Beefcake & Mistakes

by Fennell, Judi

  “Can we not talk about this now? Trevor will be down any minute.”

  “No, he won’t. Bobby brought over his new book about T-rexes. We won’t see them for hours.”

  Jenna sighed. Cathy was right. The only things more engrossing to Trevor than football were T-rexes.

  “I wouldn’t put it past you to have bought that book on your way over here.” She handed Cathy a cup of apple juice with a dollop of whipped cream floating on top and sprinkled with cinnamon. Since Cathy had given up her normal lattes for the duration of her pregnancy, she and Jenna had gotten inventive with fruit juice.

  Cathy raised her glass. “Do you really think I’m that conniving, Jen?”

  Jenna raised her eyebrow. “Uh, wasn’t your husband the one who only wanted one child yet here you are with number two on the way, due exactly four years after the first one in the same auspicious planning-for-college-tuition time frame we discussed ad nauseum when we were in high school?”

  Cathy raised the glass to her lips. “Condoms have been known to break. You of all people ought to know that.”

  “Breaking is one thing. Purposely sabotaging them is another.”

  Cathy took a sip and lowered her glass. A whipped cream mustache curled above her lips like Snidely Whiplash’s. “I did not purposely sabotage them. I just forgot to bring the box in from the car.”

  “For an entire year while they went through four seasons of extreme temperatures in the spare tire well?”

  Cathy swirled her glass around. “You don’t know that’s where they were.”

  “I do now.”

  She stuck her tongue out. “You can’t prove anything. And besides, Mark’s ecstatic about the baby.”

  Yeah, he was. He kept calling this new arrival their miracle baby because he’d never gotten anybody pregnant using that trusted brand of condoms since college.

  Jenna was never able to look at Cathy whenever that discussion came up.

  “You know…” Cathy sashayed over to the fridge, putting nine months of pregnancy waddling into a four-month-pregnant body. “If you did say yes, you two could start working on a sibling for Trevor, and you and I could have babies together.” She pulled out the can of whipped cream and squirted another blob—or three—into her glass. “Just think how much fun that’d be.”

  Jenna was trying not to think how much fun making a baby with Bryan would be.

  “You’re nuts.”

  “Hey, don’t make fun of the pregnant woman. We’ve been known to cry at the drop of a hat.”

  “You’ve also been known to cry at the drop of a credit card when not pregnant, so I’m not buying it, Cath.”

  Cathy opened her mouth to say something then shut it. She pulled out one of the chrome chairs and patted the placemat on the table next to her. “Here, Jen. Have a seat.”

  “I can’t. I have to, um…”

  “Right. You have to nothing. Come on. Just take a load off and let’s discuss why you’re so adamant about not marrying Bryan.”

  Jenna took the seat reluctantly. She knew exactly why she was reluctant and Cathy ought to be able to figure it out, too.

  “I can’t lie to him, Cath.”

  “Sweetie, you’re already doing it. And normally, I’m not a big proponent of lies.”

  Jenna raised her eyebrows and looked at Cathy’s belly.

  “Bad lies, I mean. I knew Mark would be thrilled. But we’re not talking about me—”

  “Convenient,” Jenna muttered.

  “We’re talking about you. And Bryan. And Trevor. And Tabitha.”

  “Tabitha?”

  “Yeah. Your little girl.”

  “I’m going to name her Tabitha?”

  “Yes. You are. Because I’m naming this one Samantha.”

  Jenna rolled her eyes. Cathy like TVLand reruns a little too much.

  “Anyhow, just think how great it’d be for Trevor to have not only his mama, but his daddy and a baby sister all under one roof.”

  “But Auntie Cathy is forgetting one teensy tiny detail. I’m not Trevor’s mama. I’m the stand-in.”

  “Hello?”

  The masculine voice at her back door had Jenna freezing as if the entire world had frozen over.

  If that was Bryan, she really hoped it had.

  How much had he overheard?

  Cathy gulped.

  It never boded well when Cathy gulped.

  “Jenna?”

  Oh, God, it was Bryan.

