Caught Between an Oops and a Hard Body (Caught Between series Book 2) (25 page)

“No, you’re my goddamn wife, so get on the bed and do your wifely duty.”

Grace ground her teeth together and wished she could grind him under her heel. “That ship sailed twenty-five years ago when you quit asking me to marry you.”

Before the stupid oaf could say another word, she stormed out of the room and went after her belongings.

But a part of her—the part that wasn’t wishing for a shotgun so she could put him out of
her
misery—was so turned on, she almost ignored her anger and the fact that he was a jackass so she could jump his bones.

As she clomped down the stairs to retrieve her overnight bag, she smiled to herself.

In the last twenty-four hours, nothing had changed.

Except for the fact that the man she loved had actually noticed that she was alive.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

The sun was shining, the wind cooperating, and yet all Jim could do was sit on the bench at the first tee off area, and remember the expression on Grace's face, and her words.

Marry her? He’d quit asking years ago because she’d finally convinced him that she wanted to live without the constraints of matrimony.

Had he only heard what he’d wanted to hear?

Had her
no
really meant
yes
?

Jim was so confused that when the sound of female chatter reached his ears, he didn’t pay much attention, at least not till they walked onto his golf course.

Four slow moving bodies.

Each with a golf bag slung over her shoulder.

He jackknifed to a standing position.

Grace led the pack. She was dressed in a floral blouse that hugged her ample bosom, then narrowed to her slender waist. A pair of tan slacks showed the sweet curve of her full buttocks, and spiffy white golf shoes finished off the neat look.

She set down her clubs, tugged on a golf glove. Sunglasses hid her eyes, but a smile stretched across her mouth. And it occurred to him that he hadn’t seen that smile directed at him in forever.

His stomach began to burn, which started a chain reaction straight for his heart and made the defective organ squeeze with pain. As she pulled her five iron out of the pouch and strolled past him, he stepped out of the shadows and into her path. “Are you trying to kill me?”

She froze, her gaze hidden by the over-large sunglasses, the smile fading to the unemotional mask she usually reserved for strangers. “Your insurance is paid up, isn’t it?”

His heart squeezed in his chest again. Did he matter so little to her? He forced a calmness he didn’t feel. “The guys and I are playing in a half hour.”

She tugged on her gloves and didn’t bother looking at him. “We decided to walk the course. Better exercise, you know. Since we’ll have a head start, I’m sure we won’t get in your way.” She sidestepped him, then stopped and partially turned his way. “Oh, and Jim, since you’ve never had to share the course before, I expect you to share nicely. After all, if I remember correctly, it was half of my hard earned dollars that built it for you.”

An hour later, standing and watching the four women tee off from the second hole, Jim listened to his companions complain.

“You need to control your wife, Jim,” Ned said.

“They should at least let us play through,” Harry muttered.

“You need a bigger
No Women Allowed
sign.” Andy jammed his club into his golf bag. “What fun is this? I’m going back home for a beer. Who’s in?”

And as his three golfing buddies abandoned him, Jim felt the erratic beat of his heart flatline. He turned his back on them, climbed onto the golf cart, and drove back to the house.

This was it.

The end of his life-life.

There was nothing more to live for.

As he clutched his chest and made his way up to the master bedroom, he thought about the early days of his relationship with Grace, and wondered if the shackles of marriage would have made a difference?

But it didn’t matter now. He was ready to lie down and die. The way his heart squeezed so painfully in his chest, he was certain he wouldn’t last long.

He made a side trip through Grace’s office with the intention of leaving her a note. Something simple, something to cause her great guilt when he was gone, something like
I’m sorry you were so miserable with me as your partner. Love you forever, Jim
.

Except that when he opened up the drawer to grab a pen and paper, he found a note with a single word.

Cancer
.

This time when his heart stuttered in his chest, it didn’t slow him down.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

That evening, as Stephanie went over her list of things to do, she stopped to gaze at her surroundings.

