A Family Come True (13 page)

“Any port in a storm?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way. But Xander’s going to expect an answer soon.”

Oh, hell, Ian was right. She could only stall so long, especially as Xander needed a place to stay.

And maybe talking about her mess would be like a first stop in discussing other messes. Kind of an opening line, so to speak.

“Maybe, since Carter is still here...”

His nod was short and tight, but it was a start.

“Meanwhile, can you recommend a place for him to crash for the night?”

This was going to play hell with her plan to duck out ASAP. If she stayed someplace else, Xander probably would want to go to the same spot—unless she chose something out of his price range. Trouble was that she couldn’t afford much herself. But if she hopped the bus back home it would look as though she was trying to avoid him. Or he would offer to drive her back, which made sense on the surface, but since the mere thought made her start to hyperventilate, she figured it was probably a bad idea.

Ian snorted. “Right now my suggestion would be that he turn around and go home. But I’ll ask Moxie.”

“Ask me what?”

Darcy jerked farther away from Ian and whirled around, searching for the source of the all-too-satisfied voice.

“Damn it, Moxie.” Ian pulled Cady’s fists from his hair. “What are you, part cat? How can you sneak up on people like that?”

“What do you think? Years of practice. Now, what do you need to ask me?”

“You mean you weren’t eavesdropping through the whole conversation?”

Moxie didn’t even pretend to look innocent. “It’s my house, mister. If I want to be a good hostess and come upstairs to check on my guests, put some juice and cookies in their fridge, then I think you should be saying thank you instead of getting on your high horse.”

“The room is lovely.” That, at least, Darcy could say without lying. “I think you’ve thought of everything.”

“Is that so?”

“Here we go.” Ian’s mutter sent Darcy’s suspicion level soaring.

Moxie glared at him. “’Cause it sounds to me like you could use a hamburger or two.”

“I don’t—”

“To go with the pickle you’ve got yourself in.”

Shouldn’t those words have been said with sympathy instead of glee?

“Moxie—” Ian began, but was promptly shushed by his grandmother.

“Now listen. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, believe it or not, but I heard enough to guess that you’re having some kind of legal trouble. Leastways that’s what it sounds like if you’re looking to Carter for help.”

“It’s nothing horrible. Really.” Because in the grand scheme of things, Darcy reminded herself, it could be far, far worse.

Moxie rolled her eyes as if to say that she would be the judge of that. “I heard you talking about Xander. Is that the fella you knew back in university, Ian?”

“Right. He—”

When he hesitated and caught her eye, Darcy knew he was seeking her permission to continue. Great. Maybe they could take out a billboard that said Darcy Maguire Is Easy When She’s Drunk.

She took Cady from Ian. “How about we go downstairs, pull Carter in and do all the explanations at once.”

“This had better be good,” Moxie said. “I already missed
Big Bang
, and now it’s almost time for
Jeopardy
.”

“You’re getting the scoop before my own grandmother.”

“Is that so?” Moxie’s grin was almost frightening. “Well, then, give me a minute to grab some paper and a pen. I might have to take notes on this one.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

C
RAZY AS IT
had been to imagine himself coming home and talking with Carter and Taylor within the first fifteen minutes of his arrival, Ian found this even more unimaginable: sitting in Moxie’s sunporch with an untouched beer at his side, watching Darcy calmly explain the Xander predicament to his openmouthed family.

His parents had arrived home as he’d carried Cady downstairs. Once they finished staring, they had fallen all over themselves to welcome Darcy and Cady, especially after Carter made a crack about Moxie getting racy in her old age and putting them all in Hank’s suite. Ian thought his mother had been close to whiplash with the way her head had swung back and forth, looking from him to Moxie to Darcy to Carter to Taylor and back again. Then she had taken a deep breath, focused on Cady and broken into the most hopeful smile he had seen in years.

Of course, that would have been a lot easier to enjoy if he hadn’t known it was based on a lie.

