Fools in Love (Foolish at Heart Book 3)

by R. C. Martin

  “Okay.”

  “All right,” I mumbled, prepared to end the call.

  “Baby?” she all but whispered in reply.

  “Hmm?”

  “I love you.”

  “Tell me again tomorrow.”

  We said our goodbyes, and I didn’t waste any time getting back to work. Aside from a quick break for lunch, I kept my head down for the rest of the day. It wasn’t until four o’clock that I felt satisfied with what I’d accomplished. Aware that I could put in a few hours over the weekend, I gathered my things with every intention of leaving. I got as far as my door when I spotted Logan headed in my direction.

  “Oh, are you on your way out?” she asked, coming to an abrupt halt. As she did, she grabbed hold of her protruding belly, like she needed to grab onto something to keep her balance.

  “I am. Did you need something?”

  “Nothing that won’t keep,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Do you have any plans for your weekend?”

  “Nothing in particular. You?” I asked, in an effort to be polite.

  She shrugged, her shoulders kissing the ends of her loosely curled hair. “Washing an obnoxious amount of baby girl clothes and getting them put away before Aurora decides to make her entrance.”

  My gaze dropped down to her belly once more, the size of her middle a reminder of how soon it would be before she was out on maternity leave. I didn’t know what decisions might be made in the next eight to ten weeks, but Teddy wasn’t the only woman I wanted to take with me on my next business venture.

  “Jude?” asked Logan on a giggle. “Where’d you go just now?”

  Lifting my eyes to find hers, a slight frown pulled at my brow as I inquired, “In a hypothetical situation, if I were to open another office, would you be up for the challenge?”

  “You mean go with you?” She didn’t give me a chance to clarify before she replied, “Of course I would want to, but I’d have to take a few factors into consideration. Where might this office be, and how would it change my commute?”

  I paused long enough to ask myself if I was ready to reveal what had been on my mind for the last several days. If I was honest with myself, I knew I should have kept my thoughts to myself—but I felt like I had been sitting on the idea for too long. Finally, I reiterated, “Hypothetically, I’d be looking at someplace just outside of Los Angeles.”

  Logan’s eyes grew wide, and she leaned toward me as she gasped, “Los Angeles, California?”

  “Hypothetically,” was all I said in reply.

  She straightened, and I could tell by the look in her eye that her thoughts were racing. I waited patiently for her response. “Not so hypothetically,” she began, her cadence careful and deliberate, “Roman works for an engineering consulting company, with locations in Colorado, New Mexico, and California. Also, not so hypothetically, if this were to happen, Paris and Aurora would both still be young enough that a move wouldn’t disrupt their lives all that much. It would certainly be an adjustment—and a decision I couldn’t make without Roman—but hypothetically…my original answer still stands.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Judah,” she hissed, taking hold of my elbow. “This is amazing!”

  “Right now, it’s also just an idea. Don’t get excited yet.”

  She let go of my arm as a huge smile spread across her face. “You say that like I don’t know how you are when you get an idea. We’ve worked together long enough and closely enough for me to know—if you want this to happen, it’s going to happen.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “I bet Teddy’s over the moon about this hypothetical scenario. The art scene out there…” Her voice trailed off as she shook her head, her silence an indication that she thought her point didn’t require more words.

  “Like I said. We’ll see.”

  “Ah,” she hummed, as if enlightened. “Say no more.”

  I smirked, amused she even thought I would.

  “I’ll keep this hypothetical idea tucked away. You just let me know if it becomes not so hypothetical, and I’ll see what the hubs thinks.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Thank you for thinking of me.”

  “After all these years, you think I’d leave you behind? I’ve worked too hard for that,” I teased as I continued toward the door.

  “Ha-ha. Have a good weekend, Jude,” she mocked with a wave.

  “You do the same.”

