“No problem. I may be single, but I’m from a pretty big family. Someday I’ll settle down and hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to find what you two have.”
Claire flashed Luke a grin. “I should set you up with Sage. You’d fit right in with our crazy family.”
Luke opened his mouth to tell Claire that wasn’t necessary, but an idea started forming. “I’d like that.”
“The family is getting together next weekend at Trent’s. Birthday party for Sage. She hates that kind of thing but her sisters enjoy torturing her.”
“That sounds perfect.”
Chapter Nine
Sage
“Birthday parties are stupid.”
“Says the party planner.”
“Shut up. You know what I mean. I’m turning thirty-two. And I’m pregnant. I don’t need a party.”
“Pregnant ladies can’t have birthday parties? Shucks.” Rayne rubbed her belly and smirked at Sage. Olivia would be one next month and there was already a little baby growing in her sister’s belly. The pregnancy had come as a surprise to Rayne, expecting her third child around the same time as Thyme and Grayson’s twins were due.
“I like to plan the parties, not be the guest of honor. I’m going to criticize everything you’ve done, you know.”
“Don’t be such a bi—”
“Thyme. Just drop it. We knew she would be a grouch and we agreed to ignore her. It’s April. The trees are budding. It’s sixty degrees and sunny. A beautiful day to celebrate our big sister.”
“Whatever. Did you hire strippers?”
Rayne laughed, handed Sage a glass of ginger ale, and looped her arm through her sister’s. “Don’t be such a spoilsport.” Rayne looked out the kitchen slider doors where Trent, Grayson, and Brian played with the kids on the swing set. Claire stood back, taking pictures and laughing at the boys.
“I can’t believe you and Claire are pregnant again. You’re all crazy,” Sage grumbled.
“They’re perfect. I wish…” Thyme shrugged.
“Oh, honey.” Rayne hugged Thyme. “We’re being insensitive.”
Sage cringed and sat at the barstool. Thyme was the only woman in the family not pregnant and she desperately wanted to be. Sage had no idea why. Weight gain, stretch marks, water retention, and heartburn. Where was the fun in that? Although it was kind of cool feeling the little creatures move around in her belly. It wasn’t a sensation she could describe to someone who had never been pregnant. Those freaking pregnancy hormones were making her soft. And sensitive.
“Do me a favor, Thyme.”
“Anything.”
“Have a margarita for me today. Please.” It was the least she could do for her non-pregnant sister.
“Hey, Wilde sisters. What’s going on?” Claire strolled over to the group and rubbed Rayne’s and then Sage’s bellies. “You’re not going to make nine months. You know that, right?”
“God, I hope not. I’m ready now.”
“Has pregnancy cramped your dating life yet? It does wondrous things to your libido, if you know what I mean. ”
Oh, she knew. All too well.
“Sage doesn’t date. We’ve never met a boyfriend. Never even seen her out on a date. Maybe she’s gay?” Thyme teased.
“I’m not gay. I just don’t let men run my life.”
“Speaking of tall, dark, and handsome…I invited someone I thought you might be interested in. He should be here any minute.”
“For me? Why the hell would you do that?”
“A blind date? Oh, how fun!” Rayne clapped and literally danced on the balls of her feet.
“You’re pathetic. How can you be so perky all the time?”
“How can you be so bitchy?” Thyme retorted.
“Girls. Girls. No pressure,” Claire said to Sage. “I just thought this guy would be good for you. He likes kids and is totally hot.”
“So you invited him to my birthday party? No pressure there.”
There was a reason she never brought men around her sisters. They’d expect too much. Put too much pressure on her to settle down. And the guy would get the wrong impression.
Hell, Sage didn’t even bring girlfriends around. Not that she had any. Work consumed her. She wasn’t the friendly, social type anyway. Seeing her sisters once a week was enough. And Claire. Claire was cool, but not someone she’d call up in an emergency. Sage didn’t even call her sisters in an emergency. She handled everything herself.
