“Now don’t say anything to Mommy, okay? I want it to be a surprise.”
Oh, thank god. She was with Arnie. Relieved but very aware of how late it was, she took the fastest shower on record, then threw on a soft sweater, a nice pair of pants, and some sensible flats.
Not sure where he and the baby were holed up, she left the bedroom and did a quick search, finding them in a small den. What she saw when she swung into the room stopped her cold.
“Wh-what’re you doing?” she mumbled in shock.
“Uh, well, she woke up, so I changed her, and when we went back to the bedroom, you were out cold.”
“Yeah, and?”
“Oh, you mean the bottle. Yeah, so I knew there was breast milk in the fridge, and you had the bottles and stuff in your diaper bag, so I YouTube’d the brand and watched some videos.”
“You watched some videos,” she repeated in disbelief.
Unable to comprehend what she was seeing, Summer grasped at straws and came up empty. She’d tried for weeks to convince Ari to take the bottle, but her stubborn daughter wanted no part of it.
However, her father watches a YouTube video and has success the first time.
Sorry for the bad language but what the actual fuck?
Arnie frowned. “Am I doing it wrong?”
“No,” she grumbled.
“Then why are you mad?”
“I’m not mad,” she griped. “Just surprised.”
She could feel him twisting in the wind emotionally and regretted acting like the world was ending for no good reason.
He muttered, “I just thought if she would take the bottle, then I could help out more. Give you a break.”
Oh, my god, she felt like such a bitch. What was wrong with her?
Grow up, Summer. The wake-up call came from inside her. She took a deep breath and offered a conciliatory smile.
Feathering her fingers across his cheek, she bent to kiss his lips and then the baby’s head. Ari’s little mouth worked the bottle’s nipple. She was content and safe in her daddy’s strong arms. All was right in the world.
“Since you have this then,” she quipped playfully to let him know he was in the clear, “I’m just going to wander around the kitchen in search of tea.”
“Mrs. Estrada has got you covered, babe. She’s my grandfather’s housekeeper, and honest to Marco Polo, I’ve never seen anyone more excited to discover another tea lover in the house.”
“Groovy,” she joked with a peace sign and a grin. “Which way is the kitchen?”
Arnie chuckled and tilted his head. “That way.”
Catching the yummy scent of warm cinnamon and vanilla wafting in the air, she followed her nose.
Having never given much thought to what kind of kitchen she wanted if she ever got the chance to own a home, she felt like the one in Pops’s Montecito estate came damn close to being perfect.
It was big and wonderful with lots of windows, two islands, loads of cabinets and drawers, beautiful marble counters, and amazing views of an interior courtyard and the Pacific Ocean.
“Miss Warren,” a cheerfully exuberant voice called out. “Welcome to my kitchen.”
“Hello.” That was all she got out before a short, chubby lady who strangely resembled a delightful mashup of the fairy godmothers in Sleeping Beauty enfolded her in a welcoming hug.
“Come, come,” the vivacious woman said. “I’ve got tea all ready for you.”
A charming breakfast nook tucked next to a butler’s pantry had a built-in window seat with a view of the wide green backyard with the ocean in the distance. An oval table with upholstered chairs in fiesta inspired textiles gave the space a cheery vibe.
“My kitchen, my nook,” Mrs. Estrada said with a laugh. “It was a birthday present from Mr. Darnell. He made me mad, and I threatened to walk. Next thing I knew, boom!”
Summer wasn’t surprised by the generous act. She smiled and couldn’t contain her enjoyment of the vibrant colors and clever use of space.
“I love it, and if I ever have my own kitchen, I’m going to remember this.”
“Sit, sit.” Mrs. Estrada touched the side of a teapot, and said, “Nice and hot. Number three said you liked your water scalding.”
“Number three?” Her brows bumped in confusion.
“Oh, pfft,” the housekeeper chortled with a dismissive wave. “It’s just what I call Mr. Darnell Junior and Mr. Darnell the third. Two and Three. Saves time and avoids confusion.”
