The Switched Baby Scandal (A Scandals of San Sebastian Novel) (Entangled Bliss) (11 page)

“My mother is coming for Emily’s birthday.”

Reece leaned against the wet bar. “Ahh, now the plot thickens. And should I be ready for inspection?” he teased as he drained the can and bottle into the sink and threw them into the recycling bin.

“No doubt.”

“And your mother…”

“Edith,” Taylor supplied.

“And Edith will be staying here, I suppose?”

“Perhaps. I offered her the condo. She hasn’t decided yet.”

“I see.” He looked over at her. “Are we going to throw a birthday party for Emily?”

“No. Birthdays are strictly a family affair, so we can be as silly as we want to be.”

“No holds barred?”

“None.”

Reece smiled, enjoying the sparkle of warmth that lit in Taylor’s eyes. He liked this less reserved side of her. “I think I like your family.”

“I know she’s going to love you.” Taylor turned to leave.

He leaned his shoulder against the wall, watching her. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

She turned and gave him a saucy grin. “You don’t know my mother,” she said, then disappeared into the hall.

Chapter Ten

Five days later, Reece knew exactly what Taylor was talking about. Edith Lawrence arrived like a glorious, multicolored whirlwind that reminded him of what would happen if a tornado ever became entangled with a rainbow. She was fast and unstoppable, darting from one project to the next with her wispy variety of colored silk scarves and flowing clothes trailing along behind her.

When Reece attempted a handshake as they first met, she grasped him by the shoulders instead and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Welcome to the family, Reece.”

He wasn’t sure how to take that. Did she think there was more going on between her daughter and himself because Taylor had moved in?

Once Mrs. Lawrence was busy with Emily, he pulled Taylor aside. “Did you explain to her why you and Emily are staying with me?”

“Yes.”

“Completely?”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “Yes. You have to understand, Reece, that’s just the way my mother is. You’re a blood relation of Emily’s. Emily is her grandchild. That makes you family, whether you want it or not.”

“She doesn’t think we’re sleeping together, does she?”

“No. It has nothing to do with us having a relationship of any kind. It’s your connection to Emily. Blood is blood in her book. Welcome to the family.”

“Just checking.”

Taylor cocked her head to one side. “It really bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“What?”

“That someone would think you less than an Eagle Scout.”

“Not exactly. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt with unreal expectations.”

“Trust me, there’s nothing you could do in that arena. All my mother’s expectations are unreal, far-fetched, and otherwise whacked. But, hey, that’s why I love her.”

Reece gave Taylor a wink. “I think I’m beginning to see where Emily gets her silliness from.”

“Yeah, you!” She gave him a playful jab in the arm and sashayed into the living room to join her mother and daughter.

The next day, Reece left for work before anyone woke up so he could make it home early. He’d managed to avoid the news crew that had ambushed him during lunch with a client, but the incident had left him agitated. As more information about the nurse/child abductor search dominated the switched-baby story, interest in the case increased. The search for her had spread up the West Coast and down into Nevada and Arizona, which meant media interest wasn’t going to fade away anytime soon. Arriving home he opened the door to see Taylor and Edith talking in the foyer. The conversation came to a halt the moment he appeared.

“Hello, Reece. Did you have a good day, dear?” Edith said.

Reece had to keep from shaking his head. It unnerved him to have someone treat him with such affection so soon and his day hadn’t been that good. He glanced at Taylor. It was clear the conversation was not an easy one. Her posture screamed defensiveness—she stood stiffly, her arms crossed, hands tucked tightly into the creases at her elbow.

“Emily and I have decided to take a trip to celebrate her birthday,” Edith stated matter-of-factly to him, her eyes glittering.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now,” Taylor muttered.

Edith waved a hand in her direction, dismissing Taylor’s comment. “Fiddle-faddle. Emily is perfectly safe with me. I’m just going to take her over to Sea Ranch for a few days so she can enjoy the ocean and the woods with me. She just loves it there, and we haven’t been in ages.”

“I’d feel more comfortable if you just stayed overnight,” Taylor said, before turning to him. “What do you think, Reece?”

Now he had both women staring at him and he hadn’t even put down his briefcase yet. He had no intention of stepping into the middle of this. He put up a hand in self-defense and sidestepped around both of them. “You know the situation better than I do. You two decide.”

