by Marika Ray
I gave her a look and she bit her lip. “I can’t watch you break an ankle trying to run in those shoes.”
A grin slowly grew on her face. “My hero.”
And dammit all if I didn’t feel like one with her in my arms. She wrapped an arm around my neck and I carried her all the way into the maternity ward where we met her godsons and goddaughter waiting patiently to see their new little sister. Milly clapped her hands enthusiastically as we came through the door.
“Yay, Aunt Gabs! You found a prince!”
“Come on in, guys.” Jameson, Lily-Marie’s husband, looked a little pale and sweaty as he waved us into the hospital room an hour later. Milly, Clark, and Stein had already gone in to see their new sister ten minutes ago, the family now complete with a his, hers, and ours. Gabby explained the whole family dynamic and how Lil-Jam had come to be two years ago. The portmanteau was too ridiculous to ask about, so I carefully steered past it and kept the story going until we were called to the private room to see the baby.
“Gabs!” Lily-Marie lay in the hospital bed, a huge but tired smile on her face. In her arms was the smallest human I’d ever seen, all bundled up with just her face exposed.
Gabby let go of my hand and ran to the bed, scooping Lily-Marie into a gentle hug. Gabby’s dress rose high on the back of her thighs as she leaned over to coo at the baby. I shouldn’t have noticed such things in this situation, but I didn’t stop being a man just because there were kids in the room. I hung back to give her time with her best friend and tried to keep my eyes off her in that little black dress. Meeting her best friend’s family for the first time during a hugely intimate moment was not the time to be a horny bastard.
“We named her Loni after Jameson’s grandmother,” Lily-Marie announced. “She did bring us together, after all.”
Gabby did that thing women do where they sigh and lay a hand on their chests, like the thought of being named Loni was just the cutest thing in the world. Jameson moved to sit by his wife on the other side of the bed, his gaze never leaving Lily-Marie’s face.
“Do you want to hold her?” Lily-Marie winked at Gabby. “Her middle name is Gabriella.”
The room hushed. Even the kids, previously squabbling over the only two chairs in the room, seemed to sense it was a time to be quiet.
A sniffle broke the silence. Gabby swiped her hands over her face and nodded. Ah, man. Knowing she was crying hit me in the gut like a sledgehammer. I hated when women cried. My mom used to cry all the time. After my father died. When Hewitt destroyed us. No amount of cajoling from her son pulled her out of it. The sound tore at my insides and made me feel helpless.
Lily-Marie carefully handed over Loni and Gabby held her reverently in her arms, swaying back and forth as she murmured to her. She finally turned around and the sight of her rocking a baby with tears streaming down her cheeks broke me apart. Everything I thought I wanted out of life disappeared into thin air and the only want that remained was everything with Gabby. I wanted this exact moment in the hospital playing out again, with Gabby holding our baby. I could picture it like it had already happened, the details so vivid I was crushed it wasn’t real.
Which was insane. I was only here as the fake boyfriend. A temporary situation that gave me no right to want anything as permanent as a baby. But the heart wanted what the heart wanted. And fuck me, but my heart wanted Gabby.
We stayed for an hour, during which time, the cameraman called me no fewer than ten times, trying to find us, no doubt. I let the calls go, figuring Gabby wouldn’t want this intimate time on national television. A nurse finally came in and shooed us out. After hugs and kisses all around, Gabby let me pull her from the room, collapsing into my arms in the hallway.
Her face pressed against my chest as she clutched at the back of my dress shirt.
“You okay, Snookums?” I whispered into her soft hair.
She let go of a shuddering breath. “I want that,” she mumbled into my chest.
My damn traitor of a heart soared. “I want that too,” I answered lightly. She hadn’t said she wanted that with me. I couldn’t get ahead of myself.
We fell into silence as we stood there, holding each other up as people walked by, off to see other little babies being born. I rubbed her back and couldn’t think of a better way to spend our evening.
She finally pulled away, looking up at me with dreamy eyes. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“Nowhere I’d rather be.”
