by Knupp, Amy
Now that he was home, it would be harder to avoid the whole telling-her-family-she-was-pregnant-and-alone debacle. She leaned back and focused on her brother’s response.
DEVIN HEARD muffled footsteps on the stairs and strained to see out his office window to the hallway. Monica had mentioned Carey would be by after her doctor’s appointment this afternoon.
He couldn’t deny the lust he felt when Carey rounded the corner. It was automatic, involuntary. Unwanted.
Optimism and good humor emanated from her, from the bounce in her step to her easy smile.
He couldn’t help smiling back and meaning it. It, too, was a natural response. Seeing her made him feel good.
And he had no business feeling that way. Just looking at the clothes she wore was a reminder. A white shirt that hung lower than the cropped, belly-revealing ones he was used to seeing on her.
Ever since he’d realized he might be in love with her, pretending she was just another friend was getting more and more difficult. Something deeper pulsed under the surface, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t ignore it. His emotions had gone out of control. To say it made him uneasy would be a gross understatement.
He picked up the phone and got busy.
After hanging up a few minutes later, he entered the appointment he’d just made, thanks to Carey for the contact, in his PDA. He couldn’t help overhearing Monica and Carey on the other side of his office wall.
“Tell me all about the appointment,” Monica said. “Don’t you dare hold back because you think I might get jealous.”
“I couldn’t hold back if I wanted to. I heard the baby’s heartbeat,” Carey said excitedly. “It was amazing!”
“I wish I could’ve been there. I’d love to hear your little one. Besides, if I go with you, I’ll know what to do when it’s my turn.”
Devin was vaguely aware Monica and Kyle had decided to start popping out kids. Damn unfair that Carey had beat them to it—unfair to both women.
Listening to Carey, he couldn’t discern any lingering regrets. He had to give her credit. A lot of it. In her place, he wasn’t sure he’d have the grace to let go of the anger and self-pity so easily. Good for her. She’d figured out how to move on and leave the negative circumstances behind.
“I’d love to have you come to the ultrasound with me, if it really wouldn’t bother you.”
“Are you serious? You’d let me do that?”
“Let you?” Carey laughed. “Going to those appointments alone sucks. Everyone else there has a man beside them. I’d love some company.”
Devin ground his teeth and tried to tune out the conversation. It was so wrong for her to have to handle everything alone.
“When is it?” Monica asked.
Carey named a date and time a few weeks away.
Several seconds later, Monica replied, apparently having checked her calendar. “Shoot! I’ll be in Colorado with Kyle that week.”
“Ah, that’s right.” Carey’s obvious disappointment affected Devin. “That’s okay. I’ll do just fine. And I’ll get pictures to show you.”
Feeling like a heel for listening in on their conversation, Devin emerged from his office. Monica was leaning back in her chair, legs crossed, and Carey had perched on Monica’s desk.
“What’s up, boss?” Monica said.
“I’ve got two new appointments. Finally got back with Simmons and also spoke with Tim Falstead.”
“Oh, you got in with him,” Carey said. Falstead ran a local publishing company, and Carey had done a few photo assignments for them in the past. “That’s great. I know you’d love to land Lexington Publications.”
Love to land them was putting it mildly. Lexington could move CMT into the black. It was the ideal company, the type Devin wanted to foster a long-term relationship with. “Falstead seems like a decent guy. Open-minded.”
“Dev, do you have a minute?” Carey asked.
He glanced at his watch. It was close to five, but he had hours of work to do. Lucky for him, he also had hours with nothing to do but work. “Sure.”
She hopped off the desk and preceded him to his office.
He shut the door on his way in, doubting she needed privacy but newly aware of how well sounds carried.
Carey raised her brows, then shrugged. “Since you closed that, do you think Monica’s really okay?”
“About?”
“Me having a baby.”
“You think she’s jealous?”
“No…well, yes…” She looked thoughtful. “I just asked her to go to my ultrasound with me and maybe I shouldn’t have. She seemed okay, but… Oh, never mind. Just being paranoid and hormonal.”
“Carey…”
She met his gaze.
“I…” He what? He moved closer and leaned on his desk, not really knowing what he wanted to say. “I overheard part of your conversation. I wish I could help somehow.”
She bit on the knuckle of her index finger thoughtfully, then raised her chin so she met his gaze head-on. “You could go to the ultrasound with me.”
Oh, no. He couldn’t. It was way too intimate a proposition. Besides, it was easier for him to deny the baby’s existence for now. Soon enough, he’d be bombarded with it every time he looked at Carey.
Before he could utter a word, she closed her eyes, just for an instant, as if she regretted the words. “No,” she said. “You don’t want to do that.”
Precisely, he thought. But he still didn’t speak.
She stood and paced to the window behind him, looking out over the pool, which had just been prepped for the season. “I’m a big girl.”
When he turned to look at her, she smiled confidently and he wanted to believe it.
“Soon to get bigger.” His barb was a cowardly way out, but he couldn’t bring himself to offer to go with her.
She walked back to the chair, thumping his head on the way by, and he chuckled uneasily. Why did he feel like such a jerk?
