A Father for Her Triplets: Her Pregnancy Surprise (21 page)

Danny suddenly bounced from the seat, as if he’d had the memory, too, and didn’t want it. He strode into the kitchen and reached for the refrigerator door handle. “I’ll help you.”

Removing the cocoa from a cupboard, Grace turned so quickly that she and Danny nearly ran into each other in the compact kitchen.

He caught her elbows to steady her, and tingles of awareness skipped along her skin. This close she could feel the heat of his body. Memories of making love, of how different he had been that night and how happy she had been, flipped through her brain. The sizzle between them was so intense she suddenly wondered what might have happened if they hadn’t made love that night. Would the nice guy she’d met at the beach house have pursued her? Would he have remained nice? Would they have discovered differences and gone their separate ways or lived happily ever after?

Pulling her arms away, she turned toward the stove. What might have been wasn’t an issue. If she thought about what might have been for too long she might get starry-eyed again and that would be insane. The guy had hurt her and now he wanted her child. She wouldn’t be reckless with him again.

“Hand me the milk.”

He did.

“Thanks.” Exaggerating the task of pouring it into the pan so she didn’t have to look at him, she said, “How are things at Carson Services?”

He walked back to the counter, but didn’t sit. Instead he leaned against it. “Fine.”

“How’s Orlando?”

Danny laughed. “Great. He’s a dream client. Because he does his homework, we’re always on the same page when I suggest he move his money.”

“That’s so good to hear. I liked him.”

“He’s asked about you.”

Dumping three scoops of cocoa on top of the milk, she grimaced. “What did you tell him?”

Danny shifted uncomfortably. “That you’d moved on.”

She heard the stirring of guilt in his voice. Though part of her found it fitting, she couldn’t pretend she was innocent. She’d recognized from the beginning that losing her job was one of the potential consequences of a failed relationship between them. So she wouldn’t pretend. She would discuss this like an adult.

She faced him. “So you told him the truth.”

“Excuse me?”

“What you told him was the truth. I
had
moved on.”

He barked a laugh. “Yeah.”

Grace walked over to him and stood in front of him, holding his gaze. “We won’t survive twelve more days of living together if we don’t admit here and now that we both made mistakes that weekend. We don’t need to dissect our sleeping together and place blame. But we do need to admit that we
both
made mistakes.”

“Okay.”

“It is okay because we both moved on.”

“Bet you wish you had stayed moved on.”

She might be willing to agree to be polite and even friendly, but she didn’t intend to discuss nebulous things like regrets. So she fell back on humor to get her out of the conversation. Batting her hand in dismissal, she said, “Nah. What fun is having a nice, quiet life with no one pestering you for custody of your child?”

He laughed again. She turned to leave, but he caught her fingers and stopped her. Her gaze swung back to his.

“You’re one of only a few people who make me laugh.”

Memory thrummed through her. Her being able to make him laugh had been their first connection. But the touch of his fingers reminded her that they’d taken that connection so much further that night. She remembered the way his hands had skimmed her body, remembered how he’d held her, remembered the intensity of the fire of passion between them.

But in the end, passion had failed them. The only thing they had between them now was Sarah. And everything they did had to be for Sarah.

Grace cleared her throat and stepped back. “We’ll work on getting you to laugh more often for Sarah.” She pulled her hand away from his, walked to the stove and poured Danny’s cocoa into a mug. “So what do you like to watch?”

“Watch?”

“On TV.”

He took the mug she handed to him. “Actually I don’t watch TV.”

“Then you’re in for a treat because you get to watch everything I like.”

That made him laugh again, and Grace’s heart lightened before she could stop it, just as it had their weekend together. But she reminded herself that things at the beach house had not turned out well. And she didn’t intend to make the same mistake twice. He needed to be comfortable and relaxed for Sarah. She and Danny also needed to be reasonably decent to each other to share custody. But that was all the further she could let things between them go.

* * *

They spent two hours watching crime dramas on television. Danny was oddly amused by them. The conversation remained neutral, quiet, until at the end of the second show the eleven o’clock news was announced and Grace said she was going to bed.

“Ripped from the headline is right,” he said, when Grace hit the off button on the remote and rose from the sofa. “That program couldn’t have been more specific unless they’d named names.”

“That’s the show’s gimmick. The writers take actual situations and fictionalize them. It’s a way to give curious, gossip-hungry viewers a chance to see what might have happened, and how it would play out in court.”

