by Donna Alward
At one o’clock, he realized he hadn’t eaten lunch, so he decided to pop down to the bottom floor and the restaurant on-site. Before he could get out of the office door, however, two familiar faces came toward him down the hall.
“The two of you here together? Something big must be up.”
Cole Abbott flashed a grin. “Well, Bran said he was coming to see you, and I was going to be in the city, so I thought I’d tag along.”
They exchanged backslapping hugs, then Jeremy turned back around toward his office. “It’s good to see you two.”
“Bran said you had some news. Wouldn’t tell me what it is, though.”
Cole scowled at his companion. Bran was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, and his cheeks still looked hollow from grief. Jeremy knew exactly what had brought Cole to the city. Worry for their friend.
“Bran’s bought a house in Nova Scotia. Did he tell you that?”
“Yes, so I know that’s not the news. What’s up?”
Jeremy took a moment to look out his office window. He had a great view of the Hudson. He had just about everything a man could want.
He faced the men again and let out a breath. “Well, I’m going to be a father.”
Branson stared at Cole, who sat heavily in a chair in front of Jeremy’s desk. He let out a curse word and ran his hand over his face. “For real?”
Jeremy laughed. “Yeah. Needless to say, it was a surprise for me, too.”
“Who is she? When? How did it happen?”
“Tori, last summer, and the usual way.”
Branson laughed, the sound rusty. “Oh, man. Your face, Cole. This is why I didn’t tell you.”
Jeremy chuckled. “It’s not the end of the world, dude.”
“Are you sure?”
“We’re all nearly thirty-six years old. It was bound to happen to one of us eventually.”
Silence fell. Jeremy suddenly wished he could cut out his tongue. It had happened—to Bran. And then it had been ripped away. All his happiness.
“Oh, Bran, I’m sorry. That was thoughtless.”
Bran waved a hand. “Forget it.”
“I can’t. I’m so, so—”
Bran looked him dead in the eye. “It’s okay, Jeremy. Really. I can’t pretend it didn’t happen, and you guys can’t tap-dance around it for the rest of your lives. So shut up and tell us what’s happening. Because last I heard you were in Canada finding out the news and freaking out a bit.”
Jeremy perched on the edge of the desk as the tension in the room dissipated a bit. “Well, she’s here, actually. I brought her here for a week so we could talk about what we want to do.”
“Are you guys a thing?”
“I don’t know. Yes? But no. I mean, we haven’t slept together.”
“Clearly you did...”
“I mean since I found out.” He aimed a “smart aleck” look at Cole. “But I like her, a lot. And she likes me. And we’ve kissed...”
Bran nudged Cole. “This is nearly as bad as when we were freshmen and he was telling us about the girl he’d left behind... What was her name? Jill? Jane? Though I think he said he’d felt her up once.”
“Again, shut up. I don’t know why we’re still friends.” But a smile curved up his cheek. This was exactly why they were friends, and had been for over twenty years.
“So what, you brought her here? Is she going to move here to be with you? So you can bring the baby up together?”
“We haven’t really talked about it.”
“But that’s what you want, right?” Bran always got to the heart of the matter.
“Yeah.” He let out a breath. “I just can’t see us living in two different countries and trying to parent. I’m kind of hoping that she’ll like it here enough to consider moving.”
“Wow.” Cole sat back in the chair. “So then what? Marriage? Are you thinking of staying in your place, or buying elsewhere? Your place isn’t really one where I can picture kids running around.”
Jeremy frowned. “I can always redecorate. And there’s room. Plus it’s close to everything.”
“I don’t know, man. It’s a lot to ask of a woman. To pack up and leave everything behind.” This from Bran.
Cole scoffed. “Yeah, leave behind what? Jeremy’s loaded. She’s landed herself in clover.”
Jeremy pushed away from the desk. “It’s not like that. She doesn’t care about money. And don’t roll your eyes,” he said in response to Cole’s facial expression. “It’s true. If anyone has any ulterior motives here, it’s me.” He sighed. “Mom and Bruce are having a party in a few days. I’m going to take her. If we do this, she’s got to have her eyes wide open.” He nodded at Bran. “That was your advice, and I think you’re right.”
“You’re springing the Wicked Witch of the West on her?”
Again, Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh at Cole. “Yeah, I am. But Sarah’s going, too.” He was thrilled his sister had agreed. He hadn’t told her about Tori either, but she’d be an ally.
“Damn, brother.”
“I know.”
There was quiet for a moment, and then Cole said, with a bit of wonder in his voice, “You’re gonna be a dad.”
“Seems like it.”
He got up and clapped Jeremy on the back. “Congratulations, man. You’re gonna nail this.”
Nope, he wasn’t going to cry over this unexpected gesture. Cole was not the touchy-feely type. So he chuckled instead. “You think? Because I had a crappy example.”
“Didn’t we all? So just do the exact opposite of what your mom and stepdad did and you’ll be great.”
Bran stood up. “And if the city thing doesn’t work out, maybe we’ll be neighbors, Jeremy.”
