Maddie shot him a flirty smile. “I’m sorry about being crabby.”
“It’s fine. I figure if you’re going to actually go through the process of giving my offspring life, then I can put up with a few shifting moods.”
“Definitely,” Zander agreed. “You’ve got a big head. If the baby takes after you, her lady parts are going to be sore for months after that birth. You should definitely build up some good will now.”
Harper scolded her best friend with a dark look. “Don’t talk about her lady parts.”
“She doesn’t care.”
“Yes, she does. She’s just too nice to say anything.”
“It’s probably best if you don’t talk about her lady parts,” Nick agreed. “I might have to hurt you if her mood swings again.”
“Good point.”
While the men lapsed into an easy conversation about the investigation, Maddie and Harper launched into an even easier one about babies.
“Are you nervous?” Harper asked after placing her order and receiving her iced tea. She was honestly curious. “I think in your shoes I would be afraid.”
Maddie held out her hands and shrugged. “I’m a little nervous,” she conceded. “I don’t like to think about it too much. I know it’s going to hurt and everything, but everyone says once it’s over, you forget really fast.”
“If you listen to my mother she still feels the pain,” Harper countered. “Of course, my mother is a total pain herself so that’s par for the course with her.”
Maddie let loose a giggle. “She sounds fun.”
“She’s ... a lot of work. She and my father were in the middle of the world’s most bitter divorce up until around Christmas when they decided to have sex in my house and get back together. Jared and I walked in on them and everything. Now I try to avoid them because I want that image to go away.”
Maddie found she was horrified at the prospect. “You walked in on them?”
“Yes, and I’m still traumatized.”
“Wow.” Since she couldn’t have caffeine, Maddie was forced to stick to water, although she cast the occasional covetous look toward Harper’s iced tea. “When are you guys getting married?” She inclined her head toward Harper’s ring. “Have you planned it out?”
Harper nodded. “Actually, we’re getting married in a few weeks, before the end of the summer.”
“That’s nice. Are you excited?”
“Yeah.”
“Nervous?”
“I don’t think so. I mean ... part of me thinks I should be nervous. When I spend too much time thinking about it, though, I keep coming to the same conclusion. I’m not nervous at all.”
“When you’re with the right person there’s nothing to be nervous about,” Maddie said. “I thought I would be nervous for my wedding, too. I wasn’t, though. When I walked out and saw Nicky standing there at the end of the aisle, waiting for me, I knew that my life was only going to get better with each passing day.”
“And did that prove to be true?”
“Yeah. The baby was a surprise. I think I reacted worse than him. He was the one who figured it out and said it would be okay. I just kept melting down and threatening to sue the birth control manufacturer.”
Harper chuckled. “That sounds like something I would do.”
“In the end, once I calmed down, I realized it was a blessing. How many women can say they found their happily ever after and they have zero fear that anything bad will ever happen because they’re so well loved?”
“Not a lot.”
“That’s the way it will be for you and Jared,” Maddie reassured her. “You’ll see. I can tell you belong together. When it comes time to exchange your vows, there won’t be any fear. Everything will feel exactly right.”
“I certainly hope so.”
“I know so.”
LUNCH WAS A FESTIVE AFFAIR, AND by the time Harper and Maddie excused themselves to use the restroom — and Zander excused himself to hang out with a couple of people he recognized as rampant gossips at the counter — Jared was ready to turn the conversation to something serious.
“I know this is probably going to sound strange,” he started, drawing Nick’s eyes to him. “I have to ask, though.”
“You have to ask what?”
“You’ve been at this longer than me.”
“At what?”
“This ... being in love with a woman who can do strange and unusual things thing.”
“Ah.” Nick’s lips curved. “You’re worried that you’ll somehow do or say the wrong thing.”
“It’s not that as much,” Jared hedged. “As long as Zander is around, I’ll never have to be the one to worry about saying the wrong thing. He says it long before anybody else can even think it.”
Nick snorted. “He seems like a great guy.”
“He is, for the most part. He’s also a royal pain in my behind. Once a week I wake up to him in bed with us.”
Nick did his best to keep his expression blank ... and failed. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“They lived together before I came along. Every morning they would snuggle up in bed and gossip. I put up with it when I was sleeping under their roof. Harper and I own the house across the street now, though. I had to put my foot down ... although, if he really wanted to push back, I can’t help but wonder who would win.”
Nick opted for honesty. “I don’t know who would win. Without a doubt, though, Harper would lose in that instance. She clearly needs both of you.”
“Yeah.” Jared scratched his chin. “I wish she only needed me.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, but I do.”
“You don’t.” Nick’s smile never wavered. “You want her to be happy more than anything. To accomplish that, she needs you and Zander to be happy. You would never take that from her. You wouldn’t even seriously consider taking it from her.”
“Sometimes I like to threaten it.”
“I think that’s fair. It’s okay to vent.”
“I don’t hate him,” Jared acknowledged after a beat. “I just ... he makes me crazy.”