Danny said, “Right,” then followed her up the stairs. In the little hallway between their closed bedroom doors, Danny put his hand on his doorknob, but he couldn’t quite open the door. It didn’t seem right to leave her just yet. And that spurred another beach house memory. He hadn’t wanted to leave her after he’d given her her bonus. He’d tried to ignore the feeling, but Grace had followed him down to the bar in his great room.

That made him smile. The hall in which they stood was far from great. It was a little square. Only a bit wider than the bar that had separated them at the beach house. He’d closed that gap by leaning forward and kissing her, and he’d experienced one of the most wonderful nights of his life.

And he’d ruined even the pleasant memories he could hold on to and enjoy by not believing her. Not appreciating her.

“Thanks for the cocoa.”

She faced him with a smile. “You’re welcome.”

He took a step away from his door and toward hers. He might not have appreciated her the weekend at the beach house, but tonight he was beginning to understand that she probably had been the woman he’d believed her to be when he seduced her. Everything that had happened between them was his fault. Especially their misunderstandings.

He caught her gaze. “I’m glad you moved on.”

He took another step toward her, catching her hand and lifting it, studying the smooth skin, her delicate fingers. He recalled her fingers skimming his back, tunneling through his hair, driving him crazy with desire, and felt it all again, as if it were yesterday.

“I’m a lot stronger than I look.”

Her words came out as a breathy whisper. The same force of attraction that swam through his veins seemed to be affecting her. In the quiet house, the only sound Danny heard was the pounding of his heart. The only thought in his mind was that he should kiss her.

Slowly, holding her gaze, watching for reaction, he lowered his head. Closing his eyes, he touched his lips to hers. They were smooth and sweet, just as he remembered. Warmth and familiarity collided with sexual hunger that would have happily overruled common sense. Their chemistry caused him to forget everything except how much he wanted her. How happy she made him. How natural it was to hold her.

But just when he would have deepened the kiss, she stepped away.

“This is what got us into trouble the last time.” She caught his gaze. “Good night, Danny.”

And before he could form the words to stop her, she was behind her closed bedroom door.

CHAPTER SEVEN

D
ANNY
AWOKE
FEELING
oddly refreshed. He opened his eyes, saw the sunny yellow bedroom around him and was disoriented until he remembered he was living with Grace.

Grace
.

He’d kissed her, but she’d reminded him that was what had gotten them into trouble the last time. And he didn’t think she was talking about creating Sarah. Sarah wasn’t trouble. Sarah was a joy. Their “trouble” was that they had slept together when they didn’t know each other, which was why he hadn’t trusted her enough to continue the relationship, and why he hadn’t believed Grace when she told him she was pregnant. He’d thought she was lying to him. Tricking him. Because he didn’t know her well enough to realize Grace would never do something like that.

He now knew his accusations were the product of an overly suspicious mind, but he also had to admit to himself that he hadn’t changed much from the man who had dismissed her as a liar. Yes, he’d gotten past the tragedies of his life and to the outside world he appeared normal. And he really could be normal at work, normal with friends, normal with a woman only looking for an evening of entertainment. But his divorce had soured him on commitment. He wasn’t marriage material. He wasn’t even a good date for anyone who wanted anything other than a fun night out or no-strings-attached sex. Forget about being the right guy for someone as wonderful as Grace. She deserved better. Even he knew it.

She needed a husband. A mate. Someone to share her life. He was not that guy.

He rolled out of bed and tugged on his robe. But once the slash belt was secured, he stopped again. He’d nearly forgotten he was sharing a bathroom.

Sharing a bathroom.

Watching TV.

And happy.

How long had it been since he could say he was happy? Years. He’d accustomed himself to settling for surface emotions, convinced that if he loved anything, life would yank it away. But though he might not believe he could make a commitment to a woman, living with Grace made him consider that he could love Sarah and he could be a real dad. Especially since Grace was kind enough, honest enough, fair enough that she was willing to share custody. Not as adversaries, but as two friends. Both having the best interests of their little girl at heart. And without a hearing that would air his less-than-perfect past.

He grabbed his shaving kit, opened his bedroom door and glanced down the short hall. The bathroom door was open and Grace wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Good. He didn’t want to bump into Grace dressed only in a robe. As she’d reminded him last night, kissing—or more appropriately runaway emotions and hormones—had gotten them into trouble the last time. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. Getting romantically involved had cost them. He’d lost a good employee and someone who probably would have turned into a friend.

And he’d hurt her.

He wouldn’t let himself forget that. He also wouldn’t let himself hurt her again. He could say that with absolute certainty because he wouldn’t get involved with her again. That was a promise he was making to himself.

