The Truest Thing: Hart's Boardwalk #4

by Samantha Young

  Tabby was sitting on the floor of the bedroom her father had worked with painstaking attention to detail to put together. He’d built custom shelving for all her books and toys. Even her bed was custom built by Jack and his old boss Ray. It had storage underneath for more toys. An old-fashioned armoire that Jack had sanded down and repainted stood in the corner, filled with more clothes than any kid needed, as was the matching dresser.

  Surrounding our daughter on the carpeted floor were her cuddly toys and dolls.

  “We’re having breakfast,” she announced in her cute, high-pitched voice as she gestured to her toy companions. “And I got hungry for real.”

  My lips twitched. “Is that so?”

  She gave me a look that said “well, yeah” that reminded me a lot of her father. Tabby was a wonderful mix of us both—she was a miniature version of me in looks but had her father’s mannerisms and sense of humor.

  And his appetite.

  “C’mon, then.” I reached down, hooked her under the arms, and lifted Tabby. It amazed me how one day she was this tiny little thing, and now I had toned upper arms and shoulders from carting her around everywhere. She wrapped her little legs as far as she could around me and clung to my neck.

  Burying her face in my throat, she kissed me and whispered, “Morning, Mommy.”

  Love, the kind of love I didn’t even know I was capable of or existed in this world, filled me. I loved Jack. I knew without shame in admitting it that I’d lose something essential to my very existence if I lost him. But the love I had for our daughter was so mammoth, so consuming, there were no words for it. Or the way it filled my entire being to the point it was painful. Like I was incapable of containing the size of it. I lived in this constant and indescribable place of pure joy that she existed and pure terror that something might one day harm her.

  I knew Jack felt the same way because we’d spoken about it since the moment she’d entered this world.

  “Morning, baby,” I replied as I carried her downstairs. “What do you want for breakfast?”

  Thus began the usual twenty-minute conversation in which Tabby couldn’t make up her mind.

  We’d finally decided on blueberry pancakes when Jack strode into the room. He’d thrown on a T-shirt with his pajama bottoms, but he still had sex hair. I shivered, wishing we’d had time for more.

  “Morning, Daddy!” Tabby yelled from her seat at the table. She loved sitting with the grown-ups, so we’d put a booster seat on one of the dining room chairs for her.

  Jack grinned and lifted her into his arms for a cuddle and a kiss. “Is that how you’re wearing your hair for Ty’s party?” he teased her.

  Her white-blond hair was a tangled cloud of silk around her face.

  She wrinkled her nose. “No!”

  Jack chuckled. “Why not? It’s cute.”

  “Do I have to go?” Tabby pouted.

  Seriously. Those kids. Jack and I shared a look before he gave Tabby a squeeze and returned her to her chair. “Tyler’s important to us. To you too. Even if you don’t get along all the time. Would you want him to miss your birthday?”

  “Uh … yeah.”

  She said it like she was forty, forcing me to choke back my laughter.

  Poor Jack struggled not to laugh too. “Baby girl, that’s not nice. It’s Ty-Ty. We love Ty.”

  “I told him I didn’t want to give him a present for his birfday and he told me”—Tabby turned in her seat to aim the conversation at me too—“he told me that he’s gonna wrap Louis’s dog poop up and give it to me for my birfday.”

  Wow. Their mini war was getting colorful.

  “I told him,” she said, panting now, her voice getting louder, “I told him, I told him that he’s stupid because I would do the same but wouldn’t tell him! He ruined poop surprise!” She gesticulated her exasperation with a pointed outstretching of her arms.

  “As true as that is, we don’t call people stupid.” Jack stood from his haunches and ruffled her hair before he wandered into the kitchen toward me.

  He was wearing a sexy, lazy smirk that widened when we heard Tabby mutter, “Then stupid people shouldn’t be stupid if they don’t wanna be called stupid.”

  I rolled my eyes as Jack wrapped his arms around me, pulling me away from the pancakes. “She has a point,” he muttered against my mouth before he took it in a very, very nice good-morning kiss.

  “Ugh.” Tabby’s voice cut through it.

