by Scott, Lisa
“I told you to use a condom!” Dina shouted.
Tommy looked like he’d rather be in the middle of a cavity search—on the receiving end. “Let’s keep those details to ourselves. How do you plan on supporting this child by yourself, Dina?”
Dina chewed on a fingernail. “I’ll figure it out. Mitch’ll owe me some child support, right? That’ll help.”
Kate reached over to pull Dina’s hand away from her mouth, but Dina shooed her away.
Mitch planted his palms on his thighs. “Sure. I’ll have tons of money to give you when I’m paying for college and making no money.”
“Maybe you should get a job instead,” Dina suggested.
He jumped up, knocking his chair over. “Maybe you shouldn’t try to run my life.”
Kate made a time-out sign with her hands. “Guys! You’re already acting like you’re married. You’re never going to know if you really love each other if you’re not even spending time together.” She stood up and picked up Mitch’s chair. “Don’t make a decision yet. Pick up where you left off. See if you really do love each other.”
Tommy nodded. “I can help you two out with some money if you want to move out, Mitch, and get an apartment so you two can be together with the baby. I want you two to give this a chance.”
“They can stay here, Tommy. They’re gonna need some help with the baby, and I’m not exactly busy right now,” Kate said.
Dina looked at Kate. “I’m not getting married unless I’m in love.” She shook her head and looked at Tommy. “Not like you and Ellen, Tommy, and not like my dad and Mama Margaret. Would you want that, Kate? Would you want to be like Mom and Dad? Aren’t you glad you found out about Teague?”
Dina should’ve had just punched her in the gut. It wouldn’t have hurt as much. But it was true, and she didn’t want Dina repeating those mistakes. Kate didn’t want to either, which is why she’d been smart, sending Teague away. He’d admitted to her once that he couldn’t love anyone. And for all she knew, he had a full-fledged love affair going on with the mother of his child. What more convincing did she need? Clearly, she was a fool and a half when it came to matters of the heart.
Mitch rubbed Dina’s shoulders and she sighed, leaning into him. “Okay, let’s give this a try. But I’m not getting married unless we’re in love, Mitch.”
He wrapped his arm around her. “Okay.”
Tommy clapped his hands. “Great. Why don’t you kids plan a date for this weekend, and pick up where you left off?”
“I’m on bed rest,” Dina reminded him.
“That’ll make it tough to spend quality time together,” Tommy said, thinking.
“I like Kate’s idea,” Mitch said. “I’ll move in—I’ll sleep in the basement. I’ll be here with you whenever I can.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Tommy shifted in his seat. “I mean, she’s already pregnant. What more could happen? And maybe you’ll fall in love, get married, and this thing will work itself out.”
Kate looked at Mitch. He really was a great kid, good-looking, too. She laughed to herself. Four brothers in that family and each one of them handsome. And single, come to think of it. Just like his brothers, Mitch was tall and well built, with blue eyes that had certainly unnerved many a girl, just like Tommy’s had. Though Tommy was the only one with the dirty-blond hair. Mitch’s was dark brown like his other brothers with waves Tonya could never copy down at her salon. Any other girl probably would have jumped at his marriage proposal, especially with a baby on the way. Dina’s indecision was a shocker.
Dina looked up at Mitch and squeezed his hand. “Okay. You can help get the baby’s nursery ready. I was thinking a Noah’s Ark theme? I saw the cutest decorations at Walmart.” And she was off and planning, Mitch holding her close.
Kate let out a long, slow breath. Soon enough, there’d be three people in her old home to look after: two teens and a baby. It wasn’t going to be easy. If only she could run off with Teague again. But she had responsibilities. Big-time responsibilities. It was her destiny. The jet-setting week she’d spent with Teague had been the stuff of make-believe. This was her real life and she needed to forget about her ridiculous happily-ever-after scenarios that kept nipping at the edges of her every thought. She had to help these kids make it all work out.
“And you can start with a romantic dinner right here Saturday night.” Tommy offered. “Kate and I will get it all set up for you.”
