He quirked a smile. “Where else would it be?”
Lana felt her stomach turn over and thought she might actually puke—and she’d had way too much of that recently for her taste. She sucked in a deep breath and felt the nausea subside a little. “Haven’t we had enough problems in the past few months?” She felt her stomach turn a little and knew this time the pregnancy wasn’t responsible.
“More than enough problems.” He tapped his brace. He’d been wearing it since he ripped his ACL the month before.
“Speaking of, I see they’re pulling down your house. Are you going to rebuild or buy something new?” Now that Sage was living with Joel in a rental they’d found several miles away, they didn’t see as much of her as before and Lana missed having the mis-matched couple around.
“We’re going to rebuild.” He grinned larger than she’d ever seen except for the day they were married. “Sage is already planning an Olympic-sized pool in a pool house out back.” Happiness lightened his eyes, as it did every time he spoke of his wife. “We decided we like it here and plan to stay after the year is up.”
“Really? You must be thrilled.” She would have sworn Sage wouldn’t want to stay in the mountains, so far from the California sun, but she was frequently surprised by Sage’s actions.
“I can’t wait to have a decent pool. I’ve missed being able to swim,” he said.
She knew how much his Navy SEAL heart missed the ocean, but he seemed happy enough to be with Sage, whatever the circumstances. “It’s not the Pacific Ocean.”
“No, but it’s miles better than anything available within a reasonable distance of here.” He stood, maneuvering as well as most people did when they weren’t injured. She imagined he moved even smoother in the water, but had never seen it since the hotel pool wasn’t exactly set up for lap swimming—even if it weren’t against the rules for employees to use the pool.
“How much longer do you have to wear the brace?” she asked.
“I have surgery next week, and the brace comes off. If Sage will let me take it off then. She’s such a little mother hen.” His words held a note of fondness.
“You love it when she nags you.”
“Can’t complain.” He adjusted his ball cap and headed out the door.
Lana smiled at his retreating figure. She couldn’t complain about having him around, either.
Blake hung up his cell phone and pushed out of his chair. Always the disappointment to his parents, no matter how hard he tried, he attempted to push his mother’s words from his mind. She and his father would be coming for a visit soon, and he just wanted it to be over.
Did that make him a bad son?
And if it did, was there any point worrying about it? He was the bad son, no matter how hard he tried, while his brother, Donald, could do no wrong. Learning that he’d been married for a year and had a baby on the way wasn’t going to make them any happier with him—even if they did dote on their grandchildren.
He decided some fresh air was in order and grabbed his coat as he left the office. He was about to tell Gina that he was going to take a walk when he glanced toward Lana’s office and saw the tense expression on her face. He could see how much the stress of her job wore on her, and her pregnancy couldn’t be helping matters.
Making a split-second decision, he veered toward her office. “Hey, being that stressed can’t be good for your health.” He moved around her desk and looked at the ledger she was working on.
“It’s fine. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” The lines pinched between her brows said otherwise.
“I think you need a break. You’ve been going strong since seven this morning.”
She flashed her blue eyes up at him in surprise and he quirked a smile at her “I know what time you got in. The walls have ears.” And all of the concierges were reliable.
“And a mouth, apparently.” She mumbled under her breath.
“Come take a walk with me. We could both use a few minutes of peace.” He looked at the remains of her tea cup—no crumbs in sight, so she hadn’t eaten anything lately. “And a snack, I’d wager. You need to keep up your strength.”
“I really don’t have time.” She shifted a paper on her desk.
Since she looked more like she was trying to avoid him, than that she was buried in work, he decided to overrule her. “I’m your boss, right? I’m ordering you to take a break.” He took her hand and gave it a little tug. “With me, if I can convince you.”
Her eyes turned wary. “What do you have planned?”
“Nothing nefarious. I promise. I’ll even keep my hands to myself.” He tried to look coolly amused instead of hurt that she thought he would do anything to upset her. “If you prefer.” He tacked the last on to remind her that he didn’t prefer.
She wet her lips and bit the bottom one, driving him a little crazy with wanting to kiss it, though he knew that hadn’t been her intention. “I guess a little fresh air would be good.” She allowed him to help her stand and walked around to her coat, sliding into it. “It’s cold out there, though, isn’t it?”
“That’s what cups of hot chocolate and a couple of cinnamon rolls are for. Heat and sustenance.”
Because he knew it would make her more comfortable, he tucked his hands in his pockets and walked down the curved staircase beside her. They stopped in the little café off of the main entry and he bought them both something to eat and drink, then waved away the bell boy, wanting to hold the doors for her himself.
“Rough morning?” Lana asked when they were in the cold mountain air. They had another snow storm the previous night, but the walks had been cleared and were salted.
“Rough phone call home. How about you?”
“Same old, same old. Just trying to make everything work.” She shrugged a little, though the worry still pinched the skin beside her eyes. “I need to do another pass of the facilities when we get back inside, check to see how everything is going.”
He smiled. “You’re good at that. At knowing everyone’s names and working to be friends with them, not just being an authority figure.”