  I laughed against Jack’s mouth and pulled away. “I think it’s safe to say she didn’t inherit my romantic nature.”

  My husband chuckled before pressing a sweet kiss to my nose. He released me and then gently nudged me toward the table. “Go, I’ll finish up.” He moved to the pancake that was seconds from burning and flipped it expertly.

  I grumbled under my breath because I couldn’t do the flippy thing but made my way over to Tabby to explain what a stalemate was and why she needed to enact one with Tyler today.

  “I still think they’ll grow up and fall in love,” Bailey offered.

  Jess and I cut her a disbelieving look before returning our attention to our kids.

  Tyler’s birthday party was underway in Jess and Cooper’s substantial backyard. They’d hired a magician dressed as Iron Man. Jess and Cooper had spoken to Tyler about being on his best behavior with Tabby, and there had been no fights when the kids congregated around the performer.

  They were, however, wearing grumpy faces and shooting each other death stares now and then.

  “I’m telling you,” Bailey insisted. “They’re like a kid version of me and Vaughn when we first met.”

  “We’ll see,” I muttered uncertainly. I still had that worrying poop-gift story on my mind.

  “Where is Vaughn?” Ivy asked, her eyes searching the backyard.

  “He and Michael are putting Lily and Jenna down for a nap.” She jerked her head to the house.

  Lillian Tremaine, or Lily, was Bailey and Vaughn’s thirteen-month-old daughter. They named her after Vaughn’s beloved mom who died when he was young. Jenna was Dahlia and Michael’s sixteen-month-old daughter. For now, we were surrounded by girls.

  The men didn’t seem to mind.

  They were all a bunch of doting, protective fathers.

  “Mimosa, ladies.” Dahlia crossed the yard to where we huddled in the shade. In her hands was a tray of champagne flutes filled with orange juice and champagne.

  Bailey took two, passing one to Jess who waved it off. Her gaze was firmly trained on the kids and the magician. All the kids’ parents were around, so it wasn’t like we didn’t have an eye on things, but that was Jess. And she was excellent at multitasking, which meant she could still enjoy a conversation with us while keeping her eyes on the kids.

  Ivy reached for a glass, her simple engagement ring and wedding band flashing in the sunlight.

  “Em.” Dahlia held a glass out to me.

  I waved it off. “Too early in the day for me.” My eyes moved across the yard, sensing someone’s attention on me.

  Jack.

  He was standing with Cooper, but he was looking at me.

  His eyes narrowed in thought.

  I gave him a flirty smile, and he grinned.

  “I miss Coop,” Jess abruptly announced, her eyes still on Tyler and the kids.

  “How so?” Bailey frowned.

  Jess flicked a look at me. “I’m sure Em knows. I’ve barely seen Cooper for the last month.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “But we knew launching a business would take up a lot of time.”

  “We did. And I support them. But if I don’t get my husband back soon, I won’t be happy.”

  “Have you spoken to him about it?” Ivy frowned.

  “Do you hassle Jeff for working long hours?” Jess asked pointedly.

  “No. I knew what I was getting into when I married him.”

  “Exactly. You support your spouses in all their endeavors,” she grumbled.

  I chuckled at her surlines
s.

  That chuckle was abruptly halted by, “I’m pregnant again. I’m thirty-nine. I had complications with my last pregnancy, and Cooper and I discussed it. Tyler was supposed to be an only child.” Jess cut us a worried look. “He doesn’t know. I’m scared he’ll be mad. And I need him.”

  “Oh my goodness, Jess, you need to tell him.” Bailey squeezed her shoulder. “And congratulations.”

  We all went to congratulate her, but she hushed us. “He knows something’s up. He’s mad at me for being distant. We had a huge fight this morning in bed.” She buried her face in her hands.

  I wanted to speak.

  I wanted to offer reassurances.

  But I could not believe what I was hearing.

  All I could think was … how weirdly in sync we were.

  My heart rate increased.

  “Uh, Jess …” Ivy tried to warn.

  However, having seen his wife looking visibly distressed, Cooper was marching determinedly across the yard in our direction with Jack at his back.

