She sighed and put a hand to her stomach. “Well, I guess I need to go meet everyone else before I do anything more serious to stop this craziness.”
She started forward toward the group of fighting, yelling people.
“Carrie, no. You might get hurt,” Michael said, rushing after her.
Shane burst out laughing. “Welcome to family, Carrie,” he called out.
Michael turned around and gave his brother the bird.
Shane looked at Luke, who was still smiling. “Does your older brother treat you that way?”
“All the time,” Luke asked. “He kept flirting with your mother when we were dating, so I had to pound on him to keep him away from her.”
“Wow. My fifty-two-year-old mother had two young men fighting over her,” Shane said. “I’m going to be a rich man after I finish my book.”
“You’re going to want an attorney to read the contracts,” Luke advised. “Good thing you have one in the family.”
Shane laughed and turned his attention back just as Carrie let out a loud yell and clapped her hands really loudly. Now he and Luke were riveted.
On her way, Carrie had spied the marble bust sitting a table. It was the most marvelous thing she’d ever seen. It was also obvious who had been the model.
“Hi. I’m Carrie. Do you want to meet me now or after the police are called to break up this domestic disturbance?” she asked, trying to be as imposing as she could be.
Jessica turned her furious gaze on the pale, weaving woman who looked like a hard wind would knock her down. “Honey, you look like you’re going to faint any second.”
“That would better than listening to you all fight all night,” Carrie said in reply.
Jessica laughed and walked to the woman. “Jessica Daniels. I can already see why Michael likes you,” she said, sticking out her hand to shake.
“You’re the bust woman,” Carrie said, looking up and studying Jessica’s face as she shook hands.
“I’m the what?” Jessica asked, laughing.
Carrie pointed off to the side. “That’s you, isn’t it?”
Jessica looked in the direction she pointed and her jaw dropped. Like a woman in a trance, she walked over to the bust to reach a hand out.
“
That’s what I kept trying to tell you
,” Ellen said to Jessica, exasperation and more in her tone. “You’re every bit as stubborn as Will. God help you both because you’re going to need it.”
Ellen walked to the pale brunette who was the same height she was. “Hi. I’m Michael’s mother. I hardly ever fight, but it’s been a really interesting month for me. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m going in to finish getting dinner ready now.” She turned back to Jessica. “I was just hugging Will to wish him luck on getting you back, you hellish-fire-breathing-dragon-witch.”
“Name calling? Oh, that’s very mature, Ellen,” Jessica said, but then she started laughing as she finally heard the type of angry exchange the others must have been hearing all along.
“Yes. Well, you seem to inspire everyone in this family one way or another. I was going to thank you for saving my marriage, but go to hell first,” Ellen said, laughing herself. “I’ll thank you later.”
“Fine. I’m glad it worked out for you,” Jessica said, tears of embarrassment finally starting to flow. “I hate being an idiot.”
“Well, don’t cry about it,” Ellen said briskly. Then she looked at Will and pointed her finger. “Well, don’t just stand there with your mouth open like a gaping fish. Make up with her William, and then make her stay for dinner. How else are we going to work on being friends?”
Michael stepped up and hooked an arm around Carrie. “Easy there, General Addison. You’re as white as a sheet. Let’s go find you a chair.” He scooped her up into his arms. “Good job though. You actually did break up the fight. We might get that quiet dinner after all.”
“The medicine makes me sleepy, but I think I’m hungry,” Carrie said, smiling weakly into Michael’s face. “You have a crazy family. I thought mine was bad.”
“Sorry. You can add limited exposure to them in the agreement if you want. They will all be leaving later. I promise,” he said, walking away with her. Then he stopped and turned around. “Dad. You going to be okay?”
Will was watching Jessica cry and touch her own face in marble. “Yes. I—give us a few minutes and we’ll be inside.”
“Take your time,” Michael said. “Carrie has to eat though. We don’t want the medicine to wear off before she does.”
“You don’t have to worry so much about me, Michael,” Carrie scolded. “I’m fine.”
“Absolutely,” he said, carrying her through the door Shane was holding open as wide as possible. “You’re absolutely the finest woman I know.”
***
When the courtyard had emptied except for the two of them, Will walked over to stand next to Jessica.
“I can’t believe I was ready to fight the woman over her hugging you,” she said, sniffling. “You must be embarrassed to death.”
Will ran a hand over his head, smiled, and decided complete honesty was the only choice.
“I liked the screaming and yelling a lot better than your logical reaction to her waiting for me in the bedroom a few weeks ago. Being a man, and still stupid with it even at my age, I have to admit it was kind of hot to know my girlfriend would fight my ex-wife over me,” he said, rubbing his face. “Even if there was
absolutely no reason
. Ever. Not even if we don’t work out, which we will, because you are all I can think about.”
Jessica sniffed. “So you say.”
Will reached out and touched the face of the bust he’d made of her. “My one predominant thought is how to get you to look like this for me again. I can’t bear the idea that being with me has changed you to the point you can’t be yourself or be happy. When you stop kissing ninety-year-old men, something’s not right in Jessica Daniels’ world.
“Does Melanie tell you everything?” Jessica asked, laughing.
