Love of Steel [The Callens 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

The infant was asleep despite all the oohing and aahing going on. Sam and April backed away, giving her a chance to take a peek. While she wasn’t ready to have any of her own right now, looking at the precious child made her heart yearn to have one.

“He’s beautiful.”

Tracey looked up and smiled. Though she appeared tired, Jade had never seen a more radiant mother.

“Thanks. We named the baby David after Colby’s brother. Colby thinks he looks like him, but Dustin is positive he’s all Callen.”

“Does he have the Callen blue eyes?”

“Yes, he does.”

Not that it mattered what the child looked like. He’d be special.

“Glad to see you make it, Jaden.”

She inhaled, not really wanting to get into another conversation with her father about her life. She faced him. “Hi, Dad.”

“I hear you’ve hooked up with Logan Smithfield.” He waved his glass. She prayed he hadn’t had too much to drink.

Being with Logan would be a plus in her dad’s eyes since Logan was a wealthy man. “I’m also seeing Parker Brandt.”

“Isn’t he that theater guy?”

Her hands pressed tightly against her thighs. “Yes.” She wasn’t going to defend how wonderful the less wealthy Parker was.

“I’ve known Logan for years. He’s a good man.”

“Yes, he is.” Her father was up to something, but she couldn’t figure out his agenda.

He grinned. “I heard he was sweet on you.”

There were twenty-five thousand people in Intrigue. The gossip mill couldn’t be that good. “That so?”

“Yup. I couldn’t be happier.”

He’d never shown much interest in her love life, or lack thereof, before. “Why?”

“He’s told me several times that he’s ready to settle down and have a slew of kids.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “I can’t wait for my first grandbaby.” He reached over and patted her belly. “You’re not knocked up yet, are you?”

She extracted his arm from her shoulder. “No, Dad, and I don’t intend to make the same mistake you made.” She almost bit her tongue after making the rude remark, but she needed to set things straight with him.

Before he could toss back a retort, she stalked off. He was lying. He had to be, but to what purpose?

April rushed up to her. “What’s wrong? You aren’t leaving, are you?”

The way her cousin was tightly holding her hands in a prayer position made her back off. “No. I just needed some air.”

“Can it wait? I’m about to bring in the cake and open the presents. I signed our names to the card.”

She’d brought her own card but had yet to put it in the large pile with the others. “Thanks.”

April located Uncle Josh, who stood and banged a glass on the table. The chaos lessened. He nodded to his daughter, who rushed into the kitchen.

“I’d like to welcome all of you into my home once more. There is nothing more important to Veronica and me than family.”

He faced the door, and April shooed her mom into the living room. Jenny came in carrying the lit cake. She started the “Happy Birthday” song and the whole group chimed in.

Her aunt blew out the candles then sat on the sofa in front of the presents. No one would mistake the shovel even though April had done the best she could with the wrapping. Jade’s only regret right now, besides being pissed at her dad, was the fact Logan and Parker couldn’t be here to see her creation and join in the fun.

Her and April’s present was one of the last to be opened. She loved how April’s husbands, Randy and Blake, had their arms wrapped possessively around her, acting as if she was their light.

Aunt Veronica unwrapped the present and looked up at April.

“Jade made it.”

Her aunt caught her eye. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. I almost hate to leave it outside.”

The praise alone was worth all the extra hours making it.

As soon as the cake eating was over and the hard partying began, she said her good-byes and slipped out. Her mind kept going back to her father’s claim that Logan was interested in her as a breeder. She didn’t want to believe it and tried to push the comment out of her mind.

Once she got home, she checked her messages. “Darlin’, Parker and I are staying late to repair one of the flats that got a bit crushed. Nothing to worry about, but we’ll see you at rehearsal tomorrow. Hope your aunt loved her present and that you got to see Dustin’s little boy. He’s the cutest thing ever. Bye.”

Before Jade headed to bed, she spent an hour or two redoing her expenses, hoping to find a way to cut costs. Midnight rolled around and she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. After putting the books to rest, she crawled into an empty bed. She’d grown used to having the men cuddle next to her, and sleep eluded her. Around 5:00 a.m., she got up. Before the week’s end, she wanted to make some progress on the staircase. She hadn’t had but ten spare hours to work on it. The play took up far more time than she’d realized, but getting the chance to see Parker and Logan work their magic made up for it.

She dressed for working and was able to get quite a lot done without too many interruptions. Play rehearsal was at six, so she showered, ate a light supper, and spent an extra half hour applying her makeup. Marlene was always hanging on to Logan, and she wanted to make sure Logan noticed her not for her
breeding
potential but because they connected on an emotional level.

By the time she got to the theater they were nearing the end of act one. Her part was small, but she had to go on stage twice. She waited offstage and mentally said the lines delivered by the other actors. Marlene entered from stage right, and Jade steeled herself for Logan kissing her back. The kiss, she had to admit, was a bit insipid.

“Cut!” Parker trotted on stage.

Logan glanced at Marlene then back at Parker. “Something wrong?”

Parker faced Marlene. “That was the sorriest kiss that I’ve ever seen. Can you put a little passion into it?”

She rubbed her stomach. “Sorry, Parker baby. I’m a little under the weather.”

His cheeks sagged. “What’s wrong, hon?”

Jade tensed. If Marlene had to drop out, the play wouldn’t go on. Not that she minded all that much, but Parker would be devastated on several levels, the least of which would be the lost revenue.

She pressed her lips together. “I’m pregnant.”

