by Tina Leonard
“Daniel cooked for you?” he asked.
“I suppose you have some smart-alecky remark to make about that?” Daniel grumbled good-naturedly. To Nicole, he said, “He’s already hit his quota on giving me grief about owls.”
“Nothing smart-alecky. It just reminded me of the first time Mariana came over,” Jacob said. “I cooked for her and Cody. She seemed surprised I knew how.”
If they didn’t stop talking about cooking and food, Nicole’s stomach was about to start growling. She scanned the options, trying to decide what she felt like. The place that sold customized salads was probably the healthiest choice.
Meanwhile, Cody had become distracted from his quest for food. He was pointing at the small carousel tucked in the corner by an ice-cream parlor. “Migo!”
Jacob laughed. “We’ve been over this, buddy. Not all horses are Amigo, and not all doggies are Buster. Our pets,” he told Nicole. “Cody loves animals.”
The casual comment made her wonder about her own children, what their likes and dislikes would be, whether they’d have mutual interests or be total opposites. It was exciting to imagine getting to know them and watching their personalities develop. At moments like this, she blocked out the anxiety about everything she needed to do to get ready and couldn’t wait for them to be born.
When she realized she was absently rubbing her stomach—and that Jacob had noticed—she asked, “Did Daniel tell you I was expecting?”
He nodded. “Congratulations. I missed Cody’s early months, so I’m no authority on infants, but I can tell you, there’s no feeling in the world like looking down into that little face and being overwhelmed by love. Six months ago, I didn’t know he existed, and now there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”
A lump rose in her throat. She blinked, determined not to do something as undignified as start blubbering in front of a place that sold chicken-fried ears of corn and barbecued sausage on a stick.
“Good grief, Jacob.” Daniel inserted himself between them, scowling in mock aggravation. “We haven’t been here five minutes, and you’ve already made her cry. Nice going.” He waved Jacob and Cody toward the pizza counter the little boy had been eyeing at the other end of the corridor.
Once father and son had walked away, Daniel turned to her with an impish smile. “I thought they’d never leave.” Then he pulled her to him for a brief but ardent kiss. He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you from the bottom of the escalator.”
She grinned. “You must’ve been reading my mind, then.”
“Do you know what you want?” He winked at her. “Food-wise, I mean.”
Hand in hand, they walked to the salad place, then rejoined Jacob and Cody at an empty table.
As they ate, Jacob entertained her with stories of trying to baby-proof his home. “Mariana might be able to give you some pointers on that and other stuff.” He ruffled his son’s hair. “She was part of Cody’s life from day one.”
She shook her head wryly. “Between seeking advice from Jet and Jasmine on raising twins— Oh, Daniel didn’t mention I’m having twins?” She laughed at Jacob’s expression. “Anyway, talking to you and Mariana, Jet and Jasmine... This must be what they mean by ‘it takes a village.’”
Jacob nodded. “I know I’m grateful I have people around me I can ask for tips. And favors. Cody’s only been in my life for a couple of months, but we’ve already had a few babysitting emergencies. This would be impossible without support.” He grimaced, as if suddenly recalling she didn’t have an extensive family network.
She appreciated the Baron siblings’ willingness to offer encouragement and guidance, but she should be careful not to rely too much on others. They weren’t her village, they were Daniel’s. Only, he didn’t want them.
After they finished their food and cleaned up the table, they hit a couple of stores. Nicole offered her opinion on a pretty scarf for Julieta. They “cheated” picking out presents for Carly and Luke by using the couple’s department store registry to select gifts for both Christmas and the wedding.
As they waited for the clerk to hand over the receipt, Jacob asked, “So will you be coming to the wedding with Daniel?”
“I...” She faltered, not sure of the answer. They hadn’t discussed it. She’d been expressly invited to the bridal shower Saturday, but not the ceremony itself.
