A Family Come True (10 page)

“Cady, yes. Cadence Joy.”

“Nice. Any special meaning to it?”

“Cadence because I like how it sounds, and Joy because that’s what she brought into my life.”

Moxie nodded her approval. “I like it. Beats the hell out of saddling a kid with some warhorse of a name like Maxine, just so’s a grumpy old aunt might leave you money.”

Was a smile the appropriate response? Darcy wasn’t sure until Ian snorted.

Cady kicked again, wriggling and fighting to get down.

“She needs to move,” Darcy said as she lowered Cady, who squealed and started bouncing the moment her mini Mary Janes hit the ground.

“It’s good for her. Let her walk as much as you can. She’ll have enough years of sitting ahead of her.” Moxie’s voice softened. “Helene is going to kick herself from here to Sunday for missing you.”

Now boarding the train for Guilt Station.

“I’m sorry about that. I had hoped—”

“Hope doesn’t cut the mustard, Darcy. Your grandmother’s not getting any younger. You need to get your cute little behind up here more often, especially now that you have a young one. She needs to know her family before her family’s gone.”

Moxie’s tongue always had been sharp, but the years seemed to have polished it to a fine precision instrument.

“I—”

“Don’t give me any twaddle about trying or doing your best. Swear you’ll come back before winter sets in.”

Okay. Time to set some boundaries.

Darcy looked up with as much dignity as she could muster, given the way she was bent over and duck-walking to accommodate Cady’s need to explore. “I do realize I’ve been gone too long, and I intend to remedy that. But I won’t swear to a promise I’m not sure I can keep. Traveling is difficult right now. However, it seems to be a bit easier for Nonny, who is always welcome to come to my place.”

The choking noise coming from Ian was matched only by the slight widening of Moxie’s eyes, accompanied by a slow nod.

“Well. You
have
grown up.”

“You strike me as a woman who appreciates the truth, Mrs. North. I don’t think you deserve anything less.”

Ian snickered. “Knew I should have sold tickets.”

“Quiet, you.” Moxie patted his arm briskly. “You’re in my good books right now. Don’t mess up. Why don’t you put those muscles to work and bring in the bags so you two can get settled before your folks come home?”

And that was her clue. Darcy didn’t dare meet Ian’s eyes as she began. “Actually, Mrs. North, Cady and I...”

She wasn’t sure what made her stop. Ian hadn’t said a word, hadn’t moved a muscle. But something made her pause and look his way. His face was very still but there was no hiding the sudden dread in his eyes as he focused on a navy blue Saab turning into the driveway.

“Oh, hell in a hand basket,” Moxie said. “Some people have the devil’s own timing.”

CHAPTER SIX

D
ARCY’S STOMACH DID
one of those dives previously reserved for pop quizzes, blue lights in the rearview mirror and late periods.

“Is that...?” she began. Ian nodded and breathed in.

“Might as well get it over with,” he said with a shaky kind of laugh that wouldn’t have fooled a baby.

Darcy scooped up Cady, who had crouched to examine some fascinating bits of gravel, and handed her to Ian. He looked at her blankly for a second before smiling.

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” He settled Cady on his shoulder and strode toward the car.

“He spend a lot of time with your little one?” Moxie asked as she headed toward the car, which had come to a stop.

“Almost as much as I do. He’s been there for her right from the start, and he’s fabulous with her. Sometimes I swear if he made milk, Cady would love him as much as she loves me.”

“Huh.”

And what did that mean? Darcy was pretty sure Moxie was drawing all kinds of unfounded conclusions.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on that, for Cheater and Backstabber were hopping out of their car. Even though Cheater was a stranger and Darcy hadn’t seen Backstabber for almost twenty years, it was ridiculously easy to spot the anxiety beneath their smiles.

Go ahead. Worry. You earned it.

“Ian!” Carter’s voice was awfully hearty. “We didn’t think you’d be here until tomorrow!”

I just bet you didn’t.

Moxie made a strangled sort of sound. Darcy caught her eye and was rewarded with a quick shake of her head.

“Things changed.”

Good. Ian sounded steady. Giving him Cady had been inspired. A baby in the arms was the best tension reliever in the world. Except maybe hugs. And kisses. And—

Oh, Lord, she was
not
going there.

