He cleared his throat, gave her a nod and headed for the front door. The last thing he needed was for the staff to see him ogling the marketing specialist.
As he headed out to his truck, he pulled out his cell phone and called his sister. She picked up on the second ring.
“Hi, Noah,” she said. “Don’t you dare cancel.”
“I’m not canceling,” he said. “I’m on my way. I’m just running a little late.”
“How is work?” she asked, and then said in a more muffled voice to the side, “Aaron, if you don’t take your hands off your brother—”
“It’s fine,” he said. “Do you need to go?”
“They’ll be fine,” his sister said. “They’re in a fighting stage—like physical battles. There are days when I understand why you don’t want smaller versions of yourself. They’re a handful.”
“About those smaller versions of myself,” he said, opening the driver’s side door and hoisting himself up into the seat.
“Are you changing your mind about having kids?” his sister asked with a laugh. “Don’t get everyone’s hopes up.”
“Not exactly,” he said, putting his phone on speaker and dropping it onto the magnetic holder. “It’s... Look, Laura, I’m only telling you this because I don’t have anyone else I trust with it. But you have to keep this between us.”
“Of course,” she said, growing serious. “What’s going on?”
“It looks like I’m about to be a father...”
There was a stunned silence.
“Laura?”
“Am I allowed to react?” she asked, her voice low.
“No. You are sworn to secrecy,” he said.
“Is it with Nevaeh?” she asked.
“No...it’s a little more complicated...”
Noah told a very short version of what had happened. This wasn’t the kind of tale a man normally felt comfortable telling his sister, but she needed to know the broad strokes, at the very least.
“And she wants nothing?” Laura asked.
“That’s what she says,” he replied.
“Does she even want you in her life?” Laura asked.
“Um, we still have a lot to talk over,” he replied. “Quite honestly, she wasn’t looking for me, and she said she’d wanted to do this on her own. Less complication, I guess.”
For her, at least. This was going to be complicated for Noah regardless.
“Are you sure she wasn’t looking for you?” she asked. “I have to tell you, raising a child alone would be expensive. Women bring the fathers to court to get child support, and that isn’t them being petty. They need the money!”
“She didn’t know my last name,” he said. “And she didn’t even recognize me. She wasn’t looking for me—I’m sure about that.”
“Does this change anything for you?” Laura asked. “And you know what I’m talking about. You and Nevaeh loved each other, and I’m not convinced you’re over the breakup.”
“I’m over it,” he said.
“Noah, I know you—”
“Brody came by the lodge today,” Noah interrupted her. “He’s going to ask her to marry him.”
There was a beat of silence, and then his sister sighed, “Oh, Noah...”
“Quit feeling sorry for me,” he snapped. “I’m fine.”
And truth be told, when he’d had time to mull things over in his office, he hadn’t been agonizing over Nevaeh marrying Brody. He’d been thinking about Taryn and the fact that after all his careful dodging of fatherhood, he was going to be a dad anyway. That was the more life-changing news.
“I know you hate to hear it, but Brody does love her,” Laura said softly. “He has for years.”
“Yeah...”
Nevaeh was ten years younger than he was. She wasn’t tarnished as he was. Most guys liked that. Heck, he’d liked it, too. He’d never really identified the age difference as a problem before today, but there was something oddly alluring about a woman his own age.
An image rose in his mind of Taryn as she’d been in the pub, an untouched beer in front of her and her elbows resting on the bar. She hadn’t been weak, but she’d been sad. And when he said hi, and she looked over at him, he’d seen a depth in that dark gaze that had drawn him in.
“Is this about a guy or a job?” he’d asked, nodding to her beer.
She’d given him a faint smile. “A finalized divorce. You?”
“Broken engagement,” he replied.
She’d lifted her beer in a salute. “Here’s to heartbreak.”
He’d moved over to the stool next to her, and they’d talked a little while. Then they’d moved to a booth and talked for hours. People milled through the pub, left for the night, but they’d kept talking. It was just such a relief to have someone understand him. And listening to her stories was an unexpected balm for his own pain. He’d told himself it was because she was a stranger, since he’d never talked to Nevaeh like that before...
“Noah?” his sister said, pulling his thoughts back.
“Maybe I’d better focus on the road,” he said. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“See you soon,” his sister replied, and Noah hit the button to disconnect the call.
A long time ago, in a very age-inappropriate discussion about women, Tom had told him that there was nothing more attractive than a long, honest conversation with a woman. Noah had no idea what that had even meant at the time, but it looked like he’d reached that phase of life when a woman with dark, soulful eyes and a sharp wit could catch him on a level he’d never experienced before...and a long conversation had been just what his aching heart had needed.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE MOUNTAIN SPRINGS RESORT dining room was full that evening as Taryn stood at the double doors, scanning the room looking for Angelina. She spotted her when Angelina stood up and beckoned her over to a table on the far side of the room next to tall windows. Quiet music played inside over the murmur of voices and the clink of cutlery. She glanced up at the tall, sloped ceiling with thick wooden supports that shone burnished in the low light.