  “Ladies,” Coop said as Jess’s head snapped up at his voice, “can you watch the kids for a minute?”

  “Of course.”

  “Sure.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Cooper took hold of Jess’s hand, pulling her out of the lounger. They disappeared into the house, hand in hand.

  “Where’s Cat?” Bailey asked, trying to defuse the sudden tension and worry among us.

  “Late.” Dahlia rolled her eyes. “Jess said Cat’s been cagey about the party ever since she heard Seb got an invitation.”

  Seb, as in Sebastian.

  “He’s not here either,” I observed.

  “When are those two going to pull their heads out of their asses?” Bailey muttered dryly.

  “Sometimes it takes time,” I replied, smiling at Jack. “It took us nine years.”

  “Oh God, I can’t take a nine-year Cat-and-Seb drama. Uh-uh, no way.” Bailey sipped at her mimosa. “I may have to intervene.”

  “You have a child,” Dahlia reminded her. “A child who needs her mother to be alive. And if you intervene, Cat Lawson will kill you. You’re scrappy. But she’s tougher.”

  “Truth,” Ivy muttered.

  “Where’s Jeff?” I asked my friend before Bailey could act on the glare she was shooting Dahlia, who only made matters worse by laughing into her drink.

  “Working. He’ll be here after the kids’ party for the barbecue.”

  “I could take Cat,” Bailey huffed.

  “Take me where?”

  We turned to see Cat coming down the steps with a birthday gift in hand. Joey was noticeably absent. He was a teenager now, one who looked like a miniature Cooper, and the kind of teenager who could befriend anyone. He hung around with kids from all different cliques, which meant he was always on the go doing something.

  Or dating someone.

  Once I married Jack, Joey moved on to girls his own age.

  “Nowhere,” Bailey answered quickly.

  “Give me a glass of that,” Cat huffed, gesturing to the mimosas. “My brother depresses the crap out of me. It’s his kid’s fourth birthday party, and he and his wife can’t keep their hands off each other long enough for even that.”

  My lips twitched at her mock-disgusted glower.

  “They’re going at it in the bathroom.” Her smirk turned wicked. “That is, they were going at each other. Until I hammered on the door and told them I was calling the cops for public indecency.”

  We chuckled, but my laughter died when I saw Cat case the backyard as if she were searching for someone.

  “He’s not here,” I told her.

  She shrugged. “Who isn’t?”

  Letting her have it her way, I stayed silent as she strode across the yard to her nephew.

  “I’m telling you, it’ll be another nine years unless I intervene,” Bailey muttered.

  “Intervene in what?” Vaughn’s voice called to us.

  We turned to see him and Michael striding down the steps toward us, baby girls in their arms.

  “I thought they were napping?” Bailey said as she reached for Lily.

  He held his daughter close. “I’ve got her,” he assured her.

  Dahlia reached up for Michael’s free hand. Jenna was curled in his other arm, her head resting sleepily on his shoulder.

  “Uh … I don’t think Coop and Jess knew we were in the house.” Vaughn’s lips twitched. “We thought it best to give them some privacy.”

  “Jess is pregnant,” Bailey explained.

  “We heard. There was some yelling … but ultimately Coop seems to be taking the news well,” Michael murmured.

  “I don’t know why,” Dahlia said. “Her pregnancy was the worst.”

  We shot her reproving looks and she glared at us. “Uh, please, like you all weren’t scared shitless of her when she was pregnant the first time.”

  We grumbled. But it was true.

  “Another baby.” Ivy grimaced. “This is just going to make Jeff so broody.”

  “I thought you wanted kids?” Bails frowned in confusion.

  “I do. And I know we should start soon.” She shrugged. “But I’m enjoying my time alone with the sheriff. I quite like being able to have sex with him whenever I damn well please.”

  Jack and I shared a look, and I knew we were both thinking about this morning and the fact that it was the first time we’d had sex in three weeks. That wasn’t a huge amount of time in the grand scheme of things, but it was unusual for us.

  He’d just been so exhausted lately.

