Tempting Meredith (28 page)

She grabbed her toiletry bag and tossed it on the dresser. “You abandoned your business without any warning in the middle of the summer season to help me in Boston. Safe bet there’s something more going on.”

“Will she say anything to anyone else?” Charlie asked Blaine.

“No. But we need to talk about this. I said it after you came home from the hospital. How’re we gonna handle things in public.”

“That’s an easy one,” Meredith said. “We can’t go public, not with you running for sheriff.”

“For now, let’s forget the campaign. Let’s pretend I’m not a politician.”

“That’s a pointless exercise,” Meredith said. “The fact is you
are
a politician.”

Blaine dug his cell from his pocket. “I can change that with one phone call.”

He was bluffing. Wasn’t he?

“No need for that.” Charlie closed his hand over Blaine’s and the phone. “Doc, what Blaine wants to know is how going public will affect your life.”

She shrugged. “Once I have tenure, it won’t.”

“It can’t be that simple,” Charlie said. “You’re more than your work. What about your family?”

“My family is the least of our worries.”

“You’re saying they’d be okay with us?” Charlie asked.

“Yes.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Jake’s sister, Hailey, lives with two men. And they’re not just roommates.” She loved the shock on their faces.

“You never told me that,” Charlie said.

“It wasn’t relevant to any of our conversations until now.”

“Right. Okay.” Charlie’s brows drew together. “What about your friends?”

She didn’t have many friends. Coworkers, yes. But close friends, no. “You have more to worry about with
your
friends. And what about your family?” She spoke to Blaine. “I’m assuming his job is secure.”

“She’s right,” Blaine said. “Your friends and family think you’re straight.” He shrugged. “You’re not.”

* * *

Blaine held his breath. Would Charlie deny the truth? How far was he willing to go?

Charlie wandered over to Meredith’s suitcase and closed and fastened it before storing it in the corner. “I hadn’t thought about it. I don’t know why not. Guess I was more concerned about y’all.” He slid a sidelong glance at Meredith. “Or her. I was worried about her.”

“Because we’re men, and we can take care of ourselves,” Blaine said.

Charlie looked sheepish. “Yeah.”

Meredith rolled her eyes and groaned. “That is so chauvinistic and so sweet and so unnecessary.”

“Well, I see that now,” Charlie said.

“You have the most to lose,” Blaine said.

Charlie was already shaking his head. “The campaign.”

“If the voters want to return Jerry Walton to office, more power to ‘em. I don’t think that will happen, but if it does...” He shrugged. “The county kingmakers dragged me into this campaign kicking and screaming.”

“You
want
to sabotage the campaign?” Meredith asked.

“I didn’t say that. But I’m not gonna live a lie.” He’d tried that. It had sucked the life from him. He didn’t want to feel that way again. He didn’t want to rub anyone’s nose in their relationship, but he wanted to be honest about it. Especially with the people closest to them.

“Unless Charlie and I choose to live a lie?”

Blaine shrugged, but that was as much indifference as he could fake. If they made that choice, he’d have to wonder how serious they were about him. No, he wouldn’t have to wonder. He’d know.

“I don’t have a problem with my family, but I need tenure. If I’m fired, I’ll never get tenure anywhere.”

Charlie spoke. “When does that happen? I know you’ve started the process, but when will you know?”

“Next spring.”

Charlie let out a low whistle. “Damn.”

“Yeah, it’s a long, drawn-out process. It doesn’t come easily.”

“That sees us through the election,” Charlie said.

Blaine sighed. He didn’t like winning while lying. On the other hand, his personal life wasn’t anyone’s business but his own and the people he was involved with. Screw the public. Of course, there was his sister. They might be able to hide from Charlie’s family and friends and Meredith’s family and friends, but his were here, at the ranch. He simply said, “My sister.”

“Our families,” Meredith said. “My sister wants to meet Charlie. If she knew about you, she’d demand to meet you, too.” She hesitated and glanced at Blaine. “I don’t want to hide you. Not with them. It’s too difficult. I’d slip. I know I would, and Nikki would figure it out. Besides, you’re too important to me.”

That simple statement sent him flying until he realized Charlie still hadn’t answered his question. “What about you? Are you okay with going public?” He shook his head. “That’s the wrong question. Do you
want
to go public?”

Charlie wrapped an arm around Blaine’s shoulders, drew him into his side and kissed him, lingering before lifting his head and reaching for Meredith. His eyes crinkled just before his lips curved into a cocky smile. “My boss already knows. I’d say I’m a step ahead of both of you.”

