As soon as Morgan hung up with Michelle, her phone began pinging with text messages. Apparently a lot of people she knew watched that show.
Morgan sighed. “The signs were there. Sydney said the family was trying to get Charisma to put on the brakes and take it slow, but she wanted to go faster with Lamont.”
Seth shrugged. “He mentioned something at practice one day. I tuned him out. It was none of my business.”
The text messages continued to pour in, but she didn’t respond to them. The platform in which her cousin suffered her latest humiliation couldn’t have gotten any bigger, but Morgan was through talking about the never-ending saga of Charisma.
* * *
Jake’s first birthday party would be at the ranch and all family members were attending. Morgan tried to get a sympathetic shoulder to lean on about the huge event Teri-Lyn was planning from Sydney when she dropped Jake off at the house on the way to the bookstore. But Sydney shut down her pity party and scolded her too. Teri-Lyn had already called her and together they were making plans.
The Blakes arrived a week early to help prepare for the party. Sydney, who was part of the planning committee, flew down with them as well. Morgan smiled at Sydney’s appreciation of a private plane with a stewardess, a small conference area, a kitchenette, a bedroom, and a shower. Seth kept her busy gazing out the window at the cloud formations while Morgan went through educational flashcards with Jake, which included team positions and facts about the game of football. Eventually Jake informed her that he wanted to take a nap by tugging on her pants leg.
They touched down early in the afternoon, giving everyone time to wind down before Teri-Lyn revealed the big birthday bash schematic. Morgan squeezed Seth’s hand when Teri-Lyn rolled the blue prints across the dining room table after dinner. There were going to be carnival rides, games, horseback riding, food, and even a sound stage. The Dirty Rascals had volunteered to play to thank Tate for the help he’d given them. They were slated to record their first album in the spring. When Morgan saw the card for a local clothing retailer on the table, she decided to speak up.
“Ladies, this all sounds nice, but why is this clothing store coming?”
“Every guest will get a pair of cowboy boots.” Teri-Lyn smiled.
“When Teri-Lyn told me that I thought it was too precious,” Sydney said.
“But—”
Seth kissed her before she could finish. “Ladies,” he drawled, “we’ll leave the planning to you. Morgan and I will get Jake settled.”
Teri-Lyn and Sydney waved them off as Seth pulled Morgan out of the dining room. The kitchen was clean and their bags had been unpacked. Seth led her to the veranda, sat her in a swing chair, and put Jake between them.
“They’re insane.” Morgan huffed.
Seth chuckled. “Quite possibly.”
“You didn’t tell them to scale down anything.”
“Why should I? They’re happy to be planning his first birthday. It means as much to them as it does to us.”
Morgan closed her eyes. “Am I the party pooper in the family? Michelle already calls me the s-e-x deterrent.”
“Babe, I don’t think Jake knows what that word means yet.”
“Well, I don’t want him yelling out s-e-x at his birthday party and add to his already colorful vocabulary. I think damn it and jack ass are enough for now.” She looked at Seth.
He suppressed a smile and turned his head. “I don’t know where he heard that language.”
“The possibilities are endless. His foul mouthed uncles, your foul mouthed friends.”
Seth coughed. “Excuse me, Michelle and Nina could make a fleet of sailors blush.”
‘True.” She bit her lip.
* * *
The ranch was a flurry of activity. Work crews had begun assembling rides and building booths days earlier. When the guests arrived on Friday, Teri-Lyn and Sydney hosted a cocktail party that evening. The guest of honor made an appearance for thirty whole minutes before he was put to bed. Jake’s party looked more like a state fair than a simple happy birthday for a one-year-old. But Morgan let it go and took Seth’s advice to pick her battles with the family. By the day of the party, everyone was in a festive mood, especially Nina. She was finally able to travel with the baby. When she emerged from the clothing tent decked out in jeans, cowboy boots, and a hat, Morgan thought she had finally gone over the edge. Nina detested hats that ruined her hairdos.
“You look great!” Morgan said.
“Thank you. What do you think?”
“Elegant, country chic. I like it.” Morgan laughed.
“I was going for that look.” Nina twirled around.
“As usual, you’ve put your own fashion stamp on something.”
“I can see why you like being down here.” Nina beamed.
“Well, we don’t dress like this all the time.” Morgan had donned her favorite pair of jeans, which were back to fitting the way she liked, a comfortable shirt, the pair of pink cowboy boots Teri-Lyn had bought her the first day they had lunch together, and a hat.
“I know that. You just look…like you’re in your element here. Natural. Country. Beautiful. If we’d never met before I would swear you were born here.”
“Th-thanks,” Morgan said. “Did Patton have any trouble finding boots?”
“No, they had his size.” Nina looked back at the tent. Morgan looked up and saw her niece Avery riding Reed’s Fire. Bo was walking beside them with the reigns while she got acclimated to the horse.
“Avery’s riding your horse, isn’t she?” Nina squinted up at her.
“Yes, she is. I hope you like your riding lesson.”
“Bo is going to give me a refresher. I used to ride when I was a kid.”
