Coming Apart at the Seams (29 page)

“I wanted to wait to tell you because I didn't want you to get excited for no reason, but I've been interviewing with a biotech company here in San Francisco. I met with the CFO this morning, and he offered me the job.”

With a loud squeal, Teagan jumped out of her seat to hug her. She pulled back abruptly when she realized Bebe hadn't said she had accepted the job.

“Wait. Did you accept the job?”

Bebe laughed. “Yes.”

Questions shot out of Teagan's mouth like bullets out of a machine gun. “What company? What are you going to be doing? Are you making more money? Where are the offices?”

Bebe laughed again before addressing her questions one at a time. When she finished, Teagan hugged the shorter woman again.

“I'm so happy for you. And for me! It's going to be so fabulous for us to live in the same city again. When are you going to start?”

“I'm not sure. My contract with BioEdge says I have to give them three months' notice, but I think they're going to be livid I'm leaving. They're probably going to have security escort me from my office the minute I tell them I've taken a job with GGB.”

Just then, a hard knock sounded on the partially open door, and Cal's dark head peeked around it. He grinned when he caught sight of Teagan, and he pushed open the door and walked in. Bebe stood, stepping out from behind her.

When Cal saw Bebe, his smile disappeared as if it had never been there. He clenched his jaw, staring at the shorter woman with narrowed eyes.

“Bebe,” he said curtly.

“Cal,” Bebe returned in an equally curt tone.

Teagan sighed, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. Cal and Bebe couldn't stand each other. It had been dislike at first sight when they'd met a little more than three years ago. Her brother's easygoing charm evaporated the minute he got within fifty feet of Bebe, and her best friend turned into an absolute bitch whenever Cal was around.

They eyed each other for a moment. Bebe crossed her arms over her chest, the movement making her rings shine in the midmorning sunlight that slanted through the windows. His eyes fell to her hands, and he frowned darkly before glancing toward Teagan.

“I need to talk to you, T.”

“Can it wait? Bebe and I are in the middle of something.”

“No, it can't wait,” he snapped before telling Bebe in a rude tone, “You need to leave.”

Dropping her arms to her sides, Bebe looked at Teagan. “Is it okay if I grab some coffee in the executive lounge?”

“Yes. I'll come get you when we're done.”

Bebe headed toward the door, but instead of moving out of the way like a gentleman, Cal stayed where he was. Bebe was forced to skirt around him, and as she passed him, he turned slightly and looked down. Bebe looked up, and their eyes met for a long moment before she dropped her gaze.

Suddenly Teagan understood exactly why Bebe rubbed Cal the wrong way. He wanted to rub her the
right
away.

His gaze stayed on Bebe as she left the office, and Teagan watched her brother's eyes drop to Bebe's butt. Her best friend was slender and petite, but she wasn't shapeless. She had curves. All that kickboxing had given her a shapely behind, and right now it was emphasized by a pair of tailored gray trousers with big black buttons on the pockets.

Cal breathed deeply as Bebe closed the door, and Teagan chuckled under her breath. She was about to have some fun at his expense.

“I really wish you'd try to get along with Bebe.” She sighed loudly. “It just breaks my heart that my brother and my best friend can't stand each other.”

Cal jerked his head toward her, and she studied him. He was a little flushed, his light blue eyes kind of glazed.

“She's such a nice person. Why don't you like her?”

He rolled his shoulders. “She's too . . .” He paused, clearly trying to find something to say other than the truth. “Smart,” he finally said.

Teagan pressed her lips together, trying not to snicker. “Mom would be appalled to hear she raised a son who can't appreciate a woman with a brain.”

He frowned. “I can appreciate a woman with a brain. I appreciate you, don't I?”

He threw himself into one of the chairs in front of her desk, and Teagan sat down on the edge of it. She nudged him with the tip of her red snakeskin-print heel.

“So what's the problem?”

“I don't like her jewelry . . . all those rings she wears.”

“Why not?” she asked, choking back her laughter.

“They're distracting.”

“It must be hard for you to take your eyes off them.” She gave him a sympathetic glance. “They draw attention to her fingers and everything she touches.”

