She snorted a laugh. “Men always seem to say that, yet the world is filled with husbands.”
His eyebrows arched. “Anyway,” he said pointedly, “Naomi and I are good together. I think we’ll make this work for all of us.”
“I always liked Naomi,” Joyce said, nodding. “She’s got a lot of spirit and a little sass, and that’s a good thing. But she’s also got a heart that’s not been treated very gently over the years.”
“I’m not going to hurt her.”
“Not purposely, of course,” she said. “And she wouldn’t intentionally hurt you, either. Still, I’m your mother, so I’ll worry a little, and there’s nothing either of us can do to stop that. But if it’s my blessing you were after, you have it.”
“You’re amazing,” he said softly.
“I just know my son.” She stood up, walked to a cupboard and came back with a plastic zip bag. She dumped every last cookie into the bag and sealed it before handing it over to Toby. “You take these home with you. And when you get home, you have a good long talk with yourself. Make sure this is what you want.”
“I have. I will.” He reached out and patted her hand. “I know what I’m doing.”
Joyce shook her head and smiled wryly. “Scarlett was right, you know. There’s always been sparks between you and Naomi.”
“Mom...”
“I’m just saying, don’t be surprised if those sparks kindle a fire neither of you is expecting.”
Four
The next morning, Naomi was at the local cable studio outside Royal. No matter what else was going on in her life, she had a job to do—the fact that she loved her job was a bonus.
The station was small but had everything you could need. Local businesses used it to film commercials, the high school football games were broadcast from the studio, and Naomi’s own show had been born there. The studio was so well set up they had community college students as interns, helping the professional staff.
She tried to focus on the upcoming taping of her show, but it wasn’t easy to concentrate when she knew that Toby would be coming by her condo that afternoon to help move her things to the ranch. Naomi stopped on the walk across the parking lot, just to allow her brain to wheel through everything that was happening. She’d worked hard to buy her little condo in Royal and then to fix it up just as she wanted it. Sure, it was small, but it was hers. Her own place. And now she was giving it up to move to the country.
Granted, growing up in a small town in Texas, she was used to being in the country. But she’d never lived there. And not only was she giving up her home, but she was marrying her best friend, and that still was enough to make her bite her bottom lip and question herself.
In fact, Naomi had spent most of the night before pacing through her home, mind spinning. Was she doing the right thing? She didn’t know. There were plenty of doubts, plenty of questions and not many answers. All she could be sure of was the decision had been made and there was no backing out now—since the whole town was talking about her engagement to Toby.
Of course, she told herself, since everyone was busy with Toby’s lie, no one was talking much about the hideous video Maverick had put out. And today she was taping her first maternity-wear show—fighting fire with fire. Maverick had wanted to make her look foolish, but she would take his announcement and make it her own. Toby had been right about that. If Maverick wanted her crying in a corner somewhere, he was going to be really disappointed.
Truthfully, it was a relief to no longer have to hide the fact that she was pregnant. Disguising a growing baby bump wasn’t easy. Loose shirts, pinned slacks and an oversize bag to hold in front of the rounding part of her body could only work for so long. Knowing her secret was out was...liberating in a way she hadn’t expected.
Taking a deep breath, she headed for the building, stepped into the air-conditioned cool and came face-to-face with Eddie, the lead cameraman. He was an older man, with grizzled salt-and-pepper hair that stuck out around his head like he’d been electrocuted.
“We’re ready for the run-through, Naomi.” He gave her a smile and a thumbs-up. “You good to go?”
“I really am, as soon as I stop by makeup,” she said. Twenty minutes later, she walked to the set, hair perfect, makeup just as she wanted it and her wardrobe displaying that bump she’d been hiding for too long.
Local cable channel or not, Naomi’s show, Fashion Sense, was catching on. In the last year, she’d managed to get picked up by affiliates in Houston and Dallas, and just this week a station in Galveston had contacted her about carrying her show. And, thanks to social media, word about her show was spreading far beyond the Texas borders. Her Facebook page boasted followers from as far away as New York and California and even a few in Europe.
Naomi had plans. She wanted to take her show national. She wanted to be featured in magazines, to be taken seriously enough that even her parents would have to sit up and take notice. And she was going to make those dreams come true. Lifting her chin, Naomi walked in long, determined strides to the center of her set and turned to face the camera and her growing audience. The lights were bright, hot and felt absolutely right.
“In five, four,” Tammy, the assistant sound engineer, said, counting down with her fingers as well until she reached one and pointed at Naomi.
“Hi, and welcome to Fashion Sense. I’m Naomi Price.” She was comfortable in front of the camera. Always had been, a small part of her mind admitted quietly. Toby had been right about that, too. She enjoyed being the center of attention when it was her idea.
And she had a lot of ideas. Just last night, while she wandered her condo hoping for sleep, her mind had raced with all kinds of possibilities. To grow her audience, she had to grow the show itself. Make it appeal to as many people as possible. There were plenty of women out there, she knew, who didn’t give a damn about fashion—though she found that hard to believe. But those women did care about their homes, decorating. Just look at all the DIY programs that were so popular.
