She laughed as she bent to reach into the fridge. “Nice try, but no.”
“Damn. I was hoping to make my case to do this again.”
He saw her fingers tighten on the edge of the door.
“Define this,” she said.
“Spend the night in your bed.”
Her head popped up over the door, panic flitting across her face before she straightened with two eggs in her hands. “Merit, you have to realize I have Ian to consider. I can’t just have men staying over—”
“Whoa, hold on.” He held up his hand to cut her off. “First of all, I am not men—at least according to you, I’m not.” He arched his eyebrows. “Am I?”
“No.” She closed the refrigerator door, ducked her head, and turned to start mixing her assembled ingredients. “I’ve never had anyone here like this before, but that doesn’t mean I plan to start now.”
“Last night—”
“Last night, I was only thinking of myself.” She sounded guilty, as if she were beating herself up over it.
“You are allowed to do that every once in a while.”
She shook her head. “I have to stay focused.”
“What are you saying? That this is it?” He tossed out the question before considering that she might reply this was it, and then scrambled to ward off a negative reply. “Come on. Single mothers date and have relationships all the time.”
She stopped what she was doing and faced him directly. “Ian comes first. And the baby.”
“I understand Ian’s father isn’t here, but I am, and I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. Or two-time, if we’re counting the wedding.”
“What you want isn’t the most important thing here.”
“Of course it isn’t, but what we want is still important,” he countered.
Her chin rose in defiance. “Who says I want a relationship?”
“You prefer to be alone?”
She averted her gaze, but not before he saw the yearning in her eyes. “Come on, Mae, why not give this a shot? I like you. A lot.” Her gaze shifted back. “And unless you’re really good at faking it, I’m pret-ty sure you like me, too. A lot.”
She shook her head, but the fact she also turned away to hide the smile he glimpsed on her shiny lips gave him hope.
“Oh, my God,” he exclaimed with fake outrage. “Were you faking it?”
“Stop it.” Color infused her cheeks as she fiddled with a dish towel on the counter. “You know I wasn’t.”
He moved up behind her and slid his hands around to flatten his palms over her belly while resting his chin on her shoulder. “Then why in the hell don’t you want to do it again?”
“That’s not it at all.” When he nuzzled right below her ear, she tilted her head to give him more room as she murmured, “Do you even have a clue what a relationship is?”
Instead of being offended, he tossed it right back at her. “Says the woman who hasn’t dated since her ex left seven years ago.”
“Closer to eight, actually, when you count the months I was pregnant.” She turned around in his arms. “Seriously, Merit, neither one of us knows what the hell we’re doing.”
He read the uncertainty in her eyes and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. “We’ll figure it out as we go along.”
The frown returned to her brow. “I have to be careful with Ian. I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“No matter what ever happens between you and me, I’m here to stay for the baby.” He cupped her jaw, his thumb brushing against her cheek. “I’ll be here for Ian, too, if you let me.”
Her gaze searched his for a long moment, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, before she finally drew in a deep breath and released it with a faint, wobbly smile. “Okay.”
He lifted his eyebrows and tilted his head in silent question.
Her smile strengthened. “Let’s give it a shot.”
“Okay.” He reached up with both hands to hold her head as he kissed her forehead. “Now, let’s get the baby fed. What can I do to help?”
He ended up standing beside her feeling useless while she cooked. Last night, he might as well have been wearing blinders as he’d focused on Mae, so this morning, he took the time to look around the small house with its open kitchen, dining area, and living room. There were the two bedrooms and one bathroom, and a tiny utility closet off the kitchen that housed her washer and dryer.
It was cluttered, but clean. Small but cozy. And yet, for its positives, there wouldn’t be much room at all once the baby came. He had more than enough room at his house, and yet a suggestion for her and Ian to move in would be idiotic at this point. Way too early. And who knew, maybe she already had other plans.
As they sat down to eat, he asked, “What are you going to do once the baby’s born?”
