“I didn’t come here for—”
“I know, and it makes it all the more sweet.” She lifted her arms and reached for him. “Come here, Dylan.” she said. “Let me do something for you.”
“There’s no need,” he said, but it was too late. She grabbed him around the neck and pulled him down on top of her. He was careful where he landed and avoided plopping on her belly.
“I’m not tired anymore. In fact, I’m feeling pretty loose,” she said softly. “And you deserve a massage, too.”
* * *
Emma stood over the sizzling range top, flipping pancakes on a griddle, a pleasing hum running through her body. Last night’s massages had turned into something pretty spectacular and now she was famished. She’d crept out of bed, leaving Dylan sleeping, to make him a nourishing breakfast. He’d sure earned it judging by the energy he’d exerted making love to her last night.
When his arms wrapped around her waist, she nearly jumped out of her skin. She hadn’t heard him come up behind her. “Morning,” he said, nibbling on her neck.
“I thought you were sleeping.”
“I missed you.”
God, he said all the right things. “Sweet.”
“You’re sweet to make us breakfast.”
“Us?” She chuckled. “What makes you think this is for you?”
He tightened his hold on her and then reached around her body to turn the knob, shutting off the burner. “Dylan, what are you—”
He turned her around and kissed her complaint away. Then he gave her a heart-melting smile and tugged her away from the stove. He’d already put his clothes from yesterday back on. They looked amazingly unwrinkled and fresh, while she was wearing gray sweats and a pink tank sporting the Parties-To-Go logo in purple glitter, her hair in a messy ponytail.
Holding her hand, he led her to the living area. Her heart was beating fast now. What was he up to? He turned to her and the expression on his face was dead serious. “I’ve been thinking, Em. About us.”
She gulped. Us?
“You and I, we’re going to be parents soon and I guess I’m an old-fashioned guy when it comes to kids and all. I see a bright future ahead for us, the three of us. We’ll be a family, a real honest-to-goodness family, and I think the baby deserves the very best start in life. That means having a mother and father raise the child together. I care very much for you, Emma. You know that. We’re good together, if last night isn’t proof enough.” His smile was a little wobbly now and Emma’s heart pounded even harder. He was going to press her to move in with him.
“I’m not going to ask you to move in with me anymore, Em.”
“You’re not?” She blinked. This was new.
He shook his head. “No. That’s not the solution.”
He gazed deep into her eyes. “I want you to marry me.”
Emma’s mouth opened and a sharp gasp escaped. “Oh.”
“I’m asking you to be my wife, Emma. I’ve given this a lot of thought and I can only see good things in store for the three of us.”
She dropped her hand from his and shuffled her feet. Inside, everything was stirring, a mad mix of emotions and thoughts flying through her head. “This is...um, unexpected.”
“Really, Em? It’s not so far-fetched to think that two people conceiving a child together would get married, is it?”
He made it seem so simple. He cared for her. And Lord knew, she cared even more for him. She loved him. Could they make it work, even though he didn’t say the words a woman being proposed to was meant to hear? There was no claim of undying love, nothing about how he couldn’t live without her and how his life would be empty without her in it. Yet Dylan had spoken honestly, giving her genuine reasons why this was a good idea.
But doubts immediately crept in. He was Dylan McKay, eligible bachelor extraordinaire, a highly sought-after movie star, a man whose life was obviously filled with temptations at every turn. Could she place her trust in him not to break her heart and soul? Could she marry a man who didn’t outright love her?
“Em, you don’t have to give me your answer right now. Take some time,” he said, his voice laced with tenderness and understanding. “Give it some thought. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here.”
A huge part of her wanted to say yes, but she couldn’t make this decision on the spur of the moment. She was being given the moon, but was it greedy of her to want the sun and the stars, too?
“Dylan,” she began softly, “I can’t give you an answer right now. Everything is happening so fast.”
“I know. I get it, Em. I don’t want to add to your stress. Believe me, I only want what’s best for you. But I wanted to get my feelings out in the open. I think it’s the right move, but I won’t pressure you. I’ll wait until you’ve made your decision.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. So, um...where do we go from here?”
Dylan grinned. “You finish making me breakfast. I’m starving and those pancakes look pretty appetizing. And tomorrow night, we’ll have a dinner date at my house. Sound good?”
She nodded. So they’d resume dating, with the option of marriage.
So that was it. He’d proposed and now they were back to the status quo. The ball was in her court, as they say. How on earth would she be able to make this decision? Her foster parents’ marriage had been a train wreck. They’d fought constantly and Emma often felt she was to blame. She’d cower under a blanket in the far corner of her bedroom and cover her ears to block out their vulgar arguments. She never wanted a child of hers to go through that kind of pain and torment. Would Emma and Dylan end up hating each other and fighting constantly, just as her folks had?
Just as important, could she possibly say no to Dylan and refuse his marriage proposal? Or even more frightening, could she allow herself to say yes to him without having his love?
“Sounds perfect,” she said with a manufactured smile.
