by Selena Blake
When he was, at last, seated, his knee stretched out, he let out the breath he’d been holding.
“Good to see you, Greg,” Trevor said, finally able to get in a word around JJ.
“You too. Have a good trip?”
“We did. Up until we got your call, of course. We’ve been worried since.”
“We have,” JJ added.
“I’m–” He paused as Gretchen entered the room, a large pot in her hands. She stared straight at him, her footsteps faltering. So it was the kiss that had her off kilter. Good, he wasn’t the only one shell shocked.
The conversation around the room died and his father hopped up. Greg envied the ability to “hop” anywhere.
“Let me help you with that my dear.”
“I’ve got it. If you could grab a trivet, I’d really appreciate it. Obviously my work out routine should include cooking for an army. Can you guys come again, say three days a week?” Laughter filled the air and his father did as she asked.
“You don’t want to extend that invitation, Gretchen. Those two will eat you out of house and home.” Greg nodded at his brothers.
“That’s fine with me, so long as they carry the groceries.”
“Deal!” Ronny started serving the pasta, Thomas ladled sauce on top for everyone and his father passed a basket of bread.
Gretchen brought the last of the drinks and Greg got a large dose of déjà vu. The faces were older and there were additions to the table, but the moment reminded him so much of the Sunday dinners of his youth that his heart ached.
Gretchen disappeared again and then returned, salad in hand.
“Hope you guys like Italian dressing. It’s all I had on hand.”
“We’ll eat whatever and enjoy it Gretchen. Thank you for taking care of Greg.” His father’s voice cracked a little as he spoke.
And that was why Greg couldn’t sit next to him.
He turned to Trevor’s stoic bodyguard. “How’ve you been, Joe?”
“Busy as always. Those two keep me on my toes,” he said, nodding toward JJ and Trevor.
Greg had to admit that he hadn’t liked the idea of JJ becoming a high profile wife. She was feminine and sweet, not some amazon trained in combat and evasive driving. But Joe’s entrance into her life had soothed a bit of that fear. While he knew Trevor would step in front of a bullet for her, Greg appreciated that Joe would do everything in his power to stop any such situation well before it developed.
“I’m sure they do.”
Joe asked him something but Greg’s mind blanked as Thomas held Gretchen’s chair for her. Instantly he wanted to tell his brother that he, Greg, could handle that task. He didn’t like the way his brother was looking at her either. What was up with that? He’d never felt so...possessive before. But there wasn’t any other word to describe the feeling rolling through him.
Gretchen was a good woman. Sweet and nurturing, funny and sassy. A kick ass combination if there ever was one. Greg owed her big time.
Gretchen scooped salad into Thomas’s bowl and he leaned toward her and said something Greg couldn’t hear. She threw her head back and laughed. The movement showed off the creamy while column of her throat, perfect pearly teeth and made the newly colored locks of hair shimmer red in the light.
Damn she was beautiful, which Thomas had obviously noticed. Jealousy made his jaw tighten and he realized his feelings had nothing to do with owing Gretchen anything. He wanted her attention on him.
“Greg?”
Joe’s voice pulled him back to the conversation at hand.
“Sorry, I–my mind hasn’t shut down since the accident,” he said, but noticed Joe following his gaze to Gretchen. Busted. “What did you say?”
“Nothing important. Want me to pass your plate down?”
Greg nodded. “Thanks.”
“Greg, dear brother, can I tell everyone the good news?” Ronny held up his beer in a salute.
Greg blinked at his brother. Maybe the pain medication was affecting his brain because he couldn’t think of anything that classified as good news. Except for the fact that he was alive. Gretchen’s expression matched his own puzzlement.
“It turns out Greg and Gretchen have been keeping a secret from us,” Ronny said, a devilish twinkle in his eye.
“Ronny–” Greg said, his voice full of warning. “Not now.”
“Secret?” JJ echoed at the same time as Dad.
“Seems Gretchen’s going to be our sister in law.”
