Only You (17 page)

He hadn't planned it, but now that he'd suggested it, it felt right. “Yeah.”

She pulled the contented kitten from her chest and held it up in front of her face. The tiny creature let out an even tinier mewl. “What should we name you, little one?” She glanced at Kevin. “He has one white paw. You could call him Boots or Mittens.”

He grinned. “Name him after an accessory? The next thing you'll suggest is that I get a murse to carry him around.”

She smirked, shaking her head. “So I guess Bracelet and Toe Ring are out?”

“I don't know…Toe Ring has a nice
ring
to it.”

She groaned at his pun. “That was excruciatingly bad.”

“I'm the bad boy your mother warned you about,” he teased, and immediately regretted it for multiple reasons. For one, she really had thought of him as a bad boy earlier in the day, and, more importantly, the night before she'd admitted she barely remembered her mother. He'd just made light of that. “Holly. I'm sorry. Your mom—”

She shook her head. “Stop. It's just a saying. You didn't mean anything insensitive by it.”

“The last thing I want to do is hurt you again.”

She studied him, her eyes guarded. “If you're friends with someone long enough, they are going to hurt and disappoint you.” She leaned over and put the kitten on the grass, then stood. “I think I'm going to take a rain check on dinner.”

Kevin got out of his chair and stood in her path, trying to figure out where he'd screwed up.

“You don't have to stay to help with my house. You can eat and then go. You need to eat anyway.”

“I'm tired and I have a lot of work to do. I think I'll just go.”

“Can I walk you home?”

She laughed and glanced down at the kitten, then up into his face. “No. That definitely falls into the more-than-friends category.” Then, before he could protest more, she made a beeline for the gate without a backward glance.

B
y the middle of Sunday afternoon Holly was sure she'd made the right decision to leave Kevin's the night before, even though her heart didn't agree. To help take her mind off it, she taken a break from working on the Johansen wedding and resorted to something she detested: cleaning.

She was vacuuming the living room when she heard a pounding at the front door. Killer had been barking at the vacuum cleaner, but now turned his attention to the door as Holly flipped the off switch.

Grabbing the doorknob, she wondered if she had the strength to tell Kevin no today, but when she opened the door she was surprised to see Megan. “Hi…”

Megan gave her an apologetic smile as she wrapped her hand around her very pregnant belly. “I'm sorry to bother you, but I need your help.”

“Of course!” Holly said, her anxiety rising. “Are you okay?” She looked down at Megan's belly. “Oh, my God. Is the baby okay?”

“Holly!” Megan stepped forward and put her hand on Holly's arm. “I'm fine. I swear.”

Holly put her hand on her chest and took a breath. “You scared me half to death.”

“I know.” She cringed. “I'm sorry.”

She offered Megan a smile. “It's okay. What do you need?”

Megan cocked her head to the side and gave Holly an exasperated look. “I'm surrounded by a bunch of guys next door and I need you to tell them I'm right.”

Holly's breath stuck in her chest. “I don't know. … Did Kevin put you up to this?”

“No. This is just a friend asking a friend for help. They're insisting we keep the kitchen cabinets and paint them, and I need you to back me up that the kitchen needs to be gutted.”

Holly grimaced. “I don't know. …”

A warm smile spread across Megan's face. “Or you can agree with them. I just need an opinion I can trust.” Then she gave her a pout. “Please.”

Holly burst out laughing. “Does that work on Josh?”

“Yes, and usually Kevin, too. Will you help me? You can just come in, give your opinion, and then leave.”

“Okay.” But she regretted it the moment she shut the door behind her.

They walked side by side to Kevin's house and Holly struggled to catch her breath. Her nerves were getting the better of her. She kept her gaze on the tree-root obstacle course, needing to focus on something other than the fact she was about to see Kevin. Why she was so nervous? Was she more worried about Kevin's reaction when he saw her, or that she wouldn't have the willpower to walk away?