She poured the hot water into a large teacup and pointed at a dish of tea sachets. “All morning blends. If you can’t have caffeine, I suggest the one with the purple tag. It’s a decaf version of Dawn Thunder.”
The tea was perfect. So was a warm, fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon roll.
“What’s going on?” Summer asked when a delivery service trooped in carrying all sorts of stuff in boxes, bags, and coolers.
“Just getting ready for tonight.”
“What’s happening tonight?” She sipped her tea and absently followed along until Mrs. Estrada had an announcement she did not see coming.
“Are you serious?” Mrs. Estrada made an angry snort. “Why are men so clueless? At the very least, the guest of honor at a family celebration should get a heads-up. It was number three’s idea.”
Coughing when a sip went down the wrong pipe, Summer hastily wiped her mouth on a napkin and said, “Guest of honor?”
The poor housekeeper looked like she wanted to throttle someone, and Summer knew who the someone was.
She sniffed to express her displeasure, stood, threw her napkin down, and said, “Excuse me, Mrs. Estrada. I have to go kill somebody.”
The housekeeper’s amused laughter followed her as she stomped from the room.
Luckily, the baby was wide-awake and on Arnie’s shoulder when she marched into the den and lit into him.
“What is wrong with you?” she exclaimed. “What part of don’t leave me out of the loop don’t you understand?”
Arnie’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Don’t play dumb,” she snapped. “Is there something you want to tell me about tonight?” She crossed her arms and glared at him.
“Oh. That.” He cringed in the face of her annoyed displeasure and asked her to sit down so he could explain.
“After seeing what you did to Giselle, it makes me nervous when you do your tough lady thing.”
Huffing, she sat down and arched a brow. “I’m waiting.”
“You’re not out of the loop. I just haven’t had a chance to explain yet. It’s just dinner. With family. My father and Stan are coming.”
Mrs. Estrada was right. Men were clueless. It wasn’t nine o’clock in the morning yet, so there was no way the housekeeper learned about the dinner, called around to order stuff, and then had it all delivered.
“When did you decide this?”
He tried to play it off, but she saw him grimace. “Last night.”
“And you couldn’t tell me this, why?”
The cheeky Adonis smirked. “Well, in my defense, I did try, but there was this sexy nymph with an unquenchable thirst for cock who …”
She smacked him on the arm. “Not in front of the baby.”
His grin made her panties melt. “What would you say if I asked you to ink my initials on your ass?”
“You mean like a mark of ownership?”
“Either my initials or trespassers will be shot.”
“Stop it,” she chided. “You’re changing the subject, and I’m still mad.”
Once again, he grinned. “Okay, so what’s the over under on how long I have to tell you something? Is it an hour? Same day? Is there a grace period?”
“Arnie,” she warned.
“Summer.” He chuckled.
Arrogant shithead. She sniffed. “I need a dress. Nothing I brought is suitable for a dinner.”
“In about an hour, a team of stylists and a selection of dresses will be arriving. Hair, makeup, wardrobe.”
<
br /> Of course he had an answer for everything.
“This is me spoiling you because I can. Get used to it, sunshine girl, and don’t hold back. I see you, Summer. In here,” he told her with a hand on his chest above his heart. “You want this. You want me to take control. If I didn’t, you’d get bored with me in no time.”
He was right. The last thing she needed was a wishy-washy mate.
Things moved faster as the day wore on. Arnie kept a running checklist front and center in his brain so he didn’t forget anything.
With Summer enjoying a pre-event spa experience, he was on dad duty. He kept up a running dialogue with Ari, telling her what he was thinking and keeping her informed as his plan came together. She was a great sounding board and let him know when he became too excited or went too far.
By midafternoon, his dad arrived, and he’d heard from Dottie. There was a snafu with LAPD requiring King to call in some favors. Nothing for him to worry about, but it meant she was delayed in leaving Los Angeles and didn’t know if she’d make it in time for dinner.
