Blame it on the Stars (The Blame Game) (32 page)

Chapter
Twenty-one

“Who knew they made tuxes for babies?” Jetta grinned as Catlin dressed Charlie for the early June, backyard wedding.

“
Isn’t he the cutest thing?” Catlin nuzzled her boy’s pudgy belly. Once he’d figured out the nursing thing, he never stopped to look back.

“
Precious.” Jetta ran a finger over his smooth, round cheek.

Someone knocked on the bedroom door.
“Catlin?” Dana called. “Daddy said you might need me to take Charlie.”

“
That’d be great.” Scooping him up in her arms, she opened the door cautiously and peered out. “Is the coast clear?”

“
All clear,” Dana confirmed. “Daddy has no idea you snuck your hairdresser in today and she chopped off half your hair.”

“
Not half, exactly.” It still reached her shoulders, but with an infant and three children to care for, Catlin didn’t have an hour a day to spend styling long hair. She bit her lip. “I hope he likes it.”

Dana reached for the baby and held him close.
“He will love it. He loves you, remember?”

“
I do.”

Jetta grabbed Catlin by the shoulders.
“Save that for the ceremony.” She glanced at Dana in her lavender bridesmaid’s dress. “Girl, you look gorgeous. Now take that little butterball out of here so we can focus, and get ourselves ready.”

“
We’re gone. See you soon!” Dana’s eyes sparkled as she whisked Charlie down the stairs.

Jetta
’s matron of honor gown was pale yellow and extremely flattering to her darker toned skin. Catlin helped her zip and made sure everything was perfect before donning her own, rose colored, three-quarter length frock. With a valentine-shaped bust it accented her cleavage exactly how she’d hoped. When she walked down the aisle, Catlin wanted Steve’s eyes to
pop
.

From the expression on his face,
it worked.

He stood in front of the beautiful archway he
’d arranged, with David, Chris and Jim next to him in matching tuxes. Dana and Jetta walked down the make-shift aisle first, as twenty or so of their closets friends watched.

Steve had offered to buy her flowers, but Catlin didn
’t want them. She carried a bouquet of baby as she advanced toward her husband-to-be, with Harry Connick, Jr. music crooning in the background.

“Oh my God,” Steve whispered as she reached him. He told the judge, “Excuse me,” then turned back to Catlin. “When did you cut your hair?”

“
This afternoon. Do you like it?” She winced.

H
e put his hand on her cheek. “You look drop-dead gorgeous. I can’t believe what a lucky guy I am.”

She
exhaled with relief, and he kissed her gently.

The judge cleared his throat.
“I believe that part traditionally comes at the
end
of the service.”

“
Get it together Dad.” David nudged his father, grinning.

Steve smiled sheepishly.
“Sorry. I couldn’t wait.”

The judge looked at Catlin and cleared his throat again.
“I-uh-understand completely. Anyway,” he stammered “shall we begin?”

The service was brief, but tear-inducing from the small crowd in attendance. Catlin’s mascara was totally wrecked when Steve announced after the ceremony that he had started adoption proceedings for Chris, who would henceforth be known as Christian Prescott Naughton. She handed off the baby to Dana and hugged her husband, and then Chris. That’s when she noticed that he’d also gotten a haircut that day. Short and tapered, it looked just likes Steve’s.

She was crying hard now, and whispered to them
, “What a wonderful surprise. Thank you so much.”

“
My pleasure.” Steve hugged them both tightly. “I hope the middle name is all right with you.”

“
It’s perfect.” She sniffled, and kissed Chris’s cheek.

“
I love you,” Steve told her, and looked at the boy in their arms. “And I love you, too.”

Chris
grinned. “I love you, too, Dad.”

The
y took pictures, until the photo session deteriorated into fits of giggles. The judge and the photographer left them to their cake, and the stripping down of the tuxes. “Take that damn thing off him.” Steve gently pulled the jacket and tie off of Charlie.

“
Oh, but he looks so cute,” Catlin murmured, and the ladies agreed.

“
But he feels like a trussed up chicken, don’t you boy?” Steve asked the baby, and handed him off to Jetta who’d been waiting impatiently for a turn to hold him.

Steve
turned to Chris, who was struggling to remove his tie. “Here, let me help you, son.” He loosened it for him, and removed his jacket.

“
Thanks Dad.” Chris beamed up at him.

“
You bet.” Steve smiled at him lovingly, and ruffled his hair. “Hey, you’d better get another piece of cake before Aunt Jetta eats it all.”

“
Steve!” Catlin scolded him, and they all laughed.

“
So it’s good cake, all right?” Jetta paced the room, nuzzling the top of Charlie’s head. “You got a problem with me eating three pieces?”

Catlin
grinned at her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect—”

Looking about ready to burst,
Jetta interrupted. “Well, I guess you know more than you think you do. Dana, could you save us some baby-sitting time next spring?”

