by Ann, Natalie
Kaitlin snorted. “I really don’t want to know about your sex life with my brother.”
“When have I ever talked about sex with you?” Sophia said, snorting.
“Well, not much. Not details. Probably because I was a virgin for so long. I wouldn’t have understood half of what you were saying. But I do remember one thing you said before.”
“What’s that?” Sophia asked, hedging and trying to rack her brain.
“That you were surprised when I told you I had two orgasms with Ryan that first night. I remember you saying you could barely have one, let alone two. Since you are looking so happy, I guess my brother might be the exception to the rule.”
“Do you really want to talk about how your brother is in bed?”
“No. Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. Forget I said that. Geez, now I feel ill.”
“Thanks a lot, Kaitlin,” Sophia said, grinning.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Kaitlin rushed out to say. “I guess I wanted to know if it was serious between you two.”
“I think so.”
“Does he?”
“Of course. But you can ask him if you want,” she said coyly.
Sophia thought back to last week when Phil stopped over after work. She was finishing up paying her bills when he walked into the kitchen while she was opening and closing drawers.
“What are you looking for?” Phil had asked her.
“A stamp. It seems my landlords are a little behind the times and I’ve got to mail my rent check rather than making an electronic payment.”
Phil chuckled. “That would be Sean’s domain. Bring it up with him.”
“I think I will. And since I can’t find a stamp I guess I will have to mail it from my office tomorrow.”
“Give it to me. I’ll make sure Sean gets it.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to be late and get evicted,” she said teasing him.
“I heard you have it in pretty good with one of the landlords,” he replied, his eyes softening.
“Alec always did like me.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Yes, he did. He still does.”
She wrote out the check quickly, ripped it out of her checkbook and handed it over.
He took it, stared at it for a moment and then hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Sophia asked. “Did I write the wrong amount?” She reached her hand forward.
“No. It feels strange.”
“What does?” she asked, confused.
“You paying me to live in my house.”
“Phil, you own the house. I rent it from you. It’s business,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, I know. But just now, with you handing the money over, it doesn’t feel right.”
“Well, unless you’re going to evict me and make me look for another place, I’m paying you rent.” She watched as several emotions ran over his face. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking and was afraid to ask. She wasn’t ready for anything he might suggest, not that she thought he would. But either way, she wasn’t ready for that yet.
Kaitlin brought her back to the present. “I’ll take your word for it. Phil might not be too happy if I questioned him about you.”
Three hours later, brunch had been served, followed by cake, and Kaitlin was finishing up opening the last of the gifts. Sophia found she loved being around this group of girls. Everyone got along so well.
Michele stood up when the last gift was opened and Kaitlin started to thank everyone. “One more.” She handed over a small box. “This is from Ryan. He asked me to give it to you last.”
Kaitlin looked down at the small clothing box, and her face filled with love. “That was sweet.” She tore the wrapping paper open and then lifted the top and smiled, tears coming to her eyes. “I guess this is Ryan’s suggestion that I tell everyone the babies’ names.”
Sophia sat up straighter, the same as everyone else in the room. Kaitlin had been pretty tight-lipped about the names, and she wasn’t sure why. Now she was guessing Ryan had a part in it and this might be the way he had planned to tell everyone.
Kaitlin held up the little blue onesie, the front facing her. “Michele, for you.”
Michele looked up. Hope, curiosity, and anticipation showed on her face all at once. Kaitlin turned the onesie toward her mother-in-law first and read the name. “Cameron.”
“Oh my. That’s my maiden name,” Michele said, sniffling.
Kaitlin held up the pink one and turned it toward her mother. “For us, Mom. Harper.”
Cori jumped up and squealed louder than anyone else in the room. “Was it Ryan’s idea?”
Sophia looked over at Cori, who was bouncing on her toes in excitement while one hand supported her belly. “Yes,” Kaitlin said, uncertainty crossing her face as to why Cori was asking the question. “Why?”
“Because Jack came up with our name,” Cori said, amusement shining through. “And they’re best friends and I find it funny they were thinking the same way. I know we said we weren’t going to tell anyone our name, but I have to now. I don’t want anyone to think we copied you guys,” Cori rambled out, then gasped for breath. “Guess. Guess my daughter’s name.” Cori looked around the room, her eyes wide. “Come on everyone, guess.”
Sophia was laughing. It was pretty easy to figure it out, but she let Kaitlin answer. “Summer. You’re naming your daughter Summer Reynolds.”
“Yes!” Cori exclaimed, and ran forward as fast as she could and hugged Kaitlin, their bellies getting in the way. “Cameron and Harper Mathews and Summer Reynolds. Don’t they all have such a nice ring to them?”
Cori stopping hugging Kaitlin and glanced around the room in a rush. “Things come in threes, so who is next?”
Sophia laughed. “There are three babies on the way. I think it’s all covered.”
“No,” Cori said. “Three pregnancies.” Her gaze moved around the room fast with her eyes landing on Beth first.
Beth was quick to say, “Why are you looking at me?”
