A huge grin spread across Jake’s face. “It’s not going to work. It’s down as far as it will go.”
She gave her outfit one last pull and sighed. “I’m never letting an insane five-foot-nothing elf choose our costumes again.”
“You’re probably very wise.” He leaned forward, rubbing the side of his nose against hers. “But from a purely selfish perspective I’m glad she did the choosing.” He grinned as another wave of red hit her face. “Come back inside. I’ll keep the bad boys at bay for the rest of the night.”
“You might want to tuck your shirt in.”
He looked down at his half unbuttoned shirt. “Do you want to help me get dressed?”
“No.” Erin laughed. “But I’ll help you get undressed at the end of the night.”
Heat skimmed his cheeks and his heart rate thundered. “You’ve got a deal.”
***
After a monster plate of lemon meringue pie, Erin felt so at peace with the world that nothing short of an atomic explosion could rock her state of bliss. Nicky was laughing with Sam. Emily had moved out of hormone high and had been sitting with Auntie Julie, nibbling her dessert for the last half hour. And Jake had his arm around the back of her chair, gently massaging her neck.
She hummed along with the orchestra and Jake moved his hand to her shoulder, drawing soft patterns against her skin.
A wave of heat spread through her body as she contemplated where she wanted that hand to wander. Risking a glance at him, her blood pressure went berserk. His eyes were liquid fire, his mouth set in a grim line. Without needing to use words, his body told her how close he was to throwing her over his shoulder and having his wicked way with her.
As far as she was concerned, wicked was definitely in. Jake turned his attention to the pulse on her wrist and her mind refused to spit out anything mildly intelligent, except how good her body felt. Turning toward him, she placed her hand on his thigh, lightly rubbing her fingertips backward and forward. He flinched.
Dark cobalt blue eyes clashed with emerald green. Pure, undiluted need surged through Erin’s body. Jake captured her lips, grinding down hard and hungrily on her upturned mouth.
“Naughty, naughty, you two.” Nicky stood behind them, tapping on their shoulders.
Jake sighed.
Erin groaned. “Nicky. I need to talk to you. Now.” She looked across at Jake. He’d dropped his head to his hands and was laughing. Laughing. Grabbing Nicky by the arm to stop a hasty escape, she said, “I’ll be back soon.”
She hauled Nicky toward the ladies bathroom. From across the room, she saw Emily hovering around the bar. She wasn’t surprised when she joined them two seconds later. The little spitfire could smell trouble from a mile away.
“What is it with you two? Every time I lock lips with Jake, one of you arrives to interrupt a very nice moment. What’s going on?”
Nicky and Emily grinned at each other.
“We’re looking after you.” Nicky crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Unless that hunky man puts his heart on the line, we’re going to make sure he keeps his hands to himself.”
Emily looked delighted at the chaos she’d helped create.
Jake hadn’t put his heart on the line, but he had put other parts of his body squarely on the chopping block. Their baby-making plan would give her every opportunity to be a mom. And every opportunity to get to know Jake a whole lot better. “I don’t want him to keep his hands to himself. I want them on me.”
The toilet in cubicle two flushed and an elderly lady opened the door. She stared at the three girls standing in the bathroom dressed in little more than white negligees and silver sandals. “Young ladies, if I was half my age I wouldn’t mind a man’s hands on me either.”
Stunned silence filled the bathroom. Three pairs of eyes watched the ‘I’m-not-a-day-over-eighty-five’ woman with a purple hair rinse, wash her hands and leave.
They broke into a fit of giggles.
Emily found a hanky she’d hidden somewhere in her toga and wiped the tears running down her face. “Why do you want Jake?” Nicky shot her a disbelieving look. “Well apart from being drop-dead-gorgeous, of course. I thought he didn’t want children and hated the idea of marriage?”
Erin blushed. “I guess you could say he’s changed his mind. I want anything and everything he’s willing to give me.”
Nicky and Emily stared at her with grave expressions on their faces.
“I know. I could be letting myself in for my biggest downfall yet, but he’s worth it. I love him.”