  And … well … I had a lot on my mind.

  A little while later, Cooper and Jess returned to the backyard looking disheveled and pleased with themselves. They explained they wanted to keep the pregnancy just between us so as not to take away from Tyler’s big day. So we didn’t make an enormous deal out of congratulating them, but I was over the moon for my friend. And I really, really hoped her second pregnancy was easier than the first.

  “Can we talk?” Jack whispered in my ear, his hand closing around my wrist.

  Hearing the seriousness in his tone, I nodded. We excused ourselves, heading into the house. Jack led me upstairs to Tyler’s room and closed the door behind us.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  He rested his hands on his hips, his expression unreadable. “When were you planning on telling me?”

  I blinked in confusion. “About Jess?”

  “No.” His expression softened. “No, sunrise, about you.”

  The light of knowledge in his eyes caught me completely off guard. “How do you know?”

  “I enjoy having sex with my wife, so I tend to keep track of your period. And then I saw you waving off that mimosa …”

  Before I could stop it, a smile pushed at my lips. Excitement unfurled in my belly. “I haven’t been to see Jess yet, but I took two tests. Both positive.”

  The word ‘positive’ was barely out of my mouth before I was in my husband’s arms as he kissed the life out of me. His big hands went to my stomach as we kissed. Then he abruptly broke away. “Me and Cooper need to figure out a way to do business without losing so much time with our families.”

  “Yes,” I agreed.

  “But right now, we’re going to ask our friends to watch Tabby so I can take you home and celebrate our fan-fucking-tastic news in bed.”

  My thighs quivered at the mere thought. “Really? Can we do that?”

  “Fuck yeah. We’ll tell them why.”

  “Should we do that?”

  “They’re going to know soon enough.”

  Jack grabbed my hand and hurried me out of the bedroom and downstairs. Thankfully, our closest friends were still huddled, although now Cooper was holding baby Lily.

  Ivy took one look at our faces and frowned. “What’s going on?”

  My eyes flew to Jess’s. “Well … I just told Jack my news. It looks like you and I will be pregnancy buddies again.” I said this a litt
le warily because I didn’t want to steal the spotlight and I also remembered how good I’d had it with my pregnancy with Tabby compared to Jess’s with Tyler.

  Jess barely contained her squeal as our friends tried to lower their voices and their surprise. “I can’t believe this.”

  “I know!” I jerked my thumb between Coop and Jack. “It’s like these two can’t do anything if it’s not together.”

  The two best buddies grimaced at my crack while Vaughn and Michael ribbed them.

  “Enough,” Jack said, waving them off. “You guys mind watching Tabby for an hour?”

  Every single one of them got a knowing gleam in their eyes.

  “Go.” Cooper sighed. “At least one of us should get a shot at something better than a quickie in the bathroom.”

  Jess smacked his arm while I blushed beetroot. This only made Jack give a bark of laughter. I was about to rescind my capitulation to copulate when he abruptly took hold of my hand and hauled me around the side yard to the exit.

  “Tabby?” I hissed at him in semi-exasperation as I heard our friends laughing behind us.

  “She won’t even notice we’re gone, Em.”

  This was probably true.

  “An hour,” I reminded him as he helped me into his truck.

  Jack flashed me that wicked, wicked smile of his that had gotten me knocked up again in the first place.

  We were longer than an hour.

  In fact, Jack took his sweet time making love to me for a blissful two hours that afternoon.

  Afterward, we returned to the party to discover Tabby had not noticed we were gone because the détente between her and Tyler had ended, and she was wrapped up in their mini war. Jess assured me Ty started it by telling Tabby her dress was ugly and he didn’t want her at the party.

  Unlike other little girls who might cry at this, Tabby had told him “he could stick his party where the sun didn’t shine.”

  I blamed Jack for that one.

  Jess said it was hard to reprimand her when most of the adults were choking on their laughter.

  As the other kids went home, leaving only the Lawsons’ closest friends at the barbecue, Ty and Tabby settled down once they had the focus of Iris and Ira. The Greens might not have been blood, but they were definitely doting grandparents to our kids.