“We will?”
“Only you can do the cooking, and I’ll be the waiter. We all know you were one lousy waitress.”
TEAGUE IMMEDIATELY flew back to L.A. after leaving Kate. For days, he moped around his house and cancelled all his appointments. He figured a few drinks could help him forget her. He was wrong. June finally picked him up in her own car and dropped him off at the new hip bar of the moment to get him back on the scene. It was no surprise to find Simone there.
She sat on his lap in the VIP room of the bar, like an alley cat that just kept coming back no matter how many times you pushed it away, and it took everything in him not to toss her off and march out the front door. Her arms were looped around his neck, and three martinis had left her giggly and off-balance, so she kept slipping off his lap.
“Don’t let me go, Teaguey. Not this time. Don’t let me get away again.” She hiccupped in his ear.
Teague detached himself from her grip and headed for the restroom. He needed a break from her and her cloying perfume, her forced, high-pitched laugh. Stan Remington had cast her in his next movie, too, and the director liked the idea of the two of them getting back together. Anything to keep buzz about the movie in the press. Teague had signed a ten-million-dollar contract for the role and filming would be starting in Australia in two months. He should be on top of the world, pounding his chest.
But all he could think about was Kate and those heavenly eyes. The way her mouth had felt on his, like it had been made expressly for his pleasure. They way they’d fit so nicely together—in more ways than one. He splashed cool water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. It was not the image of a happy man.
The door to the restroom opened and Simone tottered up behind him. “Let’s get out of here.” She set her hand on his thigh, her thumb grazing his crotch. “Unless you want to do it right here.” He hadn’t made love to her in the two weeks they’d supposedly been back together. Hadn’t even kissed her. He knew she was doing her best to make that happen tonight.
He tried to push past her, but she grabbed his hand, leading him out of the door. Resigned, he realized he might as well get her safely to the limo. Any man would be thrilled to have Simone Peters leading him from a bar with that sassy little flip of her hip.
But Teague closed his eyes and tried to imagine it was Kate. Of course, his hands would have been all over Kate. They probably wouldn’t have even made it out for a night on the town. He’d be happy at home with her, talking and laughing. Okay, making out and making love, too. Lots of that. But he wouldn’t need much more than that with Kate.
He followed Simone into the waiting limo, and she was on him before the door closed. “What are you waiting for?” she breathed into his ear. “I’m here. I’m yours.”
Her breath was warm on his skin, and he pulled away from the boozy smell of her. “I’m only doing this for the cameras, Simone. We are not back together.” He laughed to himself, thinking how he was posing for the cameras with yet another woman. Nothing much in his life had been real, had it? But that wink of time he’d had with Kate had been the closest thing to real he’d ever known.
Simone leaned closer, apparently immune to the word No.
He slid his hand out of her grasp. “I don’t want you, Simone. Let’s just keep this up in public for Remington. I don’t care if you go out with other guys. Might make the whole thing more interesting.”
She snorted, shaking her head. “It’s that hillbilly chick of yours. Priceless.” Her golden eyes flashed a warning. “Oh, you are so going t
o regret this.”
“I already do.” He told the driver to stop and got out to hail a cab. What would another trip to Willowdale hurt?
TONYA PULLED THE shade closed on the door of her salon and led Kate to a chair. “We’ve tried chocolate, we’ve tried ice cream, this is the last trick up my sleeve. A new ’do. Maybe some highlights, too.”
Kate plopped in the seat ready to whine. “Just trim the ends. Teague liked how natural my hair was.”
“Liked. Past tense. And who even knows if that is true? He’s a liar.”
“And a cheater,” Jeanne offered.
“He didn’t cheat,” Kate said
“He’s with Simone now.” Jeanne held up a magazine with the two of them on the front cover.
Kate snatched it from her and tossed it aside. “Not really. It’s just for the movie. But even so, I left him. So, he’s not a cheater.”
Tonya spritzed Kate’s hair with water. “What about the pregnant girlfriend?”