“
Oh my gosh!” Catlin squealed, and there were hugs and congratulations all around. “This is so great! Our kids can play together! The timing is perfect! And when we decide to give Charlie a little sister, they’ll all be so close in age.”

Steve feigned a heart attack, and flopped back onto the sofa.

Jim laughed and sat down next to him. “Oh, man. You’re so whipped. I told you, instead of that Ford Explorer, you shoulda gone with the Expedition. It seats eight.”

“
Oh yeah!” Jetta laughed. “That would be perfect, in case of twins, or something.”

Steve
’s eyes remained closed as he clutched at his chest again.

Jim laughed, and patted Steve
’s knee. “This is gonna be great.”

Catlin smiled and looked around the room at her loved ones.
“This already
is
great.”

Later, when they were lying in their room and the house was quiet, Steve held Catlin close. “I’ll be glad when you go back to the doctor for your checkup. This is not much of a honeymoon.”

“
Oh, poor baby.” She snuggled up to him. “It hasn’t been so terrible, has it?”

He pressed himself against her and smiled.
“Nothing about it has been terrible. I just want to be
with
you.”

“
I know.” She kissed him lightly. “You will be, and we’ll plan a
wonderful
honeymoon.” She batted her lashes. “I’m thinking a cruise to the Bahamas, maybe?”

“
It’s a good thing I have some money. I envision buying cruise tickets for at least six people, maybe eight.”

“
Wouldn’t that be fun?” She sparkled. “Built-in baby-sitters.” She tapped the side of her temple. “See, I know what I’m doing.”

He wrapped himself around her
and buried his face in her hair. “Yes.” He sighed contentedly. “I’ve always known that you do.”

About the Author

Jamie Hill was born and raised in a beautiful, mid-sized town in
Midwest, USA. At various times she wanted to be a veterinarian, teacher, cheerleader, TV star or a famous singer. The one thing she
always
wanted to be was a writer. Starting at about age ten, she penned romance as she envisioned it in one spiral notebook after another.

When she
’s not working at the day job she loves, Jamie enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and watching movies (the scarier the better!) In her ‘spare time’ she can often be found writing, editing, or doing something more mundane like housework. After that, she’s probably taking a nap. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

http://bookswelove.net/jamiehill.php

http://www.jamiehill.biz/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Hill/135137799867321

Chat with Jamie and other Books We Love authors in the Books We Love Online Book Club:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/153824114796417/

Also by Jamie Hill from Books We Love

Romantic Suspense (with a touch of heat!):

A Cop in the Family Series

Family Secrets, Book 1

Family Ties, Book 2

Family Honor, Book 3

On the Edge, a romantic suspense novella

Romance, Woman
’s Fiction:

Secrets and Lies

Impulsive, a short story collection which includes

Three Wishes

Playing With Destiny

All That Jazz

High Maintenance

Coming soon, books two and three in The Blame Game series:

Blame it on the Moon

Blame it on the Sun

Coming in November from Books We Love

Blame it on the Moon

The Blame Game, Book Two

By Jamie Hill

Chapter One

“Whatever!” The teenaged voice resonated in the upstairs hallway, punctuated by the unmistakable slamming of a bedroom door.

“Fine!” came the reply, followed by the unintelligible mutterings of his mother as she stomped down the stairs.

Dana Naughton stepped into the foyer of her father’s home and set her suitcases on the floor.
Guess I should have called first.
She’d obviously arrived in the middle of something.

Her stepmother came around the corner, lugging an armload of toys. “Dana!” Catlin’s eyes lit up. She dropped the load onto the nearest chair and extended her arms.

“Hi!” Dana gave her a big hug.

Catlin released her, running her hands over Dana’s face and hair. “You look great! So tan! Did you get your hair cut? Why didn’t you let us know you were coming? We figured you’d spend some time with your mom when you got back from vacation.”

Dana chuckled, sorting out the questions and trying to get a word in edgewise. “I’m sorry, I should have called. We got in to Kansas City last night. Mom picked us up, we dropped Renata at her place and then I stayed at Mom’s. She was acting a little strange, though, so I didn’t stick around today. I was ready to come home.”

“Your mom was acting strange? Imagine that.” Catlin glanced toward the upstairs and expelled a breath that made her bangs flutter. “You’ve been gone a while. I’m not sure you realize what you’re coming home to. Things are a little strange around here too.”

“Yeah, I heard.” She moved a lock of Catlin’s curly brown hair out of her stepmother’s face. “What’s up with my little brother?”

“Which one?”

A brown-headed blur whizzed past then stopped in his tracks. “Dana!” Her youngest brother catapulted himself at her knees.

“Hi Charlie!” Dana leaned down for a hug. “How are you?”

He clenched his fists together, flexing his little biceps, and assumed a wrestling pose. “Strong like bull!”