Well, she couldn’t build a staircase or install fresh lighting, but she knew how to find those who could. So today, she was going to announce a few of the changes she had in mind. Starting, she told herself, with the biggest announcement of all. With Maverick’s video out and viral by now, she had to assume that her viewers had seen it, or would have by the time this show aired. So she was taking control of the situation.
“As you can see,” she said, turning sideways to show off the baby bump proudly displayed beneath a tight lavender tank, “my own personal fashion style will be undergoing some drastic transformations over the next few months. My fiancé, Toby McKittrick, and I are both very happy about our coming baby and we’re excited to greet all the new things in our future.”
Smiling into the camera, she faced the audience head-on again and continued. “And to keep up with the changes in my life, I’m going to be doing a lot of shows focusing on contemporary, fashionable maternity wear, obviously.”
Again, that brilliant smile shot into the camera and into homes across Texas. “But don’t worry. It’s not going to be all babies all the time. As our lives grow and evolve, we have to keep up. So here on Fashion Sense, we’re going to be branching out—dipping into home furnishings and gardens and even designing your own outdoor living space.” She tossed her hair back from her face and winked. “Since I’m expanding, I thought it was only right the show did a little growing, too.”
Off camera, she heard a chuckle from one of the grips and knew she’d hit just the right note.
“So I hope you’ll come with me on this journey of discovery. Over the next few months, we’ll all be in new territory—should be fun!”
“And cut.”
When Eddie gave her the go-ahead, Naomi looked at him and asked, “Well, how’d I do?”
“Great, Naomi, seriously great.”
Eddie winked at her. “I think you’re on to something with this house stuff. My wife’s always watching those home shows, coming up with things for me to do. So I already know she’ll be hounding me to do whatever it is you show her.”
“Good to know,” Naomi said, laughing.
“We’re gonna set up for the next shot. Be about fifteen minutes,” Eddie said as the crew scurried around, making TV magic happen.
As long as most women felt as Eddie’s wife did, this new direction Naomi was determined to take would work out. All she had to do was bring in experts to interview and to demonstrate their specialties. She could already see it. Gardeners, painters, tiling specialists. She would push Fashion Sense to the next level—and at the bottom of it, didn’t she have Maverick to thank for the push?
Unsettling thought. Naomi wandered off to a chair in a quiet corner of the studio, sat down and turned her phone on. She checked her email, sighed a little at the number of them and wondered halfheartedly how many of them were because of Maverick’s video. With that thought in mind, she closed her email program. She didn’t need to deal with them right this minute, and she really didn’t want to ruin the good mood she was in.
Because she felt great. She’d taken Maverick’s slap at her and turned it around. She was taking ownership of her pregnancy, pushing her show to new heights—and marrying her best friend.
Okay, she could admit that she was still worried about that. Toby had been such an important part of her life for so long that if she lost him because of a fake marriage, it would break her heart. So maybe they needed to talk again. To really think this through, together. To somehow make a pact that their friendship would always come first.
The rumble and scrape of furniture being moved echoed in the building, letting her know the guys were still hard at work. So when her phone rang, Naomi checked the screen and felt her heart sink into a suddenly open pit in her stomach.
Wouldn’t you know it? Just when things were starting to look up.
Answering her phone, she said, “Hello, Gio.”
“Ciao, bella.” The voice was smooth, dark and warm, just as she remembered it from that night nearly five months ago now.
Naomi closed her eyes as the memory swept over her, and she shook her head to lose it again just as fast. It wasn’t easy admitting that you’d been stupid enough to have a one-night stand with a man you knew would be nothing more than that. And even though they’d used protection, apparently it wasn’t foolproof.
Gio Fabiani, gorgeous, lying player who’d sneaked past her defenses long enough to get her into bed. Even now Naomi felt a quick stab of regret for her own poor choices. But moaning over the past wouldn’t get her anywhere. She opened her eyes, looked across the room at the crew busily working and kept her voice low as she spoke to Gio. As much as she’d prefer to just hang up on the man, she had to do the right thing and tell him about the baby.
“I have your many messages on my phone, bella,” Gio was saying. “What is so important? Is it that you miss me?”
She rolled her eyes and ground her teeth together, silently praying for patience. Behind his voice, she heard the telltale clatter and noise of a busy restaurant. With the time difference between Texas and Italy, it was late afternoon for Gio and he was probably at his favorite trattoria, sitting at a table on the sidewalk where he could see and be seen. She frowned at the mental image and then instantly shut down everything but the urge to get the truth said and done.
“I’ve been trying to get hold of you for months, Gio,” she said softly.
“Sì, sì, I have been very busy.”
Getting other foolish women into his bed, no doubt, and oh, how it burned to know she’d been just one of a crowd.
“Yes, me too. Gio,” she said, taking a breath to say it all at once. “I’m pregnant.”
Silence on the other end of the line and then, “This is happy news for you, sì?”
She skipped right over that. None of his business how she was feeling. “You’re the father.”
