by Minx Malone
“Any other man would take offense to that.” Sam raised an eyebrow when her eyes met his.
“Oh. I wasn’t actually talking about you.” Raina stopped punching and blew out her breath.
Sam slapped the bag. “If you’ve got enough energy to daydream, clearly I’m not working you hard enough. Come on. Go again.”
Raina groaned. “I take it back. I was talking about you. You are evil.”
“But you look good, right?”
Raina punched the bag once more, satisfied when he jumped at the sudden movement.
“You bet your ass I do.” She stretched her arms overhead, reveling in the burn of her muscles.
Building a fully quipped home gym was one of the first things she’d done when she bought the house. Modeling was a career where women had a much shorter-than-average shelf life as a rule. Raina was smart enough to know her days were numbered, but she was determined to stay in the game as long as possible and then transition over into several side projects she was working on. Now that she’d gotten a network to carry her reality show, she was hoping it would do well enough for her to land a book deal. If everyone from Snooki to those housewives on TV could get publishing contracts, then why not her?
Sam walked over to the small cooler in the corner of her home gym and pulled out two bottles. He handed her one and then took a deep swig of his.
“Yuck. What is this stuff?” Sam held the bottle of bright green liquid away from him as if it was toxic.
“It’s called Grenade. Remember the ad I did for the vitamin supplement? Well, one of the marketing guys sent me some free samples of their newest product.”
Sam shook his head and placed the cap back on his bottle. “I can see why they’re giving it away.”
They were interrupted by a loud chirping sound. Raina had just taken a big sip of her own drink, so she just pointed toward the treadmill where she’d left her cell phone. Sam walked over and picked it up. After a quick glance at the screen, he smirked.
“It’s Alexander. You want me to answer?”
Raina gulped down the mouthful of bitter juice and held out her hand. As soon as he gave it to her, she hit the button to silence the call. Sam narrowed his eyes.
“What? I’ll just call him back after I’m done working out.”
Sam shrugged. “Okay. Whatever you say. But just tell me one thing. And you have to promise to tell me the truth.”
Raina sighed and put her bottle back in the refrigerator. She didn’t meet his eyes, just went back over to the heavy bag and waited. When he didn’t follow, she let out a loud, exasperated sigh.
“I have many faults, but I’ve never been a liar. Ask me anything. Maybe then you’ll finally stop worrying.”
Sam waited until she came back and stood next to him. “Do you love this guy?”
Raina bit her lip. “You know I don’t believe in love. He’s a nice guy and I think he’ll make a great dad. I love that about him.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t believe in love. If something bad happened to him, how would you feel? Would you be sad for a few minutes and then move on?”
Raina picked at the edge of the boxing glove she held. She didn’t have to be in love with him to miss his smile. His laughter. His way of talking her off the ledge when she was worried about something. Even in the abstract the thought of anything happening to Nick made her heart race.
“No, I wouldn’t just be sad for a few minutes.”
She had a feeling that if anything happened to Nick, she’d be sad for the rest of her life.
CHAPTER NINE
RAINA TURNED AT the sound of the bathroom door banging open. After finishing her workout, she’d immediately come upstairs to shower and wash her hair. Sam wouldn’t bother her unless it was important. She pushed the glass shower door to the side slightly and called out, “Sam? What’s wrong?”
“It’s not Sam. It’s me.”
Raina pulled the door open a bit more and stuck her head out into the cold air of the bathroom. “Ridley? What are you doing here?”
Ridley was wearing a pair of leggings with a hole in the knee and the ugliest sweatshirt she’d ever seen.
“And what the hell are you wearing? I hope no one saw you dressed like that.”
Ridley glared at her and pulled her towel off the rack. “I’m trying to save you. Mrs. Alexander came by the house. She heard about your marriage and wanted me to bring her to see her new daughter-in-law. She’s downstairs. Right now!”
