Lewis was mesmerized. His eyes were wide and shining and he had an almost slack-jawed look of wonder about him. Maddie wore a similar look when Susan had brought her last year. Lewis’s expression caused warmth to spread through her chest. He looked beautiful when his guard slipped. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and soak him up.
Suddenly it hit her. He was viewing the display with a child’s eye for good reason. “You’ve never been in here at Christmastime, have you?” she asked.
“Never been in here period,” he replied. “No reason to.”
And probably too far away when he was a child. How much childhood had he lost moving from home to home? While she was the odd person out in her family, she at least had one. Her heart ached picturing the little boy watching his foster siblings play with the toy he wished for. It wasn’t just the toy that caused the pain; it was being shut out.
Without giving it a second thought, she wrapped her arms around his biceps and rested a head on his shoulder. Her way of saying he wasn’t frozen out anymore. The shifting of muscles beneath her cheek told her Lewis had looked down in surprise, but he didn’t say a word.
“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?” she remarked. “It must take them months to plan everything out. All the little details.”
Lewis chuckled. “There’s a red squirrel dancing in one of the trees. I had a teammate who danced like that. Hector Menendez. Called it his booty dance. I should send him a video to show him how awkward he looked.” He took out his phone.
Susan was watching another set of rabbits, this pair chasing one another around a tree trunk. “My grandfather used to bring us here when we were little.”
“Same one who took you to the Kew Gardens?”
Susan nodded. “He took us a lot of places. The company museum was his favorite—always a good time.”
“Didn’t like learning about soap?”
“Thomas and Linus liked it. I was four years old. I just wanted ice cream. Come to think of it, there are days when I’d still rather eat ice cream than be at Collier’s. For that matter, I’d take ice cream over anything.”
“Anything?” Lewis asked. Actually he purred, making her insides flip. “I can think of a few things I might like better.”
There must be someone nearby watching because he had his nose dangerously close to her temple. Very well. She’d play along. “Is that so? Like what?”
“Sugar cookies, for starters.”
Susan nearly snorted. That was so not what she expected. But then, this was a show, not a seduction. Why shouldn’t he give a nonsensical answer? “Cookies over ice cream? Close call, but I don’t think so.”
“That’s your opinion. Lately I’ve been finding the aroma very tempting. Has anyone ever told you that you have gorgeous hair?”
The non sequitur threw her, along with a brush across the top of her head that felt a lot like a kiss.
For the crowd.
“I’ve gotten a few compliments,” she replied.
In reality, her hair was a source of vanity for her. She had the Collier black hair, one of the few family traits—maybe the only family trait—from that side of the family that had been passed down to her.
“Good. Glad to hear it didn’t go unnoticed.”
Like the rest of her, she almost said. Instead, she whispered, “Thank you,” and, closing her eyes, rested her cheek a little more firmly against his woolen coat.
“Did you know your hair smells like sugar cookies?” Lewis whispered back.
Susan’s eyes flew open. Pulling back, she looked at him expecting a grin. He was dead serious though. If anything, his eyes were slightly hooded. “Your shampoo,” he said. “Reminds me of sugar cookies.”
He just said he preferred sugar cookies. Was he trying to say...
The sound of her phone interrupted her thoughts before they could become coherent. Pulling her phone from her bag, she saw her brother Linus’s face on the caller ID.
“Might want to head to the hospital,” he said when she answered. “Baby number two has arrived.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“THE BABY’S HERE! The baby’s here!” Susan’s niece nearly lifted off the ground, propelling herself into her aunt’s arms. A wispy little live wire she was, bouncing up and down on her toes even as she hugged Susan’s midsection. “I’m a big sister,” she announced in a loud, proud voice.
“And everyone in the hospital knows,” Susan replied. “You need to keep your voice down though, so you won’t wake the babies in the nursery.”
Lewis watched the moment unfold from a few feet away. They stood outside one of the birthing suites in the maternity ward having hurried over as soon as Linus had called. He noticed Susan wore a giant smile as she admonished the girl, a clear indication she didn’t really mind the boisterous greeting. She pressed one hand to her niece’s back, while the other gently smoothed her bobbed brown hair. Even if she hadn’t told him how much she adored Maddie, he’d have known from the tender expression on her face.
She knelt down so she was eye level with the girl. “Do you have a brother or a sister?”
“Brother. His name is No-Well.”
“That would be Noel.” A man joined them. Judging from his lanky frame, Lewis assumed it was one of Susan’s brothers. Linus, the middle one, most likely. He looked too laid-back to be a new father. “She read the name card on the bassinet and thinks he’s named after the Christmas song,” he said. “Noel Christopher Collier.”
“Got a bit of a Christmas theme going there, don’t they?” The remark was out of his mouth before he could catch it.
Susan didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she laughed. “My brother and his wife have a thing about Christmas. They think some kind of Christmas magic brought them back together.”
Whatever floats their boat. Someone needed to believe in Christmas miracles.
