Sweet on You (The Wilde Sisters #1) (18 page)

It took over two years to lose the last thirty pounds back in college. How could she do that now as a single mother with a new baby? Flabby skin and spare tires would not hold the interest of a virile man like Trent. A lonely tear slid down her cheek.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” He shifted to her side of the table and pulled her fat body into his.

“Nothing. Hormones.”

“No, I don’t think so.” He gently pushed her hair off her face and caught the tear on his thumb. “I’m here for you, Rayne. Whatever you need,” he whispered in her ear.

Rayne turned her head and stared deep into his emerald eyes, seeing the man she fell for so many months ago. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she licked her lips.

“You’re beautiful.” He placed one hand on her belly and the other behind her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. Soft and tender, just like his words. It had been too long since she felt his touch and she melted into him, clinging onto Trent for support and comfort. He tasted the same, like vanilla, and man, and forever.

“Have you had time to look at the menu?” The waitress didn’t seem to care that she was interrupting a magical moment.

“Give us a few minutes,” Trent said without turning to her. “I rather like what’s on this menu.” He returned his lips to hers and tasted and teased until the waitress came back again.

Trent shifted and ordered French onion soup and salad for her and a steak for himself before returning to his side of the bench. They stuck to the safer topics of baby names and Faith’s new adventures, finishing their meal without discussing the kiss or how it would impact their future.

***

After a night of restless sleep—partially due to a Wilde thing tap dancing on her bladder and the other part due to Trent’s seductive kiss—Rayne knew it was time for a change. Less than two weeks and the baby would be here. She decided to surprise Trent at Sweet Spot. He had an amazing staff and was able to keep the bakery running while in California. Smart business man, he was. Marie had taken the brunt of the responsibility and had hired another manager to help out, and from what Trent had said, business was running smoothly.

The delicious scent of vanilla and almond welcomed her as she opened the bakery doors. Funny that her senses craved the sweet smells during her pregnancy. She didn’t inherit a sweet tooth but sugar cookie had become her new favorite candle to burn.

“Hi Marie. Is Trent out back?”

“Oh, you just missed him. He went to the deli on Market Street for lunch. I bet he’s still there.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to catch him.” Thankful for the warm April day and craving a thick pastrami on rye, Rayne walked the two blocks to the trendy deli. She enjoyed looking in the shop windows along the cobblestone roads of the Old Port. Spotting the deli on the other side of the road, she looked both ways for traffic and began crossing the street. She immediately noticed Trent in his bright red Red Sox shirt sitting at a table by the window.

Rayne smiled, moved her gaze to Trent’s dining companion, and froze. Hurricane Katrina leaned across the table and laughed at something Trent said. They seemed cozy and perfectly matched. Her long, lean legs stretched out toward Trent, rubbing her foot against his calf.

Of course he didn’t stay celibate once she became a fat cow. Men like Trent, as she was reminded of last night at the steakhouse, didn’t need to do monogamous. Not that they were in a relationship. She was only having his baby, no need to stay faithful, it wasn’t like they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Or engaged. Or husband and wife.

No, Trent was, and always would be, a playboy.

Rayne turned around and headed back to her car, giving him up for good.

Chapter Sixteen

Trent

Trent muttered to himself as he tossed his cell phone on the counter. Since their sweet escapade two nights ago he’d gotten no sleep and had been a grouch at the bakery when really he should be whistling a tune and turning out exemplary pastries. Instead his scones were dry, his tartlets tasteless, and fondant roses flat.

All because a lithe, sexy, dark-haired beauty didn’t return his call.
Calls.
He only left one message, but she could see the four other calls he attempted. He’d hoped for a replay of the other night. Again and again. Every night. And morning sex. He’d never had morning sex. He thought about morning sex—a lot—but that would require an overnight stay.

Before the pregnancy news, he’d slept a few times at Rayne’s house, slipping out before dawn, thus keeping his “no sleepover” rule in effect. If you didn’t have coffee and a bagel with a woman in the morning, it simplified things.

Trent attempted to gently fold the Maine wild blueberries into his muffin mixture, when he imagined sharing one, hot from the oven and dripping with melted butter, with Rayne over a cup of steamy hazelnut blend. The picture in his head, of the two of them flushed from a night of sex, wearing whatever they could find on the floor while they ate breakfast, didn’t freak him out like it had in the past.

Marie popped her head through the door that separated the kitchen from the bakery. “Trent, your client is here.”

Trent eyed the clock on the wall. “Jill Henderson and her mother aren’t due for another hour. I just pulled the samples out of the freezer. They won’t be ready for another thirty minutes.”

“It’s not Miss Henderson. It’s Miss Wilde.”

Whipping off his apron, he nodded to the muffin batter. “Can you finish filling those and put them in the oven?” The girl in him took over, messing with his stomach, making him all gooey inside.