This was one extraordinary dining room, and she’d have to feature it in the ad campaign...but tonight wasn’t about work entirely, and as she wove her way through the tables, she scanned the women who sat with Angelina. They were all dressed up—gowns, jewelry—and they looked toward her curiously. She immediately spotted Gayle, the woman with the gorgeous silver hair twisted into an updo. She recognized Melanie from the other wedding photo, as well—she wore a midnight blue, off-the-shoulder dress. Her makeup was understated, and her skin was flawless. There were three other women at the table besides Angelina, and they all looked companionably cheerful together.
Taryn felt a rush of nervousness. She’d never found making new friends easy, and somehow tonight, even after Noah’s compliments, she felt exposed. She hadn’t been joking when she said she felt a little silly doing this. She’d almost changed into something more casual before leaving her suite, but something about dressing up appealed to her. Besides, she wanted to enjoy the last few weeks of this pregnancy. She might not ever be pregnant again, and if she never did wear this crimson dress, she’d regret it. She knew that much. So why not step out looking her best tonight?
“Welcome to our dinner club,” Angelina said, gesturing to an empty seat between herself and Gayle. They both sat down at the same time, and a passing waiter helped scoot her chair in underneath her. Taryn smiled her thanks over her shoulder.
“Everyone, this is Taryn Cook,” Angelina said. “She’s the marketing pro who’s doing an ad campaign for me.”
Taryn smiled at the women. They all murmured their hellos, and Taryn smoothed her hand over her belly. Her son was squirming at her new, seated position, and she let out a slow breath as she waited for him to calm.
“Okay, first o
f all, some ground rules,” Angelina said. “Melanie and Gayle both said they’d be happy to talk to you about their weddings.”
“Thank you for that,” Taryn said with a smile. The women smiled in return.
“And for anything else said tonight,” Angelina said, leaning forward, “there is a strict confidentiality policy. We’re here as friends, and anything that’s said at this table doesn’t leave it.”
“Absolutely,” Taryn said quickly. “This is really kind of you to let me join you this evening.”
“Oh, there’s always room for one more,” Gayle said.
“I let everyone know that you’re recently divorced, as well,” Angelina added. “So we all have that in common. Let me just introduce you to everyone.” She gestured to the tall, lithe beauty sitting next to her. “This is Belle Villeneuve. She was a model and married to her agent.”
“Until I put on some healthy weight and he dumped me for a younger version. I’m almost over it,” Belle said with a wink. “But I’m having more trouble moving on than the other women here.”
Even with those stunning looks. But moving on wasn’t always about attracting a fresh mate—it was about being ready for it. And Taryn could understand that all too well.
“Sorry...” Taryn said.
“No need,” Belle replied. “At this dinner club, we don’t have to be polite or offer condolences. We just...understand.”
“This is Renata.” Angelina gestured to a shorter, plumper woman who had beautiful eyes and a lovely smile. “She has three kids, and one ex-husband. She also has a rather sweet boyfriend we all like a lot.”
“Can I ask what happened?” Taryn asked hesitantly.
“Of course,” Renata replied. “I caught my husband cheating on me, and he figured it was a good solution for us to stay married, and for him to move his mistress into the family home.”
“Oh... Yikes...” Taryn winced. So there were women who had it worse than her. At least Glen had been willing to make a clean split and hadn’t tried to make it worse than it was. “That’s really low.”
“Yeah. So...I’m divorced,” Renata said, but she shrugged then. “It’s for the best. I’ve met a really nice guy. Life does get better... I promise.”
Sitting next to her was Melanie, the one Taryn recognized from the photo with the beautiful pregnant teenager. Melanie looked even better now than she had in her wedding photo—a little plumper, too. Was it just some extra weight and some marital happiness that made the difference?
“I’m Melanie McTavish,” she said “As you know, I’m remarried now, but I was married for fifteen years to my first husband, and I found out he’d been cheating for most of that time. I raised his three kids from his first marriage, and then, of course, had to leave him.”
“That’s hard,” Taryn said softly. “Are you still close to the kids?”
“Actually, yes,” Melanie said with a nod. “I’m grandma to my youngest stepdaughter’s little girl. She’s a year old now, and just adorable.” Melanie looked down for a moment. “I’m also pregnant—I’m four months along. So my granddaughter and my own child are going to be pretty close in age. It’s going to be interesting.”
“I think it sounds wonderful,” Taryn said.
“You look great, by the way,” Melanie said. “But don’t get me sidetracked on babies. Meet Jen and Gayle, first.”
“I’m Jennifer Bryant,” the next woman said. “I own the art gallery in the old mansion up on the hill.”
“Noah mentioned you,” Taryn said. “That’s really impressive.”
“I bought it with my divorce settlement,” Jennifer said, and she fiddled with a wedding ring on her left hand. “I wanted to be smart about my restart. I met my first husband at college—he was my professor. No big cheating drama for us. We just grew apart. He likes young, adoring students. I grew up. What can I say?”
Taryn nodded. “Understandable. But you’re remarried?”
“I am.” She stopped fiddling with the ring. “We got married last month. I hired him to do renovations on the old mansion, and...one thing led to another, I suppose.”