  There was a peace I felt as I went home, my thoughts captivated by the real possibility that if it all came to fruition, Logan would likely join me. If Idris was on board, my top priority would be to find a solid architect, and we’d be able to get off the ground running. Though, the closer I got to home, the more unsure I felt about the whole thing. Logan was right—if I wanted to take Eddalyn’s Interiors to the coast, nothing could stop me. Unfortunately, my life wasn’t nearly that simple anymore.

  The house was quiet. When I reached the end of the entry hallway, I stopped in an effort to place Teddy. The silence I was met with encouraged me to head into the bedroom in order to change out of my suit. Ten minutes later, in a pair of khakis and a gray, long-sleeved, thermal t-shirt, I went to look for my wife. I had every intention of starting in the basement, until I heard movement upstairs.

  Teddy was in the kitchen, her back toward me as she doctored her mug of tea. Her hair was gathered into a side-braid draped over her shoulder and down her chest. She was in a pair of black cotton shorts and a muted-tone, floral print sweatshirt. I could tell, by the absentminded way she swirled her spoon around her beverage, she was lost in her thoughts.

  “Sweetheart,” I mumbled quietly, hoping not to startle her.

  With a slow inhale, she twisted her neck to look at me from over her shoulder. “Hi. I didn’t—I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “What were you thinking about?” I leaned back against the kitchen island, casually tucking my hands into my pant pockets.

  Teddy extracted her spoon from her mug, set it on the counter, and then nestled the steaming tea in her grasp as she turned and mimicked my stance across from me. She didn’t look at me as she admitted, “I don’t know how to have this conversation. I think I made that quite obvious last night when I just—lost it. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s a big decision. Maybe even bigger than I realize. That said, I can’t make it alone; and we can’t make it if you don’t at least try to talk to me.”

  She didn’t speak right away, and I tried to be patient as she lifted her mug and took a sip. Finally, she met my eyes as she murmured, “If I say no, what then? What happens to Eddalyn’s Interiors? Does the expansion idea just die?”

  “I don’t know,” I replied with a half-hearted shrug. “Maybe. I haven’t thought of a plan B.”

  “Okay, and what about us? If I say no, what happens to us?”

  “Theodora, how many times do I have to tell you—”

  “You won’t go without me, I know. But if we don’t go, it’ll be because of me. Because I said no. Because I wanted to stay. Then what? I mean, Jude—you’ve put our entire future into my hands, and it’s too much pressure.”

  “Baby, I asked you to think about it,” I muttered with a shrug. “There’s no ultimatum here, but you won’t even consider it.”

  “I am,” she insisted as she stood up straight. “I’m trying.”

  “No. You’re not. All you’re doing is compiling a list of things we’d leave behind. I—” I cut myself off and freed a sigh. I then extracted a hand from my pocket and smoothed it over my stubble covered face. We weren’t really getting anywhere. Days had passed, and we were having the same conversation we’d had when I first broached the topic. I returned my hand to my pocket and told her, “I’m taking you to California.”

  “What?” she asked, her brow wrinkled in concern.

  “Week after next. I already made the arrangements.”

  “A week after…” Her voice trailed off and she frowned down at her steaming beverage
. “Our anniversary is the week after next.”

  “It is. That’s reason enough to take a trip.”

  She hesitated a moment, then brought her tea to her lips. “Sounds like a bribe,” she mumbled before taking a sip.

  “Yeah, well, if you’re going to say no—you need to see what you’re saying no to.”

  I pushed myself away from the island and turned to leave. I was tired of talking in circles. Teddy stopped me before I got too far, setting down her mug as she called to me. “Jude, wait. I didn’t—I’m sorry.”

  I felt her at my back before she slipped her arms around my middle. When she rested her cheek on my shoulder, I turned to glance back at her. All I could see was the top of her wavy red locks. Still, her touch beckoned me to confess, “I want this. Not just for me, but for us. I think it could be the greatest adventure of our lives. We could do it together. I wish you would look at it from my perspective. I wish you could experience even an ounce of the excitement I feel just thinking about the opportunities this could create.”