An awareness entered her eyes, her pupils sharpening as I stared into their depths. We both felt it in that moment, I was sure of it. A definite shift had happened between us. Sure, we were faking a relationship for the cameras, but there hadn’t been one in sight all evening and here we were wrapped up in each other for no other reason than we liked each other and sought each other out for comfort. It may have started out fake, but there was so much more beneath the surface.
“Is this where we promise to have a baby together if neither one of us has one by age forty?” In typical Rhett style, I had to bring a smile and a laugh to the intense moment. And laugh she did, the sound a balm to the unsettled emotions swirling through me.
“Duh. That’s how all the best romantic comedies go.”
I kissed her forehead and led us out to the car to go home.
“Maybe we should start with a pet fish first. See if we’d make good parents.”
A snort-guffaw was her only reply.
17
Gabby
The fire crackled in the silence between us, a peaceful backdrop to the evening while the neighborhood slept. Rhett and I returned from the hospital late that night, but I was too keyed up to sleep. I needed time to unwind and I just so happened to have a new bottle of my favorite wine thanks to the scavenger hunt from earlier.
“I can’t believe she’s named after me.” I swirled the red liquid, the fire reflecting off the wine glass in my hand. I was in love with Loni already.
My bare feet lay in Rhett’s lap, his fingertips absently stroking them as he sipped his wine. A shiver ran through me. Rhett put his glass down and leaned forward to drape another blanket over my lap to match the one around my shoulders. I didn’t correct him as to the cause of that shiver. The cameraman sat in the corner of my patio, that damn red light indicating he was capturing our conversation.
“I can’t believe you have four godchildren and none of your own yet,” Rhett responded.
His words felt like a knife lodged in my chest, though I knew he didn’t mean to hurt me. “Yeah. I know. I’ve always wanted to have kids. Not sure how that hasn’t happened yet.”
He looked out at the backyard, his gaze flitting over the trees and shrubs I planted to help give me some privacy on nights like these. When I just wanted to sip my wine by the fire and contemplate life.
“Five years with you-know-who and no kids. You ready to tell me about that yet?” Rhett finally glanced over at me, his face half in the shadow, the other half lit up by the flames dancing next to him. He was gorgeous. One hundred percent male with the scruff on his cheeks, the defined jaw, and the muscles that could be seen through a dress shirt. Why couldn’t I have met him under normal circumstances? Why did he have to be related to the one man on earth I’d ram with a shopping cart, taking out his Achilles and leaving him screaming in pain if I ever got the chance? I’d actually gotten up to fifty-two ways I’d cause him pain if I ever ran into him again. Lily-Marie had inspired me with her list of ways to find a husband. I’d improvised.
My wine glass was half empty. Or was it half full? Did I have enough in there to get me through this tale of woes? Seemed to me I’d need more than just one bottle.
“We weren’t right for each other, but we were both too busy with our careers to notice. Or maybe we did notice but figured that was what long-term relationships evolved to over time. The kids thing just never felt right. I can’t even put my finger on it. I just couldn’t see us raising a child together.”
Rhett nodded slowly. “And what bullshit
did he fill your head with?”
I quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
He smirked, but it had a mean edge to it I didn’t like. “I know that guy well, remember? I know he says things that worm their way in. I’ve been deworming my own brain for years now. So, gimme your worms.”
I grimaced, though I enjoyed how Rhett could bring lightness to a normally dark subject. “That’s the weirdest thing a man’s ever said to me.”
“Stick with me, baby. I got more where that came from.”
I had no doubt he did. The more time we spent together, the more I was seeing he was nothing like his half-brother.
“Hmm. Let’s start with the biggest worm. One day last year I decided to cut out of work early to surprise him. See if he wanted to play hooky and spend the afternoon on the beach. It’s so cliché I hate to say it.” I threw back a gulp of wine and steeled myself for the rest of the story. “I walked in on him and his boss, the one he started the company with, in my bed. She ran out claiming she had no idea he was still involved with me. He, on the other hand, just got out of bed and walked to the shower, like it was no big deal. Said if I hadn’t been so boring, it could have been me in that bed with him.”
