Falling For Zoe (The Camerons of Tide's Way #1) (19 page)

Tonight
, he promised himself. Tonight he’d tell her. Jake’s heart lurched a little at the silent promise. As soon as this shindig was over, he would walk her home and find a way to tell her all the things he’d just told his father.

“Are the ribs done?” Ava called out as she slid a tray of watermelon onto the table. Kate pushed through the screen door with one hip and let the door slap shut behind her. She headed down the stairs with a giant bowl of potato salad in one hand and a basket of chips in the other.

“Done and ready to eat,” Will called back. He grabbed a spatula and began shoveling the spicy, vinegary ribs onto a platter. Jake went to help with the hot dogs, but as he reached for the fork, Zoe beat him to it.

He wanted to close his hand over hers. He wanted to wrap his other arm about her and give her a hug like the one his father had just given his mother. He clenched his hands at his sides and did neither.

As she speared hot dogs, Jake got distracted by the slow, deliberate arc of an elbow or perhaps a knee moving across Zoe’s distended stomach. Without stopping to think if it would be acceptable or not, he covered the little knob with his hand. “She’s a busy little bee, isn’t she?”

“I think she’s going to be a gymnast.” Zoe pressed her free hand to the other side of her stomach.

Jake felt the knob jerk in response. “Or a basketball player.” He wanted to kiss Zoe so badly that it hurt.

“You guys coming or not?” Will passed the platter of ribs under their noses on his way to the table.

Later
, Jake promised himself.
We’ll talk later
.

Conversation over dinner revolved around Hurricane Gertie churning its way toward the Atlantic coast and school, which had started just a few days earlier. The storm track looked to bring the storm ashore somewhere north of Hatteras sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Only time would tell how bad it might get. Jake asked Kate if his girls could stay with her family when Jake got the call to report in at the firehouse. Ava was more concerned with having cheerleading tryouts cancelled. And the twins were just worried that school would be closed just as their year had gotten under way.

Lynn and Lori loved their new teacher and were thrilled with the whole idea of kindergarten. They couldn’t stop chattering animatedly about it. Jake’s youngest niece Becca pouted because she was still in preschool, and Jenny, the older one, puffed out her flat little chest in a superior attitude because she was in first grade.

Jake was acutely aware of Zoe sitting next to him on the picnic bench—aware of the continued movement in her belly and the intoxicating scent of her perfume. He wanted to touch her, to put his hand over the baby squirming inside her and an arm about her shoulders. He wanted to claim her as his and make sure all the other dogs knew it.

He’d given Porter two weeks to win her over, and that was long enough. Besides, his father was right. Zoe deserved a choice. When this party broke up, he was going to tell her the things he should have said weeks ago. He’d offer her a sincere apology first, then bare his heart and let her choose between the man who’d only fathered her child and the man who wanted to be there when that baby was born and love it like his own. Between the man who was just doing the right thing and the man who’d finally come to his senses and wanted to give her a Cinderella ending after all.

When everyone’s attention had moved on to a discussion over the possibility of spending Christmas at Disney World, Jake leaned down to whisper in Zoe’s ear. “We need to talk. Can I walk you home after?”

Chapter 30

“HELLO, ZOE.” A deep, urbane voice Jake didn’t recognize cut through the general hubbub of family conversation. “I drove all the way over to this backwater to take you out to dinner, but I see you’ve already eaten.”

The man Jake had last seen driving away in a silver BMW approached. He totally ignored everyone else at the table as he bent toward Zoe’s surprised face. Jake felt a rush of resentment and jealousy. Even though Zoe turned away to avoid the man’s kiss, Jake seethed.

Philip and Ben looked from Jake to the newcomer with questioning expressions. Ava and Kate gawked. As well they might. Even Jake had to admit the man was extraordinarily handsome. Everyone else had on shorts and jerseys, but the interloper was decked out like Mr. GQ in dressy gray slacks and a linen shirt that probably cost more than Jake’s entire firefighting turnout gear.

Zoe jumped to her feet and would have lost her balance had Jake not grabbed her elbow to steady her.

The man put a proprietary arm about Zoe and drew her against his side. “Are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

Zoe pushed herself free of his arm and made the introductions.

Her introduction of Porter Dubois as a lawyer who worked for her father, rather than as the father of her baby, and her resistance to the man’s possessive familiarity gave Jake a spurt of smug satisfaction.

Then Porter bent to speak to Zoe in a voice pitched too low for anyone to hear, and Zoe blushed, ruining the momentary triumph. Jake fumed, but there was nothing he could do about it without making a scene.

“Sorry to eat and run.” Zoe flushed again and looked at Jake with apology in her eyes. She nodded toward Jake’s parents, then his brothers and Kate’s husband. “It was nice to meet everyone. I hope . . . I hope I’ll see y’all again right soon.”

Then she turned to Porter. He held his hand out to take hers, but Zoe ignored it and walked off ahead of him toward the corner of the house. Porter turned back, smiled as if he were a politician running for office, and then followed Zoe.

“That’s the competition?” Philip asked, his brows lifted.