He nodded, his eyes unfocused. His face flushed darker, and he shifted in the chair. It didn't take a genius to know what he was thinking about, and she watched him with amusement for several moments. Abruptly, his gaze snapped to hers.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing,” she answered, shaking her head.

He ran a hand over his short, dark hair. “Why is she here anyway?”

“There's a big biotech convention at the Moscone Center.” She paused, getting ready to drop the bomb. “She got a job offer from GGB this morning. She's moving to San Francisco.”

He sucked in a breath, and she smiled innocently. “I'm so excited. She's going to be working just a few blocks away, within touching distance. She's going to be around
all the time
.”

His eyes widened. “
Damn
.”

“What did you say?” she asked, even though she had heard his comment just fine.

“Nothing,” he replied harshly before vaulting to his feet and striding out of her office without another word.

She convulsed into laughter and then laughed even harder when she realized that Cal had been so flustered by their conversation that he'd forgotten the reason he had dropped by her office in the first place. She was still laughing when Bebe returned to her office. The shorter woman smiled at Teagan's mirth, closing the door behind her.

“What's so funny?”

She shook her head. Bebe would figure it out soon enough.

“I was just about to come and get you.”

“I saw Cal walk by, so I assumed you were done.” Bebe frowned. “I know he's your brother, but he's such a
jerk
. He's nothing like what you described when we were in school.”

“I must have been blinded by sisterly love,” Teagan said, pushing back a smile.

“Totally blinded.” Bebe made a little moue. “I need to get back to the convention.”

“Okay. Let me walk you out.”

Bebe moved to grab her bag from one of the chairs grouped around the conference table, and just then, another knock sounded at the door. Teagan shot Bebe an apologetic glance, and her friend waved her hand, indicating she didn't mind the interruption.

“Come in,” she called out.

The door opened, and Nick stepped into her office. He looked toward her desk, and when he realized she wasn't there,
he scanned the room until he found her. Teagan gasped when she saw his face and rushed toward him.

“What happened to you?” she asked when she reached him, gently turning his face so she could see the damage.

His gorgeous face looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to it, and she could only imagine how much it hurt. He leaned down a little bit so she didn't have to stretch to reach him, and she stroked the horrible, purplish-black circle around his eye before tracing the terrible cut on his lip.

Cupping his bruised jaw, she looked into his green eyes, one of them swollen and bloodshot from the massive shiner. He rubbed his face against her hand and closed his eyes when she smoothed his hair with her other one.

“What happened?” she whispered.

“Double-black diamond. Cal's helmet. My face.”

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

He shook his head, dropping his hands to her waist to pull her closer. He opened his eyes, and they stared at each other.

“You need to be more careful. And you need to stay away from Cal when he's on skis.”

He nodded, laughing softly. He looked over her head, and his lips quirked.

“Hi, Bebe,” he said, dropping his hands from Teagan's waist and stepping away from her.

Teagan spun around. She had totally forgotten Bebe was in the room. She had forgotten everything but Nick.

“Hello, Nick. It's been a while.”

“Yes,” he agreed.

“And yet it feels like yesterday,” Bebe continued.

Teagan looked back and forth between Nick and her best friend. His lips tilted in a small smile, and he nodded toward Bebe before meeting Teagan's eyes.

“I'll come back later.”

Teagan watched as he left her office, his tight backside wrapped in a pair of faded Rileys and his broad shoulders covered in a light blue plaid shirt. Bebe cleared her throat, and Teagan jerked her eyes back to the other woman, flushing guiltily at the look Bebe gave her.

“I forgot just how hot Nick is,” Bebe said. “Even with a
black eye and a split lip, he's hotter than 99.99 percent of the male population.”

Teagan wished
she
could forget. But he was imprinted on her memory. Imprinted on her soul.

“I'm glad I was here to see that,” Bebe added.

Teagan scowled. “Nick is not a ‘that,'” she replied, insulted on his behalf. He was more than just a hot body.

A lot more.

Bebe laughed softly. “
Kanya,
for a smart woman, you sure are dumb sometimes. I was talking about how you reacted when you saw Nick's face.”

Teagan grimaced. “It looks terrible. It shocked me.”

