The Pint-Sized Secret

by Sherryl Woods

  “Coward.”

  “Maybe so,” she conceded.

  “It doesn’t bother you that you could be throwing away your best chance at happiness?”

  “Considering how miserable you managed to make me after just a few short weeks, that’s a fairly brazen assumption on your part,” she noted.

  “I’m a brazen kind of guy,” he said, clearly not the least bit put off by her assessment of their shaky past.

  Trying to gather her wits for another argument he might actually listen to, Brianna sipped her tea, then forced herself to meet his gaze. “Why me, Jeb? There are probably hundreds of women in Houston who would swoon if you paid any attention to them. Why pick me?”

  “I didn’t pick you,” he said, though he looked vaguely uneasy at the question. “Fate did.”

  She chuckled at that. “Fate? Or your father?”

  “Same difference. Not one of those hundreds of women you’re talking about ever caught my attention, not the way you did. For years, too many years, I drifted along. I worked at Delacourt because it was easier than figuring out what I really wanted to do. I dated any woman who struck my fancy, because it was easier than sticking with one and having to work things out. In the past few weeks I’ve taken a hard look at myself, and I don’t like what I see. I was deluding myself that I could be a real investigator. I’m too impatient. I jump to conclusions. I think there’s a niche for me at Delacourt, but that’s not it. I’ve been talking to dad about getting into marketing, about putting the company on the map. If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s to sell something I believe in.”

  His gaze locked on her. “I believe in us,” he said solemnly. “I’m not a romantic, Brianna, that’s why you ought to believe what I’m about to say, because it doesn’t come easily. You’re a part of me. I know that as surely as I know that the sun will rise.”

  This time the shiver that washed over her wasn’t panic. It was anticipation. He sounded so certain, so absolutely, unequivocally certain. If only she could be half as sure.

  Maybe, for now, his certainty was enough to justify giving them another chance. Time would prove whether he was the salesman he claimed to be, whether he could convince her that love really could conquer the past.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jeb’s confidence grew after that lunch with Brianna. Even though she had continued to flatly refuse his invitation to dinner, he knew she had been tempted. He had seen it in the flush in her cheeks, the yearning in her eyes. She was struggling with herself. He just had to hang in there. More than ever, he suspected that Emma was the key.

  They had already formed an unshakable bond. He had fallen just as deeply in love with the little girl as he had with her mother.

  Most of his visits were made in the morning, when he knew Brianna would be at work at Delacourt Oil. After a couple of weeks, he learned to time the visits to coincide with Emma’s therapy. According to the therapists, she seemed to respond to his encouragement in a way that she did with no one else.

  “I think she’s come to see you as a surrogate for her father. She wants desperately to prove herself to you,” the psychologist told him. “Be careful that you don’t shatter the trust she’s placed in you.”

  As he had with her mother, Jeb couldn’t help thinking. But he wouldn’t let Emma down. Not ever. He reminded himself of what he owed to both of them as he walked into the therapy room in search of Emma. When he spotted her on her feet between two railings, his heart leaped into his throat. She’d been standing for longer and longer periods lately, her muscles getting stronger each day, but she hadn’t tried to take a step that he knew of.

  “Hi, Jeb,” she said, turning a beaming smile on him.

  “Hey, princess. Going someplace?”

  She nodded. “Watch.”

  A frown of concentration knit her brow as she struggled to put one tiny foot in front of the other. Jeb mentally cheered her on, his fingers curled tightly into his palm to hide his nervousness. If there had been something nearby he could grip, he would have done it.

  Emma’s right foot inched forward. She wobbled unsteadily for a heartbeat, then moved the left until they were even. Her eyes widened and a huge grin split her face.

  “I did it, Jeb. I really did it. I walked.”

  Jeb would have given anything at that moment for Brianna to have been there beside him to celebrate the triumph. Patience, he reminded himself. One day they would share things like this. He just had to have patience and remain steadfast in his determination to win her back.