“What do you mean?”
“This place is small.”
“So?” she bristled, pausing mid-reach for the syrup. “It’s our home.”
He held up a hand and backed off. “Just making an observation, that’s all.”
“Well, like I told my parents, we’ll be fine.”
“Okay. I didn’t mean anything by asking. Sorry.”
She doused the two pancakes on her plate with syrup, and then handed him the bottle with a soft sigh. “No, I’m sorry. It just reminded me my parents didn’t take the news well, though I can’t really blame them given the situation.”
“Or they could just support you,” he said, his tone clipped as he drizzled syrup over his own plate. “Moral support, I mean.” That was something his dad had no clue how to give.
She shrugged. “They’re not wrong though. Neither are you. And yeah, I’d like to have a bigger house, but it’s not in the budget just yet.”
“I am going to help, you know.” As soon as he got a job. Which he’d have to make sure he did this week, no matter what. He had a couple of resumes out to companies that hadn’t given him a flat out no yet. He’d follow up with them on Monday.
“Anything you pay will be for the baby,” Mae stated, “not my house payment.”
The woman had a stubborn, independent streak a mile wide. Probably from having to do everything herself the past seven plus years. If his dad hadn’t cut him off, he’d be helping already.
She took a drink of milk and reached to set her glass down. “So, what about you? Have you told your family yet?”
He grimaced as he lifted a forkful of pancakes. “Only Asher and Loyal. But my parents are home from Washington D.C., so I was going to tell them—” He broke off abruptly. “Aw, shit.”
Mae’s head jerked up. “What?”
“Today is Sunday.”
Her minute frown was wiped away by understanding. “Family brunch.”
“Yeah. I was going to tell them today at brunch.” He glanced at the clock on Mae’s stove and saw it was almost nine a.m. Brunch was usually at ten-thirty. He ate the pancakes on his fork, chewed, and swallowed past the lump in his throat as his pulse picked up. “Hey, here’s an idea. You want to come with me?”
Chapter 16
What the hell was I thinking when I said, “Yes.”?
She’d thought she might as well get facing Merit’s family out of the way. Especially if they were giving this thing between them a shot.
Now, Mae was thinking she should have put it off for as long as possible. Like maybe until after the baby was born—or graduated high school.
Yes, that was unrealistic, but the nerves threatening to send her first breakfast back up made unreality look exceptionally appealing at the moment.
She scanned the vehicles in the driveway as Merit parked his red Jaguar SUV, her purse strap clutched in both hands as her stomach sank lower when she didn’t see Asher’s restored Camaro. Asher and Honor always went to the weekly Diamond family brunch—unless they were out of town. She frantically tried to recall if Honor had said anything when they talked a few days ago, but her mind was a complete blank.
Spotting Loyal�
�s Land Rover, she figured at the least she’d have Roxanna for moral support. And Shelby—hopefully. She got along well with Merit’s studious youngest sister, and his older sister, Celia, seemed nice the few times she’d seen her.
She concentrated on taking even breaths as she and Merit walked past the other half-dozen vehicles in the driveway of the Diamond mansion. There really was no other word for the grand house and the sprawling estate that went with it. The two times she’d been there before, once for Honor and Asher’s engagement party, and again for their rehearsal dinner, she’d relaxed and fallen in love with the patio, the gardens, and the stables across the grass with all the horses grazing in the pasture and the Rocky Mountains as a majestic backdrop.
This morning, however, there would be no relaxing.
Merit held the front door open for her, and she could see his own nerves in the rigid set of his jaw and shoulders. They’d stopped at his place for him to change into the black T-shirt and faded jeans he wore now, and as he’d taken the stairs two at a time, she’d stood in his formal foyer, looking into his huge living room with the stone fireplace and vaulted ceilings, totally in awe. She’d been a little distracted the last time she’d been there. After a discreet look around, she determined it wasn’t the mansion his parents owned, but compared to her small house, it might as well be.
