And that funny feeling was back, even more intense this time. Oh, God. She wasn’t sure she was ready to admit that she liked him this much.
“I guess we know something else about each other.”
“What’s that?” he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“We both don’t have a problem getting naked in the great outdoors.”
He started laughing and then shook his head. “Very true.”
Eleven
The longer Scarlet stayed in Cole’s Hill, the deeper the bond grew between her and Alex. His family and friends had accepted her into their circle and she was feeling for the first time in her life that it might be okay to let her guard down with more than just a select few people.
A couple of hours in, Bianca’s baby shower was in full swing. All of the Velasquez brothers were in attendance, which was a big deal since Inigo had come fresh from a Formula 1 race to make it. Benito was proudly wearing a shirt that said I’m the Big Brother and because he was close with Nate and Kinley’s daughter, Penny, Penny had a shirt that said “I’m the Big Cousin.” The two of them were thick as thieves and it made Scarlet smile to see the way Alec’s entire family embraced Bianca’s baby.
Alec had been locked away in the den for several hours discussing something with Inigo, but she hadn’t missed him. She was seated on the couch with Helena, Hadley and Kinley, and honestly, she’d never had more fun.
She’d sent Billie back to New York to get ready for the launch of her newest lifestyle box, a quarterly subscription that included trendy products, and Siobahn was still lying low at the house that Scarlet had rented. She’d started writing music again and Scarlet felt her friend was finally moving on from the heartbreak that had been dominating her life for so long.
Being surrounded by so much domestic bliss today brought her to an idea she’d been toying with for a while. She’d never really been able to crack the market of women who were older and maybe settling down. Her audience members were young and single and pretty much interested in working hard and partying hard. But spending time with Helena and Kinley made her think of maybe curating a wedding/bride subscription box. As the demographic of her audience was maturing, this might be a logical next step.
“Are you two available tomorrow to discuss a new project I’m working on?” Scarlet said. “I’m sort of known for my monthly lifestyle boxes and I’d love to do one with a wedding or bridal theme. Kinley, maybe I can partner with Jaqs if you think she’d be interested and include some exclusive content. Helena, as a bride-to-be, it’d be great to get your input on what to include.”
“I love this idea,” Kinley said. “I’ll text Jaqs after the party. She’s always looking to expand into new markets. We’ve been working on an exclusive tiara collection with Pippa and House of Hamilton. Maybe we could bring her into this as well with some bridesmaids’ gifts.”
“Sweet,” Scarlet said.
“I’m happy to help but honestly the things I’m interested in might be out of step with most brides. Like I’ve been majorly stressed by things that aren’t necessarily planning related,” Helena said.
“Hmm... Maybe we could include some tips from meditation experts, too. So it wouldn’t just be actual wedding products but wellness items, too. So will tomorrow work for you two to discuss the details?”
Kinley nodded, and Helena pulled out her smartphone, glanced at her calendar and then back at the two of them. “I could do early afternoon, but I have to combine it with lunch. Maybe around one or one thirty.”
“That’s fine with me,” Scarlet said.
“I’m good with that, as well. Tomorrow I’m working on Helena’s wedding, so I can move around a few things,” Hadley said.
“Mom won’t like that,” Helena warned.
“Your mom’s going to Vegas to meet with Jaqs. She and Jaqs have become closer after their blowup,” Kinley interjected.
Alec knew there had to be more to the story and she was interested in hearing it, but the main festivities of the baby shower were starting. She realized she’d never been to a party like this one. It was multigenerational, and almost everyone at the party had known each other for most of their lives. There was a lot of joking and reminiscing.
She looked over at Mr. Velasquez and tried to imagine her father ever attending a baby shower but frankly couldn’t. He wanted nothing to do with babies because they’d make him seem older or settled.
She already knew he wasn’t going to be a doting grandfather... Why would he be? He hadn’t exactly embraced fatherhood.
Just then Alec entered the room holding a plate of food from the buffet and a glass of sparkling water. He came over and handed them to her. “Figured you’d be getting hungry.”
“Thank you,” she said, taking the plate and drink from him. They’d discovered while she was in Seattle that if she ate something every hour she didn’t get sick.
“Looks like someone has broken Alec,” Mauricio said as he joined them.
“Mo, he’s not a horse,” Hadley said.
“What is he?”
“A gentleman... In fact, you could take lessons from your twin. I don’t think you’ve ever brought me a plate of food.”
“I give you other things,” Mo said, drawing his fiancée into his arms and kissing her, much to the delight of everyone in the room.
Helena got up and Alec took her spot next to Scarlet. “I like your family,” she said to him.
“Me, too. They are a bit of a pain sometimes because everyone feels like they know best but at the end of the day they’ll always be there for me,” he said, stretching his arm along the back of the sofa and wrapping it around her shoulder.
Alec was turning out to be an even better man than she’d expected to find, and his family would be exactly what her child needed. She felt better and better about the prospects for her baby, and that made her decision easier. She knew that if things didn’t work out in her relationship with Alec—and frankly, she wasn’t expecting them to, because she’d never been able to make one last more than six months—at least her child would still have a decent family to raise it.