“What?” Trevor, JJ and Dad said in unison, their heads swivelling his way almost comically.
Ronny laughed and held his glass a little higher. Thomas, the traitor, got in on the action.
“To the happy couple,” Thomas said, raised an eyebrow at Greg. The goobers. Sure, Greg and Gretchen had had their fun earlier, but–
“Here, here,” Ronny added and they clinked their glasses together.
“When did all this happen, son?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” JJ asked, already on her feet and circling toward Gretchen. “I’m so excited for you!”
“Call me a sap, but how’d you pop the question?” Trevor asked.
Did none of them notice that Gretchen didn’t have a big shiny rock on a very important finger? When it came time for him to pop the question, it was going to include a ring, one nobody would miss.
It was then that he noticed that Gretchen, like Joe, hadn’t said a word. There was a tension in the air, so thick it could have choked an asthmatic. She just sat there, staring straight at him, accepting JJ’s hug with a gentle pat on the arm. But she didn’t say a word to approve or deny the claim. In fact, she looked a little...overwhelmed.
Where had the teasing look gone? Why wasn’t she playing the prank again? Why didn’t she slap Ronny?
“I can’t believe you didn’t say anything when I called you Friday,” JJ was going on, as she came back to her seat. “You were so calm, but no wonder you raced to his side. Let’s see the ring.”
Gretchen swallowed and looked away but not before he saw her lips tremble. Not in the cagey, sassy way he was accustomed to either. She looked almost sad, not at all enjoying the joke as she had earlier. What had changed?
“I’m gonna kick your ass,” Greg ground out, glaring at his eldest brother.
“What’d I do?” The mischievous grin said it all.
Gretchen seemed to come to life then, her brown eyes shifting from Ronny to JJ. She pulled her left hand from her lap, held it up and wiggled her fingers dramatically. Her unbedazzled fingers.
“You didn’t get her a ring?” JJ barked, shooting daggers Greg’s way.
“Son, when–”
“I’m so going to hell,” Gretchen said with a sigh.
“You’re not going to hell,” Greg said. Whatever she’d done in her life, he was almost certain that Gretchen Mascoe was not going to hell. Especially when he was starting to wonder if she wasn’t part guardian angel.
“Your sons are teasing me, Mr. Fairchild. There’s no ring because Greg and I are not engaged.” Gretchen held her chin up as she spoke and he admired her even more. Not only was she funny and endearing, she obviously cared about hurting his family since they’d been so excited only moments earlier.
She took a sip of her wine and then addressed JJ. “When you called on Friday and I got to the hospital, the nurse was all set not to let me in. So I lied and told her that Greg was my fiancé so she’d let me see him.”
Greg had been so happy to see a familiar face he hadn’t dared deny her claim. In fact, he was still happy to see her, to be sitting across the table from her, watching her interact with his big, crazy family. She handled them and their antics like a pro.
“I wasn’t going to call her bluff,” Greg inserted. “She was my ticket out of the hospital.”
He knew instantly that he’d said the wrong thing. Her mouth tightened and she sat up a little taller, her pretty brown eyes zipping from him to his father.
“I’m sorry
if Ronny and Thomas got your hopes up. Evidently Greg told them about our little charade to get him out of the hospital and they–” she pegged them with a glare. “They found that funny.”
JJ hissed out a sigh. “You!” She glared across the table at Ronny and Thomas. “I can’t believe you’d get my hopes up like that!”
There was a lengthy silence and Trevor wrapped a protective arm around his bride to be. Even from here Greg could tell she was disappointed.
“Boys,” their father said in that warning tone. That single word encompassed everything. They all knew what it meant. Whatever issue, problem or sin would be handled later. Away from the dinner table and away from the ladies.
Thomas looked dually chastised but Ronny was still grinning.
“Come on. How romantic is that? Like a chick flick, you had to eat that up,” Ronny said to JJ.
“Ronny,” Joe said in that quiet way of his. Despite the low tone, people listened when he spoke. Ronny turned toward the big bodyguard.
