A Family Come True (23 page)

The meaning behind the words sank in slowly.

“You want me to be like what they have in Alcoholics Anonymous? Your sponsor? Mentor?”

Xander shrugged. “
Friend
sounds good to me.”

Oh, hell. Xander thought Ian was going to be in Stratford. He assumed Ian was going to be a permanent part of Cady’s and Darcy’s lives.

What was that line about tangled webs when you deceive?

At heart Xander was a decent guy. He was probably a lot like Darcy had been about Cady. All he would need was a good word, a reminder that, yeah, you’ve got this. It would be complicated with Ian here and Xander in cottage country and Darcy and Cady in Stratford, but those were details. Darcy always said the details were the easiest part.

He could do this.

“Sure, Xander.” He pushed off the table and stood. “Friends it is.”

* * *

D
ARCY HAD BEEN
upstairs for maybe twenty minutes when she heard the unmistakable sound of a doorbell. Not a problem, except half-asleep Cady heard it, too, and started to whimper.

Damn it. She’d heard voices a few minutes earlier from down below and had peeked out the window in time to see Ian, Xander and Lulu headed to the river. They wouldn’t hear the bell. And if whoever it was rang again, that would be the end of nap time.

She gave Cady a quick pat on the back, slipped out of the room and ran down the stairs as fast as her bare feet would carry her. She made it to the front door just in time to stop Taylor from hitting the bell again.

“Hi!” Taylor stood on the front step with a shopping bag at her feet and a bright smile on her face that faded quickly as her gaze ran over a slightly panting Darcy. “Oops. Did I drag you away from something?”

“Nothing exciting, trust me. But I just put Cady down. She can sleep through the bell at home no problem, but this one is different, so...”

“Got it. I’m sorry. Will she be okay?”

“I hope so. Did you need something?”

“Officially, I don’t have your phone number, so I’m running here on my lunch hour to ask if you would like to help tomorrow when we make the desserts for the party. Unofficially—” she lifted the bag, sending the scent of something hot and delicious wafting through the air “—I’m here to ply you with food and get advice on surviving early pregnancy.”

Darcy was pretty sure there was another agenda at play, and she wouldn’t be at all surprised if it involved Ian and/or Carter. But her own lunch had been a scoop of peanut butter while dodging Cheerios, and her mouth was watering, and maybe she could weasel some information out of Taylor.

“Consider me plied. Let me run upstairs and grab the monitor.”

“I’ll meet you in the kitchen. Unless...” Taylor glanced over her shoulder. “I thought Ian would still be at the dairy, but I see his car.”

Yep. This was definitely more than a getting-to-know-you call.

“He’s outside with Xander. If we open the door, we could see them from the table, right?”

“You catch on quick.”

“Motherhood lesson one, learn to think on your feet.”

She padded back upstairs, peeked in on Cady—asleep,
yes
—and took a minute to run a comb through her hair and check her makeup. Did she believe Ian was over Taylor? Absolutely. Did some small part of her still wish she had pulled on something other than capris and a T-shirt proclaiming Shakespeare as her homeboy? Maybe.

Taylor had pulled cartons from the bag and was setting plates and utensils on the table when Darcy returned.

“I didn’t know what you would like and I can’t tell what’s going to sit well these days, so I bought half the items on the menu.”

No kidding. The table was covered.

“But we’ve got caprese salad, grilled artichoke and chicken sandwiches, minestrone, a Monte Cristo and some quiche tarts. And I will tell you right now I’m calling dibs on the caramelized onion one.”

“Fair enough.” Darcy grabbed a piece of the monte cristo—when was the last time she had one of those?—made sure she had a good view of Ian and sat down.

On the other side of the table, Taylor forked up quiche and moaned.

“Oh, God. This is good. Everything tastes so gross right now, but this...this is working.”

“How far along are you?”

“Seven weeks,” Taylor said, and launched into a long list of her symptoms, her excitement and her plans for the nursery. Darcy figured her job was to listen, nod and keep an eye out for interlopers. She could do that.

“So.” Taylor licked her finger and pressed it to the crumbs clinging to the side of the foil container. “Has Comeback Cove changed much since you were a kid?”

“I haven’t seen a lot of it yet, so I can’t really say.”

“Has Ian talked you into moving up here yet?”