But Daniel met her gaze, looking untroubled by his brother’s question. “Sounds like a great idea to me. I look forward to watching you do the Chicken Dance at the reception. What do you say, be my date to Carly’s wedding?”
Warmth bloomed inside her at the easy way he’d included her, his repeated demonstrations that he wanted her company. “Yes to the wedding. A firm don’t-get-your-hopes-up to the Chicken Dance.”
They exited the department store, and, as they returned to the congested center of the mall, she caught a glimpse of Jacob’s profile. Was it her imagination, or did he look smug? Maybe Lizzie wasn’t the only one who’d thought matchmaking between Nicole and Daniel was a good idea. She smothered a sigh. She could have told them that she and Daniel didn’t need help being pushed together. Mutual attraction was not a problem.
Cody began wiggling with excitement, chanting “Santa!” Sure enough, there was a North Pole display a few yards away. Despite the overall crowd, the line to see Mr. Claus wasn’t too long.
“You two mind if we humor him?” Jacob asked. “Mariana and I already took him to get his official picture taken, but...” He broke off, his eyes twinkling. It was clear he was enjoying his first yuletide season with his son.
“Fine by me,” Nicole said.
They got in line behind a couple with three kids. The youngest, cradled in her mother’s arms, looked only a few months old and was completely adorable in a tiny red velvet dress. The woman passed the baby to the father so she could lean down and fix her preschooler’s hair. Nicole’s eyes stung. She couldn’t honestly say whether she was reacting to the miniature perfection of the infant or the fact that the mom had a partner to share these small, everyday moments.
Irritation welled within her. It wasn’t as if she’d made the decision to be a single mom lightly. She’d known what she was getting into, so why did the idea now cause her these periodic twinges of sorrow?
“Nic—” Daniel’s questioning tone broke off as he followed her gaze. If he’d been about to ask what was wrong, he’d answered his own question. He shook his head. “Are you going to get misty every time you see a cute kid for the next six months?”
Quite possibly. She shrugged.
“Hey, you think something over there might work for Lizzie?” He pointed past Nicole’s shoulder at a window display for a store that specialized in business gifts—briefcases, high-quality pens and coffee travel mugs that could be monogramed or engraved. “Will you come look with me?”
“Sure.” She let herself be dragged away since, ostensibly, giving her expert opinion was one of the reasons she was here. But she couldn’t help question the pattern. Upstairs, he’d run off Jacob when he and Nicole had been bonding over the emotional rewards of a child’s love. And now he was leading her away from the cute baby.
Was he discomfited by her getting sentimental over parenthood? Did he dislike the reminders that her own babies were on the way? That possibility rankled but, really, why should it matter? He’d be long gone before her own children were ever born. Which, somehow, didn’t make her feel any better.
* * *
“ONE FINAL STORE?” Jacob asked, looking to Nicole and Daniel for input.
Daniel glanced down at his nephew. “I can make it. Not sure about him, though.” The last time Daniel had seen eyelids that heavy was on a cartoon dog.
Nicole offered a murmur of assent but didn’t say anything. Come to think of it, she hadn’t said much for the past fifteen
or twenty minutes. Daniel shot her a questioning glance, but she didn’t meet his gaze.
“This is the place that’s supposed to have top-of-the-line coffeemakers on sale. Mariana wants me to get one for her mom.” Jacob scooped up his son, and by the time a salesclerk had shown them to the right aisle, Cody was snoring softly against his dad’s shoulder.
Jacob turned to Daniel. “Can you take him a minute? I need to compare a couple of these boxes. I should have picked up Lucille’s gift sooner—we’re leaving for Austin Monday after work—but with the new job and best-man duties, time’s been flying.”
Jacob and Mariana were having an early Christmas with her mom and grandmother in Austin and would return for Christmas Day with the rest of the Barons. Daniel knew his brother wanted to make up for Thanksgiving, when he and Mariana had been briefly separated, casting a dark cloud over the holiday. But that was behind them now. This Christmas would be their first as a family.
