But she’d finally conceded, allowing Raina to make the easiest dish, mashed potatoes, and a dessert. Raina decided to add something a little extra to give the potatoes some zest. And for dessert, she’d prepared a sweet potato and white chocolate bread pudding that was sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Spencer was due any minute, as was Summer, her boyfriend and her parents, who were close friends with Raina’s parents. Raina hoped that having company would help alleviate any tension between her parents and Spencer. Although they knew Spencer was a part of her life and they were dating, her parents were not pleased and didn’t attempt to hide their displeasure at her choice of companion.
The doorbell rang and the guests began arriving. Her mother went to greet them. Summer’s parents were first, followed by Spencer. On his heels were Summer and Ryan. Summer had brought a brown butter cake and buttermilk mascarpone ice cream that she’d had on dry ice. The Newmans stayed in the living room with her parents while Spencer, Summer and Ryan joined her in the kitchen.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” Summer said. She gave Raina a quick hug. Ryan was right behind her and kissed her cheek.
“Happy Thanksgiving.” Raina looked up to see Spencer in the doorway. He was smiling at her and holding an expensive bottle of wine. He was wearing dark trousers and a dress shirt opened at the nape with a blazer over it. “Put the ice cream here.” She opened the freezer for Summer.
“That cake looks delicious, Summer,” Spencer commented, taking in her concoction on the counter.
“Thank you.” Summer smiled proudly. She was beginning to get used to Spencer’s presence in Raina’s life despite her misgivings about how quickly they’d started dating. Sometimes he would come and steal Raina away from the shop for lunch.
Spencer filled the kitchen with his strong masculine presence. He leaned down to brush his lips across Raina’s. “Hey, beautiful.” He eyed the teardrop necklace he’d given her, which was displayed on her neck. She was wearing a V-neck sweater dress with a chunky belt that hit just above the knee and stiletto boots.
“Hey, yourself.” Raina radiated a smile up at the man she’d come to love. Her heart turned over at how handsome and sexy he was.
“Where’s my munchkin?” he asked.
“She’s with her grandfather in the study watching football.”
“I think I’ll go join them.”
“I’ll join you,” Ryan said at his heel. “I’m sure the two ladies want to have some girl talk.” The two men left the room.
“He seems to be making himself comfortable,” Summer commented, taking a seat at the kitchen table.
“Yeah, but my parents aren’t making it easy for him.” Raina joined her. “They still see him as a threat.”
“Well, we both know how they felt about Alexa.”
“What are you talking about?”
“C’mon, Raina, this is me you’re talking to. I grew up right next to you. Do you think I didn’t see how your parents favored Alexa over you? It was so obvious.”
“Really?” And Raina had always thought no one had seen the truth. She’d always kept the hurt she’d felt about their indifference to herself as if it were a cross she had to bear. Why had she never confided in Summer? Perhaps because she was ashamed, embarrassed?
Summer leaned back toward the hallway to make sure no one was coming. “Yes, really.” She touched Raina’s arm. “But you never said anything to me, never complained. It’s why I liked you so much. You were so strong and stalwart. You could just never see that.”
Raina dropped her lashes quickly to hide the hurt. “Thank you for saying that. It means a lot.”
“I didn’t say it to be nice. I said it because I meant it.” Both women reached for each other almost simultaneously and hugged.
“I’m so lucky to have a friend like you, Summer.”
“What’s going on here?” Spencer had returned and was holding Zoe in his arms. “Or can anyone get in on the action?
Somehow Zoe’s outfit had changed from the jumper Raina had had her wear to a dress her mother had selected. Raina rolled her eyes upward for strength. It’s going to be a long night.
* * *
Hours later, after their bellies were full, everyone sat around eating the delicious desserts Raina and Summer had prepared. Although Summer’s brown butter cake was delicious; it was Raina’s sweet potato and white chocolate bread pudding with hot caramel sauce that Spencer loved. Like everything she made, the bread pudding was perfect, not too mushy, but firm and slightly crispy on the outside.