“I’m not hooking up with your friend,” Sage said as she filled her glass of ginger ale. “Besides. I look like I swallowed a watermelon.”
“You don’t have to hook up. Just be nice,” Rayne said as she sliced cucumbers and carrots for the veggie tray.
“Sage doesn’t know how to be nice.” Thyme stuck her tongue out at her and sliced cheese to go along with the crackers. “Well, except for the pregnancy thing. You’re pretty kickass in the surrogate mom department.”
“Whatever.”
The women worked in tandem, filling up trays with food and hustling them outside on the tables. When the doorbell rang all the others looked at Sage and smiled.
“I’m outta here.” Sage got up and went outside to hang with the men. Let her sisters ogle the dupe Claire invited.
“How’s it going, Sage?” Brian asked as he pushed his three-year-old, Faith, on the swing.
“I don’t like your wife.”
“Oh. She must have told you about inviting your friend today.”
“Friend?”
Grayson and Trent smiled while Brian nodded toward the house. Sage didn’t turn around but could feel the fresh Maine air fill with more testosterone than a MMA match.
“Dude. Glad you could make it.” Brian shot out his hand and from the corner of her eye Sage could see a strong, familiar forearm reach out and grasp it.
Sage slowly turned and gasped as she looked into a pair of rich hazel eyes. Eyes that darkened to a deep amber when he made love. His black hair was cut shorter and spiked stylishly in the front. Nothing too drastic, just a little Channing Tatum action going on. And the smell of soap and man. Damn. Her hormones kicked into overdrive.
“Sage. You look beautiful as always.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Happy birthday.”
“Trent, Grayson. This is Luke Riley. He’s a firefighter. Iraq vet. Your typical badass,” Brian, the traitor, introduced her…friend? No, Sage didn’t have friends. Luke was…her lover? Ew, that sounded so romance-novelish. Her sex slave? Yes, that was an introduction she could live with.
“Nice to meet you,” Grayson said. “I’m Thyme’s husband. The father of those.” He pointed at Sage’s belly.
Luke’s laughter caused the twins to stir inside her womb. Or maybe it was her flattened bladder needing to pee. Something inside didn’t feel familiar.
“Daddy. Can you spin me around again?”
“And this is our daughter Maddie. Maddie, say hello to Sage’s friend Mr. Riley.”
“Hi, Mr. Riley. My brother and sister are inside Sage’s belly.”
“We don’t know if they’re boys or girls, sweetheart.” Grayson picked up his daughter and brought her to the other side of the lawn so he could give her a princess twirl.
“And Rayne is mine. We’re expecting another one a little after Sage pops these two out,” Trent teased.
“Nice to meet you. I can’t say I’ve heard too much about you. Sage is pretty closed up about her family.” Sage opened her mouth to spit fire at Luke but he stopped her with a kiss. On the lips. In front of everyone. “Didn’t even know it was her birthday.”
“Yeah, she’s like that. The only way we could get her here was to tempt her with my raspberry coconut cake.”
“Interesting. I made her a chocolate cream pie the other night but it didn’t seem to do much for her.”
“I’m right here, you know. No need to talk about me in the third person.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, dearest sister-in-law,” Trent said a
s he draped his arm around Luke’s massive shoulders. Luke had a good six inches on Trent, but they didn’t look awkward, just mischievous. “We boys have some serious bonding to do.” He turned Luke away from Sage and Luke turned his head and winked at her before walking off.
“Bastard.”
“Your boyfriend is seriously hot,” Thyme said after the boys left, fanning her face with her hand.
“Smoking,” Rayne chimed in.
“Totally smitten,” Claire added.
“He may be smoking hot but he’s not smitten. It’s just sex. He shouldn’t be here.”
“The boys like him.” Rayne rested her hands on her belly and smiled adoringly at the men.
Sickening.
“Of course they do. He’s a guy’s guy. But I’m not a guy’s guy’s girl.”
“I don’t even know what that means, but you’re wrong.” Rayne rubbed her barely showing baby bump.