“That’s the father of Zoe’s baby,” Jake answered, not bothering to keep the angry resentment out of his voice. Unwilling to meet his parents’ concerned looks or his brothers’ told-you-so expressions, he feigned a sudden interest in Zoe’s cornbread salad.

Silence fell over the group, but only for a moment before the little girls returned to the subject of Disney World.

“YOU SHOULD HAVE called,” Zoe told Porter as they crossed the lawn toward her house.

“I did. You didn’t answer.”

“Must have been pretty last minute because I was home all day until a couple hours ago.”

“I decided talking on the phone wasn’t getting us anywhere. I figured if I came to plead my case in person, you’d see reason. I called on my way up here.”

“See reason? You make it sound like I’m being
un
reasonable.”

“Well, you are.”

“What’s unreasonable about wanting time to make such an important decision?” They reached the stairs, and Zoe paused to glare at Porter before starting up. “Marriage is a big step.”

“And parenthood is a big responsibility,” Porter shot back. He tried to put a hand under Zoe’s elbow, but she jerked away.

Porter had caught her off-guard on his first visit. She’d been unbelievably complacent letting him kiss her. Twice! Now the thought of him even touching her was repellent. There was no way she could marry this man and submit to a lifetime of his arrogantly possessive touching and kissing.

“Yeah, well, I’m willing to take that responsibility, and I’ve decided I don’t need your help.” Zoe hurried up the stairs as fast as her bulk would allow. She was going to make this break as swift and painless as possible. She wanted Porter Dubois out of her life. And she wanted him out now.

She’d argued the case from both sides. Three sides if you counted Molly’s. And the cons outweighed the pros about a dozen to one. The only thing Porter could offer her was financial security, but she was doing okay, and money never meant that much to her anyway. Her father might be upset with her now, but he would come around once his granddaughter became part of his life.

Stacked against that was a lifetime of regrets. A home that held no loving warmth. A social life that meant nothing to her and would only take time away from being the kind of mother she wanted to be. And a coffin nail in any hope of finding the kind of love she craved.

Besides, Molly wouldn’t benefit from a father so focused on his work that he was never around. Zoe knew that much from her own growing up years. And it wasn’t like she planned to cut Molly off from any kind of relationship with her father.

“It’s still my kid. I can insist on my rights.”

“I won’t . . . stop you.” Zoe had to pause at the top of the stairs to catch her breath. “Molly has a right . . . to know her father, and . . . I wouldn’t take that away from her.”

“You’ve already named our child? And you didn’t consult me?”

“You weren’t around when I was thinking of names for
my
baby.” Zoe yanked the screen door open and charged into the hall. Porter strode in behind her with maddening persistence.

Jet hurried over to welcome Zoe home, while Scotch barked at the intruder with all the hair on his back straight up in alarm. Hoover looked from Zoe to Porter as if trying to decide if this man was a threat or not.

“Good God, Zoe! Three dogs? Wouldn’t one have been more than enough?”

Zoe recalled Porter’s opinion of dogs, once expressed after a visit to Bree’s house. Bree’s big, shaggy, English sheepdog had slobbered happily all over Zoe’s skirt and left dog hair thoroughly embedded in Porter’s charcoal trousers. Porter had made it clear that in his opinion dogs didn’t belong in the house. Another reason she couldn’t marry this man.

“Hush, Scotch!”

The terrier stopped barking immediately but continued to murmur threats low in his throat as Porter followed Zoe into the kitchen.

Zoe crossed to the sink and reached for the ring box. She didn’t feel even a sliver of regret as she flipped the lid shut over the pretty ring. Then she turned to face Porter.

“I can’t marry you.” She thrust the box in his direction, but he didn’t take it.

“Now you
are
being unreasonable.”

“Look, Porter. I don’t know why you suddenly changed your mind, and frankly, at this point, I don’t care. If you’d asked me back when I first discovered I was pregnant, I would have said yes. But you didn’t, and I’ve grown up since then.”

Porter raised his eyebrows with condescending arrogance. “Grown up?”

“And wiser. You don’t love me, and you never did. I was just a convenience. And I’ll be honest. I didn’t love you either. I wanted to, but . . .” Zoe shrugged. She stepped close enough to tuck the box into Porter’s shirt pocket. He grabbed her wrist.

“Think about our—think about Molly. We don’t have to be in love to give her a two-parent home. Think about all I can give her.”

“Take your hand off me.” Now all three dogs growled.

Porter dropped Zoe’s wrist and darted a nervous glance toward the dogs. “They don’t bite, I hope?”

Zoe moved to the far side of the kitchen island and hiked her butt onto a stool. She wasn’t afraid of Porter and didn’t believe for a minute that he would hurt her physically. But she liked having the barrier between them, and they did need to talk. “They won’t hurt you so long as you don’t threaten me.”

Porter scoffed. “So now I’m a threat? I come here with good intentions, offering you my name and all my worldly possessions, and I’m a threat?”

This time it was Zoe’s turn to scoff. “I have no doubt there would have been a lengthy and detailed prenup for me to sign had I accepted your offer. But I’ve told you
no
. So from here on out, the discussion is about your paternal rights. I’d rather you weren’t with me when Molly is born, but you can visit as often as you like. I won’t stop you.”