“What I really wanted to talk about, for one thing, was my company. I know I’m supposed to fill out a gob of paperwork for the government types, but I don’t know what or where to get it.”
Ah, this was a hell of a lot easier than going to her doctor’s appointment. “Be glad to help.”
For the next several minutes, he rattled off everything he’d gone through since finishing his MBA to get CMT up and running. Carey jotted down notes in a spiral notebook she’d brought with her. She asked several questions, and when he answered them all, she stood.
“Secondly, here’s a proof of your brochures. First draft. Feel free to mark them up if you want changes.”
She handed him the color printouts, which he looked over for a few seconds. “Wow. Nice job. I’ll read them over tonight.”
“Monica’s waiting for me. Thanks for the help on the paperwork.” She hurried around the desk and kissed his forehead.
Devin couldn’t put the impending ultrasound out of his mind. He set the proofs on his desk and leaned back in his chair. As she walked away, he was once again bombarded by conflicting emotions. But he’d be damned if it was his responsibility to play daddy. Or husband. Or anything else besides just a friend.
But was it a friend’s job to step in and hold her hand during her ultrasound? He didn’t know the answer.
What he did know was that becoming more involved in her pregnancy wasn’t wise. Not when just the sight of her revved his pulse.
Even if he did want to be a good friend to her, it’d be impossible for him to sit and look at Mauriello’s baby inside her. He couldn’t stand to think about it, let alone actually see it.
It wasn’t Carey’s fault, or the baby’s. But he’d be hard-pressed even to visit Carey after the birth of the baby. That was no way to treat a friend. But he sure as hell didn’t know what to do about it.
CAREY FOLLOWED Monica out of Devin’s house. They’d planned a shopping trip so Monica could stock up on new clothes for the season—one of the benefits of having a success
ful lawyer for a husband.
“Okay if we drive separately?” Monica asked. “Then you don’t have to bring me all the way back here afterward.”
“Fine with me.” Carey had to admit, going home was more fun now that Trent was back. It beat the heck out of an empty house.
She slid into the driver’s seat, tossed the notes from Devin on the passenger seat and started the car, waiting for Monica to get in her own vehicle.
She’d meant what she said to Devin—she would be fine on her own. This baby was her sole responsibility, so she’d better get used to it.
She smiled. A little one grew inside her. She had to admit, she was beginning to get excited about becoming a mom. Freaked out, too, sure. She wasn’t certain how she’d handle having someone dependent on her at all times. This baby would have to become her life.
Last night she’d even browsed online for nursery patterns and furniture. Not so long ago, she’d given Devin a hard time for spending his life at home in front of the computer. Now here she was staying in, surfing.
The phone in her purse rang out “Our Lips Are Sealed,” and she reached down to dig it out. Her mother. And much more upbeat than when she’d walked out of Carey’s so convinced they were both doomed to a life of unhappiness unless they each found their Mr. Rights.
“What’s up, Mom?” Monica waved at her, and she backed out of Devin’s and drove toward the new mall.
“I’m so glad I caught you,” her mom nearly gushed. “I’ve got the best news!”
Carey didn’t get overly excited. She’d heard this opening before. “What happened?”
“I’ve met a man.”
Carey rolled her eyes. “Already? So soon after…” She couldn’t remember the last one’s name.
“I’m over Harold. He was a player. All he wanted was something short-term and sexual—behind his wife’s back.”
“Eww, Mom.” She cringed at the thought. “So this new guy is looking for a soul mate, huh?” Carey wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that her mother never recognized sarcasm when she heard it.
“He’s…well, he’s super, Carey. Different.”
“Different how?”
“He seems like such a strong man. Levelheaded. Very attractive.”
Carey ran through all the men her mom had hooked up with over the years, trying to remember a single one she would call levelheaded. There were none. She wasn’t sure she’d heard her mom even use the term before. Interesting. “When and where did you meet him?”
“We met at the grocery store. Picking out strawberries.”
“The grocery store? Mom, that’s out of a sitcom.”
Her mother giggled. “Two days ago. We’ve gone out the past two nights and talked the evening away.”
“What’s he do?”
She heard commotion in the background on her mother’s end.
“I have to go, Carey. My boss is back early from his meeting. Can I stop by later?”
“Sure, Mom…”
Crap. Trent hadn’t called their mother yet to say he was home. He’d asked for a few days of peace, and she’d just messed that up. “Actually, Trent just got home, so come on over.”
“My son is home from Alaska?”
“Yep. I know he was going to call you as soon as he caught up on sleep.” No need to mention he’d already been home for days.
“Well, then, double the reason to stop by. I can’t wait to see him. I have a couple of errands to run after I grab a bite, so it’ll be at least an hour. See you then.”
The line went dead, and Carey dialed home to warn her brother. She wasn’t sure which she dreaded more—hearing Trent’s reaction or listening to her mother get her hopes up yet one more time that she’d met the perfect man.
THE SHOPPING TRIP with Monica was depressing. Carey had only gained four pounds so far, but her old size didn’t fit. She either had to buy the next size up or go to a maternity store. Since her mom and brother didn’t even know she was expecting yet, maternity clothes didn’t seem like a good plan.
