“Do you want to go to Texas?”
“Am I ready this very minute to transplant myself there forever? No. My family is here. The bookstore is here. I’ve been making progress with my non-profit.”
“Then tell him you don’t want to leave.” Nina pouted.
“It’s not that simple and you know it.” Morgan sighed. “These cupcakes are making me hungry. Want to get Chinese food?”
Nina patted her pregnant belly. “Yes.”
Morgan retrieved the menu from a draw and gave it to Nina. “I like everything on their menu.”
Nina looked it over. “By the way, a friend of mine from New Day magazine reached out to me. They want to do an article on you. She asked if I would run it by you. I told her I would only mention it if it was a real interview and not some puff piece like how it feels to be the quarterback’s wife. I know you hate superficial bullshit like that.”
“Really? What does she want to talk to me about?”
“New Day magazine focuses on modern family living. Interracial marriages, same sex unions. Stuff like that.”
“And again, why does she want to talk to me?”
Nina chuckled. “I don’t know if anyone has told you, but you and Seth are an interracial couple.”
Morgan put her finger to her lips. “Why am I always the last to know everything?”
Nina hunched her shoulders. “You get a chance to plug your non-profit. So, I can give her your number?”
“I’ll talk to your friend then make my decision about the interview.”
* * *
The Slap Shot bar was owned by one of Seth’s dearest friends, Derek Popovich. After Patton had informed Seth he’d all but disappeared since becoming a parent, he felt guilty about ignoring his friend. He wasn’t proposing a wild night out, simply a few drinks and maybe a meal at Derek’s bar. Morgan didn’t mind; she’d readied for some girl time with Nina.
A few of the guys from the team were at the bar, not to mention a few basketball and hockey players he knew. The most interesting thing about the establishment was that Derek didn’t allow any televisions, which proved to be stressful for the clientele who were mostly self- centered professional athletes who loved to see themselves on sports commentary shows.
Derek offered a lavish décor as a great consolation prize. The bar was furnished with leather couches, fine art work, and a space design that maximized the comfort of a large crowd. Soft music played through a premium sound system, but never so loud you couldn’t hear your dinner guest. Patton and a few of the guys from the team had hated it the first time he’d brought them but eventually appreciated the serenity of getting away from the spotlight.
It was usually crawling with beautiful women who were looking to bag themselves a rich athlete. Seth had learned a long time ago not to dip his toe in this particular dating pool, and he was damn glad he was out of the dating game all together. What had once seemed sublime—finding a gorgeous woman to spend some time with until they both tired of each other—now left a bad taste in his mouth. He definitely wouldn’t have met Morgan there.
Sheena, the bartender, made her way over to Seth and Patton with a drink. “Seth, a woman at the end of the bar bought you a drink.”
An expensive drink. The generous lady had sent over a glass of the best top shelf single malt scotch Derek kept in his inventory.
“Sheena, please send it back. I’ll reimburse you for the drink and the tip.”
Sheena nodded and took the drink away.
“I bet it’s that chick that’s been gawking at you for the last hour,” Patton said. “The stink of wedded bliss has made you more attractive.”
Seth shook his head. “Pat, it’s getting better. My neighbor Svetlana knocked on my door a couple of weeks ago.”
“Damn, I remember Svetlana. She’s the one who walks through the lobby of the Ashcroft in a bikini.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you two ever…?” Patton waggled his eyebrows.
“No. Whenever she was in the country, she would drop by to see if I was finally ready to ‘taste the nectar of her sweet fruit.’ Her words, not mine. But this time, she rang the doorbell, and Morgan answered. Svetlana had on a full-length mink coat and a bikini underneath. Svetlana said she’s hot and needs to see me.” Seth’s cheeks reddened.
“Oh, shit! What did Morgan say?”
“She threw the bottled water she was holding in her hand on Svetlana and said, ‘That should cool you down.’”
Patton burst out laughing. “I think Morgan and Nina were separated at birth.”
Seth couldn’t help but laugh with him.
