Running the Numbers (29 page)

Regret blossomed in Blake’s hazel eyes seconds before he dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry. Let’s make a deal. How about we go one day at a time?” He looked up, hope replacing the regret.

Despite her discomfort, Sadie leaned over the space between them and planted a quick kiss on his lips. “I’ve never been the kind of girl who flies by the seat of her pants. I like plans. I wanted to wait until this trip was over to come clean—” Her stomach protested, and the faint beginnings of nausea hit the back of her throat. “But I’m going to need you,” she confessed miserably, cradling her belly. “I went off my pills two months ago.”

Blake stared at her, frozen.

Doubt exploded inside her. She blinked back sudden unexpected tears. “I just—you talked about how you wished you’d have been a better dad to Seth and how it killed you when you lost Hunter and how you wanted another chance but you think you’re too old, and I thought I was doing this really beautiful thing for us. But now I’m pregnant, and I think I might’ve made a terrible mistake. What if you were just shooting the breeze and don’t really want another kid? But you do, right? You said….”

Her panic escalated. Everything she’d kept tightly held inside for weeks broke free. She wept soundlessly, taking big, measured breaths so she wouldn’t hurl.

Blake’s blank expression killed her.

Finally, he blinked a few times, and his eyes refocused. He pointed at her stomach, where she still rested a hand. “You’re pregnant? I talked about a wanting a baby, and you…
made
one?”

She closed her eyes, sniffed, and wiped away the tears slipping down to her chin. “I know, it was stupid. I’m stupid. Everything is stupid. I’m going to be sick.” She stiffened at his hand gently sliding around her shoulders.

“Hey. Look at me.”

Sadie squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed them furiously before daring to meet Blake’s gaze.

His radiant grin had a manic quality. “I can’t believe this. You’re giving me a
baby
? I can’t tell you what this means to me.” His gaze filled with wonder as he stared at her stomach, then back up to meet her gaze. “Thank you.”

She covered her mouth as another set of tears plopped over the rim of her eyes. “I can’t seem to stop crying. And eating. God, I eat constantly.”

Blake laughed, his eyes growing misty. “How far?”

“About six weeks. I’m at the barfy, emotional part.”

“Great!” He gathered her hands into his. His eyes hadn’t left her face. “I loved you already, but now it’s like—” His hands mimed something bursting, and he made little explosion noises. “I’ve never been this happy. Not ever. My heart’s going to beat out of chest and fall onto the floor.”

Sadie swallowed. Her heart felt heavy with affection for him, and her stomach heavy with something else. “I love you, too, Blake, but you’re gonna make me puke.”

“Fair enough.” He kissed her softly on the cheek. “Let’s talk names. I’ve always liked Seraphina for a girl and Oliver for a boy. Oh, maybe it’ll be twins.”

She grimaced. “I’m serious. I’m terribly nauseous.”

“Wouldn’t that be great? Seraphina and Oliver Cobb. Or we could choose rhyming ones. Chad and Thad. Casey and Lacy. Kelly and Shelly. I bet they’d hate that,” he concluded thoughtfully. The unmistakable gleam of glee shone from his gaze. He snapped his fingers. “Got it. Reuben and Steuben. Billy and Lilly? No? Okay, Gilda and Tilda.”

“My God, you’re loving this, aren’t you?”

His grin was outright devilish. “So much. How do you feel about Vinnie and Minnie?”

“That’s it. Out of my way.” She covered her mouth and ran for the nearest bathroom.

* * * *

The first thing Sadie noticed was how ridiculously good-looking everyone was.

Emily—that would be Quinn’s big sister and Blake’s third wife—assured her that she was a newcomer to the “pretty club” herself. Since picking up surfing from her beach-loving husband, Boston—a fine specimen in his own right, with sun-kissed tresses and big blue eyes—Emily had swapped pale skin and a corporate wardrobe for a golden tan and cut-offs, plus a trimmer figure thanks to her new active lifestyle.

Seth was coming into adulthood in style. He had Emily’s thick brown hair and Blake’s incredible hazel eyes. Maddie, Quinn’s daughter with Jack, had the chicest, sleekest blond bob in southern California, and Jack’s remarkable turquoise gaze.