Ma was already three-quarters of the way in love with Cady. As for Darcy, that was harder to tell, but from the growing respect on his mother’s face as Darcy spelled out the situation, he predicted she would be in Ma’s good books before sundown. By the end of the visit, Ma would have the wedding planned and be picking out new colors for Hank’s old rooms in preparation for the future grandchildren she would saddle with nicknames from her favorite country music singers. She was going to be crushed when the truth came out.

Dad would nod and carry on. Disappointed? Most likely. Like any parent he wanted his sons to be happy. But it wouldn’t hit him where he lived.

Ma was a different story.

After Taylor had broken their engagement, after Ian had picked himself up only to be slammed by the second wave of Carter’s involvement, after he’d made the decision to come back to Canada instead of staying in Tanzania—after all that he had come back to this house. He’d walked in, Ma had taken one look, and for the first time in his life, he had seen Janice North fall apart. Not for herself. For him.

Ian had thought he couldn’t find any new way to hurt, but watching his mother crying over him had pulled new bits of his heart forward to be ripped and freshened his desire to beat the living shit out of his brother. If Carter had walked in at that moment Ian couldn’t have guaranteed they both would have walked out alive. It had been the ugliest moment of his life.

And now Ian was going to hurt her.

It wouldn’t be as bad this time. She would understand once everything came out. But he felt like ten kinds of wrong to sit and watch and listen silently, knowing what was coming down the pike.

Darcy had stopped talking. At some point in the conversation she had slipped her hand into his. Or maybe it had been the other way around? It didn’t matter. It was all part of the act, the story Darcy had instigated to ease him back into his family. Her heart had been in the right place, but he had to stop it before things got out of control. Before anyone else got hurt. Before he let himself get too familiar with the feel of her hand in his.

“So let me get this straight.” Moxie, as always, was the first to speak. “You had a pity party with Xander, you got pregnant, he went to jail and now he’s back stirring up a hornet’s nest.”

“That’s about it,” Darcy said.

“Talk about a smelly kettle of fish.” Moxie leveled a finger in Ian’s direction. He wouldn’t have been surprised if a lightning bolt had shot out. “Where do you stand in all this, mister?”

This was his chance. But even as he loosened his grip on Darcy’s hand, Carter spoke.

“Legally, Ian has no say. It’s all between Darcy and Xander.”

“What about Lulu?” Darcy said, and before he had the chance to second-guess himself, he squeezed her fingers. Only she would remember the dog in the middle of this.

“Whole different issue.” Carter frowned. “Since Xander doesn’t seem to be pressing that at the moment, I suggest we focus on the fact that he’s here and wants to see Cady.”

“He can’t just walk in and start making demands, can he?” Taylor scooped Cady’s rattle from the floor and held it out to her. “Surely Darcy is entitled to want some time for everyone to get to know each other.”

“He can’t expect to take her for solo visits immediately, no. But he has the right to spend time with her.”

Funny how, even though Ian had known that, it was like a fresh kick in the gut to hear it coming from someone speaking from the perspective of the law. Though maybe that was because of the way Darcy’s fingernails were cutting into his palm.

“Xander hasn’t done anything to make you think he would be a danger to the child,” Carter said. “Correct?”

“No,” Darcy said slowly. “And to be clear, I don’t want to stand in the way of him getting to know her, especially since he’ll be a good distance away from her soon. But the way he followed us up here...part of me says, ‘Oh, good. He’s excited to be part of her life.’ Part of me is kind of leery.”

Moxie snorted. “You and me both, sister.”

“Ian?” Carter focused on him. “You’ve known him longer than anyone else. What do you think?”

He picked his words carefully, trying to remain objective.

“When he showed up, he insisted that Lulu was the key to his new life. Now I think that’s what he sees in Cady. He said himself, he doesn’t know a lot about kids, so I think right now she’s more a symbol to him than anything else.”

Ma scowled. “Not that every parent doesn’t think that way at times, but that’s no way to begin. He should want to be with her because she’s wonderful and amazing and he can’t wait to learn everything about her.” She bent down to smile at Cady. “Isn’t that right, baby girl?”

“Yeah, well, in fairness,” Ian continued. “He only found out about her yesterday. It’s not like he’s had time to get to know her for herself. His showing up here could be just because he wants to do that.”