No wonder he’d made the comment about her living space at breakfast. She had about a thousand square feet compared to his ten thousand plus. He’d probably felt like he was slumming it at her humble little shack.
Stop it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Well, except for the getting pregnant from their one-night stand, but hey, they were going to give this thing a shot.
Her nerves wound tighter, making her stomach hurt.
Merit’s hand at the small of her back as he followed her inside brought her back to the now. The warmth of his touch seared through the thin material of her floral summer dress, agitating the butterflies in her stomach even more. She turned to him while he reached back to shut the door. “Maybe we should’ve talked about how you want to do this.”
“I—”
“Hey, Merit, look at you arriving on time. With a guest.”
They both looked over to see Shelby in the doorway leading from the foyer to the living room. Clearly, Merit didn’t bring guests to brunch on a regular basis. That made Mae feel better, until she saw the blatant curiosity in his sister’s eyes.
“Hi, Mae. Love that dress.”
“Thank you.” Mae smiled wanly, hoping she didn’t have to dash for the bathroom anytime soon.
Beside Merit’s baby sister stood a good-looking guy about mid-twenties, olive complexion, greenish eyes, short brown hair streaked with blond on top, and a neat, trimmed goatee. He was tall and lean, but muscled where it counted. The two of them made a much better couple than her and Chad Meyer, and Mae wondered if he was the reason she’d hesitated accepting the dinner invite from the city hall employee.
The guy glanced down at the military-style watch on his wrist. “Forget on time, he’s early. When’s the last time that happened?”
“Oh, it’s definitely one for the record books,” Shelby teased.
“I’m guessing we have to credit the blond.”
Merit grumbled under his breath as he urged her forward. “The blond is Mae Lockhart, a great mom and owner of Lockhart Construction. Mae, meet Reyes Torrez. Family friend, assistant stable manager, and all around pain in the ass.”
She smiled as she shook his hand. “You’d get along great with my younger brother, Bryce.”
He laughed. “Nice to meet you, Mae.”
“Mae’s redoing my clinic,” Shelby supplied. “We’re getting back on track now that the permit situation is resolved.”
“Cool. I look forward to seeing it.” Reyes turned and backed toward the door. “I was just on my way out, though. I had to drop off mom’s keys after borrowing her car.”
So, not Shelby’s date.
“Your mom’s off on Sundays,” Merit said.
“Someone called in sick. Plus, your aunt and uncle and cousins are here, and she wanted to make sure everything was covered.”
Oh, great. Aunt, uncle, and cousins? Mae’s stomach flipped at the thought of meeting even more of his family. Of being judged by more Diamonds.
“Huh.” He glanced at his sister, then met Mae’s gaze with a hint of apology in his grimace. “I did not know that.”
“Later,” Reyes called before disappearing out the front door.
Merit twisted back to Shelby. “So, who’s here?”
“Uncle Matt, Aunt Gloria, Axel, Raine, and Phoenix. Raine had a show in Durango, so they popped in for the weekend.” Her gaze shifted to Mae. “Raine is a championship show jumper.”
She nodded as if she had a clue what that meant, then turned to look up at Merit. “Maybe I should go,” she said in a low voice.
Before he could reply, the front door opened behind them. Asher and Honor walked in, and Mae met her best friend’s wide eyes with a nervous smile.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here this morning,” Honor whispered as they exchanged a quick hug.
“Kind of a last minute thing.”
“You okay?”
“No?”
Honor offered an encouraging smile as her husband turned from greeting Merit and gave Mae a hug, too. “You are a brave woman.”
“Or a stupid one.”
They shared a smile as Loyal walked into the foyer behind Shelby, followed by Roxanna, another dark-haired guy who must be one of the cousins, and a petite, brunette who also had the Diamond features. Only her eyes were hazel, not full on brown. Her gaze darted around the room, and a frown of disappointment made it evident she didn’t find what or who she was hoping to see.