“What's more shocking is the fact that you can't see Nick is totally, completely,
madly
in love with you. I have no doubt
you
are the reason why he changed his mind about getting married and having children.”

“No. You're wrong.”

“Yes,” Bebe shot back. “And you're in love with him, too. You never stopped loving him, and you're never going to stop loving him.”

Teagan stumbled over to her office chair and collapsed into it. Her heart thundered in her ears, and her chest was tight.

“That's not true. I hate him.”

Bebe made a rude noise. “Stop lying to yourself, stop lying to me, and most of all, stop lying to Nick! You can't resist him because he's
it
for you.”

Bebe rounded Teagan's desk and leaned down to stare into her eyes. “You can't keep denying your true feelings, Teagan. Deep down inside, you know I'm right. It's hard to forgive someone when he's hurt you so badly, but in Nick's case, it's worth it because you're not going to be happy without him.”

Bebe rested her behind against the edge of the desk. “You need to stop running from Nick. You need to have a real conversation with him and tell him about the baby. You need to ask him why he never returned your phone calls and why he suddenly changed his mind and came after you. And when you've talked to him,
really talked to him
, you need to ask him what he wants so you can decide if you're going to give it to him.”

“Amelia, I know Quinn gave you something new to wear today, but Ava Grace tells me you need something old, something borrowed, and something blue,” Teagan said.

Quinn's bride-to-be turned from the mirror, her wedding dress making a
swooshing
noise with the movement. Her brown eyes were wide, and her rosy lips were opened in an O of dismay.

“I totally forgot about ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,'” she said, her voice almost a wail. “I've never done this before.”

Amelia was one of the most pragmatic, levelheaded people Teagan knew, but the bride was a wreck today. She was trembling and breathless, and since she didn't drink, there wasn't much anyone could do to calm her down.

Teagan reached for Amelia's hand, squeezing her fingers. “Don't worry, I've got your back,” she said.

Dropping Amelia's hand, Teagan pulled two velvet jewelry cases from her leather bag and placed one of them on a nearby table. Opening the other box, she turned it so the redhead could see the earrings inside it.

“These were my Grandma Vi's, and when she died, she passed them down to me. My Grandpa Patrick gave them to her on their wedding day. If you want, they can be your ‘something
borrowed.' You can wear a little bit of O'Brien history when you walk down the aisle.”

Amelia looked down and ran the tip of her finger over the drop-styled earrings. With a square diamond stacked on top of a circular diamond in a starburst platinum setting, they were one of Teagan's favorite pieces from Grandma Vi's collection.

When the future Mrs. O'Brien looked up, her eyes sparkled like Grandma Vi's diamond earrings. “Thank you,” she said softly.

Teagan smiled and handed the case to Amelia. “Wait . . . there's more.”

Turning to the table, Teagan grabbed the other jewelry box and faced Amelia. She raised the lid and handed it to her future sister-in-law, who gasped when she saw the bracelet displayed on the black velvet.

“This is my ‘welcome to the family' gift to you. It's old
and
blue.”

After an exhaustive search involving the Internet and local jewelers, Teagan had found a stunning vintage bracelet studded with diamonds and tanzanite, one of the rarest gemstones in the world. Tanzanite could be found only in one place: the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The stones in the bracelet were a bluish-purple, and they were a perfect match for Amelia's bridal bouquet of lacecap hydrangeas.

“Oh, Teagan,” Amelia breathed, looking down at the bracelet, “it's beautiful.”

“It is, isn't it?” Teagan said, feeling very pleased with herself for finding the
perfect
gift for Amelia.

Amelia laughed and launched herself at Teagan, her arms outstretched in a big hug. The unexpectedness of the gesture caused Teagan to stumble backward on her tall heels and knock her hobo bag off the table. Fortunately, Ava Grace was there to steady her. Otherwise, both Teagan and Amelia would have tumbled to the floor in their wedding finery.

Teagan turned to pick up the fallen bag, but Ava Grace beat her to it. As the willowy singer scooped the bag from the floor, a leather jewelry case tumbled out. Teagan lunged for the case, but Ava Grace got to it first.

“What's this?” she asked, holding it up.

Ava Grace's question drew Amelia's attention, and the
shorter woman peeked around Teagan. She nudged Teagan's shoulder.