  Looking into Emma’s upturned face, Jeb was overwhelmed with gratitude. She was showing him the way, proving that one tiny step was every bit as important as a giant leap. He started to go to her, then glanced toward the therapist, who nodded. He moved in then and swept Emma up in a bear hug.

  “You were magnificent, angel. Pretty soon you’ll be running so fast that none of us will be able to keep up with you. Wait until your mother sees. She is going to be so proud.”

  Emma immediately shook her head. “You can’t tell her. Not yet.”

  “But why, darlin’?”

  “Because I want to be really, really good.”

  “Good’s not important. Trying is what counts. You’re getting it, Emma. It’s all coming back.”

  “Not yet,” she repeated. “You said I had to keep it secret that you’re coming to see me. This is my secret. You have to keep it.”

  Jeb couldn’t argue with her fair-is-fair logic, but he knew how hurt Brianna would be by being left out of this triumph. “A few days, then,” he compromised. “But you have to show her, Emma. It will mean the world to her.”

  “I know, but it’s a surprise for her birthday, and that’s not for weeks and weeks yet.”

  Weeks and weeks? He was supposed to keep something this monumental to himself for that long? Brianna would never forgive him. “Days,” he repeated firmly. “I think Saturday would be a really good day for you to put on a show for your mama.”

  He had an idea. “Maybe we could throw a surprise birthday party for her then.”

  “But it won’t be her birthday yet,” Emma protested.

  He grinned. “I know, so imagine how surprised she’ll be. We’ll have presents, cake, ice cream, the whole nine yards.”

  Emma began to get into the spirit of it. “Decorations, too?”

  “If you like.”

  She planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “What kind of theme do you think your mom would like? How about Mickey Mouse?”

  “No,” Emma said firmly and without any hesitation. “It has to be Cinderella.”

  Jeb was startled by the choice. “Why Cinderella?”

  “Because you’re a prince and you made her a princess.”

  “Oh, baby,” he murmured, giving her a squeeze. If only she knew how little he’d done to make her mother feel like a princess. If anything, Brianna thought of him as the wicked wizard in her life.

  “Is it okay? Can I have a princess dress, too?”

  “Absolutely,” he agreed, willing to give this precious child anything her heart desired. “I’ll find you the best princess dress in all of Houston.”

  And while he was at it, he might find a ring suitable for a princess for her mother. Maybe a spell would be cast over this party and Brianna would finally see just how right they were for each other.

  Unfortunately, on Friday morning, the day before the planned surprise party, he got caught paying a visit to Emma. Brianna came in while they were playing a challenging game of checkers. The little girl was beating the daylights out of him and wasn’t one bit shy about savoring the victory.

  “I beat you three times,” she said triumphantly. “Where’s my prize?”

  Jeb brought a rare beanbag toy out of his pocket.

  “So that’s where those have been coming from,” Brianna said. “I’d wondered. Emma wouldn’t tell.”

  Jeb’s head snapped around. He studied her face, trying to gauge her moo
d. She looked more startled than furious at finding him there.

  “Emma’s got her mother’s ability to keep a secret,” he said mildly.

  “So I gather.” Her gaze narrowed. “What are you doing here, Jeb?”

  “Spending time with the daughter of the woman I love,” he said emphatically, and watched the color climb in her cheeks.

  “Don’t say that.” Her worried gaze shifted toward Emma as if to remind him that the child was likely to hang on anything he said.

  “It’s true.”

  She looked as if she might argue, then turned on her heel. “We need to talk,” she said, and strode from the room, evidently sure that he would follow.

  Jeb gave Emma a wink. “See you later, sweetie.”

  She regarded him worriedly. “Is Mama mad?”

  “Maybe a little, but don’t worry your pretty little head about it. I’m going to fix it.”

  Emma tugged on his hand. “You’ll be here tomorrow, right? You won’t forget?”

  “Not a chance.”

