Stranded in Paradise (The Blake Boys Book 13)

by Rhonda Laurel

  “I didn’t mean…” Taylor’s eyes widened. “That was very mature of Morgan. Let me start over. How’s the family?”

  “Everyone is fine,” he said. “Dad and Sydney are enjoying their retirement. Charles is out of the military and has moved back to the States with his family. He’s got a job lined up and will probably be living in D.C. Robert and Alicia have empty-nest syndrome now that Avery is in college in Texas. Morgan and her family are in Texas permanently now.”

  “Glad to hear everyone is well. I saw on the news that Morgan and Seth had a girl. That makes four kids, right?”

  “Yes.” He scrolled through the photo gallery on his phone until he found a picture of Morgan’s kids and handed her the phone. “That’s Jake, Connor, Colby, and the newest addition is Mackenzie.”

  “They are so adorable. Heartbreakers, the lot of them.” She sighed. “Who would have thought Morgan would marry anyone, let alone Seth Blake?”

  “I always had faith my sister would find happiness when she was ready for it. I admire her for that. She wasn’t obsessed with biological clocks and having her career just right. She fell in love and things fell into place.”

  “Colby and Connor are identical twins, right?”

  “Yes, why do you ask?”

  “If they were fraternal it would be a trait in your family that was passed down.”

  Now her random small talk was beginning to get on his nerves, no matter how nice it was to see her. He picked up their plates and headed for the kitchen.

  “Hey! I wasn’t finished.” She pouted and followed him into the kitchen. “You’re in a foul mood.”

  He turned around to face her. “Taylor, what are you doing here? I know your dad is getting yet another award to validate his ego that he’s the best doctor on the planet and I’m sure you’re catching up with friends and family. I want to know, right now, why you broke into my house and cooked me dinner.”

  “OK.” She paced in the small space for a bit before finally blurting out, “How would you feel about having a baby with me?”

  Jared’s heart stopped. He couldn’t have heard what he thought he did. Maybe it was a joke. But the look on Taylor’s face was no laughing matter. All evening she’d been flirty and playful, and he knew those looks. Right now she looked vulnerable and uncertain.

  He leaned against the counter. “I’m sorry. I think I had too much Chardonnay because I thought you just said you wanted to have a baby with me.”

  “That’s exactly what I said.” She clinched the linen napkin she had in her hand.

  “Then you’ve had too much wine.” He tapped her nose and started cleaning the kitchen.

  “I know it sounds insane.”

  “Insane?” He whipped his head around. “I’m seriously considering taking you to the hospital for a MRI right now.”

  “Listen.” She smoothed her hands on her jeans. “When we divorced, I started dating again. I met a few great guys who were the total package, but I don’t know, something felt off. Then I realized none of them were you. You were the love of my life, and I didn’t fight to save our marriage like I should have, but our differences were tearing us apart. I stunk at marriage, but I do think I’d make a great mom. I know we put off having children for the sake our careers and I regret that. But we can still have a baby, and knowing it was part of you would make it even more special to me.”

  He set the saucepan down. “Taylor, you put off having children, but you were too chicken to tell me.”

  “If I would have gotten pregnant before we separated, you would’ve loved our child without question and made a custody arrangement work.”

  “Of course I would have.”

  “There’s no difference.”

  “Like you said, you’re a beautiful woman who I’m sure found a suitable candidate in one of your perfect-catch dates. Why not ask one of them?”

  “Because they didn’t have your sensitivity and your warmth. I didn’t know how much I missed that until we weren’t together anymore. You kept me grounded.” Taylor’s lip trembled and tears streamed down her cheeks. “I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t so important to me. Just don’t say no right now. Give it a chance for everything to sink in, and we’ll talk again. I had a lot of vacation time saved up so I’ll be in town for the next month.”

  Jared wiped the tears from her face, took her in his arms, and tucked her head under his chin. He rocked her gently there in the middle of the kitchen floor until she stopped crying. He always hated to see her cry. There were so many reasons why he should give her a stern no and escort her out the door. This scenario had disaster written all over it. But there was always something about her when the tough front she presented to the world vanished. She was vulnerable and she needed him to give her something no one else could. He owed it to her to at least give it some thought.

