Falling for Sarah (32 page)

He heard the front door open and close again. Moments later, Bear and Reece bulleted across the lush grass. The dogs rolled around before trotting off to water the shrubs bordering the long drive. That was going to piss off the gardener.

Someday in the not too distant future, his child would toddle after his golden mastiffs just the way Kylee did now. Although she didn’t toddle much anymore—she ran. She was getting so big. Where had the time gone? He loved her, had always loved her as if she were his. She
was
his in every way that mattered. The fact that a part of her came from Jake made her all the more special.

When he told Sarah he wanted her here, that he wanted all three of them here, he’d meant it. More than that, though, he
needed
them. Fear settled like bricks in his belly as he thought of what he would lose if he couldn’t fix this with Sarah, what they would all lose.

His memory drifted back to holding Kylee for the first time, of how tiny she had been, and an idea struck him. He’d promised her something he had yet to fulfill.

Ethan picked up the phone again and dialed his sister.

“Do you
know
what time it is?”

He smiled at the disgust dripping from Wren’s sleepy voice. “Seven a.m., sis. Rise and shine.”

“This has to be some sort of crappy attempt at passive aggressive behavior because I’m better looking.”

A grin split Ethan’s face. Nothing soothed quite like Wren. “Yeah, but I’m in better shape.”

“Bastard. What do you want?”

His smile vanished as he fisted his hand against the desk. “I need your help, Wren.”

“Are you okay?” The traces of humor left her voice.

“No.” He’d always been able to be honest with his sister.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s a long story. Can you meet me later, at my office downtown?”

“Of course. What time?”

”Seven, if that works for you.”

“I’ll be there.”

“I know.” She always had been, just like he’d always been there for her.

He hung up and scrubbed his hands over his face. Hopefully this would be a step in the right direction.

The twinkling lights of the city stretched as far as the eye could see. Ethan stared out his office window while he waited for his sister. The morning’s conversation with Sarah replayed through his mind.

He turned when Wren knocked on the doorframe. Pretty in fitted black slacks and a white scoop neck blouse, she smiled. “Sorry I’m late. I stopped off for sustenance.” She held up a large brown bag covered in grease spots. The scent of grilled meat and fried onions filled the air.

Touched that she remembered his favorite comfort food, Ethan walked forward and pulled her into a hug. “You brought us burgers from Malcom’s. I can’t remember the last time I had one.”

“You sounded like you needed one.” Easing back, she stared into his eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Let’s sit down first.”

They sat at the conference table overlooking the city and Ethan pulled massive cheeseburgers and two large boxes of golden, battered onion rings from the bag.

“God, this is great. Thanks.”

Brows furrowed, Wren took his hand. “You’re really worrying me, Ethan.”

Ethan stared into eyes the mirror image of his own and blew out a breath. “Sarah’s pregnant.”

Brows drawn together, winged up in surprise. “Wow. I didn’t know she was seeing anyone.”

“The baby’s mine, Wren.”

The onion ring she picked up fell back into the box. “You and Sarah?”

He stood again, restless, pacing. “Yes, me and Sarah. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing. Nothing. I’m just a little surprised—a lot, actually. You two’ve always been so close. I didn’t know there was more there than friendship.”

“There wasn’t, until recently. About nine months ago, things started to change—for me anyway. One night we took Kylee out for pizza. The waitress said we had a beautiful daughter. That wasn’t such a big deal; people make comments like that all the time. We always laugh it off. It’s a pretty natural assumption—man, woman, child, sitting at a table together, equals a family out for dinner.”

“Okay.” Wren made a ‘go ahead’ motion with her hand.

“Anyway, the pizza comes out and Sarah grabs a slice after cutting one up for Kylee. She bites in and this massive string of mozzarella droops down as she pulls the slice farther and farther away. She started to giggle when it stuck to her chin. I pulled the cheese from her chin, plopped it in my mouth, and she grinned at me. I’d never seen anyone so beautiful. I don’t know what the hell happened, but she just about knocked me out of my fucking chair. All of a sudden, I’m looking at Sarah, one of my best pals, and I’m not thinking of her like a friend.”

He turned back to the window, staring out. “I thought it would go away. I tried to keep my distance, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I started wondering what it would be like if things were different. So, the night of Morgan and Hunter’s wedding, we get into this fight and I kiss her. Things grew from there.”

Wren’s hand pressed against his shoulder and he turned. “You’re in love with her.”

“I’m so far past in love with her, and she doesn’t believe me.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. How can she not look at you and see it? She knows you as well as I do.”

“Because I fucked everything up—again!” He all but vibrated with frustration. “After I finally convinced her we should give being more than friends a try, I started getting twitchy. All of these what-ifs popped into my head. ‘What if I mess it up?’ ‘What if I let her down?’”

He met Wren’s gaze, still haunted by the question that continued to eat at him. “What if I’m like mom and dad?”

Her eyes filled with sympathy and she stepped closer, taking his hand, squeezing. “You are
nothing
like our parents, Ethan, in any way. Neither of us is. When we were kids, I used to get pretty upset that Mom and Dad weren’t like Jake’s parents or Hunter’s mom. I just wanted them to pay attention to us, even a little bit, but now that we’re older, I look back and thank God they left us alone. We were so lucky to have Ms. Willa all those years.”

Ethan thought of their childhood nanny and smiled. “Yeah, we really were.”

“I know I tease you about Mom and Dad, but that’s only because I don’t think I’ve ever met two people more ridiculous in all my life, and that’s saying something in this crazy town we work in.”