She heard Kevin's voice as well those of as several other men, along with loud banging. Josh was in the living room, prying the trim from the window. Megan walked past him like a woman with a purpose into the dining room, where Kevin was swinging a sledgehammer into the wall separating the dining room from the kitchen. A tall blond man stood next to him, shouting as he pointed to the light switch.

Kevin noticed Holly and stopped midswing, lowering his mallet. His eyes widened. “Holly…hey.”

Megan looped her arm through Holly's, which Holly realized was probably Megan's attempt to keep her from bolting. “I dragged Holly over here for her opinion. We're going to settle this cabinet dilemma.”

Josh walked up behind them and all three men stared at Holly like she'd just walked out of a spaceship.

“I take it none of you knew I was coming over,” Holly finally said.

Megan squeezed her arm. “I had to hide my secret weapon. Now, not to put you under any pressure or anything, but what would you do with the cabinets?”

Holly dragged her gaze from Kevin's now expressionless face and turned to face the cabinets. The kitchen was a complete disaster, but she didn't feel comfortable telling Kevin to spend thousands of dollars to replace them. “Well…”

“Matt, the supposed expert here”—Megan dropped her hold and pointed to the man next to Kevin—“thinks they can be fixed.”

Matt protested, “Hey, I—”

Megan cut him off. “But I insisted that the kitchen needs to be gutted. I know you redid your house, which makes you
my
expert. What do you think?”

Holly had never felt more put on the spot, and she found herself searching out Kevin's face.

He gave her a reassuring smile. “I want your opinion, Holly. You've done this to your house. You know what you're doing.”

“I've only done one house. …”

He walked over to her, still holding her gaze. “If this was your house, what would you do?”

Somehow he made her feel like they were the only two people in the house, and that her opinion really mattered.

“Go on. What would you do?” He smiled and something in her heart melted.

She smiled back. “Gut it.”

He smiled, his face lighting up.

Her stomach squeezed as regret filled her. Why did he have to be her boss's son?

“Well, there you go,” Kevin said, still holding her gaze. “We'll gut it.”

“Okay.” Holly broke eye contact and turned to Megan. “If that's all you need…”

“We ordered pizza,” Megan said. “You should stay. I'm, like, the only girl here.”

“I don't know. …”

She looked back at Kevin. He gave her an understanding smile as he asked, “Holly, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure.”

He led her outside to the front porch, and she suddenly wondered if he was taking her outside to tell her he didn't
want
her to stay. But he eased her concerns as soon as they were out of his sister's watchful eye.

“Holly, I'm sorry. I had no idea what Megan was up to.”

“It's okay. I suspected.”

“But that being said, I want you to stay.”

She sighed. “I don't know. …”

“I promise this isn't part of some devious scheme on my end.”

She grinned up at him. “So Megan got all the devious genes?”

He laughed. “I suppose my mother would disagree.”

Now that she was here, she didn't want to go back home to her empty house. She wanted to be here with Kevin and his sister—who was now laughing with her husband and Kevin's friend. She wanted to be part of
this
. “Okay.”

He looked like he was about to reach for her, but he stopped himself. “Just friends.”

Holly nodded. “Friends.” Against her better judgment, she was willing to give it a shot.

She walked back inside with him, but then looked down at her shorts, sleeveless shirt, and flip-flops. “This isn't exactly demolition attire.”

Megan's face lit up when she saw Holly coming in next to Josh. “You don't need demolition attire. You can sit with me and watch.” She gave Josh a sexy smile. “I'm watching my husband get hot and sweaty.”

Kevin closed his eyes and cringed. “Megan. Please.”

“What? How do you think I got this baby inside of me?”

“Oh, my God.” Kevin groaned. “Stop or I'm kicking you out—” He stopped and understanding filled his eyes. “Good try. You stay.”

“Then I want my husband to take his shirt off.”

Kevin laughed. “Fine. Josh, take off your shirt. Strip for us.”