I let the residual shame burn up my esophagus, letting it out in the form of a rueful laugh. “Like I should have apologized to him. What a fucking douchecanoe.” I shook my head, reliving that moment with the clarity of three hundred and sixty-five days of reflection. On the other side now, I could see what absolute nonsense he spewed at me. I could see that none of it was my fault, yet as Rhett had mentioned, his words were like worms, getting inside my head and taking up residence when I wasn’t being watchful.
Rhett made a noise and I looked over to see his jaw clenched, his eyes burning into my skin with their intensity. “He’s the king of assholes. At our father’s funeral, he didn’t even acknowledge my mom and me. He walked right by me like I didn’t exist. Since I was only ten, I didn’t understand what was going on. I went up to him after they lowered my dad into the ground and he hissed four little words at me I’ll never forget.” He paused and my stomach dropped.
“You’re dead to me.”
Rhett huffed and shook his head. Rage filled my chest. I’d never wanted to hurt someone as badly as I wanted to hurt Hew. The shopping cart was too good for him. Only a slow and painful death would be a commensurate answer to all the pain he’d caused us both.
“Can you believe that shit? He said that to a ten-year-old boy just minutes after they buried his father.”
Tears hit the backs of my eyes and I tried to blink them away before they spilled down my face. I swore to myself I was done crying over Hewitt. But back then I hadn’t known the devastation he’d caused Rhett. Suddenly that betrayal mattered more than what Hew had done to me. I was an adult who could have left that relationship at any time. Rhett had only been an innocent boy.
“I’m so sorry, Rhett,” I whispered the words, not trusting my voice to speak any louder.
He reached over to pull the wine glass out of my hand and place it on the fire pit edge. Then he stood up and reached down for me, lifting me out of my chair, my blankets falling to the ground. The next thing I knew I straddled him as he sat back down. Rhett’s rough hands slid through my hair and tugged my head to the side. His lips were on mine before I could blink.
Our mouths met, giving comfort to each other. The same person had hurt us both, and it was a glorious thing that we could sew the pieces of our hearts back together by simply sharing our stories.
The cameraman was forgotten the minute Rhett’s tongue swept into my mouth and tasted the bitterness I still harbored. He lapped it away, dissolving it with each pluck of his lips, each time his thumb stroked across my cheek. He healed the crushed heart with arms that held me tight, fusing the pieces back together by sheer force of will.
But I didn’t just want to be healed. I wanted to be the healer too. The one in Rhett’s life to put him back together too. So I gave as good as I got, my tongue battling with his, the intensity ramping up the longer we kissed. At long last, I pulled back, our breathing heavy under the cover of darkness.
“Come to bed, Tesoro. I’ll hold you all night and show you how alive you are to me,” I whispered.
Rhett’s eyes closed for a long moment before opening again along with a blinding smile. I couldn’t help myself. I had to indulge in one more thing before leaving the magic of this garden patio and the beauty of this day. Leaning in close, I kissed one dimple, finding the divot with the tip of my tongue.
“Sorry, just had to,” I whispered on a giggle, my lips still brushing against his skin.
The smile got bigger. “You can kiss my dimples anytime you want. I have dimples above my ass too. You wanna kiss those?”
I laughed, finding Rhett’s ability to bring me joy with a simple joke one of the very best things about him. I waggled my eyebrows. “I think I wanna…”
His smile remained while he narrowed his eyes at me. “Nah, uh, woman. You have to buy the cow before you can milk it.”
I searched my brain and still came up empty. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He kissed my forehead and then stood up, setting me on my feet. He turned off the fireplace and came close to whisper in my ear, “When you agree to date me for real, you can get your mouth on the rest of me.”
I reared back, slightly disappointed I wouldn’t be getting to see the aforementioned dimples. “Oh, so we’re down to blackmailing now?”
