Forever Wishes (Montana Brides Book 4) (26 page)

Erin blushed. “You’re the joy of my life, too.”

With a soft kiss, he placed a glass of orange juice on the bedside table. “Is your fridge normally this well stocked or did you have ulterior motives last night?”

Erin laughed. “No ulterior motives. I’m sad to say it doesn’t normally look that good. Emily and Nicky are coming over for breakfast tomorrow morning, before the hair and makeup experts arrive. I thought I’d better get in some food in case they want a cooked breakfast before the wedding.”
 

“And here I was thinking you’d planned a night of seduction.”

“Nope. Last night had been all about spontaneous combustion.”
 

Jake’s eyes glittered. Color rushed to her face as she recalled just how spontaneous they’d been.
 

The plate of hot food in Jake’s hands hit the top of the bedside table with a clatter. Clearing his throat, he said, “So, what did you have planned for the rest of the day?”

She fluttered her eyelashes.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” he grinned.
 

“I’m kidding. For now.”

“You get my hopes up and then squash them to a pulp. I’d already arranged to take the day off work, so why don’t we have a lazy day around the house?”

“If only,” she sighed. “Nicky’s relatives are descending on my place for a potluck lunch. I need to clean the house and get ready for the masses.”

“I knew you wanted my body for more than hot sex.”

“That too.” She bit her bottom lip, not quite sure how to tell him what she needed to say. “Umm…there’s something else I want to talk about.”
 

Jake raised his eyebrows and sat on the edge of the bed.

She swallowed, trying to focus her brain. She’d stayed awake long after he’d fallen asleep. She’d made lists, lots of lists, trying to work out what to do about their baby contract. And she had an answer she knew would be best for both of them.
 

The only problem was that she didn’t know how Jake would react to her news. “I’ve been thinking about the baby contract idea. I’m pulling out of the deal.”

Jake’s skin turned grey. “What do you mean?”

“Not us.” She squeezed his hand. “Just the baby part.”

He took a deep breath. “Why? I thought you wanted children?”

“No. What I really want is a family. I want my child to have a mom and a dad that love each other, and love them. I don’t want to do this on my own. A lot of women don’t have a choice and make great moms. But I’ve got a choice, and I’m not going there. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if it’s meant to be, it will happen. If not, then I might have to follow in Emily’s footsteps and get a puppy.”
 

Erin wanted Jake in her life for the long haul. She knew he didn’t want children. Twisting his arm into giving her what she wanted could eventually spell the end of their relationship. And that was something she wasn’t prepared to gamble away for the sake of a teething ring and a clothesline full of diapers.
 

Jake rubbed the top of her hand. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Positive. But here’s my question for you. Do you still want to be a part of my life?”

His eyes glowed as blue as a summer sky. The emotion in his gaze brought tears to her eyes. “I care about you, Erin. More than when we first started talking about the baby contract.” He kissed her fingers, then held her hand over his heart. “I’d be lying to you if I said I haven’t had doubts about being a father, but I want you to be happy. And if sharing my DNA with you would do that, then that’s what I want to do. I’d like to be a part of your life, whether we have babies together or not.”

 
She smiled. “That’s good, because I want to be a part of your life, too. But not if it means creating a child you never wanted. I can’t do that to you, or any child we might have.” She took a deep breath and shooed him away. “Now go and get yourself a plate of delicious food and come back here for breakfast. We’ve got a serious amount of housework ahead of us and you’ll need every ounce of energy you can get.”

By noon, Erin’s house was bursting at the seams with laughing, hugging, and back-slapping family and friends. Most of them hadn’t caught up with each other since the last family wedding a year earlier.

Jake made sure a constant flow of cold drinks headed out of the kitchen and Erin coordinated tables of salads and cold lunch dishes.

As soon as Sam announced lunch was ready, a mini-tornado of kids zoomed toward the food tables. The first wave of chaos descended when parents tried to get their toddlers to choose more than one chip for lunch.
 
A couple of the older kids tried to see how much meat they could pile on their plates without anything green in sight.
 

Jake laughed, watching one creative kid stack his plate with extreme care, trying to make one piece of lettuce look like a mountain. He could have taught Ethan a thing or two about the art of deception.

His gaze swung around the yard. He spotted Erin, sitting on the grass holding a toddler in her arms. She chatted with another woman who was bottle feeding a baby. A man came over and put a plate of food in front of the toddler, returning to the tables for more food.

Erin looked happy. He swallowed and imagined her cradling her own child the same way.
 

“Jake, go and have some lunch. Everything’s on the table and ready to go.” Nicky stood beside him, following the direction of his gaze. “That’s my cousin Diana and her daughter Sarah.”

Sarah planted a squishy kiss on Erin’s cheek, smearing vegemite fingers all across her face. Leaning forward, Erin blew a raspberry kiss on the toddler’s arm. A squeal of delight filled the air.

He didn’t say a word.
 

“You know, this probably isn’t a conversation you want to be having with me, but I’m going to say it anyway.” Nicky stared across the backyard at her friend. “All her life, Erin’s wanted to marry an amazing man and have children. I don’t know how you feel about marriage or children, but if she’s willing to do without either dream, then just imagine how important you must be in her life.”