Everyone started laughing, and Matt shook his head, wearing a huge grin. “I thought we were demoing your house, not auditioning for
Magic Mike
.”

“Speak for yourself,” Josh said, pulling his shirt over his head and starting to dance while he looked at his wife.

Everyone laughed again and the men got to work. The house was hot and the fans were set up, but with all the dust blowing around, Josh insisted that Megan sit outside. She grabbed the kitten from the basement and dragged Holly outside with her to sit in Kevin's new lawn chairs.

They watched the kitten romp in the yard for several minutes before Megan said, “I want to apologize for my mother.”

“Oh,” Holly said, surprised. “It's not like you can control your mother's—” She cut herself off before she said too much.

Megan gave her a hesitant smile. “I know my mother. Trust me, I spent most of my life running from my mother. Kevin, too. But when I needed her the most—when my ex-fiancé showed up at my wedding to Josh—my mother got over the shock that I'd lied to her and she stood up for me.” She paused. “I know my mother puts on this front that she's cold and calculated, but there's more to her deep down. You just have to dig for it.”

Holly remained silent. She was positive Nicole would become a momma lion when it came to her kids, but if Megan was insinuating that Holly would see that side of her, she was mistaken. She'd given up that hope when Nicole had turned cold months ago.

“If you'll just let me talk to Mom—”

And there it was. “No.”

Megan sat up and turned in her seat to face Holly. “Mom wants Kevin to be happy. If we tell her, she'll eventually come around.”

“The keyword is
eventually
. You of all people know I need this job.” She paused. “My grandmother's getting worse.”

Megan's eyes widened. “Holly. I'm sorry.”

She shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. “We've known it was coming. But that means I need the money I make with your mother more than ever.”

“But surely—”

“Megan.” Holly's tone was sharper than she'd intended. “I know you want Kevin and I to give this thing between us a chance, but it's not going to happen.”

Kevin walked out the back door, having shed his T-shirt, and Holly's eyes were drawn to his bare chest. She could stare at him all day long and never get enough.

He gaze found hers and they stared at each other for several seconds before Megan interrupted.

“I take it you came out for a reason?” Megan asked.

Kevin tore his eyes from her and turned to his sister. “The pizza's here.”

Josh and Matt came out the back door, carrying the pizza boxes and a cooler. They spent the next hour sitting in the backyard, swapping stories about Matt and Kevin and their friend Tyler. Holly realized she hadn't hung out with her old friends in years. They had gotten married and started families, and Holly had let those relationships drift—but now she wondered if there was a nugget of truth to Melanie's statement that she ran from relationships.

What if the reason she didn't want to lie to Nicole about seeing Kevin was more about a fear of a relationship with Kevin and less about upsetting her boss?

“Hey,” Kevin asked softly as he sat down next to her. “Are you okay? You've been so quiet.”

“I've been listening.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Believe it or not, this is the best day I've had in ages. Thanks for letting me stay.”

“Holly, don't ever question that I want you to stay.”

She knew he meant more than a friendly visit, and part of her was so tempted to stay for so much more. She had a feeling they could have something wonderful. But she couldn't let herself go there. There was too much at stake.

She blinked to dry her eyes then stood. “I need to go home.”

Megan gasped in surprise. “Why?”

“Megan,” Kevin warned.

“I have more work to do on the Johansen wedding,” Holly said. “But thanks for letting me hang out today.”

Megan looked like she still wanted to protest, but Josh stood and reached out his hand to her. “Megs, we need to get going, too.”

Holly was relieved that Megan backed off, but as soon as she walked into her empty house, she wondered if she'd made the right decision.

Suddenly she was questioning a lot of decisions.

T
he next morning, Holly woke up feeling overwhelmingly sad. She liked Kevin. But did she like him enough to risk everything for a chance with him?

She was eager to seek the refuge of her job, but thoughts of Kevin still followed her, and the woman who kept them apart was more abrasive than usual. Nicole had made a list of things that had gone wrong at the shower and how they could improve on each item next time. She wanted to go through them point by point in excruciating detail.