“Clearly he got her pregnant before he was with me. That woman was round,” Kate said.
“But he’s a liar,” Jeanne said, her eyes narrowing.
But he wasn’t. He hadn’t lied about anything. He just hadn’t told her about the girl. That there was someone else. He’d never made any promises to her. So why had she expected any? Kate sighed. “I don’t care what you do to my hair.”
“Really?”
Kate panicked. “No, not really. Give me some highlights, I don’t care. Nothing’s going to shake me out of this mood.”
“I should shave you bald for cutting us off like you did when you left town with him.”
“He had a secret to hide and I couldn’t trust myself not to tell you guys it was just a setup. That we weren’t really dating.”
Jeanne snatched a cookie from the pile of goodies in front of them. “I think you should find that woman and confront her.”
“She did nothing wrong. Besides, Teague said she needed protecting.” Kate shrugged. “Trust me, I wouldn’t wish a go-round with the paparazzi on anyone.” Not even the baby mama of the man she loved. “And don’t forget, I’ve got my own pregnant gal to contend with. Two might do me in.”
“Are Mitch and Dina going to keep the baby?”
“They’re going to give it a shot. So we better hurry it up here, gals. Forget the highlights and just give me a trim. I gotta get home and make sure she’s okay.”
“CAN I HAVE ANOTHER grilled cheese?” Dina asked, holding out her empty plate right as Kate sat down on the couch with a magazine.
Kate forced a smile. “That didn’t occur to you when I was back in the kitchen?”
Dina shrugged and flipped through the Babies‘R’Us catalog. “Sorry. Cravings, they just pop up, you know?”
Kate frowned. “No, I don’t.” And probably never would. “Anything else?”
“I’ll let you know,” she said without looking up from the page of baby swings.
Kate had been trying to keep the bickering with Dina to a minimum since she was on bed rest and all. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, she chanted, unwrapping two slices of cheese.
Tommy and Mitch walked in—without knocking—so she made a few more sandwiches.
As soon as she slumped onto the couch, Dina said, “Kate, could you get us—”
“Drinks,” Kate finished.
“Stay put, Katie. I’ll get some sodas.” Tommy patted her knee and pushed up from the couch. “Just because we’re waiting on you two this Saturday for your special dinner doesn’t mean you can take advantage of Katie like this.”
Dina tucked her blanket around her. “Did everyone forget I’m on bed rest?” Her lower lip popped out in a familiar pout.
“Did you forget Kate’s not your maid?” Tommy asked. “Have some respect for the woman who’s keeping this roof over your head, keeping your baby from coming early and trying to keep you together with the daddy.” He stomped off to the kitchen and Kate followed so she didn’t have to hear Dina’s grumbles.
“Wow,” Kate said. “Thanks.”
“I don’t like to see people take advantage of you. Like Teague Reynolds. What he did to you was wrong.”
“You weren’t much better to me,” she said quietly and looked at the ground. She’d tried to play it off for so long like it was no big deal. Like Tommy was doing the right thing marrying Ellen when he got her pregnant. Kate and Tommy had been broken up when it’d happened, after all. Still, it hurt.
He set down the cans of soda and was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry. Sorrier than you’ll ever know.” He stared at her. “But I hope I can rely on the excuse of my youthful stupidity. Just like Dina can. But Teague? He’s a grown man.”
Kate knew she couldn’t argue, couldn’t explain how wonderful Teague had been. “Alright. Truce.” She offered him her hand.
He shook her hand, then brought it to his lips, and she thought, Oh, no. Hell no.
Chapter 19
“MR. REYNOLDS, Jennifer does not want to give up her baby.”
“I don’t want her to either,” Teague said. “But I’m not sure what the solution is.”
Miss Johnson steepled her fingers in front of her. “We’re considering a few different options. An open adoption might work, if she had visitation rights. Have you considered asking for custody of the child?”
He shook his head. “Impossible. We could never keep it a secret.”
She dropped her hands to her desk and tilted her head. “How bad would it be for people to know the truth?”
He shook his head. “Very bad. For everyone involved.”