Earlier, when they’d said what they were thankful for, Spencer had made no secret of how thankful he was that he’d met Raina and discovered he had a niece. Unfortunately, that was when the peaceful evening starting going downhill.
He’d just returned from taking the dessert dishes from the dining room to the kitchen, where Raina and Summer were washing dishes, when he heard Crystal tell Summer’s mother what a chore it was to put up with Spencer, an intruder into her family. Thankfully, Zoe, her grandfather, Ryan and Mr. Newman had returned to the study to watch football and they couldn’t hear the women talking.
Spencer’s blood began to boil. He’d had it up to here with Crystal’s disrespect. For over a month, he’d put up with her dismissive attitude or her completely ignoring his presence as if he didn’t exist. Well, he wasn’t going anywhere and it was high time she knew it.
He stepped into the dining room and the two women broke apart from their huddle.
“Spencer, must you sneak up on folks?” Crystal asked haughtily.
“I’m six foot four and wear a size fourteen shoe, Mrs. Martin,” Spencer returned. “It’s pretty hard for me to sneak up on anybody.”
She scowled at him, while Mrs. Newman looked properly embarrassed at having been caught discussing him.
“What is it that you have against me, Mrs. Martin?” Spencer inquired. “I have done nothing but treat you and your husband with respect, love your granddaughter, my niece—”
“Don’t you dare talk about my granddaughter,” Crystal interrupted. “You know nothing about her. You’ve been around for, what, a couple of months?” She snapped her finger and the vitriol she must have been carrying for months came spewing out. “And you think that entitles you to a place in her life, a life your brother couldn’t bother to be a part of?”
Spencer tried to calm himself, but he was having a hard time given that she had no idea what she was talking about. His voice rose when he spoke, booming through the house. “Ah, so you’re finally being honest. You don’t want me to have a part or say in Zoe’s life. Well I’m sorry to tell you, Mrs. Martin, but you’re not the only one who cares about her. I have rights, too....”
Raina must have heard the rising voices, because she and Summer came rushing into the dining room, “What’s going on?” she asked. She looked at Spencer first and then dead center at her mother. “Mother?”
Crystal came forward and reached for her hand. “Spencer here was just telling us how he has rights, too. Isn’t that what he said?” She looked to Mrs. Newman for backup, but she remained silent.
Raina sighed. “Mom, it’s Thanksgiving. Can’t we all just get along?”
“No,” her mother said, her voice getting more shaky. “I don’t trust him.” She pointed to Spencer. “He’s just waiting for an opportunity to take Zoe away from us.”
“That’s ridiculous. Tell her she’s wrong,” Raina said, glancing at Spencer and then back her mother. “That’s she’s completely off base.”
“She is,” he responded. “All I want is to be a part and to have a say in Zoe’s life.”
Raina turned around to face him with a bewildered look. “A say?”
“Can we talk about this privately?” He wanted some time alone with Raina so calmer heads could prevail.
“No,” Raina state
d emphatically. “We’ll talk about it now. What did you mean by a say in Zoe’s life?”
“I’m Cameron’s only living relative, and I’m kind of standing in for him on what he would do if he were alive. All I’m saying is that I would like to be consulted on Zoe’s care, her education....” His voice drifted off.
“As if we were sharing custody?” Raina asked. “Why have you never mentioned this before?”
“I don’t know,” Spencer said, even though he knew why he hadn’t said anything. He’d just assumed that given where his and Raina’s relationship was headed that it would be a moot point. “I thought we were on the same page on the role I would have in Zoe’s life.”
“Role?” Raina laughed bitterly as if the idea was ludicrous. “Where were you in the middle of the night when Alexa was giving birth to Zoe? Were you in the delivery room getting your hand squeezed to death as Zoe was brought into this world?” As Raina threw more questions at him her voice steadily grew louder and louder. She wasn’t upset about him visiting but that he wanted to be consulted on decisions concerning Zoe. “Where were you when Zoe came down with the chicken pox and we had to rub calamine lotion all over her body? Where were you when Zoe woke up screaming in the middle of the night when she realized her mommy was gone? Nowhere!”
