by Tami Lund
Darn it. How had she forgotten she was supposed to have a sister when she started telling him about her childhood?
“Yeah, um, you can say that again.”
“So they settled down and lived happily ever after?”
She nearly choked on the bit of lobster she’d just put in her mouth. “Not hardly. They tried to make a go at it as ‘normal’ people, but that wasn’t who they were.” Her parents had left her when she was five, just starting kindergarten, but now she had to add a few years to account for Phoebe’s birth.
“When I was in, um, middle school, they quit their jobs at the local hospital and had taken off on another mission to save the world.”
“Who took care of you while they were gone?”
“Nannies, mostly. My grandparents were involved in the beginning, but they were older, obviously, and couldn’t really take care of a, er, young children. Especially one who acted out as a result of her anger over her parents’ abandonment.”
“I take it you were the one?”
She nodded. “I did a lot of stupid stuff, trying to get their attention so they’d come home and actually be parents. But none of it worked. They loved their work more than they loved me.”
He reached across the table and placed his hand over hers, stilling her fingers, which were shredding the paper napkin. She hadn’t meant for this to become a true confessions session. And hell, she’d only confessed half of her crimes. Not to mention her confession was sprinkled with lies about the sister she didn’t really have.
“Now that you’re a parent, you know that wasn’t true, right?”
She lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know. I guess. I mean, I have vague memories of the early years, and they were certainly doting enough. And when they died, they left all their money to me, I mean, us, when they could have easily left it to the charity that supported the same cause they believed in.”
“So they did love you. They just weren’t very good at expressing it.”
“The worst part is, I feel guilty for wishing they would have left their life’s passion taking care of those who desperately needed them, so they could be there for me.”
The legs of his chair scraped the tile floor as he pushed away from the table and stood, pulling her into his arms. He hugged her tightly while she sniffled into his shoulder. She hadn’t even realized she was crying until that moment.
After the tears receded, he loosened his hold and handed her a napkin to mop her face. “Sorry about this,” she said without looking at him.
“Don’t be. I’m glad you shared. I get the impression you haven’t told that story to a lot of people.”
“You’d be the first. They were gone before Nina was born, and I’ve not even really told her much about them.”
He cupped her cheeks, tilting her face so she had to look at him. He gently kissed her, first her lips, then her eyes, then back to her lips. “Thank you for letting me in,” he whispered.
This man. She shouldn’t even be dating him, yet how had she gotten so lucky? “Thank you for listening. And not running away.” Even though that was exactly what she had wanted him to do when they met.
“I’m not going anywhere. Except maybe to the bedroom. Care to join me?”
She glanced at the mess on the kitchen table. “We need to clean up.”
“It can wait.” He swept her into his arms. “I want to make love to you. Right now. I want to show you how much you mean to me.” He started walking toward his bedroom.
“Oh,” she said faintly. “I suppose the dishes can wait.”
5
Meet The Karneys
RJ cleared his throat. Opened his mouth. Cleared his throat again. Flexed his hands, which were tucked behind the pillow his head rested on.
Margot rolled onto her side and propped her head in her hand. “Out with it,” she said.
“What?” he asked.
“You’re nervous about something. What is it?”
“You can tell?”
She nodded. Her dark hair fell in a wave across her chest, not quite covering her bare breasts. The sheet draped across her hips, hiding the lower half of her body from view. Didn’t matter; he had every inch memorized. The birthmark just above her left ass cheek. The scar on her right knee. The shape of her calves, the color on her toenails.
Oh yeah, he had it bad. And he was pretty sure she reciprocated those feelings, which meant this subject shouldn’t be so damn difficult to bring up.
“I told you I have a big family, right? Two sisters and a brother, all of whom have kids. And most of them are here, still in Sleepyville, or at least within a short driving distance.”
She nodded.
“Well, my sister Beth’s youngest turns one this coming weekend.”
She tensed, but he plowed on.
“They’re throwing a birthday party for him at my mom’s house on Saturday. I was sort of hoping you and Nina would come.”
He held his breath. Expelled the air when he couldn’t hold it any longer.
“What’s wrong?” he asked when she continued to remain silent.
She dropped back onto the pillow, her gaze on the ceiling. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she finally said.
He rolled over and placed his hand on her stomach. “Why not?”
She blinked rapidly. “What if they don’t like me?”
He smiled and kissed her forehead. “They’ll love you.” Like I do.
Whoa. Where had that come from? It was too soon.
Wasn’t it? If it was, why the hell was he inviting her to a family function? If she said yes, tomorrow she’d meet all of his siblings, his parents, his assorted nieces and nephews, even a couple of his aunts and uncles.
He wasn’t one of those guys who was afraid of love. He’d actually enjoyed being married—although not to Jessica. But the idea, the concept—he’d liked it. Knowing there was someone at home, waiting when he got off shift. Someone to talk to, laugh with. Someone to go to the movies with, or stay in and eat pizza while surfing the channels on TV. Someone to be a partner while they tried to do right by their kids.