He chuckled.

“You’re a good man, Ethan, the best I know. Sarah will come around. She’s a smart woman. Now, let’s eat and you can tell me about my new niece or nephew.”

And just like that, his world settled. Ethan followed Wren back to the table, sat down next to her. “Your niece or nephew is ten weeks old. He or she is the size of a strawberry and is looking less like an alien every day. I kept the book I bought when Sarah was pregnant with Kylee.”

Grinning, Wren bit into an onion ring. “Aw, I bet he or she is the cutest little alien on the planet. I can’t believe this. You’re going to be a daddy, Ethan.”

“I can hardly believe it myself. This is where you come in. I need your help, oh, master decorator.”

“What can I do?”

He swallowed a bite of burger. “I want to surprise Sarah with two rooms for the kids; something special for Kylee and a nursery for the baby. I also need to make good on a promise I forgot about until recently. Kylee needs a kickass swing set for the yard.”

“I can help you with all of this.”

“I need it done as soon as possible.”

“It’s going to cost you.”

“Good thing I’m a wealthy man. I want the best. It has to be the best for them.”

“Leave it to me, brother. Luckily, I know Sarah well enough to know just what she’ll like. I’ll be by to take measurements Monday morning.”

“We’ll leave for meetings with Lisa at eight. Oh, and let’s keep this quiet. We haven’t told anyone yet.”

The stage was finally set. It was time to begin. Zeke pulled a blue topaz earring from his pocket and snickered. The poor fucker wasn’t even going to know what hit him.

He glanced over his shoulder as he walked through the shadows until he got to the car of the man he’d been watching. He shoved a wedge in the door, slid a piece of metal through the small opening, released the lock. This was too easy! He popped the trunk next, pulled back the lip of the carpet, dropped the earring with his gloved fingers.

Stifling his laughter, he grabbed a baggie from the pocket of his black hoodie, pulled one strand of blonde hair from the plastic at a time, scattering them about, making sure they stuck to the carpet fibers. He tossed in the taser, box of condoms, and wire next. Oh, he couldn’t
wait
to watch this unfold.

He stared down at his treasures one last time, closed the trunk, stuck his middle finger up at the darkened windows of the bastard’s house, took out a pre-paid cell phone. He moved further into the shadows and dialed 9-1-1.

“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”

He deepened his voice and spoke. “I’ve got a tip on the ‘Blue Chip Rapist’.” Zeke grinned, all but giddy. He
loved
his title. It felt so fucking good to say it out loud.

“Can I have your name please?”

“He lives at 2579 Riker Street, Santa Monica.” He hung up as he snorted out a laugh.

Heart pounding with the thrill of it all, Zeke waited in the bushes until the wail of sirens got closer. Chuckling, he ran in the opposite direction, settled in his driver’s seat and drove away. Tomorrow was bound to be a spectacular day.

Chapter 23

I
N A PANIC, SARAH TORE through her clothes hanging in Ethan’s closet. It was after midnight and she had nothing to wear to her meeting in the morning. Out of nowhere, her belly had grown just enough to make buttoning and zipping her tailored slacks impossible.

She snagged a pale purple sundress from a hanger, hurried to the bathroom. Sarah pulled her tank top over her head, replaced it with the dress. She stared in the mirror, huffing out a breath. Her breasts, which had also increased in size, bulged dangerously against the fabric, making her look like a centerfold. “This isn’t going to work.”

Frustrated, she yanked the dress back off and studied her changing body. She and Ethan would have to stop by her house tomorrow and find her box of maternity clothes. When she’d packed everything up so long ago, she never thought she would need it again, but she hadn’t been able to give it away. It was a link to Jake. Now she was happy she’d kept it.

She walked back to the dim bedroom, moved into the closet once more, hoping that by some miracle she could find something that would work until tomorrow afternoon.

Ethan popped his head through the crack in the door. “Sarah, are you okay?”

She tried fruitlessly to cover her skimpy panties and bra. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Despite the fact that she was scantily clad, Ethan walked in and closed the door. Dressed in his boxers, his brow rose as he scanned the room. “What the hell have you been doing in here? It looks like a bomb went off.”

Glancing around at the pants, tops, and dresses scattered about, she sniffled. “My clothes don’t fit anymore.” Horrified she was becoming emotional over something so silly, she turned for the bathroom. Grabbing a tissue, she blew her nose.

Ethan stood in front of her, brushing his hands down her arms while he smiled. “Go ahead and have your jag, Sarah. You had them with Kylee too.”

She plucked up another tissue, dabbed at her eyes. “I’m not having a jag. I’m trying to figure out what I’m supposed to wear to my meeting with Lisa tomorrow. All of a sudden, nothing fits. It took months to show with Kylee, now look at me.”

Is this really coming out of my mouth?

She closed her eyes on a wave of disgust. “Okay, I’m having a jag. I’m sorry.”

Ethan continued to move his hands along her arms, sending her pulse racing.

“You don’t have to apologize to me.” He took a step back, his gaze tracking down her body and back up before he met her eyes. “You’re absolutely amazing.”

Self-conscious, she turned, grabbing for her robe on the back of the door.

Ethan took hold of her hand, stopping her. “Wait a minute.” He turned her again until her profile reflected in the mirror, his muscled form moving forward. “Look at your belly, Sarah. You actually have a little bump.” When he rested his big hand against her, covering the small curve, she watched his eyes fill with wonder and her resolve to keep her distance began to crumble.