Cole looked at them both.
“His new house is less than an hour away from Tori,” Jeremy confirmed. “Have you seen it?” He went to his computer and brought the pics up on the monitor. “Look at that. Lighthouse and everything.”
Cole tapped his lips. “How much?”
“Just under three.”
“You’re joking.”
“Nope. You looking for an investment property?”
“I might. I’ve been floating a few ideas around for something. We can talk in the new year.”
“Sure.”
Bran coughed. “I don’t know about you ladies, but I came for lunch. Let’s go get a steak somewhere.”
“Okay, but I can’t be late getting home. I left Tori on her own today.”
Bran laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “And so it begins, bro. And so it begins.”
Jeremy took the teasing with a smile. Yeah, they were right and they were ribbing him about it. But it occurred to him that he really didn’t mind at all.
* * *
Tori had spent the day walking in the park, having a sandwich in a small shop somewhere and then window-shopping. She’d found this little store in Midtown that had an appealing array of housewares in the window, and inside was even better. Now, as she waited for Jeremy to come home, she looked at the items she’d bought and fought against nerves. What if he didn’t like the changes? What if he resented her stepping in and doing anything to his space?
She had receipts. She could take it all back.
The kitchen smelled good, too. She’d stopped at a market and bought the groceries required to make her curried chicken and broccoli casserole. She’d made a salad, too.
The casserole was almost ready and she was watching another holiday movie on TV when Jeremy came through the door. “Wow, something smells great in here,” he said from the foyer.
Score one. She got up from the sofa and went to the foyer to greet him as he hung up his coat.
“Hi. I made dinner. Not that Melissa isn’t a great cook, but I like to cook and since I was at loose ends today
...”
“No explanation required. I’m glad you got out today.”
“I did! I had fun.”
He stepped into the main living area and stopped short. “What the—? You decorated.”
“Only a little.” She folded her hands in front of her. “You didn’t have anything up for Christmas, and it felt a little...monochrome in here.”
He unbuttoned his suit jacket and loosened his tie, staying quiet long enough that her nerves bubbled up again. “I think that was the decorator’s objective,” he said. “To let the space speak for itself.”
“Oh.” His lukewarm response let all the air out of her joy balloon. She’d wanted it to be a lovely surprise. To see his face light up. Now she was just let down.
He pulled off his tie and stuffed it into his pants pocket while she stood there, unsure of what to do next. She rather liked the little three-foot tree she’d bought, decorated with white lights and red and silver bows. The poinsettia centerpiece she’d had delivered from the florist graced the center of the dining table. The air smelled of pine boughs and cones from the candle arrangement on the glass coffee table. A small gift bag sat on the table, too, and her eyes stung. He didn’t like it.
She wouldn’t be so obvious as to move his present right away. She’d wait until he moved somewhere else and sneak it away to her room, or perhaps in the drawer of the table. She could return it tomorrow. Return everything.
“I have receipts,” she whispered.
“What?”
“Receipts. To take everything back. I know it was presumptuous of me. This is your home. I just thought...it could use some Christmas spirit in here.”
He looked at her strangely, then turned his back and went to the kitchen. She rushed over to the table, grabbed the gift bag and tucked it into the drawer where he kept his remotes and magazines.
“There’s a rooster in my kitchen!”
Tori froze. Oh, God, was he angry? She pressed her hand to her chest and pursed her lips, letting out a slow breath. Up until now, he’d been so easygoing. It was one of the things she liked about him. But his living space... It didn’t fit with the Jeremy she had spent time with so far. It was colorless and without humor. Without life. She puckered her eyebrows. That made no sense. How could decor have a sense of humor? But it was how she felt just the same. He was larger than life. His apartment was...prescriptive.
She went into the kitchen and prepared herself for, at the very least, an annoyed Jeremy.
He was staring at the ceramic rooster she’d bought, sitting in the middle of the counter. She suddenly felt a wave of irritation sweep over her. All she’d done was add a few holiday decorations and buy a stupid knickknack. He didn’t have to be so...cold. It wasn’t like him, or at least the Jeremy she knew.
Maybe the problem was she didn’t know him at all.
“Your place is boring, Jeremy. You needed a conversation piece, and I got you one.” She put her hands on her hips.
His head swiveled and he stared at her for a long moment, and then the most surprising thing happened. He started laughing. A low chuckle, almost despite himself, and her lips twitched. Then harder, and she tried really hard not to laugh back. But when he let loose and bent over, laughing himself silly, she couldn’t help it. She started laughing, too, until they were both breathless.
“A...a...conversation piece,” he choked out, still laughing. “A rooster. Oh, my God.”
Oh, goodness. He was too adorable right now. And not mad. She didn’t know what he was feeling, not really, but he wasn’t mad at her, and her relief was great.
The oven timer dinged and she took a deep breath. “I have to stop laughing so I can take that out of the oven.”
“What is it?”
She looked at the rooster, looked at Jeremy and said, deadpan, “Chicken.”
That set them off again.
It wasn’t that funny. Maybe the stress of the last few weeks was getting to them.
