by Marie Force
He scowled playfully at her. “I shouldn’t even be speaking to you after the way you poached Jen right out from under me.”
Andi laughed. “It was truly awful of me, but it had to be done. I’d never have gotten everything finished in time if she hadn’t shown up when she did.”
“I saw her battling with Louis earlier, and she was holding her own. It was a good move for her. She was in bad shape after she ended it with Mark.”
“She already seems better after just a few weeks. I’m thrilled to have her with me, but I’m sorry I stole her from you,” Andi said, full of mock contrition.
“You are not!” he said, and they laughed.
They were in the America’s Cup suite when Jack appeared at the door.
“Hi, there.” Andi was surprised—and thrilled—to see him. He’d made himself scarce around the hotel since they’d argued about Kate. Repairing their rift was her top priority after the opening.
Jack shook Bill’s hand. “Hi there, Bill. How are you?”
“Nice to see you. You guys did an outstanding job.”
“So did you. The suites are amazing.”
“Andi deserves most of the credit for that. Would you two excuse me? I need to get over to the east wing where the rest of my people are handling the finishing touches.”
“I’ll see you later, Bill.” Andi was hosting a dinner that evening for her former coworkers as a thank you for their hard work over the last few months.
“How’re you holding up?” Jack asked, studying her. “You look tired.”
“I’ll be glad to get through tomorrow. Is everyone all set to come?”
“We’re looking forward to it. I bought Eric a tux yesterday. Wait until you see how cute he is.”
He looked delighted, and she felt her heart soften toward him for the first time in far too long. “I can’t wait. Thanks for taking him.”
“It was fun.”
She looked up at him, her heart aching. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.” He held out his arms to her.
Taking a step to meet him halfway, she released a deep sigh of relief at being back in his arms and engulfed in his familiar scent. “I’m scared, Jack. I never would’ve thought we could drift so far from each other so quickly.”
“We’ll work it out, honey. After the opening, we should get away for a few days. Just the two of us.”
“I’d love that.” She reached up to kiss him and lingered longer than she’d intended when the old thrill chased through her the moment their lips touched.
He seemed reluctant to let her go. “I’ll make some plans for us. Any preferences?”
“Surprise me.” She kissed him again. “I’ve got to get back downstairs. Jen and Louis were going at it pretty hard earlier. I need to make sure they didn’t kill each other.”
“Sounds like fun.” He kissed her one last time before he walked her back to the lobby.
She saw him out the door and went to find Jen.
Andi didn’t get home until almost two the next morning. She set her alarm for six so she’d have time to pack what she needed to stay at the hotel after the gala. When she got into bed, Jack reached for her and pulled her close to him in his sleep.
She smiled in the dark. It had been weeks since she’d slept in his arms, and she hoped they’d taken a small step back to each other.
Chapter 25
Andi wouldn’t have changed a thing about the opening of Infinity Newport, from the Mayor of Newport presenting David with the key to the city, to the food, the music, and the holiday décor. The highlight for her was when Jack and Eric arrived in their tuxedos. Eric loved his cool suit, and Andi got to dance with him several times before Jack’s parents took him and Maggie home. Frannie and Jamie enjoyed their first night out since the twins were born, but they left early to get home to the babies.
Andi looked for Kate in the crowd and found her sitting with Jill at the table reserved for the family.
“Are you guys having a good time?” Andi asked. She wore a midnight blue velvet gown and had contained her hair in a high twist.
“It’s great, and the hotel is beautiful,” Jill said. With her first semester behind her, she was home for a month.
“Your dad’s company did a wonderful job,” Andi said. “Kate, may I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.” Kate got up to walk with Andi to the bar.
Andi ordered a glass of wine for herself and a soda for Kate. “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to check in with you before now. How is everything? Did you talk to your dad again?”
“Briefly. He said if I feel the need to be on the pill, he won’t stand in my way, but he doesn’t approve. He wants me to wait, and he thinks I’ll be sorry if I don’t.”
“That sounds fair to me. Don’t forget I promised I’d take you to the doctor if you want me to.”
“I’m not sure anymore. Ryan and I haven’t seen each other much since I was grounded. He was really embarrassed when Dad caught us, you know…” Her cheeks lit up. “I don’t know if he loves me anymore.”
Andi slipped an arm around Kate. “I’m sorry. It may not seem like it now, but you’ve got so much ahead of you and so many people to meet.”
“I know. I’m okay about it.”
“Good.” Andi hugged her. “You know where I am if anything changes.”
“Thanks, Andi. I know Dad was mad at you, and I’m sorry about that, but I appreciate you keeping my secrets.”
“Don’t worry about it. Come to me any time, you hear?”
“I will,” she said, returning Andi’s hug.
The gang from Chicago was entertaining Jack when Andi asked if she could borrow him.
“What’s up?” he asked when she led him away.
“I’m about to drop. Am I allowed to leave my own party before it’s over?”
“I don’t see why not. Wait right here. I’ll let the girls know we’re going, and I’ll tell David and Jen they’re in charge for the rest of the evening.”