Holly gave her boss a forced look of patience. “While I'd really love to do that, Nicole, I need to start making arrangements for the Johansen wedding.”

Nicole's mouth pursed. “Did Miranda give you her approval yet?”

“No, but given the time constraints, I thought it best to make sure the vendors could deliver before I presented the options to the Johansens. Then we aren't scrambling to come up with a backup plan. We'll look more professional and organized this way.”

“Hmm…” Nicole's mouth parted like she wanted to argue, but then she closed it.

Trying not to look relieved, Holly added, “I plan to meet with the Johansens tomorrow, then I need to finalize everything for the Murphy–Douglas wedding this weekend.”

Nicole looked worried. “I won't be able to help with that. I have that fund-raiser barbecue on Saturday night.”

Grateful that she wouldn't be under the watchful eye of her boss during a wedding Nicole hadn't been any part of planning, Holly devoted her attention to the Johansen wedding. She had over a dozen calls to make before her presentation the next day. She'd made some progress, planning to work through lunch, when Bethany walked into the office a little before noon, clearly distressed.

“Nicole, he won't answer my calls!” She sniffed, then burst into tears.

Nicole hurried out of her chair. “There, there, Bethany. Why don't you sit down?” She started to lead her to the client table but swung her gaze to Holly. “Holly, could you get some tea?”

Holly gritted her teeth and went into the back to heat up the water, grabbing a cup for herself as well. She definitely didn't have time to be dealing with a delusional woman, and she was impatient with Nicole as well for encouraging Bethany's behavior. Minutes later, Holly put her own tea on her desk and handed Bethany her cup.

She started to walk away, but Bethany grabbed her hand. “You and I should go to lunch. We have things to discuss.”

While Holly had heard her flinging around the word
fiancé
at the shower, she hadn't heard her do it around Nicole. She shot a glance to her boss, but Nicole kept her focus on Bethany, not giving anything away.

“Why won't Kevin call me back?” Bethany asked. “Our date went so well.”

Nicole gave her a sympathetic look. “You know he's just started his new job. I'm sure it's keeping him busy. Just give him some time.”

Had Nicole lost her mind as well?

“And Holly's too busy go to lunch with you. I have too much for her to do today.”

Bethany dabbed her eyes. “I think I need to call my mother.”

Nicole's eyes widened in alarm. “No need to do that, Bethany, darling. I'm sure we can work something out. I'd take you out to lunch myself, but I have an appointment I can't cancel.”

The front door burst open and Megan pushed through, her face scrunched up in irritation. “Mother, we need to talk.” She searched the room until she found her mother in the corner, her mouth dropping open when she realized who was sitting next to her.

Nicole looked more flustered than Holly had ever seen her. “Megan, darling. Now is not a good time.”

Megan's brow lowered as her gaze narrowed in on Bethany. “No, I can see that.”

Nicole looked at her watch, and then at her daughter and the emotional woman next to her. Worry filled her eyes. “I really need to go.”

Bethany left her own self-absorption for a moment to realize that Nicole was distressed. “Nikki, I'm sorry I just barged in.”

The older woman cringed at the nickname.

But Bethany was oblivious. “Megan, why don't you and I go out to lunch instead? You can tell me all the little things I need to know about Kevin.”

“Well, that might happen,” Megan said slowly. “If you and Kevin were actually dating.” She turned a deathly gaze on her mother.

“Megan Nicole,” her mother reprimanded, but her tone lacked its usual bite.

Bethany didn't notice the mother-daughter conflict. “I know Kevin isn't ready to tell everyone about us—”

Megan's face brightened. “You know what? I think lunch is a great idea.”

Nicole looked leery. “You do?”

A smile lit up Megan's eyes, and she patted her mother's arm. “Yeah, you go have a great lunch with your client and we girls will hang out.”