“He’s not my type.”
“We don’t know what your type is because you’ve never introduced us to a guy before. Luke’s the first,” Thyme pointed out.
“I didn’t introduce him to you.”
“Good point.” Thyme grabbed Sage with one hand and Rayne with the other. “Let’s get properly introduced to the first guy to make our big sister blush.”
“I’m not blushing. I’m pregnant and hot and annoyed.”
“Hmph.” Thyme skipped over to the men. “Hi, Luke. I’m Thyme. The reason Sage’s hormones are out of whack. Normally she’s very irritable.”
Luke laughed and, ignoring Thyme’s outstretched hands, he kissed her cheek. “Congratulations. And thank you for making Sage much more approachable. I appreciate it.”
“And I’m Rayne. It’s very nice to meet you.” Luke kissed her cheek.
“And congratulations to you as well, I hear.”
“Yes. We’re very excited.” Rayne’s eyes turned soft as she looked at Trent.
“From the sounds of your husbands, you ladies walk on water. And I can see why they think so.”
“Aww.” Thyme leaned her head on Grayson and stroked his chest; Rayne bit her lip as Trent winked at her and Brian grabbed Claire’s butt in a playful squeeze.
“You guys are disgusting.” Sage turned and walked away from the overexposure of PDA. She went to the bathroom, for the thirtieth time today, did her business, and bumped into Luke on her way out. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to use the bathroom.”
“Not what I mean.” She leaned against the wall and quirked her eyebrow at him. “How did you find out about this?”
“Most homes have bathrooms. Typically off the kitchen or mudroom.”
“Very funny. Not what I mean.”
“Claire invited me.”
“Yeah. I got that part.”
“Claire mentioned her pregnancy and said her sister-in-law’s sister was a surrogate. I put two and two together. Probably not too many of you floating around Maine.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“What did you tell them about…us?”
Luke stepped closer, his thighs brushing against her belly. “Did I tell them that you have a ticklish spot behind your knee?” He moved in, his breath mingling with hers. “Or that you moan when I kiss your neck?” He lowered his lips to her ear. “Or that you claw at my back when I—”
“Stop. Please,” she whispered.
Luke pulled back, still keeping their bodies connected, tilting his head down so he could look into her eyes. “I told them you organized my mom’s party. Claire decided to play matchmaker and I let her.”
“They don’t know…”
“No.” Luke shook his head. “But I think they figured it out by the way you were looking at me outside.”
“What?” She pushed his chest, not able to budge him even slightly, his dimple growing deeper. “I did not…I don’t look at you…I…”
“Sweetheart.”
“I’m not sweet.”
“You’re sure as hell not. You’re full of spit and vinegar.” He kissed her swiftly on the lips and backed away. “And spice. Hot, sexy spices.”
“You’re blind if you think—”
“Shh. You’re too serious. Too hard on yourself. Relax and enjoy the day, birthday girl.” Luke kissed her again, this time slowly and deeply. She brought her hands up and clasped them behind his neck, pulling him into her, swallowing him whole.
“Get a room, you two.”
Sage pulled back and licked her lips, ashamed at her uncharacteristic display of way over-the-top PDA. “We would, but you keep filling up your spares. Pretty soon you’ll need an addition.”
“I’m cool with that,” Trent said. “Ladies sent me in to make sure you weren’t chewing out Luke, but it seems like he enjoys…being chewed. Or licked. Or whatever you kids are calling it these days.” Trent chuckled as he turned and went back outside.
“We should join the rest of the gang.”
“I thought you had to use the bathroom.” Sage glared at him, crossing her arms across her basketball belly.
“Nah. I’m good now.” He winked at her before taking her hand and leading her down the hall. “I like your family, by the way. I’d like to introduce you to mine one day.”
Sage stilled and Luke tugged her forward. “I met them already.”
“That doesn’t count. That was at my mom’s party and you did nothing more than acknowledge their presence.”
“I’m not really into that.”