That was a yes. Blaine hadn’t realized how much he’d been counting on that answer until he heard it. His eyes burned with unshed tears. They were in this together. All three of them.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Charlie parked his pickup on the street in front of the Mediterranean-style, two-story house. Despite the fact that Meredith had explained Charlie and Blaine to her family in preparation for the visit, he was nervous. According to Meredith, her brother and sister had taken it all in stride. Nikki had squealed happily. Landon had told her he was happy for her. She hadn’t been as forthcoming about Jake’s reaction, so even though he’d met the man and liked him, he didn’t know what to expect.

Meredith stared at the house. She jumped when Blaine asked, “You’re sure about this?”

“Piece of cake,” she answered. “Especially compared to your families.”

Lindsey hadn’t been happy. Despite the decision to keep their relationship status in the families until Meredith got tenure, Lindsey worried it would leak. None of them could deny the possibility. Charlie’s family hadn’t met Meredith yet. He was giving them time to adjust to the idea. They hadn’t said much when he’d told them he was in love with two people and that one of those people was a man. Their silence spoke volumes. He figured they’d come around...eventually. After all, he was their only child.

Meredith led them up the walkway and stood in front of them, shoulders back, stance wide and solid, as if she were shielding them. Charlie appreciated that her protective instincts extended to him and Blaine, even if they were unnecessary. He was pretty sure whoever opened the door wouldn’t have a gun.

The woman who greeted them could have been Meredith’s twin, except for the beach ball she’d swallowed whole. Jake hovered behind her. When Meredith introduced them, Nikki hugged everyone.

Jake shook their hands. “It’s good to see you again, Charlie. Sorry y’all didn’t get to use those Rangers tickets.”

“Again?” Meredith asked at the same time Charlie and Blaine said, “Rangers tickets?”

Jake’s eyes widened. “Oh shit.”

“Again?” Meredith repeated. “You’ve met before?”

Nikki’s hand sneaked up, a tentative request for permission to speak. “I sort of arranged it a few months back.”

“Sort of?”

Jake sighed. “We wanted to make sure you were safe. No harm, no foul. Come on in. Nikki’s tired. She hasn’t slept well the last couple of nights. She needs to get off her feet.”

Nikki slapped his arm. “That’s not true. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Just humor me.”

They followed Jake to the kitchen as Nikki chatted excitedly. Two men leaned against the breakfast bar. While Meredith and Nikki could have been twins, their brother couldn’t have been more different. Landon Burke was well over six feet. He had shoulder-length blond hair, without the curls. Their eyes were the same color, but that was it. Landon’s boyfriend, Ty, was almost as tall as Landon with short, dark brown hair and brown eyes.

They moved en masse to the great room and settled around the empty fireplace while Jake got drinks for the three newcomers. Charlie would have liked to sit with Meredith and Blaine, but Nikki guided him down beside her on the couch. Meredith and Blaine sat next to each other on the fireplace hearth. Meredith had her hand protectively on Blaine’s thigh, and she was straight and tense.

“What’s this about Rangers tickets?” Charlie asked.

“I wanted to take you and Blaine to a game,” Meredith said. “Prime seats behind home base. But you had that argument with the ATV.”

Jake handed Charlie a beer. “Anytime you want to go, just say the word. I’ve got season tickets.”

As they discussed the Rangers’ season, Charlie observed everyone, tried to get the lay of the land. Meredith seemed to be relaxing, probably because of the wine she was sipping. Jake had settled on the arm of the sofa next to his wife. He added an occasional comment, but like Charlie, seemed to be more interested in observing everyone.

During a lull in the conversation, Blaine said, “Nikki, you should get Charlie to read your feet. He might be able to tell you the baby’s birthday.”

“What the hell?” Jake said. “The doctor can’t even give us an exact date. How could Charlie know?”

“It’s a gift,” Blaine said somberly.

Meredith rolled her eyes. “It’s a party game.”

“I’d like to see that,” Ty said.

Nikki kicked off her shoes without bending over. Not that she could bend over. “What do I need to do?”

“Just put your feet in my lap.” He reached for her legs. “Let me help you.”

“I think I can manage,” she said wryly.

But Jake didn’t wait for his wife to lift her feet. He crouched down in front of her, slipped an arm under her legs and gently lifted until her feet rested in Charlie’s lap.

Charlie rubbed his hands together to warm them then gripped her feet. Nothing worse than a light touch to send someone into a fit of giggles.

Her feet flexed, but it wasn’t a ticklish response. She was in pain. He checked her face. The tightness around her eyes and mouth confirmed it. Why was she hiding it?