  Outside in the parking lot, where another monumental fight had begun only a few weeks earlier, the anger Brianna had contained in Emma’s room spilled over. She was practically quivering with rage. She faced him squarely, then poked a finger into his chest.

  “You…are…not…going…to…fix…it.”

  “Sure I am.” He silenced her planned protest with a kiss that left them both gasping. “I love you. I love your daughter. I want us to be a family.”

  “Families don’t go sneaking around behind each other’s backs,” she retorted.

  Jeb regarded her with amusement. “Couldn’t prove that by me.”

  She faltered a bit at that. “No. I suppose not. That doesn’t make it right, not what I did, not your father’s meddling, not what you’re been doing.”

  “We all did it for the right reasons,” he pointed out mildly. “Maybe we should make a pact right here and now that we won’t do it ever again.”

  “And just like that, you think everything will be okay?”

  “Not just like that, no. But love’s a powerful motivator, don’t you think? It made you do everything you could to protect Emma. It made me do everything I could to protect my family.”

  “Words, Jeb. Just words.”

  “No, darlin’. When I say them, you can take them straight to the bank. If you ask me, the last couple of weeks have been more dishonest than anything that came before.”

  “How can you possibly say that? You nearly destroyed me.”

  He looked directly into her eyes. “But I never stopped loving you. Not for a second. And if you would be honest with yourself, you’d admit that you might be furious with me, you might be hurt, but you haven’t stopped loving me, either.” He touched a finger to her lips to silence her. “Think about it, Brianna. We’ll talk later.”

  “Stay away from Emma,” she yelled after him as he walked away.

  “Not a chance. No more than I intend to stay away from you. In my heart you’re my family now, and I won’t leave you willingly.” He came back, bent down and kissed her until the heat generated could have melted the asphalt beneath their feet. He gave her a wink when the kiss ended. “If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit that you don’t want me to give up on either one of you. I let you down once, Brianna. Never again.”

  Brianna had to confess she was shaken by Jeb’s declaration. She was even more shaken by the discovery that he had been spending time with Emma behind her back. When she finally went back into the rehab center, she found her daughter worriedly watching for her.

  “You didn’t yell at Jeb, did you?”

  “It was nothing for you to worry about. We just had to get a few things straight.”

  “He’s my friend, Mama. He’s been here lots and lots, not like Daddy. Jeb thinks I’m pretty and smart. He says I can do anything I want to do. Mr. Delacourt does, too.”

  She had known about Bryce’s visits because he’d told her. Now she realized how much she owed him. Owed both of them.

  How many times had Brianna said the same thing? At least once a day. Obviously that hadn’t registered. Emma had needed to hear it from someone she equated with her father. Maybe Brianna did owe Jeb and his father for helping to restore Emma’s self-confidence. That didn’t excuse what Jeb had done by sneaking around behind her back to pay these visits.

  Would she have okayed them, though? Of course not. She would have been too fearful that Emma would get hurt when Jeb left. She had accepted the inevitability of his leaving from the outset, but apparently he was determined to prove that her fears were groundless. If her daughter trusted him so completely, maybe she could too. Sometimes kids were better judges of character than adults. They were also quicker to forgive.

  Whom had she really been hurting all these weeks by denying her feelings for Jeb? Not him. He was staying the course, waiting for her to wake up. Not Emma. Apparently her daughter had been having the time of her life with her newfound friend. No, the only person hurt had been herself. Brianna had been the one who’d been left out and lonely. What was it they said about pride making a lonely bedfellow? It was true.

  She sighed heavily.

  “Mama? Are you okay?”

  “Not yet, baby, but I’m getting there,” she said with a smile. “Would you mind if I run along now? There’s someone I need to see.”

  “Jeb?” Emma inquired hopefully.

  Brianna couldn’t help wondering if her daughter was turning into a budding matchmaker. If so, she’d fit right in with the Delacourts.

  “Yes, Jeb,” she confirmed.