“It would have been romantic if they were actually getting married, bozo,” JJ told him and tore off a hunk of garlic bread.
Greg hated when there was strife in the family. The less conflict the better. And knowing that his sister, and more importantly, Gretchen were upset...he wracked his mind for a change of topic.
“The good news,” Gretchen said, cocking her head at Ronny as if to say ‘this is how you deliver good news.’ “The good news is Greg is alive. A teeny bit banged up. But alive. And I’m sure he’ll be well enough to put you in a headlock before long.”
She picked up her glass of wine and held it up. “Now that’s something I’ll drink to.”
Greg felt a bubble of admiration expand inside him. How poised she was. Deftly changing the topic and making a sticky situation smooth again. He could have kissed her again.
In fact, he wanted to. This time without apologizing for taking things too far, too fast. She obviously hadn’t felt that way. The blush in her cheeks had said she’d enjoyed herself thoroughly.
The memory of her body yielding against his, the soft little sounds she’d made as he’d kissed her lips made him hard and he was glad he was seated. He’d gladly forfeit his piece of chocolate cake to be able to adjust himself right now.
“To Greg,” his dad said. “Thank God you’re alive.”
The others lifted their glasses, uttering similar words.
“Now, let’s eat before this gets any colder,” Gretchen said. She made a fabulous hostess. He hadn’t expected that. It’s not like he’d spent much time thinking about her and that pained him now. He should have seen past her quietness. She wasn’t quiet because she was shy. She didn’t speak because she was listening. And honestly, with friends like Cindy and Baby, how could she get a word in edgewise?
No, he hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about her and he should have. He should have seen how she was always taking care of those around her. Even now, he could tell by the way she glanced at everyone’s glass that she was silently doing a count to make sure everyone had a drink.
As they ate, Trevor gave them the low down on the charities he’d been helping last week in California. As JJ updated them on the status of her book, Gretchen went to the kitchen for more drinks.
Greg couldn’t help but be impressed with how easily Gretchen had thrown together dinner for eight.
Joe asked about his work and how his latest condo renovation was coming. He needed to make some arrangements tomorrow, call in some favors. Getting behind would sink his business. He prided himself on prompt service. “Almost ready to sell. I’m ready to move on.”
“Have another project lined up?”
“No. Not yet. I think JJ and I need to discuss the future of our partnership. And then I’ll see.”
Truth be told, he was kind of tired of renovating condos. There was only so much you could tear out and put into a box surrounded by other boxes. And while it’d been a safe bet for them early on, he craved a bit more creative freedom.
“I’m thinking of looking at houses.”
“Houses?” Gretchen asked and the other conversations died.
“Yeah. I think it would be fun to flip a house. Just something different.”
“Oh, that sounds fun,” JJ said and they were off. Talking ideas, locations.
Greg watched Gretchen as they finished eating. He stood by what he’d said earlier. She was a great cook. She might consider her style simple and not gourmet, but that’s the kind of food he liked to eat. Good, homemade, made with love food. Nothing fancy that he couldn’t identify. So what if he was a spaghetti and meatballs kind of guy?
She kept glancing at JJ and Trevor. And each time they embraced or kissed or held hands Gretchen’s gaze would zero in on the movement and then tear away. Why? Surely she didn’t have a problem with PDA?
But it was when Trevor said that he couldn’t wait to marry JJ that Greg realized what the look on Gretchen’s face was. Longing. She wanted what JJ had with Trevor. It was all there in the lengthy look, the wobbly smile, and the quick swallow of wine. While the men were making fake gagging sounds, she was eating it up.
And why shouldn’t she?
She was a beautiful woman and she deserved to have a man adore her. Hell, he’d been here two days and he already felt something akin to adoration–
The house phone rang, breaking the moment. Her serene expression disappeared as she excused herself and made a beeline for the living room.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
After dinner was done and there’d been ample chit chat, the guys helped Gretchen clear the table. She was having a hard time believing it but there were murmurings of how the Wyatt men always did the dishes and the younger Fairchild men hadn’t liked being shown up last Thanksgiving. She was happy that Greg didn’t try.