He told her to charter a helicopter. She chuckled and informed him she already had but just wanted him to think it was his idea.
Sucking noisily on a straw stuck in a green drink, his dad finished it off and let out an audible sigh. “Gotta keep my strength up. My father works out harder than I do.” He chuckled. “Right now, Senior has Stan down at the garage. They scooter raced, and my father won of course.”
“He cheats,” Arnie pointed out. “Guaranteed he took the faster scooter.”
“It’s good to see them enjoying each other again. It’s been a long time.” His father’s voice was pensive.
“Stan’s going to be all right,” he assured him. “Hell, he’s fine now, and that’s saying something. His mother pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger. Pretty fucked-up shit, right there.”
“You’ll let me know if he gets wobbly, right?”
He patted his father on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I asked him to move into the cottage at Rose Hill where I can keep an eye on him.”
“I like what I’m hearing, keep talking.”
Arnie got serious and nodded. “I was thinking about how you were looking at New York real estate and thought maybe one way to go would be to pick something you could gut. A total rebuild or complete renovation.”
His dad’s face registered interest. “Aloha Design?”
“One hundred. And if Summer wants to make changes at Rose Hill, he’s the first person I’m calling.”
“It takes a village.”
“No, Dad,” Arnie replied bluntly. “It takes a family. This family. Our family. Took forever to get here, but damn, it feels good. You, me, Stan, Granddad—who wants to be called Pops by the way. It’s all good. Can’t you feel it? Summer and Arianne. Dr. Tanya Welcher. Hell, Senior’s lady friend, Bethany. We stumbled into something amazing.”
“You know what, son? You’re absolutely right. We said once Giselle was taken down, it was time to start fresh. This is our time, and maybe, fingers crossed, my second son will find someone special to fill the emptiness.”
He smirked. “Summer said the same thing. She’s got some crazy plan to find suitable brides for her brother and mine.”
“I’d get out of her way and let it happen if I were in your shoes.”
“I’m on board.” He laughed. “And who knows? Maybe I have one or two suggestions of my own.”
“Is that so? You holding out, Arnie? I see a gleam in your eye. Do you have someone in mind?”
“We’ll see,” he said with a wink. “And while we’re on the subject of the ladies in our lives, what’s the deal with the botanist professor and your plan to spend time on the mainland?”
“She had some health problems last year, and it sort of freaked her out. Nobody plans to work from college to grave. The hamster wheel took a toll, and now she sees things differently. Believe it or not, she wants to write a book.”
“On botany?”
His dad hesitated and then cracked up laughing. “No, goddammit. Contemporary romance, she calls it. Sexy times for grown-ups. Something to set women’s Kindles on fire.”
Arnie had a thousand comebacks, most right on the edge of vulgar, but he bit his tongue. Still, he couldn’t get the picture out of his mind of Ned Wanamaker and a hippie tree-hugging romance writer getting it on. The delight his old man took in wearing a ponytailed senior citizen disguise suggested he wasn’t averse to a little role-playing.
Being waited on hand and foot while she sat in a comfy wingchair and watched a fashion show, all without leaving the house, was an experience she was going to remember forever.
Summer turned her head and glanced in a large mirror across the room. From a distance, sitting straight, and with her hair in an upsweep, she had a queenly appearance.
When a model paraded by in a vintage couture velvet evening gown with a deep princess V-neck and full skirt, she fell in love. Before trying it on, she knew, and what made the ridiculously expensive dress even more fabulous was a coordinating outfit for Arianne in the same sapphire blue velvet.
Dressed in the magnificent gown, she stood before a full-length mirror and simply stared. She looked and felt like a fairy-tale princess before a ball.
The shoe choice was simple. A pair of crystal-embellished black velvet pumps from Jimmy Choo gave her goose bumps when she tried them on.
With her outfit chosen, she worked with a stylist to achieve the look she wanted. The deep neckline made her boobs look fabulous, but she worried out loud about the embarrassment of leaking.