With the sun on its final descent of the day, the western horizon was shaded in hues of pale pink and peach and purple. The golf course in the background was a lush green, and the ocean sparkled in the sunshine.

It looked like heaven on earth—she touched her belly—the perfect place to raise her child.

With a soft sigh, she turned her attention back to the immediate area.

The entire family had descended on the grounds designated for the wedding and reception for one last inspection.

Liz walked alongside Roger, quiet and subdued. Fortunately for her, the groom-to-be talked non-stop and didn’t seem to notice that she was withdrawn.

The mother-of-the-bride and Mariam stood at the edge of the chairs where the ceremony would take place. They faced Stone who appeared to be focused on whatever they were saying. But then, for one brief moment, he raised his gaze to look at Stephanie, and she stopped thinking, stopped breathing.

There was something new in his eyes, possessiveness and something more. And it was the something more that really had her concerned.

She pulled her gaze away first, unable to maintain eye contact and still keep her distance. As she looked across the lawn, past Liz and Roger, she saw her mom straightening centerpieces on the tables scattered across the lawn for the reception. It looked like she was changing place cards.

Needing something to keep her busy, she headed that way. “What are you doing, Mom?”

Dora straightened so fast, she nearly knocked over a chair. She caught it, set it back in its place, then turned to face Stephanie, her hands behind her back. “Honey, you startled me.”

Stephanie tried to see around her. “From where I was standing, it looked like you were rearranging the place cards.”

Her mom sighed and held up the card in her hand. “It’s that divorce lawyer. Somehow his card found its way over next to yours.”

Stephanie frowned. “What’s it doing here? He’s supposed to sit with his family.”

One elegant eyebrow quirked upward and her mom’s face flushed. “My question exactly. Did you move it?”

“No.” Stephanie eyed her mom’s flushed cheeks. “You moved it, didn’t you? Before you knew he was a divorce lawyer.”

“Now, honey—”

“Besides, why would I want to sit next to Stone?” she interrupted. There was something in the way her mom looked at her—really looked at her—as though she could see straight through Stephanie’s denial. She reached out and snagged the card from her mom’s grip—yes, Dora held on to it like she intended Stephanie to pry it out of her cold dead hands—and set it back on the table. “Fine, maybe I want to sit with him a little.”

“He’s nothing but heartbreak, honey. Besides, once you sign Grace's contract, you won’t be able to fall in love, get married, or have children for three years.”

She stilled. “What?”

“That’s right. I eavesdropped on Grace’s conversation with Stone.” With a sigh, she gnawed on her bottom lip while she fiddled with the cards at the table. Picking up the card with Stone’s name on it, she studied it. “I know you’re just fooling around with this man right now, but what if you signed that contract today, then tomorrow met the man you want to spend the rest of your life with? You’d have to put your life—and your relationship—on hold for the next three years.”

She pulled the card from Dora’s hand and set it back on the table. “What if I’ve already met him, Mom?”

“Then in good conscience, you have to tell Grace no.” The older woman hummed, then reached out and nudged the cards closer together. When she glanced up,there were tears in her eyes. “You already have a wonderful career, honey. What you need at this stage of your life is a wonderful man who will love and support you no matter what path you chose in the future.”

“Maybe.” If those were the show’s conditions, she wouldn’t be able to sign the contract anyway. With a shrug, she smiled. “Grace may have changed her mind because I haven’t even seen the contract yet.”

Her mom blinked. “She said she gave it to Stone so he could go over it with you.”

“She did?”

Her mom kept shuffling things at the table. “Why, the same day she have it drawn up.”

“How do you know everything?”

“It’s one of my special talents.”

Stephanie glanced across the yard and pinpointed the man who wanted to marry her because of the child she carried with what she hoped translated to a death stare. “You know, Mom, you’re totally right.”

“I usually am.” She blinked again. “What am I right about this time?”

“My taste in men is really bad.”

Her mom just stared at her, a hint of disappointment in her eyes, before she shrugged. “Since you refuse to take my advice, I think I’ll go back to assistant mode. What do you need me to do before the big day arrives?”