“As they do,” Gayle said with a chuckle.
“This is my aunt Gayle,” Jen said, nodding to the woman next to her with the elegant, silvery updo. She wore a pale pink dress and a slim wedding band on her left hand.
“My husband came out as gay after thirty-five years of marriage,” Gayle said softly. “And he left me for his best friend. I was crushed...but it was the best thing for both of us, really. Stu deserved to live his life honestly, and I deserved a chance to be truly desired.”
To truly be desired... Funny, Taryn could identify with that the most at the table tonight. That had been missing in her marriage with Glen. They’d both been so determined to do the right thing that they hadn’t stopped to consider if it was worth it. And maybe that was partly her own fault, focusing so exclusively on getting pregnant again. But still...
Taryn felt tears mist her eyes. “You seem to have taken the high road.”
“Well, it’s a lot easier now that I’m married to Matthew,” Gayle said with a low laugh. “I wasn’t always this graceful.”
The other women laughed good-naturedly. There was obviously a lot of shared history between them.
“But who is graceful all the time?” Melanie asked. “I mean, we get our hearts torn out, our hopes dashed, our egos flattened... And we’re supposed to smile through it all? How can we? This is what this dinner group is for. We remind each other that we’re not alone, and that it gets better.”
“Which brings us to you,” Belle said, turning toward Taryn. “What’s your story?”
Taryn smoothed her hand over her belly again. “I married the wrong guy.” She shrugged. “I think that’s what it comes down to. Glen and I weren’t dating very long when I got pregnant the first time. He was all gallant and said he’d marry me, and I...went along with it. I’d always wanted children, and I suppose I liked the idea of a wedding and a nursery...you know.”
The other women nodded.
“So, we started planning the wedding. But just before the wedding, I lost the pregnancy,” Taryn said.
“And you went through with it anyway,” Gayle said softly.
“We did,” Taryn said. “I never did get pregnant again with Glen, though. And I tried everything. The doctors couldn’t see anything technically wrong with either of us, but... Anyway, I think I can identify with Gayle a bit, because I wasn’t the right one for Glen, either. He met a woman he adored a couple of years ago—and she wasn’t younger or prettier than me, either. She was just...right for him.”
Gayle nodded and dropped her gaze. “I know that feeling...”
“We got divorced,” Taryn said. “And I’m not saying I wasn’t bitter, but we weren’t happy, Glen and me. This is probably better.”
“You said you and Glen never did manage to get pregnant again...” Melanie prompted.
“Yeah...” Taryn felt her cheeks heat. “This is harder to explain. I had just signed the divorce papers and I went to this bar in Denver to just...process, I guess. And I met this guy.”
“Enough said,” Renata said with a sympathetic nod. “After all those years of trying for a baby, was this good news?”
Taryn felt some of her nervousness melt away. Maybe there wouldn’t be as much judgment as she’d feared. But she wasn’t going to live her life in shame for having an untraditional family, either.
“This was excellent news!” Taryn replied firmly. “I wanted a baby so badly, and now I’m going to have one. It’s a boy. And I couldn’t be happier. Besides, I don’t have to stay connected to Glen with this child, either. And I get to be a mom.”
“A truly fresh start,” Jen said as the other women nodded.
“Exactly,” Taryn replied. “How many of us get that?”
“Did Glen wond
er if the baby was his?” Gayle asked.
“No,” Taryn replied. “We’d been separated for a year by the time we signed the papers and I...conceived. So there was no question about paternity there.”
“I know what that’s like to want a baby and not be able to have one,” Melanie said quietly. “In my first marriage, it wasn’t a fertility issue. My husband already had three kids and didn’t want more. It’s hard—and it’s the kind of thing you don’t feel like you can talk about.”
“Yes!” Taryn reached for her water glass and took a sip. “That’s the thing—I felt like I couldn’t really talk about it. And I had to be happy for my friends who were having kids and growing their families, and I had to pretend that this was part of the plan—double income, no kids.”
“I know, it’s a matter of pride,” Melanie agreed. “You have to appear happy, because heaven forbid any of us be less than blissful. It’s as if we’re judged on our happiness level. A happy woman is a successful woman. A woman who has some heartbreak has somehow failed.”
Taryn understood that pressure all too well, and the other women nodded in agreement.
“Even if things are terribly wrong, you smile brilliantly,” Gayle said softly. “I did that for thirty-five years. And everyone believed me. I was a great actress.”
“We did believe you,” Jen said. “You were our ideal couple—the ones we aspired to be like.”
“Ironic,” Gayle said and she shook her head. “You never know what’s happening behind closed doors, do you?”
“I think we all need to agree that even in our current relationships, we stay honest with each other, at the very least,” Renata said. “Here, in this circle, we tell it like it is.”
The waiter came with menus then, and after a few minutes of perusing her options, Taryn chose the yam tortellini with a cream sauce, and Angelina ordered some white wine, as well as some sparkling apple juice, for the table.
“At least two of us aren’t drinking tonight,” Angelina said with a smile.
Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set Page 5