Waiting For Nick
Page 37
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Her father sat, eating fudge ripple ice cream with Trace's twin boys on either knee.
Ben and Chris, the boys Abby had raised alone for a time, were tall, handsome young men, arguing about which cassette to put into the portable stereo.
Quinn and Trace sat in the shade, sharing a beer and war stories, while Molly applauded Abby's only daughter, Eva, on her underwater somersaults.
Aaron and Abby's youngest boy searched the grass for anything with more than two legs. Julia turned cartwheels to annoy them.
My family, she thought as she lifted a hand to wave to Reed. All present and accounted for.
"I feel good." Maddy drew in a deep breath, threw her face back to the sun. "And I have a strong feeling that those two at the piano are going to help me cop another Tony."
Unable to resist, Chantel slid her gaze toward her sister. "Oh, darling, do you have one already?"
With a rollicking laugh, Chantel ran, with Maddy inches behind.
Late, late at night, when the house was finally quiet, Nick drew Freddie to him, so that her head rested on his shoulder. Since Maddy had been considerate enough to give them adjoining rooms, he'd felt no guilt about sneaking into Freddie's bed.
It was good to simply lie there, with his heartbeat leveling toward normal, and his body sated from the slow, quiet love they'd made. She felt so natural curled up against him, he wondered how he'd ever slept without her.
"Tired?" he asked her.
"Hmm. Relaxed. It's been a terrific day. I loved seeing all of them again, how much the kids have grown. Everything."
"They're quite a group."
"They are that. I think it's great the way they all juggle their schedules so they can have a week or two each year with everyone in the same place. Sometimes they go to Dylan and Abby's farm in Virginia." She sighed sleepily and cuddled closer when his fingers began to stroke along her shoulder. "We visited there once. It's beautiful, all rolling hills, horses grazing. Space."
"You'd need a lot of room with all these kids. Abby has the twin girls, right?"
"No, that's Trace and Gillian. Abby has four—Ben, Chris, Eva and Jed. And she had them one at a time."
"Four." He shuddered.
"You love kids." She shifted, turning her head so that she could study his face. It was beautiful in the splash of moonlight, dreamy and heroic, like something out of an Arthurian legend.
"Sure I do. But it always amazes me that some people can handle so many, want to handle so many."
She was caught up in the way he looked, that cool, sculpted face, the sea-green eyes. The way it felt to press against him, warm, exciting and right.
"I like big families. I was an only child for a few years. I wasn't lonely, because Dad was always there. But everything just clicked into place when Natasha came into our lives. I wanted a baby sister," she remembered. "But Brandon came first, and that suited me fine."
Nick had been an only child himself. But he'd had no father to be there. "I used to wish for a brother. Then I had Zack." He shrugged. "He went to sea, and I didn't"
Her generous heart ached for the boy he'd been. "It was hard on you, his leaving."
"He did what he had to do. At the time, it seemed like he was leaving me. Just me. I got over it."
The wave of love rolled over her, making her careless with words. "So now you have a brother again, and an enormous family. You never have to be alone, unless you want to. That's why I'd like at least three children myself."
A little warning blip sounded in his brain. He glanced down at her, then focused carefully on the ceiling. "Well."
Succinctly put, Freddie thought, but she didn't allow herself to sigh. It was much too soon to think about children. Their children.
It was a good time, as Nick saw it, to change the subject. "Chantel doesn't look like anyone's mother."
Now Freddie lifted a brow. "Well, she is. And, if you don't mind a little friendly advice, you really should try to keep your tongue from hanging out every time she walks into the room."
He looked at her again, leered. "Jealous?"
She surprised, and insulted, him by bursting into delighted laughter. It rocked her hard enough that she was forced to sit up and try, unsuccessfully, to catch her breath.
Looking down at his scowling face only started her up again.
"You're overdoing it," he complained.
"Jealous." Gasping for air, she pressed a hand to her stomach. "Oh, right, Nicholas. I'm green. No doubt she'd toss Quinn aside in a heartbeat to run off with you. Anyone can see they only tolerate each other. That's why the air starts to sizzle when they're in the same room together."
His pride was injured, a little. "So she's stuck on her husband. Anyway, how do you figure he handles those steamy love scenes she plays on the screen?"
"By knowing she's not playing a scene when she's with him, I imagine." Unable to resist, she brushed her fingers through his hair. "That's what marriage is all about, isn't it? Trust and respect, as well as love and passion?"
Another warning blip. "I suppose," he said, and let it stop there. "Zack's going to drop his teeth when I get back and tell him about meeting her. He's seen some of her movies enough times to recite the dialogue."
"So, you'll gloat."
"Damn right."
Relaxed again, he glanced down at her. She looked so pretty, so… magical, he supposed, in the streams of moonlight that poured through the skylight. Her hair was a mess, the way he liked it best, and her lips were barely curved, as if she were thinking of something that pleased her.
"Not tired, huh?"
More than interested, she walked her fingers up his chest. She had been thinking of something that pleased her. She'd been thinking of him.
"I wondered if you'd get back to that."
"Just building up my strength."
"Good." Laughing, she rolled on top of him. " 'Cause you're going to need it."
Chapter Ten
"You're telling me you met Chantel O'Hurley.
The Chantel O'Hurley."
"That's what I said." It was a big charge for Nick to pull one off on Zack. It was no secret that the blond goddess was one of "Zack's little fantasies," as Rachel dryly put it. "The same Chantel O'Hurley whose movies you buy on video the minute they hit the stands." He hefted another crate of club soda into the storeroom.