He recalled when Jessica realized she was pregnant, that sensation in his chest, knowing he was going to be a dad, was going to be responsible for helping mold this little being into a functioning adult. Scary, and so exciting all at once. Hell, he’d love to go through that again. And anytime he tried to imagine himself with a woman, a pregnant woman, it was Margot’s face that swam into his mind’s eye.
So yeah, he was sure. And he suspected Margot felt the same way or, at least, she was getting there. She was definitely more hesitant than him, which he could understand after that story she’d told him. Plus, she’d been through a divorce, too. And everyone handled that differently.
Who knew what her life had been like before, when she was married? Had Margot’s acting out bled into her adult life and she’d made a poor decision, married somebody who abused her? Had Nina’s dad had something to do with the kidnapping? Was that why he wasn’t involved in Nina’s life?
RJ needed to assure Margot that he’d never, ever do anything like that to her or Nina. He only wanted to make her happy. To make them both happy.
“I don’t have any experience with big families,” she said. “It was just me, growing up. Well, and Phoebe.” She shook her head. “I really can’t.”
He didn’t want to pressure her, but he really wanted her to go. And he didn’t understand her hesitancy, unless he’d been reading the signals all wrong and she didn’t feel the same way about this relationship.
“Margot, I care about you. A lot.”
She sucked in a breath and her stomach went concave under his hand.
“And I get the impression you care about me, too. Or am I wrong?”
She expelled the air and then shook her head. “You aren’t wrong,” she whispered.
“I would love to introduce my family to you. They’re an important part of my life, just like you are. And I think you’d
like them.”
“I…”
He pressed his lips to her forehead. “You’re afraid,” he guessed.
She nodded.
“I promise, they’ll love you. They’re very laid-back people, and you’re pretty easy to like.”
Her laugh came out as a snort. “I wouldn’t even know how to act. I told you about my childhood. There wasn’t anyone else around. No aunts and uncles, no cousins. Just nannies.”
RJ pulled her close, wrapped her in his arms, and rested his chin on top of her head. “Having a big, extended family can be lots of fun. Give me a chance to show that to you.”
He could feel her heart, pounding in her chest, twice as fast as normal. He felt it when she swallowed, and then, slowly, nodded.
“Thank you,” he whispered, eyes closed. “Thank you.”
“Hillary! RJ! My babies! You made it!” Mom greeted them as if they’d been away for years, when in fact, he’d run into her at the grocery store on Thursday, and he and Hillary had come over and hung out with her and Dad two weekends ago.
But that was Mom.
She’d had fiery red tresses when she was younger; his dad often joked that her hair had caught his attention and it hadn’t wavered for going on fifty years now.
About ten years ago, she’d quit trying to fight it and had let her hair go white, but on a sunny day like today, when they were gathered in the backyard, he could still see faint streaks of the red. While he’d inherited his dad’s dark hair, Hillary was a redhead, like Mom.
If he had a kid with Margot, would it have red hair too?
Getting ahead of yourself again, RJ.
After the obligatory hug-until-he-couldn’t-breathe, RJ stepped back and placed his hand on the small of Margot’s back. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Margot and her daughter, Nina.”
“Nina’s my best friend,” Hillary announced, grabbing the girl’s hand and tugging her close to Mom. “We want to be sisters.”
“Do you now?” Mom arched her brow and patted both girls on the head. “Hill, why don’t you take Nina and go find Gramps? Tell him I said to let you two have first dibs on the cookies I made. I’m going to stay out here and get to know her mom a little better.”
“Two each. Max,” RJ called after the kids, who were already halfway to the sliding glass door that would take them into the house.
Mom offered her hand for Margot to shake. “I’m Dierdre Karney. Pleased to finally meet you.”
“Finally?” Margot asked, glancing over her shoulder at RJ.
Mom chuckled. “There are no secrets in this family. The first time I saw my son after he met you, I knew something was up. I’ve been bugging him to bring you over for a month now.”
“I told you she’s from a small family, Mom,” RJ protested. “I didn’t want to overwhelm her.”
Mom’s laugh grew more boisterous. “So you bring her to Austin’s first birthday party? Hell, son, I was talking a small dinner with just me and your father.”
Margot snickered.
“Come on,” Mom said, waving at the deck. “There are drinks up here in the coolers. What do you like? Beer? Wine? A mixed drink? Or, I suppose, there’s water and Kool-Aid, too.”
“I’d love a glass of wine, thanks.”
After they had their drinks in hand—Margot with a glass of white, RJ with a beer, and Mom with a Jamison on the rocks—they settled into cushioned chairs on the deck with an umbrella shielding them from the sun’s glare.
“I’m glad you two came over a bit early, so Margot could get comfortable before your siblings attack her,” Mom said.
“They aren’t going to attack her,” RJ said.
Mom patted Margot’s knee. “Maybe attack isn’t the right word. But they’ll definitely ask you a thousand questions. After The Great Mistake, they’re gonna want to make sure RJ’s doing it right this time.”
“Mom…” he warned,
“The Great Mistake?” Margot echoed.
Mom nodded.
“She’s referring to my ex-wife,” he said through gritted teeth. He’d warned his mother not to frighten Margot off, but apparently the woman was choosing to ignore him.