Cori giggled. “I heard Mac only had to look at you and you got pregnant. And guess what? There are fireworks tonight. Maybe it’s your lucky night again.”
Beth blushed, always so quiet, but she didn’t have a problem saying, “No, I’m not pregnant. Yet. But I’m sure it’s no surprise Mac wants another child at the very least. So move your eyes on to the next target, Cori.” Beth shook her head, laughing.
Sophia watched Cori’s eyes land on Presley, then shake her head. “Nah, too soon for you. You can’t even decide on a wedding date.”
“Hey,” Presley said indignantly. “We have a date.”
“You do?” Isabel said excitedly.
“Oops, sorry. No date exactly. We narrowed it down to the spring depending on the available dates at the venue.”
“Where did you decide to get married?” Kaitlin asked.
“We have that narrowed down too,” Presley said, laughing. “I promise we will have a date by the end of the month.”
“That’s great,” Cori said, “but back to the babies.” Her eyes landed on Sophia next and the dread set in.
“Oh no,” Sophia said. “Don’t even think about it. Phil and I have only dated for a few months.” No one needed to know that the subject of children had come up. Not at all. Or that she already imagined herself with a child of Phil’s.
“Okay, you’re off the hook.” Cori swiveled her head and landed on Brooke. “That leaves you.”
Sophia watched as Brooke started to blush. Before Brooke could say anything, Cori was rushing over and pointing her finger. “You’re pregnant. Say it, you’re pregnant.”
Michele turned hopeful eyes on Brooke. “Are you?”
With a sigh, Brooke said, “Yes.” Then covered her ears as Cori squealed. “But it’s early. Just six weeks. We weren’t going to tell anyone.”
“Sorry,” Cori said. “I guess the cat is out of the bag. Better let Lucas know. Oh my God, it’s raining babies.”<
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Sophia looked around the room, saw all the happy couples, saw their plans for weddings and families, and for once in her life realized she really did have it all. Because she wanted what was going on in this room: A family with a man who had actually given her exactly what she had been dreaming of her whole life.
Getting There
“So what do you think of your niece’s and nephew’s names?” Sophia asked Phil later that night while they were lying in bed. The party had been a blast, like every get-together Phil and his family and friends had.
Once all the women made their way to Lucas’ for the Fourth of July party, the food was spread out and there was plenty to drink and lots of laughs. Even more good times.
All the grandparents or soon-to-be grandparents were beaming with pride about the babies on the way. Not to mention the wedding plans that were slowly forming for Ben and Presley.
Sophia had looked around at everyone and realized that this big family and group of friends had what it took to make it last. Phil’s parents and Kaitlin’s in-laws had both been married for more years than Sophia had thought imaginable. And everyone else looked to have what it took, also.
She hoped that she and Phil did too. Because that was what she wanted. She knew if she found the right guy, the guy who would love her through everything, the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly, they could make it all work in the end. When she decided to marry, it was going to be forever. She wasn’t going to set herself up to follow in her parents’ footsteps. No way.
“I think Ryan did a good job.”
“He keeps Kaitlin happy,” Sophia said, placing a kiss on Phil’s chest as her fingers roamed over the light sprinkling of hair. She enjoyed this time they had together when they stayed at each other’s houses. Lying in bed and talking. They talked about anything from serious topics to frivolous, to their jobs, and everything in between.
“I never doubted it.”
“Really?” she said leaning up and looking in his eyes. “I thought you boys were dead set against Ryan in the beginning.”
“Not really. I told you before that we were protective of Kaitlin. But Ryan’s a good guy. I knew if he ever decided to take the plunge it would be with everything he had. That’s how he’s made.”
“I see that,” she said warmly. “He’s completely devoted to her.”
“He is, isn’t he? I’m happy for Kaitlin. She deserves the best. It’s what she’s wanted for so long.” He laid his hand over hers. “How about you?”
“How about me, what?” She entwined their fingers together, loving the gentle squeeze he gave her first.
“Are you happy? Is this what you wanted?”
She smiled and gave him a light kiss on the lips. “Yes.”
“To which question?”
“To both.”
“So,” he said, pausing for a minute, almost hesitating, then continuing on. “You’re getting there?”
She knew what he was asking. For someone who moved so slowly for years, he seemed to be moving faster than she was. “I am. Are you?”
“I’m waiting for you to catch up.”
***
Monday morning Phil walked into his office and was stopped by Sean before he could even put his keys down. “Is Alec coming in today?”
“If he hasn’t been here by now, then I would guess he’s going straight to the site.”
“Do you have a minute then? I’ll send him a message, but since you’re here I’ll run it by you first.”
“Sure, come on in,” Phil said and walked over to boot up his computers.
“When I got in this morning I had an email from Brynn.”
Phil turned sharply. “Tell me she isn’t backing out.”
Laughing, Sean assured him. “No, not at all. Matter of fact, she is here already, a week early. She was able to finish out her job before the two weeks since she didn’t have anything lined up. Once she closed on her last two houses she packed her bags and arrived this week. She asked if it was possible to run over to the site at some point and look around. She wants to get a feel for some things before she starts next week.”
