Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
D inner was stuffed pork chops and, per Jake’s request, mashed potatoes and gravy. Rounding it out was tossed green salad, corn, fresh dinner rolls, and Bailey’s favorite dessert, German chocolate cake, to be enjoyed after swimming. Rachel had to admit it was one of her favorite desserts, too.
Afterward, they changed into swimsuits and enjoyed a rousing game of water polo. The kids won. They played it a lot more than their parents.
After dessert, and after the kids were in bed, Rachel grabbed a bottle of Malbec and two glasses. She turned to Nick. “Want to join me in the pool house? It’s too cold to sit outside and I want to look at the stars.”
Nick smiled and took the bottle of wine. “I’d love to join you.”
After they got comfortable in lounge chairs and each had a glass of wine, Rachel turned to Nick. “How do you feel about what happened today? You had to kill a man, and I know it doesn’t sit right with you. You’re not that kind of person.”
“I’m okay with it, Rach.” He looked over at her, his dark brows furrowed. “That man was a threat to you and to Jake. If anything were to happen to you or to your son, I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.”
She leaned back and looked up at the stars. “What does it say about me that I’m glad he’s dead?”
“It says you’re human. The man hurt you physically and emotionally. You thought you were in love with him.”
“What if I don’t know what real love is? I picked wrong. What if I do again?” What if I ruin our friendship?
“You won’t, Rach.” He put his glass on the small table between them and stood. “Scoot over.”
She lifted her brows. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to sit with the woman who means more to me than anything.” Rachel scooted over as far as she could without falling off.
Nick settled on the lounger and then lifted her, setting her on his lap. “Lean back and look at the stars with me.”
Rachel let her body relax. She was exactly where she wanted to be, yet she had questions. “Nick? What are we doing?”
“We’re looking at the stars, and then we’re making out like teenagers because I can’t keep away from you.”
She reached back and set her wine glass on the table. Then she turned her attention to the man she loved almost as much as Jake. She rested her head on his chest and looped her left arm around his neck. “I can’t keep away either. What are we going to do about that?”
“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, Rachel. Even before you came back. It killed me when you married Greg, so I married Janet. I didn’t think I would ever have a chance with you. Marrying her was a huge mistake. The only good thing to come out of it was Bailey.”
“I feel the same way about Jake.”
“You’re my best friend, and I’m scared spitless that I’ll ruin that, but I can’t keep from telling you anymore. I love you, Rach. I want you to marry me.”
Tears formed in her eyes. “You do? Because I love you, too. I’d like to be your wife more than anything. What about Bailey and Jake? Do you think they’ll approve? I haven’t been divorced that long, and I don’t want?—”
He pulled her head to his and covered her mouth with his lips, effectively silencing her.
She let her heart answer his kiss—loving the taste of him, the wine on his tongue as he circled her tongue with his. She cupped the back of his head, keeping him close until she was breathless and had to pull back.
“Is that a yes ?”
Rachel grinned at him. “That’s a yes , Mr. Kincaid. A resounding yes .”
“Are you sure you’re not marrying me just for my money?” he teased.
She laughed. “I loved you long before you had any money. I figured I’d be the breadwinner while you fiddled with your computer. I guess I was wrong about that.”
Nick chuckled. “Just a little. I’m glad you loved me then, because I loved you, too. It nearly killed me when you left for New York. I knew it was the end of our friendship.”
Tears leapt to her eyes. “I cried the entire flight because I was leaving you behind. I was so torn. Did I go become the best doctor I could be or stay where my heart was? I finally decided on doctor because I didn’t know if you could feel for me what I did for you.”
He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re it for me, Rach. You always have been. I think our parents knew it when we were five and couldn’t seem to be happy unless we were together. Do you remember wanting to spend the night with each other all the time. When we were little they let us, but as we reached teenagers, the overnight visits came to an end. Not that I blame them. I’ve got a daughter of my own, and I fully expect her not to date until after I’m dead...or at least until she’s thirty.”