“Thank you,” she said to Joe as he brought the last pot into the kitchen. To say the small space was crowded was the understatement of the century. Her little kitchen barely held two on a normal day. There were currently four hulking men squeezed between the countertops.
She reached into the pantry for the cake she’d picked up at the bakery. “Okay, let’s clear out of here and go have cake.”
“Yes ma’am,” Joe said, his voice thick with pleasure.
The men filed out and Gretchen blew out a sigh.
Gathering plates and what was left of her silverware drawer, she carried the lot into the living room. The TV was on mute; still tuned to a sports channel.
“I’m sorry we’re busting in on your Sunday evening,” JJ murmured, holding a plate out so Gretchen could place a slice of cake on it.
“Don’t be silly. This is the most fun I’ve had in weeks.”
Which was true. Actually, it was the most fun she’d had in a very long time.
A second later, Ronny brought in a carton of vanilla ice cream. He wielded the scoop like a master and soon everyone had a slice of cake and a dollop of ice cream on the side. There were murmurs of contentment and thanks.
“–wish we had furniture at the house,” JJ was saying when Gretchen came back.
She settled on the couch between Greg and Joe, hyper aware of them both. Sitting up as straight as possible, she tried to enjoy the cake. But her nerves wouldn’t calm down and worse, she had no idea why she was so nervous in the first place.
“It’s okay,” Greg said.
“He’s going to stay with Gretchen,” Thomas inserted.
“We could move a bed to the dining room,” Mr. Fairchild added.
“Don’t be silly,” Gretchen said, looking at JJ. “You just moved into a house. And there’s no sense disrupting your house, Mr. Fairchild. The guys got a few of Greg’s things earlier. He can stay as long as he likes. I have a spare bed in my office. Really. It’s not a big deal.”
She felt everyone staring at her and a blush bloomed in her cheeks. She swiped at her mouth with a napkin, hoping she wasn’t sporting a chocolate mustache. “What?”
No one said a word and
she really wanted to shrink back and blend in with the couch.
“Doesn’t she remind you of mom,” Greg asked quietly. He reached over and squeezed her knee. Pleasure swept through her.
“That’s a high compliment. Yeah, she sure does,” Mr. Fairchild said.
“Ooo-kay,” Gretchen said and nervously scooped the last morsel of chocolate into her mouth.
“I can see that,” Ronny added.
“Me too,” Thomas added.
“Yeah, I get it now. Mom used to have that sweet, take charge way about her. And she could talk sense into anyone. Even my three crazy brothers,” JJ said with a warm smile that lit up her blue eyes. She tucked a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear and glanced at Greg.
He removed his hand from Gretchen’s leg and finished off his own dessert.
“Well, I’m glad that’s settled.” She sat her plate on the ottoman and then reached for Greg’s. Their fingers brushed and awareness rushed through her. It wasn’t often that she felt a man’s skin against her own. And it wasn’t that there was anything peculiar about it or even different. But nevertheless, she was hyper-aware of his nearness and felt like she was being drawn against her will to him. Like a sliver of metal that couldn’t escape a magnet’s pull.
“Mr. Fairchild,” she said, needing to concentrate on something aside from the man next to her. “Did you catch anything at the lake?”
When everyone had finally left, Greg exhaled slowly. That had gone both better and worse than he’d expected. Better because everyone had kept themselves in check. But worse because he was still regretting his poor choice in words to Gretchen. And then his brother’s had announced they were getting married. Geez.
“Well that was fun.”
Surprisingly, she sounded sincere. She collapsed on the opposite sofa and dropped her head back against it. Gizmo hopped up into her lap and she ran a hand down the feline’s back.
“I should call your mommy and see how she’s doing,” she murmured to the animal.
“Do you ever stop?” he asked, watching her closely.
She lifted her head and stared at him. “Stop?”