  “He likes you, Mama. He’s told me so.”

  Brianna felt a smile slowly spread across her face. “Yes, baby, I think I’m just beginning to realize that.”

  Unfortunately, she had a terrible time finding the man now that she’d finally gotten everything worked out in her mind. His secretary said something about him having gone shopping for party supplies. “I think he had some other stops, as well. Then I imagine he’s going home. You might try there later.”

  “Thanks,” Brianna said, though she was suddenly far too impatient to wait. There were only a few major party stores in the immediate vicinity. Maybe she could track him down.

  She found him on the second try, pushing a shopping cart loaded with paper plates, napkins, streamers and balloons. For some reason, all were decorated with images of what appeared to be Cinderella. He was studying an elaborate centerpiece of Cinderella’s coach.

  “Having trouble deciding?” she asked, startling him.

  He glanced toward his shopping cart with a look of dismay, then scowled at her. “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you. Is somebody in your family having a birthday?”

  “Something like that.” His gaze narrowed. “What’s so important that you had to track me down? It’s not Emma, is it? Has something happened since I left?”

  His concern was genuine, and she realized with absolute certainty then that she hadn’t been mistaken about the depth of his feelings for her daughter. “Emma’s fine. I needed to talk to you.”

  He seemed perplexed, and a little anxious. He seemed especially concerned about that supply of paper goods. “Now?”

  “If you have the time.”

  He actually seemed a little torn. “Let me finish up here and I’ll meet you at your place.”

  Brianna concluded that he wanted to get her as far away from these decorations as possible. What she couldn’t figure out was why. “Here will do,” she said, just to see what his reaction would be.

  Clearly startled by her willingness to say whatever was on her mind so publicly, he finally gave a reluctant nod of acceptance. “Okay, what is it?”

  She had thought of a thousand different ways to get into this while she was searching for him. Now, face-to-face, she was tongue-tied. “I forgive you,” she said at last, hoping he would know how to interpret that.

  “Okay,” he said slowly, clearly not as bowl
ed over by the declaration as she’d hoped.

  She ran her tongue over lips that were suddenly as dry as the Sahara. “I love you.”

  His mouth curved into the faint beginnings of a smile. “I know that.”

  She scowled. “Jeb, you’re not making this any easier.”

  “I’m listening, aren’t I?”

  “Yes, but you could jump in anytime.”

  “And say what?”

  “Dammit, Jeb, do you still want to marry me or not?”

  Apparently she had finally found the right words. He let out a whoop in the middle of the aisle. His mouth slanted over hers and suddenly the stir of voices dimmed. All Brianna knew was the taste of Jeb as his kiss devoured her. All she heard was the sound of her blood rushing through her veins. All she smelled was the faint scent of his aftershave and something that could have been bubble gum.

  Bubble gum? She drew back and stared at him. “Why do you smell like bubble gum?”

  He grinned. “Check the bottom of the basket.”

  She found at least a hundred packages of the stuff in every flavor imaginable. “Do you have a secret fetish I need to know about?”

  “My only addiction is you,” he assured her. “This was a special request from a friend of mine.”

  “Emma,” Brianna said with sudden understanding. “And the decorations?”

  “Are none of your concern,” he insisted. “And if you’re smart, you’ll stop asking questions, so I’m not forced to lie to you.”

  “More secrets?” she asked, but with less concern than she might have just a day ago.

  “Only one,” he promised, then amended, “well, two, actually, but you’ll know soon enough. And that is absolutely all I intend to say on that subject.” He studied her intently. “Did you really mean it, about marrying me?”

  She nodded.

  “Then I propose a celebration. How about tomorrow morning at ten? Meet me at the rehab center. We can share the news with Emma.”

  It was not exactly the celebration Brianna had envisioned, but Jeb’s suggestion had its merits. Emma needed to know, though Brianna had no doubts at all that she would approve. Seeing how close the two of them had become had melted her heart and brought her to this point.