It was clear Nicole was suspicious of Megan's offer, but another quick look at her watch seemed to settle it for her. She grabbed her purse. “If you need
anything
from me…”

Megan gave her mother a gentle push toward the door. “Go already.” She flashed Bethany a sweet smile. “It's girl bonding time.”

Nicole narrowed her eyes, locking a gaze with her daughter. “Call me later, Megan.”

“Will do,” she said with a perky bounce.

Megan watched her mother leave, then sat down next to Bethany. “How about we just order something and eat here?”

Bethany frowned. “But I thought we were going out.”

“But if we stay here, then Holly can join us.”

Holly was sure Megan had lost her mind, but then she turned to Holly and winked.

What was Megan up to? They decided on Chinese, and Megan offered to go pick it up from a restaurant a block away instead of waiting for delivery in thirty minutes. She was back within five minutes. “Let's eat.”

“I think I'll just eat at my desk,” Holly said, expecting Megan to argue. But she just handed her the container of chicken lo mein and whispered, “Start a timer.”

“What?”

Her grin turned devilish before she spun around and settled at the table with Bethany. Curious, Holly opened the clock app on her phone and did as she was told.

“Just think,” Bethany said. “We can have lunches like this all the time.”

“I know, right. I'm so excited,” Megan said, opening a package of chopsticks. “Although if you and Kevin get married, I hope you'll actually be able to leave the house.”

Bethany stopped opening her container. “Why wouldn't I be able to leave the house?”

Megan froze, her face turning serious. “Oh.” She sucked in her bottom lip, looking torn. “Never you mind.” She waved her hand. “I'm sure you two will have it all worked out. I mean, it's not like he expects you to stay with them
all
of the time.”

“What do you mean?” Bethany sounded worried as she jabbed her food with a fork.

“So have you started thinking of all those kids' names yet?”

“Kids' names?” She shook her head, looking shell-shocked. “We haven't discussed kids yet.”

“Oh.” Megan's head jerked up. “That's surprising. Especially since he wants so many.”

“So many what?”

Megan released a giggle and shook her head. “Kids, of course. He's worried that you two are getting a late start, what with both of you in your early thirties, but thank goodness multiple births run in our family. I'm sure you'll figure out a way to have the eighteen kids he's dreaming of. And in ten years or less at that.”

“Eighteen kids?” Bethany started choking on her rice.

Megan patted her back. “Are you okay?”

“I…” she stammered.

“It's all so exciting, isn't it? But I can only imagine how hard it's going to be to come up with all those names starting with the letter Q.” She started counting with her fingers. “Quincy, Quinton, Queenie…What else is there?”

“Quart. Quay. Quantico.” Holly added from her desk. “Or you could make up your own names. You could name the fifth one Quintuplet.”

Megan's mouth pursed. “I think that would only work if there's five babies at once.” Her face brightened, then she grabbed Bethany's arm in excitement. “Oh! You could take fertility drugs and have five or six at a time. Then you can get it over with sooner. Only four or five pregnancies.”

“That's a great idea,” Holly said, then lowered her voice. “I'm not supposed to tell you this—Kevin asked me to keep it a secret, even from his mother—but when he heard you wanted me to help with the wedding, he gave me all kinds of ideas he wants to implement.”

“Oh, really?” Bethany asked, her face pale.

“He wants to have tiny little baby carriages line the aisle when you walk down with photos of babies in each one.” Holly sat up straighter and waved at her computer. “I've been hard at work trying to find them.”

“Baby carriages? At the wedding?”

Megan leaned closer. “He's very eager to get started.”

Holly gave her a big smile. “I'm sure you're going to be so happy in that three-bedroom, fifteen-hundred-square-foot house. All twenty of you.”

Bethany stood. “I just forgot, I have a crystal client coming in fifteen minutes.”

“What?” Megan asked in dismay. “But we've barely started our girl bonding time.” She narrowed her eyes. “Did I mention that Kevin is adamantly opposed to his wife working outside the home? You better enjoy your time as a career woman while you can.”