  “OK. I’ll think about it.”

  “Thank you. We can—”

  “We can go over details if it gets that far.” He caressed her back for a while, and she stopped trembling. He was angry with himself. Even after all this time, he still loved her.

  * * *

  Two hours later Taylor was gone. And he’d traded the glass of wine for the top shelf scotch Seth had given him for his birthday. He kicked off his shoes and took a seat on the caramel leather couch with his drink, trying to let the events of the evening soak in. He glanced at his phone. Charisma had called again. He wanted to return her call, but he had to talk to Morgan first. He found his sister’s number and hit the green button to call.

  “Hey, Sis, sorry to call so late,” he said when she answered. “How was the party?”

  “It was very nice. We had a great time. We missed you,” Morgan said loudly into the phone as she tried to talk over the kids in the background.

  “I missed being there, but Axel Nesmith had an opening, and I had to take the meeting. He has some serious plans with some prime real estate he acquired in downtown Philly.”

  “No worries. You will make the engagement party?”

  “Absolutely. Whenever they set the date, I will clear my calendar,” he said. “Sounds like a protest is going on in your house.”

  “Yeah, the kiddies thought because we got home late they were exempt from baths. But I fooled them.” She sighed. “I have to convince them daily that good hygiene isn’t optional.”

  “Hi, Uncle Jared!” Colby yelled into the phone.

  “Never mind chatting with Uncle Jared. Wash behind those ears, mister,” Morgan replied.

  He laughed. “Boys are wired different. Being smelly isn’t as offensive to us, and if we can put someone in a headlock without deodorant on, it’s the sweetest revenge.”

  “You were always gross.”

  “Where’s Seth?”

  “He’s overseeing Jake’s toothbrushing while trying to lull Mackenzie to sleep.”

  “She’s still awake?”

  “You know your nephews sound like they’re staging a prison riot when they’re exiting a car. She woke up, so I gave her a bottle. If that doesn’t work, Seth will read her a story. She’ll be out like a light soon.”

  Jared enjoyed his time at Morgan’s house when he visited Texas. The kids stampeding through the house all day and the boisterous dinners were the best. It reminded him of his days as a kid in the Reed household. He’d thought about what it would be like to have kids of his own to create those special everyday memories. Taylor was an only child. She’d said she envied how close he was with his siblings.

  “So what’s on your mind?” Morgan asked.

  “Oh.” He sipped his scotch. “My office manager, Zelda, resigned to move to Kansas with her boyfriend. I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t had the time to look for a sufficient replacement. I could get a temp but that’s just postponing the inevitable. I hear through the grapevine Charisma is looking for a job. I was thinking about giving her a shot.”

  “Is she qualified to be an office manager?”

  “We’d have to tal
k about her qualifications and my expectations. I need someone who can present a sophisticated face to the clients and keep them at bay when I’m not there. I think it could work, but I wanted to discuss it with you first. I know you two called a truce, but I wanted you to know that if I gave her a chance that I wasn’t being disloyal to you.”

  “Jared Reed, if you were here I would give you a big kiss.” Morgan sighed. “Thank you for considering my feelings. If she’s capable, and you think she’s a good fit, I say go for it. Charisma does look presentable when she wants and can turn on the charm.”

  “You know I would never do anything to hurt you. I think it’s nice the two of you have found neutral ground.”

  “Well, she said she wanted to change some things about herself, and I believed her. I think she’s ready to be a Reed again. If you get my meaning.”

  He chuckled. “I sure do.”

  “Hold on one sec.”

  From what he could hear, Colby had finished his bath and it was Connor’s turn now. Seth had come into the bathroom with Mackenzie so they could switch duties. Morgan went into the nursery with Mackenzie and put the phone’s video feature on, so he did the same and propped his phone against a book on the coffee table. She propped the phone up on the dresser. The baby became animated when she saw his face.