“I learned from the best.” Her words were a little wry, though he knew she meant it. Her father had been phenomenal that way. “What’s your frustration?” she asked.
“My parents are coming for a visit in a couple of weeks.” He paused for a moment, knowing she wouldn’t be thrilled about the next thing he was going to say. “I want to tell them about the baby. Which means we’re going to have to tell them about us.”
She stopped, the hot drink lifted almost to her mouth, and stared at him. “Why?”
“Lana, they’re my parents. We’re going to have a baby, and you’re past your first trimester—or if not past it, then very close to it.” Unable to help himself, he pressed a fly-away lock of hair back from her face, enjoying the smoothness of her skin under his touch. “We’re going to have to tell people. Holding onto this secret doesn’t make sense anymore. I’m not sure it made sense in the first place. You don’t intend to have the baby and hide it for the rest of its life, do you?”
She pressed her lips together and started walking again. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Then it’s time we started telling people.” He was beyond sick of it. Keeping her secret had been a little fun at first, when they’d had a definite plan to announce the truth. He had waited almost a year now, and didn’t want to put it off any longer.
Lana took a deep breath. Then another one. “You know you’re freaking me out.”
“I know.” He felt bad about it, but it couldn’t be helped. “I want you to have time to get used to the idea. And if we’re going to tell them, we need to tell the others too. It’s not fair to keep your sisters in the dark, and my mom isn’t exactly going to keep it to herself.” He wasn’t sure if she would be thrilled he’d finally found someone or furious they’d kept it a secret, but she would have strong feelings one way or another.
“I know.” Lana stuffed the last of her ci
nnamon roll into her mouth, as if not being able to talk would give her time to think.
Blake decided to give her a couple of minutes. He collapsed his empty cup, tucking it into his coat pocket. Now his hand was free, he brushed it against hers as they walked.
When he decided they’d had enough quiet, though, he changed the subject. “I remember walking with you in the park in Chicago last year. It had just snowed, like today, and was piled up along the sidewalks.”
“Except it wasn’t nearly as white. Too much pollution in the air,” Lana remembered. A smile played around her mouth, so the memory must have been a good one for her as well.
“Right. We stopped at a chestnut vendor and bought a bag.” He wished they had some now.
“They were awesome. I miss that. None around here.”
“No.” But Blake made a mental note of her comment. “There was a mime in the park.”
“I couldn’t believe how nuts he was. It was freezing, and his jacket wasn’t nearly as warm as our coats.” She laughed. “And he wasn’t very good, either. Poor kid. I wonder if he was there on a dare or something.”
He loved the warm sound of her laughter and wanted to prolong the reminiscences. “Then we caught a matinée at the theater down the street.” She had on a floral perfume that night and had done her hair up with curling tendrils teasing her neck and making him ache to press his lips there.
“Christmas movies just aren’t the same on a regular television.” She smiled and didn’t seem to realize she had picked up his hand, curling it with hers as she’d done so many times in the past.
“It was a good time.” Kind of like now. Right now.
“Yes.” This made her eyes fall and sadness come over her face. She looked as if she were going to say something, but then changed her mind.
He switched the subject to something funny the concierge had told him that morning, making her laugh, then turned them back to the front doors of the resort. It was a little step. A baby step, but they’d had a happy trip down memory lane, and she looked more relaxed. He definitely felt better. And though he wanted to hold her hand all the way up to their offices, he let it drop before they got too close to the hotel. She looked over in surprise, as if just now realizing that he’d been holding it. She balled her hand into a fist and stuck it in her pocket.
“I thought you promised not to touch me,” she said mildly.
“I said if you preferred. Since you took my hand first, I figured that’s what you wanted.”
She appeared confused about how that happened, but didn’t argue with him as they entered the building. “Thank you for dragging me out here. I guess I needed the break after all,” she said as they approached their offices.
“You’re welcome. We’ll have to do it again sometime.” He opened the glass doors and smiled at Gina as he prepared to return to work.
Though his stomach did flips in protest, Blake sauntered into Lana’s office Friday morning. When he saw Lana and Cami raise their blue eyes in his direction, he wondered if this was a mistake. Cami didn’t know about the baby or the marriage, so he couldn’t mention buying baby stuff, but hopefully Lana wouldn’t be too abrupt to him with her sister there, either. Since their walk the other day, she’d grown cool again and was occasionally snappish with him when she felt ill. Right now her face was paler than usual, which meant she probably wasn’t feeling well.
“Yes?” Lana’s voice was crisp.
“I have some Christmas shopping I need to do tomorrow. I wondered if you’d accompany me. I’m sure there are stops you’d like to make. You always need new clothes and things.” The fact that she’d need maternity wear soon was implied.
Her lips thinned. “I’ll make the trip another time. We shouldn’t both be away.”
“What do you mean?” Cami asked. “I’m the on-call person this weekend. I think I can handle anything that comes up. Don’t you trust me here alone?” She put her hands on her hips, guilting her younger sister.
Blake wanted to kiss her… no, he decided after a moment, he still wanted to kiss Lana, but he would definitely owe Cami one if her argument convinced Lana to go with him. “Of course I trust you.” He shifted his gaze back to Lana. “Don’t you trust her?”
