Sisters in Bloom (Love in Bloom: Snow Sisters #2), Contemporary Romance (12 page)

Two hours after Danica left, Kaylie had eaten lunch and taken a catnap, and she already felt much better. She picked up a framed picture of her and her mother from Chaz’s desk and ran her finger over her mom’s face. She felt a tug in her heart and wished there were an easy way to make things better. She knew she was the one causing the complications, but she didn’t know what to do about it. Now, seeing her mother’s smiling face, she wanted to ask her about her baby things. Did she still have her receiving blankets? Baby clothes?
Maybe one day soon, I’ll be able to do that
.

She set the frame down, accepting that she just wasn’t ready to make
that
phone call yet. Kaylie skipped down her to-do list and called Alex first. He agreed to get the group together and meet her at noon the next day.

Feeling even more confident, she called Camille.

“Wow, I thought you dropped off the face of the earth,” Camille teased. “I’ve left you messages. Texted. You’re not a very good friend.”

“Yeah, I know. Quit your whining. Today’s been crazy.”

Camille’s tone softened. “Are you okay?”

There was nothing like having a girlfriend. Camille’s voice was like the hug she’d been needing. How did you tell one of your best friends—the newlywed who was living in shades of bliss at the moment—that you thought your fiancé was cheating, you felt unattractive, and you just wanted to lie down and die? The truth was, she could have told Camille all of that and Camille probably would have made her feel better; Danica had already lessened the burden of it, after all. But Kaylie had never been the whiner in the group, and she wasn’t going to tarnish her unrealistic happy Barbie reputation now.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I had so much fun with you guys. I started writing songs after everyone fell asleep.”

“Really? Kaylie, that’s great. It’s good to have something to fill your days.” Kaylie heard a longing in Camille’s voice.

“Are you okay, Camille? We were so focused on my career that we didn’t really catch up on you and Jeff.”

“Me? Fine, yeah, we’re perfect,” Camille said too quickly. “Have you heard from Chaz?”

Kaylie heard the same feigned smile she had on her face. “He’s going to Seattle for a few days. His partner’s sick.”

“Mm-hmm. And my baby?”

Kaylie touched her stomach and smiled. “You mean,
my
baby. It’s kicking me like a champ. I’m wondering if it’s a boy after all.” Kaylie thought again about her mother and her baby things. She wondered if her mother knew she was having girls when she was pregnant. She’d have to remember to ask her the next time she spoke to her.

“No, no, you have to have a girl,” Camille squealed. “We’ll bring her up like a little spoiled princess with chutzpah! She’ll be awesome.”

“Yeah, about that. You do know that I can’t control the sex of the baby, right?” Kaylie rolled her eyes, still glad that they had opted not to have more than one sonogram. With peer pressure, she might have given in and found out the baby’s gender.

“No shit, but I can hope.”

“Camille, I need a favor. I’m due in four weeks and we haven’t had a baby shower yet.” As selfish as she felt asking about it, she knew Camille would understand. A baby shower was like a rite of passage, and although she had a sneaking suspicion her sister and friends might have already been planning one, she didn’t want to take a chance that they’d forget and she’d be left without ever having the experience.

Camille didn’t respond.

“Camille?”

She remained silent.

“Oh no, I ruined it, didn’t I?” Kaylie covered her mouth. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit.”

“Did you really think we’d forget about your shower?” The hurt in Camille’s voice was palpable.

“I’m an idiot. I’m sorry. Does Danica know, because if she does, she hasn’t let on.”

“My mouth is zipped. You aren’t getting any info from me.”

“Can you tell me when it is? I’m—”

“Can you hear this? It’s me hanging up.” The phone line went dead.

Kaylie’s day went from bad to better. Now all she needed was to clear things up with Chaz. She left a message for him and another for Max. If she couldn’t reach Chaz, then maybe Max could. She went back to work on her songs, humming to herself and feeling like things weren’t so bleak after all.

An hour later, her heart jumped when Chaz’s office phone rang.
Chaz
. She ran to the phone from the living room and picked it up. “Hello?”

“Chaz Crew, please.” The woman’s fierce, sexy tone struck Kaylie’s curiosity.

“Uh, he’s out of town. May I take a message?”

“Ah, yes, please. Tell him Lea called and that Hawaii was everything I dreamt it might be.”