David hugged Andi and told her to get some well-deserved rest. She and Jack kissed Jill and Kate good night and climbed the stairs in the lobby.
Andi stopped him at the top. “This is my favorite spot in the hotel.”
He put an arm around her. “I’ll let you in on a secret.”
“What’s that?”
“I added that window to the plans the week I met you. They’d put a wall of Newport memorabilia here. I nixed it and went for the view.”
“Good call.” She smiled up at him. “Have I told you how hot you look in a tux?”
He crooked an amused eyebrow at her. “Are you coming on to me?” he asked, relieved to feel some of the old magic returning between them. He, too, had worried they’d crossed a point of no return over the last month. “I thought you were tired.”
“I’m not that tired.”
Running his hand up and down her back, he pressed a light kiss to her lips. “In that case, have I told you how hot you look in velvet?”
“Hey! You’re stealing my line!” She opened the door to the Kennedy suite, which was dominated by Frannie’s painting of Hammersmith Farm and another of the dashing young president at the helm of his sailboat.
Jack studied the portrait as Andi slipped off her heels and asked him to help with her zipper. He unzipped her, took her hair down, and kissed her neck when he was finished.
Turning to remove his bow tie, she nodded to the painting of Hammersmith Farm. “I fell in love with you that day, Jack, and I’ve loved you every day since then.”
“Even on days I didn’t deserve it?”
She looked up at him with surprise.
“I’ve had some time to think about everything that happened, and I can see now that you did the right thing with Kate.” He reached for her hands. “That doesn’t mean I liked being kept in the dark, but she needed a woman’s advice. I’m grateful she turned to you and even more grateful you were there for her. I’m sorry I acted like such
an ass.” He leaned in to kiss her. “I’ve loved you from the first instant I ever saw you, and I always will.”
Sighing, she wrapped her arms around him.
“What you said that day about living in Clare’s house…” He pulled back to look at her. “I’ve thought a lot about that, too.”
“I don’t know why I said that. I honestly hadn’t been thinking about it. Chalk it up to heat of the moment.”
“We can make some changes around the house.”
“We don’t have to.”
“But maybe we should.”
“Maybe. Hey, I have some news that’ll make your day,” she said, removing the black onyx studs from his tuxedo shirt.
“What’s that?”
“Kate and Ryan have cooled it.”
His eyes lit up with delight. “That’s the best news I’ve had in weeks.”
“You may’ve dodged a bullet this time, but you’ve only postponed the inevitable.”
“I don’t have to think about it now.” He swept her off her feet, swung her around, and lowered her to the bed with a serious expression on his face. “Right now, I’m thinking only of you.”
“Is that so?” She ran her fingers through his thick dark hair. “And what’re you thinking?”
“That it feels like I haven’t made love to you in ages.”
“That’s because you haven’t,” she said with a playful pout.
“What do you say we fix that immediately?”
“I say hurry up and get naked.”
Laughing, he did as directed and slid into bed beside her, sighing with relief at the feel of her soft skin against his.
Andi snuggled into him, pressing her lips to his throat.
“Let’s not allow this to happen again, Andi. No matter what.”
“I hated feeling estranged from you.”
“I hated it, too.” He captured her mouth in a deep, searching kiss as he cupped her breast and rolled her nipple between his fingers. Steeped in the scent that had driven him wild since the day he met her, Jack breathed her in. He hadn’t realized he’d been starved for her until she was back in his arms.
A tremble rippled through her, and she shifted onto her back, bringing him with her. “Now, Jack. I want you so badly.”
“Mmm, I’m here.” He dipped his head to kiss her as he entered her slowly. “You mean everything to me. I hope you know that.”
She gasped and raised her hips to meet his thrusts. “I do. I know that. You’re everything to me, too.”
He held her tight against him, filled with love and relief as he drove them both to an explosive finish.
Jack woke before dawn and was unable to go back to sleep. Since Andi was still asleep, he moved carefully so he wouldn’t disturb her. He closed the bedroom door, hoping she would sleep awhile longer. All the plans she’d made and staff she’d hired would shift into gear today when the hotel opened to the public.
He called room service to order breakfast, asking them to send coffee and a paper now, and the rest in an hour. Looking around the elegant room, he was deeply satisfied with the way the hotel had turned out—it was everything they’d hoped it would be and so much more.
By the time he took breakfast in to Andi, he’d already finished a small pot of coffee, read the paper, and called home to check on the kids.
He bent down to kiss her awake. “Good morning.”
“Hey,” she said sleepily. “What time is it?”
“Almost ten.”
She sat straight up. “For real? I need to get to work.”
“You can take another hour, babe. You’re the boss. Have some breakfast.” He poured her a cup of coffee, brought an envelope from behind his back, and handed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.”
Her face lit up with delight when she pulled out two plane tickets to the Virgin Islands and a brochure for a resort on St. John.
“It’s all-inclusive, so we can eat, sleep, and soak up the sun.”