“Exactly!” her mother chimed in. He could see that Crystal was glad she’d caused discord between him and Raina.
“And whose fault was that, Raina?” Spencer inquired softly, trying to calm the situation. “Certainly not mine, nor my brother’s. In case you have short-term memory loss, Alexa never told us.”
“And why is that?” Raina asked. “Because your brother was a drunk and a dope addict.”
She’d touched a spark, and Spencer roared, “Don’t you dare talk about my brother! You don’t know the first thing about him.”
“I didn’t have to know him—he was in the papers. Why else would my sister keep the truth from him? She obviously thought he was a bad influence and wanted to keep him away from Zoe.”
Zoe, the object of all the yelling, came running into the room. “Why are you yelling at each other? It’s Thanksgiving!” She looked at Spencer and then at Raina and her grandmother, who were both starting to cry.
Spencer reached Zoe first and picked her up. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” he said. He could see Raina and her mother were far from happy that he was holding her. “We all just had a disagreement. We’re sorry if our voices got a little loud.”
A smile formed on Zoe’s mouth. “It’s all right, Uncle Spence.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Just keep it down, okay? I’m trying to watch the game.”
“Sure thing, munchkin.” Spencer placed her back on her feet and seconds later she was scurrying out of the room and back to the study.
Spencer glanced around the room at the sour expressions on the Martin women’s faces and said, “I think it’s best if I leave.”
“I think that would be best,” Crystal retorted smugly.
But Spencer couldn’t care less what she said or what she thought about him; he looked at Raina. “Can we talk later? I’ll be at my penthouse.”
Raina didn’t speak. She merely nodded.
Dejected, Spencer left the room, grabbed his coat from the coatrack in the foyer and departed. He felt terrible for nearly ruining Zoe’s first Thanksgiving without her mother, but Crystal and Raina had finally rubbed his nerves raw and he’d exploded. Worse was the betrayed look he’d seen in Raina’s eyes. She looked as if she’d been mortally wounded.
He’d thought when he hadn’t pursued custody legally that she’d come to realize that his presence in Zoe’s life was important. Perhaps he had been living with blinders on, content with the status quo? He had never told her that he wanted to be consulted on Zoe’s care because he’d known for a while now that Raina was the woman he was going to marry. And if they got married, custody and Zoe’s care wouldn’t be an issue between them.
And now he’d mucked it all up. He loved Raina. Her beauty, her smarts, her fire, all qualities that he loved. He couldn’t bear to think he’d done something to jeopardize that.
When he finally got to the penthouse, he made a beeline for the refrigerator and popped open a bottle of beer. He was surprised when his doorbell rang, but he was hopeful Raina would be standing on the other side, ready to talk. And not just about Zoe, but about the two of them.
He walked over and eagerly swung open the door to find Ty on the other side. He couldn’t hide his disappointment and concern was on his best friend’s face.
“Well, you’re finally home,” Ty said, sauntering into the penthouse.
“What do you mean?” Spencer asked, following him into the kitchen.
“Well you’ve been pretty MIA of late,” Ty said, heading for the fridge and reaching for a beer. He popped it open and took a swig. “And after leaving my parents for dinner, I took a chance you’d be home.”
“Have I been MIA?” Spencer asked, scratching his head.
“Uh, yeah,” Ty responded. “I’ve called you a few times and you haven’t returned my calls. Are you that sprung?”
Spencer chuckled. “Okay. Maybe I have been a little preoccupied, but you know how it is.”
“I do. It’s how it was when I met Brielle.” Ty took another sip of beer. “But you, I’ve never seen you this...this engrossed in a woman before.”
