by Nicole Lane
Tad’s mouth twitched up in reply, but he said nothing.
Eve rubbed her temples. “I should have told her everything the day she brought him home. Then she wouldn’t have needed to bother. I should have made sure a prenup wasn’t even necessary. I feel terrible. All of this is my fault. I could have spared her the coming heartbreak with just a few words, but I didn’t. What is wrong with me? Tad, I’m sorry. I’ve ruined your evening.”
“No, you haven’t.”
“Why are you so nice? What are you doing here with me? I’m the least nice person I know.”
“I like trouble?” He was teasing, trying to lighten her mood.
She gave in for the moment, leaning into his side to wait until the car was brought around. The valet helped her inside as Tad took his place behind the wheel, and she caught herself wondering why she was there at all.
They drove in silence, Eve locked away in self-loathing and doubt until she had to ask, “You really want to take this on? Me and this baby? My mess? Because I’m not just me. And because this situation…It’s a mess.”
“I’m aware.” Tad nodded. “It’s kind of obvious.”
“But…”
“Let’s see where it goes, Eve. I’m not seeing a reason it shouldn’t go the distance. I’m not turned off or worried about the baby. It is what it is. I want to be with you, and she’s part of the package. Nice thing is that I get some time alone with you before she comes. The rest? Well, it’s a bridge we have to cross when we come to it.”
“This thing with Dominic isn’t going to end well. It never could have ended well, but he’s gone and married her now, so what can I do? I just stick to the plan.”
“Let him play uncle?”
“Yeah.” She let out a long breath. “I really didn’t expect them to get married. I thought she’d wise up before it was too late. Or I thought he’d run off. I really thought he’d run off.”
“You and he have both kept the secret well. Why would she suspect?”
“Because he’s a dog! I can’t be the only one he’s been sniffing around since he’s been with her.”
Tad considered. “You could always tell her the truth. At least then she could make an informed decision and not be flying blind.”
“She’s married him.” Eve pinched at her nose. “And…oh, hell. I don’t know. They’re married now, and he swears he loves her and that he’s settling down. He said I was the only one for the last while. Now we’ll just have to see. God, I hate myself. There’s no excuse for this. There’s no excuse for what I’ve done!”
“No, but it’s done, and you can’t undo it. So, now it’s just making the best of it.”
“How can you want to be with me?”
He reached over and covered her hand with his. “I’ve seen more to you than this. I’ve seen a really lovely soul. A confused soul—I think that’s fair to say—but lovely. And from what you’ve told me about your growing up, I think it’s also fair to say that you’ve done very well. You’re good to me. You laugh at my jokes. You don’t mind my snoring. You fix a mean sandwich.”
It was clear he was trying to lighten her mood, but all Eve could do was shake her head and fight back tears. Reality was coming down in an avalanche, threatening to bury her in the rubble.
They arrived back at her place, and he opened the door for her and helped get her settled once they were inside. He made sure she was comfortable, then sat beside her, rubbing her feet while she stared at the ceiling.
“Feeling better?” he asked after a while.
“Yes.” She sighed. “Somehow. Thank you.”
Moments passed in silence, but it wasn’t an uneasy one. After a while, Tad asked her if she was ready for bed, and she answered by yawning almost immediately, so he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.
Chapter 8
ISABELLE AND DOMINIC RETURNED from Paris a week later, both still recovering from the parties that had been thrown by various members of the racing club that he belonged to, several nights of drinking to their marriage, and also for Dominic winning his final race. Their last night in Paris had seen a larger celebration to commemorate his retirement. Most were sad to see him go, while others were offering him other jobs that could keep him in the game. He’d mentioned that fact to Isabelle just that morning as they were packing, though he had been too tired to go into any details.
They slept on the plane home and then took a car to their flat, Isabelle lazing on his shoulder, the two of them quite comfortable and happy. At home, they climbed back into bed, exhausted, and slept until late in the afternoon, then finally rose, called out for pizza, and slouched in front of the television like any other old married couple.