Logan’s face brightened like a lit blowtorch. He hugged her. “Marlene, that’s fantastic! You’re having a baby. How far along are you?”

“Three months, but don’t worry. It won’t impact the show. I promise.”

Parker rubbed her back. “You want to sit down or something?” He looked up and spotted her. “Jade, sugar, could you get Marlene some water?”

They acted like she’d told them she’d won the lottery and she was willing to share her wealth. “Sure.”

As quick as she could, she jogged to the break room and poured a cup of water and returned. “Here.”

Marlene drank her fill then handed the cup back to Jade. She squished the cup in her hands and trotted off to wait her turn to kiss the man
she
loved.

Did I just think that? Yes. I love Logan. I also love Parker.

Parker lightly touched Marlene’s arm. “Do you feel like going on? Or would you rather call it quits for the night?”

“I’m good.” She smiled sweetly at Logan. “Let’s take it from the top.”

Parker disappeared and the scene went ahead as planned. After Marlene exited, it was Jade’s turn to throw herself at Logan. By now she was used to him not responding. She rushed in, said her lines, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She delivered the kiss with as much passion as she could muster. She didn’t have to fake anything.

He leaned back and coughed. “Excuse me.”

Well, that sucked. She was about to try again when Logan strode off, like he was supposed to do. Only this time he never got the full kiss. What was up with that? His thoughts must be back on Marlene’s news.

She watched him disappear into the wings. Wanting to see a bit more of the play, she stayed in the wings to watch. Logan was magnetic. Parker had written a brilliant play, and she prayed the town embraced the show.

Partway through the second act, she slipped out to go home. Once the play opened, she’d be at the theater for the duration. Spending that much time there would take a further toll on her business.

It wasn’t more than an hour after she arrived home when her cell rang. It was Parker.

“Hey.”

“There’s no rehearsal tomorrow or Sunday.”

“I know.” He’d made that announcement during the break.

“I thought maybe you and I could get away for a day or two and enjoy each other.”

The idea thrilled her. “What about Logan?”

“He can’t make it. He wished he could, but the grand opening is soon, and he has a lot of stuff to get ready.”

She should be finishing the railing for the model home instead of enjoying herself with Parker. Maybe if she worked throughout much of the night, she could get away for two days. It might be the last time she had Parker all to herself. “Sounds wonderful.”

“We’re going camping, so dress appropriately.”

“Camping?” She laughed. The last time she’d slept outside was when she was a Girl Scout.

“Yeah. I spoke with your dad, and he told me some things you like to do.”

Did he now?
She and her father needed to chat some more. What other tidbits had he told Parker? She wouldn’t be surprised if the concept of babies came up.

“What time?”

“Can you be ready by eight?”

“Sure.”

“Tomorrow then.” He disconnected. She stood there totally confused by the invitation.

Her mind raced. Packing had to come first. Putting in a few hours on the scrolls for the staircase was second. Sleep ranked a distant third.

* * * *

When Parker drove her to Intrigue commuter airpark, she was totally confused. “What are we doing here?”

“Logan graciously offered his jet to us. The pilot is ready and waiting.”

The last trip took her to New Orleans. “That’s awesome. What’s our destination?”

“Your father said your favorite place in Wyoming was the Grand Teton National Park.”

She sucked in a breath. “I love it there. It’s been years since I’ve visited it.”

He lifted her backpack from the back of the truck and handed it to her. He not only had his backpack to tote but several other bags. “Don’t worry. I’ve rented a car. We aren’t roughing it too much.”

Once they got in the air, she’d ask him what was really going on.

Parker leaned his head back against the leather seat and watched Jade. Her eyes were closed, and from the way she was lightly snoring, she hadn’t gotten any sleep last night. She was driving herself too hard, and it killed him to watch her work this much, but she wouldn’t be Jade if she didn’t have such lofty goals.

One of the reasons for the trip was because he and Logan thought it was time to see if Jade would be willing to move in with them. She’d still keep her place, but they wanted a much bigger bed if the three of them were going to share. Getting her out of town for two days might help her disconnect. Once they returned, he’d pose the question.

Jade had been a bit distant of late, and he couldn’t tell if she was bothered by watching Logan kiss Marlene or if there was some deep-seated reason why she hadn’t responded to Logan’s hint about a rich husband.

They’d never suggest she quit her job, but if she could have another assistant to do the books and help with organizing her priorities, she’d be able to do more of the work she loved. The money from the staircase she was creating should help make that possible.

The captain announced they were about to land and to fasten their seat belts. Bless her heart, Jade slept most of the way to the national park.

“Jade?”

She awoke with a start and looked around, as if she’d forgotten she was in the air. “We’re here?”

He chuckled. “Almost. We’re about to land.”

He prayed he’d thought of everything. He’d rented a four-wheel-drive Jeep, had made reservations at a campground that had showers, and even arranged for them to go horseback riding in the mountains. He thought a few days away from the stress of work and the play would do wonders for her state of mind.

* * * *

As soon as they got off the plane, the air seemed cooler, and already her body was beginning to relax. The sleep had been wonderful though she felt bad that Parker had no one to talk to during the whole trip.

He pressed a hand to her shoulder. “Wait here. I’m going inside to get the car. We don’t need to drag all this stuff to the terminal.”

“I can help carry everything.”

He leaned over and ran a finger down her cheek. “That’s true, Iron Lady, but can I spoil you for once?” He kissed her.

Joy spread through her. “Absolutely.” She wasn’t used to men treating her so well. She could definitely get used to this kind of care.