He listened while Susan peppered her brother with questions about the baby’s weight and other pertinent details.
“When did she go into labor?” she asked.
“Middle of the night, from what Thomas said. I’m not too clear on the details. Maddie was with the housekeeper when I picked her up.”
“You weren’t home,” Maddie said. “We called you.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t hear the phone. I was out Christmas shopping.”
“With a friend,” Linus noted. He’d finally acknowledged Lewis’s presence. A pair of extremely intelligent blue eyes looked him up and down. “Hello.”
There was definitely scrutiny in the greeting. As well as a good dose of protectiveness. Lewis’s eyes darted to Susan who blushed and looked away. Lewis couldn’t blame the man. If he had a sister and thought she was dating someone like him, he’d scrutinize the guy too.
“Lewis Matolo,” he said, extending his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Linus Collier. Likewise.” If he was insincere, the man’s smile didn’t show it. “Sorry to interrupt your shopping date.”
“No problem. We can shop anytime. It’s not every day someone has a baby.”
“I’m Maddie.” The little girl had her hand out, mimicking her uncle. When Lewis accepted, she yanked his arm up and down with enthusiasm. Had she been an adult, he would have popped an elbow.
“Hello, Maddie,” he said. “Congratulations on your baby brother.”
“I’m getting a kitten too. Santa’s bringing him,” she replied before tilting her head and switching gears in the way only children could. “Are you Aunt Susan’s boyfriend? Uncle Linus says you are.”
Lewis’s cheeks grew warm. He wasn’t expecting the third degree from a six-year-old. “I...um...” From his place behind his niece, Susan’s brother was waiting for his response.
Susan stepped in before he could answer. “Lewis is a very good friend,” she said. “He was helping me pick out your Christma
s present.”
“Really?” Maddie’s eyes widened. “What did you get?”
“We can’t tell you that,” Lewis replied. “It would spoil the surprise.”
“Aunt Susan says surprises are overrated.”
“Yes, I know. She told me how she felt about them when we went to a basketball game recently.” Susan ducked her head to hide her pinking cheeks. Lewis waited until she glanced at him through her lashes and then he grinned.
The exchange didn’t escape her brother who scrutinized them both. “I’m sure Aunt Susan meant unpleasant surprises,” Linus said. “Not good surprises like presents.”
“Absolutely,” Susan answered. “Some surprises are definitely worth waiting for. Like Christmas presents. So you’re just going to have to wait, little munchkin.”
“Okay.” Maddie’s disappointed expression didn’t look very permanent. In fact, the frown disappeared about a second after it appeared, in correlation with the suite’s door opening up.
“Daddy!” the little girl bounced away from Susan and toward the dark-haired man who’d stepped into the corridor. He immediately scooped her up in his arms.
Thomas Collier, Lewis presumed. His shirt and slacks were wrinkled, and he had the shadowed cheeks of a man who’d been up for hours. “You made it!” He flashed a grin in Susan’s direction. “Linus said he was having trouble finding you.”
“I didn’t hear the phone,” Susan said. “I was out shopping.”
“With a friend,” Linus added.
“So I see.” Thomas turned his attention to Lewis. “Hello.”
“Congratulations,” Lewis replied. There was no welcoming handshake as the man had his hands full with his daughter, but part of Lewis wondered if there would have been one anyway. Clearly, Thomas was the more serious of the two. His gaze, laser-like in its focus, had a hint of wariness.
“Thank you,” he replied. “Kid was an impatient little guy—Rosie barely got settled before he decided to appear. Fifteen minutes later and he might have popped out in the lift.” The second half was directed at Linus and Susan.
“Sounds like a Collier,” Linus said. “Susan was born in the back seat.”
“Only because Belinda thought a back seat delivery would make for better drama,” Susan replied. Her face was beet red, the poor thing.
Not knowing what else to do, Lewis wrapped an arm around her waist. “If you’re going to make an entrance, might as well make it memorable, right, luv?” He pecked her on the cheek.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both Collier brothers raised their eyebrows.
“Daddy, can I see Mummy now?” Maddie asked.
“Sure, sweetheart. Everyone can.”
One by one, the family stepped inside the pastel-colored room where a beautiful and tired-looking brunette lay in bed. A few feet away, in a clear plastic bassinet, a tiny bundle lay swaddled in a soft yellow blanket.
“Noel Christopher Collier.” Pride filled Thomas’s whisper.
“He looks like Dad,” Linus said. “Only with a little more hair.”
“You’re a jerk,” Susan said. “He’s beautiful. Really, really beautiful.”
“All Rosalind’s doing. She’s the one who did the work.” The adoration in Thomas’s voice was palpable.
Lewis stood by the door and watched the scene evolve. So much love and pride in one small room. Susan had told him on the way over that the Collier legacy meant everything to her older brother. It was evident. You could feel the sense of family in the air. How could Susan not see it? That she was part of the circle.
He wasn’t. He was the outsider. The unexpected, unwanted guest being politely tolerated.