Behind him Taylor said, “Emily doesn’t need to be away from home right now. She has plenty of ocean to see right here.”

Edith sighed. “Good grief, Taylor, I think I can handle her for a few nights. I have raised children before you know.”

“That’s not what I meant. This is a really difficult time.”

A small face peered from around the corner. “But, Mommy, I really want to go with Grandma,” piped in Emily. “Please.”

Edith pinned her daughter with a no-nonsense look. “I’m aware of what’s going on. Sea Ranch is a gated community. No one is going to come in or out of there without a homeowner or guest pass.”

Taylor rubbed her temples in frustration. “Reece, will you talk some sense to her. She doesn’t see how important it is for Emily to stay here.”

Damn. He was going to get sucked into this even if he didn’t want to be. Reece swallowed. “Edith, how far away is Sea Ranch?”

Edith brightened. “About an hour. Emily absolutely loves it there.”

“Please can we go, Daddy, please?” He glanced at his daughter, whose eyes were painfully wide and pleading. The word “daddy” on her lips melted all his resolve. He would have given Emily anything in the world at that moment, but he knew just how precarious Taylor’s acceptance of him in a parenting role was and he was determined not to do anything that might sabotage his future in Emily’s life. Getting Emily out of town might be the best idea at the moment, but he wasn’t going to make that call.

“Your mommy needs to make that decision, sunshine. But I really don’t think that one night is going to hurt anything.”

Taylor gave a defeated sigh. “Fine. One night, but that’s it.”

Emily let out a whoop of glee and bounced around the room, singing a high-spirited chant. “Sea Ranch! Sea Ranch! We’re going to Sea Ranch!”

Her excitement lasted through dinner, leaving Reece feeling overwhelmed by her chatter. But what wore on him even more was the weight of knowing he’d be alone with Taylor.

He thought about it all the next day while he worked at the law office sorting through briefs and meeting with several of his most important clients.

As he drove home, Reece anticipated seeing Taylor, yet knew he’d have to keep his distance. He had no wish for a repeat of what happened with Becca. While warm and willing, Taylor had never hinted at any feelings beyond physical attraction, and that simply wasn’t enough to sustain a long-term relationship for him anymore. He wanted a deeper connection, something between two people that defied explanation. He wanted a relationship that lasted beyond the children. And for that, he needed to be certain they were both interested in more than sex.

Reece walked in the front door, and the scent of dinner cooking and a smooth, sultry beat of jazz on the sound system made him feel as though he had entered a parallel dimension. It also made him question his good intentions.

The imaginary angel on his right shoulder whispered to keep it on a platonic level. The invisible devil on his left shoulder pleaded that it had already gone further than that, who was he to stop it if she indicated she wanted more? Reece gave up listening to either of them and decided to take their first evening alone together however it came. He’d let her call the shots.

He set his briefcase in his office downstairs and walked slowly through the house to the kitchen. He stood for a moment, watching Taylor swaying to the music as she sprinkled herbs into a sizzling skillet on the stove. For a moment he experienced déjà vu.

He’d watched Becca cook like this before. On a number of occasions she’d tried to create something delicious and ended up failing miserably. Cooking was not her thing. But his vision cleared to the here and now. This was Taylor. And the situation was completely different.

He needed her in a way he had never needed Becca. He craved her vibrancy, her brightness that lit up his drab existence. She gave him light, laughter, and an unexplained hunger for her touch.

She glanced up at him.

“Something smells good.”

She grinned. “Glad you like it. It’s just something I threw together.”

“What’s the occasion?”

Taylor stirred the contents of the pan with a wooden spoon, fixing her concentration there rather than looking at him. “No occasion, just had the time for once. I enjoy cooking.”

He stepped in behind her, washing his hands in the sink and drying them on a towel. “You mean you were trying to keep occupied while Emily’s not here.”

Taylor shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah, I guess. I finished up early at work, got some samples ordered for the new chairs and tables for The Anchor Hotel renovation, and had some time to go to the store this afternoon. You don’t notice how quiet it is until she’s gone for a few hours.”

The comment hit Reece hard. Yeah, he knew all about it being too quiet, so silent that you ached to hear just the voice of a person.