“Seth Blake, you handsome devil.” The owner of the feminine voice behind him placed her hand on his back.
He moved out of the way and turned around, shocked to see Morgan’s cousin Charisma. Her hairstyle had changed since he’d seen her at the barbecue, but he knew it was her. She was dressed like she was on the prowl, and her tight white dress accentuated every curve she had. The expensive heels she wore gave her some height, but she wasn’t that much taller than Morgan.
Seth tightened his jaw. “Charisma.”
“What a surprise seeing you here. I thought Morgan kept you tied up in that penthouse of yours.” She gave him a wicked smile.
“What can I say? I love being in the company of my wife.” Seth smiled sincerely back at her.
Charisma seductively ran her finger around the rim of her wine glass, but he kept his eyes fixed on her face. Surely she knew that he knew what she was trying to do. Thankfully Patton didn’t move from his spot on the stool. Seth just stood there, not encouraging any further conversation.
“Jake is a beautiful baby,” Charisma said. “Has those green eyes of yours.”
“I think he looks like his mother.”
Charisma sucked her teeth. “My little cousin sure lucked out with you. It’s amazing how she blossomed after that awkward bookworm stage of hers. She was a tomboy for years.”
“Lucky for me I think nerdy women are hot.”
“I’ve seen the women you dated before you married Morgan. There was nothing nerdy about any of them.” She cackled.
“All of those women were a dime a dozen; that’s why I never proposed to any of them. Even in this bar there are plenty of beautiful women here on the hunt looking for a man with money. I don’t have to worry about that. Since the day we’ve met, Morgan’s only wanted me.”
Charisma pouted at Seth’s constant rebuttals. Whatever she had set out to do when she came over, it was obvious it wasn’t working. To make matters worse, a small crowd was starting to form, listening to their conversation. He wondered if she’d learned anything from that confrontation at the barbeque. He didn’t want to humiliate her, but she wasn’t getting away with throwing digs at his wife.
“It was good seeing you again.” Charisma leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.
Seth moved out of the way. It was getting awkward. “You have a nice night, Charisma.”
She pivoted on her stiletto heels and walked over to a table where a group of women sat having drinks.
Patton whistled. “Who was that?”
“That was Morgan’s cousin. She’s the one who sold that story to the tabloids.”
Patton shook his head. “She was pushing up on you hard, man. She’s lucky Morgan wasn’t here.”
Chapter Three
Seth’s suggestion they take a road trip to Pittsburgh to see Tate’s concert instead of flying was a welcome surprise. They were both in a celebrating mood after getting the green light from her gynecologist to resume intimate activities. Her six-week checkup after delivery had gone quite well. The doctor said she was physically in good shape and told her not to worry so much about those pesky few pounds that lingered. Morgan looked at him like he was crazy. A few pounds were pesky, but she felt like the remaining eight were enough to sink a tugboat.
After loading up her new SUV, they dropped Jake off with Sydney and Morgan’s dad. She and Set
h had had a long talk the night before about taking the trip. He was OK if she didn’t want to leave Jake, but he pointed out that Sydney and her dad were looking forward to keeping the baby for the weekend. Guilt hit her the minute she left her father’s house, but she kept marching on to the Range Rover.
“I like the way your SUV handles.” Seth maneuvered effortlessly onto the highway.
“I have to admit it has a lot of room.” Morgan sighed. “But I do miss my old car.”
Seth laughed. “I could fit that thing in my pocket.”
“Stop exaggerating. It was a cute car,” Morgan said as she spied the display on her cell phone.
“He’s OK.” Seth squeezed her hand.
“I was just making sure I could get a signal out here in the country.”
Seth gave her a sideways glance.
“Honest.” She held her hands up.
“So, what’s new in your world, Mrs. Blake? Besides being a kick-ass mother and wife?”
“I had a chat on the phone with a reporter from New Day magazine yesterday. She’s a friend of Nina’s.”
“What did she want to talk about?”