“I'm already wearing a fortune in diamonds, but I'm sure I can find room for more,” she quipped.

When Teagan didn't reply, Amelia glanced at her alertly. Teagan's face heated, and she held out her hand for the jewelry case.

Ava Grace smiled mischievously. “Why are your cheeks so red, Ms. O'Brien?” she asked before glancing at Amelia. “Millie, I think there's something special in this jewelry case—something Teagan doesn't want us to see.”

“I think you're right,” Amelia said, tapping her manicured finger against her bottom lip. “We definitely need to take a look.”

Ava Grace snatched the case out of Teagan's reach and lifted the top. Her eyes widened when she saw the contents, and she turned the case to show Amelia.

“Oh,” the bride gasped, running her fingers over the bracelet and earrings. “I've never seen anything so gorgeous!”

Amelia looked up at Teagan, a little frown creasing the smooth skin between her brows. “Are these part of Grandma Vi's collection, too?”

Teagan shook her head.

“Are they yours?”

“Yes.”

“Where did they come from?” Ava Grace asked, handing the case back to Teagan.

Teagan took a moment to smooth her fingers over the bracelet and earrings, which were a perfect match for the vintage necklace Nick had given her for her birthday. He must have commissioned the pieces months ago because it would have taken a jewelry designer several weeks to find the right gems and create the bracelet and earrings.

The hotel's concierge had delivered the jewelry case to her that morning. A handwritten note had accompanied it, and Teagan had recognized Nick's bold scrawl.
I'll never forget how beautiful you looked when you wore nothing but the necklace I gave you.

After she had read his message, images of their night together in Boston flooded her mind. After hours of lovemaking,
Nick had pulled her on top of him, staring into her eyes as he trailed his long fingers over the diamond necklace. She had seen more than lust in his gaze, more than hunger.

She had ridden him slowly, letting the pleasure expand inside her until there was no room for anything else. Her orgasm had been so powerful it had bordered on pain, and when Nick climaxed, he'd called her name over and over in a hoarse, fragmented voice. In the deepest reaches of her heart, she believed that was the moment when they had made their baby.

The bracelet and earrings were the most recent (and most expensive) gift Teagan had received from Nick over the past two weeks. She didn't know what had happened, but since he had returned from Quinn's stag weekend, he'd changed the tone of his pursuit.

He had totally backed off, physically, at least. He no longer cornered her in dark hallways to kiss her senseless or bent her over conference tables to screw her senseless.

He gave her gifts instead, and all of them included a handwritten note. Some of the messages were sweet, some were X-rated, and all of them chafed at her poor heart until it was raw.

She had received a gorgeous bouquet of lavender roses with a note that said:

Do you remember the lavender roses I bought for you? I told you I bought them because you were sick, but I really bought them because I wanted you to be my Valentine.

She had scoffed when she'd read the message, telling herself it was cheesy. But her heart had said it was more sweet than sappy.

The next day, she'd found a white wicker basket sitting on her desk, overflowing with candles, bubble bath, and body lotion in her favorite scent. She had thrown the note in the trash, but hours later, she'd dug through the wastebasket to find it.

It had read:

I want to see you in the bathtub, your face limned in the glow from these candles. I want to see your skin all pink
and slippery with bubbles clinging to it. I want to smooth this lotion over your body until you moan my name.

When she had finished reading the note, her panties had been damp, and she had been unable to concentrate for the rest of the day. The moment she had walked into her loft after work, she'd filled the tub with water and poured in some of the bubble bath Nick had given her. When it had overflowed with fragrant suds, she had climbed in with her waterproof vibrator.

She'd tried to fantasize about Hugh Jackman, but she and the
X-Men
star hadn't been able to get the job done. Finally, she'd given in and imagined Nick in the tub with her, and she'd enjoyed three orgasms before the water had turned cold.

A couple of days later, she had discovered a plastic container on her office chair filled with chocolate sugar cookies. The note read:

Letty came to San Francisco with me. She promises to make your favorite cookies anytime you want if you'll stop by the house so she can finally meet you.