  “Hey, Mackenzie. How’s the most beautiful little girl in Texas?”

  “You better be careful,” Morgan warned. “You have two nieces in the state.”

  He grinned. “Avery’s the most beautiful college student in Texas.”

  “Nice save.” She gave him a knowing grin. “Say hi to Uncle Jared.”

  Mackenzie reached for the phone and started talking up a storm. He could have sworn she was trying to say his name.

  “Did she just say Jared?”

  “Oh brother.” Morgan rolled her eyes. “Not yet. But the second she does I’ll give you a call.”

  “I will let you put little miss to bed. Thanks for your input on Charisma.”

  “Thank you for considering my feelings. We missed you at the party. Autumn looked really nice.” Morgan flashed a smile at him.

  “I gotta go.”

  “Mackenzie, Uncle Jared is blowing us off,” Morgan kidded.

  “I would never do that to my niece, but I do hang up on my matchmaking sister from time to time.”

  “One of these days you’re going to eat crow, Jared Reed. Autumn is the one.”

  Jared stuffed his fingers in his ears. “I can’t hear you.”

  “Good night, pain-in-my-butt.”

  “I love you, Sis. Love you, Mackenzie.”

  “We love you too.”

  He knew he should have gone to bed, but the last thing he wanted to do was sleep. He scrolled his contacts and found Charisma’s number and hit the call button.

  “Hey Charisma,” he said when she picked up. “This is Jared. Sorry to call you back so late. It’s been a very long day. Your mom left me a message about your employment situation, and I am looking for someone at my firm. I think we can work something out. How about we have lunch tomorrow and talk?”

  “That would be great. Where would you like to meet?”

  “How about my parents’ house? I’ll be there around noon.”

  “Sure,” Charisma squeaked. “Jared, I know you’re taking a chance on me and—”

  “That’s what family is for. I can be a demanding boss, but that’s because I take pride in my work. But we can talk about all my neurotic tendencies tomorrow.” He laughed.

  “OK.” She laughed too. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  Jared pushed off the couch, put on the alarm, and punched a few buttons on the lighting keypad. The entire first floor dimmed. He loved his loft. Taylor was right. After they’d divorced, he’d really taken stock on the amazing space he had and began utilizing it the way it was intended. Fancy lighting, premium sound system, and a host of other sophisticated gadgets made his living space stand out. He ascended the steps and when he reached the bedroom, he set his drink down on the nightstand, removed his watch, then proceeded to the walk-in closet and removed his clothes. He trudged to the bathroom and stepped into the shower feeling like a zombie. He wanted to talk to someone about his predicament, but who could he call? He could never keep the time zone straight where Charles was living, and Robert was on duty tonight.

  Once the premium showerhead caressed all his aching muscles, he dried himself off and put on a pair of pajama bottoms. That’s when he saw the invitation to the Executive Desires resort on the dresser. It was almost time for Amber’s monthly call to see if he was ready to take that vacation. Right now, he felt like he could use one. He’d been feeling a little run-down lately but refused to admit he needed to take some time for himself. And now that Taylor would be around for a month waiting for his answer, he definitely felt like getting away. A vacation escape wasn’t impossible. He could show Charisma enough so she could keep the office going for a week without him.

  Besides, he needed this.

  * * *

  After the engaged couple gave Cassidy and Channing one last good-night hug and bid them farewell, an exhausted Autumn walked them to the elevator and confirmed the time Cassidy was picking her up for their spa appointment. The caterers had finished cleaning up. There was nothing left to do but take a hot soak in the tub. She hugged Corbett as he was leaving with Courtney to go back to Bo Sr.’s cabin on the ranch, even though Courtney looked like she wanted to kill her. She figured what the hell, they were going to be in-laws soon. The poor guy had to put up with Courtney’s pouting all night and play referee between her and Bonnie. She only saw him smile once the entire night when he was talking to J.J.’s executive assistant Anna Beth. She thought they made a cute couple, but she shook her head, thinking Teri-Lyn was rubbing off on her with this urge to matchmake.