Laughing, she tousled his shaggy hair. “Are you a wrestler now? I thought you were a Ninja Turtle.”

“I’m both!”

“He’s a wrestling Ninja Turtle,” Catlin confirmed.

The six-year-old examined her luggage. “Did you bring me anything?”

“Charlie!” his mother made a face. “That’s not nice.”

He smiled up at them. “Daddy always brings me presents when he goes away.”

Dana tapped his nose. “Daddy spoils you rotten. But, yeah, I might have brought you something. It has to wait until I unpack, okay?”

“Okay!” He hugged her knees again and raced off.

“Slow down!” Catlin called after him and turned back to Dana. “So, did you have a fabulous time? How were the
Cayman Islands? Did you like the Seven Mile Beach? It was beautiful when we were there.”

“Oh, yeah! There was so much to do on
Grand Cayman, alone. We crammed in as much as we could in two weeks, scuba diving, snorkeling, and sailing.”

“Shopping?” Catlin batted her lashes.

“Definitely! Wait ‘til you see what I got.”

“I’ll help you unpack later. Right now, I need to find Clarissa. It’s too quiet. If she’s playing in the fireplace again, I might just lose it.”

“Come on.” Dana put an arm around her shoulder and led her into the family room. Her three-year-old sister sat in the middle of the floor, brushing the hair of her baby doll. “And you were worried,” Dana teased. “Hi Lissa.”

“Dana!” The petite blonde jumped up and sprang into her sister’s arms. “I missed you!”

“Hey, sweetheart. I missed you, too. Is that a new baby? She’s so pretty.”

Clarissa showed her the doll and Dana sat with them both on her lap for closer inspection. Her sister was like a doll herself, alabaster skin and fine, pale yellow hair that curled naturally into ringlets. Dana leaned in and placed a kiss on the girl’s cheek.

“We all missed you.” Catlin dropped onto the sofa. “The kids are so excited that you’re back to stay for a while. We got your room dusted and ready for you to move in.”

Dana leaned back, jostling Clarissa on her knees. “You didn’t have to do that, but thanks. Speaking of kids, someone is conspicuously missing. I heard a little ruckus when I came in. What’s up with Chris?”

Her stepmother sighed. “What’s
not
up with him? He’s moody, grouchy, belligerent…you name it. It’s summer vacation, for goodness’ sake. It’s not like he’s being worked to death. He plays video games and listens to music all day long. The only thing I’ve asked him to do is feed his dog, and even that’s an inconvenience sometimes.”

“Maybe he’s bored. He should get out and do stuff.”

Catlin gave her a look. “He’s got a pool in the backyard. I’ve told him he can invite his friends over anytime. I’ve even offered to give him money to go to the city pool if he’d rather do that, but no. He’s gone to movies once or twice, and the skate park occasionally. I can’t drag him out of the house.”

“It sounds like he’s just being a teenager.” Dana smiled. “I remember a few rocky years in there myself.”

“I do too.” Catlin nodded, grinning. “But you and David kept busy, at least. You both liked sports, which got you out of the house and kept you active. Skateboarding is the closest thing to a sport Chris will consider.”

“I’d have been a wreck if I’d attempted that. I could never master roller blades, either. So, is he excited for his birthday? He’ll be sixteen soon.”

“Don’t ask me. If he is, I wouldn’t know it.”

Clarissa looked at her mother. “I need to go potty.”

Dana’s eyes widened. “No more diapers?”

“Nope.” Catlin hopped up and lifted the child to her feet. “Go ahead, I’m right behind you.”

Dana followed and stood in the doorway of the bathroom. “Way to go, munchkin!” She high-fived her sister after Clarissa had washed her hands. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you. Will you read me a story?” Her voice was high-pitched, but she was so well-spoken everyone found her quite hard to resist.

“I will.” Dana leaned down to her level. “Go pick one out, and bring it to the sofa.”

“Yippee!” The child ran off.

Catlin sighed. “Now where did Charlie get off to?”

Dana touched her shoulder. “When you find him, send him to the family room. I’ll read to them both. I’m going to run up and say hi to Chris, first.”

“Thank you.” Catlin smiled at her gratefully.

Dana nodded and headed upstairs.
Catlin looks tired.
I’m coming home at a good time.
There was another month of summer before the school year started up. She’d have plenty of time to watch the kids and give Catlin a much needed break before Dana started her first teaching job at St. Joseph’s Catholic School.

She’d gone away to college but always knew in her mind she wanted to come home to work. It was pure luck that the second grade teacher retired and Dana was quickly hired to fill her spot. Positions didn’t turn over often at the small school, so Dana thought it must have been fate. She was destined to be here at this time.

She walked down the upstairs hallway slowly, pausing to glance in each room. Charlie and Clarissa’s rooms were each done in Disney themes, heroes and princesses. She smiled at how neat and tidy they were. Dana bypassed Chris’s room for now and stuck her head into David’s.