His eyes sought Susan. She was frowning at him from across the bassinet. “Why are you standing by the door?” she asked.
“Coffee. Thought I’d pop down and get us some.” It was the first excuse that came to mind. He needed space to clear his head. A cafeteria run fit the bill.
Coward that he was, he slipped out the door without waiting for her reply.
“Hold on! I’ll go with you.” Linus’s voice called out.
Great. Instead of an escape, he was going to get an escort. The sandy-haired man caught up with him just as the elevator door opened.
“I figured you might need some help carrying everything,” he said with a grin. “Both Maddie and Rosalind put in an order for milk and cookies. We might as well buy a half dozen. Susan never met a cookie she didn’t like either.”
Something about the joke grated on his nerves. “So what? Lots of people like cookies.”
“True, but Susan’s love of cookies is legendary. We’ve been teasing her about it since we were kids.”
“I’m sure she loved that,” Lewis muttered. Already self-conscious because she didn’t look like her mother or brothers, her being teased about her eating habits must have stung. Now he understood why she thought she didn’t fit in.
“Did you say something?” Linus asked.
“Talking to myself,” Lewis replied. Wasn’t his place to pick a fight with Susan’s brother.
Linus however, wasn’t ready to let it go. He moved so he was in front of Lewis, his back to the elevator buttons. Arms folded across his chest, he gave Lewis another long, studious look. “You’re annoyed, aren’t you?”
“No,” Lewis lied. “Just don’t think you should be singling her out when everyone has a sweet tooth.”
“Huh,” Linus said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” the man replied. “It’s nice to know you’re protective of Susan’s feelings.”
Lewis felt his shoulders tightening. “Shouldn’t I be? Seems to me, a lot of people should care about Susan’s feelings.”
“Perhaps, but not all of them are known to go through women like water.”
“No. Some of them are related.”
Linus’s eyebrows shot up and for a second, Lewis worried he’d pushed his luck too far. Then he saw what looked like a gleam of respect.
“Are we going to see you at the gathering at Christmas?” her brother asked, changing the topic.
“Your company party? Absolutely. I promised Susan I’d be there with bells on.”
“No, I meant the wedding on Christmas Eve. Well, vow renewal, second wedding. Whatever you want to call it.”
Lewis thought back to the day they’d signed their agreement and the way Susan had hedged when he mentioned the holidays. She clearly didn’t want him at a family event.
“The holidays haven’t really come up yet,” he replied. “We’re taking things one day at a time.”
“Oh,” Linus said. Awkwardness filled the small space. “Well, perhaps we’ll see you there,” he replied.
“Maybe.” Probably not. Weddings were for family, not fake boyfriends.
Why the thought made his stomach hurt, he didn’t know.
* * *
“Your friend Lewis seems much more low-key than I expected,” Thomas remarked shortly after Linus and Lewis left the room. Susan had hoped new fatherhood would distract him, but no such luck.
“What did you expect?” she asked. “That he’d show up...” She was about to say shirtless and carrying a bottle of Cristal, but a quick look at Maddie reminded her that wasn’t appropriate. “...ready to go crazy? I told you, he’s not that person anymore.”
“Relax. I wasn’t trying to criticize the guy.”
No, only lobbing a passive-aggressive comment in his direction. “Lewis is a lot...more...than people give him credit for,” she told him. “He’s smart, he’s gentle, he’s considerate...”
“Handsome.”
Her sister-in-law lay in bed, her eyes half-closed, with Maddie curled up by her side. Exhausted from the excitement, the little girl was nearly asleep but Rosalind had clearly been listening.
“No, they don’t,” Susan agreed. There were times when she would look at him quickly and the sheer perfection of his profile made her breath catch.
“I still can’t believe my sister is going out with Champagne Lewis,” Thomas said.
“Why?” Because she wasn’t a supermodel? Because she was a pathetic shrew? “Is it really such a big stretch?”
“You’ve got to admit, you two are different.”
“Not as much as you’d think,” she replied. Maybe on the outside, but on this inside they were two odd peas in a pod. The thought made her smile. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We’re not...”
Her brother, who’d been staring at his newborn son, turned his head. “Not what?”
“Running off and getting married anytime soon.”
She almost said they weren’t really dating. But it was a secret and if she told Thomas the truth, he’d use it to justify thinking Lewis was still some kind of “bad boy.” Which he wasn’t. He was everything she said and more.
And she was going to hold on to the illusion for as long as she could.
“For goodness’ sake, stop interrogating the woman,” Rosalind said in a sleepy voice. “Her love life is none of our business. We don’t need to butt in.”
“If you remember, she had no problem butting into ours,” Thomas said.
Susan winced. She knew he still held a grudge over her interference last winter.
“That was different,” Rosalind said. “We had our collective heads in the clouds. We wouldn’t have had Noel if she hadn’t said anything. Now be quiet so I can get some sleep.”
Her Convenient Christmas Date Page 9