Halfway through their meal, Dominic said, “One of my options is still LA.”
“I thought you killed that idea months ago.”
“Yeah, but this is a different club, and they’re bigger and could offer me a lot more. We could come home once every few months. It’d be good for us.”
She frowned apologetically. “I don’t really want to live in America, Dominic. I don’t want to be so far away from my family. And if we’re going to have children, I’d prefer to raise them here.”
“Just think about it,” he said. “It’s a brilliant opportunity.”
“There’s nothing to think about. I don’t want to live in the States. I want to live here, close to home, raise my children here. Period.”
He looked at her, surprised. “You haven’t even considered—”
“I considered everything when you were talking about the possibility before. Traveling’s one thing, but pulling up stakes and moving to another country? That’s not something you do with a family.”
“Then we wait to have kids until we’ve—”
“No. It’s final. I am not living in the States. Not now, not ever. I’m not leaving my family. I’m certainly not leaving now with two new nieces on the way!”
He blew out a breath. “All right. It was just an idea.”
She was quiet for a moment, then she said, “I’m sorry. I know it’s something you want, but I just can’t do it. Besides, I thought you didn’t want to wait to have kids.”
“I don’t.”
“When were you planning a move, then?”
“They want me there next month if I can do it. I told them it was up to you.”
“You just retired, Dominic,” she said, leaning into him. “I thought you wanted a quiet life for a while. Marital bliss and babies, remember?”
He smiled. “Yeah, I do. It’s just that I’ve been a part of racing for so long. I’m not used to the change yet.”
She frowned slightly. “I don’t want to be what’s keeping you from doing what you love.”
“You aren’t, baby.” He kissed her hair but seemed lost inside his head. “I am doing what I love. I’m sitting here with you. That’s the choice I made.”
She leaned up and kissed him then, drawing him toward her and away from his distant thoughts. “We’re never going to get pregnant just watching the telly,” she purred, shifting so she was stretching out on the couch with him on top of her.
Dominic took full advantage of the offer, and soon they were heaped together in a comfortable tangle, smiling and sated for the moment.
Isabelle’s family had been disappointed and annoyed, but they were also delighted by the romance of the notion, so no one was really angry. Aside from a few visits here and there, the whole family was not together again until Alora’s baby shower, and everyone was in fine form there. It was early for a shower, but Alora had asked them to celebrate early to spare Olive or Una from having to share a birthday month with the party. “Don’t want to step on any tiny toes,” she had said.
Alora was only four months along, but it being her third, she had already spread into a very pregnant girth. She was growling playfully at Isabelle’s small waist, cursing her to being pregnant with triplets as revenge, when Una came running into the back garden from the kitchen.
“Aunt Evie’s here! Aunt Evie’s here!” she cried, dashing back inside.
Alora’s eyes widened. “She actually came?”
Dominic and Isabelle caught each other’s eyes, and Isabelle had to bite her lips to keep from laughing. Little did they know.
“Well, I hope she brought you something nice this time.” Their mother sighed, looking to Dominic. “At Olive’s shower, she brought condoms.”
“She also brought a full layette,” Isabelle reminded. “She’s very generous with the girls.”
Doyle righted himself from where he was slouched and self-consciously ran a hand through his hair.
The girls’ father came down from where he was hanging a piñata for his granddaughters to destroy. “Where is she?”
As if on cue, Eve appeared in the kitchen doorway, walking down the patio stairs into the garden. Isabelle shook her head at the sight of her. More antics. She was wearing a nearly sheer, white tunic with a Nehru collar, embroidered over the breasts and down the middle with silver thread, dark skinny jeans, and high-heeled sandals. Her auburn hair shone in the sunlight, and her skin seemed to glow from under the thin fabric of her shirt. It wasn’t until she set down the enormous gift basket she carried that anyone could see the well-rounded bump she was now sporting.
