Conditional Offer (15 page)

She blew out a breath, bent her knees and wrapped her arms around them as if trying to draw in on herself even further. It took all he had not to wrap his arms around her and soothe her out of her funk, but he kept his distance, and looked into her eyes. "Talk to me, Suzanne. I can't take much more of this."

"Much more of what?" she looked away. "We're having fun aren't we? You get laid on a regular basis."

Craig's heart pounded as his temper rose. He kept his mouth shut though. She let the silence spin out for a few minutes, then spoke, sending a sharp pain straight through his gut. "I warned you Craig. I'm damaged. I can't be what anyone needs me to be other than maybe a girlfriend and beer marketing expert. Don't pressure me."

"I am not pressuring you. But I'll be damned if every time you think I am looking at a kid, or a family, you flip the fuck out on me."

"I'm not flipping out."

"Yes, you just did."

She looked straight at him. The hurt in her eyes made him grind his teeth with anger. If that asshole of an abusive husband were alive at that moment he would gladly strangle him, kill him all over again. He gripped her hands. "I love you Suzanne. I won't ever stop, but I'm starting to get the feeling that you will never let yourself be loved."

She yanked her hands out of his at the same moment his phone clanged with an emergency call. He cursed, grabbed it, and answered. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he heard the nurse's words, and the distinct sound of his friend Sara, crying hysterically in the background.

Suzanne bit back tears, ugly words, rejection, anything she could. Grateful the phone had interrupted them before she really ruined everything in a knee-jerk, ill-considered retort. She watched as he walked away. Admired the strong line of his shoulders, his long, lean legs, his shaggy, boyish blond hair. She clenched her fists.
Get a grip Suzanne. Why won't you let him
…she looked up when he yelled her name.

"Let's go." He grabbed the picnic basket and held out a hand to help her to her feet.

"What is it?" The look in his eyes was wild.

"Katie, she's in the ER."

Suzanne's heart sped up and she followed him up the hill  to the car. She loved the little girl too. It was impossible not to. She knew damn good and well that the child was Jack's daughter – she had to be. Only that man's gene pool would create a child who was adored by everyone who met her, but whose hair trigger temper could get the best of her. She and Craig had spent some time with her over the past year, not as much as she knew he would like, but it was always fun.

Craig sped down the hill towards the U of M Emergency Room, screeched to a halt, jumped out and tossed the keys to her. She whispered that she loved him as he ran inside.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The ensuring hours were breathtakingly traumatic. Katie's appendix had burst; she needed emergency surgery to save her life. The players all emerged one by one. Jack appeared in a tux, trailing the woman he'd been seeing since he and Sara were on the outs. Sara was there already pacing the hall. The two of them exchanged words Suzanne couldn't hear but, based on their body language and faces she presumed were harsh. Jack looked startled when Craig spoke, then grabbed a clipboard and signed something when Sara sank in to a chair. Then Jack disappeared at one point; and returned, rolling his shirtsleeve down.

Rob showed up next putting an arm around Sara and instantly calming her. Then Blake ran off the elevator, his eyes wild with worry. Suzanne smiled, watching him huddle with his sister. Blake had been crucial in her life once. A catalyst and a healing force, and one she'd pushed away for reasons she sometimes still doubted. But he had found happiness. That much was clear. Rob crouched behind the two of them, calming everyone as always.

At one point she felt a hand on her shoulder and realized she must have dozed off in one of the hard waiting room chairs. Rob smiled at her and slid into a nearby seat.

"Hey," she snuggled into the arm he put around her. The man was truly incredible. He had provided such a balm for Blake, Sara - for everyone, really. And to think she'd known him for so long—when the three of them had been so close in college. She'd somehow known Rob would be the rock for them all. Thank god his cancer seemed to be in remission. He looked great.

"How's it going Red?" He kissed her temple. They sat and watched Sara, Blake, and Jack, sitting vigil.

Craig appeared in the doorway in scrubs, looking haggard. They all stood, but Suzanne and Rob stayed back; let him talk with Sara and Jack first. Jack's sister showed up then, her deep blue gaze frantic until she laid eyes on her brother. When he stomped out of the room, after getting the update from Craig, she followed him. Suzanne's head started to ache with stress.