  Tightening her grip around me, she whispered, “I wish I could, too. But it scares me.”

  “You don’t think it scares me?” She lifted her cheek at my inquiry, and I reached for one of her hands. Covering her fingers with mine, I said, “My fear of failure is what draws me to it in the first place. If it wasn’t scary, it wouldn’t be worth considering.”

  She sighed and dropped her forehead against the middle of my back. “Okay. I’ll try to see it your way.”

  “That’s all I’m asking.”

  “Baby?”

  “Hmm?” I hummed, looking down at our hands.

  “I’m sorry about last night.”

  “I know, sweetheart.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Hers

  When Judah didn’t touch me Friday night, I understood. He forgave me for the way I acted the night before, but our fight had been bigger than me getting too drunk. Though, when he didn’t touch me the next night, either, the inches between us in bed felt like miles. We didn’t have sex every single night—but on the nights we didn’t, there was always a reason. I was on my period, or he was out of town. One or both of us was sick, or one of us fell asleep before the other made it to bed. Even then, we’d been known to wake each other. Overall, I was fairly certain we had a healthier sex life than the average couple. So, when my husband didn’t touch me, I felt it profoundly.

  This is why, when I woke up aroused Sunday morning, his hand between my legs, I almost cried. Without a word spoken between us, we loved on each other for more than an hour. The relief I felt afterward was both emotionally and physically euphoric. When Judah finally did speak, he suggested we spend the afternoon in Denver. The thought of visiting Theo brought me so much joy, we spent another half hour between the sheets before we finally got up to shower.

  Feeling better than I had in a few days, when Judah disappeared to work in his office for a couple hours, I got dressed to run an errand. It was a beautiful spring morning; so beautiful that as soon as I started my Mercedes, I rolled the windows down before backing out into the driveway. After a quick stop at Little Bird Café for two of my favorite blueberry muffins, I drove across town to pay my Viking a surprise visit.

  He answered my knock in a pair of gym shorts and little else. His hair was more disheveled than usual, and it was quite obvious he hadn’t been awake long. Smiling at him teasingly, I asked, “Is this how you’re going to be from now on? Shirtless and sexy, like you’re trying to prove to the world you’ve still got it at forty?”

  “Ha,” he coughed through a lopsided grin. He ran a hand down his sculpted chest and muttered, “Late night. What’s in the bag?” He stepped aside, signaling my invitation to enter his condo, and I accepted without hesitation.

  “An apology in the form of breakfast.”

  “Babe, you’ve apologized already. Honestly, it wasn’t necessary the first time,” he said as we both headed for his kitchen.

  He put on a pot of coffee, and I heated our muffins for a few seconds before I plated them both. All the while, I explained, “It was your night, and I somehow made it about me.”

  “I think you felt that way more than anyone else. It actually looked like you and Judah were going through something. You two okay?”

  I handed him his plate, and we both went to sit at his table. I peeled the paper wrapping from around the bottom of my muffin as I thought about my morning up until that point. It would have been a lie to say I wasn’t still afraid of the future and the pending decision that seemed to lurk behind me like a shadow. However, my husband had reminded me with his body that we were two pieces of a whole, and that was never going to change.

  “We’re okay. He’s got a lot going on at work.” I shrugged, not sure what else to say.

  “So do you. I know you’ve been stressed about narrowing down your selections—but you did it.”

  “Yeah.” I pinched a bite of muffin from the top and plopped it on my tongue, hoping to change the subject. “So, what’d you do last night that had you sleeping in this morning?”

  “Lou and I were on the phone until, god, I don’t even remember. It was late.”

  Grinning, I stared and exclaimed, “He’s Lou now, huh?”

  “He kissed me that night.”

  “What?” I gasped as I reached for his hand. “Are you serious?! And you’re just now telling me?”

  “Not a kiss to be described via text, Freckles.”