“You said he’ll be leaving Stratford next week?” Carter asked.

“Right. At least, I think so.” Darcy bumped her shoulder against his. “You were more coherent than I was. That is what he said, right...hon?”

She had added the endearment as an afterthought, he could tell, but it still sent unanticipated warmth humming through him—warmth that couldn’t be stopped no matter how sternly he reminded himself this was all for show.

“He didn’t mention a date. But I got the impression his time in Stratford is limited.”

“So he might be guilty of nothing more than wanting to get to know her while he has the chance,” Carter said. “No one could fault him for that.”

Dad spoke up for the first time. “You’re saying Darcy has to accommodate him.”

“It would be the wisest course.”

Darcy sagged ever so slightly against Ian’s arm. She pulled away quickly, almost before he’d registered the touch, but it had been there. And even though he knew the relationship they were presenting was a sham, the brief connection served as another reminder. The romance might be fake but their friendship was real. She needed someone. He could still be the shoulder for her to lean on, a bridge to carry her through this. For that he was grateful.

His brief peace was pierced by Moxie’s sudden cackle.

“I have an idea,” she said, and years of past experience had him sitting straighter. It was all he could do to keep from sniffing the air like a groundhog checking for danger.

“You ever hear the old saying about keeping your friends close but your enemies closer?”

Darcy nodded. Probably a mistake, but she didn’t know better than to encourage Moxie.

“You—” Moxie pointed at Darcy “—want to do the right thing while watching out for your little one. You—” now she leveled her finger at Ian “—want to look after your family.”

His
what
?

“Whoa,” he said. “Time-out. Before we go any further, I—”

But Moxie barreled right over his words. “So I say Xander should come stay here.”

There wasn’t a boxer in the world who could sucker punch as efficiently as Moxie.

“Excuse me?” Darcy’s question was more squeaked than voiced. Across the room, Ma shook her head. Dad wore the bemused grin that meant he’d been bested once again. Taylor stared at Moxie as if she couldn’t believe her ears.

Carter simply nodded.

“That could work,” Carter said.

“I’m sorry. I don’t...” Darcy took Ian’s hand once more. “You think that the way to handle this is by bringing Xander here?”

“Isn’t that what I just said? Honestly, girl. Helene never said anything about you having trouble hearing.”

“That’s enough, Moxie.”

It wasn’t until Ma’s eyes widened that Ian truly grasped what he had said. He had reprimanded Moxie, the least milk-and-cookies grandmother who ever walked the planet.

Carter snorted. Probably trying to hold back laughter, the bastard.

“Ian Tyson North, are you going to sit there on my sofa, in my home, and tell me what I should or shouldn’t say?”

“Only if he has a death wish,” Carter said in an undertone. Damned lawyers. They always had to add their two cents.

But there was no denying that Moxie had been out of line.

“You have the right to say anything you want,” he said quietly. “It’s a free country. But it wouldn’t hurt any of you to remember that Darcy has had a lot thrown at her in the last couple of days.”

“Is that so?” Moxie was giving him the steady, narrow-eyed gaze that had always made him and his brothers say she should have signed on with the local police as their resident Bad Cop.

But he was no lawbreaker. Nor was he her employee or even living in the same town at the moment. Darcy and Cady weren’t his
family
, as Moxie had tossed out so casually, but they were here at his instigation. No one was going to make them feel uncomfortable on his watch.

“I see where you’re coming from,” he said. “But it’s not always easy to follow the way your mind works, Moxie. Darcy has every right to want more explanation, and she deserves to get it without being made to feel like she’s said something stupid.”

“Hear, hear.” Dad raised his lemonade in Ian’s direction. Darcy squeezed his fingers.

“I’m okay,” she said to the room at large. “And really, I am pretty adaptable. But Ian is right in saying the last day or two have left me spinning. I’m not operating at peak efficiency, so if you would be patient with me, I’d be grateful.”

That’s my girl. Give it back without letting them know they—

Hang on.
My girl?
What the hell was he thinking? All the fake togetherness was messing with his brain. Time to end the act.

He pulled his fingers free. “You know, before we get back to this—”