“She wants my opinion on being in an interracial relationship in this day and age.”
“Are you going to do it?”
Morgan looked at him. “Before I made that decision, I thought we’d talk about it first. We’ve never really talked about…”
Seth smiled. “How much we love each other?”
She laughed. “That’s never been an issue for us.”
“Exactly.”
“I agree, but you’re a high profile celebrity. Sometimes you become a poster child and don’t realize it. We may be two evolved people, but I’m afraid our children will still have to deal with it.”
Seth squeezed her hand. “And we’ll be there to help them through it. Look at the two of us. The biggest difference between you and me is that you were born in the city and I’m a country boy.”
“You know if this were the not so distant past, loving each other would have been socially unacceptable and even criminal. We would have been ostracized.” She gazed out the window at the greenery on the side of the highway, not really seeing it.
“And I would have fought for us, Morgan. I’ll always fight for us. No matter what comes along, we will face it together.” Seth kissed her hand.
“Damn right.”
“Sounds like you’re going to do the interview then?”
Morgan smiled. “I’ll ask Daniel to contact the magazine and hammer out the details.”
* * *
Tate didn’t disappoint with his performance. Morgan couldn’t tell which heated up the stage more: the elaborate lighting or Tate strutting around with that guitar like it was a sex toy. He possessed energy like no other musician she’d seen in a live venue. When he wasn’t flirting with the women in the crowd, he was flirting with his female band members. In one of his calmer moments, he gave a shout out to Morgan and Seth, whom he introduced as his brother and sister-in-law. He then introduced a new song he’d written titled, “A Man’s Glory,” citing the couple as his inspiration for writing it. Morgan was so touched by the song, she cried.
As soon as the concert ended, four surly looking bodyguards came to the front row and retrieved them. They could have watched from backstage but Morgan enjoyed being among the crowd. They were escorted through a maze of amped-up people and finally led to Tate’s dressing room. Tate was taking a shower and yelled he’d be right out.
“Come in here with all your clothes on, McGill,” Seth said as he and Morgan took a seat on the couch.
“Scared I might take your woman?” Tate emerged from the bathroom dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt.
“You’d have to do a lot more with that guitar—”
“Seth!” Morgan put her hand over his mouth.
Tate came over and kissed her on the cheek. “I love driving him crazy. How are you, darlin’?”
Seth ducked when Tate tried to kiss him too.
Morgan snickered at that. “I’m good. Great concert.”
Tate gave her an appreciative once over. “Well, you look great. I can’t even tell you had a baby a few months ago.”
“Did Seth tell you to say that?” She squinted her eyes at Tate.
“Seth didn’t tell Tate to be looking at his woman,” Seth grumbled.
“He can get so sensitive.” Tate laughed.
“Your backup singers are very sexy,” Morgan said.
Tate laughed again. “Those are Tate’s Angels. Did you see the one in the middle?”
“Yes, she set off my skank-o-meter.” The singer in the middle was the one whose skirt was dangerously short.
“That’s Misty. She used to have a thing for your husband. I told her three times today that he was happily married with a child.” Tate smiled widely at Seth.
Morgan looked at Seth, who shook his head.
“How’s my nephew?” Tate walked over to the bar to grab two beers.
“He’s fine. I put the Future Country Western Singer T-shirt you bought on him once a week.” Morgan grinned.
“Please.” Seth huffed.
“But I especially like the My Daddy’s a Cowboy shirt.” She scrunched her nose at him. “So what’s new with you, Tate?”
“After the tour is over I’ll be headed to California. I’m thinking about signing with a new record label. I have a meeting with Kate Garrison at Atlantis Records.”
“You’re a busy man. Teri-Lyn told me you’re doing some redecorating at the cabin to make it more woman-friendly. Is there a particular woman you’re making these changes for?” Morgan smiled.
“It never hurts to be prepared in case the day hell finally freezes over.” Tate winked at her.