“Well, Raina is an amazing woman. And Zoe.” Spencer shrugged. “What can I say? My niece is an awesome kid. Alexa did a great job raising her.”
“Now you’re getting me worried,” Ty said. “You didn’t listen to a word I said, did you? You’ve gotten attached much too soon.”
“I disagree,” Spencer said. “Zoe is my niece, Cameron’s child. She needs a father. I mean, an uncle.”
“And you’re ready to be a father? Because the more time you spend with your niece, the more she’s going to regard you as a substitute.”
“And what’s so wrong that?” Spencer didn’t understand why Ty was being so negative and not being supportive. Spencer had had his doubts when Ty had gotten involved with Brielle, a former exotic dancer, but he’d been supportive of their union. And they’d been married for four years now.
Ty’s voice rose. “What’s wrong is your emotions are still running high because you’ve never gotten over losing Cameron. And after the dust has settled and some time has passed, I fear you’ll see things differently. And where will that put Raina and your niece, who’ve become accustomed to having you in their life?”
“This isn’t some flash in the pan,” Spencer said tersely. “I have feelings for Raina. Real feelings. They are not imaginary feelings that I’ve cooked up to cope with losing my brother.”
“Have you told her that Alexa came to you looking for Cameron and that you sent her away? Did you tell her Zoe could have had a father had you not interfered?”
The question threw Spencer. It reminded him of what he’d tried hard to forget, which was that Alexa could have been trying to contact Cameron to tell him he was going to be a father when he’d refused to give her Cameron’s number. Spencer didn’t have a chance to answer because Raina was standing in the doorway to his kitchen, looking shell-shocked.
He’d given her a key a couple of weeks ago after a late meeting had forced her to wait downstairs with the doormen until he’d arrived. He could never have imagined that she would use it at the one moment he needed privacy.
“What?” she asked, perplexed.
Ty spun around and saw that Raina was standing behind him. Spencer meanwhile couldn’t move. He was frozen in place and terrified that the world he’d created over the past couple of months would crumble.
When he didn’t speak, Raina asked, “My sister came to you? She came looking for Cameron to tell him about Zoe?”
“We don’t know that for sure,�
� Ty replied. “I was just speculating.”
Raina glared at him for trying to protect his best friend. “And why would you think that, Ty?”
Ty looked at Spencer, unsure of how to answer. Spencer wasn’t sure he knew, either, but he finally spoke. “The timing.”
Raina looked at him and waited for him to continue.
Ty spoke up instead. “I’m going to get out of here and back home to Brielle. I think the two of you need to be alone.”
“That would be a good idea,” Spencer said sternly. He wanted to recount the story in private to Raina.
Ty nodded and left the room. Seconds later, Spencer heard the click of the front door closing.
“Well?” Raina said, folding her arms across her chest.
Spencer paused for several beats. “Once news of another of Cameron’s affairs hit the papers several weeks into his affair with Alexa, Cameron broke it off with Alexa. She wasn’t pleased about it. She kept calling him until he eventually changed his number.”
“Is that when she came to you?”
Spencer nodded. “She asked to meet me and I felt bad. I knew she was hurting over the breakup, so I did. She begged me for his new phone number. I knew my brother could be a real jerk and I didn’t want her to get hurt more than she already was. I advised her to move on, that he wasn’t coming back.”
“And when did you meet her?”
He sighed. He knew where she was going with the question and he answered honestly. It was all he could do if he wanted her to trust him. “A couple of months later.”
“So she could very well have been trying to find him to tell him that he was going to be a father and that she was pregnant with Zoe?”
Spencer stared Raina dead in the eye and said, “Yes. I don’t know for sure, but it’s a strong possibility.”
“So Zoe could have had a father if it hadn’t been for your interference?”
“Listen, Raina.” Spencer began walking toward her, but she stepped back away from him.
“I don’t want to hear it, Spencer. My sister came to you for help and you turned her away. And now here you are years later trying to assuage your own guilt for what could have been avoided.”
A Chance with You Page 15