Raina squeaked and slammed the shower door shut. “Oh my God. I can’t meet my mother-in-law looking like a drowned rat. I am going to kill Nick! I thought he was going to wait to tell everyone.”
“Raina, it’s all over the internet that you got married.”
“It is?”
“Yes. Everybody knows now. Come on, it’s time to face the music.”
“Can’t you stall her?” Raina whined. It was cowardly, yes, but dammit, she wasn’t good with parents. They wanted nice, sweet, daughters-in-law who baked cupcakes and stuff. Not girls like her who were better at pouting on a sexy ad campaign.
This is going to be a disaster.
Ridley pulled open the shower door, letting in a blast of freezing air. “You’re saying that because you don’t know Julia Alexander. Trust me, if I don’t come down there with you in a few minutes, she’ll come up here and find you herself.”
Raina pushed her wet hair off her face and shut the water off. “Okay, I’m coming.” She took the towel her sister handed through the open door and wrapped it around herself, trying to stop the shivers wracking her body.
“I’ll go pick you out some clothes.” Ridley left, leaving the bathroom door wide open.
Raina toweled off quickly, then wrapped the towel around her body and knotted it under her arm.
Ridley came back in with her clothes and dropped them on the counter. “Okay, I’m going back down there to help with dinner. Hopefully cooking will distract her.”
Raina’s head shot up. “Dinner? I don’t have any food in the house.”
“She brought it all with her. I guess this is your ‘welcome to the family’ dinner. Now hurry up!”
As soon as Ridley left, Raina yanked off the towel and pulled on her clothes. She pulled out a wide-toothed comb and gently detangled her hair section by section. There was no time for blow-drying and flat-ironing. She’d have to just put it back in a braid.
The doorbell rang downstairs and she paused. Had Mrs. Alexander gone to get something from her car and gotten locked out? When it didn’t ring again, she figured Ridley must have opened the door for her, so she hurriedly applied tinted moisturizer and swept a single coat of mascara on her lashes. She surveyed herself in the mirror.
She looked terrified.
“Here goes nothing,” she muttered.
As soon as she descended the stairs, she could hear them. How can two people make that much noise? It sounded like a circus troupe had set up shop in her kitchen. She rounded the corner and stopped at the sight of the full room.
“There she is,” someone said.
The entire room went silent and what felt like a million pairs of eyes fixed on her at the same time.
A short woman in a lacy blue dress came forward and grabbed her hands. “Raina, we’re all so glad to meet you. I’m Nick’s mother, Julia.”
She’d met Steven’s mother once when she’d been in New York for the symphony. She was tall, thin, impeccably dressed, and just as stuffy and formal as her son.
Julia Alexander, on the other hand, was a short plump woman with a café-au-lait complexion. She wore her dark hair in a bob of pin curls that made Raina think of the old-fashioned pink rollers her mother used to wear.
She looked warm, Raina decided.
“Hello. I’m so glad to meet you, Mrs. Alexander.”
“Oh sweetheart, just call me Julia. Or Mom. After all, you’re Mrs. Alexander now, too.”
Raina felt like her head was spinning as she was enveloped into a warm hug.
<
br /> Julia pulled back and preened. “Oh, just look at you. Just as pretty as a picture! Of course, we knew that already. Come, come and meet the family.”
Raina followed silently as she was led over to the group. She was hugged by Nick’s father, Mark, first. Then she said hello to Nick’s older brother, Bennett. He shook her hand and smiled politely. Then Mark introduced her to his younger sister, Maria. Next was Maria’s daughter, Laura, her husband, Peter and their two children, Isabelle and Annabelle. She placed a hand over her racing heart. What if she couldn’t remember any of their names? By the time they circled around to where Jackson and Ridley stood, Raina felt like her head was spinning with faces.
Ridley pulled her in for a hug and said in a low voice, “I had no idea she invited the whole family!”
Before Raina could respond, the front door opened. Nick stood in the doorway, breathing hard. “Raina!” he called out. He took a few steps then stopped short when he finally noticed everyone in the kitchen. “Oh boy.”