“Erin, Erin, Erin.” Nicky shook her head and sighed. “The love bug strikes again. What are we going to do with you?”
“Nothing. Absolutely and totally nothing.”
Emily stared at her with a worried look on her face. “What else is going on that we don’t know about? A man doesn’t suddenly change his mind about two of the biggest things to ever hit his life. Especially a man who blushes every time he sees a pregnant body.”
Erin didn’t realize Emily had noticed Jake’s interest in Nicky’s pregnancy. He’d even started asking Nicky how she was feeling every time he saw her.
“Now that you mention it, Jake has been asking a lot of questions.” Nicky frowned, rubbing the side of her tummy. “Last week he wanted to know if I’d been having any weird food cravings.” Nicky’s eyes shot open. “You’re not pregnant are you?”
“No,” Erin muttered. “Not yet anyway.” She really didn’t want to be having this discussion in a bathroom. Really, really didn’t want to be having this discussion at all.
“What do you mean, not yet?” Emily asked. “Are you and Jake trying to have a baby?”
“Kind of.”
Nicky’s mouth fell open. “What do you mean, kind of? You either are or you aren’t.” At the raised eyebrows from both her friends, she blushed. “Okay, so Sam and I weren’t trying. We’re just incredibly fertile.”
“Or incredibly horny,” Emily laughed.
“Ssh. Someone might hear you.” Nicky turned the color of a ripe tomato. “We’re not discussing my love life, anyway. We’re discussing someone else’s baby plans.” She looked at Erin with a frown on her face. “If you don’t tell us quickly, Sam’s going to send a search party in here. So spill the beans.”
“We sort of made a deal,” Erin groaned.
Nicky and Emily looked at each other.
“A baby contract.” As if that provided a logical explanation for the crazy scheme she’d agreed to.
“A what?” Emily asked.
“We agreed to spend a year getting to know each other…” Heat scorched every cell of Erin’s body. They’d really gotten to know each other a lot over the last few weeks. “…and if we still want to be together after the year’s up, he’s agreed to be the father of our child. And if either of us wants to call it quits, he’ll still be the father of my child.”
Nicky stared at her. “Are you nuts?”
Emily nodded. “Of course she’s nuts. I can’t believe you’d purposely have a baby on your own, especially if he decides he doesn’t want to be part of your life.”
Erin took a deep breath. “I want to have a baby. I’ll love my child regardless of whether it’s father is living with me or not.”
“You’d better,” Emily growled. “Otherwise you’ll have me to answer to. When did you agree to Jake’s plan?”
“About four weeks ago.”
“Four weeks!” Emily shrieked. “You’ve been keeping this little secret hidden away for a whole month? I’m shocked.”
Nicky leaned against the bathroom vanity. “This sounds like our playtime conversation.”
Emily looked between Nicky and Erin. “You’ve both been keeping things from me. What’s playtime got to do with having a baby?” A bright blush lit her face, making the freckles across her nose stand out like neon paint. “Apart from the obvious.”
The bathroom door swung open, and a little girl walked in the room. “Mommy, there’s angels in here.”
A woman appeared from around the corner of the door and stopped in her tracks. She smiled at Erin, Emily and Nicky, then shooed her daughter into one of the cubicles. “They’re not angels, Darleen. They’re a bride and her two bridesmaids.
“Oh,” whispered the little girl. “I want to get married too mommy and wear one of those dresses.”
Her mother smiled and waited patiently by the door.
Erin looked guiltily at her two best friends. If she’d been an angel, someone would have clipped her wings by now. The baby contract she’d agreed to would not only have grounded one angel for eternity - it would have made a whole city of angels weep. So much for faith, hope, and love. She’d agreed to the possibility of a short-term relationship based on hormones that made full use of turkey baster technology.
The toilet flushed and the little girl emerged from behind the cubicle door.
“Wash your hands, Darleen.”
Darleen stared, open-mouthed at Nicky. “Is that a baby in your tummy?”
Nicky grinned. “Yes. And my baby’s growing bigger every day.”