And two days ago, a big white envelope had been propped against her computer monitor. Inside she had found several brochures advertising tourist attractions around the Bay Area with colorful Post-it Notes stuck on the covers. The messages ranged from
This sounds fun
to
We sailed Boston Harbor, let's sail the San Francisco Bay
to
Alcatraz probably has a cemetery we can explore.

Nick wasn't stalking her anymore—he was
courting
her. It was a subtle assault rather than the aggressive tactics he had used in the past, and it destroyed her defenses faster than she could build them.

“Teagan, where did the bracelet and earrings come from?” Amelia repeated.

“Nick gave them to me,” Teagan admitted, snapping the case shut.

Amelia and Ava Grace stared at her, clearly stunned by her answer. She slipped the jewelry case back into her bag.

“Why aren't you wearing them?” Ava Grace asked at the same time Amelia asked, “Are you going to wear them today?”

“No,” she said, answering Amelia's question.

“Why not?” they asked simultaneously, like they were Siamese twins who shared a brain.

Teagan held her bag in front of her body, feeling the outline of the jewelry case through the supple leather. Although she didn't want to answer their questions, she also didn't want to offend either one of them. She and Amelia had built a tentative friendship, and Ava Grace had extended her friendship to Teagan because of her relationship with Amelia.

After a lengthy hesitation, she answered, “Because he would see that as a sign that I'm giving him another chance.”

Ava Grace laughed huskily. “If a man gave me jewelry like that, I'd give him anything he wanted.”

“She's not as mercenary as she sounds,” Amelia noted wryly.

“If you're not going to wear them, then why are you carrying them around with you?” Ava Grace asked.

“I didn't think they would be safe in my room,” Teagan prevaricated.

Teagan didn't want to admit that she wanted to have the jewelry close by so she could ogle it whenever she got the urge, which was a lot. She was
so
tempted to wear the bracelet and earrings. They were so fabulous, and her bridesmaid dress would offer a perfect canvas to highlight them. But she was going to leave the jewelry in its leather case, and someday soon, she'd return it to Nick.

“And you think they'll be safer here?” Ava Grace asked doubtfully.

Teagan shrugged and tried to redirect the attention to the bride. “You need to hurry and put on the jewelry, Amelia. You don't want to be late to your own wedding.”

Ava Grace nodded in agreement. “We don't want Quinn to think you're a runaway bride. All hell would break loose. That man would tie you up, throw you over his shoulder, and head for the hills.”

Both Amelia and Teagan laughed at Ava Grace's comment because it was true. Quinn wouldn't let anything stop him from marrying Amelia—not even the woman herself.

Amelia and Quinn had chosen to marry and hold their wedding celebration at a newly renovated vineyard in Napa Valley. It featured a historic Spanish-style chapel, along with
an indoor-outdoor reception area, gourmet restaurant, and boutique luxury hotel.

The entire wedding party was staying at the hotel, along with a large number of the wedding guests. Quinn and Amelia had booked the bridal suite for tonight and tomorrow night. The following morning, they would head back to San Francisco to hop a flight for their honeymoon. The location was a secret. Quinn wanted to surprise his bride, and he was the only one who knew where they were going.

Teagan helped Amelia fasten the bracelet around her slender wrist and watched as the other woman replaced the earrings she was wearing with Grandma Vi's diamonds. Amelia turned toward the full-length mirror to see how the old, borrowed, and blue jewelry looked with her wedding dress.

Amelia nervously smoothed her hand over the front of her dress, which was the color of heavy cream. With a sweetheart neckline, pleated bodice, and trumpet skirt covered with organza ruffles, it wasn't the kind of dress Teagan would have expected Amelia to choose, but it was perfect on her petite frame.

Amelia touched the necklace Quinn had given her, a delicate web of platinum studded with diamonds of varying sizes, before turning her head to study the earrings. Since her hair was piled on top of her head in a mass of red curls, they were very noticeable.

“Quinn is going to recognize the earrings,” Teagan told Amelia. “He's going to be thrilled you're wearing them today. We all loved Grandma Vi, and let me assure you, she would have adored you.”

Teagan and Ava Grace came up behind Amelia to flank her. The mirror was big enough to show all three of them, and Ava Grace laughed at their reflections.