Raina walked over to him and hugged him.
“I am so sorry,” he whispered. “When Elliot warned me, I came as fast as I could.”
He looked like he’d run from the car to the house. Her earlier annoyance vanished as he struggled to catch his breath. It was kind of sweet that he’d come so quickly to “rescue” her.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I think I can handle a little family time.”
“You might not say that after an hour of this,” Nick warned.
Raina watched as everyone moved around her kitchen, following Julia’s orders to set the table and carry the food out. It was so odd to see the dining room table her decorator had ordered filled to overflowing with platters and bowls of food. There was macaroni and cheese, chicken, both baked and southern-fried, and the most delicious potato salad she’d ever tasted. It was also loud. Everyone talked over everyone else in a delightful jumble of sound.
“So, Raina. You have a reality show now,” Bennett asked. He was seated on her left side. They were the only people at the table not talking.
He spoke slowly and Raina noticed that he stumbled and stuttered over several of his words. He was different from the rest of his brothers who all seemed so confident and outgoing. He also looked different than the rest of his family. He was the palest one of them and his brown eyes were lighter with a sprinkling of green through them. He was also the only one who wore glasses. She thought he must have always been the oddball in such a boisterous, loud, confident family.
She liked him immediately.
When he noticed her watching him, he lowered his eyes. A slight blush tinged his cheeks. “S…sorry if we weren’t supposed to ask about it. Mom told us.”
“No, no. It’s okay. It’s public knowledge now. I signed the deal a few weeks ago, so it should air early next year if all goes to plan. I’m really excited about it.”
She looked around at everyone else. There were several conversations going on at once and a heated argument at the end of the table between Mark and Eli about football.
“Sorry if I’m not the best company.”
Bennett glanced at her. “We can be a bit much to take at times. Mom’s not normally this pushy. It’s just that we thought you were a friend of Jackson’s. When we heard you and Nick got married… She just couldn’t take the suspense of waiting to find out. She thought he’d never settle down. Sorry if we bombarded you all at once.”
“It’s okay. I’m just not used to all… this.” She gestured around the table. “I can’t even imagine belonging to a big family.”
Bennett smiled at her. “Well, you’re Nick’s wife, so you belong to one now.”
That, it seemed, was all it took to be accepted.
* * * * *
A MONTH LATER, Raina stood at the window looking out into the backyard of Jackson’s house. Jackson’s sons, Chris and Jase, romped outside, chasing each other through the sprinklers. Every few minutes they would fall to the ground, rolling around in the wet grass. Her sister was going to have a disgusting pile of clothes to launder later, but they were having a great time. Happy shrieks and giggles filled the air.
“Raina, are you okay?”
Ridley stood behind her, putting the finishing touches on the spicy spaghetti casserole dish she was making for that night’s dinner.
She’d started to feel guilty that Nick handled most of their meals on the nights they didn’t order takeout. He was a great cook and didn’t seem to mind, but she’d asked Ridley to teach her to make a simple dish. Once it became clear that Raina was hopeless though, Ridley had abandoned the lesson.
She put a hand against her lower abdomen and turned to face her sister. “I’m okay. I’m just not pregnant.”
It had been a chaotic month, filled with the awkward dance of two individuals set in their ways trying to learn to compromise.
Nick liked the left side of the bed but so did she. He had given in on that one, but since he slept cuddled up to her back, it didn’t really matter anyway. He was kind of a slob and Raina liked things neat. She’d been the one to make concessions there. A stray shoe in the middle of the floor or a shirt hanging over a chair in the bedroom wasn’t the end of the world.
She’d been disappointed upon discovering that their time in Vegas hadn’t yielded the desired results, but not that surprised. Nick had been more than anxious to try again a few weeks later. She blushed remembering just how excited he’d been.
“Oh, Ray. I thought you looked sad.”