“What?” Luke stopped before they stepped outside. “The family scene? Seems like you’re doing it fine here.”
“These are my people. My sisters and brothers-in-law and Brian and Claire. They’re family too and still I’m…” Socially awkward she wanted to say. “Meeting your family would be too…”
“Too?”
“I told you I don’t do relationships.”
“Honey, whether you like it or not, we’re in a relationship.”
“No, we’re not.”
“Yes, we are. And I think you like it, you’re just afraid to admit it.” Luke pulled her through the door and to the crowd outside.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur. She stayed aberrantly quiet and worked really hard not to stare—or drool—at Luke too often. When her sisters commented on his dimples, or his butt, or his biceps, she shrugged indifference, but could feel the heat rush to her cheeks.
Damn. Luke was right. She was in a relationship. But he was wrong about the second.
She didn’t like it one bit.
Chapter Ten
Sage
Filling her days with appointments, spreadsheets, and list-making wasn’t hard. Ignoring her texts and constant calls from Luke, however, was damn near impossible. Since her belly button became an outie a few weeks ago and showed through her blouses, Sage hadn’t been seen naked by anyone but her OB. When Luke knocked on her door for a booty call, she feigned sleep, and whenever possible she planned on not being home when she knew he wasn’t working.
But it was getting harder and harder to ignore him. Her girly parts hadn’t received—or chose to ignore—the memo that she was hanging up her thongs—literally, the string up her ass couldn’t compare to the parachute underwear she found in the maternity section at Macy’s—and would no longer be receiving visitors. Luke, apparently, hadn’t gotten the memo either. It wasn’t like she wasn’t clear about their relationship. Or lack thereof. From the beginning, she’d told him the sex would end as soon as the cantaloupe changed to a VW Bug. She’d surpassed basketball status weeks ago, and it felt like the twins were throwing midnight parties and invited all their friends who stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, finally calling it quits when the alarm went off.
It had been weeks since she’d slept well. And the timing had nothing to do with Luke’s absence. It was the babies causing havoc in her life, not her decision to finish this solo.
Luke was a good guy. He deserved someone that didn�
�t come with a cargo plane full of baggage. He carried enough of his family’s troubles; there was no need to add her messed-up problems to his plate. Sure, the man had shoulders that could carry the weight of the world, but that didn’t mean she had to add to his burden.
Sage sat at her desk and rubbed her temples. If only she could find someone to rub her feet. Luke would. He’d come off a fifteen-hour shift, dirty, sweaty, starving, and put his own needs aside to take care of Sage. Damn pansy. She didn’t need a guy like that in her life. She wanted someone who could…Sage sighed and slumped in her chair, resting her head on her desk.
Hell. She wanted a man who would put her needs before his. Who would be at her beck and call but not be a wimp. Someone she could spar with. Laugh with. Boss around, who wouldn’t wilt under her orders, yet, if the occasion ever occurred, could take care of Sage and make her feel like a princess.
Double hell. Luke fit the bill and then some. A whole hell of a lot some. She set her expectations incredibly high because she didn’t want a man to hold permanent residence in her life. No man could fit the bill and now she’d made a stinking mess of everything. Luke didn’t only hold a place in her life, he damn near took over her heart as well.
The only thing she could do was shut him out completely. A man like Luke wouldn’t stay single for long. He needed someone to take care of. He only thought Sage was that woman because she was single and pregnant. As soon as she popped the party animals out, he wouldn’t need to take care of her anymore. Sage would continue being the independent woman, and Luke would find the pretty little housewife who had loving parents who would treat Luke like one of their own.
Luke would dote on his country girl and they’d take turns cooking in his impressive kitchen. Then he’d get her pregnant and be the perfect husband. The perfect father. And she’d be the perfect wife. The perfect mom. Luke deserved that. He worked so hard to give his mother the perfect family, and took care of his brothers and sisters. He deserved someone who would take care of him, give him his fantasy life.
Triple hell. Sage Wilde was the last person he needed and he was the only person she wanted.
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