Sadie wouldn’t admit it in a million years, but Jack put all the men to shame on nearly every level. With his buoyant personality, obvious adoration for Quinn, friendliness, and quick wit, he stole the limelight everywhere he went. He looked every bit the movie star he was quickly becoming, as his roles in America increased. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to have an off switch. Overall, she preferred Blake’s quiet watchfulness at her side and looked forward to tame evenings full of bad television and unhealthy snacks.

And then, of course, there was Quinn, whose regal aura was the perfect foible for Jack’s incessant energy, and made her the dignified center of the family, whether any of them realized it or not. Sadie had dreaded meeting them all, but none more than Quinn. She feared being cast back into her looming shadow of perfection. She’d seen pictures and knew Amanda had been but a pale, pale imitation of the original.

Sadie hadn’t counted on falling in love with her, too.

Quinn and Jack had decided to kick off their summer in L.A. with a family party, which neatly served the dual purpose of catching up with their college student son and introducing Sadie to the family.

Somehow, Sadie ended up alone in the kitchen with Quinn, while together they prepared the salad for dinner. Jack was the chef of the group, so everyone else got relegated to prep cook status.

After the fifth glance Quinn snuck, Sadie finally found her backbone. “What is it?” She hadn’t meant to snap, but Quinn’s height didn’t help the whole intolerably intimidating thing she had going on. It made it much, much worse. Sometimes, being short sucked.

Quinn smiled and went back to tearing romaine leaves. “Nothing. You just have that glow.”

Sadie’s hands rushed to her stomach. “It’s my new moisturizer.”

“No, I mean a
happy
glow.” She gave Sadie a knowing look, then dropped it abruptly with a careless shrug. “Not everyone is brave enough to have a kid in their late thirties. Trust me, Maddie was Jack’s idea, not mine.”

Jack entered the kitchen, Maddie perched on his shoulders, squealing and latching on to his hair. “She’s nonrefundable, Quinnie. It’s been nearly three years; you can’t back out now. Tell her, Maddie.”

“No back, Mum!”

Quinn grimaced. “Ugh, we talked about this.
Mom
, Maddie. I’m Mom. Not Mum. I don’t care what Daddy says.”

The toddler squealed again. “Mum, mum, mum, mum!”

Jack’s eyes danced, and his body followed as he teasingly exited the kitchen doing a sort of rumba shuffle, Maddie’s song increasing in volume as they left.

Sadie caught herself laughing. “Wow. Poor Blake had to exist on the fringes of this? No wonder he was depressed.”

If she thought to entice Quinn’s guilt, she didn’t know her well enough just yet. But she was learning.

Quinn lifted an imperious eyebrow. “Poor Blake’s place in this family has always been his to determine. Now, if you want to say he moped the last couple of years and wallowed in his mistakes until he met a woman tough enough to snap him out of it, then sure, I’d agree with that.” She went back to picking through cherry tomatoes.

Sadie crumbled more feta into a pile on the cutting board. “You think I’m tough?”

“I think you have to be. Blake fell apart after what Kira did to him. Losing Hunter tore him up. It changed him, or brought him back to himself. Whichever way you want to look at it.”

“Maybe a bit of both,” Sadie offered.

“Maybe.” She turned away from the salad, leaned against the counter, and made an open study of Sadie.

She was imperious and intimidating, gorgeous and confident. But she was also drily sarcastic, something that came best in small doses, in Sadie’s most humble opinion.

“Blake deserves you, Sadie. I don’t mean that in a nasty way. I mean it in the best way imaginable. He’s been through hell. And yes, he brought most of it upon himself, but I realize it’s been hard for him to see Emily and I move on. He probably would’ve preferred to stay away, but we wouldn’t let him, even though it’s the most awkward situation on Earth.” She rolled her spectacular green eyes. “Have you heard Jack’s southern accent? It’s terrible. But we all suffered through it, because family is family.
Blake
is family. He’s spent a great deal of time punishing himself for things that weren’t his fault. He and I had grown apart long before he met Kira. No matter which way I go back and look at it, Blake was bored to tears with me, and I lived in my own little bubble with Seth and my stories. It worked until it didn’t.”

Sadie was thrown by Quinn’s honesty. Blake had finally reached the same conclusion about their marriage, but it had taken him much longer to accept it.

“Emily certainly wasn’t the answer,” Quinn went on, idly popping a tomato into her mouth. “He was just trying to do something right, that’s all. Which is great in theory.”

Sadie was sure Quinn had a point in there somewhere. “Not sure what you’re trying to say, exactly.”