Ah, now they were getting somewhere. “Nope.”

“Oh. I thought, maybe... It’s just that he looks so happy now.”

Considering that the last real time Taylor had seen him she’d been busy breaking his heart, that was no surprise.

“And seeing him with Cady, even though I know things are complicated with Xander and all, it’s so clear that Ian worships the ground she walks on.” Taylor plucked a cherry tomato from the caprese salad. “He was so eager to have kids. I used to joke that he wanted to be a father more than he wanted to be a husband.”

“Well, that gave you a nice out, didn’t it?”

Too late, Darcy slapped her hand over her mouth. Oh,
crap
.

“I’m sorry, I—”

Hang on. Why was she apologizing? Okay, yes, the comment had been rude. And yes, she was lying to his entire family. But compared to what Taylor and Carter had done...?

“I’m sorry for the way that came out.” She made herself meet Taylor’s gaze. “But I refuse to apologize for the sentiment behind it.”

Taylor’s cheeks reddened and her eyes grew wide, but after a moment’s hesitation, she gave a slow nod. “I guess I can’t fault you for that.”

Damn straight.

“Look, Taylor. Ian told me how things played out. I understand that it was a lousy situation all around, and I do believe that everyone tried their hardest to avoid hurting him. But it still sucked. And even though I know that I wouldn’t be here right now if you hadn’t ditched him, part of me is still coming to grips with how badly he was treated. Especially by his own brother.”

Taylor’s eyes were wide but she managed a nod.

“I guess I don’t have to wonder about hidden meanings behind things you say.”

“Actually, I’m not usually this blunt.” Darcy dished up some soup. “The weirdest thing is that even though I’m kind of furious with you, at another level it’s like you do seem nice and I really do believe you tried to keep things from blowing up the way they did.”

Taylor tipped her head the slightest bit sideways and seemed to be taking Darcy’s measure. The tiniest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“You know what’s even stranger? I think I understand. Perfectly.”

“Well, thank God one of us does, because right now I have this strange empathy for Dr. Jekyll.”

Taylor burst into laughter.

“Oh, Darcy. I’m so glad Ian found you, because I think you’re exactly what he needs.”

Was she? Darcy didn’t dare think about it. Everything was still so new and raw, and she was so rattled by what she may have stumbled over while talking to Xander that at that moment the only certainty was that if she didn’t stop inhaling the soup, she would throw up.

Well, there was one other thing.

“Actually,” she said, shoving the bowl aside, “there’s something I think he needs even more. And you’re just the person to help me.”

Taylor glanced out the door. “Let me guess. You think he and Carter need to sit down and talk about what happened once and for all.”

The part of her that liked Taylor smiled in relief.

“Exactly. Ian says it’s fine. He’s over it. He’s over you—oops, no offense intended—”

“Not to worry. That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.”

“And he keeps saying this is just what families do. They carry on and let time pass and then it’s fine. I’m sure he’s right about that working for most things, but my gut tells me this is bigger.”

“I’m with you.” Taylor eyed the remaining quiche before pushing it away. “Carter hasn’t said much, but I think he would like to get this out in the open. It probably would be okay eventually, but my guess is that it will be a whole lot better a whole lot faster if they can just be honest with each other.”

The mention of honesty made Darcy glance away. How would Taylor feel when she found out she’d been opening up to a woman who was pretending to be something she wasn’t?

Taylor continued, “What Ian probably hasn’t told you is that he and Carter were really close. They weren’t just brothers. They were friends. Ian lost a lot when everything fell apart, and, honestly, I think that losing me was the easiest part of all for him.”

“I agree. Again, no offense intended.”

“None taken.” Taylor leaned forward in her chair. “Darcy, I’m going to go out on a limb here. Do you think it would be wrong if we—”

“If we orchestrated something to get them alone together?”

“You read my mind.”

Darcy’s pulse kicked up a bit. Did she have the right to do this? Heaven only knew. She wasn’t really Ian’s girlfriend, though the title was feeling less like a pretense with every kiss. Her own family life hadn’t qualified her to give advice to anyone else, especially since Xander’s arrival.