Craig put his head in his hands. Suzanne rose and went to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. She gasped when he clutched at her, but realized he was trying to hold it together for the sake of Katie's mother. He pulled her out of the room, held her close. "She's going to be okay. But holy hell, Suzanne, she coded on the table. Twice. Jesus."

She stayed quiet, letting him get it out of his system. Her heart clenched at his next words. "Well, one mystery is solved. She is definitely Jack's. I ran the match on her blood type. He was the only possible donor."

Suzanne smiled at him, placing a hand to his stubbled cheek.  "I'm sorry." She gulped at the convoluted daytime-drama nature of their situation.

He grabbed her hand, kissed it, and looked deep into her eyes. "I'm not." He leaned into her ear. "Thanks for staying around."

"Of course." Her eyes burned with unshed tears. Words choked her, but she forced them up and out. "I can't ever be that for you, you know. We won't ever be parents. I can't give you…." She sobbed then, the residual stress making her quiver.

He cradled her face between his hands, brushed his lips over hers. "How many times do I have to tell you..."

The sound of Jack barreling back through the double doors cut him off. Suzanne stepped away to let the men talk. Jack shot her a look of utter agony. The past few years had been so stressful for him, she knew. He'd lost his father, one of his best friends and brother-in-law, and then the whole drama with Sara, which was beyond her understanding. Why the two of them would not just get it together, it boggled the mind. Perhaps they were too much alike, nearly fatally so. She wondered if somehow it could work out for them now with the simple reality of confirmed parenthood.

Craig led Jack over to the ICU window, muttered a few words of encouragement then opened the door. Suzanne swallowed hard, stood, and then tugged Sara away from her brother. "It's okay. She's fine. You guys are going to be fine. But seriously Sara, you have to go to Jack now. He needs you. I know more than anyone what a tough asshole the guy can be, but I swear to God he loves you. Please let him."

Sara looked at her with something resembling relief in her eyes, pushed the door open, went to the bedside and laid her hand on Jack's shaking shoulder. He stood and held her close. Suzanne turned and left, unable to cope with it any longer. Ignoring both Blake and Rob she shouldered her way out, hoping Craig would understand.

Chapter Twenty-Three

One month later, the sun was at that perfect moment, nearly an hour before setting, along the edge of Lake Michigan. Craig squinted behind his sunglasses, gripping Suzanne's hand tight as they watched Jack and Sara finally tie the knot. Their words were soft, heartfelt, and the whole scene was nearly flawless. Then he looked over at Rob, noted the dark circles under his eyes, the way he kept covering up his cough. The doctor in him saw the pallor, heard the rattle in his chest. God that was so not fair, to anyone here. But the guy was declining again and fast.

Suzanne put her arm around his waist. Her new willingness to be affectionate with him in public was such a relief. They still had not finished the conversation about family, but things had been good, or at least minus too much drama as Katie recovered. Sara had met him at the door a few weeks ago when he and Suzanne were going to take the stir-crazy girl to the Detroit zoo for the day. He'd taken one look at her and known.

"Hey, does Jack know you're pregnant again?"

She blushed, put a hand on her still-flat stomach. "Jesus, what are you, psychic? I just did the test this morning."

"Nah, I can just tell I guess. Congrats. Hopefully this time will be less stressful for you both."

She gave him a fierce hug and held on to his arms, "How is it with you guys? Really?"

"It's fine. She's moved out of that mansion now that Jack has it on the market." He ran a hand down his face, frustration at her reluctance to commit making him angry. "Anyway, as long as I don't make her plan beyond next weekend, we're okay. I guess."

Sara patted his shoulder. "She's been through a lot."

He shrugged her off. "I know, I know. Poor Suzanne. Jesus. I'm not that guy though. Why she won't... Oh never mind."

Suzanne had agreed to accompany him to Jack and Sara's lakeside wedding. He had booked a room at a cozy, romantic bed and breakfast and planned to make it a weekend she would never forget. He leaned down, sucked in a breath, the spicy, cinnamon essence of her filled his nose, making his body come to attention in a fairly embarrassing show. "You okay?" He ran his hand down her hip, across her ass.

