Way to Her Heart (8 page)

There had been times when she didn’t think she was going to be able to accomplish her goals and still have a healthy, happy baby, but she had. The fact that her parents had turned their backs on her when she refused to abort her child or give it up for adoption could have crushed her spirit permanently, but with the loving support and assistance of her friends and their mothers, she’d made it through the toughest part of her life so far. Doing without male companionship wasn’t a sacrifice at all. She felt fulfilled with Sydney. Her life was balanced between caring for her child and her medical practice, and she was satisfied. No matter what Alexis and Emily said about the need for her to have a social life and a sex life, Sherri was happy with the way things were. At least she had been until Lucas had entered her life.

Just the thought of him made her glow inside and out. He was good to look at; that was undeniable. The way his green eyes lit up when he smiled always made a little thrill race down her spine. He was also sexy as hell. She’d known that from the first time he held her hand, and last night had only served to underscore everything she’d sensed about his prowess. Trevor had been her first and only lover, and compared to Lucas he’d been like a teenager fumbling around in the backseat of his father’s car. There was absolutely no way to compare the experience she’d shared with Lucas to what she’d had with the man who’d fathered her child—no way in this world.

Lucas was kind and thoughtful and he treated her daughter like a little princess. He was the type of man who’d make a wonderful family man if he ever decided to settle down. There wasn’t anything about him that she didn’t like, from his easy conversation to the genuine warmth of his personality. They might have just moved into the friends-with-benefits stage, but his presence in her life was a wonderful, albeit surprising change in her life and she was going to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.

After her breakfast she decided to take a long bubble bath before going to get Sydney from Alexis’s house. Once the bedroom had been returned to its normal pristine condition, she got dressed and took a good look in the mirror at the finished result. Even to her own critical eye, she looked good. There was something to be said for sharing a night of lovemaking with a handsome man. Emily and Alexis had been right about one thing for sure—she’d been denying herself for too long and that was a mistake she wasn’t going to make again.

She opened the front door, and to her surprise there stood Alexis, her finger poised to push the doorbell. Sydney was standing next to her, holding Sookie’s and Honeybee’s leashes. All three of them were giving her big happy smiles and they looked totally adorable, like a greeting card.

“Hello, ladies. I was just coming to get Sydney. Did you have fun yesterday? Were you a good girl?”

“Yes, I was, Mommy. We had a lot of fun. We’re going outside,” she added as she and the dogs came in the front door and took off for the dining room to get out on the deck.

Alexis also entered the condo, but she paused to give Sherri a pretty gift bag and a smug smile. “I think it’s time for a little girl talk, don’t you?”

Sherri had to laugh as she bowed to the inevitable. “Come on in the kitchen and I’ll make you some coffee. I was wondering when you’d ferret your way all up in my business.”

“And you know this,” Alexis said. “It’s a BFF prerogative.”

Chapter 8

Lucas had to endure a Q&A from Jared the morning after his night with Sherri. He was in the back office at Seven-Seventeen going over invoices when his older brother came in and gave him a once-over before sitting down across from him.

“I don’t have to ask if you had a good time with Sherri. I can see it all over your face.”

“Yes, I did. She’s everything, Jared. She’s the one.”

“That’s good to hear because Sydney is planning the wedding and I’d hate for her to be disappointed.”

Lucas let out a shout of laughter. “She won’t be. She’s something else, isn’t she?”

“She told us about her plan to get her mommy married off to you. That little girl has all the planning and precision of a corporate raider or something,” he said, shaking his head. “If I ever have a small country to invade or a government to overthrow, she’s the first one I’m going to consult. But she’s totally serious, Lucas. Are you ready for this?”

Lucas leaned back in his big swivel chair and laced his fingers together behind his head. “Ready, willing and able, big brother. I’m not playing around with Sherri—I want to marry her. I haven’t asked her yet because I don’t want her to think I’m crazy, but as far as I’m concerned it’s a done deal. Meeting Sherri was like finding the other half of my soul, man. I don’t have to tell you—the same thing happened to you when you met Alexis so you know where I’m coming from.”