“Mother.” She first kissed her mother; then she hugged her father around her swollen belly. “Hello, Dad. You haven’t returned my calls. Congratulations, sissy.” She smiled to Alora and hugged Isabelle. “And you too, silly head.” As everyone stared, she appeared to realize and chuckled. “Oh…surprise! I’m pregnant!”
All movement stopped for a long moment, like time had frozen. Even Olive, who had been running in circles shrieking, stopped and stared. And then, like flipping a switch, everyone was talking at once.
“Well, if anyone would ever return my calls, I’d have told you,” Eve huffed, crossing her arms over the bump, just accentuating it. “I only found out right before Isabelle ran off and married the lug, anyway. My news was swallowed. Then, if I told any of you, the other of you would be angry I hadn’t told that one first, so I just decided to tell you all at once. Good night! It’s not as though I ran off and eloped!” She winked at Isabelle when she said this, then schooled her expression and waited for the rest of the family to respond.
Her mother was the first, which was no surprise. “Do you even know who the father is?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Are you going to marry him?” her father asked, his face pale.
Eve shook her head. “No, Dad. He’s not the one for me.”
Alora gave a derisive snort. “You never change, do you! Just like there was no father when you turned up pregnant as a teenager. It’s no surprise there isn’t one around this time either. He’s probably already married,” she spat. “That is, if she even knows for sure whose it is.”
“Sweetie, if I dated married men, I’d have finished out your vowel names for you by now,” Eve said nonchalantly before looking back to her mother. “He’s someone I dated for a little bit. He’s not from here, and he’s gone home—he’d gone home long before I knew. So, I know, but I’m not involving him.”
“You can’t do this alone.” Her mother shook her head as Alora sputtered.
“I’m not. Marcus is going to be the gay daddy, and—oh!”
Her father had clutched his heart on that one, and Eve tried not to laugh as she put an arm around him for comfort.
“It’s okay. Really. Plenty of people do this alone all the time. You’d rather I have terminated it?”
“Of course not,” he said, shaking his head. “You should have told us.”
“I already explained that,” she said, hugging him. “I’m very happy about this, Dad. Really.”
“Are you taking care of yourself?”
“I’m taking care of both of us.”
“How?” Alora asked angrily. “Still drinking and smoking and shagging your way through London?”
Patiently, Eve said, “I managed to stop all that. The crack was a little harder habit to break, but I finally weaned myself off that, the black tar, and the opium. Obviously my pimp’s pissed, but that’s the way it goes.”
“Pimp!” Olive cried. “Pimp! Pimp! Pimp!” She ran off into the house, repeating the word.
Eve covered her mouth and laughed.
“It isn’t funny!” Alora yelled, slamming her fist down on the patio table. “You’re not funny! You’re an attention-grabbing slut who ruins everything! You ruined Mother and Dad’s anniversary party. You ruined Issie’s engagement. You’re ruining my baby shower, and you’re well on your way to ruining the life of that poor little bastard.”
“Hey!” It was Dominic’s roar that cut off Alora’s tirade. He had risen from his seat, and in two steps was standing in front of Eve. “That’s enough! That’s plenty.”
“You don’t know what she’s like,” Alora insisted. “Look around, Dominic. Do you see even her own family disagreeing with what I said? No. Because it’s the truth. She’s been nothing but trouble and nothing but a problem since she was old enough to flash her knickers. Did Issie ever tell you why Eve got sent away?”
Eve laid a hand on Dominic’s shoulder. “Thanks,” she said, patting him, blocking Alora’s words with her own. “I appreciate the sentiment.” She looked around with a wry smile, noting Isabelle’s horrified tears, and winked at her again. “Yeah, this isn’t fun anymore, so I’m going to be heading out. Piñata looks great, Dad. Mother. I’ll call you, Issie. Don’t cry.”