He pushed through the swinging doors and was instantly disappointed when he saw Sage.

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Well, not exactly the response I was expecting.” Sage smiled coyly at him and motioned to one of the café tables. “Sit. I need to talk to you.”

“Okaaay.” Reluctantly he pulled out a stool for her and then sat down across from her. “What brings you by?”

“I could use my cover and tell you I’m here for business. Scouting out your bakery. Looking for new connections. With your recent fame, my clients would be lined up at your door to sample your goods.” She raised her eyebrow, making her innuendo clear. “I’m not one for mind games so I’ll get to the point. I love my sister. Dearly. You mess with her, I’ll chop your manly parts off and slice them up in your fancy Kitchen Aid.”

He didn’t correct her. No point in telling her his prized, stainless steel machine didn’t slice and dice, but mixed and whipped. He used it to whip up the coconut cream he used to—

“Understand?”

“What?” He clearly didn’t hear her last threat.

“Don’t screw with her. Rayne is sweet and trusting. If you’re stringing her along, stop. Let her go. She’s had enough heartache over the years. But, if you love her…”

Heat crawled up his neck and warning bells rang in his ears. “Is that all, then?” He did not plan on having this conversation with Sage Wilde. If he loved Rayne, a question he’d been churning over for the past few days, he had no intentions of sharing that with her sister. If. A big if. Trent didn’t have a clue if what he felt was love or something else. “I have to get back to work.” Trent pushed the swinging doors a little too harshly, causing them to crack against the wall.

“All set, Marie. I’ll finish up here.”

“Was that Rayne’s sister? I’m sorry,” Marie corrected. “That is none of my business. I didn’t know if it had anything to do with Rayne’s visit.”

“Rayne was here? When?” The only time she had ever visited the bakery was the time she came in and seduced him. Damn, he’d die for her to do that again.

“The other day. When she met you for lunch.”

“You lost me, Marie. She hasn’t been here in months.”

“She came by yesterday and I told her you were at the deli. She said she would walk down and catch up with you there. I figured you saw her. Oh, dear. You don’t think something awful happened to her, do you? She’s due to have the baby any day now.”

Shit. She must have seen him having lunch with Katrina. No wonder she wouldn’t answer her phone. He needed to act fast.

Only he couldn’t. The Hendersons showed up for their cake testing, and then he had an onslaught of calls for summer wedding cakes. It wasn’t until the end of the day that he finally had a moment to call Rayne.

As if on cue, his cell phone rang.
Rayne.
“Hi. I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“I’m in the hospital.”

“Hospital? Why? What happened?”

“I’m having my baby.”

Our
baby. So she was shutting him out again. “Right now?”

“Well, he didn’t tell me his exact ETA but I’m—oh!” Rayne sucked in a breath, in obvious pain.

“Rayne! Talk to me!” He heard a fumbling of voices and unidentifiable noises.

“She can’t talk, dumbass. She’s having a contraction.”

“Sage, how long has she been in labor?”

“Long enough. She was at eight centimeters the last time the doctors checked.”

“Why didn’t anyone call me, damn it?” He searched through his pockets but couldn’t find his keys. “Marie!”

“Breathe, Raynie, that’s good. Breathe.”

“Sage, let me talk to her.”

“No, she needs to relax. You’re not helping.” Sage hung up on him.

“Marie!”

“What is it, Trent?”

“My keys, have you seen them?”

Marie pointed to the counter.

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver. Gotta go. Rayne is having our baby.” He kissed Marie on the cheek and ran out the back door, nearly crashing into the dumpster. Thankfully the hospital was only a few miles away. The new security procedures held him up. He handed over his driver’s license and waited impatiently for a visitor’s badge. Hell, he should have been the one to bring her here, to carry her bag, to check her in. It’s why the network made him work twenty-hour days, to make up for these weeks he said he needed off.

“Fourth floor, Mr. Kipson,” the security receptionist hollered after him. Pushing the up arrow over and over again didn’t make the elevator come any faster, but he pounded on it anyway. Tapping his foot restlessly and playing with his keys until the elevator reached the fourth floor, Trent cursed Sage for not calling him earlier. If he missed the birth of his baby there’d be hell to pay.

He read the numbers outside the doors and jogged along the corridor until he came to room 426.

“Push, honey, push!”

“No, wait!” Trent yelled as he stormed through the door.

“Trent,” Rayne whispered.

“I’m here, baby.” He kissed her forehead and used the washcloth by her head to wipe her damp skin.

“Trent.” She squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth to grunt and groan as she pushed.

“That’s it, Rayne. Bare down and push,” the doctor encouraged from a spot between her legs.

Rayne reached out and grabbed Trent’s hand, squeezing until her knuckles turned white. “You’re doing great,” he soothed.

