lying didn’t feel good, but if that’s what it took to make sure the baby inside her was provided for, she’d do it. She’d known about the pregnancy for only a few days, but already she knew she’d do anything to protect her child. Even if it felt like she was selling her soul to do it.
“You okay?” Sam asked quietly from the seat next to her.
Startled from her thoughts, Jessica glanced up. “Huh? Yeah, why?”
“Well, you seemed upset, unless you’re going to tell me that napkin did something to deserve the torture you’re putting it through.”
Jessica looked down to where she’d shredded her napkin, the tiny pieces of paper covering her lap. “Oh.”
“You know we’ve got your back, right? I mean, you’ll have to ask one of the others about the parenting stuff—Dylan and I aren’t quite ready for that yet—but I’m here for you. We just want you to be happy.”
“Me too.” Alex grabbed a barstool and turned it around, straddling it. “I know I give you a lot of crap, but it’s just cause I want the best for you. If you tell me that this Ryan guy makes you happy, I’ll support you. But if you want me to kick his ass...”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t want you to do any such thing.”
“So you’re happy?”
She hesitated. Her feelings were all over the map. And the reason for that wasn’t that Ryan was treating her badly—it was because she was keeping secrets from him. But she couldn’t tell her brother that. So she simply said, “I am.”
And if she was crossing her fingers under the table when she said it, well, no one needed to know.
Chapter Twelve
“You didn’t have to drive me home,” Ryan protested from the passenger seat of Jessica’s car. “I could have called a cab.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re going to the same place. If you didn’t want a ride you shouldn’t have been out drinking.”
That she was right annoyed him. Hell, now that the buzz was wearing off, he was feeling pretty annoyed in general. This was supposed to be his wedding night. He hadn’t expected a picture-perfect honeymoon, but he’d been optimistic enough to hope they’d at least spend it in the general vicinity of each other. Maybe pop some popcorn and watch a movie. Instead, he’d been reduced to drinking. Alone. At least until Alex had come along.
“Your brother seems like an alright guy.” From the stories she’d told, he’d expected a controlling jerk.
“That’s because you’re not his sister. He’s overprotective and overbearing. At least, he was,” she corrected. “He’s actually gotten a lot better since getting together with Cassie. She’s a good influence on him.”
“Keeps him in line, you mean?” He’d seen the two of them interact. Alex might be a tough as nails police officer but it was pretty obvious his pretty wife had him wrapped around her little finger.
Jessica laughed. “Yeah, pretty much. He’d do anything for her and their girls. It’s like he’s a different person.”
“Falling in love can do that to you.” Ever since he’d realized he was falling for Jessica it was as if the entire planet had shifted on its axis, leaving him searching for his footing. It stood to reason the experience would be life changing for her brother too. The difference was that with Alex and Cassie it was mutual. With him and Jessica it was... Hell, he had no idea. Not after tonight. And he was pretty sure she didn’t know either.
“Alex told me they got pregnant accidentally, like we did. Seems to have worked out okay for them.” He pushed, knowing it was a gamble. “Maybe it could for us too.”
“Or maybe they just got lucky.” There was an icy pain in her voice now.
“What you do mean?”
“I mean, for every Cassie, there’s a single mom left on her own, trying to figure out how to stretch dollars and diapers until payday comes around. Having a kid with someone doesn’t come with some guarantee of happily-ever-after.”
“But it could for us,” he argued, his native stubbornness refusing to back down. Yes, not all relationships lasted. But not all of them failed either.
“Or we could crash and burn. I can’t take that risk.” Her voice softened. “I know you want to pretend we’re the perfect little couple, and when we’re in public, I’ll go along with it. But it’s not real.” She shrugged apologetically. “I know it sounds selfish, but I need to focus on me and the baby. Not a relationship.”
Ouch.He’d just been relegated into the nonessential category, like he was a hobby she didn’t have time for. And as much as he disagreed with her analysis of the situation, he also admired her willingness to sacrifice for her child. Even if it was at his expense. “That’s not selfish,” he admitted. “In a way, you’re just being practical.”