She turned to walk away but glanced back at Dominic, announcing, “I got sent away because I got pregnant when I was fourteen. I miscarried then. Alora seems to think it’s some great mark on my character, but I’m not ashamed of it. And don’t worry, Lora. I’ll tell Olive not to say ‘pimp’ on the way out. I’ll teach her ‘cunt’ instead.”
“You will not!” Alora screamed after her, trying to get around Dominic. “You stay away from my children!” She turned to her husband. “Don’t let her in the house, Doyle! I don’t want her in my house!”
Doyle looked dumbstruck and didn’t move until Alora dodged Dominic altogether and followed after Eve, yelling curses and admonitions all the way. Only then did Doyle make any attempt to follow her, but Dominic had stalked after her before anyone else had the chance.
“She’s going,” he said, getting in front of Alora again, blocking her path. “Just leave it! You’re making a fool of yourself.”
“I’m making a fool of myself? I’m not the one who got—” she started, but Dominic gave her a hard look and cut her off.
“Don’t say it. Just—Alora, you don’t know what you’re talking about, so you should just stop talking for once.”
“Who do you think you are? You think you can marry my baby sister and then come bossing—”
“Enough, Alora,” her mother finally said, her voice gruff with emotion. “You know I don’t like to see you fighting. Just sit down and stop upsetting yourself. It’s not good for the baby. You’re above this. She’s simply seeking attention. It’s the same as always.”
Isabelle watched Dominic’s fingers flex into fists, and as though he’d felt her eyes on him, he jammed them down into the pockets of his jeans. She knew he had never thought much of Alora. He’d said so the day he had met her. He had said that the two sisters couldn’t have been more different, no matter how much they looked alike. Then she had introduced him to Eve, and he’d laughed like she’d made some great joke. After that, he hadn’t mentioned her name again. She thought about that when he sat back down next to her, his sudden interest in the family’s aggravation alarming and confusing.
He glanced her way. “You all right?”
Isabelle nodded but didn’t speak, her eyes still wide with surprise as she watched him pull himself together. When he turned to look at her, she shifted her gaze past him to where her parents and Doyle were gathered around Alora, trying to calm her down. “We should go,” she said quietly
after a long pause.
“Yeah, let’s,” he agreed, standing up and offering his hand.
Isabelle shook her head. “I’ll go and say our goodbyes. Will you get the car?”
“Of course.”
She watched him trot from the house before crossing the room to her family. Things would probably be fine now that Eve had gone. This was just the family unit, so everything would be fine. Or they would be fine once Olive quit repeating her aunt’s colorful vocabulary. Isabelle doubted they would make much of Dominic’s involvement. They’d forgive him as not knowing Eve well enough to be reasonable. Reasonable wasn’t a word normally associated with her sister, so how could they fault Dominic?
Alora saw her approach and opened both arms. “I’m so sorry, Issie,” she said, sniffing loudly. “We should all be happy and celebrating today. I shouldn’t let her get to me like that.”
“It’s all right.” Isabelle hugged her sister. Whatever made Alora and Eve hate each other so much had happened long before Isabelle was old enough to remember, and she had long since stopped trying to sort the two of them out. They were equally as ill-behaved in her book, though that was something only one of the sisters could ever endure hearing. “I hope you can still enjoy your shower.”
One last dramatic sniff, and Alora took a step back. “Of course we can. We’ll just pretend she never happened. We’ll toast to you and Dominic and Baby Three here.”
“Actually, Dominic and I are going to go home. He’s still not used to us all. You know. He’s not used to our histrionics.”
Their mother rolled her eyes and wandered off back into the living room, their father and Doyle following along like hapless puppies. It was a terrible dynamic, Isabelle thought. From the outside, it was truly dysfunctional.
“She ruined it for you, didn’t she?”
“Not at all. No one ruined anything for me.”
Dominic came striding back into the house as she finished her sentence, and he hailed her from the door, so Isabelle leaned in to kiss her sister’s cheek. “I’ll call you later. Okay? We’ll meet for tea sometime next week, and we can have a good, old-fashioned bitch-fest then.”