Instead, she’d bought nothing. Good on the budget, she supposed. She’d just continue to leave her pants unbuttoned until her stomach forced the issue.
Dropping onto the couch next to Trent, she held her hand over her abdomen to reassure herself said unbuttoned pants wouldn’t pop open more.
“Who’s the hottie?” she asked, looking over his shoulder at the photo he held. He’d finally developed his film from Alaska.
They were looking at the photos to pass the time while they waited for their mother. Trent hadn’t been too upset about Carey’s slip. She’d bet he felt guilty for not calling right away.
He handed her the picture, seemingly disinterested. “No one important. Just a woman.”
The woman in question was an outdoorsy-looking brunette who was not in the least bit hesitant about touching nasty, slimy fish.
Carey stared pointedly at Trent, trying to pressure him into saying more. His gruff tone told her it wasn’t “just a woman.” He ignored her, fiddling with the remaining photographs, which confirmed her suspicions.
“What’s her name?”
He looked up at her as if surprised she was still fixated on the woman. “Erin,” he finally said.
“Erin,” she repeated. “How well do you know Erin?”
“Well enough.”
Oh, the joy of trying to communicate with a man who believed stringing three or more sentences together was better left to preachers and lawyers.
A knock on the front door had him jumping up to answer it. She laughed. Only the threat of having to tell all could make him look forward to a visit from their mother.
“Mom,” he said, trying hard to sound thrilled to see her. He reached down and pulled her into a loose hug.
“How long did you think you could hide out here without calling me, young man?” Her tone was light hearted. She walked past him and dropped wearily into the recliner.
“Have a seat,” Trent said with a sarcastic grin.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Hadn’t had a chance yet,” Trent told her. “Sorry, Mom. Things have been crazy. Been trying to get settled in.”
“Trent’s going to get a job,” Carey said.
“Oh, really? You must be staying around for a while then.”
Instead of answering, her dear brother turned the spot light on Carey. “Did you know that Carey here is starting her own business?” The coward was using her to avoid having to disclose his plans. She glowered at him.
“Are you, now? Why do my own children keep secrets from me?”
Uh-oh, Carey thought. They’re both going to flip when they learn the extent of my secrets.
“What kind of company? Why? I want to hear all about it,” her mom continued.
“I thought you were here to tell us about Mr. Wonderful,” Carey said, smiling, crossing her hidden fingers that the distraction attempt would be successful. The whys of her new venture were damn hard to explain without spilling all.
Trent shot a pained look at Carey and she shrugged smugly.
“Ah, yes. He is wonderful. His name is Phillip Weisbrenner. Widowed years ago. He’s in construction, but very articulate and intelligent.” Their mom let out a dreamy sigh.
“Okay, that’s all we need to know,” Trent said, only half joking.
She carried on about the man for several more minutes. “You’ll get to meet him soon,” she promised. “Now, back to you, Carey. Tell me what you’re up to.”
Carey took a fortifying breath. It was one thing to tell Devin about her dream business, but for some reason it was even harder telling her mom. She wouldn’t laugh at her, just as Trent hadn’t, but neither of them would understand how important it was to her. Of course, they couldn’t grasp the significance until she told them about the baby.
Swallowing around a lump in her throat, she guessed it was time for the truth to come out.
Carey stood and paced. She paused at the front en
tryway. The heavy wood door was ajar and she peered out of the storm door, seeing nothing. She recited the information on her business, answering questions about where she’d find customers, whether she needed to buy any new equipment, where she hoped eventually to hold studio sessions. Then her mom hit her with the question she’d been dreading.
“What brought this on, Carey? You’ve never indicated you were tired of jet-setting around on freelance jobs. It seems awfully sudden.”
“It’s always been in the back of my mind.”
Carey ran her fingers over the door handle. It’d be nice to open it and run away, but the time had come to be honest.
“Why now?”
“Maybe you’ll understand better,” Carey began quietly, “when I tell you I’m pregnant.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DEAD SILENCE.
Carey turned to see both her brother and her mother staring at her.
“I’m going to assume you wouldn’t bullshit about that,” Trent finally said.
“I wouldn’t bullshit about that.”
“What the—” He stood, walked to the door and looked outside, too, as if he might spot an explanation out there hanging from the tree branches. “You’re pregnant.”
“Yes,” she said unnecessarily.
Her mother was oddly silent, but Carey didn’t have time to wonder about it before Trent started hammering at her.
“Who’s the guy?” he demanded, hands on his hips.
“No one worth naming. He’s no longer in the picture.”
“Oh, you’ll name him. He’s not going to get away with this.”
“It takes two to tango.”
“And it takes two to bring up a kid the right way as well.”
“Trent,” her mom cautioned. “Calm down.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen,” Carey said to her brother. “I’ll be raising the child by myself.”
“It has to happen. You can’t do it alone, Care.” His voice was gentle now, but his words grated.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Don’t take it personally,” her mom said. “It’s damn hard to raise a kid by yourself.”