“Exactly.”
Practical sucked.
With nothing else to say, he let his head rest against the cool glass of the car window, eyes closed. He was nearly asleep when the car swerved suddenly, and then stopped.
“Are we home already?” He blinked groggily. His buzz was nearly gone, exhaustion left in its wake.
“No, hold on, I’ll be right back.” She left him sitting in the still-running car as she vanished into the black night. What on earth was she doing? Was it the morning sickness again? He opened the door and got out, with thoughts of somehow offering help or at least consolation. They were parked on the shoulder of the road, near the beach. A thicket of sea grapes, their leaves the size of Frisbees, stretched in either direction along the shore. Rolling sand dunes lined the other side of the street. This part of the island was a designated wildlife area—there were no houses, no businesses, nothing. Just Jessica a few feet ahead of him, staring into the trees and, as far as he could see, feeling fine.
“Are you okay?” She must have seen something important to have stopped in the middle of nowhere.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She ducked down under a tree limb and inched away from him. “Just be quiet.”
Fine. If she didn’t want his help, so be it. He leaned against the side of the car, keeping one eye on her as he scanned the surrounding area. Nothing unusual. Maybe she was just feeling sick, and wanted some privacy.
A crashing sound in the bushes killed that idea. Running to where she’d entered the trees he instinctively reached for his weapon, remembering belatedly he’d left it locked in the safe at home. Alcohol and guns didn’t mix. He settled for turning on the flashlight app on his cell phone, aiming the light in the direction he’d last seen her.
“Jessica, where are you?”
“Over here, in the trees.”
As if that clarified things. There was at least a mile-long stretch of sea grapes along this part of the road. At least he could follow the crashing sound, which had a weirdly rhythmic cadence. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but do you have anything to cut with? I need scissors or something.”
What on earth was she doing? “Uh, no scissors but will a pocketknife do?”
“I think so.”
She sounded close. He made sweeping arcs with the light, and finally spotted her sitting down on the ground near a dense patch of underbrush.
“Oh, hell, Jessica. What on earth have you gotten us into now?”
* * *
Jessica bristled, even as she continued to soo
the the big yellow dog she’d found tangled in the underbrush. Actually, they were both tangled. “I suppose I should have just ignored this poor creature when I saw it dart across the road?”
He sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. “No, I guess not. But how are you going to get it out of there? He looks pretty stuck.”
“She is,” she corrected. “She’s a girl. And actually, we’re both stuck.” She shrugged, being careful not to move her head. “My hair got caught in the brambles when I was trying to get her out.” Not her finest moment, but she didn’t regret trying to help. She did regret that she had worn her hair down, instead of tucked into a ponytail.
“You’re really stuck?” Ryan’s lips started to curve. “You can’t get out of there at all?”
“Not if I don’t want to rip half my hair out. But if you toss me your knife I’ll be fine. I just need to cut us free.”
“How are you going to do that? You won’t be able to see what you’re doing.”
“I’ll manage,” she insisted, sounding more confident than she felt. “Wait, what are you doing?”
“Coming to cut you free. And your buddy there.” The dog wagged its tail in reply, the movement making a racket with each swipe. “She sure is loud.”
“She can’t help it, and I think it’s amazing that she’s in such good spirits. She certainly doesn’t look like she’s been very well cared for.” The sweet golden retriever’s fur was matted with burrs and mud and she was so thin her ribs were showing. Still, her eyes were soft and friendly and her tail had been thumping out a steady rhythm despite being hopelessly tangled in the Virginia creeper that grew in thick vines among the scrub brush.
“I wonder where she came from. I haven’t seen any missing dog posters lately.”
“Me either. She probably belonged to some tourists and got left behind. It happens now and then. Or someone decided to get rid of her and thought leaving her in a state park was more humane than taking her to the shelter. As if an animal that’s been raised as a pet has any chance at fending for themselves in the wild.”