Lana’s brow twitched slightly, acknowledging his maneuver. “Of course I trust you here alone,” she told Cami. “You’re more than capable of dealing with anything that happens. I don’t think Blake should be subjected to hours of shopping with me, though, do you?”
Cami’s lips curved and she studied him for a moment. “I think he invited you, and I’m pretty sure he’s never seemed adverse to spending time with you in the past.” She tipped her head to the side and studied him. “Nope, he doesn’t look like he thinks it’ll be a terrible chore.”
“I’ve always enjoyed shopping, contrary to the stereotype for guys. I don’t even mind waiting while she picks out a few new outfits. And whatever else she might buy for herself.” He said it to Cami, but his gaze shifted back to Lana and stayed there while he spoke.
“Yeah.” Cami cleared her throat, probably to hide a laugh if the smile was any indication. “You should go. Get away from here for the day. You work too hard, Lana. And Nordstroms has some awesome new boots.” She gathered her things and left the room.
Lana pointed to the office door, which Blake shut. He leaned back against it while she crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down. “I’m not spending our... tomorrow with you.” Her voice was tight and she bit her lip. She’d been about to acknowledge that it would be their anniversary.
He wasn’t going to let her wiggle out of spending the day with him, though, not if wheedling could do the trick. “You need to buy baby equipment, maternity clothes and Christmas gifts for all of your sisters.” He held up a finger when she started to protest. “Don’t tell me you’ve taken care of it, because I know better. You’re a total slacker when it comes to gift buying.” He kept his voice low and soothing.
She huffed a little and crossed her hands over her chest. “That doesn’t mean I have to do any of those things with you. And we haven’t told anyone about the baby yet. I’m not buying equipment before we do. That’s totally the wrong way for everyone to find out.” She rubbed her hand over her face. “I guess Cami’s room will be free then, so I can set up a nursery. It’s next to mine and Sage’s is too far away for a nursery.”
“Or you can use the extra room in my suite. It would be perfect for a nursery.” Hammering on that point would only make her more determined to run away, so Blake shifted the conversation back to the next day. He pushed away from the door and approached the desk. “You won’t back out on going with me, will you? You don’t want Cami to think you don’t trust her and can’t leave town for fear she’ll need you to get her out of a problem, do you?”
“She didn’t really think that. She was just trying to get me to go with you. For some reason she seems to like you.” Lana shifted in her chair.
He came around to her side of the desk and sat on the corner of it, nudging into her personal space. “Time was you used to like me okay too. Come on, Lana, just let me feel like I’m part of this baby’s life. I want to be there looking at bibs and swings and car seats with you. If you’re determined to go through with this divorce, I’ll need a set of baby equipment at my place too.”
Her brows lifted this time and her tone was cool and confident. “You aren’t going to have the baby around that much.”
“Joint custody does tend to give me time with our son or daughter.”
“Infants need to be with their mom.” Her brows dipped together in front.
Blake tried to act casual, even as he threw out the next line, “I’d be happy to have you come with her, if you’d like.”
Lana’s lips thinned. “You can’t actually expect to have joint custody. You’re a working man; you’d never have time for her. And you travel a lot.”
“I’m sure we can work something out. Your dad managed to work things out to spend t
ime with his daughters, and I won’t have to spread myself across five homes. I can manage, even if I want to spend way more of my life with this one than he could with any of you.”
She pushed away from the desk. Away from him. “Blake, be serious.”
He snagged her hand as she started to stand. Had he pushed too hard? “Please, just spend the day with me tomorrow. We’ll eat somewhere nice, finish off our shopping lists—or start yours in any case. You can pick up some maternity clothes and we can argue over the merits of one car seat or cradle over the next. I think once you get a few of the shopping items off of your list, you’ll feel a lot better about what still lays ahead.”
Her perfume, always light and soft, flowed between them, making his nose twitch and his mouth itch to kiss her.
“You’ll try to kiss me, and I... ” She put her free hand on his chest, as if to keep him back, but then her fingers conformed to his muscles, almost a caress.
“Okay, how about if I promise not to kiss you in Denver.” He brushed his thumb across the back of her hand. “That means you can’t kiss me there, either.”
Her lips quirked. “That’s a pretty big demand.”
“Fine, then,” He conceded. “You can kiss me if you want to.” He did his best to appear put upon. “I won’t instigate anything beyond handholding on our trip though. Scouts honor.” He gave her his most charming smile, wanting so much for her to join him.
She hesitated for a long moment. “Okay. I’ll be ready to go at eight.”
Triumph zoomed into him, but he managed to keep his smile casual—he hoped. He rubbed her knuckles once more, then let her hand drop. “I’ll be on time.” He stood and strolled back to the office door. He’d have to play it cool, but he was going to spend the entire day with her, and with any luck, he could use the opportunity to remind her that they had so much more than chemistry together.
He couldn’t think of a better way to spend the anniversary of their marriage than reminding her of why she had fallen for him to begin with.
Reclaiming His Bride (DiCarlo Brides book 3) (The DiCarlo Brides) Page 7