Rachel chortled. “You can hope for that all you want but when she starts discovering boys, she’ll be horrified when you have to beat them off with a stick. Though I fully expect Jake to help you.”
“Speaking of the kids, do you think they’ll be like us and best friends forever?”
“I can only hope they are as lucky as we are. I don’t know if they’ll get married, but I think it’s okay if they decide to. After all, who knows them better than their best friend?”
“When do you want to tell them?” He rested his chin on her shoulder while he held her back to his chest with his arms around her waist.
“I think we should do it at breakfast. I don’t want to put it off.” She folded her arms on top of his and relaxed back against him.
“Agreed. Now, what do you want to do for the rest of the night?”
She knew what he had in mind, and she was totally on board, but... “As much as I would love to spend the night with you, we can’t. What if one of the kids gets up in the middle of the night? I don’t want to have to explain it at three in the morning.”
He growled and squeezed her tighter. “I know you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Rachel felt lighter than she had in a long time. Having Nick return her feelings was a dream come true. “Then let’s plan on getting married right away. We’ve both been married before. I don’t need a big fancy wedding. I want a justice of the peace and maybe a little reception for our family and friends. What do you want?”
“That sounds perfect. When do you want to do it?”
“In two weeks. That will give us time to get the license, arrange for the judge, and, if it’s okay with you, we’ll have the reception-slash-party here. Your rec room downstairs is plenty big. We’ll just have to use the pool table for the food.”
“Uh—”
“Don’t worry, I’ll cover it with plastic and a huge tablecloth so nothing will get on the felt. Or we can do it in the family room with overflow into the kitchen and out on the patio.”
“That would be my preference and then if people want to play pool or pinball or chess for that matter, they can.”
She was happy to see the game and looked forward to playing it with Jake. “I was surprised to see the pinball machine. Space Invaders was my favorite. Did you remember that or just get lucky?”
“The only time I’ve been lucky is just now when you said yes . The rest I planned.”
“Not true. You didn’t plan for us to be in kindergarten together and/or that your parents kept you at that school, even after they moved to the ranch with your grandparents. Speaking of your parent’s ranch, do you know how lucky you are to have someplace like that in your family for generations?”
He kissed the sensitive area behind her ear and then down her neck. Then he did the same thing to the other side. “I’m aware.”
His kisses barely touching her neck made her shiver all over. “You’re making it hard for me to concentrate.”
“I’m aware.” He nipped her neck and then soothed the area with his tongue, followed by a kiss.
“Are you aware we have a lot to plan before we get married?”
“I’m aware, but that doesn’t have to start until tomorrow. I’m sure your mom will be thrilled to help you. My mom, too. You’re not doing this alone. I might even be coerced into helping. Although, I don’t know anything about that stuff.”
“Greg’s mother did everything for our wedding. She even picked out my wedding dress.”
He stopped kissing her. He looked over her shoulder, his eyes narrowed a bit, and his forehead wrinkled. “Do you want a wedding dress? You know a white one with a train and lace and all that?”
She chuckled at his sudden seriousness and turned in his arms to face him. “No. I really don’t. I want something I can wear again and again. Something that when I wear it I’m reminded of our special day.”
He kissed her gently. “What about a honeymoon? Where do you want to go?”
“Well.” She wasn’t sure how to broach this subject, so she just plowed ahead. “I want to do something with the kids. I don’t want them to feel left out of any of it.”
“I don’t know. I think I’d like some time for just the two of us before we officially become a family of four.”
She nodded. “I guess I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“Think about it for a bit and then we can get together and talk about it again.”
She tilted her head. “Where would you like to go?”
He answered quickly, like he’d been thinking about it for a while. “Someplace with a beach and ocean and drinks with little umbrellas.”
She laughed, as she was sure he intended. “I think that sounds great. Do you have an island somewhere or a friend with a private villa on some secluded beach?”
“Actually, I do. Adam purchased an island for the company’s use. We normally use it for wining and dining prospective clients, but I’m sure I could reserve it for our honeymoon.”
She widened her eyes and dropped her jaw. “Are you kidding me? You have an island?”