  Autumn went back into the condo to find Summer and Bo slow dancing. She shut the door behind her. “I thought you two would have scurried across the hall.”

  “We have a surprise for you,” Summer said.

  Autumn spied the wicked grin on her sister’s face and knew it was something big. “I don’t like surprises.”

  Bo gave her a quizzical look. “Since when?”

  “Since now. I don’t know what it is, but you can keep it.” She shook her head.

  Summer went over to the desk and pulled an envelope out of one of the drawers. “Since when don’t you like surprises?”

  “How quickly we forget our thirteenth birthday party.” She folded her arms across her chest. Autumn and Summer had been super excited to finally be teens. Their mom had finally let them wear lip gloss and had planned an awesome party for them. No more pin the tail on the donkey and horse shoes for them. They were now grown-up and had even begged their mom for their first bras the weekend before. But their dad, who was reluctant to let his little twin girls grow up, thought it would be a nice surprise to get them a clown for their birthday one last time. And just when the snickering from their friends couldn’t get any worse, the guy from the party store pulled up with a bouncy castle in his truck.

  Summer snorted at the memory. “We promise. It’s a good surprise. No clowns. But if you don’t like the gift, it was all Bo’s idea.”

  “Way to throw your fiancé under the bus.” Bo chuckled. “And what’s this about clowns?”

  Autumn eyed him. “We must never talk about the clowns.”

  Summer smiled and put a reassuring hand on her arm. “We wanted to show you how much we appreciated you doing all these amazing things so Bo and I could spend time together, but frankly, you need a break. That’s why we booked you on a vacation, and you leave next week.” Summer handed her the document.

  “What?” Autumn couldn’t believe what she was reading. Summer and Bo had purchased a vacation at the Executive Desires, an exclusive resort. “I don’t have time for this.”

  “Sure you do. I’m overriding you on this one.”

  “But who’s
going to rip Larry Benedict a new one if he doesn’t fix the bugs with the combat game? I think he’s angling for a raise like he’s indispensable. You know we’re presenting that game at a trade show in a month.”

  “That’s why I put the word out that I’m trying to poach that hot new gamer from Abyss Entertainment,” Summer said. “I’ve scheduled a very public interview and told Tom to make sure he marches him past Larry’s glass jail, as he calls it, before he brings him to our office.”

  “What a good idea. I believe I’m rubbing off on you.”

  “You, my beautiful sister, have been a rock these last few months, and I want to do something awesome for you. Grab some rays, go scuba diving, flirt with a few guys, then come back refreshed. Work and the wedding planning will be here when you return.”

  “You know, when you call me beautiful, you are by default calling yourself beautiful.” Autumn laughed.

  “Nonsense. We look nothing alike.” Summer stuck her tongue out at her.

  “Well, I get to say you’re both beautiful,” Bo added.

  Autumn and Summer looked at each other, then they both kissed Bo on the cheek.

  “That never gets old.” Bo smiled.

  “Thank you both. I don’t know what to say.” She looked at the document again.

  “Say you’ll have a wonderful vacation.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Jared checked his watch and paced the living room looking for something to do. His bags were packed and his passport was under his wallet on the coffee table. He still had forty-five minutes before Tyler would arrive to take him to the airport. Sydney would be looking after his place while he was away. Everything was in order. Too bad he’d thought about canceling the trip three times in the last hour.

  There were so many things to do at the office. It wasn’t fair to hire to Charisma and dump a list of instructions on her and then take off. He took a deep breath and exhaled. He could scratch the trip right now, but the alternative was having the women in his life read him the riot act if he didn’t go. They were elated that he’d finally taken their advice and was getting away to the Executive Desires resort for some rest and relaxation. They didn’t know Taylor was the inspiration for the getaway. Her outlandish proposition boomed in his ears like a cannon. He needed to get away and think about things. Away from work. Away from Taylor. And away from any meddling matchmaking.