He pressed his thumbs into the arches of her soles while pretending to examine the tops of her feet. She eventually relaxed, but even through her smile, he read the worry in those blue eyes so like Meredith’s.

He traced a vein with one finger. “This is your lifeline. Its prominence tells me you’re pregnant.”

Blaine and Meredith guffawed before the others realized it was a joke and joined in.

He found two veins that intersected. “These represent the joining of two lives to form one. It’s a strong intersection and represents a long and happy marriage.”

More laughter, this time it came quickly. Everyone seemed to be getting into the spirit of his “gift.”

“The absence of visible veins in the center of the V tells me that beneath your cheerful, upbeat exterior is a worrier, but you don’t like people worrying about you. You don’t like to inconvenience friends and family.”

Nikki shifted uncomfortably but didn’t contradict him.

“He’s got that right,” Landon murmured. “A mother hen.”

Nikki stuck her tongue out at him.

Landon and Ty chuckled.

“Now, this line is a tendon, and it’s—” he feigned surprise and asked, “You’re in labor?”

Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped before she managed to snap her mouth closed. “How did you—”

“What?” Jake shouted. “You’re in labor? You can’t be. We haven’t decided on a name.”

Meredith shoved Jake out of the way—how the hell had she crossed the room so quickly?—and hovered over Nikki. “It’s too early. He’s not due for another two weeks. And you’re supposed to be late. I was late. Mom was late with all three of us.”

Then all hell broke loose with Nikki, Meredith and Jake talking, or more precisely shouting, at the same time, so Charlie couldn’t understand any of them.

Charlie checked Landon’s reaction. Wide-eyed surprise. Ty was giving Charlie a thumbs-up, whether for his obstetrical or foot-reading skills, Charlie wasn’t sure. Blaine stood in front of the fireplace, taking everything in, and Charlie could see him coming up with a plan.

Blaine pursed his lips and gave a sharp whistle that silenced the cacophony. “Jake, I’m assuming you’ve got the doctor programmed in your phone.”

Jake nodded.

“Call him.”

Jake’s end of the conversation was a bunch of yeses and nos. Finally, he asked Nikki, “Did your water break?”

“No,” Nikki replied.

Jake relayed the answer then another no and an okay and he ended the call. “We need to time the contractions then call him back.”

Charlie punched the buttons on his watch until he cycled to the stopwatch function. “I can do that.”

Jake’s head bobbed like one of those dashboard dogs.

“I’m assuming she has a bag packed and ready to go?” Blaine asked.

Jake didn’t say anything, so Nikki answered, “Yes. It’s upstairs in our closet.”

Charlie leaned across Nikki’s legs and clamped his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Go get her bag while I time the contractions.”

Meredith’s eyes were huge in a face drained of color. Charlie realized that she was as discombobulated as Jake. And if he knew her like he thought he did, she needed at least a semblance of control. He unbuckled his watch and handed it to her. “Here. You time the contraction while I help Jake load the car.”

She snatched the watch from him. “Nikki, tell me when the contraction starts.”

Jake stumbled up the stairs, and Charlie held his arms out ready to catch him if he fell backward, although the dude would probably crush him.

When they safely reached the landing, Charlie said, “I’ll drive, but I need your keys. I don’t think she’ll be able to climb into my truck.”

Jake dug his hands into all four of his pants pockets before he fished out a ring of fobs and keys. He blindly slapped it into Charlie’s palm.

“Hey,” Charlie said. “She’ll be fine.”

Jake didn’t respond.

Charlie waited for him to grab the suitcase then followed him back downstairs. At the bottom of the steps, Charlie took the suitcase and said, “Point me in the direction of the garage and I’ll stash this.”

Jake waved toward a door off the kitchen and beelined to his wife’s side.

When Charlie returned to the great room, he heard Nikki grind out, “Next one starting.”

“That’s five minutes eleven seconds,” Meredith shrieked. “Jake, call the doctor back.”

“What the hell, Nikki? Why’d you wait so long to tell us you were in labor?” Jake shouted.

Charlie was about to clamp down on the guy when Nikki said firmly, “Jake, you need to chill. Give me the phone. I’ll call the doctor.”

Jake hesitated. “No, I can do this. I’m fine.”

Nikki raised her voice. “Give me the phone, now.”

Jake reluctantly extended the phone to his wife. The only sound in the room was Nikki’s voice answering the doctor’s questions. When she hung up, everyone stared at her and waited for her to relay the doctor’s instructions.

“I want you all to remain calm,” she said. “There’s plenty of time. Dr. Myers said so, but he wants me to head to the hospital.”