She got the casserole out of the oven and put it on the stove to cool. Jeremy had finally stopped laughing and leaned over her shoulder to look at the dish. “Hmm. Not familiar. But it smells good.”
“It is good. You wait and see.” She slid off the oven mitts and turned around. He was close to her, so close her heart started a pitter-patter that she both loved and hated. “Do you really hate the decorations?” She wanted the truth now that the awkwardness had passed.
He shook his head, his gaze sobering. “No, I don’t. I just wasn’t prepared.”
“For what? Christmas?”
“For it to look like home.”
The pitter-patter turned to solid thumping. “Why? Why shouldn’t your home look like a home?”
“I don’t know. And this... Look, Tori. I’m just overwhelmed. I came home to you today. To an apartment with holiday decorations and a woman pregnant with my child and a home-cooked meal. I have no idea what to do with that.”
How cold had his life been?
“You must have had Christmas trees.”
“Not like this. Not...for me. You did this for me, didn’t you?”
She nodded slightly.
Ignoring the hot casserole dish behind her, he put his hands on the edge of the cold stove and leaned in to kiss her. Really kiss her, with not only skill but with enough emotion that she turned to mush. Could they make this work? He hadn’t responded because he was overwhelmed. Because he’d been floored by the idea that someone had done that for him... Her heart broke a little for the lonely boy he must have been. And now he was kissing her as if she’d given him the moon. She’d spent no more than he’d spent on tea yesterday, but she felt as if she’d given him the world.
It would be so easy to fall in love with this Jeremy. Not just the man who’d been a fantastic lover in the summer sun, or the guy who’d treated her like a princess yesterday, but this man, who let her glimpse his heart. Who could be absolutely tender with her when she needed it most.
His body fit so perfectly against hers, even with the baby between them. Over the last week she’d seen a difference in her bump, and the recent snug waistlines had given way to full-on showing. With Jeremy kissing her like she was something precious, and his baby growing within her, she felt both incredibly feminine and extraordinarily powerful in such a beautiful, natural way.
He’d given that to her. And it was worth more than some artificial tree with a few lights and bows.
And when he broke the kiss and hugged her, she felt herself slipping further under his spell.
“Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t say it before. I love that you thought of me and wanted to do this for me. I don’t think I’ve ever really had that before.”
“Then I’m glad I did it because everyone deserves to feel seen and important,” she answered, holding on to his shoulders. She slid her fingers into his hair. “You’re a lot of things, Jeremy, but you’re also a man, and you’re human.”
He kissed her again, long and slow, and she gave herself over to the emotion of the moment. He’d asked her here so they could see where they were in their relationship. What if this could work somehow? What if there really was a happy ending? She tried not to worry about logistics. Those weren’t really what concerned her at this point. It was Jeremy, and whether they could parent together, if they could be together. A couple and a family.
Right now, all the signs pointed to yes, because he was threading his hands through her hair and she was reaching for the buttons on his shirt.
She was halfway down his chest when he put his hand over hers. “You sure?” he asked, a little hint of sexy gravel in his voice. “You have to be sure.”
“I’m sure.” She lifted her chin. “I want you. All of you.”
Including his heart. And maybe that wouldn’t happen today. But she hoped it would someday, because his was a heart worth cherishing.
CH
APTER ELEVEN
JEREMY HAD NEVER once been scared before making love to a woman, but he was scared tonight.
There was a lot at stake. A ton of possibility that could be the best thing ever to happen to him—or he could blow it and they’d be back to square one, just like they were in her office the day he’d discovered she was pregnant.
But more than that, he’d never before made love to a woman where his heart was involved, and it was with Tori. As much as he tried to deny it, she touched something inside him he usually kept locked away. And he’d let her get a glimpse of it. He didn’t like being that vulnerable.
She was standing in his room now, facing him, the soft light of a pair of lamps illuminating her pale skin. He moved forward, wanting to undress her, as scared as he’d been his very first time. Her gaze locked with his, her eyes warmed and her lips curved up in a small smile.
“Don’t be scared,” she said, as if she could read his thoughts.
“I want to see you.” His heart clubbed against his ribs as he reached for her sweater, bunching it up in his hands until it went past her waist, over her breasts, over her head. When her hair was free she shook it out, and he dropped the sweater. Her full breasts were cupped by a plain black satin bra, and her leggings came up over her bump. Holding his gaze, she pushed the waistband down until she was standing before him in the bra and matching underwear, the bikini elastic sitting low below where her tummy began to curve.
She was so beautiful. He could stare at her forever, marveling at how gorgeous she was and the awesomeness of her carrying their child.
“Are you going to touch me?” she asked, tilting her head.
He reached out and put his hand on her hip, pulling her closer, and lifted his other hand to her ribs, skimming over her thickened waist, his thumb roving toward her breast. Dammit, his hands were shaking.
She put her fingers on his face, guiding him to look her in the eyes. “I need to know, Jeremy. Need to know that this is still good and real. We have a lot to figure out, but most of all we need to decide how we feel about each other.”