Lying to Dylan and to...herself.
* * *
Monday morning Emma walked into her office, greeted Brooke, plopped into the chair behind her desk and began working. She was in the early planning stages of a Bar Mitzvah and had many calls to make. She worked diligently, struggling to keep her mind on business.
Later that morning, she met with vendors, a florist and photographer, and then returned to the office feeling somewhat accomplished. But all day long, she’d been distracted and had a difficult time focusing. She’d made a few mistakes along the way as well, giving the wrong dates to a vendor and then having to recalculate an estimate she’d given and call back a client with the bad news that she’d made an error. That never went over well and she’d wound up giving them a 10 percent discount to make up for it.
Brooke had cast furtive glances at her all day long and no matter how much she tried to behave like her normal self, Emma figured she hadn’t fooled her friend. To add to her dismay, a gorgeous bouquet of pink Stargazer lilies had been delivered in a bubble crystal vase while she was gone. They sat on one corner of her desk now and flavored the air with a wonderful floral scent.
The note read: Just Because. Dylan
By late afternoon, Brooke approached, taking a seat on the edge of Emma’s desk. “Hey, Em?”
Emma’s lips twisted. She knew the drill, but refused to look up from her computer screen. “Hey, yourself.”
“So what’s wrong? You’ve been distracted all day.”
“I can make an error once in a while, Brooke.”
“I make errors all the time, but not you, Little Miss Organized. You don’t make mistakes.”
“Well, call me perfect, then.”
“Emma?” Brooke put a motherly tone in her voice. “What’s up? And don’t tell me nothing. Did you and Dylan have a fight or something?”
Emma finally shifted her
focus and looked into Brooke’s concerned eyes. “No,” she said emphatically. “We didn’t fight. He asked me to marry him.”
Brooke’s face lit up. “Really?”
Emma ran both hands down her cheeks, pulling the skin taut. “Really.”
“Oh, so you’re bothered by his proposal?”
“It wasn’t so much a proposal, but a sort of bargain, for the baby’s sake. Not that I don’t want what’s best for the baby. I do, but I don’t know. I’m...confused.”
“Did he say he wanted to marry you?”
“Yes, of course he did.”
“And did he say he wanted you, him and baby to be his family?”
“Yes. That’s what he wants.”
“He’s very fond of you, Emma. He’s always liked you.”
“I know that.”
“So how do you feel about him? And be honest.”
Emma tugged on her long braid, twisting it around and around in her hand. Her mouth twitched and she blinked a few times. This was a hard thing for her to admit even to Brooke “I’ve fallen in love with him,” she finally said.
Brooke didn’t get excited about her admission and Emma was grateful for that. Instead, she took her hand and smiled. “I see the problem.” Brooke knew her so well. “You’re worried he may not return the feelings.”
“Ever.”
“Ever,” Brooke repeated softly. “Well, all I can say is that Dylan is capable of great love. He accepted me from day one when I came to the McKay house to live. Here I was this little frightened girl with no family, and there was this older boy who seemed to have it all, a nice set of parents, and friends and a decent house to live in. I was afraid he’d hate me for imposing on his family, but he did just the opposite. He made me feel welcomed, and the first time he called me his little sister, I cried big sloppy tears and he hugged me hard and said something funny that made me laugh. From then on, I was okay with Dylan and he was okay with me.
“I can’t tell you what to do, Emma. You’re my friend and you deserve to be loved, but I know my brother will never intentionally hurt you. He’s gonna love the baby you’re carrying with all his heart. And I know you will, too. You’ll have that in common and that’s a bond that will carry you into the future. It’s up to you, to figure out if that’s enough.” Brooke gave her hand a last squeeze, then stood up. “Are you okay?”
Emma nodded. “I’m much better. Thanks, Brooke. It helps.”
A weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Brooke’s rational, though slightly biased, opinion made sense to her. She had the moon in the palm of her hands, and maybe just maybe, the sun and the stars would come later on.
* * *
Late-afternoon runs always served to clear Dylan’s mind, and today’s jog along the shoreline did the trick. He wasn’t running the ten miles he’d been doing before the accident, but he managed five miles today without too much problem.
As he climbed the steps that led to his house, he nodded to Dan, one of his bodyguards, who’d been on the beach running behind him and watching him diligently. That was another reason he hadn’t resumed the longer runs. Dan wasn’t up to it. Not too many people were. Dylan had been doing endurance runs for months during his training for this SEAL movie. His bodyguard was fit but hadn’t been training as intensely as Dylan had.
He went inside and stopped in the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and gulped it down in three big swallows. As he moved toward the staircase, he lifted his T-shirt over his head and used it to sop up beads of sweat raining down his chest. Emma was coming for dinner soon. He’d given Maisey time off today so that they’d have time alone. Yesterday, he’d jumped into the waters with both feet, spontaneously proposing to Emma, and he hoped he’d made an impression. He had a ring ready for her, one he’d been carrying around with him for days, but putting that ring on her finger would have to wait until she accepted his proposal.