Nothing had changed. It looked the same as the day he’d moved away to college. Her brother hadn’t looked back, though. He graduated and moved to
Wichita, snagging a sports reporter job at one of the newspapers their father owned. Her dad had offered him a job closer to home at the Marshall Gazette, but Dave preferred a bigger city. He stayed busy, and she didn’t see him often. They texted once a week or so, and kept up with each other on Facebook. But it wasn’t the same as it used to be. Growing up, they’d been great friends and confidants.

Strolling past her own cheery yellow bedroom, Dana paused in the doorway to her parents’ room. The only spot that had significantly changed in the whole time they’d lived there, the room smelled as sweet as the fresh-cut roses she spotted gracing each table. An overstuffed white sofa faced the fireplace, giving the space a peaceful, cozy atmosphere.

After he married Catlin, her father had hired a contractor to renovate for them. He knocked out a wall, and their eight bedroom house became seven. Her folks gained a private sanctuary that she knew they enjoyed every night, once their children were in bed.

Dana leaned against the door frame, admiring the beautiful room. Her father had been crazy about Catlin from the moment they met, but their relationship had been rocky almost right from the start.
David and I didn’t help matters,
she thought guiltily. They’d been conflicted about their mother moving out, and their father moving on.

He’d had mixed emotions, too, and even gave his marriage another shot. But when their mother returned, all of them could see the couple was no longer meant to be together. Her father had lost his joie de vivre, his spark was gone. He later said Catlin had ruined him for anyone else. Dana knew that was true. They’d recently celebrated their six-year wedding anniversary and were still as much in love as newlyweds.

Dragging herself away from the serene spot, she stepped in front of her brother’s door and knocked. “Chris? It’s Dana.”

“Come in.”

She opened the door. He sat on his bed wearing headphones, surrounded by his smartphone, an iPad and a laptop computer. “Sheesh! I’d never leave my room, either.”

“Huh?” He gazed at her, blurry-eyed, and removed the headphones.

Dana smiled. His brown hair was shaggy and overdue for a cut. When he’d been younger he wore it long, but the past few years he’d worn it much shorter and neat.
Like Daddy’s
. “Hey. How you doing?”

He shrugged. “How was the beach?”

“Beautiful. Warm. Perfect, actually. Lots of cute guys with Jamaican accents running around.”

“Girls too, I’ll bet.” He grinned.

“Oh, heck yeah. Renata couldn’t help checking out all the hot chicks.” Her college roommate preferred women to men which had made it much easier to get along for the last three years—no fighting over the same guy.

Chris sighed. “I wish I could go somewhere like that.”

“When you graduate from college, I’m sure Mom and Dad will give you a nice trip, too.”

“Which does nothing for me this stupid, boring summer.”

She leaned against the door frame. “So do something. Go swimming. Go outside and play with your dog. Roscoe’s probably lonely out there all by himself.”

He placed his headphones over his ears. “Have a mother, thank you. Don’t need two.”

She went over and lifted one side of the headphones. “Oh, but having two is
so
much fun. You should try it sometime.”

Chris grinned up at her.

She tossed a little wave and pulled his door closed behind her. It was no secret her mother, Barbara, and Catlin had never gotten along. Her father did his best to keep them apart, and now that she and Dave were older the women didn’t meet up very often. When they did, sparks of one kind or another usually flew.

She joined the youngest family members on the sofa where they read story after story, allowing Catlin time to make dinner. Dana was finishing up a fairy tale when the back door opened and she heard her father, Steve, step in.

The other children heard him, too.

“Daddy!” Charlie rocketed off the couch toward the kitchen.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Clarissa toddled after him.

Dana followed, watching amusedly as her father tried to kiss her stepmother with a child hanging from each leg. She’d always thought he was strikingly handsome, with thick dark hair and deep-set eyes. He wore suits to work, and by the end of the day his tie was usually askew.

“Daddy!” the kids belted out in unison.

Releasing his wife, he reached down and scooped both youngsters up in his arms. “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie!” He nuzzled the laughing boy’s neck. “Lissa, Lissa, Lissa!” He did the same to his daughter. “How was your day? Did everybody behave?”

They both answered at once, chattering as he set them down on the floor.

Dana stepped forward and said softly, “Daddy! Daddy!” She smiled at him.

His face lit up, eyes crinkling as a wide smile creased his face. “Dana Marie! Get over here!”

She melted into his arms and he held her tight, rocking her back and forth.

“When did you get here? We weren’t expecting you so soon.”

“I can leave if you want,” she teased.

“Just try it. I may never let you leave again, little missy.”

She reveled in the embrace a few moments longer, then pulled back. “Well, I’m here now. And I’m ready to spend some quality time with my brothers and sister before school starts.”