  “Geoffrey Fink—tell me everything.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Hers

  When Judah and I boarded our plane to LAX, I imagined myself stepping out of my own head. I knew I owed it to him. I knew I needed to be open-minded for the duration of our trip. Not simply because I was conscious of why he’d chosen California as the destination for our extended weekend—but also because the four days ahead of us were meant to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I didn’t want to spend the whole time weighing pros and cons or worrying about what the future might look like. I wanted to be with Judah.

  By the time we landed in Los Angeles, I felt a new excitement as it began to stir within me. I’d never been to the sunshine state. Until Jude and I were married, I’d never set foot on a beach. The first time I did was on our honeymoon, when he took me to St. Lucia. I was still convinced it was the most beautiful place on earth. While I knew California wouldn’t compare, the thought of exploring a new place felt like something to look forward to.

  As per usual, Judah didn’t tell me much about what he’d planned. While I had been given a few clues in order to pack appropriately, I didn’t ask for further details. I rather liked how much he enjoyed surprising me. Though, I wasn’t surprised when we made our way out of the airport only to be greeted by a driver. He and Judah stowed our carry-on bags in the trunk of the luxury sedan. Soon we were all buckled in and headed for our first stop.

  I reached for Judah’s hand. When he laced his fingers through mine, he told me, “We’ll be staying just outside of Santa Monica. If we were to relocate, I wouldn’t want to live in the heart of L.A.”

  “Okay,” I murmured with a nod.

  He gave my fingers a squeeze, and I couldn’t contain my smile. I then shifted my gaze out the window as we eased our way into afternoon traffic. It took us nearly an hour before we turned into a quiet neighborhood, and we didn’t speak much. I was too busy drinking in the view of what very well might have been my new home. When we pulled up to the curb of a huge, white villa, I finally returned my attention toward Judah.

  “Where are we?”

  “We’ll be staying here. I thought you wouldn’t mind skipping the hotel route.”

  He let me go with a wink, and then my door was opened. The driver helped me out before he and Judah took our bags from the trunk. I barely heard it as Judah instructed the man to return in the morning, too transfixed by the size of the house in front of me.

  “Come on, sweetheart,” insisted my husband as he carried our bags to th
e front door.

  He entered the code on the lock that granted us entrance, and my mouth fell open when we stepped inside.

  “Shall we have a look around?”

  With a nod, I took his hand and we left our bags by the door. The place had five bedrooms, a gigantic kitchen, an expansive dining and living room—all of which were designed in a clean, modern, upscale way. There was a terrace that was the definition of a dream, and a backyard that would scoff at my use of the word. The pool, the hot tub, and the alfresco dining area were perfectly situated against the stunning backdrop that was the elevated view of Santa Monica and the Los Angeles skyline.

  Judah and I stood at the edge of the pool and took it all in. The weather was perfect; the sun hot, and the breeze the ideal caress of warm air. After a few minutes, I wrapped my arms around Judah’s waist and rested my chin against his chest as I gazed up at him. He held me against his side and met my stare when I asked, “Would you get me a view like this?”

  “I’d sure as hell try.”

  I smiled, then pushed up onto my tiptoes to reach for a kiss.

  “What now?” I murmured as I settled back down on the soles of my feet.

  “I thought we’d lay low tonight—do most of our exploring tomorrow and Sunday. The kitchen is stocked, if you’re hungry. Or we can get settled in.”

  “Or,” I hummed sweetly. “We could get in the pool.”

  “Yes,” he replied through a grin. “That’s an option, too.”

  “Let’s do that.”

  I led the way back inside, still gob smacked at the architecture of the villa and how the backyard spilled from the kitchen when the multi-paneled sliding glass door was opened. Judah carried our bags to the master bedroom, and I wasted no time digging through my things to find one of my bathing suits. I decided to wear the green, floral print halter with the matching bikini bottoms. Judah’s phone rang, and he answered it as I headed to the bathroom to change. By the time I was dressed—my hair piled on top of my head in a twisted knot—he was still on the call. Rather than bug him, I unpacked my camera, grabbed a beach towel, and returned to the backyard.