Sometimes she started to think that they might be able to be a couple and raise the baby together. But there were times when she woke up sweating and scared thinking about the possibility that the baby would grow up and be in the place Tara had been toward the end of her life She had failed her sister and she didn’t want to fail her child.
* * *
Helena wasn’t too sure if she should bring up Scarlet’s request to Malcolm, but she wasn’t hiding anything from him. They were doing pretty well but she had been careful not to do anything that would rock the boat. She knew that wasn’t a healthy way to treat him but she’d been afraid of doing something that would drive him back to gambling. So as soon as he got home from work after picking up takeout from Taco Heaven, she decided to talk to him about it.
“Scarlet asked me if I would contribute to a project she’s working on,” Helena said.
“Really? That’s interesting. Is it budgeting tips? You’re really good at that,” Malcolm said.
She smiled as he passed her a Dos Equis from the fridge.
“Thanks, babe, but that’s not it. She wants me to help her curate a wedding planning subscription box to go out to her mailing list and talk about stress and how to deal with it,” Helena said.
“Oh,” he said, looking over at her. She knew that his gambling and how he’d dipped into their wedding fund to cover his losses were still shameful for him and hoped that she wasn’t striking a nerve. “Well, I have to say you’re good at that, too.”
“I won’t mention any specifics... Actually, I was going to suggest that we write the text for the insert together. We have to just talk about why we chose the products. Maybe talk about how pretending nothing is wrong leads to a bad situation or something like that,”
Helena said.
Malcolm was her partner in life and even though they weren’t officially married yet, the two of them had a strong bond—even stronger since everything had come out about his gambling and they’d taken steps to deal with it together.
“I’d like that,” he said, pulling her into his arms, lifting her up onto the kitchen island and stepping between her legs. “You’re still much too good for me.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you forget it.”
He kissed her and one thing led to another. Ultimately they had to reheat their tacos in the microwave before they ate them but neither minded.
* * *
Monthly poker night was a tradition in his group of friends. Until Scarlet had come along, it had been his only activity outside of polo that wasn’t strictly work-related. He’d always looked forward to it. It was a traveling game, and everyone took turns hosting it. Malcolm was supposed to host tonight but since he had been dealing with overcoming his gambling addiction he’d dropped out of the game. It made him feel better and it definitely reassured Helena, according to Bianca, who had given Alec an earful when he’d mentioned his view that harmless betting with friends wasn’t the same thing as gambling huge sums of money.
He hadn’t realized how insensitive the comment was until she’d pointed it out. Betting of any kind was too much of a temptation for Malcolm. Alec felt like an awful friend for not recognizing that so he’d suggested pool tonight at the Five Families Clubhouse instead. That way Malcolm could join them. The rest of their group had agreed to pool instead of poker, so Alec was heading up there to spend the evening with the guys.
“Are you sure you don’t mind me going?” Alec asked Scarlet as they were sitting on the couch in her house. Siobahn had taken over the large armchair catty-corner to the sofa and looked over at him shaking her head.
“She doesn’t mind, dude. We’re planning girls’ night,” Siobahn said.
“She’s right, we are having girls’ night and I’m fine,” Scarlet said.
She had her legs draped over his lap and he rubbed her calf. She’d gone to the local pediatrician earlier and her visit—the first he’d accompanied her on—had revealed slightly elevated blood pressure. The doctor had advised her to stay off her feet so Alec had come to her house tonight.
It was hard to reconcile his feelings for her, which were more complicated than any he’d experienced before. And let’s face it, he thought, he wasn’t the most touchy-feely of men. He preferred to be in his dark office, with three computer monitors running different codes and algorithms to actually trying to decipher what his emotions meant. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Scarlet. He’d cut back on some of his client meetings to stay closer to her as she transitioned from the first trimester into the second.
He hadn’t told his parents about the baby yet because Scarlet wanted to wait. In fact, he’d mentioned it just to Mo because his twin was the only one he trusted to keep it quiet. Not that Bianca or his other brothers would intentionally spill the news. But he wasn’t sure he was ready for anyone else to know about the baby. Right now it was their little secret. Just between him and Scarlet and the few people they trusted. If he told his parents, his dad was going to ask what their plans were. Were they going to get married or live together? His mom... She was always pressuring his brothers and him to settle down, so she’d push hard for him to make this permanent.
And he had no idea if that would work.
Her friends still weren’t sure about him. And while Billie had gone back to New York, Siobahn was still here and had made it clear she still wasn’t certain he was good enough for her friend. Given that Siobahn was still recovering from her breakup, that made a bit of sense. She was hiding out while she recovered from her broken heart. And he was doing everything possible to assure Scarlet and her friends that he was a decent guy.
But he also knew that he was afraid of how he could fit into her life. That if they were a couple he wasn’t going to be able to avoid her high-profile lifestyle.