“Hi, Ian.” Taylor seemed slightly breathless to Darcy, but then again, maybe she always sounded like Betty Boop. “Who is this little sweetheart?”

Darcy knew a cue when she heard one.

“Hi.” The smile she pasted on her face couldn’t have been any faker than the ones on the couple in front of her. “I’m Darcy, and this is my daughter, Cady.”

“Oh. Well. Hello! I’m Taylor.”

“Darcy?” Carter took a step back. “Helene’s Darcy?”

“One and the same.” For one brief moment, Darcy allowed her inner Sylvie full rein. “And, Carter, I could swear you haven’t changed a bit since we were kids.”

Did he catch her implication? The slight flush on his cheeks would indicate yes. Huh. For someone who had never aspired to follow in her mother’s footsteps, Darcy was pretty proud of the way she’d gotten her meaning across with nothing more than a social pleasantry.

Yeah, stuff that in your pipe and smoke it, Brother Dearest.

Taylor’s gaze ping-ponged from Ian to Darcy and back again, no doubt trying to figure out how they belonged together. Let her wonder. It wouldn’t hurt for Miss Cheater to have a few seconds of being the one not in the know.

“Well,” Ian began, only to have his words drowned out by Cady’s abrupt shriek in Lulu’s direction. The sudden arrival of the dog was a welcome interruption. It also gave them a reason to talk and exclaim and try to pet the whirling dervish, but that was okay by Darcy. Ian deserved the chance to catch his breath and steel himself for whatever might come next.

No sooner had the Lulu talk petered into awkward silence than Moxie fixed the newcomers with an eagle eye. “And what are you two doing here at this time of day? It’s too early for you to have left work already, and I don’t remember hearing about any time off.”

“We...” Carter began. He cast a fleeting look toward Ian, who was still not saying much but gave an impression of relaxation as he made exaggerated faces at Cady.

“I had an appointment,” Taylor said. “At the, uh, eye doctor. You know, drops in the eyes and all that. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to drive once it was over.”

Oh, dear heavens. Darcy had seen better acting in third-grade drama festivals.

“Eye doctor,” Moxie said. “Of course.”

“So how was the drive?” Carter asked desperately.

Taylor stared at the ground but couldn’t hide the way her cheeks had turned a shade of pink that would look like hell on Darcy but made Taylor look vibrant. Glowing. Full of life.

“Not bad once we got past Toronto,” Ian said.

Oh, God. He was trying so hard.

Taylor’s gaze cut quickly toward Ian, then back to Moxie. The appeal on her face was no less poignant for its silence.

Darcy could see it so well. A doctor’s appointment together. A few moments of laughing in the car, some kisses to celebrate the news they probably knew already but hadn’t dared share yet. A quick decision—
let’s go tell Moxie in person
—that had blown up in their faces when they’d pulled in and found the one person who could turn this giddy moment into a guilt-and-anxiety fest without saying a word.

She might have felt sorry for them if she wasn’t so thoroughly pissed. Ian had taken a huge step in coming back here. He needed to be reunited with his family, not just on the surface, but for real. How was that supposed to happen if these two kept upping the ante?

Maybe they had thought to share the news with Moxie and swear her to secrecy until after he was gone. Maybe. But now they were here, and even though Ian wasn’t giving anything away, she was pretty sure he had figured things out almost as quickly as she and Moxie had. Which meant that his return was now about to be overshadowed and made even more nerve-racking.

Well, screw that.

“Oops. Hang on, Ian. I think someone got a little drool on you.” She pulled a tissue from her pocket, stepped in front of him with her back to the rest and dabbed at his clean shirt while catching his eye.

Trust me,
she mouthed.

Judging by the way his eyes widened, his memory had jumped to the precise point she had intended—straight to her backyard. Good. That would make it easier to make this look convincing.

“Isn’t teething fun?” She dabbed once more, placed her palm on Ian’s sun-warmed arm and smiled up at him. “Hope she didn’t christen you too badly, hon.”

Simple words. Almost as breezy as the kiss she bestowed on his jaw when she rose on tiptoe, a casual whisper of her lips across his jaw. But when she drew in a breath and turned back to face the audience, staying firmly pressed against his side, it was easy to see that she’d accomplished precisely what she had hoped.