“Here.” Daniel held out his arms. “I’ve got him.” The sleeping toddler weighed less than saddles Daniel had lifted; still, he was careful to nestle the boy against his uninjured left side.
Once he had Cody situated, he looked up to find Nicole watching him. Was it fatigue or sadness that haunted her eyes? The pregnancy mood swings made her difficult to read. It was sometimes tough to distinguish whether he’d done something wrong or if she was reacting profoundly to something that might not have bothered her on another day.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Of course not.” She gave him a wan smile. “I’m counting the days until I can have caffeinated coffee again. I’m not a morning person, even when the mornings get off to a smoother start than today’s.”
They waited at the front of the store while Jacob paid for the chosen coffee machine. Nicole nodded to Cody. “He looks like you.”
“Well...he looks like his daddy. Jacob and I have always shared a strong resemblance.” It was a silly technicality to argue. But it was important she didn’t convince herself she saw something that wasn’t really there.
When Jacob emerged, Daniel happily swapped Cody for the large shopping bag. They’d all parked near the food court. Daniel walked Nicole to her car while Jacob buckled Cody into his car seat.
“I’m glad you came with us,” he told her, wondering if she felt the same. She’d been teary at least three times and had become uncharacteristically withdrawn over the past half hour.
In response, she flashed him a smile. It didn’t reach her eyes.
When she pressed a perfunctory kiss against his cheek and darted into her car, seeming eager to part ways, he had his answer about whether she was upset or simply tired.
“Nicole...” Part of him felt as if he owed her an apology. But what had he actually done wrong?
She gave him another one of those not-quite smiles. “It’s getting late, and I don’t want Adele to worry about me. Better get home before I turn into a pumpkin.”
He straightened so she could shut her door, frowning at her fairy-tale reference. In some ways, she resembled a fairy-tale character—brave and resourceful, overcoming misfortunes in her quest for happiness. Too bad Daniel wasn’t cut out to be anyone’s happy ending.
* * *
THE BLONDE DEALER on the other side of the table flashed a contrite smile as she flipped over the ace of spades that gave her blackjack. Meanwhile, Daniel’s cards added up to seventeen points. Not my lucky night.
When he got up to give someone else his spot, he discreetly checked the time. Out of deference to Luke, the guest of honor, and Jacob, who’d arranged the evening, he didn’t want to broadcast his desire to leave. Although Daniel enjoyed an occasional game of poker, this glitzy private party in a Dallas hotel wasn’t his idea of a good time. Bass-heavy remixes of Vegas standards vibrated the room, the cocktails all had ridiculous novelty names, and one of Luke’s cousins responded to everything from joke punch lines to decent card hands with a shrill “Wooo!” that could probably be heard all the way to the front desk.
Someone bumped Daniel and he turned, realizing it hadn’t been an accidental collision. Jacob was nudging him to get his attention over the music.
His big brother peered at him. “You do know we’re only playing for chips and door prizes, not actual money right? Because you look as miserable as a man who genuinely lost his fortune.”
“Just trying to add some casino realism.”
“You also look like a guy who’s thinking about sneaking away,” Jacob said knowingly. “Plans with Nicole?”
Hardly. Daniel shook his head, wishing he did have plans with her. They hadn’t spoken all day. He’d stared at her number on his phone half a dozen times but opted to give her space.
He rubbed his arm. “I think maybe I overdid it in physical therapy this morning. My shoulder’s killing me. You reckon anyone would miss me if I ducked out early?”
Jacob hesitated, as if trying to decide how to respond. His expression was incongruently somber for someone celebrating at a bachelor party. Behind them, another exuberant “Wooo!” resounded.
Get me out of here.
Finally, Jacob said, “Yeah, you’ll be missed. But I don’t want to stop you from going if that’s what you need to do.”
“Brotherly powwow?” Jet appeared suddenly, edging between them and draping one arm around each of them.
“Nothing major,” Jacob said. “Daniel was just saying good-night.”