Recognition flickered, and Mae realized she probably saw them at the wedding in May, though she didn’t recall meeting them directly. There had been a lot of people there, and if she remembered correctly, there was yet another set of Diamond cousins besides these ones here. Three or four girls belonging to another uncle? Something like that.
“What’s everyone doing hanging out here?” Loyal asked. Then he paused when his gaze bounced from Merit to Mae. “Oh. Hi.”
“Hi.”
As Merit greeted his cousins, Roxanna’s supportive smile confirmed Loyal had told her about the situation. Mae tightened her grip on her purse strap to keep from fidgeting. There was nothing she could do about the heat warming her cheeks or the prickle of discomfort along the back of her neck.
Merit broke free from the dark-haired guy’s bear hug. He was still laughing as he turned back to her. “Mae, these are my cousins from Texas, Axel and Raine.” He glanced behind them. “Phoenix must be scoping out the kitchen.”
“As always.”
Raine offered a reserved smile, but Axel gave her a friendly grin. “Hi, Mae. Are you actually here with Mooch?”
Merit’s expression went tight as she raised her eyebrows. “Mooch?”
“Stupid nickname,” he muttered.
“He’s known for coasting along on the family name and taking it easy.”
“Fuck off, Axel,” he grit out at the same time Loyal backhanded their cousin on the shoulder.
“Geez, sorry. Didn’t know it had become a touchy subject.”
And clearly, it was. Mae knew from comments Asher had made over the past year that Merit didn’t seem particularly career driven, but she was surprised even his cousins picked on him for it.
A loud clap from the doorway drew everyone’s attention. Mae caught a glimpse of Merit’s mother before those taller than her—which was everyone save Honor and Raine—shifted and blocked her view.
“Let’s go. Come on. Out to the patio,” Janine ordered. “Elena has brunch ready to go.”
Still looking uncomfortable, Merit motioned Mae ahead of him, and Shelby fell into step beside her. “Elena is Reyes’ mom. She manages the house staff.”
She nodded as if that made perfect sense, even though the idea of having house staff was completely foreign. “I met her at the rehearsal dinner, but I didn’t realize she worked for your family.”
“They’ve been with us for so long, they’re like part of the family. Their dad, Estefan, manages the stables, and when Reyes got out of the military last summer, he came back to work with him. He’ll probably take over when his dad retires, just like Estefan took over from his dad.”
“He seems like a nice guy.” She gave her a playful nudge with her shoulder. “Very good looking.”
“All of ‘em in that family are.”
Something in her voice caught Mae’s attention even as she was aware of Merit joking with his cousin behind them. “All?”
“He has an older brother and sister. Solana’s in the middle, and she works for the FBI.”
“Impressive. And their brother?”
“Devante is special forces in the Army. He doesn’t make it home much.”
There it was again, this time reflected in her subdued smile. Sadness. And a hint of resignation and longing. Made Mae very curious about Devante. Did the two have a history? Was he why she hadn’t given Reyes a second look when he left? And why she’d been reluctant to accept that dinner invitation last week?
“I meant to ask the other day, how’d your date go with Chad?”
A new emotion flickered across Shelby’s face, but it was gone too fast to identify. “It was fine.” Her smile faded, then ramped up again. “He’s nice.”
Okay, great. But who was she trying to convince?
“Are you going to see him again?” she asked as she noticed Roxanna’s gaze sharpen on the younger Diamond.
Shelby gave a tiny shake of her head. “I’m too busy right now to think about dating.”
The answer softened Rox’s expression, and by then they’d reached the patio. Five minutes later, Mae had gone through another round of introductions with the aunt and uncle, cousin Phoenix, and Grandpa Ira and Grandma Irene. She smiled across the way at Merit’s other sister, Celia, and her husband Robert, and then in the chaos of getting everyone situated with extra family members who weren’t usually there, she found herself seated at the huge outdoor table with Janine Diamond to her left and Merit on her right.
Love You, Baby Page 11