by Amanda Ashby
“Yes, Jenny. You are very wise and I will always listen to you in the future,” Kate deadpanned before grinning. “Unless, of course, I don’t.”
“So ungrateful.” Jenny rolled her eyes. “But seriously, how’s it been going? Is it weird living next door to your new boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Kate protested as she thought of her plan. To just spend time with him and, while she was at it, enjoy every inch of his beautiful body. Something that she’d been doing a lot of in the last three weeks. “We’re just neighbors who are having a good time together.”
“Sure, if that’s what you want to call it, but in my experience, neighbors don’t want to see you in a clown costume or tag along to a three-year-old’s birthday party. Not to mention watch their cat or give them two nights accommodation at the Talbot,” Jenny said as they both watched Matt scoop up Lucille and let her cling to his broad back like a monkey. Kate wondered if she looked at Matt half as adoringly as the three-year-old girl did. Probably; he seemed to have the knack of making women adore him. And I’m going home with him tonight. Then she realized that Jenny was waiting for an answer.
“Okay, you’ve made your point.” Kate held up her hands in defeat, but it was impossible not to smile. Matt had called Keith earlier and made all the arrangements, and first thing tomorrow he would drop her off there and would only come and visit if she wanted him to. “So I do like him. It sounds dumb but he seems to understand me and knows how to bring out the best version. You should’ve seen me at my commission pitch. And at the fund-raiser.”
“It seems like you’re doing the same for him,” Jenny said as she watched Lucille smear face paint all over Matt’s white shirt. “Didn’t you say he was a neat freak?”
Kate smiled as she watched Matt look at the stain for a moment before shrugging. “I think it’s a work in progress but considering his reaction the first time he saw my studio, he’s come a long way.”
“Well, you deserve to be happy and I think this guy is a keeper,” Jenny said just as Lucille came bounding into the kitchen, demanding to know if she could marry Matt. Jenny paused for a minute before promising her daughter that if she went to bed at seven sharp and always cleaned her teeth, then maybe she’d consider it. But not until Lucille was at least thirty-five.
This seemed to please the small girl and she nodded her head earnestly before bouncing back out to the party, where there was a shrill burst of giggles and the children all started chanting Matt’s name.
“Okay, this fan club is getting ridiculous,” Kate giggled.
“I’ll say,” Jenny said in awe. “The guy’s a natural with kids. Jamie refused point-blank when I suggested he help with the entertainment. Yet here’s a complete stranger, helping out. I always knew that as soon as you met the right man, you’d get over this idea of not having children.”
“Wait. What? You got all of that because he helped me find a doll and is doing a few magic tricks?” Kate’s good mood dissolved as she realized that her friend was serious. An uneasy sensation took hold in her stomach. “I mean he has a niece and nephew. He’s probably just good with kids, but that doesn’t mean he wants them.”
“What?” Jenny said in surprise before a guilty flush colored her cheeks. “Well, no. And, sorry, I didn’t mean to put my foot in it. I was just commenting that he seems to be good with kids. But you’re right. It doesn’t mean anything. And it certainly doesn’t mean you need to freak out. Okay?”
Kate sucked in her breath and tried to calm down her racing heart. But it was no good. What if Jenny was right? What if he did want kids? In fact, of course he would want kids. Most people did. Most people who weren’t her. And the only reason she’d refused to even think about it over the last three weeks was because if it were true then she’d have to stop seeing him, and that would really suck.
“This is it. It’s the other shoe dropping. I mean, I knew this couldn’t last forever but I’m not sure I’m ready for it to be over yet. I guess it’s the universe reminding me not to get happy. And it’s so sad because he brings me coffee in bed and he bakes brownies and likes sushi and—”
“Kate, stop it,” Jenny growled as she folded her arms and gave Kate one of the stern looks she normally reserved for when her husband talked about buying a yacht. “The universe is far too busy this week to be bothered about you. Besides, a million other things might happen to you guys before the kid issue ever even comes up, so why don’t you just go with the flow for a while? You were having so much fun and you look so happy. Don’t ruin it just because you’re scared,” Jenny said before muttering as the doorbell rang. “Shoot. This’ll be Jessica Carson’s mother. She was coming early. I won’t be a minute.”
Kate watched Jenny leave as she dwelled on what her friend had just said.
A natural with kids.
Get over the idea of not having children.
Meeting the right man would help her change her mind.
Except it wouldn’t. She’d always known that and the only reason she’d even gotten involved with Matt was on the understanding that she’d walk away before things got serious. Before anyone got hurt.
She forced herself to cross over to the couch near where he was standing, and when he saw her, he turned to his audience.
“Okay, you bunch of wild creatures. There’s a clown that needs kissing so you’ll have to go and run around outside for ten minutes,” he instructed before joining her on the couch, his arm threading its way around her waist as his mouth found hers. Her body instinctively melted and it wasn’t until he pulled away that he frowned as he caught her expression. “Hey, are you okay?”
No. Yes. Maybe.