“That’s it?” she asked with a sexy smile.
“Well, maybe a few other things, too,” he said, leaning in to nibble on her bottom lip.
“It’s just what we need. When are we going?”
“I left the tickets open-ended so you could check your schedule, but I was hoping to go in February since we’ll have another anniversary to celebrate.”
“Yes, we will. I can’t believe we’ve already been living together for almost a year.” She kissed him and lay back against the pillows. “Thank you,” she said, caressing his face. “I don’t know if I can wait until February to spend a week alone with you.”
He kissed the palm of her hand. “I figured you’d want some time to make sure everything is running smoothly here before we go.”
“You figured right.” She took a bite of toast and reached out to coax him into bed with her. “I’m only working a few hours today and then you know what we have to do?”
“I’m almost afraid to ask…”
“Christmas shopping. I haven’t bought a thing for anyone.”
He groaned. “Do we have to? The stores will be mobbed today.”
“Yes, we have to.”
They returned home weary but with their shopping finished. The first day at the hotel had gone smoothly, and Jen was in charge for the weekend with orders to call Andi if anything arose that she couldn’t handle.
Andi trudged upstairs while Jack went for a run. All she wanted was a long soak in the Jacuzzi and eight hours of sleep. She peeled off her clothes, opened the medicine cabinet, and reached for her birth control pills. Opening the container, she did a double take.
The pack was almost full.
When was the last time I remembered to take it?
Dazed, she pulled on a robe and sat on the edge of the big tub with the pack of pills in her hand, trying frantically to piece together the last few weeks. Judging by the pills still in the package, it’d been more than two weeks since she’d taken one. She had never missed a day, let alone two weeks.
“Oh my God,” she gasped when she remembered making love with Jack twice the night before and again that morning after weeks of hardly seeing each other. “Oh God,” she moaned as she quickly did the math.
The timing was ideal.
Knowing she shouldn’t take them if there was a chance she could be pregnant, she got up to put the pills back in the cabinet.
“Pregnant.”
She had to say the word out loud to get it to register as she tried to remember how long she had to wait to take a test.
Andi got through Christmas by willing herself not to think about the possibility that she could be pregnant. The kids were on vacation, and Jack and Jamie had closed HBA for the holiday week as a thank you to the staff for their hard work on the hotel. Andi and Jen were working alternating days so they could each have some time off during the holidays.
On New Year’s Eve morning, Andi finally took a pregnancy test. Afterward, she stared at the pink plus sign for a long time before she walked out of the bathroom and got back in bed. Suddenly, cold all over, she began to tremble as the shock set in.
“Everything all right, hon?” Jack asked.
“I thought you were still asleep.”
“I’m programmed to get up for work.” He put an arm around her. “You’re shivering. Come over here.” He drew her closer to warm her up. “Better?”
She squeezed her eyes closed and a tear leaked from one of them. “Much.”
He kissed her cheek and discovered dampness. “Hey! What’s wrong?”
Taking a moment to pull herself together, she turned to him. “How do you feel about his, hers, and ours?”
“I don’t get it.”
“We have yours, we have mine, and now it looks like we’re going to have one of our own.” She watched the comprehension light up his face.
“Really?”
She nodded.
He hugged her tightly. “Andi,” he whispered.
“I’m such an idiot. During the hotel chaos, I stopped taking my pill, and I discovered it after the opening. We agreed we weren’t going to—”
“Who cares what we agreed?”
“I can’t believe how stupid I was.”
He chuckled and cuffed her chin. “I’m so glad you were stupid.”
She looked over at him. “What if…”
“What, honey?”
“What if this baby is deaf, too?” The worry had been on her mind for days.
Jack raised himself up on one elbow and caressed her face. “If that happens, we’ll deal with it together, and we’ll love him or her as much as we love all the others. I’d never leave you alone like he did.”
“I know.”
“The only thing you need to be worried about is taking care of yourself and the baby.” He kissed her cheek and then her lips. “I love you, and I’ll love our baby. You can count on that.”
She felt the last of her reservations evaporate as he held her tight against him.
“A baby!” he said. “What a great way to end the year! I can’t wait.”
“It takes a few months, you know,” she said, amused by his delight.
“When can I tell the world?”
“Can we keep it our secret for a while? I’m superstitious.”
“Do I have to?”
“You can do it.”
“I can do it for you,” he said, kissing her, “but it won’t be easy.”
Chapter 26
Jamie surprised them with lobsters to celebrate New Year’s Eve and his first anniversary with Frannie. Jack and Andi had offered to babysit so they could go out for their anniversary, but they preferred to stay home with the babies.
After dinner the kids went off to watch a movie until the midnight festivities. Jack followed Jamie upstairs to check on the sleeping twins while Andi helped Frannie clean up from dinner.
“No wine for you tonight, Andi?” Frannie asked.
“Not in the mood.” Andi avoided Frannie’s probing stare as she dumped lobster shells into the trash. She hadn’t had any wine in more than a week, but in all the holiday craziness, no one had noticed.