“Already?” Jet dropped his arm and pointed across the room. “I was going to see if either of you wanted to try your luck with me at the roulette table. I am on fire tonight! Too bad we’re not gambling actual cash, or I’d be well on my way to paying for the honeymoon of Jasmine’s dreams.” He turned to Jacob. “Have you and Mariana thought that far ahead?”
Taking discussion of weddings and honeymoons as his cue to leave, Daniel handed Jet his remaining chips. “Here, hope you have better luck than I did. Guess I’m not much of a gambler.”
He was halfway across the room when his phone vibrated. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to hear anyone in the makeshift casino, he increased his pace. When he saw Nicole’s name on the screen, it was all he could do not to sprint for the door.
“Hello?” he pressed a hand to his other ear to block out as much noise as possible.
“D-Daniel?” The sound of her trembling voice sliced right through him.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
She sniffed. “Nothing major. I hope. I just needed...She didn’t want me to worry Lizzie or the others, but I had to call someone. We’re at the hospital. Me and Adele,” she clarified. “She had this weird reaction at dinner that she’s never had before, and I was afraid it might be anaphylactic and they tell you in all the information for postcancer follow-up care to see a doctor in case of wheezing or trouble breathing or—”
“Hey,” he interrupted softly. “You sound like you’re the one having trouble breathing. Slow down, honey.” He sat on a padded bench in a quiet hotel corridor, wishing with his entire being that he could put his arms around her right now.
He heard her shaky intake of breath and slow, measured release.
“Sorry for flipping out on you,” she said. “Adele and I went to dinner, and a few minutes after the main course was served, her face started swelling and she couldn’t stop coughing. Being here at the hospital with her triggered so many bad memories...”
She stopped, took another deep breath. She was finally starting to sound like herself. “I wanted to call Lizzie and Chris, but Adele was adamant we not make this seem like a big deal if it’s just some bizarre food allergy we didn’t know about before. The E.R. doctor’s no oncologist, but he said chemo alters a body and he’s heard of instances where cancer survivors develop strange new allergies after treatment.”
“I take it they got her reaction under contro
l?” If not, he imagined Nicole would still be at her side, refusing to let anyone chase her out of Adele’s room.
“Yeah. They gave her a shot for the hives and have her under observation. I should probably get back in there with her. I just needed a moment.”
“Which hospital are you at? I’ll meet you there.”
“Don’t you have Luke’s bachelor party tonight?”
“I was on my way out, anyway.”
She was quiet, and he heard the refusal in the pause before the words actually came. “Thanks, but it’s pointless of you to drive over here if they’re going to be releasing her soon. I shouldn’t have called.”
He scowled. “Of course you should have! You’ve already seen her through a traumatic health scare, and watching her get sick again—even if it’s something minor—understandably stressed you out. I’m glad you called. Stress isn’t good for you and the babies.” Frankly, he thought it was selfish of Adele that she hadn’t let Nicole call in his stepsiblings for moral support. The woman hadn’t wanted to worry her own children, but she’d been okay with Nicole shouldering the anxiety by herself? “Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”
“Positive. I’m better now. I drove us here calmly, I accessed all her patient information that I keep stored on my phone, filled out the forms. I was holding it together just fine, but then... Temporary anomaly. I really am okay.”
That made one of them. Even after he disconnected the call, he felt shaky from the adrenaline that had surged through him when he’d heard her distress. She’d sounded so fragile. It had been the only time in his whole life he’d desperately wanted to be at a hospital. But she doesn’t want you there. The irony churned like acid in his stomach.
As he’d watched his siblings over the past year, he’d told himself that, unlike Jet and Luke and Jacob, he wouldn’t emotionally bind himself to a woman, so he could avoid moments like these. He’d allowed himself a strictly temporary fling with Nicole, secure in the knowledge that it would end soon and he wouldn’t have to field emergency calls and pregnancy scares and parenting woes.