“It’s a family characteristic.” Jared laughed. “It happened to Dad, it happened to me and now it’s your turn. And the next time it’ll be Damon, once he opens his mind to something other than being the perfect dad. So how does Sherri feel about all this?”

Lucas sat up and put his arms on the desk. His face took on the unmistakable look of a man who was completely in charge of his destiny. “She’s going to love it, every bit of it. I’m trying to take my time so she won’t feel overwhelmed, but by the end of summer, it’ll be a done deal.”

“Go for it, man. It’ll be nice to have her in the family. And Sydney might have a little cousin on the way by then, too,” he added with a grin.

Lucas raised his eyebrows and lifted his hand to give Jared a high five. He repeated his brother’s words with a grin. “Go for it.”

“Just think, next year this time it could be you getting ready for fatherhood. Can you handle that?” he asked in a teasing tone of voice.

“Bring it on,” Lucas replied with a cocky grin. “I’m ready for anything and everything as long as I’ve got Sherri and Sydney.”

* * *

Alexis refused the coffee Sherri offered and asked for lemonade instead. Her eyes were lit up with mischief as Sherri opened the gift bag and took out three exquisite bras with matching panties. Her face turned a deep pink as Alexis burst into laughter.

“These were supposed to be for your birthday, but I have a feeling that you need them now. Once you cross over into the sexy side you need to have something other than those schoolgirl undies you love so much.”

Sherri was examining the pretty garments with awe, exclaiming over the sexy cut of the thongs and fingering the soft bras in mocha, peach and black. She stopped long enough to refute Alexis’s last statement.

“They’re not schoolgirl—they’re practical. An intern who’s also a new mother can’t afford a drawer full of Vicky’s Secret. They’re inexpensive and easy to machine wash, which is all I require in underwear,” Sherri argued.

“Not anymore. You did a lot more than go to a jazz concert, didn’t you? So now you’re going to need a drawer full of pretty things so you can show off for your man,” Alexis gloated.

Sherri tried to play coy but she knew it was fruitless. She thanked Alexis for the gift and tried to distract her by offering her toast. “Did you bring me some jam? You know I can’t eat the store-bought kind anymore.”

“Yes, we brought you some. We made grape jam and apple butter, and Sydney was totally in heaven. She’s an excellent little helper, as you already know. And yes, I’d like some toast but that doesn’t get you off the hook. I need details, woman. You can’t lie to me—I’ve known you too long for that.”

Sherri got out the bread and butter while Alexis was demanding information. As she placed two slices of the special English muffin bread she favored in the toaster, she finally answered her friend.

“Everything was wonderful, Lexie. The drive to Charleston, the festival, lunch, the concert—everything was just perfect. And yes, we spent the night together and it was, it was...” She paused while she tried to think of the right words to use. “It was sublime,” she said finally. The toast popped up at the same time as if to underscore her statement, and she had to stifle a giggle. She buttered the toast and put the slices on a plate. Alexis was too busy clapping her hands to take it from her so Sherri opened the jar of apple butter and spread some on a piece. She was about to take a bite when Alexis snagged it from her fingers.

“I knew it,” Alexis said, gesturing with her prize. “As soon as you opened the door, I knew. You look like a different person, Sherri. You and Lucas make such a great couple,” she gushed. “This is what Emily and I have wanted for you, girl. Tell me everything and don’t leave out a single detail. Well, some really private details you can keep to yourself, but I want the highlights at least.”

“Slow your roll, chick. Nobody said anything about being a couple, not really. Friends with benefits—isn’t that what they call it these days?”

Alexis rolled her eyes and helped herself to the second piece of toast. “Can I have some more lemonade? And do you have any cantaloupe? I can’t seem to stop eating it. And don’t be ridiculous—of course you’re a couple. Tell me everything that happened and I’ll prove it to you,” she added as she slid off the tall stool by the work island and went to the refrigerator to find fruit.

Sherri’s expression turned dreamy-eyed as she described the trip to Charleston and the parts of the night she felt comfortable sharing. “It was...amazing, Lexie. I can’t even explain how amazing it was.” She sighed.