“Well, I tip her with money instead of condoms. That helps. But I think I also remind her of her Dad. She feels sorry for me a lot,” Will said. “Can I hug you now, or you still in the mood to kick someone’s ass?”
Jessica turned and lifted her arms so Will could walk into them. He scooped her up so hard that she almost couldn’t breathe.
“I missed you so much,” he told her.
“I missed you too,” Jessica told him. “But I had to get over being mad and say goodbye to the other guy.”
“What other guy?” Will asked carefully, drawing back and looking at her. “Are you dating again?”
“No. I had to say goodbye to Nathan,” Jessica said softly. “I told him I loved you and wanted to marry you. He seemed to understand.”
“Well, I’m glad Nathan took it so well,” Will said, not sure his legs were going to hold him up. She loved him. He squeezed her tightly. She was going to marry him. “How about Mr. Beaumont?”
“William,” Jessica said, using her best teacher voice, “there are just some men that a woman can’t give up. You’re going to have to learn to share me more or our marriage is never going to work out.”
Will pretended to give that some consideration as he ran a hand up her spine until it tangled in her hair. He touched his forehead to hers.
“I guess I can be content with being the favorite,” Will told her, “but if the math teacher comes back around again, I’m seriously going to kick his ass. You lifted the bar on that this afternoon when you chased Ellen around me. Did I tell you that was totally hot?”
Jessica lifted a hand and smacked Will lightly in the back of his head, making him laugh even when he called out in pain.
“Don’t even get me started on math teachers. You married one yourself—yet another thing you never told me even though I heard about Adam a hundred times,” Jessica complained.
“I wanted you to like me for my art, for being an artist. I wanted to be with someone who loved me more than a math teacher ever could. I never meant to not tell you. I just never thought about the past when I was with you,” Will explained. He kissed the corner of her eye, the edge of her mouth, and down her neck until her heart beat strongly under her lips. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever known. I’ve not been sure of anything since I met you.”
“You can be sure of what I feel about you. I’ve belonged to you since the first time you put your hands on me,” Jessica said hoarsely. “Marry me, Will. Drive me crazy for the rest of my life. You’re the last man I’m ever going to make that offer to.”
Will thought being happy felt a lot like being drunk. “Well, since you asked so nicely—yes, I’ll marry you,” he told Jessica, meaning every word. “I’m ready for a new name anyway. William Daniels. I like the sound of it.”
“It will never work. You’ll just be a crazy Larson underneath, so we might as well use your name,” Jessica told him, laughing. “I was tired of being a Daniels anyway. Thirty years is long enough.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” Will said seriously, thrilled to know she was truly ready to let Nathan Daniels go. “Jessica Larson. Sounds like a good name for a vagina artist.”
“No, no more vaginas. Your lovemaking has inspired me to try something new. I’m making breast art now. I’m planning to sell it to women’s hospitals and birthing centers,” Jessica said, laughing again at the pride and understanding she saw in Will’s gaze.
“I can’t wait to check out the source of your inspiration. Have the
girls
missed me as much as I have them?” Will asked, laughing.
“Yes,” Jessica said emphatically. “We’ve all missed you. They think we should buy a house together so we never have to be apart again. It needs to have a place for you to carve and another where I can work in clay.”
Will lifted and spun her as they kissed to seal their agreement. When they stopped spinning, it was to see the crowd assembled at the patio door laughing and clapping.
### ### ###
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:
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~ Donna McDonald
KEEP READING in this ebook to read an excerpt
from “Created In Fire”, Book Two of
the
Art of Love
series.
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EXCERPT from Chapter 1 of
Created In Fire
It wasn’t the first time Michael Larson had awakened in a strange bed early on a Saturday morning, but it was the first time the strange bed was one in his own house.
He listened for a moment to a silence that was broken periodically by the sound of the master bath toilet being flushed. It took only a few seconds of total consciousness to know the sounds meant that Carrie Addison, the mother of his future child, was sick again.
Jumping from the bed, Michael tugged sweat pants on to cover most of his nudity before bolting to check on her. Tapping lightly, he opened the bedroom door a crack and saw no one in the bed.
“Carrie?” he called softly. Hearing no answer, Michael walked quietly inside and across the length of the room to tap lightly on the mostly closed bathroom door. What he heard on the other side of it made his own stomach clench in sympathy.
Michael opened the door gently, calling her name again just as she was flushing the toilet yet another time.
“I’m mostly okay,” Carrie told him sadly, not the least surprised to see Michael with all the noise she was making. “I think the worst is over now.”
Glancing up at his face and seeing pity there brought stinging hot tears of regret to her eyes. She rolled off a handful of toilet tissue and used it to wipe them away. “Being sick is not nearly as bad as feeling sorry for myself. I’m never this wimpy. I hate the constant crying as much as throwing up. I hope the crying stuff doesn’t last the whole pregnancy.”
Michael walked around where Carrie sat on the floor to get to the sink. Reaching over to a shelf to snag a washcloth, he quickly ran cold water until it was as frigid as possible before wetting the cloth and folding it. Bending over to Carrie, he wrapped it around the back of her neck.