Thankful her mom had dropped the topic, she pulled the cell out of her pocket and studied the list. “Can you check on the wedding cake? It should be here by now, but I haven’t had a chance to see if it’s in the kitchen.”

With a kiss on the cheek, her mom left.

Stephanie watched her go until she was out of sight, then she turned to Stone and glared. Almost as though he sensed her look, he shifted his head and met her gaze.

Oh, she was so going to tell him they were through. If he could lie to her face…

A noise beside her brought her attention around and she turned to see Mariam’s little boy crawl across the grass toward her. Panic tightened her stomach and she fought the urge to throw up. But as the kid reached her and grabbed for the tablecloth, she caught his hand before he pulled the contents of the table down on top of himself.

He pulled himself to his feet, then almost in slow motion, tipped and fell back with a plot onto the padding of his diaper.

Stephanie crouched down in front of him.

“Hey there, big guy.” He stared up at her and she stared back, fascinated by his chubby hand, his fat little cheeks and double chin, and the precious smile that blossomed across his mouth. “So why are you way out here when your mom is way over there?”

“Gooofplt.”

She smiled back at him, aware of the tug of her heart and the desire to hold him in her arms. “You don’t say? Well, I just between you and me, I feel exactly the same.”

“Bftalup.”

She laughed softly. “I’m inclined to believe you, but I suspect you take after your uncle. A smooth talker who knows exactly what to say to make the ladies fall in love with him.”

“Tsrap.”

He tugged his hand out of hers, and she felt a little sad for the lost contact, but she watched with interest as he scooted onto his knees, grabbed her leg, and pulled himself into a standing position in front of her while he gurgled and blew spit bubbles.

And in that single moment, Stephanie fell in love with motherhood, and wondered how she was going to protect herself now.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

From a distance, Stone watched Stephanie interact with his nephew and with a flip-flop-thud of his heart, the last remnant of resistance fell away.

She was beautiful, glowing in that special way that seemed to be reserved for pregnant women. As she slowly straightened, careful to keep hold of Jim Junior’s chubby little hand, she turned his way and met his gaze.

A tiny smile flirted with her lips, and one delicate eyebrow swept upward as though asking
what are you staring at, buddy
?

It was probably a good thing they weren’t alone because he’d reply
I’m staring at the woman I love
. And he wasn’t sure how she would react to his confession…whether admitting his true feelings would scare her off.

“Stone?”

Someone tugged at his shirt sleeve and he broke eye contact with the mother of his child to find his mom staring up at him.

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?”

He flushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, Mom, I got distracted.”

His mom followed his gaze. “Didn’t I warn you to stay away from that one?”

He shrugged and gave her a sheepish grin. “The heart wants what it wants.”

His mother bristled with suspicion. “You haven’t shown her the contract yet, have you?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “No. It’s really not in her best interests.”

“You can’t decide that for her.” With a cluck of her tongue, she continued. “What happens when she discovers that she can have the
Eternally Yours
show or you, but not both? Who—or should I say what—will she pick?”

He knew exactly what she would pick, but what did it matter? She was pregnant, which made the offer null and void anyway.

Guilt burned a path from his stomach to his throat.

If he’d been given a choice, he never would have gone down this path. Forcing Stephanie into marriage wasn’t something he felt terribly good about, but the choice had been taken away from both of them.

If he could go back, would he change any of it?

Knowing what he knew now, probably not.

The heart wants what it wants.

How often had he heard that same thing from Bill Tremaine, but he had to wonder whether Bill had those parts south of his belt mixed up with those parts north. Because what Stone felt for the mother of his child would never go away.

He was as certain of it as he was certain Bill Tremaine would continue the marriage-divorce cycle until the day he died. Because the man was more in love with the idea of love than with the women he married.

Stone tugged his cell out of his pocket and with a simple, “If you’ll excuse me,” he skirted around his mom. As he closed the distance between him and his future wife, he clicked off a couple of shots.