Best for the Baby

by Ann Evans

  “Nah,” he said with a laugh. “That’ll never happen. I’m very good at what I do.”

  She nodded. “Yes, you are.”

  “With the exception of being a daddy and a husband, I guess.”

  “Maybe someday.”

  “Another thirty years or so.” He took her by the shoulders, his expression serious. “Thank you for letting me off the hook. I didn’t want to let you down again, but honestly, can you see me—”

  She cut him off by placing a finger against his lips. “It’s going to be fine, Jeff. I’m just glad we didn’t make a bigger mistake by pretending anymore.”

  “If you need anything…”

  “I know.”

  “Would a goodbye kiss be out of line?” he asked, with the same naughty grin that had gotten her in this jam in the first place.

  “I don’t think so.”

  He bent and kissed her full on the lips, and though it was sweet and sexy, there were no sparks, and they both knew it. He frowned as if to say that he’d had better responses, then positioned his helmet and straddled the Harley.

  Raising a gloved hand, he waved goodbye. In the next moment he was roaring down the old country road that led to Lake Harmony, sending fallen leaves into whirling funnels of yellow, orange and gold.

  Even after he was long gone, she stayed in the driveway, staring off into the distance. She didn’t have any doubts, really. Raising her child alone was better than bringing it into a world where its parents didn’t love one another, where resentment and disappointment might eventually poison any home they might have made together.

  The right decision. The mature decision. Maybe she really had grown up a little.

  But now what? She was on her own again, and very soon she’d have to see what she was really made of.

  No, that wasn’t true. She wasn’t alone. She had the baby.

  She glanced down at her stomach, giving it a little rub. “Just you and me, kiddo,” she whispered. “Got any suggestions?”

  She supposed there wasn’t anything left but to finish up what she could at the cottage, walk the new contractor through the jobs Zack had hired him to do, and then…what?

  In spite of Zack’s suggestion that she stay at the cottage as long as she wanted, she couldn’t envision spending months here by herself. It would be horrible to see Zack everywhere she turned, and if he managed to sell Heron Cove quickly, she’d have to find another place, anyway. Maybe it was time to ask Sheriff Moran about that extra room. Or was it better to return home, where her parents would smother her child with love and drive her crazy in the process?

  She made herself soup and a sandwich for lunch, not because she was hungry, but because the baby should have nourishment. Halfheartedly, she cleaned up the kitchen, then decided she might as well tidy up the rest of the downstairs for the contractor, who was scheduled to come at one.

  Because of the oaks that sheltered the house, the living room lay in deep shadow. As she stood in the doorway, she closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the night she and Zack had made love here, those few hours when delight and passion had bubbled inside them like champagne. Her heart cramped inside her. It was foolish to dredge up that memory. It could never be recaptured.

  She opened her eyes, deliberately making a beeline for the sections of yesterday’s newspaper still scattered around a nearby chair. But as she moved farther into the room, she realized there was something in front of the fireplace, in the very spot where she and Zack had lain in one another’s arms.

  Switching on a lamp to see better, she went toward it, then stopped abruptly, stunned and silent as she realized what it was.

  A cradle.

  Gleaming like rich, rosy satin in the light. With delicate finials. Graceful, curving lines along the head and footboard. A handmade work of art. Alaina touched one of the side rails that would keep a newborn safely confined. The cradle rocked gently, perfectly balanced.

  A note lay on the bottom where a baby mattress would go. Still somewhat undone, she picked it up and held it toward the light.

  Al—

  I thought you might need this. Try not to worry.

  You’re going to make a wonderful mother.

  Z.

  Zack had done this.

  Her heart reeled with the sweetness of his gesture. The temptation to read significance into this gift was too great to ignore. Maybe it was simple friendship. But maybe…it wasn’t.

  She didn’t know how long she sat there, but by the time the contractor rang the front bell and she went to let him in, a grin was working its way across her lips, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  ALAINA SAT IN THE front passenger seat of Maggie’s car. She had been in Miami for a week, staying with her sister, waiting for the time to be right to approach her parents with the news that she’d returned.

  According to Maggie, that day was today. She’d paved the way for Alaina, “scoping out the territory,” as she called it. Supposedly, James and Connie Tillman had told her they were delighted that Alaina had come home to raise her baby.

  She suspected that Maggie had edited out all the more objectionable parts of that conversation, but it didn’t matter. She had to reconnect with her parents. With Jeffrey out of the picture, it would be more important than ever that her child know its grandparents.

  Besides, after leaving Lake Harmony, she’d reaffirmed the vows she’d made to herself. No more running from problems. No more allowing anyone to push her around. No more letting people assume she’d defer to their decisions. She had a perfectly good brain, and it was long past time that she used it. If she intended to be tough enough to raise a baby by herself, she had to be tough enough to handle her parents’ well-meaning interference.

  So today was the day.

  She just wished her heart would get the message that she was brave, and stop trying to escape from her chest.

  As Maggie pulled into their folks’ driveway and killed the engine, Alaina glanced down at her outfit. Should she have worn a dress instead of slacks and a loose blouse? She still had only the tiniest “baby bump,” but she didn’t want to appear slovenly.