Morgan saw the flicker of emotion in his stormy blue eyes. Tate looked like he was at odds with himself about something. Seth wouldn’t go into detail whenever she asked about Tate’s past. He simply said that a man shouldn’t have to carry around as much baggage as he did.
“So what made you think about one day settling down?” Morgan asked.
“When I was writing that new song, it made me think about much happier my friend has been since he met you. Contentment can do wonders for a man’s soul. I’ve been thinking about being open to finding some of that myself.”
“You may find it sooner than you think.” Seth looked his friend in the eye.
Tate held up his beer bottle. “I’ll drink to that.”
* * *
Morgan and Seth got on the road after a big breakfast with Tate. Morgan saw a sign for an outlet mall and asked Seth to stop, hoping to add some essentials to her wardrobe. She was making steady progress with her weight loss but still felt uncomfortable in her old clothes. They walked around until a pretty dress in a boutique window caught Morgan’s eye. But it didn’t fit, so she tried another one. Then another one. After about an hour of nothing fitting right, Morgan sat on the bench in the fitting room, suppressing the urge to cry.
Sure her breasts were bigger, but her waistline had expanded, and her arms were fuller. Fitting into her normal size six seemed like an impossible dream these days. How she looked had never occupied her mind so much before because she’d rarely changed. She owned the same pair of perfect jeans since high school. They accentuated all the right places and were very comfortable. Last week she’d tried them on again but this time Seth didn’t have to help her out of them. That was some progress.
Morgan leaned her head back and closed her eyes while she waited for the salesgirl to come back with another pair of jeans.
“Is this some kind of shopping meditation that women do?”
Morgan opened her eyes to see Seth standing there. “Praying for the next pair of jeans to fit. What are you doing back here?”
“I intercepted the grandma clothes Tiffany was bringing you and picked out some things for you to try on.”
“You didn’t.” She sighed. The clothes he held in his hands—tops with deep V-
necklines and soft fabrics meant to cling to the skin—were not meant to hide post-pregnancy fat.
Seth entered the small dressing room and yanked on the thick silk cord holding the curtain in place. “What is going on with you and clothing lately?”
“In case you haven’t noticed my body is going through some changes. The exercises are helping, but I’m still not where I want to be.” Morgan pouted. “And please don’t say one nice, sweet word to comfort me.”
“Is that what the shrine to your favorite pair of jeans in our closet is all about?” Seth laughed.
“It’s not a shrine.”
“Really? I don’t know how many people put a pair of jeans on a gold hanging rack and shine a spotlight on it.”
Morgan crossed her arms. “You are such an exaggerator.”
Seth turned her to face the mirror. “In Texas, we specialize in tall tales and short, fiery women.”
“Well, I’ve had those jeans since high school, and I am determined to wear them again.”
“Morgan…”
“Not a word.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip.
“Morgan, open your eyes.”
Seth wrapped one arm around her waist as he slowly liberated her from the blouse she’d thrown on when he came into the dressing room. Morgan was wearing a purple bra and panty set; he loved how the vibrant color accentuated her brown skin. Her breasts were fuller, giving her already ample cleavage the appearance of two sensual globes barely being contained by the satin and lace. Seth started with a kiss behind her ear, then slowly slid his tongue down the side of her neck and continued down the slope of her shoulder, removing the strap with his teeth. Her breast spilled out of the bra even more, and he reached up to gently roll her erect nipple between his fingers. Morgan gasped, so he whispered in her ear the necessity for quiet, so they wouldn’t get busted in the dressing room. She smiled at that, then pressed herself against him, rubbing until his cock twitched and was at full attention. She turned her head to meet his mouth, their tongues entwining in a sensual kiss. Seth reached up, unsnapped the bra, and threw it on the floor. He covered her breasts with his hands, giving them the full attention they deserved. With each tender stroke, Morgan became more pliant in his arms, leaning back for support. She reached behind her and pulled at the zipper on his jeans. He broke the kiss and let her go, amused at the pouty glare she gave him.
The Blake Legacy (The Blake Boys) Page 5