“She can start today for all I care. The earlier the better. I’m sure Alec will feel the same way.”
“I thought so, but I needed to run it by you first. I’ll give her a call and have her come in today and get her paperwork all squared away. I know we talked about her working out of the model home and she was agreeable, but that is for the short term and after hours for the most part. She still needs a place here and you two haven’t been around enough for me to talk about it.”
“Put her wherever you want. I don’t care, and neither will Alec.”
“That’s the problem. I don’t really have any free space available. You two are going to have to decide soon what you want to do here. Right now, we are busting out of the seams with all the staff I’ve had to hire. I know it doesn’t seem it to you guys, but the more work you do, the more staff behind the scenes we need, too. The only available spaces are up front, setting up some cubicles by Mary, and that isn’t very private. Unless you and Alec have time to throw up some walls for offices up front?”
“No, we don’t. And cubicles won’t do either. She needs a private space to meet with people,” Phil interrupted.
“I agree. That leaves the conference room—which we use way too much. The kitchen area—which we need—and the two storage rooms—both are filled with either paperwork or materials.”
“Then what is your suggestion? Can’t you have some of your staff sharing offices?”
“They already do. I’ve got six staff, two people to a room. There’s no space to put three in there, not with filing cabinets and desks,” Sean explained.
“We should have figured this out before now.” Phil didn’t understand why no one thought of this. It wasn’t really his domain, or Alec’s for that matter. They left the running of the office between Sean and Mary.
“Mary had a thought,” Sean said, looking sheepish.
“What’s that?”
“She thought maybe since Alec isn’t here very often, maybe you two wouldn’t mind sharing an office. You both have the biggest offices here.”
“I’m not sharing a space with Alec. I didn’t even share a bedroom with him growing up. He’s a slob. No way,” Phil said firmly.
“Then the other choice is Brynn and Alec sharing an office when she is here. Since Alec isn’t here that much, and she can meet with people at the model home, they shouldn’t get in each other’s way often.”
Phil grinned. “That works.”
“So you won’t mind telling Alec that?” Sean suggested.
“Sure.” Phil was looking forward to it.
Phil sat down and typed in his password on the computer, then turned back to Sean. “Was there anything else you needed?”
“Actually,” Sean said, then went and closed the door. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but seeing you type in your password reminded me and I thought I should.” Sean stopped for a minute, looking hesitant.
“Spit it out,” Phil said, never knowing Sean to hedge over anything.
“I’ve seen Linda’s car driving around the office a few times this month. Not everyday, but usually when I leave for lunch. Like she’s on her lunch hour. Or later at night when I leave.”
This couldn’t be happening. It was never going to end. “Has she stopped or said anything to you? Or has any of the other staff said anything?”
“No. Like I said, she’s just driving by. I thought it was strange. I didn’t remember this being on her way to work or anything.”
“It’s not. I’m sure she is curious.” He hoped that was the case. If he found out she was following him or spying on him or harassing his employees, things were not going to end well. He had given her all the patience he had. It was at its end. It was time for her to move on.
“She’s curious, all right,” Sean said sarcastically.
“What does that mean?” Phil was afraid
to know.
“I caught her in your office once, when you were dating. Alone. At your computer.”
“What? And you never thought to tell me?” Phil looked around his office and stopped for a minute. There was nothing personal really, just blueprints and plans, emails with customers on his computer, but nothing of a personal nature. She still hadn’t had any right to be in here alone.
“Hello. Boss’ girlfriend,” Sean said slyly. “I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. Besides, she’d been here plenty before. Just never alone. I didn’t even know she was here, and neither did Mary. It’s almost like she snuck in and never told anyone.”
“What happened when you saw her in here?”
“I walked by and saw the door shut. Your office door is never shut, so I opened it. She was sitting behind the computer and I asked her what she was doing.” Sean stopped and shook his head. “She jumped up fast, her face beet red, and she started to babble about wanting to see your work schedule, that she wanted to surprise you with some time away. She didn’t know your password and asked me for it.”
“I hope you didn’t give it to her?” Phil asked, dead serious.
“Don’t be a fool,” Sean said, laughing, knowing that Phil wouldn’t take offense. “I told her to give me the date she had in mind and I would pull the schedule up on my computer to see if you were free. She said she hadn’t picked the exact date out yet, thanked me fast and left.”
“She never surprised me with anything.”
“I figured as much. I told Mary to never let her past the front desk again if you weren’t here.”
“Thanks, Sean. But you could have said something back then. I would have taken care of it.”
“You know, Phil. I’ve never gotten into the middle of your life before. But there was something about her I never liked. I’m glad you aren’t with her anymore. And as much as I would love to have had a chance with Sophia, I’m glad you found her.” Sean turned and walked out the door.
Phil realized at that moment that he had to come clean with Sophia. She said she was getting there, and he believed she was, but he knew deep down he was going to have to tell her about his relationship with Linda and what actually happened. He couldn’t keep hiding it from everyone, least of all her. If there was one person who needed to know the truth and would understand what he did and why, it was Sophia. He felt he needed her reassurance.