“Um, yeah. I’m fine.” Kate tried to regulate her breathing as she stared up at him. His butterfly face paint was smudged and his caramel hair was sticking out in all directions from where his young fan club had been pulling it, but his smile was radiant. Could she just ignore it for a bit longer or was she best to find out now and break it off before she fell for him even more? Or, could she just dip her toe in and see what his response was? “S-so, you seem to really like kids.”
“Of course. They’re fantastic.” He gave an energetic nod before clamping down his lower lip, which was covered in black makeup. “Well, I mean, sure. I guess I get along with them, probably because Emma dupes me into babysitting so much. Years of practice. Of course, it’s always nice to hand them back at the end of the day. But hey, you’re pretty good with them yourself.”
“I am?” Kate said in surprise, since all she’d been focused on was making sure that she didn’t accidentally hurt any of them with her paintbrushes.
“Sure. Oh, and seeing Lucille’s face light up when she saw her Very Mary doll was pretty cool.” Then he pressed his lips together and studied her face. “Out of interest, why are you asking?”
“N-no reason,” she stammered before letting out a soft sigh. If she was dipping in a toe, she might as well dip in her entire leg. “Well, I was curious. I mean some people are desperate to have kids and then others . . . well, they’re not so desperate.”
“And which category are you?” Matt said in a light voice, his hand resting lightly on her thigh. Kate was still. This was the moment that would define whether she’d ever feel his mouth on hers again, experience his touch. She bowed her head to avoid his curious gaze.
“I’m in the not-quite-so-desperate camp,” she said and then caught her breath for what was about to come next. But instead of condemnation all she could feel were his fingers softly cupping her chin so that he could bring her gaze up to his. Her heart pounded. “I-is that a problem?”
“I’ve told you before, Kate. There are no problems, just solutions waiting to be found. All I know is that I’ve never felt like this about anyone,” he said, his voice soft and reassuring. “And that I want to make this work even if it means compromising and changing.”
“Really?” Kate said as the unease she’d been feeling dissolved and was replaced by hope. Was Matt saying that he’d compromise what he believed in to be with her? Her lips parted but before she could speak Jenny walked back in and announced that it was time to cut the cake.
“I hate that I have to leave in fifteen minutes,” Matt said as he stood up next to her. “But how about tomorrow night I pick you up from the Talbot and we go out to dinner and then indulge in some adultlike behavior.”
“Definitely the best offer I’ve had all day,” Kate murmured as her mouth found his and hope flared in her chest. Maybe she really could have it all?
Chapter Twelve
“Matt, why’s there an orange cat on your couch?” his sister asked the following afternoon as she stared at Socrates with interest.
“Oh, that’s Kate’s cat. I’m watching him for two days,” Matt explained as he shut down his laptop and went in search of the bag of gifts he’d bought for the twins when he’d been helping Kate hunt down the Very Mary doll.
“You? Watching a cat. You know they shed, right?” Emma’s mouth twitched in amusement.
“Trust me, no one’s more aware of how much hair this cat sheds than I.” Matt tried to sound philosophical as he tried to forget how many times he’d need to vacuum once Kate’s building work was completed. “But you were the one who wanted me to get messy and be more involved.”
“I’m very impressed,” Jenny said as she went to lean forward and pat Socrates before Matt quickly rushed to her side.
“I wouldn’t do that. He has issues that he normally likes to resolve with his claws. Anyway, here are a few things for those monkeys of yours. To congratulate them on feeling better.”
“Why? They didn’t do anything but let me wait on them hand and foot,” Emma complained, but her eyes were twinkling and she gave him a grateful hug as she took the bag. “But thank you, you’ll continue to remain their favorite uncle.”
“I’m honored,” Matt assured her, though since he was also their only uncle, he knew better than to let it go to his head. Besides, soon he would hopefully be more than just someone’s uncle. He would be a father. He smiled as he joined Emma on the couch opposite Socrates.
“So, tell me, why do you have Kate’s cat? Is this some kind of new dating strategy that I don’t know about?”
“No. Nothing like that. She’s got the contractor in and had to move out for a couple of days.”
“Please tell me that you didn’t insist she stay with you. Matt, you’ve only been dating for three weeks. You can’t just ask someone to move in.”
“Hey,” he was stung into retorting. “I happen to think that offering someone a place to stay is the neighborly thing to do. However, it seems that you and Kate are of the same opinion, which is why she’s staying at the Talbot and I’m babysitting a cat.”
“The Talbot? Wasn’t that part of the crazy radio competition?” Emma arched an eyebrow.
“Technically yes. But they gave me the accommodation as an apology, so I called up Keith and he managed to get it changed over into Kate’s name,” he said, not bothering to add that Keith had once again tried to convince him to do an interview as a follow-up to the competition. Thankfully Matt had told him in no uncertain terms what he thought of that idea.
“What? You mean he actually managed to do something useful?” Emma retorted, probably because Keith had led Sam out on far too many wild adventures over the last twenty years.
“Yes. At this rate he might even make it out of puberty,” Matt joked, but Emma just made a grunting noise before she leaned forward and studied his face.
“Something else is going on. Why are you smiling like that?”