A longer silence from him this time, and she heard the street sounds of Italy in the background. She could see him, lounging in a chair, legs kicked out in front of him, a glass of wine in one hand and the phone in the other. What she couldn’t see was his reaction. She didn’t have long to wait for it, though.
“I am no one’s father, bella,” he said softly enough that she had to strain to hear him. “If you carry the baby, the baby is yours, not mine.”
She hadn’t expected anything else, but still, hearing it felt like a slap. How many women, she wondered, had made this call to Gio? How many times had he heard about a child he’d made just before he walked away from all responsibility? He was a dog, but it was her own fault that she’d fallen for his practiced charm. Toby had been right about him, of course. He’d called him a user, and that described Gio to a tee.
Naomi didn’t actually want Gio in her life or her baby’s. It seemed she would get what she wanted. But she had to be sure they both understood right where things were. “You’re not interested?”
“Bella, you must see that I am not a man who wishes the encumbrance of a child.”
The tone of his voice was that of a man trying to explain something to a very stupid person. And maybe she had been stupid. Once. But she wasn’t anymore.
“That’s fine, Gio. I’m not the one who made this phone call, Gio. I don’t want anything from you,” she said, flicking a glance toward the set, making sure no one was within earshot. “You had a right to know about the baby. That’s it.”
“Ah,” he said on a long sigh of what she assumed was satisfaction. “Then we are finished together, yes?”
Big yes, she thought. In an instant, her mind drew up an image of Toby and what had happened yesterday. How he’d stood with her to face her parents. The difference between the two men was incalculable. Toby would always do the right thing. Always. Gio did the expedient thing. And Naomi herself? She would do what was best for her baby. And that was ridding them of the man who was, as he’d pointed out, no one’s father.
“Yes, Gio,” she said, her grip on the phone tightening until her fingers ached. “We’re finished.”
And she was relieved. She’d never have to see him or deal with him again. There was no worry about him coming back at some later date, wanting to be a part of her baby’s life. The minute he hung up the phone, Gio would forget all about this conversation. He would forget her. And that was best for everybody.
“Arrivederci, bella,” Gio said and, without waiting for a response from her, disconnected.
She expelled a breath, looked at her phone for a long minute, then shook her head. Naomi had been trying to reach Gio for weeks, and when she finally did manage a conversation with him, it had lasted about three minutes. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “It’s over.”
Of course it had been over for months. Heck, it had never even started with Gio, really. You couldn’t count one night as anything other than a blip on the radar that appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. If she hadn’t gotten pregnant, would she even have given Gio a single thought? “No, I wouldn’t have,” she said out loud.
Really, she’d have done everything possible to never think about one night of bad judgment. She looked down at the phone in her hand as a wave of relief swept over her. Gio was well and truly out of her life. Naomi knew Toby would be pleased to hear it.
Toby.
The familiar noises of the crew working registered in one part of her mind as her thoughts swirled as if caught in a tornado. What did it say, she asked herself, that the first person she wanted to tell about the call from Gio was Toby? That he was her best friend. That he was the one person in her life she always turned to first.
Maybe marrying him would be all right, she told herself now. Maybe it would be good for all of t
hem. She trusted him, she loved him—as a friend—and she knew she’d always be able to count on him. So what was she so worried about? No sex? Not that big a deal, she assured herself silently. Heck, it wasn’t as if pregnant women had red-hot sex lives anyway.
Was it fair to Toby? Wasn’t that up to him? she reasoned. If he wanted to marry her, why shouldn’t she? Yes, she could be a single mother. She was perfectly capable of raising a child on her own. But as Toby had pointed out, why deliberately take the hard route when there was another answer? And knowing that Toby would be with her, sharing it all, seemed to make the niggling fears of impending motherhood easier to conquer. But what to do with the fears she had of losing her best friend because of a convenient lie?
“We’re ready, Naomi,” Tammy shouted from across the room.
Pushing herself out of the chair, still wrestling with her thoughts, Naomi walked to the set. Distracted, she took her place in the center of the stage.
“Hey, hey,” Eddie said. “Find your smile again, Naomi. We’ve got to finish this segment.”
“Right.” She shook off the dark thoughts, focused again on the moment and resolved to put all her energies into making this the best show she could.
* * *
Toby led the way into the stable, glancing over his shoulder at Clay Everett. As a former rodeo champ, Clay was the best judge of horseflesh in the county—not counting Toby himself, of course. Clay had left the rodeo behind after a bull-riding accident that had been bad enough to leave him with a slight limp. And a part of the man still missed it, Toby knew. The competition, the intensity of a seven-second ride that could win a trophy or break your heart. But he was settled now in Royal on his own ranch, and horses were still a big part of his life.
Of course there was more to Clay than being a successful rancher. His company, Everest, installed cloud infrastructure for corporations and was in demand by everyone with half a brain. Though Clay was a hell of a businessman, his heart was still at his ranch. The man was much like Toby in that way. Didn’t matter how many inventions Toby came up with or how his business interests ate up his time, the ranch fed his soul.
A Texas-Sized Secret Page 6