Carter and Taylor watched with an intriguing blend of interest and relief. The wariness disappeared from his eyes, the worry from hers. A small smile touched Taylor’s lips. Darcy could swear the other woman looked happy.

Okay. Her only intent had been to help Ian as he had helped her, to make it easier for everyone to move on. Cheater’s happiness hadn’t factored into the equation, but what the heck.

Then she looked at Moxie. Moxie, who watched the entire group with a focus that was almost as unsettling as the way Darcy’s lips still tingled.

Of course, that easily could have been explained by the stubble on Ian’s chin. It had been a long, long time since her lips had grazed stubble. She’d forgotten how potent it could be, how that slight scrape could linger against tender skin, teasing it to wakefulness.

Yeah. That was the only reason.

The moment was broken by the brisk clap of Moxie’s hands. “Well, then. Let’s not stand around here with our mouths open catching flies. Taylor, come to the kitchen with me. I need to go over some plans for Sunday with you. Carter, make yourself useful and help carry the bags inside. Put everything in Hank’s suite. That will work best, I think.” She shot Darcy a glance that could have subbed for an MRI. “Yes, I think that will work quite nicely.”

If Darcy had ever wanted to know how it would feel to be hit by a truck, she was pretty sure she’d just gotten a decent indication as the implications of Moxie’s words sank in. Her jaw sagged. Panic broke over her.

“Wait,” she said. “No, that’s—”

Carter spoke over her. “Moxie? Did I get that right?”

“You need me to break it down for you, Carter? Walk to the car. Grab a suitcase. Haul ass up to Hank’s rooms and set the suitcase down.”

Still pressed against Ian’s side, Darcy had no problem feeling the deep breath he took. Kind of like the way someone might gasp before a wave crashed over them, she thought wildly.

“Mrs. North, hang on, Cady and I are staying—”

“Right here with us. It’s what your grandmother would want.” Moxie surveyed them all in a manner that could only be described as regal. “And since I know how fun it is to be in a strange house in the middle of the night with a little one, especially one who’s teething, I’m not going to make life difficult for everyone by pretending I can’t see what’s as plain as the noses on all your silly faces. Now let’s get moving. It’s almost time for
Big Bang Theory
.”

With that, she turned and marched toward the house. Taylor shook her head.

“Every time I think I have that woman figured out...” With a shrug, she smiled at Darcy. “It was very nice to meet you. I hope we’ll get to spend some time together while you’re here.” She tapped Cady’s arm. “You, too, sweetheart.”

She departed with a quick wave, following in the direction Moxie had taken. The three remaining adults watched her departure in silence. Darcy, for one, needed a moment to process the neat way Moxie had twisted the entire situation with one statement. Thinking about that sure beat kicking herself for the way her impulsive good deed had circled back to bite her in the butt.

Ian glanced her way, his expression the careful shade of blank that he had worn when Xander was around. Oh, she had messed things up but good for him.

“Ian,” she began, but a quick tip of his head in Carter’s direction told her that he didn’t want to discuss it now. Okay. Maybe she hadn’t blown it completely. Maybe, just maybe, she had given him a leg up in the reunion stakes. Since that was all she had intended, well, perhaps this could work out somehow after all.

Yeah, and maybe Xander would fade back into the woodwork and her mother would swear off boy toys and Cady would miraculously cut all her teeth without shedding another tear.

“I’m not sure I believe this.” Carter sounded as if he was doing his best not to laugh. “Did Moxie say she was putting the two of you in the same room?”

“Looks that way.”

“Is this the same woman who threatened me with a belt when she caught me kissing Carole Merriweather in the kitchen after graduation?”

Ian shrugged, then did a double take. “Wait. You and Carole Merriweather?”

“For about three days after high school.” Red rushed to stain Carter’s cheeks. “I-it was at least a year after you dated her.”

Holy crap. So Carter and Ian had dated the same girl in the past? The North brothers really had to reevaluate their definition of sharing.

Ian, however, didn’t seem as flabbergasted as Darcy felt. He simply lowered Cady to the ground before heading to the Mustang and opening the trunk. Lulu trotted behind him. Darcy hesitated before joining the parade. She had a feeling that right now the best place for her was right at Ian’s side.

“Here.” He handed his suitcase to Carter. “Take this before Moxie comes out swinging.”