He laughed. “Of course, I’m kidding you. Islands are out there for sale, but the expense and upkeep is ridiculous. We have many more mundane things to spend our money on. Like more land and cattle for our ranches. For Ray, he wants to expand his racing stock. An island we would barely use is a waste.”
She blew out a deep breath. “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid you’d really lost your mind.”
He grinned and cupped the back of her head and massaged her neck with his fingers. “Not hardly. I asked you to marry me, didn’t I? That clearly shows I haven’t lost my mind and that I’m a very smart man, indeed.”
She smiled and kissed his chin, then each cheek and his forehead before finally landing on his lips. When she pulled back, she ran a hand through his hair and gazed into his eyes. The pool house was too dark to see the beautiful blue looking back. “I love you, Nicholas Kincaid. I always have. You are my best friend, and soon you’ll be my lover. I can’t wait to make love to you, but not until after we’re married. We have children to think about, and I don’t want to confuse them about what is and what isn’t acceptable behavior. Do you agree?”
He reached up and cupped her head. “I do, but this will be the longest two weeks of my life, you know that don’t you?”
“Mine, too. I want to be with you in every way. Please don’t think I don’t.”
“I could never believe you don’t want to make love. We’ll just have to settle for cuddling for now.”
“I’m all for that, but I’m ready to be under a blanket in front of the fireplace with our wine. We can lean up against the sofa and cuddle all we want under the blanket.”
“That sounds perfect.” He kissed her quick. “Get up and let’s go inside.”
She stood, stepped around the lounger to the table, and picked up the empty glasses. “You get to bring the bottle. I don’t want to forget it and have to answer questions from curious children tomorrow.”
“Got it. Let’s go find that blanket.”
“Yes, let’s.”
As she walked inside, she couldn’t help but wonder how many years had she and Nick missed out on because they’d been afraid to tell the other how they felt. If she’d known, she never would have married Greg, but then she wouldn’t have Jake, and he was her life. How would he react to having Nick and Bailey in his life permanently?
She wondered about her job and whether asking for time off when she hadn’t started yet would be a problem. Rachel knew she didn’t have to work any longer. Nick would always have enough to take care of them. But she did like being a doctor, though she supposed her new position wouldn’t allow her much time for doctoring . Because of that, she now wondered if that was the position for her. She liked the hands on part of being a doctor. Making a real difference in someone’s life...there was nothing like it.
Rachel had only taken the job because it allowed her to move back to Colorado, but now she had more options. She could join a practice or even open a clinic of her own. That was something she definitely would rather do.
“Excuse me, darling, I have something I have to do.” She took her cell phone and went to her bedroom, where she made the call to quit the new position. Looking forward, it really was the only thing she could do. She refused to be unhappy in her job when she didn’t have to.
When she was done, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Between her and Nick getting married and now quitting the job she knew would make her unhappy, Rachel felt on top of the world.
* * *
Rachel was up, showered, and dressed before anyone else besides Sarah. That woman, no matter how late she was up, always had a pot of coffee ready. They had a Keurig Duo which used regular ground coffee for a carafe and the pods for a single cup.
She poured a cup of coffee, doctored it the way she liked, and sat at the island with her ereader but she was too anxious to concentrate. She and Nick were telling the kids today. How would they take it? She was fairly sure they would be excited to be together as part of a family, but what if they weren’t? What if they were angry?
Nick came up behind her, put his arms around her waist, and kissed her cheek. “How are you this morning, wife-to-be?”
“Nervous. What if the kids are upset? What if?—”
Nick spun the stool until she faced him. “Have you been worried about this all night?” He frowned, “I see the dark circles under your eyes. Did you get any sleep?”
She sighed. “Not much. I missed you, and I’m worried about how the children will feel. How can we get married if they’re traumatized?”
“First, love, they’ll be fine.” He ran a knuckle slowly down her cheek. “I know Bailey, and she’ll love the idea. She’s always wanted a brother or a sister. Now, she’s getting one and she already likes him.”