“Perhaps you should return to Wilmington and live with your father.”

“Why? So Dad can badger me into changing my mind about marrying you?”

“So you won’t be alone.”

“I’m not alone here. I’ve got my dog squad for protection. And my cats to keep me company in bed. And I’ll have Molly.”

“And the redneck next door.”

“He’s not a redneck,” Zoe shot back in Jake’s defense.

Porter’s face took on an arrogant sneer. “He’s not the kind of man you’re used to.”

“If you mean, he’s the kind of man who cares about other people before he worries about himself, then yes, he’s definitely not the kind of man I’m used to, but—”

“And you’re in love with him.”

Zoe considered denying it, but then decided there was no point in lying. “Yes, I’m in love with him. But that’s the end of it. He’s been married and got burnt. He doesn’t want another wife. But, he’s a wonderful neighbor, and he’s been there to help me out these last few months far more than you or my father ever were. He’s become a very good friend.”

Porter looked as if he wanted to say more, but decided to let it go while he hunted for a better argument. “When is your due date?”

“The end of the month.”

Porter stood up. He pulled the box from his pocket and placed it on the counter. “Having a husband does have its advantages. You might want to change your mind. Call me when you go into labor so I won’t be the last to know I’m a father.”

He turned and stalked out. Scotch followed him with all the officiousness of a starched-up butler. Zoe heard the front door shut, then Scotch returned and sat at her feet waiting for praise.

Zoe bent to pat the dog, and pain stabbed sharply in her groin. She gasped and straightened again. The contraction weakened after a brief moment and disappeared.

“It’s too soon,” Zoe murmured. She got up and went to the sink. She reached for a glass, filled it with water, and drank. Then waited. Nothing. Not sure what to do next, she headed to the living room, then changed her mind and went out onto the porch. Carefully, she lowered herself into a rocker and relaxed.

She spent the next few minutes wondering if there would be another contraction or if that was a random Braxton Hicks. She’d begun to have some of the early contractions about a week ago, but they had felt different. And they’d gone away when she walked around. If another one started, she’d get up and walk around the porch or go sweep the kitchen floor.

Jake’s family gathering seemed to be breaking up. Aunt Catherine’s Buick pulled out first, followed by the sporty little car that turned out to belong to Philip. Jake’s parents appeared next and climbed into one of the pickup trucks. As it backed into the road, Jake’s mother turned and waved to Zoe.

Another five minutes passed before Ben and his two boys came around the corner of the house followed closely by Will. The boys clambered into the back of the stretch-cab pickup truck, and Will got into the passenger seat. In another moment, they were gone as well.

The last to leave were Kate and her family. Zoe watched the two little girls scramble into their seats while Kate and Ethan climbed in front. Jake stood beside the minivan with one hand on each of his twins’ shoulders. Then he bent, probably to say goodbye to Ethan through the open window. As the van pulled away the twins waved and kept waving until the van had turned the corner and disappeared.

Jake glanced across the span of lawn and noticed Zoe sitting on her porch. He waved, pointed to the twins, then in the general direction of his upstairs, and finally, at her. He must be trying to tell her he’d come over after he put the twins to bed. Whatever he wanted to talk about must be urgent. He turned the twins toward the house and gave their butts a soft pat, then followed them up the walk.

Molly was going to miss out on so much. Zoe would have felt bad about turning Porter down, except she couldn’t feature Porter ever being that casually loving with his children. She couldn’t imagine him giving them baths or putting them to bed, either. Reading to them, maybe, but overseeing the brushing of teeth and tucking them in didn’t seem like Porter’s thing.

Her own father had never even been home at bedtime. He came home for supper but would be off again before the dishes had been cleared. Even when Zoe’s mother was still alive, he’d seemed to always have one meeting or another every night.

Zoe grunted and doubled over as another contraction hit her. She struggled out of the chair and walked to the end of the porch and back. It seemed better, so she continued walking until it went away again.
Might as well sweep the floor
, she thought, and headed inside.

When she got to the kitchen the dogs were standing at the back door, so she let them out, then grabbed the broom and began sweeping. By the time the floor was clean, she’d had two more contractions, but they were weaker. More false labor.

She’d picked up the dog bowls before she started on the floor, so she fixed their suppers before putting the bowls back down. Then she went to the door and called them in. Scotch and Hoover headed directly to their bowls. Jet stopped for a pat, then joined the rest of the crew. Zoe grinned. Her Dog Squad! Porter had been appalled!

Admittedly, she’d been a little appalled herself after returning from the rescue shelter. She’d gone with the idea of getting a dog to keep her company and at the same time, ward off unwelcome guests once she’d moved out of her father’s house and into her own. The shelter had just hosted an open house fundraiser, and nearly all the dogs currently at the shelter had been adopted. All except her three. They’d been sharing a cage and hung together as if finding comfort in numbers. With three pairs of pleading brown eyes gazing hopefully up at her, she simply couldn’t take just one and leave the other two behind.