“Excuse me?” Kaylie thought she might pass out. Her legs weakened and she lowered herself into the leather chair.

“Yes, that’s right. Tell him I’ll be in touch.”

Kaylie’s confusion morphed to anger. “I’m sorry, who is this?”

“Lea Carmichael.” The phone went dead.
Lea Carmichael. Lea Carmichael
. The name ran though her mind, sounding worse and worse with each iteration.

She picked up the phone and dialed Chaz’s cell again, telling herself to calm down. Things weren’t always what they appear to be, she reminded herself.
It’s nothing. A client. A misunderstanding.
Chaz’s voicemail picked up, and she stared at the phone, unable to come up with the right words. She was afraid she’d cry more than she already had, accuse him, and generally ruin any chance they might have at a civilized conversation. She hung up the phone and stewed while Lea Carmichael coursed through her mind.

The next day, Danica stayed late at the youth center, working with Sally and Gage to iron out the budget for the next quarter. Danica had spent most of their time together watching Sally get flustered every time Gage spoke and thinking about how awful it would be to start over after the death of a spouse. The minute they’d left for the night, she called Blake. Even the thought of losing him was too much to bear. She had to hear his voice.

She was exhausted from her narrow escape with Kaylie’s relationship issues. If Kaylie hadn’t come around, she would have been stuck counseling her sister for the next year, helping her navigate life as a single parent. Sometimes, Kaylie’s insecurities took over, and while Danica was used to it, it was not something most men would understand for very long. She’d used the center’s event as a pick-me-up, and it had worked. She only hoped it lasted long enough for Chaz to come home so the two of them could work things out. She prayed that Kaylie would settle down after she gave birth. Did all mothers get a little crazy before their baby was born?

Oh, God. Mom
. Danica called her mother.

“Hi, honey,” she answered.

“Hi, Mom. Sorry I forgot to call you back. I’ve been busy with Kaylie.”

“How is she?”

Is that a man’s voice in the background?
“She’s fine.”
Definitely a man’s voice
.

Her mother giggled.

“Mom? Am I interrupting something?” Danica looked up at the ceiling.
Please don’t be in bed with him
.

“Oh, Patrick and I are with some friends, playing bridge.”

“Bridge? You play bridge?”

She laughed again. “I do now. Listen, honey, I’ve got to go. I’m glad Kaylie’s okay.”

Danica stared at the phone long after her mother hung up.
Bridge
? She dove into her work, and was surprised that an hour had passed when her cell phone vibrated. She read the text from Blake. “Open the door?”

She texted back, “What door?”

“Front door.”

Danica walked through the dark lobby to the entrance, where Blake stood holding a bag of Chinese takeout and two candlesticks. Danica pulled the doors open. “What’s all this?”

“I missed you.”

“I haven’t been here that long. Maybe an hour or so later than usual.” She laughed and took one of the bags from him.

“An hour, a week, what’s the difference? I wanted to be with you. Eating dinner alone is no fun at all.” He gave her a deep, sensuous kiss.

“Wow,” she said when he pulled away. “You did miss me.”

“With all this stuff going on between Kaylie and Chaz, I was just feeling thankful for what we have, and I never” —he kissed her again— “want to take you for granted.”

Danica’s lips met his. The taste of Blake, the feel of his hands on her body, transported her to some place far away from Kaylie’s drama. Her body felt light, her mind happy, and she tingled all over. They kissed their way over to the lobby couch, where Blake laid her down beneath him, then gently pressed his fully clothed body on top of her.

He moved her thick curls from her face and stared into her eyes. Danica was hungry for more. She lifted her mouth to meet his lips, and he leaned back, out of reach. “If you won’t move in with me, will you marry me?”

Danica laughed. “What?”

“I’m serious.” His dark eyes softened, and his voice was just above a whisper, a sexy, soothing admission. “I love you, Danica. I love your wild hair and your sense of humor. I love the way you make sure you have everything organized the night before for the next morning. I love the way you pour more cereal to finish the milk in the bottom of your bowl.”

Danica couldn’t believe her ears. They’d never even talked about getting married. Hell, she hadn’t even moved in with him yet—not officially, anyway.

“Baby.” He kissed her again—a toe-curling, gut-wrenching, deliciously warm kiss, leaving her unable to think straight. “I will never love anyone the way I love you. You are the snow on my mountain, the wax on my skis.”