White lies had always seemed like something that weren’t really harmful. He thought about the number of times he and Mo had pulled the switch before and they’d never thought about the consequences, but this time it had impacted both of their lives in ways neither of them had anticipated. He never wanted to put anyone through that again. He’d hurt Scarlet and Hadley, something he never would have thought he’d do.
He always prided himself on being a gentleman, so it had been difficult to see himself as the bad guy.
“Fair enough. Who’s coming over?” he asked.
“Bianca, Helena, Hadley, Kinley and maybe Ferrin. She and Hunter are driving home tonight. It’s the start of the term break.” Lulu was curled up on Scarlet’s lap but then jumped down and trotted across the room to her chair, where Scarlet kept a cashmere blanket for her.
“Sounds like fun. Are the kids coming?”
“No. Derek is babysitting,” Scarlet said.
Alec chuckled at the thought. The onetime most eligible bachelor and notorious playboy had certainly changed a lot since he’d married Bianca. Alec liked the change for his sister’s sake. She’d been burned badly once by love so it was nice to see her so happy now.
“Do you need me to do anything before I leave?” Alec asked.
“I think lending me your housekeeper to cook meals for us and to keep me company is enough,” Scarlet said.
He shifted out from under her legs and leaned over to kiss her. As always when he touched her, he felt the tingling of desire burning through him. “If you need me, text me.”
“I will,” she promised, touching his jaw with her finger. “I’ll be fine.”
“Good.”
“Bye, Siobahn,” he said, as he straightened and walked out of the room.
She waved in his direction but didn’t take her eyes off the notepad on her lap. Scarlet had explained that her friend was busy writing lyrics for a new album. Scarlet thought it was an improvement over partying every night so Siobahn could forget her ex.
“See you later,” Scarlet said.
He nodded, not sure he could trust his voice. Because for the first time he had someone he wanted to come home to. It should have been nothing, really. This was a normal, everyday thing for people everywhere but for him it was different.
He drove to the clubhouse thinking about the future and realizing that he was starting to see himself with Scarlet. That the idea of having a family was no longer something foreign that made him feel like an impostor. And he wasn’t sure what that meant.
* * *
Scarlet stood in the doorway of the family room watching Siobahn laugh with Helena and it made her smile. Of course she hadn’t intended to get pregnant but it had led her to something that she never knew existed. It wasn’t just this Texas town. It was a lifestyle she’d never realized she’d actually like. As good as it had been for her, she could see Cole’s Hill working its magic on Siobahn, too. Her friend was recovering from her heartbreak in a healthy way and Scarlet had to wonder if it would have helped Tara to be in a place like this, too.
For once her sister’s voice was quiet in the back of her mind and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. One of the hardest parts about losing someone she loved was trying to hold on to that person. Trying not to let the memories fade. Her therapist had said she should just accept whatever felt right, but a part of her didn’t want to ever let go of Tara.
“Hey, you okay?” Bianca said, coming up next to her.
“Yes. How about you? Your due date is getting close, isn’t it?” Scarlet asked.
Bianca’s stomach was large on her small frame and though she smiled easily, there were moments when Scarlet thought she noticed fatigue in her new friend. “Not soon enough.”
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do when I get to that stage,” Scarlet admitted.
&nbs
p; “I don’t want to alarm you but I haven’t seen my feet in weeks and they are constantly swollen. Last night Derek had to help me get out of bed to go to the bathroom. I’m just so big now,” Bianca said. “I don’t remember being this big with Benito.”
Scarlet felt panic rising in the back of her throat as Bianca talked about her late-stage pregnancy. She felt a little queasy and started to see spots dancing in front of her eyes. Damn. She was going to pass out if she wasn’t careful.
“I have to sit down.”
Bianca’s eyes widened, and she put her arm around Scarlet, leading her to one of the armchairs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that.”
Bianca used her foot to push a small footstool over toward Scarlet. “Prop your feet on here. I’m going to get you a damp towel for your neck. Put your head back and breath. I’m so sorry.”
“You okay?” Hadley asked, coming over to Scarlet.
“Yes. Just not adjusting to the Texas heat as well as I’d hoped,” Scarlet said, seizing on the weather as an excuse.
“I was going to get her a damp towel,” Bianca said.
“I’ll get it, Bia. You stay here.”
Scarlet closed her eyes and put her head back. She had been so busy thinking about what she should do once the baby was born she hadn’t even considered the actual birth. Damn. She wasn’t sure she could do it. Frankly, what Bianca had described wasn’t something she wanted to experience...ever.
“I really shouldn’t have said anything. I’m so miserable that I didn’t even think... God, someone gag me. I just can’t stop talking,” Bianca said.
Scarlet had to laugh at that. She reached over to squeeze Bianca’s hand. “It’s okay. I mean I’d rather hear the truth than think it’s going to be some dreamy perfect feeling.”
“Me, too. The first time... Well, Jose wasn’t around, and it was much harder on my own,” Bianca said. She sat down in the chair next to Scarlet.
One Night, Two Secrets (One Night Book 2; Velasquez Brothers Book 3 Page 11