She shrugged. “Very well, then. We’ve only got a month before her due date. We need to make some decisions. Would you like to join her for her ob-gyn appointment tomorrow in Whitesville? They’re doing another ultrasound. You could see your nephew.”
“Absolutely. I’ll be there.”
He left the Willowdale Residential facility, determined to speak to Kate. He had to try again. Maybe he could make things right between them. Maybe she’d even join him in Australia for a few weeks. They seemed to do the adventure thing well together. They could pick up where they’d left off.
Teague parked down the street from Kate’s house. He was working out in his head what he could say to her to get her back in his arms. What he wouldn’t do for a scriptwriter’s help. He watched her house, trying to work up the guts to go over. He did a double take when a police cruiser pulled up. It was the police chief—her ex-boyfriend—climbing out, carrying a bunch of flowers.
Kate grinned when she opened the door and let him in.
Teague squinted as if he might not be seeing things clearly. But no, that really was the chief and Kate had been happy to see him. A flood of curse words pummeled his brain. He’d driven her back into the arms of the man she once loved. The man she claimed she hated. Somehow, her rejecting him hadn’t hurt as much as seeing her with someone else. He started his car and sped away. This time for good.
KATE’S STOMACH CLENCHED when Tommy walked in with the flowers. It was a big bunch of red roses like Teague had sent her back in LA. The memory of it sucked the air out of her lungs, like a balloon letting loose.
Tommy saw her expression and pulled one of the flowers from the bunch and handed it to her. Ugh. He thinks I’m pining for him!
“I should’ve taken better care of you when I had you,” he said. “Did I ever send you flowers?”
Kate shook her head. She wouldn’t take the bouquet. “Leave it in there for Dina. She might count to make sure it’s an even dozen. I don’t think you should mess with a pregnant gal’s emotions.”
Tommy frowned and tucked the flower back in.
“Let’s get ready for the kids.” Kate set the flowers on the counter and scrounged around under the sink for a vase. There hadn’t been too many flowers in her house growing up. A few “I’m sorry” bouquets George had sent to her Mom, but that’s it. She pulled out a vase, filled it wit
h water, and set the flowers in.
“I went into Whitesville and got the kids surf and turf. I bought extra for us. Figured once they ate and settled down for the movie, we could enjoy dinner, too.”
Kate bit her lip. She didn’t want to spend any more time with Tommy than necessary, but she wasn’t going to ruin the kids’ night. She opened the cupboard and reached for a platter on the top shelf. She stood on her toes and grabbed at it with her fingertips.
Tommy came up behind her and plucked the platter from the shelf. He set it in front of her and kept his hands on the counter, circling her. “Katie.”
She held her breath; she was not going to do this. “Tommy, we’ve got a lot to do before Mitch gets here.” She wouldn’t turn to face him.
“We’ve got some time,” he said, brushing her hair off her shoulders.
She pushed her way out of his arms and set two plates on the kitchen table.
He sighed and walked toward the door. “I’ve gotta grab something from the cruiser.”
Kate set the steak knives next to the plate and considered the shiny weapons. Too tempting, she thought, putting them back in the drawer.
Tommy came back in, holding up a bottle of champagne. “Nice, right?”
Kate put her hands on her hips. “Dina can’t drink alcohol. She’s pregnant.”
He stuck the bottle in the fridge. “It’s not for the kids. It’s for us.”
“Why would we need champagne?”
He shrugged. “A new start and all. We’re going to be related, we’re going to be aunt and uncle to this baby.”
And that’s all we’re ever going to be. She dumped the bagged salad in a bowl. “Speaking of the baby, make sure Mitch shows up to the ultrasound tomorrow. Dina said he’s been cagey about whether or not he’s coming. Is he getting cold feet? He’s the one who was pushing to get married. If we’re going to do all this work to get them together, we better make sure he’s still got his heart in it.”
Tommy shrugged. “People can change, you know. Feelings change. Sometimes it takes a while before you realize what you’ve lost. Years, even.”