He looked down at Nicky. She gently rubbed the side of her stomach, keeping her eye on Erin.
 

He knew how much Erin was giving up for him. Knew how much she might regret her decision. And he also knew he had some serious thinking to do.

Erin leaned back with a hot chocolate in her hands and sighed. The house was quiet. Sublimely quiet. Not one child was having a tantrum, and no adults were wandering around looking for the bathroom or the kitchen. Complete and utter bliss reigned supreme.

Jake nudged her foot with his. “So, Miss Socialite extraordinaire. That was an impressive lunch.”

She grinned, trying to imagine how forty people had squeezed into her home. “It was the least I could do. Sam’s banned everyone from going near the ranch. Nicky’s dying to see what he’s been up to, but he’s being extra secretive. Are you sure you don’t know what’s going on?”
 

He grunted. “What time are Nicky and Emily arriving here tomorrow?”

Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift. “Eight o’clock. The hairdresser arrives at nine thirty, and makeup arrives at ten fifteen.” She grinned at him. “I’m sure Stephanie could fit you in for a blow-wave and an eyebrow wax before the big event.”

He patted his face protectively. “There’s nothing wrong with my eyebrows. I think I’ll keep away from you lot until my scheduled pickup time. Sam and the guys are giving me a hand to decorate the bridal car. As long as you’re all ready to go, we’ll head toward the church just after eleven.”

With a smile in her voice, Erin said, “Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks for your help today.”

“No problem.” He swallowed the last of his drink. “It’s about time I left you to your beauty sleep. But before I go, show me which rooms we’ll be painting next weekend.”

Erin reluctantly let him pull her to her feet. “I thought we could start with the smallest room first.” She led him across the hallway into the spare bedroom. “I’ve stripped the wallpaper and sanded the walls. It’s just a matter of sealing them and then we’re all set to go with the top coat of paint.” She picked a color chart off some boxes, piled in the corner. “What do you think? It’s not too yellow is it?”

He looked down at the sample and held it up to the wall. “A stunning shade of cream if ever I saw one.”
 

Erin rolled her eyes. She watched with pride as he ran his hand along the walls. From past experience she knew if she skimped on getting the prep work right, the finished product looked awful.
 

Jake frowned as he moved closer to the stack of boxes in the corner.
 

Following him with her eyes, she held her breath. She’d left the boxes in the room a couple of nights ago. She didn’t think anyone would see them before she dropped them off at Nicky and Sam’s home.
 

Jake paid extra attention to the labels. “000-00 and 00-1. Don’t tell me you’ve got explosives stored in here?”

Looking across at him, she felt her blood rush to her feet. “They’re just some things for Nicky. I’m taking them around to her place after the wedding.” She crossed her fingers, hoping he’d move on and not notice the catch in her voice.
 

Fat chance.
 

Piercing blue eyes caught her in a stare that stripped her nerves raw. Wiping sweaty palms on the legs of her jeans, she waited to see what he’d do next.

“Erin Reynolds. I do believe you’ve just told me the biggest fib of your sweet life.” He waited patiently.
 

She squirmed under his stare. The last time a man she loved saw those clothes he’d bolted out the door before she’d had time to put the lid back on. God knew what reaction she’d get from Jake, especially after telling him she didn’t want to have a child with him.
 

Squaring her shoulders, she jutted her chin out, daring him to mess with her. “Fine. I’ll show you.”
 

She grabbed the top box, tearing the lid off. Her breath caught as she gazed down at the clothes inside. She carefully held up the precious cargo. A tiny knitted cardigan and matching booties sat in the palm of her hand.
 

“Four zeroes. Suitable for a newborn.” Reaching into the box, she pulled out a yellow outfit with rabbits sewn on the front. “Velour jumpsuit, also newborn.” Digging further into the box, she pulled out a white shawl. It was so fine it looked like a spider had woven each thread. “Mohair wrap. Suitable for all ages.”

Moving closer to her, Jake looked down. The open box was full of baby outfits. Most of them still had their price tags attached. “I take it you haven’t been out shopping in the last few days?”
 

She put the clothes back in the box and looked up. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, holding on for dear life. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she gazed at him, waiting for him to do or say something. For someone that relied on a keen sense of observation and quick intelligence to get him through each day, he was pretty slow on the uptake.
 

He frowned at the boxes. Finally, a glimmer of understanding replaced the confused look on his face. “Are you lending them to Nicky?”

She shook her head. No. She wasn’t lending her the clothes, not now. They were for Nicky to keep. Jake stared at her like she was a specimen under a microscope. She didn’t know whether she’d be quarantined with the bubonic plague or treated more kindly like a flu vaccine.

Taking another look inside the boxes, he pulled out a fluffy pink coat. It looked like it belonged on a doll and not a tiny human. His fingers absently stroked the fur as he looked across at her. “Nicky must be thrilled that you’re giving these clothes to her.”
 

Erin swallowed. She followed his hands with her eyes as he put the pink jacket back in the box. “She doesn’t know. I thought I’d surprise her.”

He nodded. “How long have you been collecting them?”

“About three years.”
 

He didn’t say anything, just stared at her with the same serious expression on his face. “Why are you giving them to Nicky?”
 

 
“I thought she might as well get some use out of them. I won’t be needing them anytime soon.”