“Good practice for a child.”
Jared slanted a curious gaze toward the other detective, briefly wondering if he was about to overstep his bounds. “Yeah, about that ... .” He broke off, licking his lips.
“You want to know if I’m afraid to have a baby with Maddie. The answer is no.”
“I know you want the baby,” Jared said hurriedly. “It’s obvious you love her.”
“I’ve loved her since I was five.”
“That’s how Zander feels about Harper.”
“I don’t think Zander feels exactly the same way about Harper,” Nick said on a chuckle.
“It’s different for you.” Jared glanced toward the bathroom to make sure Maddie and Harper hadn’t yet emerged. “I love Harper with my whole heart, but before her, I never even considered that ghosts existed ... that magic was real.”
“How do you feel now?”
“She is magic.”
“That’s how I feel about Maddie,” Nick admitted. “When she left, she broke me. I knew I had feelings for her. We were kids, but I knew. She crushed my spirit when she took off, but now I know it was the right decision. We were too young to make it work back then.”
“Do you wish she would’ve told you what she could do from the start?”
“I don’t know that I could’ve grasped it at five.”
“I mean ... when she was a little older.”
“Yes, but only because I think it would’ve done her good to have someone to confide in. I’ve made my peace with the fact that she couldn’t bring herself to do it, though. Olivia made her fearful. A lot of what Maddie was afraid of stemmed from her mother.
“When she came back, I knew the second I saw her I wasn’t going to be able to stay away,” he continued. “All those feelings came roaring back with a vengeance. I fought them because I was still mad at her, and then I
found out the truth and I was angry for a different reason.
“When I really sat back to think about it, though, I couldn’t blame her for reacting out of fear. I’m protective of her because I don’t want others to find out what she can do and use it against her.”
“It’s different with Harper,” Jared noted. “She puts what she can do out there and she doesn’t care what anybody says. If people don’t believe her, she basically tells them to go screw themselves ... or Zander does it for her. She was open with me from the start and I was the one who lagged behind.”
“You couldn’t have lagged behind for very long.”
“No. I knew I wanted her from that first conversation. I guess it was kind of similar for you, once you take out that whole childhood best friends things.”
“Kind of,” Nick agreed. “If you accept her for what she is, what is it you’re afraid of?”
“I never really thought about the kid thing until meeting you guys,” Jared admitted. “At least not on a deep level. I like knowing there are other people out there like Harper making it work. The thing is, are you afraid your baby will be able to see ghosts, too? I mean ... how terrifying must that be for a child?”
“It will be different for our baby,” Nick insisted. “We’ll raise him or her to know that whatever abilities manifest, it’s okay. I’m not afraid of having a little girl who is just like her mom, or a little boy for that matter. Do I think it will be difficult? Maybe. Nothing is perfect in life, though, other than what I feel for Maddie. That’s perfect. Adding a child to the mix won’t change those feelings. It will only enhance them.”
Jared found Nick’s tone stirred him. “I don’t know how you knew what to say to make me feel better, but that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
Nick chuckled. “You’re going to be a good father. Before that, though, you’re going to be a good husband. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Your love for Harper is complete. As long as you love your children just as completely, you’ll muddle through.”
“Yeah.” Jared exhaled heavily. “I just worry how much of a factor Uncle Zander is going to be. Something tells me the mouth on my kid is going to be out of control due to proximity to him.”
“That’s a problem I can’t help you with, although I fear Maude is going to make sure the baby’s first word is ... colorful.”
Jared laugh was rollicking. “Somehow I think we’ll both be okay.”
“Somehow I think you’re right.”
10
Ten
Maddie and Nick spent the rest of the day shopping. As much as Nick wanted to be involved — he’d never met an investigation he didn’t want to see through — he recognized that it wasn’t his jurisdiction and he needed to back off. Jared didn’t come right out and ask him to keep clear of Morton’s people, but he might as well have.
“Hey.” Maddie walked out of the bathroom, still completely dressed, and fixed her husband with an unreadable look.
He arched an eyebrow. “Hey. Is something wrong? Are you having cravings?”
She felt mildly guilty that he was always ready to deliver whatever she needed within five minutes flat. He was good that way. “Not for food.”
“Really?” His smile turned flirty. “Well, come over here. Those are my favorite cravings to fulfill.”
She padded over to him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and smiled when he hugged her, resting his head on her stomach to listen for the baby.
“Spot says that it’s okay if we want to play games because he’s going to sleep for the rest of the night.”
“Oh, really?” Maddie was amused despite herself. He always knew exactly how to entice her. “Nicky?”
“Hmm.” He rubbed her lower back and kissed her stomach.
“Do you want to go on an adventure with me?”
“I thought that’s what we were doing, Mad. Just give me a second. I’m still getting warmed up.”
“I’m all for that sort of adventure,” Maddie reassured him. “Although ... later might be better.”
Suddenly, he was suspicious. “What sort of adventure are you talking about?”
“Well ... .” She shot him a wheedling smile. “I was thinking we could go for a walk first.”