“Hey, you’re the only one in the family to ever get a divorce. We just want to be sure this time.”
“Mom…”
“Oh, stop. I’m not engraving wedding invitations yet.”
Margot’s laugh had a nervous edge to it.
“So, tell me about yourself,” Mom said.
Margot glanced at him and took her time sipping her wine. He recognized the action as a delay tactic; she’d done it to him plenty of times.
“Well, I grew up in the Midwest. My parents were doctors and missionaries and weren’t around much. And I’m a single parent.”
“Divorced or mistake out of wedlock?” Mom asked.
Margot cleared her throat. “Divorced. Four years now.”
Mom nodded. “Long enough that this wouldn’t be considered a rebound,” she said as if she knew anything at all about the subject.
Margot glanced at him through her lashes. “Um, no, I don’t think so.”
“Good. Because RJ really likes you, and I don’t want my son to get hurt. Don’t tell the others, but he’s my favorite.”
“You say that to all of us, Mom.”
She shrugged. Margot laughed. At least she was laughing and not coming up with an excuse to get the hell out of there.
“Are you done embarrassing us now?” RJ asked.
“I am, because I just heard a car pull up, which I bet is your sister and her horde, so gird your loins.”
She stood and headed down the steps toward the driveway while RJ threw Margot a beseeching look. “I’m beginning to think she was right. I probably should have not have introduced you to all of them in this way. It’s only going to get worse.”
“Are you kidding? She’s adorable,” Margot said with mirth in her eyes.
Two hours later, they’d snuck away from the party and were sitting on the front porch steps with fresh drinks in their hands. “Okay, your youngest sister is a little dramatic, but she’s still nice,” Margot said. “Everyone has been very approachable.”
“Everyone has been very nosy,” he qualified.
“They’re protective of you. That’s not a bad thing.”
“Not unlike your own family.”
There was a pregnant pause before she said, “I suppose not.”
RJ’s brother, Tim, wandered around the side of the house, spotted them, and ambled over. “Wondered if you hadn’t snuck out early,” he said.
“Just taking a breather,” Margot said.
“Me too, and I’ve lived with this lot for my entire life,” Tim said with a chuckle. “So, what do you think? I know the Karneys are a bit much to take, but is it too much?”
Margot’s smile was reserved for RJ and him alone. “Not too much.”
“Good,” Tim said with a nod. “So, has he told you about his name yet?”
RJ groaned and dropped his head into his hand. “Really, dude? Already?”
Tim laughed. “Yep.”
“I admit,” Margot said. “I am curious. No one else in the family goes by their initials.”
“That’s cuz the rest of us got decent names,” Tim said. “But RJ here had the misfortune to be born shortly before our great-grandfather passed away, and the man’s dying wish was that his grandson name one of his children after him.”
“My name is proof that Mom really does love Dad, because she hates it.”
“She didn’t much like Great-grandpa either,” Tim added.
“So what is it?” Margot asked.
“You have to promise you won’t break up with me if you know,” RJ quipped.
Tim roared with laughter.
“I swear,” she said.
RJ rubbed his forehead. “I’m not sure I’m ready yet. This is a pretty big step.”
“Randolph Jeremiah,” Tim pronounced with a cackle.
“Asshole,” R
J grumbled.
Tim kept laughing. “And this is the best part: Great-gramps asked that the name be passed from father to son. So if you guys have a kid, Dad’s gonna want you to name it after RJ.”
“You swear you aren’t going to skip town tonight?” RJ asked later that evening. They were at Margot’s house, waiting while Nina and Hillary ran upstairs to pack an overnight bag.
“I promise,” Margot assured him with a quick kiss. “Besides, my daughter’s spending the night at your place, so I’m sort of stuck until tomorrow anyway.”
He laughed. “My name has scared off plenty of girls over the years.”
“I suspect you might have done it on purpose, though.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I’m glad it isn’t scaring you off. I kinda want to keep you around.”
He loved the way her cheeks went all rosy when he said stuff like that. Especially because it was true. He wanted her around all the damn time. He wished she would spend the night tonight, too, but he understood. Today was the first time they’d come out as a couple even to their kids, let alone his extended family. They should give it a little more time before they introduced overnight visits into the relationship.
Dating with kids involved was hard. Hell, dating at all was hard.
Hill and Nina charged down the stairs, and Margot grabbed the bag hanging from Nina’s arm, checking that they’d packed all the necessary supplies.
“I’ll drop her off on my way to take Hillary back to her mom,” RJ said, his gaze lingering on Margot’s kissable lips.
And then he ushered the girls to the car while the woman of his dreams remained behind instead of coming over to spend the night too.
Too bad, because he really missed sharing his bed with another body. He didn’t like sleeping alone. Never had. Probably partially why his and Jessica’s marriage dragged on as long as it did. The devil you knew and all that bullshit.
Still, he’d settle for a few hours of Margot’s time tomorrow evening. Dinner then dessert, maybe licked off her sexy, flat abdomen. Shit, he needed to stop thinking about it. His job tonight was to supervise two eight-year-old girls. Sunday would be here soon enough.