When the doorbell rang, he blinked in surprise and strode to the front door. He’d given Emma the remote control to the garage door entryway and wondered why she didn’t come through the back door as usual. Peeking through the peephole, his shoulders drooped when he saw Callista standing on the threshold. He made a mental note to change the code to his front gate.
Opening the door, he greeted her. “Hi, Callista, what are you doing here?” He put as much civility in his voice as he could muster.
“I came to check on you.” She glanced at his bare chest and black running shorts, smiled and whizzed by him, entering his home. “Did I ever tell you how much I love this vertical garden? It’s a masterpiece,” she said, eyeing the lush wall of succulents spilling down from the tall ceiling in his foyer.
Dylan grimaced before facing her. She turned back around and waited for him to shut the door.
“No, I don’t think you ever have.” He closed the door.
“Well, I do. I love it.”
He nodded and stood his ground.
“Aren’t you going to ask me in?”
She was already in, but that was beside the point. He’d have to deal with her, explain that he wasn’t interested in a relationship with her any longer and hope that they could still remain friends. She should’ve already gotten the hint, since he hadn’t called her since the day of Roy’s memorial service, but Callista wasn’t easily put off. “Come in, please. After you.” He gestured for her to lead the way.
She walked into the living room and leaned against one of the open double doors to the veranda. “It’s a beautiful time of day, Dylan. I love the sea air. I’ve missed coming here.”
He had nothing to say to that.
“It looks like you’ve been running.”
“Yeah, I’m getting back into it. It feels good, clears my head.”
“So, you’re feeling better?”
“I’m doing well.”
“That’s good to hear. You look amazing.”
“So do you, Callista. As always.”
She was a beautiful woman, her honey-blond hair cut longer on one side than the other in a sleek style, her eyes a glistening blue, her body as slim as a supermodel’s. She dressed impeccably, in the latest fashion, her clothes fitting her flamboyant personality. Unfortunately what she had on the outside didn’t make up for her lack of humanity on the inside. She wasn’t a bad person, just self-absorbed, and he couldn’t lay all the blame at her feet. She’d been spoiled and indulged all of her life by her parents and her friends, and it had taken Dylan getting to know Emma as well as he did now to make the comparison and see which woman he wanted in his life.
“Are you okay, Dylan? I mean, really okay? Daddy told me about the possible threat to your life and I’m...I’m so worried about you.”
“I’m fine. And they’re not absolutely sure if it was an attempt on my life. But to put your mind at ease, I’ve added additional security around here and I travel with bodyguards all the time now. I’m sure your father told you to keep this private. There’s an investigation going on.”
“Yes, of course. On any given day there are hundreds of people at the studio, Dylan. How can they possibly find out who’s responsible?”
“I don’t know, Callista.” At least he’d be finished shooting the movie in a few weeks and wouldn’t have to go into the studio anymore. “All we can do is hope the investigation gives them some leads.”
“Gosh, I hope so.”
Dylan softened a little. Callista seemed genuinely concerned for him. He couldn’t deny that they’d had a past relationship and that they still cared for each other’s welfare. “Thanks. I appreciate it. I value your friendship.”
She walked over to him, placed her palm on his cheek and locked her pretty doe eyes on his. “We’re more than friends, Dylan. I’d hoped you’d remembered that.” She brushed her lips to his and spoke softly over his mouth.
“And it would make me very happy if you’d be my date for my birthday party.”
* * *
Emma shut her mind off to all of her misgivings about Dylan and looked upon his proposal more openly now. Her conversation with Brooke had helped her see things in a new perspective. She was still debating about marrying him, but at least the roadblocks in her head were slowly being taken down. She’d realized this as she was baking him a chocolate marble cake today, just like the one she’d demolished on her birthday years ago. If they could have a good laugh over it, then the cake would serve its purpose. Smiling, she entered the gates of his home, noting a foreign sports car in his driveway she didn’t recognize. Oh well, so much for having a quiet evening together. He had a visitor.
Emma parked her car in one of the empty garages on his property and carefully removed the cake holder, balancing it in one hand as she went up to the house and unlocked the back door with a hidden key. When she entered, she heard voices and debated about barging in, but as she moved into the kitchen, she recognized the seductive female voice.
Callista.
Emma set the cake down on the countertop and strode quietly toward the living room. She came to an abrupt stop when she saw Callista and Dylan tangled up in one another’s arms at the far end of the room. She blinked several times, not believing what she was seeing. Her first thought was how wonderful they looked together, two stunning people living in the same high-profile world, a place where Emma didn’t fit. They were the beautiful people, A-listers with friends who owned islands and airplanes and villas on the French Riviera. Seeing the two of them cuddled up good and tight, whispering to each other, brought it all to light. Emma didn’t belong in Dylan’s universe. Jealousy jabbed at her over the unfairness of it all.
But Dylan wasn’t Callista’s to ensnare. She wasn’t the right woman for him.
One Secret Night, One Secret Baby Page 12