“How the hell do you know? Have you ever had a baby before?” She clutched at the sheets with one hand and crushed his with the other. “Oh God!” She lifted her hand from the sheet, reached over her belly, and grabbed his belt. “Help me. Ah!” she screeched. “Get this baby out now!”

Someone made noises behind him, probably Sage, but he didn’t care. All his concentration was on Rayne and their baby. “Push, honey. Push. Hold me and push.”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” For the first time since he entered the room, her eyes opened. “Trent,” she cooed and relaxed for a moment. “You came.”

“Yeah, honey. I’m not leaving you. Hold on to me and squeeze, okay?” He dabbed her face with the cool cloth and felt her tense again.

“Oh, no. Another one.”

“That’s good, Rayne. One more good push and the baby’s head will be out,” the doctor said calmly.

Rayne grunted, and squeezed, and pushed, and minutes later the doctor held up a wet, squirmy little thing. “Congratulations. It’s a boy.”

“Oh, a boy,” Rayne cried and held her arms out to her baby. “I have a son.”

“We have a son.” Trent leaned over and kissed her lips, feeling her soften beneath him. He pulled away to stare at his son. “Wow. He’s…amazing.” His baby’s face was red and blotchy, and he remembered Faith looking the same during her first few hours. Bald as a cue ball, the little guy was perfect. And his. Pride he never thought he’d feel ran through his core, causing him to stand a little straighter; the urge to puff out his chest and claim the boy as his own ran rampant through his body. The nurse placed the naked baby on Rayne’s chest and covered him with a blanket. Trent pulled the blanket back to inspect the little fingers he’d seen in the ultrasound. “Looks just like the picture.”

Rayne’s hands inspected the baby as well, pulling his feet out from his cocoon and rubbing her hand up and down his scrawny body.

“He has your figure.”

Rayne snorted. “Hardly. Have you seen my ankles lately?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“And my stomach…oh, I can’t even imagine what that looks like now.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“As the father of my child, you’re required to say that moments after I give birth.”

“I don’t recall reading that in those baby books.” He covered their son in blankets.

“You read those?”

Trent nodded.

“Oh, gah. Get a room.”

“We have one. Feel free to leave.” Winking at Thyme, he ignored Sage, and returned his gaze to Rayne.

“Um, would you like to hold him?”

Trent nodded again and held the baby to his chest. Mesmerized by the tiny wonder, he couldn’t imagine how any parent could abandon their child. Rayne’s and his parents were terrible role models, but that didn’t mean that he and Rayne would be bad parents. They could learn from their mistakes, right?

The little miracle in his arms gave him a whole new prospect in life. No job in the world, no amount of fame or money in the bank, could buy what he had right in front of him. He made this baby. He and Rayne did, and damn if he’d let anything bad ever happen to his son. Finally, after all these years, his future looked bright and clear and it didn’t scare him one damn bit. He knew exactly what he wanted and had a long-term dream. Trent handed the baby back to Rayne and whispered on her lips, “Thank you,” before leaving the room.

And starting his future.

***

Rayne

The air in the room shifted as soon as Trent left.

“What did he say to you?”

“Why did he leave?”

“Are you okay?”

Too many questions and not enough time to process. For a while it was like she and Trent, and then the baby, were the only ones in the room. They were a couple; him supporting her through the most important day of her life, and then the three of them together, like a family.

She didn’t misread the emotion in his eyes. The experience was just as powerful for him as it was for her. So why did he walk out so abruptly without saying goodbye or explaining his sudden retreat? Her heart couldn’t take the turbulence anymore. It wasn’t fair to the baby or to herself.

The baby. He needed a name. She and Trent never did decide, and picking one by herself felt depressing. If he was vested in the name maybe it would help him hold an interest in their baby.

“Ray-Ray.” Thyme inched closer to the bed. “Do you mind if I hold my nephew?”

“Absolutely.” She handed the eight-pound, twenty-one-inch bundle to her baby sister. “He’s amazing, isn’t he?” His absence from her body chilled her. He’d been a part of her for nine months. It felt odd to be without him. And without Trent.

“Well, you’re a bit biased, being his mama and all, but yeah, I think he’s the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.”

“And you’re not biased? Hand him over to his favorite aunt.” Sage fumbled awkwardly at first but soon fit into aunty role. “Yeah, I’ll have to agree with you on this one, little sis. He’s the cutest. Too bad I don’t know what to call him.” She kissed his cheek and passed him back to Rayne.

Instantly she felt warm again, but not complete. One person was missing.

She’d managed to doze off in between the poking and prodding of the nurses and woke to her baby’s tiny cry. “Hey, sweetie. Mama’s right here.” Rayne pulled down her drab hospital gown and nursed her son. The first few times she tried to feed him she broke into a sweat, not knowing how to hold him or how to get him to latch on. Thankfully, a lactation consultant came in and showed her how to prop pillows and cradle the baby’s head.