Quinn pressed on as if she hadn’t heard. “We all need someone who makes up the other half of us. I need Jack to make my world spin, because without him, it just…
stops.
It goes flat and gray. I’m a black-and-white drawing, and he’s acrylic paint. Blake never, not even when were in high school and believed ourselves fiercely in love, looked at me the way he stares at you the moment you step into the room. It’s the way Boston’s great big blue peepers find Emily the moment she arrives. I know you can feel it, because I can feel when Jack’s eyes are on me. He’s the first person I search out, without even realizing what I’m doing. I don’t think Blake merely existed until you came along, Sadie. I think he was waiting for you. I’m trying to say I’m glad you finally showed up.”

Sadie dumped the feta into the salad bowl and issued a low, impressed whistle. “You do have a way with words.”

Quinn cast her a sidelong glance, winked, and grinned. “You’d know that if you read my books.”

Sadie’s face warmed as she responded with an impish smile and picked up the bowl, now loaded with a fully assembled salad. “I’m a fan,” she admitted. “But I figured at least half of your charm ought to be a credit to your editors. At least, on paper.”

Quinn blasted Sadie with her full smile for the first time and seemed to take in Sadie’s whole face at once, light green eyes studying her in amusement. “You’re the most perfect person I can imagine joining the family, Sadie. You’ve already got the mouth for it.”

Later, Seth made his excuses and left to meet up with old friends from high school, while he was in town, and Maddie went to bed. As the sun set and fireflies put on a show in the backyard, the six of them gathered on the deck and sipped drinks. Non-alcoholic for Emily and Boston. Whiskey and beer straight from the bottle for Jack and Quinn, respectively. Iced tea for Sadie and Blake.

She leaned into him. “Has it occurred to you we’re the boring couple?” She hadn’t meant to say it so loud, but heads popped up from relaxed positions and swiveled toward her.

Blake ignored their audience. “Oh? Who’s the fun couple?”

With a nod in their direction, Sadie answered. “Emily and Boston.” No competition. Those two lived for the outdoors, surfing, and traveling.

Boston smiled, dimples springing into action on either side of his well-formed mouth and wrapped an arm around Emily’s waist as she relaxed into his lap. “Nailed it. We’re opening a new homeless shelter in Maui next year. We’re calling it The Landing.”

His wife smiled at him adoringly, but addressed Sadie. “We met when he operated a similar shelter in Honolulu called The Canopy. It’s a cause close to our hearts.”

Jack cheered, but Quinn tilted her head and pouted. “No nieces or nephews for me, I take it?”

Boston and Emily shook their heads simultaneously. “It’s a little late for kids,” Emily said. Despite her uniquely feminine appearance, sensually curvy and physically fit, the boardroom still lingered in her commanding tone. “Besides, I’ve spent most of my life settled down, between college and my old job. I chafe against routine anymore. And it’s not fair to take that from a kid.”

They all agreed kids required a certain degree of stability.

“Ah, well,” Jack said before nudging Quinn and giving her the most devilishly stunning smile Sadie had ever seen. “We’ll have to double-up.”

Quinn shook her head and sipped from her bottle with a cool expression. “Not happening, Jack.”

“Never say never, love. You should know better by now.”

Instead of arguing, she seemed to take the sentiment seriously.

Blake and Sadie exchanged covert smiles and dropped them immediately when Emily hitched her chin toward Sadie. “If we’re the fun ones, and you’re the boring ones, I guess Quinn and Jack are the pretty ones.”

“He’s a movie star,” Blake pointed out. “What chance did the rest of us have?”

Sadie blew out a plume of air. “Actually, I think you’re all freakishly handsome.”

Jack raised his glass again. “Hear, hear!” He wrapped an arm around Quinn’s shoulders and leaned in to whisper, loudly, in her ear. “I like her, Quinnie. Can we keep her?”

Quinn’s gaze lingered on Blake, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

It made Sadie slightly uncomfortable, that secret smile. She especially disliked the way Blake returned it. Then she glanced over to see if Jack had caught their exchange, only to find him grinning indulgently, like a child in a toy store.

A peek at Boston and Emily and their sheepish smirks told Sadie something was up.

She turned to Blake. “I want to play too, so if someone could explain the rules, that’d be
greeeat
….” The word faded from her mouth as Blake made the smooth transition from sitting beside her to kneeling before her.

Like every woman ever in that position, she gasped and covered her mouth, knowing before he pulled the ring box from his pocket what was happening.