Enraptured (7 page)

Drew was gone by the time I woke up the following morning, which was unusual given it was Saturday. He kept his distance after I gave him the cold shoulder, so I had no idea when he left the bed. From the state of his bedcovers, it had to be relatively early. The pillow was barely dented and the corners were still nicely tucked.

I checked his study as I made my way downstairs, but it, too, was undisturbed. With a shrug
of my shoulders I turned toward the kitchen. Since mornings had proven so rough for me, Cleo had resumed preparing breakfast for the family. I wasn’t all that happy about it, given that I had established a much different routine when I had lived there before. I hated depending on anyone, especially for such basic needs. But she was happy to do it, reminding me gently that it was, in fact, her job. So I smiled when I found the tray of oatmeal and juice waiting for me, complete with a single rose in a bud vase on a silver tray.

Jonathan
was already outside playing with Yoda. I watched them as I ate my breakfast. The little dog had become quite adept at retrieving the plastic flying disc. He took off like a shot every single time Jonathan hurled it across the yard. With ceaseless energy he brought it back, which always made Jonathan laugh as he dropped to his knees to reward his friend with kisses and praise. It warmed my heart to watch them interact. It wasn’t so long ago when Jonathan was locked inside a very bitter shell, lashing out at everyone and pushing anyone who loved him as far away from himself as he could.

Thankfully we didn’t let him. We fought and stayed true to our goal to reach him
, even when he made it nearly impossible to do so. As I watched him play, I could finally see our progress. It had been the only thing worth fighting for in this whole debacle, and it was a war we were actually winning. He was on a new path. His future was rewritten.

It made me think about Drew and about Alex. How different would their lives had been if someone had dug their heels in the ground and refused to be moved by the lies, by the anger and the disappointment?

Was it too late?

Or was their bitter, twisted future set in stone?

I sighed as I thought about dinner that night. It was yet another game on Drew’s part, and likely on Alex’s as well. Both had been playing off of each other for years. They had forfeited truly connecting as brothers so that they could best each other in some useless competition. Though I never met him, I cursed Malcolm Fullerton for doing this to his children. Many years ago they were the best of friends. Now they were the worst of enemies.

All for what?

I carried my dishes to the sink, to rinse them out and place them in the dishwasher. My brain twisted itself into a knot as I tried to think of something, anything, to make this hopeless situation better. Jonathan and Max deserved so much better than this hateful legacy.

I was still clueless as I joined Jonathan outside. He bounded over to me with a happy smile. “Did you see Yoda?” he asked.

I nodded. “The training is going well.”

He beamed down at the cheerful little dog with the perpetual smile. “By the time the baby is born, he should be fully trained.
”

It touched my heart how Jonathan was doing everything he could to prepare for his little brother or sister. I put my arm around his shoulders.
“You. Are. Amazing.”

He rose to the praise. “
You are the one that is amazing. I can’t believe you got Dad invite Max and Alex to come over.”

“Me either,” I mumbled.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked.

“I was wondering the same thing.
Any suggestions?”

He pursed his lips as he pondered the possibilities. “It’s hard to say. They’re both so different.”

I snickered. That was the understatement of the century. “I tell you what. We’ll make this about Max, then.”

“That’s brilliant,” he decided with a grin.

We headed to the store to purchase foods that young Maximus Fullerton liked. I decided to make another Mississippi Mud Cake, while Jonathan suggested we make Millicent’s chicken cordon bleu recipe. “She’s coming too, isn’t she?”

“I hope so,” I answered. “She’s a part of the family, too.”

Just to make sure, Jonathan texted Alex.

We spent the better part of the day baking and cooking. Drew returned early in the afternoon,
and disappeared right into his study. He didn’t emerge until closer to five o’clock, when he headed upstairs to dress for our company.

He stood in his underwear, surveying his closet, when I entered the room. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to show.”

He chuckled as he turned to face me. “And miss this grand family reunion? Hardly.” He glanced over my casual outfits of jeans and a button-down shirt. “So I take it the festivities aren’t black-tie?”

I shrugged. “If you can’t be yourself around family, what’s the point?”

“Indeed,” he said as he pulled a pair of slacks from the closet. I watched as he stepped into them.

I wanted to ask where he had been. This was my business now, as his wife. But I also sensed he was waiting for me to ask. It was another game and I refused to play. Instead I unbuttoned my shirt and tossed it in the hamper
, then wriggled out of my jeans. I wore only my underwear as I walked right past him toward the closet and perused my meager selection.

He watched me out of the corner of his eye as I ran my hand along the hangers until I stopped on a sunny yellow knit dress. It was fancier than I normally dressed, but the occasion was fairly momentous. I even sat at the vanity table to apply a little makeup. He walked behind me to shrug into his own casual knit shirt, his eyes studying my face as I got ready.

I knew he’d pick apart every decision I made in regards to this dinner, from what I wore, what I made and what I said. It wasn’t just a test for Alex; it was a test for me. And in that moment I realized that was the purpose of his letting me in on his little plan, just to make sure I knew that.

“
It’s only a game if he’s hiding something
,” Drew had said. Now I understood that was a question of exactly what I might be hiding as well, since I was the one who campaigned to bring Alex back into the fold so soon on the heels of our love affair.

Drew
bent closer to the mirror to style his own hair, purposefully keeping my face in the frame of the mirror. I applied perfume and affixed earrings. And even though we both were focused on our own images, I knew very well each of us was acutely aware of the other through our peripheral vision.

He stood up and I rose from the chair to face him. His eyes were unreadable. “You look lovely, Mrs. Fullerton,” he murmured.