“You want to go for a walk?” Dubious, Nick checked the clock on the nightstand. “It’s after eight o’clock, Mad.”
She couldn’t hold back her frown. “Are you saying I’m boring?”
“No, I’m saying you need more sleep than normal and are usually in your pajamas at eight ... and bed at nine.”
“That’s me being boring.”
“That’s you understanding what your body needs,” Nick countered. “It’s okay to be tired. You’re growing a human life. That has to be exhausting. Besides, in a few months, neither of us are going to be getting any sleep. My offspring will be getting us up five times a night.”
Maddie had no doubt that was true. Still, annoyance bristled right under the surface. “I’m a fun girl, Nicky. I’ve always been fun.”
The way her lower lip jutted out filled Nick with love. He couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life with anybody else. She was it for him, always and forever. “You’re the most fun girl,” he promised in a husky voice.
She looked down at him, her fingers idly combing through his hair. He was expecting a quiet night in the hotel room. She had other ideas. It was probably best she blurt them out before he started his seduction routine.
“I thought we could take a romantic walk through town, maybe get some ice cream at that little shop we saw — it’s open until nine — and then swing through the cemetery really quick.”
Instantly alert, Nick straightened and released her. “You want to go on a ghost hunt.”
“I want to go for a walk with my husband,” she clarified. “If we happen to run into a ghost, I can’t control that.”
“Aw, Mad.” Nick made a protesting sound deep in his throat. “We agreed to stay out of this.”
“I agreed to no such thing.”
“Mad ... .” He held her clear gaze for three beats and then sighed. “Fine. If I don’t like the set-up at the cemetery when we swing in that direction, though, you’re not going to give me any lip about aborting the mission.”
Her smile was sweet. “I would never give you any lip.”
He knew better. Still, when he stood, he couldn’t stop himself from giving her a sweet kiss. “You could never be boring, Mad,” he whispered. “You’ll always be the thing that thrills me most.”
“I’m glad.” She patted his chest. “You might as well hold the romantic talk. You don’t have a shot of following through on it until we get back.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Nick was dejected as he retrieved his shoes. “You sure know how to suck the fun out of an evening, Maddie.”
“Just wait until after the walk. I’ll show you so much fun you’ll think you’re at a carnival.”
“Promises, promises.”
“DON’T BOTHER GETTING UNDRESSED,” HARPER announced when she found Jared in their bedroom, his shirt halfway over his head.
“Do you want to do something kinky?” Jared asked hopefully. “I might be up to costumes tonight, but I don’t want to dress like Fred from Scooby-Doo again. That whole thing weirds me out.”
“It’s either Fred or Shaggy,” she replied, somber. “We’re not doing that tonight, though. Er, we’re not doing it right now. We have to go out.”
Jared folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. He knew his fiancée, her every mood and facial expression, and her demeanor now told him he wasn’t in for a quiet evening at home. “What are you up to?”
“We have to go back to the cemetery.”
“Why?” Jared knew he was coming across as whiny, but he couldn’t stop himself.
“You know why.”
He did. That didn’t mean he had to like it. “I’ll dress up like Fred, that stupid scarf thing around my neck and everything — althou
gh I draw the line at the wig — if you dress up like Daphne.”
“Don’t I always dress up like Daphne?”
“No. You’ve dressed up like Shaggy a few times.”
“Oh, right.” She laughed at the memory. “That was just a joke.”
“I’m glad. I’ll put up with you dressing like Shaggy if it means we don’t have to leave the house.”
She stared at him for a long time and then held out her hands. “You know what? You’re right.”
“Good.” Despite her words, he knew better than letting himself settle. “What am I right about?”
“You don’t have to go.” Harper was matter-of-fact. “You can stay here and get gussied up for Scooby games. I’m just going to run over to the cemetery. It shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes, an hour tops. I’ll hurry back.”
Jared immediately started shaking his head. “You’re not going to the cemetery alone in the middle of the night.”
“It’s eight,” Harper pointed out. “It’s barely dark. It’s not as if it’s the witching hour.”
“You’re still not going alone.” Defeated, Jared moved away from the closet. “Let’s get it over with.”
“Just like that?” Harper’s gaze was speculative. “You’re not going to argue?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I know it won’t do a lick of good. You’re going to do what you want to do.”
“And how does that make you feel?”
Even though he was annoyed, Jared found his lips quirking. She was cute when she tried to suss out his motivations. “It makes me feel equal parts annoyed and thankful that I’ve pledged myself to a strong woman.”
Harper graced him with a wide smile. “That answer is going to result in you being rewarded with that really slinky Daphne outfit later.”
This time his grin was legitimate. “And that’s only one of the reasons I love you.” He held out his hand to her. “Let’s get this over with. I would rather not be hanging out in the cemetery all night. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it now.”
“There’s a reason I knew you were it for me from almost the start.”
Ghostly Graves: A Harper Harlow and Maddie Graves Mystery Page 10