The understanding pro dug through a suitcase of lingerie until a solution was found in the form of a black plunge bra, no wires, that would make wearing nursing pads easy.
“All you need is jewelry.”
Summer nodded at the stylist. All the empire-waisted velvet stunner lacked was bling.
A calm certainty fell over her. Oh. My. God. That was what this night was about. She quickly weighed the odds. There wasn’t much of a contest. Her big ole scruffy Adonis Viking teddy bear was going to propose and do it in front of witnesses.
He was so cute she wanted to hop around and squeal like a fan girl.
Well, this changed everything! Her attitude and manner transformed instantly. It wasn’t every day a girl got swept off her feet with such grand gestures. Her best bet was to settle in and enjoy the ride—squeeze all the magic possible out of the occasion and gather as many memories as she could.
A makeup artist took over once she was back in a dressing gown.
“Crystal and candlelight,” he purred. “Deep blue gown, blond hair, blue eyes. What look are we going for, hmm?”
She crossed her fingers and smiled. “I want the full glamour treatment. Neither the dress nor the occasion warrants understated.”
“Oh, gurl,” he chortled. “Strap in because when I’m through, you’ll be red carpet ready.”
They’d sharked around each other all day, never actually meeting up, not even to hand off the baby. His grandfather took care of the logistics and kept Ari on schedule while he and Summer got ready.
As the cocktail hour approached, Arnie could feel her excitement even without seeing her.
Stan arrived looking dapper in a tuxedo despite the arm sling. Their father followed shortly after carrying a half dozen shopping bags filled with diapers, wipes, and baby toys. Arnie found the mix of practical and extravagant endearing.
They were gathered near the fireplace in the formal living room when Darnell Senior strolled in looking every inch the lord of the manor while on his arm and smiling like she was the first lady, Dottie walked confidently at his side. She wore a long black, double-breasted blazer gown with a rather daring slit, considering her age.
“I declare this wild rumpus to be open,” Dottie quipped. “Let the games begin.”
After making sure everyone had a beverage, he walked to the archway several times waiting for Summer and the baby to appear. He was gett
ing worried. Should he go see what the holdup was?
Like magic, she appeared down the long hallway. She moved with grace and ease with their daughter in her arms.
She took his breath away.
As she got closer, he noticed a glaring omission in her appearance and jolted with alarm.
“Dad,” he called out. “Come here.”
“What’s up?”
“Summer’s coming. Can you waylay her in the hallway and take Ari?”
“Sure. Just give me a second.”
His dad headed into the hallway while Arnie slid out another door and dashed through rooms to come up behind her. As soon as his dad took Ari and walked away, he surprised her from behind and whirled her through a series of flamboyant dance moves and into Senior’s study.
“What are you doing, silly?” Summer exclaimed breathlessly as he shut the door.
“Almost fucked up,” he told her with a gigantic grin. He looked her up and down. “God, baby. You look amazing.”
She ran her fingers down the front of his tuxedo shirt and wagged her brows. “You make a tux look hot.”
Hot? Fuck. He was gonna take it and be thrilled.
“Check this out.” She raised the hem of the gown and showed off her shoes.
With a deliberately lascivious lick of his lips and his hand pointing up, he asked for a glimpse of what else was under the dress. “Panty inspector.”
She tut-tutted and gave him some seriously naughty eyeshade but didn’t hesitate to flash her lingerie long enough for him to get an erection.
What the hell was it about tiny black panties? Why did her sweet sexy ass in a scrap of silk turn him on so?
It was nearly go time when she dropped her gown, stepped close, and palmed his hard-on. “Is this for me?”
Snap out of it, you moron, his conscience screamed. Don’t you have something else to give her besides your dick?
He pressed her hand against him and growled. “You can take him out for a spit polish and shine later.”
Her eyes glittered with amusement at his words.
“Right now, I need you to behave.”
Summer giggled. “Ooh. You’re using your daddy voice.”
Finding Summer (Nightwind Book 3) Page 69