He showered and shaved and was back in his bedroom before he heard the sound of Grace’s alarm. Removing a suit from the garment bag he’d hung in the closet, he heard Sarah’s wailing and Grace’s words of comfort. He put the suit back in the closet, and yanked on jeans and a T-shirt, listening to Grace soothing Sarah as she carried her downstairs. He heard Grace quietly return upstairs and knew that the lack of crying meant Sarah was sucking her bottle.

He listened for the sound of Grace’s door closing and then sneaked downstairs. It had been years since he’d made his “world famous” blueberry pancakes, but if anybody ever deserved a little treat, it was Grace.

* * *

After taking a last peek to be sure her black skirt and print blouse were in the proper position, Grace shifted away from her full-length mirror to lift already-dressed Sarah from her crib. But as she turned, the scent of something sweet stopped her.

Whatever it was it smelled like pure heaven.

Her mouth watered.

She grabbed Sarah and rushed down the steps. In the kitchen, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and wearing a bib apron, stood Danny.

“What is that smell?”

He turned with a smile. “Pancakes. My one and only specialty.”

“If they taste as good as they smell, they are absolutely your specialty.”

“Oh, they do.”

The ringing endorsement—combined with the growling of Grace’s tummy—had her scampering into the dining area. She slid Sarah into her high chair and went to the kitchen to retrieve plates from the cupboard. “More stuff you learned while at school?”

He winced. “Not really. These are the only thing I can cook. Unless you count canned soup and fried eggs.”

Avoiding her eyes, he set two fluffy blueberry pancakes on each of the two plates she held. Grace took them to the table. She set her dish at the seat beside the high chair and the second across the table from her.

The night before he’d kissed her and just the memory of that brought a warm fuzzy somersault feeling to her empty tummy. She hadn’t let the kiss go too far. But there was something between them. Something special. Something sharp and sexual. It wasn’t something that would go away with the press of a button, or just because it complicated things. And today he’d made her breakfast. Though she appreciated it, she also knew she had to tread lightly. She didn’t want to get involved with him again and he was tempting her.

Danny brought the syrup to the table and sat across from her. “I think there are some things you and I need to discuss.”

Her stomach flip-flopped again. The last thing she wanted was to talk about their one-night stand. Or whatever it was that had happened between them. But disliking him hadn’t worked to keep them apart. So maybe it was best to talk?

“Okay.”

He took a breath. “All right. Here’s the deal. That kiss last night was wrong and I don’t want you to have to worry about it happening again.”

She looked across the table at him, her heart in her throat, and praying her eyes weren’t revealing the pain that brought. She also didn’t think getting involved was a good idea, but he hadn’t needed to say the words.

“The truth is I know you deserve better than me.”

Grace blinked. That wasn’t at all what she was expecting and she had absolutely no idea how to reply.

“The night we slept together, I was going through a bad time,” he said, glancing down at his pancake before catching her gaze again. “Not that that makes what happened right, but I think it might help you to understand that now that I’m past those personal problems, I can see I misjudged you and I’m sorrier than I can ever say.”

Grace took a breath. Once again he was talking about himself, but not really about anything. Still his apology was a big step for them. “Okay.”

“Okay you understand or okay you accept my apology?”

She took another breath. Her gut reaction was to accept his apology, but she simply didn’t trust him. He had a powerful personality. He might say that she needn’t worry about him kissing her again, but she didn’t believe either of them could say that with absolute certainty. There was something between them. Chemistry, probably. Hormones that didn’t listen to reason. She was afraid that if she accepted his apology and told him she understood it would open the door to things she couldn’t control. Things neither one of them could control.

Before she could answer, Danny said, “I hate excuses for bad behavior, but sometimes there are valid reasons people do all the wrong things.” He took a breath. “Because that weekend was the two-year anniversary of my son’s death, I wasn’t myself.”

Grace blinked. “What?”

“Cory had died two years before. Six months after his accident my wife and I divorced. I spent the next year and a half just going through the motions of living.”

Shocked into silence, Grace only stared at him.

“That weekend you reminded me of happiness.” He combed his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know. Watching you with Orlando and hearing the two of you make jokes and have a good time, I remembered how it felt to be happy and I began to feel as if I were coming around.” He caught her gaze. “You know...as if I were ready to live again.”

Stuck in the dark place of trying to imagine the crushing blow of the death of a child and feeling overwhelmed at even the thought, Grace only nodded.

“But I’d always believed you and I had gone too far too fast by making love the very first weekend we really even spoke, and when I went away for that week of client hopping my doubts haunted me. I started imagining all kinds of reasons you’d sleep with me without really knowing me, and some of them weren’t very flattering.” He took a breath. “When you told me you were pregnant it just seemed as if every bad thing I had conjured had come true.” He held her gaze steadily. “I was wrong and I am sorry.”