“Maybe we can take a ride together before you leave. I can show you the rest of the ranch.” Morgan locked arms with her friend.
“The rest?”
“It’s a pretty big stretch of land.”
“Damn.”
“Later Bo’s going to break out his moonshine; it will knock you on your ass.”
“Thank goodness I brought my nanny.”
Morgan laughed, thinking of Nina’s nanny, Britta, an elderly woman who looked like she could bench press Patton. “Enjoy your lesson.” She released Nina’s arm and pointed her in the direction of the stables.
From a distance Morgan saw a pair of long, muscled legs wearing jeans and leaning into the cab of a truck to get something, and she knew it was Seth. He looked good in his red plaid shirt and his favorite pair of cowboy boots. He hadn’t had time to shave so he had a bit of stubble on his face. Not so much that anyone would notice, but she did. Living here full time meant she’d see him dressed like that more, and she could get behind that. When he donned his favorite hat, it made her skin tingle. He must have sensed her lusty thoughts, because he turned around when he finished with the truck, tipped his hat, and smiled.
“Have you seen our son?” Morgan asked as she approached Seth.
“Daddy was showing him off to some of his friends.” Seth gave her a bear hug. “Don’t worry, this will all be over soon.”
Morgan looked around at all of their family and friends having fun and shrugged her shoulders. “Everybody’s having a good time. I don’t want to rush it. As obnoxious as all this is, it’s sweet too. I can’t believe my brothers are riding horses.”
“Wait until I tell you about the poker game we had last night.” He whistled.
“I probably don’t want to know what happened.”
“Probably not, but we all had such a good time. Your dad and mine talked for hours. Patton drank three mason jars of Bo’s moonshine. Robert apparently knows how to play the guitar, he and Tate played together. J.J., Channing, and Tyler have a surprise for Jake. They’ll have to pick it up in a few hours.” Seth smiled.
“Why do I get the feeling that our family and friends got to have that wedding reception they were all so pissed about missing out on?”
&n
bsp; “You know what? You’re absolutely right.”
Morgan squeezed him tight. “All we women did last night was complain about you men.”
“Really?”
“No, not really. Sydney mixed drinks, and they all got hammered. Eden stayed for all of thirty minutes then made up an excuse to leave. Michelle got drunk and asked your mom how she managed to have such hot sons. Nina admitted that your dad was the most handsome man she’d ever seen in her life. And my sister-in-laws asked me some raunchy stuff about you.”
“Like what?” Seth waggled his eyebrows.
“They wanted to know if you had the same stamina in bed as you do on the field. I think that’s the most I’ve ever talked to Alicia and Janice.” She laughed.
The Dirty Rascals exited the stage when John Jacob approached it, requesting a few minutes with the microphone.
“What is your father up to?” Morgan looked up at Seth.
“You’ll see.” He put his arms around her and turned her in the direction of the stage.
John Jacob began his speech. “Thank you all for coming out here today to celebrate my grandson’s birthday. One year ago today my son Seth and beautiful daughter-in-law Morgan made my wife and I two of the happiest people in the world. My grandson Jake has been a joy to have in our lives. I know he will grow up to do great things, just like his father and mother. It gives me great pleasure to say that in three months we will open Jacob Springs, a new golf resort and spa project in Arizona. Jacob Springs is my gift to him.”
Morgan looked up at Seth. “You knew about this?”
“Daddy wanted it to be a surprise.”
John Jacob and Teri-Lyn descended the stage with Jake. He reached out for Morgan as soon as he saw her.
She pulled Jake into her arms.
John Jacob smiled. “Morgan, I hope you don’t mind about my gift to Jake.”
“It’s a wonderful gesture. Thank you.”
Morgan’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket, taking her by surprise. Everyone she knew was here on the ranch, who could be calling her? She looked at the display to see that it was a call from Maura at the library. She’d been putting the poor woman off for weeks, not ready to verbalize that she couldn’t take the position. Her neck tensed, and her smile must have slipped, because she could feel the heat of one of Seth’s concerned stares on her.
* * *
The party was in full swing and everyone was enjoying the festivities, but Morgan could see Jake’s energy waning, so she and Seth cut the birthday cake early. Everyone gathered around as Seth plopped their son on the table and let him grab two fistfuls of birthday cake. Channing and Tyler were off to retrieve their present. After everyone was served, she informed Seth she was going to get Jake cleaned up.
“I am going to change your clothes and then you’ll have a quick nap.”
Jake was fighting sleep, but she knew once he settled down with his favorite stuffed animal, he’d be out like a light. Truth be told, she needed a nap herself. She walked into the dining room, eyeballing the table filled with presents. A new gift had been added to the pile. She looked at the card on the elegantly wrapped box and saw that it was from Penny. The corners of Morgan’s mouth turned up as she looked at it again, to make sure she’d read it correctly. But John Jacob had provided the biggest present of all—a golf resort and spa in Arizona. Her son was the owner of a multi-million dollar property on his first birthday.