But she knew Ian. So much of what she had seen in him since he’d moved in made heartbreaking sense now that she knew the truth. The way he always chose his words carefully when he spoke of his family, the fact that he had never mentioned Carter’s name, the way he stared wistfully at young brothers squabbling when they went to the playground—it all fit now. She was the only one who knew that side of him.

And at the core of it, she was his friend.

She checked the door once more and leaned forward.

“Tell me what you have in mind.”

* * *

T
HE ADVENTURE IN
town went off as smoothly as any outing involving a baby and a dog could probably go. They wandered leisurely, taking turns waiting outside stores with Lulu. Ian hadn’t spent much time in Comeback Cove proper in the brief period between Tanzania and Stratford—there had been too many sympathetic glances and whispers for his comfort—so it was almost as if he hadn’t been around for three years.

Of course, seeing the sights wasn’t half as much fun as watching Darcy rediscover old haunts. Xander had volunteered for stroller duty so Ian and Darcy were free to walk slowly, hand in hand, him telling stories about the people he’d grown up with and her feigning resistance when he insisted that it was illegal to walk the sidewalks without buying fudge. In short, he didn’t think he could have imagined a better reentry.

They returned to a driveway so crowded there was barely room for the Mustang.

“Six cars and one truck,” Darcy said as she unbuckled Cady. “Are you guys opening a side business selling vehicles?”

“That’s right. Everything must go. Well, except Xander’s rust bucket,” he said with a teasing grin, causing Xander to fake growl, which made Lulu yip and prance.

“The truck is Hank’s, and the hatchback is Brynn’s. So I’m guessing that it’s either spoil-Millie night, or Hank couldn’t keep Brynn from racing here to meet you any longer.”

“Why do I get the feeling I’m the biggest thing to happen in your family in a long time?”

Ian started to put the diaper bag on his shoulder, checked himself and handed it to Xander. “Here. The pink goes better with your shirt than mine.”

Xander grimaced but shouldered the bag and fell into step.

“As for you and my family—” Ian slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close “—you might not be the
biggest
thing to happen. But you’re definitely the best.”

They made it as far as the petunia bed before Hank and Brynn hurried down the steps, sweeping him into hugs and backslaps, shaking hands with Xander, chiding Ian over Darcy and switching to ridiculously high-pitched voices to talk to Cady.

They were making their way slowly to the house when the door burst open and a pint-size dynamo flew down the steps, her long hair flying behind her.

“Uncle Ian!”

“Mills!” Ian swept her into a giant hug, lifting her off her feet to twirl her in a circle, only to realize the town wasn’t the only thing that had changed.

“Holy moly, kiddo.” He lowered her to the ground with an exaggerated groan. “You’re about twice as big as the last time I saw you. Has Brynn been giving you growing lessons?”

Millie giggled and sent a shy glance toward Darcy. “Mom says I had a growth spurt, but Brynn says that Daddy sneaks into my room and stretches me after I’m asleep.”

“I can believe it.” That did it. He was going to have to make sure he got back to Stratford every other weekend. Cady was growing even faster than Mills at this age, and he’d be damned if he’d miss out on any of it.

He shook his head and tugged Millie forward. “Come meet Darcy and Cady.”

“Grandma said Cady might be my cousin. Is that true?”

Lord, shoot me now.

“Mills...” Hank said with a groan.

“You know, Millie,” Darcy rushed in, “Cady doesn’t have any cousins.” She bit her lip and sent a quizzical look to Xander, but point for him, he simply shook his head. “How about if we make you two honorary cousins for now?”

Millie scrunched her eyes tight behind her Harry Potter glasses. “Is that real or pretend?”

“It’s as real as you want it to be.” Just like what was happening with him and Darcy?

Millie broke into a heart-tugging smile. “Okay. I’m good at pretending. Once I told Brynn there was a snake in the basement, and she went down there with a flashlight and a broom, and she was gone for, you know, ages and ages hunting for it.”

If the startled expression on Brynn’s face was any indication, this was her first realization that Millie had pulled a fast one on her.

From the look on Hank’s face, it would be the last time Millie got away with it.

Moxie appeared on the steps just then and ordered everyone inside before the food got cold. There came the predictable crush in the front hall, a few snorts of laughter and the shuffling of seats. Millie insisted on sitting beside Cady, and Brynn told Ian in no uncertain terms that he was to go hang with his brother so she could get to know Darcy.