He shrugged before grabbing my hand and walking me back inside the house. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
A bark of laughter escaped, right before my eyes rolled to the ceiling. Silly man with his morals and shit…
18
Gabby
We got our social etiquette right this time around, showing up at Kitty and Jasper’s house half an hour after we were supposed to be there. Natalia and Frank’s dusty Range Rover pulled into the long driveway right behind us, so I knew we’d timed it perfectly.
“Remember to call him Lord,” I instructed Rhett.
I was already rethinking my linen pants and black silk shirt. The pants had a split along the outside of each leg, making them appear almost like a long, flowy skirt when they were, in fact, pants. I didn’t normally dress with a lot of skin showing, not because I thought I shouldn’t but simply because I mostly went to work events where business fashion called for some sort of boring pantsuit. Even my shirt showed more skin that normal, dipping low in the front and preventing me from wearing a bra. I had some sort of industrial strength sticker on each of my boobs, acting in place of a bra. The whole ensemble wasn’t my normal gig, but I was trying to fit in with these fashionable society ladies. The woman at the boutique assured me I looked on point.
“I’m not going to call him anything. That whole ‘Lord’ thing is too over the top for my taste.” Rhett put my car in park and pulled at the sleeves of his dress shirt. The material looked a little tight, but then again, super fitted shirts and pants were all the rage for men right now. I was getting the feeling that Rhett didn’t care for it.
“Jesus H. Christ, I’ve lost all circulation to my crotch in these damn pants,” he mumbled, looking like a baseball player with all the adjusting going on. “I seriously considered taping the goods down just to fit in these pants a little better. But then I thought about ripping the tape off later and decided I didn’t want a Brazilian wax. Plus, who knows what permanent damage you do when you’ve strapped them in too tight like that? For all I know, I could be endangering future little Rhetts by wearing these pants. It’s like they’ve made this article of clothing with two pant legs for your legs, but no pant leg for your dick. Like where do you put it? There’s no room for it! Would you wear a sweater with no arms sewn into it? No, of course not, yet here I am in pants with no room for my fire hose!”
I swallowed, working hard to keep the snort of laughter from coming out. “Are you finished?”
> Rhett blinked and blew out a deep breath. “Yes.”
I grabbed the door handle and went to exit the car. At the last second, I looked over my shoulder and tossed out, “Don’t forget your fire hose.”
And then I let the laughter flow. Dear God, I couldn’t listen to him talk about his huge fire breathing dragon any longer. I had to stay focused on acting during this damn dinner date, not how soon I could get into Rhett’s pants and check out the goods. I wasn’t ready to agree to date him for real—though that exact thought had been swirling in my head a lot lately—which meant I wouldn’t be getting to wrap my lips around the fire hose anytime soon, according to Rhett.
He met me at the hood of the car and laced our fingers together, tugging me toward the front door. He looked good tonight, whether he liked the pants or not. He was hot in board shorts and T-shirts, but he was even hotter in this fashionable ensemble. Maybe I was just saying that because I could see exactly how much hose was stuffed into the front of those tight pants.
“Gabriella! Everett! So good to see you.” Lord Jasper called out from the front steps like he was the king welcoming us to his fair palace.
Two air kisses later, we were inside, Kitty running around making sure all the hors d’oeuvres were set up according to her exacting standards. The house was immaculate. Little white string lights hung in the backyard from perfectly manicured queen palms, which I could see through the back wall that consisted of one massive floor-to-ceiling window. I wondered if that sucker was double-paned.
The cameramen staked out a side of the great room where we all settled with drinks in hand from the bartender in the corner. Yes, Kitty hired a bartender for the evening. Suddenly my pants skirt seemed not enough for this group. Although I’d caught John eyeing my legs as I walked into the house, which made my skin crawl yet felt oddly complimentary at the same time.
“Thank you all for coming over this evening. I’ve been holding back a little secret and I thought now would be the perfect time to spill it since we’re surrounded by dear friends.” Kitty smiled, her lip injections making the whole thing look a little grotesque. Funny, we’d just met a week ago. I didn’t see how that made Rhett and me dear friends, but then again, maybe she didn’t have a lot of friends in general and therefore had a skewed barometer of the levels of friendship.