Alexis came back to the work island with a bowl of cantaloupe chunks she’d scavenged from the fridge. She gave Sherri a quick but heartfelt hug. “You don’t have to explain. I’ve got a VanBuren of my own, remember?”

“Yes, but you two are a couple, a for-real married couple. It’s hardly the same thing. Lucas is sweet and sexy and just wonderful, but he hasn’t said anything about wanting to be my man or anything like that.” She was about to keep going but the doorbell rang.

She came back to the kitchen with a big orchid in a beautiful peach color and a slightly dazed expression. Alexis’s eyes brightened with merriment.

“That’s really pretty. Is it from anyone we know?”

“It’s from Lucas. And there’s a giant ficus in the living room, which was way too big for me to move. It’s beautiful,” she said with a little sigh.

Alexis took note of Sherri’s bemused state and said gently, “I know it’s been way too long for you to remember clearly, but this is how couples behave. As a matter of fact, I remember getting a beauty of a plant from Jared the morning after. He brought me red roses on our first date, and he sent me a huge plant the next morning. And I remember that you were very impressed and you teased me about finding my soul mate. It looks like you’ve found yours, too.”

Sherri’s eyes moved from her exotic floral tribute to her friend. “Alexis, I think you’re jumping the gun here. Jared and Lucas are brothers, sure, but that doesn’t mean that they act just alike. Just because Jared fell in love with you at first sight doesn’t mean anything as far as Lucas is concerned. He’s just being nice, and that’s all.”

“Sherri, I love you like a sister but you’re acting dense. Someone who dishes out good advice on matters of the heart should be able to take it.”

“What are you talking about?” Sherri’s confusion was plain in her facial expression and her voice.

Alexis took pity on her friend, but only a little. “Sherri, my sistah, you do remember giving me and Emily a lot of advice when we were flailing around in the confusing throes of brand-new passion, don’t you? You were the voice of reason when we were going all kinds of crazy, remember?”

“Of course I do,” Sherri said, smiling. “You were driving yourself crazy trying to pretend like Jared was the wrong man for you when it was perfectly plain that he was the other half of your heart. But you can’t say that I saved the day or anything like that. You took a chance on him and trusted your heart and now...” Her voice trailed off and Alexis jumped right in.

“Listen to what you’re saying! You’re the one who showed me how to trust my heart, you stubborn woman! You’re the one who made me make a list of all the qualities I wanted in a mate, and you’re the one who made me realize that Jared had all of those qualities and more. True, he’s not dark chocolate, but, honey, I have a whole new appreciation for vanilla now,” she said as she laughed.

“Alexis, focus, please. It’s your turn to be the voice of reason and you’re gloating about your sexy husband. You’re supposed to be helping me.” Her voice was dangerously close to a whine, something that Sherri never, ever did. Now Alexis went into true friend mode.

“Okay, Sherri, let’s look at this, umm, objectively,” she said. “You’re a wonderful woman who has closed herself off from any kind of male companionship because of a disappointing relationship with a worthless man. It happens. It happened to me, too, although we don’t talk about it much. I found my fiancé in bed with his ex-girlfriend, remember. I didn’t want to be bothered with men either, until Emily and Todd got together and I realized that I really could be happy and in love again.”

“Yes, but that was a totally different situation.” Sherri had on her stubborn expression, the one that Alexis and Emily knew too well and dreaded. She didn’t get that look often, but it always preceded a long and difficult discussion. When Sherri made up her mind about something it was hard to change her point of view. Alexis had to make some good points soon or Sherri would go into her donkey mode, which meant no progress would be made for some time.

“It’s not really that different, Sher. Okay, so you weren’t looking for a man. You have no list of attributes to compare to Lucas, and you don’t think that your night of flaming hot love is the beginning of a serious relationship. I get that, I really do. But you’re the only one who thinks that,” she said in her most persuasive voice. “Lucas really cares about you. I never said anything to you because I knew you’d flip out, but Jared told me that if you weren’t interested in Lucas you’d better run because he recognized the look in his brother’s eyes. The look that meant he was going to come after you with all guns blazing because he really wanted you.”

Sherri’s face underwent a rapid change from wistful and confused to totally shocked. “He did not. Did he? When did he tell you that?”