“So romantic,” she joked, resting her head back down on the couch.
Oh my God! Oh my God!
She didn’t even know she wanted to hear the words, and when he said them—
marry me
—fireworks exploded in her head. Her heart screamed
Yes! Yes! Yes!
But her mind tethered her response to thoughts of Kaylie.

“Don’t you see? You’re everything to me. I adore you.” He looked at her expectantly. His smile faded with her silent gaze. Blake lifted himself off her. “Danica?”

Marry him? Marry him
. She blinked, then blinked again. Stunned didn’t begin to cover the feelings that made her heart race and her mind reel.
Married?
Her mind went to thoughts she hadn’t even realized she had—would they end up like her parents?

“I love you,” she whispered. It was all she could manage.

He smiled. “Good?”

The confusion on his face brought Danica back to the moment. Blake was everything she could possibly want in a husband. He was courteous, empathetic, strong, and protective without being overly jealous. Sex with Blake set her world on fire—hell, kissing him set her world on fire. So, why was she hesitating?

“Kaylie,” she said.
Oh, God! Did I say that out loud?

“What?” Blake sat up, and Danica sat next to him.

“I can’t get married unless I know Kaylie is okay.”

Blake clasped his hands together, leaning his elbows on his thighs. “What does Kaylie have to do with us getting married? I’m not asking Kaylie to marry me. I’m asking you. You, Danica. Just you. You and me, a life together, you know how that works.”

“Blake.” She turned to him and reached for his hand. “Kaylie’s life is in shambles. Can you imagine what would happen if I came to her and said I was engaged at the same time that she said they called off their engagement? She’d be devastated.”

“Okay, then we won’t tell her yet.”

Love shone in his eyes, his voice, and in the warmth of his hand. His heart was on his sleeve, there for the taking, and she had no intention of breaking it. She just wasn’t sure how to navigate her own happiness when Kaylie’s was so fragile, and when hers and Blake’s was on the line.

Kaylie practiced with the band for two days. The songs sounded great, and the band knew just what to do to enhance the melodies. It had been two days since she’d heard from Chaz, and she was beginning to think that Lea Carmichael might have been the owner of the sock after all, even though Danica had spent an hour the evening before convincing her otherwise. All of Danica’s comments made sense; Chaz had never given her reason to worry before. It could have been Max’s brush and sock, or someone else’s—it didn’t mean he’d actually cheat on her. She knew Chaz loved her to pieces, and he wanted their baby as much as she did. But she had been really moody before he left, and that look in his eye when he said they had to talk had been a little unnerving.
Why am I doing this to myself? He loves me!

She’d left messages for Chaz several times each day, and she’d finally given up. She wanted to believe that Danica was right. He was just busy. He’d come back and they’d figure it out, and their relationship would be just fine. But her heart broke a little more with each passing hour. She tried to take comfort knowing she was singing at the event in just a few days, and in her heart, she knew that no matter what came her way, she could handle it. But that didn’t change the fact that she wanted Chaz, the way they were, with no woman coming between them.

She climbed into her car after band practice and answered her ringing cell phone.

“Max?”

“I can’t talk long, but I wanted you to know that Chaz is miserable. He’d kill me if he knew I was calling you, but I can only imagine how hard this is for you, pregnant and all.”

“Have you seen him?” Kaylie was caught off guard. She had forgotten she’d called Max and now, her mind raced with a million questions. The pain she’d been ignoring came rushing back, overwhelming her. She put her hand on her stomach and breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm her speeding pulse.

“We’re in Seattle. We thought we’d only be gone one day, but Jansen’s really not well.”

“What happened?”

“We don’t know. He’s having some kind of heart issues. They’re talking about all sorts of crazy things.”

Kaylie took a deep breath and asked the question she’d been trying to forget. “Max, who is Lea Carmichael?”

Max didn’t answer.

“Oh, God. I knew it,” Kaylie said with a heavy heart.

“Kaylie, listen, it’s over with them. She’s just taking revenge or something, but don’t worry. Chaz will make it all go away.”

“Over?”

“Yes, it’s over.” She heard Max take a deep breath, then blow it out. “Kaylie, Chaz loves you. He’s just overwhelmed right now. But he loves you more than life itself.”

“But Lea—”

“He ended it with her in no uncertain terms.”

Ended it. That means there was something to end
.