Ridley dropped the bag of shredded cheese she held and came from around the kitchen island. “I’m really sorry. I know how much you wanted to be.”
Raina took a deep breath. “Yeah, I did. I’m trying not to hear the doctor’s voice of doom and gloom in my head. But the fact is that every month that goes by where I’m not pregnant means it’ll be that much harder for me to get there.”
“It’ll happen. This was just your second month trying, right?”
“I know. I’m determined to stay positive. Plus everything was kind of chaotic with the whole running off to Vegas thing. Then there was the stress of trying to adjust to living together. This time, I’m ready.”
“I just hope Nick is ready. You have to let the poor guy out of bed at some point.”
“You have an incredibly dirty mind since hooking up with Jackson, you know that? I was referring to the fact that I’m calmer this time. Too much excitement can throw off your ovulation. I should be able to pinpoint my ovulation date with more accuracy this time.”
Ridley wrinkled her nose. “Oh, that doesn’t sound like fun. All that charting and temperature taking and whatever. I like my way better. Just chain my handsome brother-in-law to the bed and have your way with him until the deed is done.”
“Is this what you two talk about when we’re not around?”
They both jumped at the sound of Jackson’s voice. He stood in the doorway that connected the kitchen to the family room. He raised his eyebrows at Ridley’s shocked expression.
“Um, hey baby. How long have you been standing there?”
Jackson came behind her and wrapped her in his arms. “Long enough to know that your version of ‘girl talk’ differs vastly from mine.”
Raina laughed. “She used to blush when I even mentioned sex. Apparently you’ve corrupted my sister, because she never talked like this before. “
Jackson nuzzled Ridley’s neck and held there, like he was just breathing her in. “I certainly hope so,” he whispered against her neck.
It was easier to be around them lately, even when they were being so openly affectionate. Nick had stuck to their agreement. He didn’t hide his feelings but he didn’t pressure her to return them. Over the past few weeks, they’d settled into a comfortable rhythm. He didn’t seem bored or confined by married life, either.
Not yet, anyway.
She knew it was dangerous to get attached to the way Nick treated her, but it was hard not to enjoy it. Even couples who’d been deeply in love
for years admitted the feelings you had in the beginning didn’t last. Their honeymoon phase would wear off just like anyone else’s, but in the meantime she was just going to soak up the attention. She’d have to be a total ice queen not to enjoy having a handsome man at her beck and call.
She hugged herself and remembered how Nick had kissed her until her eyes almost rolled into the back of her head before leaving for work that morning. The whole lovey-dovey thing was a lot easier to understand from the inside looking out. Feelings this strong had to have an outlet. When she was around Nick it took active thought on her part not to touch him or look at him or grin like a fool.
How ironic was it that all the things she used to scoff at were the things she most looked forward to now?
Ridley pursed her lips. “It just took the right man. And a couple of the erotic novels that I ordered online.”
Jackson popped her on the bottom playfully. “Let’s hope I had more influence than a book!”
“I would say yes but I think you are greatly underestimating the power of a hot book.”
“Did you tell her the good news?” Jackson motioned toward Raina.
Ridley shook her head. “I didn’t get a chance yet.” She turned to Raina and grinned. “We’ve decided to move up the date of the wedding. To Labor Day.”
Raina did a quick mental calculation. “Labor Day as in two weeks from now?”
Ridley nodded. “I know it’s crazy but Julia said the pastor was performing a wedding out of town that weekend but they just found out that wedding was canceled. We’d mentioned to her before that we kind of wished we’d just run off and gotten married like you and Nick did. So when she heard about that cancellation, she immediately asked Pastor Robbins if he would consider marrying us that weekend instead.”
“Wow. That’s amazing. But what about all your plans? Your dress and the flowers and everything.”
Ridley closed her eyes and leaned back against Jackson. “We decided we didn’t care about all that. We’re going to have it at the farm and I don’t care if I’m holding wildflowers when I get married. As long as I’m Mrs. Jackson Alexander at the end of it.”