  Now it was her turn to gulp.

  “Ladies? Everything okay?”

  He rattled the screen door and the only reason he couldn’t come in was because Jenna typically locked it so Trevor wouldn’t wander off into the backyard without her knowing. Why hadn’t she shut the entire thing today? Locked it with deadbolts? And chains?

  A hermetic seal?

  And kept her big mouth shut?

  “Jenna?” He rattled a little harder.

  “Uh, yeah. Okay. Um, fine.” She willed some bones into her Jello-y legs and got to her feet.

  Cathy squeezed her hand.

  Wiping the sick look she was certain was on her face if Cathy’s was anything to go by, Jenna tried to plaster an equally un-sickly smile on top of it. “I, uh, wasn’t expecting you.”

  “Obviously.” He swung a backpack off his shoulder and clasped it in his hands in front of him while he waited for her to open the door.

  A backpack? She’d nixed marriage and he took that to mean that he could just waltz right over and move in?

  Oh, God. What if he wanted to? What if he demanded to?

  Jenna took her time getting to the door—mainly because she had to remind each group of leg muscles to move, but also to figure out what the hell she was going to do.

  How much had he heard? Was that obviously in relation to her not expecting him because she wouldn’t have been talking so freely about Trevor’s parentage? Did he know?

  She blew out a breath as she reached for the latch.

  “It’s good to see you,” Bryan said all melted –chocolate-creamy-goodness in his voice—not what she’d expect to hear from him if he knew. Had she dodged a bullet?

  Her heart felt as if it’d taken one.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I’m, uh, gonna get going.” Cathy did an exaggerated pregnancy backward arch out of her chair, complete with the splayed feet and a hand on the chair and table.

  Jenna rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, hey, let me help you.” Bryan dodged past her, dropped the duffel on the baker’s rack by the door, and ran to Cathy’s side, supporting that bogus pained back with one of his big hands.

  He had really nice hands.

  “Thank you, Bryan. You’re such a gentleman.” Cathy made some weird scrunching/head-knodding move over his shoulder at Jenna. “I can’t believe some woman hasn’t snatched you up yet.”

  Now it was Jenna’s turn to make a weird scrunching face, but it was more to keep back the breakfast that was threatening to make a re-appearance.

  “Thanks, Cathy, but I was never in the market.”

  “Not what I’ve heard…” Her sweet Southern charm—and Jenna knew for a fact that the only time Cathy had ever been south of the Mason Dixon line was the senior class trip to Orlando—disappeared in an instant.

  Bryan looked between the two of them. Was that a blush creeping over his cheeks? “You told her.”

  He wasn’t asking, so Jenna didn’t really have to answer did she?

  “Oh, was it supposed to be a secret?” Cathy even did the fingertips-to-the-chest posturing. All she needed was a fan and she could be Scarlett with the Tarleton brothers, but if she said “fiddle dee dee” Jenna was going to squirt the whipped cream all over her.

  “She’s my best friend, Bryan. We share everything.” She glared at Cathy to keep her big fat fake trap shut.

  He grunted. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, Gage is my best friend, but I didn’t tell him.”

  Jenna walked to the table and picked up Cathy’
s drink. “But was Gage at your house this morning at a ridiculously early hour to get all the dirt?”

  “Hey, I resent that.”

  Jenna shoved the glass at her. “Thanks for stopping by, Cath. See you tomorrow.”

  Cathy took a healthy swig. “Fine.” She set the glass down. “I’ll go round the boys up so you two can talk.”

  “If you don’t mind, could you leave Trev here?” Bryan asked. “I didn’t get a chance to see him yesterday and, well, I did promise him I’d throw some passes with him.”

  Ah, that was what was with the backpack. He carried his balls—

  Jenna tried not to giggle. She did. Really.

  “Jen? You okay with that?”

  Jenna bit her lip. Right. Trev. Here.

  Hey, he didn’t get to call Trev Trev. That was her nickname for him. “Uh, yeah, sure. That’s fine. I mean, I know Trevor—”she emphasized that last syllable—“would like that.”