Ben and Chris, the boys Abby had raised alone for a time, were tall, handsome young men, arguing about which cassette to put into the portable stereo.
Quinn and Trace sat in the shade, sharing a beer and war stories, while Molly applauded Abby's only daughter, Eva, on her underwater somersaults.
Aaron and Abby's youngest boy searched the grass for anything with more than two legs. Julia turned cartwheels to annoy them.
My family, she thought as she lifted a hand to wave to Reed. All present and accounted for.
"I feel good." Maddy drew in a deep breath, threw her face back to the sun. "And I have a strong feeling that those two at the piano are going to help me cop another Tony."
Unable to resist, Chantel slid her gaze toward her sister. "Oh, darling, do you have one already?"
With a rollicking laugh, Chantel ran, with Maddy inches behind.
Late, late at night, when the house was finally quiet, Nick drew Freddie to him, so that her head rested on his shoulder. Since Maddy had been considerate enough to give them adjoining rooms, he'd felt no guilt about sneaking into Freddie's bed.
It was good to simply lie there, with his heartbeat leveling toward normal, and his body sated from the slow, quiet love they'd made. She felt so natural curled up against him, he wondered how he'd ever slept without her.
"Tired?" he asked her.
"Hmm. Relaxed. It's been a terrific day. I loved seeing all of them again, how much the kids have grown. Everything."
"They're quite a group."
"They are that. I think it's great the way they all juggle their schedules so they can have a week or two each year with everyone in the same place. Sometimes they go to Dylan and Abby's farm in Virginia." She sighed sleepily and cuddled closer when his fingers began to stroke along her shoulder. "We visited there once. It's beautiful, all rolling hills, horses grazing. Space."
"You'd need a lot of room with all these kids. Abby has the twin girls, right?"
"No, that's Trace and Gillian. Abby has four—Ben, Chris, Eva and Jed. And she had them one at a time."
"Four." He shuddered.
"You love kids." She shifted, turning her head so that she could study his face. It was beautiful in the splash of moonlight, dreamy and heroic, like something out of an Arthurian legend.
"Sure I do. But it always amazes me that some people can handle so many, want to handle so many."
She was caught up in the way he looked, that cool, sculpted face, the sea-green eyes. The way it felt to press against him, warm, exciting and right.
"I like big families. I was an only child for a few years. I wasn't lonely, because Dad was always there. But everything just clicked into place when Natasha came into our lives. I wanted a baby sister," she remembered. "But Brandon came first, and that suited me fine."
Nick had been an only child himself. But he'd had no father to be there. "I used to wish for a brother. Then I had Zack." He shrugged. "He went to sea, and I didn't"
Her generous heart ached for the boy he'd been. "It was hard on you, his leaving."
"He did what he had to do. At the time, it seemed like he was leaving me. Just me. I got over it."
The wave of love rolled over her, making her careless with words. "So now you have a brother again, and an enormous family. You never have to be alone, unless you want to. That's why I'd like at least three children myself."
A little warning blip sounded in his brain. He glanced down at her, then focused carefully on the ceiling. "Well."
Succinctly put, Freddie thought, but she didn't allow herself to sigh. It was much too soon to think about children. Their children.
It was a good time, as Nick saw it, to change the subject. "Chantel doesn't look like anyone's mother."
Now Freddie lifted a brow. "Well, she is. And, if you don't mind a little friendly advice, you really should try to keep your tongue from hanging out every time she walks into the room."
He looked at her again, leered. "Jealous?"
She surprised, and insulted, him by bursting into delighted laughter. It rocked her hard enough that she was forced to sit up and try, unsuccessfully, to catch her breath.
Looking down at his scowling face only started her up again.
"You're overdoing it," he complained.
"Jealous." Gasping for air, she pressed a hand to her stomach. "Oh, right, Nicholas. I'm green. No doubt she'd toss Quinn aside in a heartbeat to run off with you. Anyone can see they only tolerate each other. That's why the air starts to sizzle when they're in the same room together."
His pride was injured, a little. "So she's stuck on her husband. Anyway, how do you figure he handles those steamy love scenes she plays on the screen?"
"By knowing she's not playing a scene when she's with him, I imagine." Unable to resist, she brushed her fingers through his hair. "That's what marriage is all about, isn't it? Trust and respect, as well as love and passion?"
Another warning blip. "I suppose," he said, and let it stop there. "Zack's going to drop his teeth when I get back and tell him about meeting her. He's seen some of her movies enough times to recite the dialogue."
"So, you'll gloat."
"Damn right."
Relaxed again, he glanced down at her. She looked so pretty, so… magical, he supposed, in the streams of moonlight that poured through the skylight. Her hair was a mess, the way he liked it best, and her lips were barely curved, as if she were thinking of something that pleased her.
"Not tired, huh?"
More than interested, she walked her fingers up his chest. She had been thinking of something that pleased her. She'd been thinking of him.
"I wondered if you'd get back to that."
"Just building up my strength."
"Good." Laughing, she rolled on top of him. " 'Cause you're going to need it."
Chapter Ten
"You're telling me you met Chantel O'Hurley.
The Chantel O'Hurley."
"That's what I said." It was a big charge for Nick to pull one off on Zack. It was no secret that the blond goddess was one of "Zack's little fantasies," as Rachel dryly put it. "The same Chantel O'Hurley whose movies you buy on video the minute they hit the stands." He hefted another crate of club soda into the storeroom.