She pressed closer to him.  "I'm gonna be better soon I think," she bit his ear as the crowd burst into applause at the sight of Jack and Sara's kiss.

"Yes, you will be." He willed himself down from a lusty ledge and clapped along with the rest of the crowd.

The photographer posed people in loose, casual groups. He sat with Suzanne and Katie for one of the pictures, all of them wearing cool looks and Ray Bans, draped around lounge chairs. He shot the shit with Rob, tried to resist the urge to pull the guy inside for some rest. Drank a few beers, but kept a close eye on her – his woman, darting in and around, doing her usual thing, comfortable in a crowd. At one point, he saw Sara take a seat as Jack handed her a glass of lemonade. Lila, the woman Rob and Blake had chosen as their surrogate pulled a chair up to her. The two women spoke, then hugged, and Jack shook Rob's then Blake's hand. Craig and Suzanne had discussed the whole thing and wondered just how objective that whole relationship was. Suzanne suspected that Blake had fallen in love with the woman and Craig hoped they could sustain the relationship once Rob's disease kept progressing.

He smiled. Baby mission accomplished, he surmised, and none too soon, if Rob was going to be around to see the child born. He shook his head at the evil twist of fate for his friends. He smiled when he felt arms around his waist. He pulled Suzanne around to his side, kissed her and hoped like hell she did not get upset.

"Good news?" She nodded in the direction of the people still gathered around the two women.

He tensed. "Yeah. I guess. Hey, how long do we have to stay here? I have a schedule you know."

She raised an eyebrow at him then went up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Thanks" she said.

"You're welcome. For what I don't know, I'm sure, unless you're thanking me in advance of how hard I'm gonna rock you this weekend."

She blushed, and the sight of that made him want to pick her up, toss her over his shoulder, and get the hell out of here. "Well, okay. But thanks for something else."

"For what, my lovely, blushing, ginger girl?"

"For not rushing me. I mean, after that first time."

He sighed and held her closer while watching Katie and Maddie run around in their dresses as the sun set. Blake was out lighting several small bon fires. The party ramped up as people drank more. They found an empty lounge chair and sat together. She leaned back into him and kept his hands on both her arms, his lips to her ear.

Jack and Sara stood apart for a while deep in conversation. The smile on Sara's face made Craig happy for her and even for Jack.

"Let's go," he whispered. "I'm horny."

She elbowed him, but giggled when he tugged her up, slid his hand up her skirt, and pulled her into a shadow of the deck. "Oooh, naughty." She met his lips, let him dive into her mouth with his tongue as he slid a finger along her lacey excuse for panties.

"Careful, I'm liable to jump you here. And we have such a nice room waiting…" He lingered over her lips a moment.

She looked away, and Craig had a second of panic. Her emotional volatility had evened out in the last months, thank God. But he was not about to entertain any of that nonsense this weekend. It was one of the few times he was totally off the clock, had an entire three days to himself. He planned to spend it making Suzanne as happy as he knew how. For the entire fucking time.

Suzanne had a mild buzz by the time they made their stumbling way down the Lake Michigan beach and to the small B&B Craig had reserved for them. The whole day had been on the surreal side with all the many convoluted connections between the wedding party and guests. She'd been thrilled to see her friend Jack happy – finally. She hoped the two of them could see their way clear to make it really work. The romantic, sundown wedding was truly only the beginning of a long road to marital happiness.

"Hey!" she yelped when Craig picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder for the last few feet up the steps to the front porch. She slid down his strong, lean body, sucked in a breath of the ever-present chlorine smell. "Hey." She whispered, fighting the urge to cry at the utter perfection of the moment. Here she was, happy, in the arms of the man she could picture sharing her life with – but still a bone-deep terror gripped her.

Craig put a finger under her chin and made her look at him. She gulped, smiled, and reached up to clutch his shaggy blond hair. His crooked smile filled her vision just as he slanted his lips over hers, easygoing, tender, yet firm. The true essence of the man and everything she loved about him. His hands roamed up and down her back, gripped her ass, then moved up to bury in her hair. Her body heated up fast.