  “Okay. Fine. Suit yourselves.” Cathy waddled out of the room.

  “Was that what it was like for you?” Bryan startled her with a hand on her elbow.

  “What?”

  He nodded toward the doorway Cathy had just walked through. “That. Walking. She looks like it’s painful.”

  Cathy was just as good an actress as Jenna was a stripper. What did that say about them?

  Jenna didn’t want to know. “Cathy’s, um, shorter than me. Pregnancy is more of a trial for her.” Technically, she hadn’t lied to him, though why she felt compelled to make that distinction when she was telling him the biggest lie of all was beyond her.

  “Bwwwwyyyyaaannn!”

  Trevor thundered down the stairs and hung onto the doorframe for dear life as he skidded around the corner. “You’re here!”

  He launched himself into Bryan’s legs, wrapping his arms around them as if they were his life.

  As if Bryan was his life.

  Jenna pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. This was going to get more complicated by the minute.

  “Hey, Trev.” Bryan pried the little arms off his legs, but he didn’t let go, instead hunkering down to be eye level with him. “I brought my football. Want to throw a few passes?”

  “You bet!”

  Then Trevor did the one thing designed to rip Jenna’s heart to shreds.

  He hugged Bryan, a big, tight hug around the neck, and Jenna had to look away before she cried.

  But not before she saw Bryan’s eyes get misty.

  “Hey.” Bryan cleared his throat. “Hey, Trev, thanks.”

  Jenna peeked back. Bryan’s big hands were plastered to Trevor’s small back as if he’d never let go.

  He wouldn’t. She got that. Bryan was in Trevor’s life for good.

  Which meant he’d be in hers just as long, too.

  ***

  Bryan and Trevor had thrown a few passes in the back yard while Jenna had tried desperately to compose herself. This was a good thing. Trevor needed a father figure and Bryan wanted to be one. Cathy was right; there were plenty of “baby daddies” who didn’t want to have anything to do with the children they’d created. She should be thrilled that Bryan wanted to be involved.

  And she was. Really.

  She was just worried as hell that she’d slip up somehow. Clue him in about Mindy.

  And obviously she couldn’t hide Mindy’s existence. Her half sister had grown up in this town, and when Bryan eventually met her mom, Mindy and her “tramp” of a mother, as Ellen North referred to her, would definitely get mentioned—they were always a topic of conversation.

  Her mother. Oh, God. Her mother was going to meet Bryan and if there was one thing the woman wasn’t quiet about it was Jenna’s “shameful” past. Especially since she thought Jenna had gone out and done the same thing all over again.

  “Hey, Mommy!” Thirty-five pounds of little boy came barreling through the doorway. “Bwyan wants to take us to a fair! Can we go? Pwease? Pwease?”

  Bryan shrugged as he followed Trevor back into the kitchen. “It’s to benefit the children’s wing at Community General and BeefCake, Inc. is sponsoring a booth. I said I’d stop by to help out. So if you’re not doing anything and are interested, I thought it’d be fun.”

  He’d paid her to not be doing anything.

  Actually, no he hadn’t. And even if he had, it would have been too soon to cancel any of her students. So it was a good thing she didn’t have any scheduled today.

  Part of her wanted to tell Bryan no. Besides the fact that he shouldn’t have mentioned it to Trevor without consulting her first—and making her look like the bad guy if she had to say no—he shouldn’t be spending this much time with their son, insinuating himself into his life as if he’d always been there.

  The other part of her, however, couldn’t tell him no. It wasn’t fair to Trevor. The circumstances of his birth weren’t his fault—they weren’t even Jenna’s. They were Bryan’s, but it wasn’t as if he’d known anything about it. He certainly hadn’t planned it, given the selection of condoms in that apartment.

  “Sure, Trev. We can go to the fair.” She’d been planning to take him anyway.

  Bryan squeezed her arm and mouthed “thank you” over Trevor’s head.

  One of—or both—the actions caused sparks to zing through her.