“Mommy had a baby in her tummy, too.” Darleen’s grin slipped off her face. “He makes lots of noise now.”
Darleen’s mom laughed. “Come on, dry those hands and we’ll leave these ladies to finish their conversation.” They disappeared out of the bathroom, but not before Darleen sent another wistful look over her shoulder.
Emily stared at the closed door. “Are you really sure this is what you want, Erin?”
“I’ve always wanted a baby. But I want Jake in my life too.”
Nicky sighed. “What if he can’t handle being a dad?”
“I don’t know,” Erin whispered. “I just hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Emily held Erin’s hand. “Whatever happens, we’ll always be here for you. We’re just worried about you.”
“I don’t need to be looked after.” She gazed at her two toga-clad bodyguards and grinned, trying to lighten the mood in the bathroom. “Jake might need your help more than me by the end of the year.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Just promise us you’ll think about what you’ve agreed to.”
Erin nodded.
“I almost feel sorry for Jake,” Nicky sighed.
“You don’t need to. He’s managed to mix a lot of fringe benefits into the deal. Just don’t tell him you know about our contract.”
Emily opened the bathroom door and grinned. “How much is our silence worth?”
“As much homemade chocolate fudge brownies as you can eat in one sitting.”
Nicky looked across at Emily and laughed. “We’re talking big time here. Take the bribe. I’ve tasted those cookies and they’re worth it.”
Erin watched Emily’s mind work overtime. “Okay. I won’t breathe a word to Jake. But if he ditches you and changes his mind about the baby thing, I’ll haunt him for the rest of his life.” She peeked around the corner of the door. “In the meantime, I’m off to find a few fringe benefits of my own. But I like keeping my life simple. I don’t want a baby, just a man.”
“I’m supposed to be the hormonal one,” Nicky groaned. “So how come my two best friends have gone over-the-top crazy? Just make sure neither of you gets arrested before the wedding.”
Emily walked toward the bar and Erin looked across at Jake. By the end of the year, she could have everything she’d ever wanted. Well, almost everything.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Stretching in bed, Erin watched early morning sunlight dance off the chandelier hanging from her ceiling. A rainbow of color splashed across the far wall of her room. She snuggled under the duvet, listening to the sound of the world waking up. Birds chattered in the trees and the neighbor’s children ran in their yard, laughing at the sleepy world around them.
The sound of cupboard doors opening in the kitchen made her smile. Jake was cooking a culinary masterpiece. Her nose twitched at the delicious smells wafting down the hallway.
“Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and juice for mademoiselle.” His body appeared in the doorway, a dimpled grin setting her heart rate fluttering.
Stumbling out of bed earlier, he’d thrown on his boxers and nothing else. Erin sighed as her eyes traveled across his bare chest. She remembered the feel of hard muscles under silky skin as she’d explored every flex and curve of his incredible body. And to top it all off, he could cook. What more could a girl want? “Merci beaucoup.”
“I’m impressed. A woman who speaks the language of love. Tue es ma joie de vivre.”
Erin blushed. “You’re the joy of my life, too.”
With a soft kiss, he placed a glass of orange juice on the bedside table. “Is your fridge normally this well stocked or did you have ulterior motives last night?”
Erin laughed. “No ulterior motives. I’m sad to say it doesn’t normally look that good. Emily and Nicky are coming over for breakfast tomorrow morning, before the hair and makeup experts arrive. I thought I’d better get some food in case they want a cooked breakfast before the wedding.”
“And here I was, thinking you’d planned a night of seduction.”
“Nope. Last night had been all about spontaneous combustion.”
Jake’s eyes glittered. Color rushed to her face as she recalled just how spontaneous they’d been.
The plate of hot food in Jake’s hands hit the top of the bedside table with a clatter. Clearing his throat, he said, “So, what did you have planned for the rest of the day?”
She fluttered her eyelashes.
“Sounds like a good idea to me.” He grinned.
“I’m kidding. For now.”
“You get my hopes up and then squash them to a pulp. I’d already arranged to take the day off work, so why don’t we have a lazy day around the house?”