Bethany looked like a deer in the headlights. “Tell your mother that this is all moving a little too fast. I think I need to take some time to think things through.”

“I don't think waiting is a good idea,” Megan said. “You need to work on getting pregnant right away. In fact, Holly was just about to call the doctor to get your fertility treatments going.”

Holly picked up the phone and held it to her ear. “Which day is good for your egg testing? Wednesday or Friday?”

Bethany didn't answer; instead she bolted out the door.

Megan turned to Holly. “Time check?”

Holly burst out laughing as she looked at her phone. “One minute and forty-five seconds.”

Megan leaned back and looked at her nails. “New personal record. Damn, am I good or what?”

“Personal record?”

She picked up her food container and dragged her chair over to Holly's desk. “Getting rid of Kevin's girlfriends was a specialty of mine. I used to do it all the time when he was in high school. In fact, he stopped bringing a lot of them home. Of course, paybacks were a bitch. I couldn't bring my boyfriends home, either.” She picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks. “Kevin told me she was gullible. But I'm still calling it a record.”

“That was too perfect. Almost like you planned it.”

“Not this time. Total coincidence. We'll call it serendipity.”

“Just like Kevin buying the house next door to mine?” Holly asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I know, right?” Megan's eyes widened in mock innocence. “But finding Bethany here
was
a coincidence. I came by to tell Mom to butt out of Kevin's love life, and the source of my visit was right here.” When Holly started to protest, Megan held up her hand. “I would have talked to her whether anything had happened with you and Kevin or not.”

“Your mother is going to be furious that you ran Bethany out.”

“No, she'll be relieved.”

“How can you say that? She was trying to placate her.”

“Yes, but did you notice the lack of enthusiasm? She was trying to figure out how to get out of this mess she created.”

“What?”

Megan shook her head. “You need to learn my mother's subtle cues. She's trying to get on the holiday decorating committee at the country club, and Bethany's mother is the head of it.”

Holly sat back in her chair. “So Nicole was stuck in the mess, even after Kevin told her what a nut job she was.”

“Exactly.” Megan shrugged. “So I did something to help all of us. Mom saves face. Kevin doesn't have to worry about Bethany popping up out of nowhere. I don't have to worry about seeing Ms. Crazy Pants at family dinners.”

“Are you going to tell Kevin?” Holly asked.

“I should let him sweat it out.” She looked up at Holly. “But you could tell him if you like.”

“Me? I don't know when I'll even see him again.” Holly studied her fork for several seconds. “Nothing else is going to happen between us, Megan. Hanging out yesterday was a one-off. Kevin wants to be friends, but…” She craved the euphoria she felt when she was with him, but it would be so easy for her to cross over that “friend” line.

Megan was silent for several seconds. “I know people.” She looked down at her food and stabbed a piece of chicken. “My job in Seattle was fund-raising for a nonprofit. I learned how to read people. To spot the ones who would donate. The ones who did it to look good versus those who donated because they believed in the cause.”

“That hardly seems like the same thing as our situation.”

“Believe it or not, it's not that different. I watched you two yesterday.”

“Can we drop this subject? Please?”

“No. He really likes you, Holly. This is big. You're different than all the other girls he's ever dated.”

A sharp pain shot through her heart. “Like boring? Not sexy?”

Megan blinked at her in shock. “I'm sorry. I thought we were talking about you.”

“I'm serious, Megan. I've known plenty of guys like Kevin. They date sexy women with sexy long legs, sexy smiles, and sexy hair.

Megan grinned. “Wow. That's a lot of sexy.”

Holly frowned. “You know what I mean.”

“If you're suggesting that Kevin's dated a lot of flashy and superficial women who care more about whether my brother has a six-pack or an eight-pack than getting to know the person
inside
my brother's body, then, yeah. He's dated a lot of
sexy
women. And he's been miserable with every single one of them. Frankly, I'm surprised he's making a play for you at all. Before he moved here, he told me he'd sworn off women altogether.”