I gave a slight nod to accept the compliment. “As do you, Mr. Fullerton.”

He offered his arm and I took it, and he led us down the stairs.

Jonathan had also decided to dress for the occasion. He had changed from his jeans and T-shirt to slacks and a sweater. He was practically jumping out of his skin in excitement. Before he could ask what time it was, again, the doorbell rang. I dismissed Harrison with the wave of a hand as we all walked to the door to welcome our guests.

Drew opened the door
. I sucked in a breath when I saw Alex’s face. Like Drew, he had opted for something more dressy casual, with an open-collar shirt and slacks. His long hair was tied back and his beard was trimmed close. There was no smile on his face when our eyes met and held. I could still see the pain there, and it crushed my heart.

Max was all smiles when he saw me. “Rachel!” he cried before he jumped right up into my arms. I laughed as I cuddled him close. Oh, how I had missed him so.

“Hey, handsome,” I said before I delivered a noisy peck right on his lips. He strengthened his arms around my neck and hugged me tight.

“I missed you!” he said.

“Not as much as I missed you,” I promised as I set him on his feet. He made a beeline straight for Jonathan.

I turned to Millicent, whose smile was warm as she greeted me. “It’s been too long,” she said as she wrapped me into a warm hug.

“It has,” I agreed as we parted. She handed me a bag full of goodies from her garden. “How sweet are you?” I squealed as I inspected the bounty.

“They’re not as good as when you were tending to them,” she said.

“They’re great,” I said. Harrison appeared from the shadows to take the bag. I introduced them, and he bowed slightly as he greeted her.

Finally I turned to Alex. He wore that damnable smirk.
“Hey, sis.”

I ignored the
snark. I stepped close and took him into my arms. I felt the tremor run though his body as he closed his arms around me. “It’s good to see you, Alex,” I said softly.

We stepped apart. He offered me a bottle of wine and flowers. “You look beautiful,” he murmured. “Pregnancy really agrees with you.” He turned to Drew. “You’re a lucky man.”

Drew smiled as he pulled me into his side possessively. “Yes, I am.”

Jonathan watched the two men, perhaps waiting for them to hug like the rest of us
, or come to blows like they had in the past. Alex offered a handshake, and Drew only hesitated a millisecond before he accepted. “Thank you for inviting us,” he said, studying Drew the same way he himself was being studied.

“Thank my wife,” Drew replied easily. “She explained how close the boys have gotten over the past year. There seems no sense in keeping them apart.”

“Agreed,” Alex said.

Drew led the way to the living area. Cleo took the flowers from me to arrange them for the dinner t
able. I joined Drew on the sofa, while Alex and Millicent sat on the love seat. Sensing the tension in the air, Jonathan took Max by the hand. “Come on, Max. Let me show you my room.”

He followed his cousin happily, with Yoda trotting obediently behind.

Drew leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, as he draped an arm possessively on the edge of the sofa behind me. “So how are the horses?” Drew asked. “Training coming along well with A True Southern Princess?”

“
Placed the last few races. Nearly ready to break her maiden,” Alex answered.

“A Truth Southern Princess?”
I asked. “New horse?”

Alex’s eyes met mine.
“Brought her back from England. I spent most of December getting her ready to transport.”

I dropped my gaze, recalling all too well how I had spent my December, praying to hear from Alex though I never did.

“Perhaps we should come see her race,” Drew murmured as his fingers curved around my shoulder to stroke my skin.

“Absolutely,” Alex said as he spotted the gesture. “Rachel has always had good luck at the races.” After he let that comment sit for a moment, he changed the subject. “So, how was the honeymoon?”

Drew glanced down at my face with a knowing smile. “It was wonderful, wasn’t it, darling?”

The rock in my throat prevented any comment. Instead I just nodded.

“The De
Havillands let us stay on their private island. We had the run of the place and a bedroom right on the sand. It was a beautiful place to reconnect after such a difficult year apart.” I couldn’t even bring myself to look at Alex. “It was paradise,” Drew murmured softly. “But only because Rachel was there with me.”

I glanced at Millicent, pleading with my eyes for her to do something, anything to stop this conversation. She cleared her throat. “I could tell you got some sun, Rachel. But you still look a little pale.
Morning sickness?”

“More like all-day sickness,” Drew answered for me.

She nodded. “It’s still early yet. How far along are you?”

“Nine weeks,” Drew answered for me again. I felt Alex’s eyes on me as I smoothed my skirt on my legs. “She tells me it’s normal, but we’re going to check with the doctor just to be sure.”

“Experiences vary. Morning sickness isn’t the same for everyone, even from pregnancy to pregnancy. For some, it can even linger past the first trimester. When I was pregnant with Nina, I was sick as a dog for five months straight. Smells, visuals, anything could send me running to the bathroom. I was using every home remedy in the book. I even sniffed newspaper,” she admitted with a chuckle. “But what can you do, really? Just one of the thorns one must endure for the rose.”

“Absolutely,” he responded with a triumphant smile.
Drew reached over to gently cup my stomach with his hand. “How about those for names, darling? Rose for a girl, Thorne for a boy?”

I pleaded with him with my eyes to stop, but his smile indicated he had
every intention of branding his territory. We were finally all spared from the monotony of excruciating small talk by Harrison, who announced dinner was served.

Fortunately the kids took over the conversation once we all were seated in the formal dining room. Jonathan asked Max about his school, so our natural entertainer spent almost an hour telling us about his teachers, his friends, and his girlfriend named
Trudie. The adults, even both Alex and Drew, were charmed by his tales, which helped defuse the tension somewhat.