“If only.” She sighed. “Nicky’s relatives are descending on my place for a potluck lunch. I need to clean the house and get ready for the masses.”
“I knew you wanted my body for more than hot sex.”
“That too.” She bit her bottom lip, not quite sure how to tell him what she needed to say. “Umm…there’s something else I want to talk about.”
Jake raised his eyebrows and sat on the edge of the bed.
She swallowed, trying to focus her brain. She’d stayed awake long after he’d fallen asleep. She’d made lists, lots of lists, trying to work out what to do about their baby contract. And she had an answer she knew would be best for both of them.
The only problem was that she didn’t know how Jake would react to her news. “I’ve been thinking about the baby contract idea. I’m pulling out of the deal.”
Jake’s skin turned gray. “What do you mean?”
“Not us.” She squeezed his hand. “Just the baby part.”
He took a deep breath. “Why? I thought you wanted children?”
“No. What I really want is a family. I want my child to have a mom and a dad that love each other. I don’t want to do this on my own. A lot of women don’t have a choice and make great moms. But I’ve got a choice and I’m not going there. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if it’s meant to be, it will happen. If not, then I might have to follow in Emily’s footsteps and get a puppy.”
Erin wanted Jake in her life for the long haul. She knew he didn’t want children. Twisting his arm into giving her what she wanted could eventually spell the end of their relationship. And that was something she wasn’t prepared to gamble away for the sake of a teething ring and a clothesline full of diapers.
Jake rubbed the top of her hand. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Positive. But here’s my question for you. Do you still want to be a part of my life?”
His eyes glowed as blue as a summer sky. The emotion in his gaze brought tears to her eyes. “I care about you, Erin. More than when we first started talking about the baby contract.” He kissed her fingers, then held her hand over his heart. “I’d be lying to you if I said I haven’t had doubts about being a fath
er, but I want you to be happy. And if sharing my DNA with you would do that, then that’s what I want to do. I’d like to be a part of your life, whether we have babies together or not.”
She smiled. “That’s good, because I want to be a part of your life, too. But not if it means creating a child you never wanted. I can’t do that to you, or any child we might have.” She took a deep breath and shooed him away. “Now go and get yourself a plate of delicious food and come back here for breakfast. We’ve got a serious amount of housework ahead of us and you’ll need every ounce of energy you can get.”
***
By noon, Erin’s house was bursting at the seams with laughing, hugging, and back-slapping family and friends. Most of them hadn’t caught up with each other since the last family wedding a year earlier.
Jake made sure a constant flow of cold drinks headed out of the kitchen and Erin coordinated tables of salads and cold lunch dishes.
As soon as Sam announced lunch was ready, a mini-tornado of kids zoomed toward the food tables. The first wave of chaos descended when parents tried to get their toddlers to choose more than one chip for lunch. A couple of the older kids tried to see how much meat they could pile on their plates without anything green in sight.
Jake laughed, watching one creative kid stack his plate with extreme care, trying to make one piece of lettuce look like a mountain. He could have taught Ethan a thing or two about the art of deception.
His gaze swung around the yard. He spotted Erin, sitting on the grass holding a toddler in her arms. She chatted with another woman who was bottle feeding a baby. A man came over and put a plate of food in front of the toddler, returning to the tables for more food.
Erin looked happy. He swallowed and imagined her cradling her own child the same way.
“Jake, go and have some lunch. Everything’s on the table and ready to go.” Nicky stood beside him, following the direction of his gaze. “That’s my cousin Diana and her daughter Sarah.”
Erin blew a raspberry kiss on the toddler’s arm and a squeal of delight filled the air.
He didn’t say a word.
“You know, this probably isn’t a conversation you want to be having with me, but I’m going to say it anyway.” Nicky stared across the backyard at her friend. “All her life, Erin’s wanted to marry an amazing man and have children. I don’t know how you feel about marriage or children, but if she’s willing to do without either dream, then just imagine how important you must be in her life.”
Forever Wishes (Montana Brides, Book 4) Page 17