  No, she told herself. No. You look good.

  “Why are your legs shaking?” Maggie asked her.

  Alaina glanced down at her knees. Good grief, they were shaking. She grimaced. “Why do you think? I’m nervous.”

  “For Pete’s sake, it’s just Mom and Dad.”

  Alaina gave her a narrowed, sideways glance. “That’s sort of amusing considering you once called our father Rasputin.”

  Maggie made a face at her. “I’ve matured. Take it easy. It’s going to be fine.”

  “Isn’t that what the captain of the Titanic said to the passengers right after they hit the iceberg?” They both laughed a little then, though Alaina thought her voice sounded shrill. “I keep telling myself I can do this,” she added, trying for more calm. “But I’m having a hard time believing it. You know how it was for me. The good daughter. Miss Perfect.”

  “So now they can call you Miss Late Bloomer. The fact is, they love you and they’re glad you decided to come home. They’ve been so worried.”

  “Zack took good care of me.”

  “Believe me, knowing you were with him was the only thing that kept me from charging up to Georgia to bring you back. When are you going to realize that he’s the only guy for you and always has been?”

  “I do,” Alaina admitted bleakly. “I just hope it’s not too late.”

  “Well, I’m living proof that it’s never too late. Look at Will and me. In the end, we found a way to get back to one another. Maybe you two can, as well.”

  “I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”

  She hadn’t spoken to Zack since that night on the porch. She had to acknowledge the extraordinary gift he’d made for her, but the cradle was too personal for a thank-you over the phone. It needed to be done face-to-face. Once she got up the nerve…

 
; Maggie nudged her shoulder. “Hey. I’ve seen you get fired up when your back’s against the wall. If anyone can make that stubborn lunkhead cry uncle, it’s you. Have you talked to him recently?”

  “No.”

  “Does he at least know you’re back in Miami?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’ve been waiting for the right time.”

  Maggie looked incredulous. “Hello. What about now? Don’t you think he’ll want to know how you liked the cradle? To know what’s happening with you?”

  “Any true friend would want to know, right?” Alaina asked with a weak smile.

  “Who said anything about friendship? He doesn’t want to be your friend.”

  “He doesn’t?”

  Maggie frowned at her, as though she was completely hopeless. “If ignorance is bliss, then why aren’t you happier? No, he doesn’t want to be your friend. Not in the real sense of the word. If what you told me is true, he wants to be the father of your children. The man in your bed every night. Your lover. Your main squeeze.” She threw out a hand expressively. “And what’s wrong with that? You still love him, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Then why not tell him and see what he has to say about that? Now that Jeffrey’s no longer an issue…” She stopped, giving Alaina a glance full of doubt. “Zack does know you and the tree hugger are kaput, right?”

  “No.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “And Mom and Dad always considered me the slow one. I thought you came back a changed woman. You’re bold and fearless—”

  “I’m only working up to fearless. I’ve got to practice with Mom and Dad first.”

  “Maybe I should call Zack and tell him—”

  Alaina caught her arm. “Don’t you dare!”

  Her sister laughed. “I was just kidding. I won’t.”

  “Swear it, Maggie,” Alaina said desperately. “Not one word to Zack about me.”

  “Why? What are you so afraid of?”

  “I’m not afraid. I just want it to be right. I don’t want to mess up. If anyone talks to him about me, I want it to be me. There are things I want to say to him, but not just yet. Okay?”

  “I still see him sometimes. Your name is bound to come up, and I can’t be rude.”

  “I’ve known you to be rude plenty of times,” Alaina told her. When Maggie just stared, she added, “All right. If he asks, tell him the baby and I are fine. Tell him I’m home if you have to. But only if he asks. Swear.”

  “Whatever,” Maggie said with a sulky pout, and lifted her hand. “I swear. Now, can we please go in and face the folks, or did you want me to sign something in blood?”

  As her sister hopped out of the car, Alaina took one last look at herself in the visor mirror. The eyes that met her gaze were more troubled than she liked, her lips too pale. She compressed them hard to draw color, then took a deep, calming breath.

  Her parents were two loving people. But they could also be strong, opinionated and downright pushy.

  “This is it, kiddo,” she whispered. “We can do this.”

  She had made a promise to her child from the very beginning. The fragile life that had so utterly changed Alaina’s was all that mattered now.

  “Are you coming?” Maggie called.

  Alaina got out of the car. She plastered a smile on her face, determined to meet any challenge head-on. She could manage this. She had her dreams and her future, and together, she and the baby would make a life, alone if they had to. This child was longed for, welcomed, her own miracle, and nothing would ever change that.

  A FEW DAYS LATER the Pinar del Lago Homeowners’ Association hosted a party to celebrate the grand reopening of their Pine Lake bridge. The restoration was part of Miami’s Communities That Care project, so every homeowner in the Miramar subdivision was invited to attend, along with various local dignitaries, charities and the press.