She swiveled around to face him, her eyes round and her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think, I just meant—”

He reached out and touched her shoulder. It was a light touch, meant to be a friendly reassurance, but it set off a chain of reactions in him he didn’t expect. He was aware of her fragrance, the heat of the oven behind him, the heat of her in front of him. He needed to back away. “Don’t worry about it. We’re both going through this. Mutual support, remember?” He gave her a smile and she turned back to the stove, stirring the pan a little more vigorously than she needed to.

Reece shrugged out of his suit coat, then draped it on the back of the nearest chair as he watched her. The past month with Emily and Taylor in his home had revived the simple pleasures of living like a family, making the possibility of them returning to Taylor’s condo loom painfully in his future once the media interest faded. But he couldn’t just put Becca and Alyssa aside, and he had no right to keep Taylor and Emily here. He needed time to figure this out—a future he wanted with a past he couldn’t forget. He loosened his tie.

“Do you need any help?”

“Could you check on the baklava in the oven?”

He quirked a brow and walked over to the wall ovens behind her. “That sounds a bit more complicated that ‘just something I threw together.’”

He flicked on the light and peered in through the glass. The top of the dessert was flaky and golden brown, with a shiny sheen and little chopped nuts neatly sprinkled over the top.

“It looks like it’s ready. Shall I take it out?”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

Reece reached for the drawer containing the oven mitts just as Taylor turned from the stove. They ended up face-to-face and chest to chest. A bolt of blue-white heat flashed through him, making him aware of her from the subtle fragrance that taunted him to the lush, soft swell of her breast against him. Her blue eyes were luminous and wide.

Any thoughts of dinner fled his mind. He was ready for dessert. And she was standing right in front of him.

Reece reached out and brushed her full bottom lip with his finger. Taylor made a little keening noise that tripled his heart rate.

“How hungry are you?” he asked, his voice unsteady.

“It depends, are we talking food?” The tip of her tongue lightly wet her lips.

…

Taylor watched his eyes darken with unmistakable arousal. Inside her head buzzed with anticipation, wondering what it would be like to let herself go with this man. How he would taste and what his touch could do to her.

“You’re playing dangerous.” It was both a statement and a warning.

For a moment she hesitated. Up until now there had been an invisible line that separated them as Emily’s parents from them as a couple. It was easy to maintain when Emily was around because she watched their every move. But if she kept teasing, she had a good idea of where it would lead. The question was, did she want it to go there? She looked into those smoldering, brown eyes.
Yes.
A big, definite yes. He made her feel safe, content, and desirable.

Taylor inched closer to him. She could smell the citrus scent of his shaving cream and the subtle masculine musk that made her even more aware of him. She brushed her mouth against the delicious indentation in his chin. “Dinner’s almost ready.” She ran a finger along his jaw. It was simply too tempting not to. “Are you?”

His gaze locked on her with an intensity that could have burned through concrete. Taylor sucked in a stunned breath. Her heart skipped a beat, and she could feel the heat of his gaze searing every inch it touched as it traveled down the length of her.

She splayed a hand on his chest, feeling muscles tense and his heart beating hard beneath her outstretched fingers. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Sidestepping past him, she used a towel on the counter to open the oven door. His large hands settled on her hips, the solid breadth of his chest behind her, and her bottom pressed up against his hard thighs. Taylor set the hot pan down on a rack to cool, then twisted in Reece’s grasp.

She flipped the towel around his neck and, pulling on both ends, drew his head down to hers.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

His lips were just a breath away, his voice ragged. “I thought we couldn’t do this…”

She lightly grazed his bottom lip with her teeth. “That was then, outside, on a car, in the cold. This is now.”

His mouth came down firm and hungry on hers. His hands shifted, one skimming up along her back and the other sinking down to cup her bottom and lift her closer against him. Taylor squirmed, tossing the towel and threading her hands into the dark thickness of his hair.

Her bare feet left the floor as he lifted her up against him. There was no mistaking the hard length of his arousal pressed against her stomach. The sensation gave her a thrill, knowing she affected him.

His warm mouth trailed from the sensitive spot just below her ear, down along her neck, curls of desire tumbling in downward spirals. He turned with her in his arms and lifted her up still further, setting her on the counter. The cool tile beneath her only emphasized the heat of her need.

His hands glided over her, slipping down over her hips and along her thighs. Need made his voice husky and deep. “I’ve thought about this ever since we first met.”

Taylor laughed, sensual and low.

Reece pulled back to look into her eyes.

“You mean when you flicked water on me at the hospital?” she gibed.