“Jake’s wanted siblings, too. But he was afraid of what Greg would do to me. Every time we talked about it, we got into a big fight, and Jake saw those as well as some others. I wasn’t a very good mother.”
He wrinkled his brow and took her chin in his hand. “You were...are...a great mother. You protected him in the best way you knew how. Why didn’t you want more kids?”
“How did you know it was me who didn’t want them?”
“You wouldn’t knowingly bring another child into that situation.”
“You’re right. Greg had gotten to the point he’d throw away my birth control pills to force me to get pregnant. I started hiding them from him. I’d keep them in Jake’s room because I knew he’d never look there.”
His eyes widened. “Weren’t you worried Jake would think they were candy?”
“I always put them on the shelf above the hangers in his closet, so he couldn’t reach them.”
Suddenly, she heard the sounds of children’s laughter and stomping down the stairs. She looked up at Nick. “Here we go.”
Nick placed his hands on her shoulders.
She reached up and laced her fingers with one of his.
Jake sat on her right.
Bailey sat next to him on his left.
Nick didn’t move his hands, which pleased Rachel.
“Hi, little mister and little miss. What do you plan on doing after school today?”
They looked at each other and then shouted in unison, “Riding!”
Jake had taken to horseback riding like he was born in the saddle. He was almost as good as Bailey.
After clearing her throat, Rachel glanced between them. “Kids, Nick and I have some news.”
Jake narrowed his eyes. “What kind of news? Did my father come back? I don’t want to see him. Will he hurt us, Mommy?”
“No.” Rachel reached down and placed her arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. “It’s not anything like that. It’s good news.”
“Yeah, what?” asked Bailey.
“Well—” Rachel looked up at Nick for support.
He grinned. “Rachel and I are getting married. We’re doing it in two weeks. What do you two think about that?”
Bailey furrowed her brows. “You’re really doing this? You’re not teasing us, right”
Nick gazed at his daughter. “We’re really doing this. Rachel and I love each other.”
The children looked at each other and then hollered “Yay,” in unison.
Jake put his arms around Rachel’s waist. “That’s great. Bailey and I want to be brother and sister. We’re already best friends.”
Bailey jumped off her chair, ran to her father and squeezed him with her arms around him.
Nick chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “I guess they’re okay with it.”
Relief that Jake was accepting of this news, Rachel eyed her soon-to-be husband. “Yeah, I guess they are.” She wrapped an arm around Jake. “So, Jake, do you want to be the ring bearer in the ceremony?”
“Yes.”
“What about me?” asked Bailey.
“I thought you would be the flower girl, if that’s all right.”
“Yay. I’m gonna be the flower girl.” Bailey danced around the room while singing.
Jake, not to be out done, started dancing, too. “And I’m gonna be the ring bearer.” Then he stopped, tilted his head, and looked up at his mother. “What’s a ring bearer?”
“You’ll have our wedding rings on a pillow and bring them down the aisle to us.”
The little boy grinned. “That will be fun.”
“I get to spread flower petals in front of the bride when she comes down the aisle. Right, Daddy?”
“That’s right, and you’re the perfect girl for the job.” He grinned at the kids.
“Well, that’s all settled. I’ll take Bailey to find us dresses.” She looked over at Nick. “You can take Jake with you to get a suit or a tux, if you want one. I leave that up to you.”
He shrugged. “Since we’re being casual about this, I think a suit is appropriate.”
She turned on the stool to face Nick. “Which of your brothers will you ask to stand up with you? I thought I’d ask Megan to be my maid-of-honor.”
“Cole, of course. Just don’t forget which twin you’re marrying.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.
She smiled. “As if I could. I’m finally marrying my best friend.”
“So we both are. And Ray will be back from his honeymoon, so you’ll get to meet Lyris.”
“Having both of our families together again will be nice.”
He nodded. “It will. It’s been too long, though I’ve seen your family more than you have.”
Her smile faltered. “Yes, well that will change. I’m so glad to be back home.” She gazed up at Nick. “For more reasons than one.” Then she winked.