It looked like they’d be unwrapping presents for weeks. They’d have plenty of time to do it, since their move was imminent. The idea of being at the ranch fulltime was both exciting and depressing. She knew she’d love it here, but her life in Philadelphia was pretty awesome too. Sydney wasn’t the boogeyman anymore, and Morgan enjoyed seeing her brothers. She needed more time to set up her projects for the non-profit. Michelle was capable of taking over the store, but it was an appendage to her. Her adult life had begun with that store, and in time maybe she would be able to let go, but it all seemed too soon right now.
Morgan walked past the library to see Avery sitting in one of the overstuffed leather couches reading a book.
“Hi, Avery. What are you doing in here?”
Avery smiled and stretched out her legs to show off her new cowboy boots. “Just catching up on my book club reading.”
“You picked a nice pair.” Morgan smiled; Avery’s boots were pink like hers.
“Thanks. I liked yours, so I asked for a pair that looked similar.” Avery swung her feet back and forth.
Morgan plopped down on the couch next to her and took the book out of her hand. “Well, you are on a ranch filled with horses and there’s a carnival right outside. I demand you go have some fun and some more cake.”
“Thanks for the riding lessons. I enjoyed riding Reed’s Fire. He’s a beautiful horse.”
“I’m glad you’re having a good time. You know, you can come here in the summers when you’re on your school break.”
“Really?”
“As long as it doesn’t conflict with something your parents want you to do, you always have a room here.”
Avery jumped over and hugged her. “That would be awesome!”
“I thought you’d like that.” Morgan kissed her on the cheek. “I’m putting Jake down for a nap. Now go and have some fun. That book will be here when you get back.”
Morgan watched as Avery skipped out of the house. Then Morgan turned to Jake. “Your cousin reminds me of me when I was her age.”
Jake looked at her in disbelief.
“Honest.” She laughed and climbed the stairs.
Morgan lay beside her son in the middle of the bed, stroking his hair, enjoying the soft sounds of his breathing. He was growing up so quickly. It was only a matter of time before he’d be taller than her and going off to college. He was almost down for the count when Seth appeared.
“Daddy!” Jake said, seeing Seth.
“Hey, baby. Are you OK?” Seth said from the doorway.
“I’m fine, but your son needed a nap.” Morgan motioned to Jake. “Or at least he did until he saw you.”
“Looks like his Momma is tired too.” Seth smiled. “I brought you something.” Seth pulled a piece of birthday cake from behind his back and placed it on the nightstand.
“Thank you.”
“You want to tell me what’s wrong? Your mood changed from day to night out there when you looked at your phone.” Seth rubbed her cheek.
Morgan hitched a grin onto her face. “What makes you think something is wrong?”
“Morgan Blake, you can flash that beautiful smile at everybody else, but I can see past that particular defense mechanism.”
Morgan sighed. “I got a message from Maura at the library. They offered me a job at the library months ago. Director of Volunteer Affairs.”
“Wow, that’s great. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I know I can’t take it. And I didn’t want you to feel guilty about your decision. I accept that I can’t do everything I want to do in life. There are some opportunities that will pass me by. But it did make me a little sad that I couldn’t take it.”
“But—”
“Seth, I don’t want to talk about it. Maura’s call just took me by surprise. I want to enjoy our son’s birthday. One year ago today, our lives changed forever. He is our love manifested. How cool is that?”
“That is very cool.” Seth grinned. “Have you had any fun today?”
“Of course I did.” She smiled back.
“I meant non-organizational fun.”
She shrugged. “You know how I get.”
“Jake, it’s time for your momma to have some fun.” Seth opened the door to their bedroom terrace and the soft sounds of love a ballad the Dirty Rascals were playing filtered into the room. He took Morgan’s hand, pulled her into a tight embrace, and rocked in time with the music.
“I still don’t know how to dance.” She leaned into him and swayed with his body.
“Just follow my lead.
” He kissed the top of her head.
Morgan smiled and held him tighter, thinking about that night at the Bright Star. Jake lay on the bed watching, the gentle rocking of his parents lulling him to sleep.
Morgan looked at her son. “Jake, promise me you won’t use these cheesy moves when you get older.”
“Hey, these cheesy moves work.” Seth laughed.
She rubbed his back. “I know.”
A few minutes later Morgan did a silent cheer when Jake fell asleep. Seth led her to the chaise lounge by the window. Morgan sat back in his arms while he fed her cake. Neither said a word for a while.
“If you’re not OK with my dad’s present, we can give it back,” Seth said against her ear.
“I know your family does things a bit differently than I’m accustomed to. That was a generous thing John Jacob did for his first grandson. It’s his way of looking out for Jake’s future.” She sighed. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About?”
“I want to make another baby with you. Our lives are going to change in a hundred different ways soon, and I want to make another baby with you.” Morgan looked up at him.
“Is that right?”
“That’s right.”
“Morgan.” Seth covered her mouth with sweet kisses that grew more passionate with each stroke of his tongue.
“Wait, we can’t have sex in the room with the kid.” Morgan stopped his hand from unzipping her jeans.
“Hang on.” Seth jumped up and went into the walk-in closet. He started moving things around.
The Blake Legacy (The Blake Boys) Page 13