A Second Chance
Page 39

“You did great.” He kissed her on the cheek instinctively.
He felt her suck in a breath, but she kept her eyes on the baby in her arms.
Kathy had opened sheet sets, china, and appliances. Everything she had registered for was set before her in a beautiful display of boxes, with bags of discarded wrapping paper and bows set next to the pile. She was glad Regan had wanted to have her shower at her own house, and then she wouldn’t have to transport everything home.
She’d been right about Judy’s gift of the condo. It would be a nice way to spend her honeymoon in Hawaii with her new husband.
It was surreal. In just three more weeks she would be married to Carlos. She looked around the house with its mountain of boxes and trays of leftover food. If the shower had been that much fun, she couldn’t wait until the wedding.
Carlos had hurried into his office the moment he’d returned home. Regan had kicked him out of the house so fast, he hadn’t had time to finish his grading. He wasn’t one who liked to get behind on that, so he wanted to get the grades in the computer before dinner. Tyler had fallen asleep again, and by the look on Regan’s face, a stranger would have thought she’d been weeks since she’d last seen her son. She’d hurried out the door with him to get home before he woke.
The house was quiet, and Kathy sat down on the couch and kicked her feet up. So many things still needed to be done in the three weeks before the wedding. There was one more meeting with the photographer, a finalization on the cake, and they still needed to pick out a song for their first dance. Audrey had taken care of the caterer after Kathy had given her a list of items she wanted them to have; that was at least the one thing she knew she wouldn’t have to think about again.
The dresses had arrived at the bridal store, and they would have a final fitting for them the next week. Regan was still trying to get the perfect body, even though Kathy and Arianna had told her repeatedly she looked wonderful.
The invitations had all gone out and RSVPs were pouring in. They’d had very few nos. The afternoon wedding looked to be as perfect as she’d always dreamed it would be.
She looked again at all the gifts that filled the room and let out a long breath. If everything seemed to be going just right, why did she feel so unsure about it all?
Each day when she woke, she felt a little more uneasy. She just couldn’t pinpoint why. She loved Carlos and adored his children. His family was nothing but wonderful, and even his ex-wife was easy to get along with and she considered her a friend. Why then couldn’t she shake the feeling that something just wasn’t right?
She hadn’t told Carlos, but her body had felt so strange, she’d even taken a pregnancy test. It was negative, but she was only looking for answers. She wanted a baby, but not until after they were married and had planned it. The doctor had told her she was stressed, but besides that, she was healthy. What more could she ask for?
Wedding jitters, she figured. Everyone had them.
Carlos watched Curtis, in his green scrubs, as he waved to a nurse across the diner then slid into the booth next to him. “Oh, my brother, you are going to love us!”
Carlos shook his head. “You know those words alone scare the hell out of me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got your back,” Zach ensured him.
“And I’ve got his,” John Forrester ensured him further.
“Thanks.” Carlos grunted.
Curtis leaned over the table. “Why doesn’t anyone trust me?”
Zach laughed a hearty laugh as he leaned back against the booth. “Oh, I don’t know. Because John had to carry me home after my party and Regan almost killed me, him, and you.”
“And me,” Carlos added. “And I don’t even think I was there.”
“Oh, you were there. You just ducked out at bedtime.”
“Well some of us have families to think about,” he reminded him.
“That’s right,” Zach added. “So don’t get me killed this time.”
“Well I don’t have that problem. So I’m not going to worry too much about it.” Curtis waved at the waitress to take their orders. “Tell me about my date, Zach.”
The waitress took their orders, and Curtis focused in on Zach.
Zach shrugged his shoulders. “Tell you what? You’ve met her.”
“Right. Sexy French girl who came to your wedding with a date who was what, twenty?”
Zach nodded. “Yep, that’s her. She’s a little more mature now.”
“Too bad,” Curtis sipped his water and wrinkled his nose at Zach. “Maybe her dad will let us use the yacht for our party, since he was lenient enough to let you use it for your honeymoon.”
“Let’s focus, shall we?” Zach returned his attention to Carlos. “Are you okay with all of this?”
Carlos rearranged his silverware on the table. “A bachelor party? Sure. I’m game.”
“How about we just all meet up at a sports bar and throw back a few,” Zach offered.
Curtis shook his head. “You’re all getting soft on me.”
“Yeah, sounds great.” Carlos scratched his head then looked out the window.
“Do you even want to do this?” Zach asked softly.
He turned his attention back to the table. “I’m all for it.”
“Won’t be like the first one. Man, you were smashed.” Curtis leaned his arms on the table.
“So were you, and you were underage. We could have gotten arrested.”
“You know, I work seventy hours a week. I save lives. I think I deserve a little release.”
The other three men at the table shook their heads at the most educated man among them. “You’re right. When you get married, we’ll go all out,” Zach promised.
“Great.”
Soon the topic of bachelor parties past and future were forgotten, and meals of greasy hamburgers and french fries were consumed. Zach bragged about Tyler. Curtis gave too many details about a date with a cute resident. John talked about the inspection he was going to head off to, and Carlos sat quietly.
John finished first. He handed Zach a wad of folded-up dollar bills and shook the hands of the other men at the table. “I guess I’ll see you all in a few weeks, then.”
“It’ll be interesting to see which one of us ends up with the better date.” Curtis grinned.