Someone Like You (35 page)

“You winced.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You did it again.” He placed the flat of his hand against her belly. “Was that a contraction?”

“I told you it was a twinge,” she said. “Nothing to worry about.”

“You’re two days away from your due date.”

“You’re the one who said I’d probably be late, William.”

“You’re in pain.”

“I’m not in pain. It just felt strange.”

“Strange in what way?”

“I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s probably nothing more than Braxton-Hicks.”

“Again?”

“William, if you’re going to drive me crazy, you might as well go to work. I’ll phone you if I need you.”

“I’m working from home today.”

She tried to focus her attention away from the odd twisting sensation in her belly. “On Doyle business?”

“Mark wants me to set up foundations for the grandchildren.”

“He doesn’t have to do that. We’re fine.”

“He wants to do it.”

“I understand that but it isn’t necessary. He’s taking care of Mimi. That’s enough.”

Joely leveraged herself from the bed and walked slowly toward the window that overlooked the garden where Annabelle and Louis were playing. The offers had been pouring in for a year now, ever since Mimi’s stroke and Mark’s reappearance. The Doyles were suddenly on everyone’s radar screen. A CD of their first album shot to the top of the charts and opened up a world of possibilities. Mark had signed a book deal and there was even talk of a movie.

Cat’s Michael was helping Mark navigate the dangerous waters of Hollywood, while William kept a sharp eye on Mark’s finances. To be fair, money never had meant much to their father. Neither its presence nor its absence seemed to influence the way he lived. For all of his faults—and they were legion—he was the least materialistic person she had ever known.

It was an odd thing getting to know your father for the first time. In his own way, he was as mercurial as Mimi, but he knew how to channel his emotions into the creative process. Songs had been pouring out of him in record number, mournful love songs based on medieval lore, bouncy children’s tunes born of Revolutionary War-era folk songs—it was as if he couldn’t stem the flow, as if he had to capture it all right now, this minute, while there was still time.

Mark and Zach had become friends but Zach remained in awe of his hero. It was comical to see a millionaire businessman, one who owned a vineyard and a private plane, in thrall to a man who lived in faded jeans and worn work shirts, but that was the case. Zach was helping Mark catalog the astonishing collection of notes and tapes he’d amassed on the history of American music with an eye toward donating the originals to the Smithsonian.

The Doyles were flawed individuals, but together they were still pure magic.

The most surprising fact of all, however, was that Mark hadn’t left Mimi’s side once since his return. He had taken over responsibility for her care and seemed grateful for the opportunity. She and Cat had spent many hours on the phone trying to figure out exactly what it all meant, but somehow they always reached the same conclusion.

He loved her. Not in a way either Joely or Cat understood, but it was love just the same, and it was making Mimi’s last days happier than most of the years that had come before.

That turned out to be true for both her and Cat as well. They had answers now to questions that had haunted them for years and while the answers weren’t Hallmark-perfect, they were finally able to put the past aside and embrace the future.

“Oh!” She clutched her belly as a spasm rippled through her. “Now that was more than a twinge.”

William was at her side in an instant. “Shall I ring the doctor?”

“Not yet,” she said, focusing on the way the sunlight sparkled in Annabelle’s hair as she played in the garden. “It’s still early days.”

“The doctor said it could be any time.”

“William, I promise you I’ll—”

“You’re not breathing.”

“I couldn’t breathe,” she said when the pain subsided.

“Another twinge?”

She met his eyes. “I think this one was a contraction.”

William’s English reserve vanished as a big, wide, hundred-watt smile lit up his serious face. He bent down and kissed her soundly. “I’ll phone the doctor.”

“Brilliant,” she said. Calling the doctor would make William feel he had things under control, but Joely knew better.

Doctors were important to a woman in labor but not half as important as her big sister.

“You were right,” she said when Cat picked up the phone. “It’s time.”

“Our bags are packed and we’re on our way,” Cat said.

“Hurry!” Joely urged. “William thinks we have plenty of time but I have a feeling our boy is ready to meet his parents.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there before my nephew makes his appearance.”

“Promise?”

“I’ll be there in time, honey,” Cat said. “I promise.”

And wouldn’t you know it?

Her big sister was as good as her word.