“Well, as it happens, yesterday we did start to discuss children and babies, and before you pull a face I wasn’t the one who instigated it. Nor did I appear too over-the-top about it. In fact, I was the model of restraint,” Matt assured her, well used to his sister’s shrewd observations. He grinned as he thought of the conversation. No one had been more surprised than he had when Kate had started talking about kids, and though all of his instincts screamed at him to just be honest and tell her how he really felt, he had to concede his sister had a point.
Especially since Kate had admitted that she had doubts. Not that he’d taken that as a red flag, because in his experience if someone didn’t want a child, they just said so. Plus, he got the feeling she was holding back too, which led him to hope it was because she did want them but just didn’t want to appear too forward. It was the explanation that made the most sense considering how amazing she was with Lucille and all of her young friends. It had been one of the sexiest damn things Matt had ever seen.
Which was why he was going to discuss it with her tonight over dinner.
He would’ve preferred to have done it yesterday but he’d been forced to go to a team-building afternoon with a client that had carried on into the evening, and by the time he’d arrived home, Kate’s light was out and he predicted she was asleep after finalizing her packing. Then he’d only seen her briefly this morning when she’d dropped Socrates off. But the sizzling kiss she’d given him had left him in no doubt of how she felt.
Now he just had to make sure that she knew how he felt.
Emma gave him a soft smile. “Well, if you really think that the time is right, then go for it. And I can’t wait to meet the woman who’s put a smile back onto your face.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get an introduction before the wedding. I’m thinking sometime next week would be good,” he teased as he glanced at his watch and realized that he only had an hour to finish his work and go and collect her from the Talbot for their date.
“Okay, never give up your day job, because you’d make a terrible comedian,” Emma warned as she planted a swift kiss on his forehead and got to her feet. “And good luck for tonight. I don’t mean to give you a hard time, I just want to make sure you follow your heart and not your head.”
Who says that I can’t do both? Matt thought silently as he walked his sister out to her car. Out of habit he looked over to Kate’s gallery. Bernie and his guys had gone home for the night but it looked like they were on target, which meant that soon Kate would be back next door and all would be right with his world. It was a pretty great feeling.
***
Kate let out a soft sigh as the masseuse soothed her knotted shoulder blades. She could definitely get used to this. And the room service. Even better, in the last four hours she’d managed to get five scenes sketched over the course of one afternoon, which was why she’d decided to take up the inn’s offer of a massage.
Once the masseuse left she tightened her bathrobe and padded across the soft carpet. The room was a gorgeous combination of stunning bespoke wooden furniture, heavy cotton sheets and a linen comforter that Kate longed to smuggle out in her suitcase. Even better, in an hour she’d be seeing Matt again. She’d tried to wait up for him the previous evening, but stacking away her paintings and cleaning out the cupboards so that the gallery was empty had taken longer than she thought and she’d ended up crashing.
But tonight they were going out for dinner, and while there was still a small sense of unease pounding in her veins, there was also a growing excitement that Matt might want what she wanted. That he might be content to be the world’s best uncle and that they could have a life together.
In the past she’d just assumed that she’d have to bury herself away to avoid going through the pain of the inevitable abandonment. But maybe Matt was right. There were no problems, only solutions waiting to be found.
A small smile hovered around her mouth and she was just about to start getting dressed when the phone by the bed rang. It was reception telling her that there was a man waiting downstairs to see her and asking if they should send him up.
A man? Kate’s body tingled. It had to be Matt. He was an hour early, but it was p
robably his way of proving just how flexible he could be.
“Definitely.” Kate put down the phone and quickly smoothed down her chaotic hair just as there was a soft knock on the door. “Come in. How did you know that—” she started to say before realizing that the man standing in the doorway wasn’t Matt. “Wh-who are you?”
“Keith. Keith from the radio station. Matt’s buddy,” the guy explained as he wandered into the room. He was probably about the same height as Matt, though thicker-set with the hint of a paunch underneath the oversize white T-shirt he had teamed up with a pair of baggy jeans. His hair was a smash of black spikes and his pale skin looked almost translucent. Kate also had no idea what he was doing there.
“Keith?” she repeated blankly.
“Yup, in the flesh.” He gave her an enthusiastic nod of his head as he picked up an apple from the complimentary fruit basket that had been waiting for her. “Free stuff. Nice.”
“Um, hi.” Kate blinked and wrapped her arms around her robe as if it would somehow transform it into a pair of jeans and a sweater. “Er, so, are you looking for Matt? Because he’s not here.”
“Actually.” Keith turned to her and offered up a full-wattage smile. “I came here to see you.”
“Me?” Kate dropped into the nearest seat and continued to hug her chest. “Have I missed something? Was there a mistake with the booking? Because Matt told me that it was okay to come here.”
“What? Oh yeah. Don’t worry about that. The big bosses insisted that it’s the least they can do. I think they were worried that Matt would sue them for everything they had. Which of course is crazy. I mean, if I hadn’t pulled that little stunt then you two never would’ve met. So really the pair of you owe all of your future happiness to me.”
“Right.” Kate rubbed her eyes, still not quite sure what was going on. Matt had mentioned several times that Keith could be over the top, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about crazy before.