Grace swallowed hard. She’d left the beach house happy, thinking she’d found Mr. Right and believing all things good would happen for them. But Danny had left the beach house worried about the potential bad. It was no wonder neither of them had seen the other’s perspective. They were at two ends of a very broad spectrum.

“I’m sorry, too. I was so happy I didn’t think things through. Had I known—”

Sarah pounded on her tray with a squeal. Grace grimaced. “I forgot to feed her.”

Danny calmly rose. “I can get that.”

Grace’s first instinct was to tell him to sit back down. Their discussion wasn’t really over. But wasn’t it? What else was there to say? He was sorry. She was sorry. But they couldn’t change the past. She didn’t want a relationship. He’d hurt her and she rightfully didn’t trust him. And he didn’t want a relationship. Otherwise he wouldn’t have promised not to kiss her again. There was nothing more to say. The discussion really was over.

“Do you remember how to make cereal?” Grace asked.

“The stuff in the box with a little milk, right?”

She nodded.

“I can handle it.”

He strode into the kitchen and Grace took several long, steadying breaths.

His child had died.

She had always believed that nothing he could say would excuse the way he treated her when she told him she was pregnant.

But this did.

It didn’t mean she would trust her heart to him, but it did mean she could forgive him.

* * *

That night Grace had dinner nearly prepared when Danny arrived. She directed him upstairs to change while she fed Sarah some baby food and by the time Sarah had eaten, Danny returned wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He looked as relaxed as he had their night at the beach house. Confession, apparently, had done him a world of good.

Incredibly nervous, Grace fussed over the salads. Now that she knew about Danny’s son everything was different. She almost didn’t know how to treat him. His admissions had opened the door to their being friends, and being friendly would work the best for Sarah’s sake. But could two people with their chemistry really be friends?

While Grace brought their salads to the table, Danny took his seat.

“You know, we never have gotten around to discussing a lot of things about Sarah.”

Glad for the neutral topic, Grace said, “Like what?”

“For one, child support.”

“Since we’ll each have Sarah two weeks a month, I don’t think either one of us should be entitled to child support. So don’t even think of filing for any.”

He laughed. “Very funny.”

A tingle of accomplishment raced through her at his laughter, but she didn’t show any outward sign of her pleasure. Instead she shrugged casually. “Hey, I make a decent salary. How do I know it wasn’t your intention to file?”

“You never did tell me where you got a job.”

“I work for a small accounting firm. Johnson and O’Hara.”

“So you do okay financially?”

“Yeah.” Grace smiled. “Actually they pay me double what your firm did.”

He chuckled. “You got lucky.”

“Yes, I did.”

He glanced into the kitchen, then behind himself at the living room. “And you seem to know how to use your money wisely.”

“I bought this house the day I got my first job.”

“The night I was grilling, I remembered you told me about remodeling your house while we ate that Sunday night at the beach house.” He smiled across the table at her, and Grace’s stomach flip-flopped. Lord, he was handsome. And nice. And considerate. And smart. And now she knew he wasn’t mean-spirited or selfish, but wounded. Life had hurt him and he needed somebody like her to make him laugh.

Oh, God, she was in trouble!

“You did a good job on the remodel.”

“My cousin did most of it.” Shifting lettuce on her dish, Grace avoided looking at him. “I was the grunt. He would put something in place, tack it with a nail or two then give me the nail gun to finish.”

“It looks great.” He took another bite of salad.

But Grace was too nervous to eat. She couldn’t hate him anymore. But she couldn’t really like him, either.

Or could she?

By telling her about his son, he’d both explained his behavior and proved he trusted her.

But he’d also said she didn’t need to worry about him kissing her anymore.

Of course, he might have said that because she’d pushed him away the night before, reminding him that kissing only got them in trouble.

They finished their salads and Grace brought the roast beef, mashed potatoes and peas to the table. Unhappy with being ignored, Sarah pounded her teething ring on her high chair tray and screeched noisily.

“What’s the matter, Sarah Bear,” Grace crooned, as she poured gravy onto her mashed potatoes. Sarah screeched again and Grace laughed. “Oh, you want to sit on somebody’s lap? Well, you can’t.”

She glanced at Danny. “Unless your daddy wants to hold you?”

Danny said, “Sure, I’ll—”

But Grace stopped him. “No. You can’t hold a baby in front of a plate with gravy on it. You would be wearing the gravy in about twenty seconds.”

“If you want to eat your dinner in peace, I could take her into the living room, then eat when you’re done.”