  Even former residents of the neighborhood were welcome, and since both the Tillmans and the Davidsons had been next-door neighbors there years ago, Maggie went with her husband, and Zack escorted his mother. As the man who had donated so much of his time, money and company’s efforts to the restoration project, Zack was practically considered the guest of honor.

  The designation embarrassed him, and the fact that Maggie had talked him into wearing a tuxedo annoyed him even more. He hated formal wear, and no matter how many other men in the subdivision’s clubhouse were wearing monkey suits, he still felt out of place and as foolish as Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua.

  He swirled the champagne in the flute he held between two fingers, wondering when he could legitimately hit the road. The speeches were over, nearly everyone had shaken his hand, and he’d mingled as much as he could honestly stand. He had thought he would enjoy this night—after all, restoring the bridge had been his pet project—but now he just wanted to go home.

  “You look so handsome tonight,” his mother said for about the fourth time that evening. She stood beside him, appearing much younger than she was, a woman who had begun to embrace life again after the loss of the man she’d been married to for almost thirty-six years. “Your father would be so proud.”

  He thanked her for the compliment, though being his mom, she was prone to saying things like that. Still, Zack found it odd to hear those words and not feel the familiar sting of guilt.

  That conversation with Sheriff Moran in Lake Harmony had begun the change, sabotaging all Zack’s efforts to hold pain and bitterness at bay, and forcing him to reevaluate everything he’d thought about his father. It was funny how healing came. Not in a flash or in a swelling symphony of strings, but in a whisper of quiet peace that could settle over you, shifting a person’s world back into place.

  He knew he had Alaina to thank for that. For breaching his defenses. Refusing to let him get away with any unwillingness to discuss the past. The way she could figure him out had always amazed him.

  He gritted his teeth, cursing himself for thinking about Alaina at all. He’d never been fond of chaos, and he was glad that the battering, burning, breath-stealing ups and downs of living in Alaina Tillman’s world were over.

  He didn’t want to think about her anymore. He didn’t want to try to second-guess one more time those moments in Heron Cove’s kitchen, when the words I love you had been on the tip of his tongue.

  Instead of releasing them, he had clenched his teeth once he realized they were not alone. After he got past his shock at finding the father of Alaina’s baby in the room, he had known he couldn’t complicate things even more with a declaration of love.

  No matter how wrong-headed he might think Alaina was, if she wanted Jeffrey, who was Zack to try to step in and change things? Her baby needed a father—Zack had only to recall his own childhood to know that—and while he thought he would have made a pretty good one, he couldn’t deny the kid’s right to its real birth parent.

  But Jeffrey, for God’s sake. How could she want a guy like that?

  Of course, none of that was important now. After Zack had gotten over being pissed, after he’d stopped feeling as though his heart had been clawed right out of his chest, what he had told her on the porch was the truth. The decision to accept the bastard’s marriage proposal had to be hers and hers alone. Zack had entangled himself enough in her life, and every visit had woven another strand into the web, but now he was free, finished.

  He peered down into his glass, as though to calculate how much solace it could offer.

  “For a man who’s at the top of his game tonight,” a male voice said behind him, “you look pretty grim.”

  Zack turned, realizing that Maggie and Will Stewart had joined them. Since Maggie had finally married the man she was meant to be with, he and Will had formed a solid friendship. The guy was smart, tough and totally besotted with his wife and children.

  Maggie touched Zack’s mother’s arm. “How are you, Mrs. Davidson?”

  “Very well, dear. Don’t you look lovely
tonight?”

  “Thank you. So do you.” She grinned up at Zack. “And doesn’t your son—”

  “I know, I know,” he interrupted, raising a hand to stop Maggie. “Don’t I look handsome? God, I feel like I’m eight years old again.”

  They laughed and chatted for a while. Zack and Will discussed how irked they were to be missing the Dolphins game, though at least Will had the latest score on his BlackBerry. The two women talked about the new shops going up on South Beach, who they recognized from the crowd of people in the room, and some project they were both involved in to clean up the beaches at Surfside.

  After a few minutes, Maggie touched the older woman’s arm again. “Do you think we could slip away from these two and talk privately? I’d like to get your opinion on something.”

  “Of course,” his mother agreed quickly, though she did toss Zack a questioning glance as Maggie led her away.

  Zack frowned at his friend. “Something wrong?”

  Will took a swallow from his own champagne glass. “No. It’s a ruse. It’s Maggie’s cue to me. I’m supposed to talk to you.”

  “About what?”

  “My darling wife thinks she’s being very clever,” he replied with a smile. “Evidently she’s not allowed to talk to you about something, so I’m elected. I’d have told her no, except I’ve discovered that I’m putty in her hands.”

  “So tell her you did talk to me—we can discuss the Dolphins’ chances this season instead.”

  “Afraid not. You know how persuasive Maggie can be. She’ll want to know how it went, and I’ll crack under the pressure.”

  Zack grinned. “Still hopelessly in love, I see.”

  “Yep. You ought to consider it. It’s not a bad gig.”

  It suddenly hit Zack what this was all about. Maggie was a determined woman when she wanted things her way. He took a closer look at Will. “Something tells me you’re supposed to talk to me about Alaina.”