  Oh for Pete’s sake, get over him. Get over this. He could be as good-looking as he wanted, but it didn’t change the fact that she had to keep her distance. He’d already proposed, what more did she want?

  The fairytale.

  The thought haunted her for the rest of the day.

  Especially when she saw the booth Bryan was supposed to work.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Of course BeefCake’s booth would be a kissing booth. She had wondered how a strip club could sponsor a booth at a family event, but hot guys in suits selling chaste kisses on the cheek were the perfect cover.

  It was also the perfect money-maker. Women were lined up two deep for their chance to get up close and personal with the hunk of the day.

  Of which Bryan was now going to be one.

  He pulled on a jacket one of the guys handed him, adjusted a bow tie around his neck, and Velcro-ed the tear-away pants on over his shorts, looking devastatingly attractive. As usual.

  “Hey, Trev. Why don’t you and your mom go see the pony rides while I work for a little bit? Then I can join you when I’m finished.”

  “You work here? Cool!”

  No, actually, it was hot.

  “Can I wide a pony, Mommy?”

  Another thing she and Bryan were going to have to talk about. He needed to clear things with her before offering them to Trevor.

  She kissed the top of Trevor’s curls and looked at his father. “Of course you can, sweetheart.”

  “Everything all right?” Bryan asked, running his fingers down her arm.

  Bryan was a toucher; she got that. She also got that her skin liked when he touched her.

  It was something else they’d have to discuss.

  “How long will you be?” she asked, not willing to get into the parental rights discussion in front of half the town. The female half. “He’s going to want to start riding rides and playing games and all that other fun stuff as soon as the pony ride is finished.”

  “An hour tops.” He pulled out his cell phone. “What’s your number? I’ll call you when I’m finished and meet up with you.”

  Her number. Now he’d have access to her—to Trevor—twenty-four /seven.

  Jenna took a deep breath and gave it to him. It wasn’t as if she could deny him now. “I’ll wait to hear from you.”

  She turned around to leave, but Bryan grabbed her arm again. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” His violet eyes bored into hers.

  She’d like to forget something… “I don’t think so.”

  “Aren’t you going to, you know, support the charity?” He nodded to his left. To the booth.

  Then he tugged her close to him. “I’ll even le
t you jump in line.”

  He smelled good. Really good. He felt even better, especially that hard sculpted chest her shoulder was snuggled up against—that she’d been snuggled up against.

  “Come on, Jenna. It’s for a good cause. I’ll even make the donation for you.”

  She shouldn’t have looked up at him. Not when they were that close together. Not when she’d been dreaming about making love to him all night long. Not when her body remembered every part of that dream and was demanding a real-life re-enactment.

  But she did.

  And he kissed her.

  Again.

  Oh it was different this time. G-rated. Well, maybe PG. But it was still hot and she still responded and she still wanted him. Wanted this.

  “Ewww, blech!”

  Leave it to Trevor to put the situation into perspective.

  They broke apart, laughing, though Bryan’s gaze was searching hers. She ducked away. She couldn’t look at him. Didn’t want to look at him. Didn’t want him looking at her because she’d seen the desire there. Kind of hard to miss since she’d been so up close and personal with it in that apartment—in that bed—and could recall every nuance to those few minutes in his arms.

  “Come on, Mommy! I wanna wide the pony!”

  She wanted to ride something else.

  “Okay, Trev. Let’s go.”

  She tugged away from Bryan as much for her own sake as Trev’s.

  It was one of the longest half hours of her life.

  Hour.

  Hour and fifteen minutes.

  Jenna kept checking her phone. Both for the time and to make sure she hadn’t missed his call.

  How many women was he kissing anyway?

  She tried not to think about it. Tried not to wonder what those other women felt when Bryan put his lips on their cheek. When they got close enough to smell his heat. Would they wonder what it was like to make love with him? Would they fantasize about him tonight in their dreams?

  Had any of them wondered who she was?

  Would they care?

  Would he?

  She waved to Trevor as he took his fifth ride on the pony. There were only five ponies at this ride so Bryan better hurry up because when this trek around the track was finished Trevor was going to be looking for something new to do.