Do Me Baby (The Beaumont Series) (18 page)

Men
. She shook her head as she walked across the stone pavers to the picnic area.

“Debbie, I wouldn’t do it if I was you,” Bianca warned, and the other women also added their two cents.

“I agree,” Danica replied.

“You’re gonna regret it,” Brenna shook her head.

“Deb, you’ll never hear the end of it,” Sheyna cried.

She smiled over at the beautiful chocolate beauty. Sheyna was married to Jace, the oldest of the Beaumont brothers. She was also an executive at the Beaumont Corporation.

“Don’t pay them any attention,” London replied as he stepped outside carrying a roasting pan. “Unlike those bums, my ribs are already done and have been basting in sauce in the oven for the last two hours.”

“Oh, please,” Jabarie said with a dismissive wave. “Debra, come over here and let me show you what
real
ribs taste like.”

Jace gave a rude snort and held out a rib. “Don’t pay them no mind.
This
is what ribs should look like.”

Smiling, she walked toward Jace, amazed to see him dressed comfortably in striped shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops. Debra took the baby back rib from between the pair of barbecue-size tongs and brought it to her lips. She chewed a long moment before saying, “Not bad.”

Jaden rumbled with laughter, sending his dreadlocks swinging. “You heard her. ‘Not bad.’ That translates to ‘try again!’”

“Whatever,” Jace mumbled. “I know my ribs are the bomb. Right, baby?” he said loud enough for his wife to hear.

“Oh, yes, sweetheart, they are the best!” Sheyna chimed with over-the-top enthusiasm, causing the other women to giggle.

Jaden laughed even louder.

“Nice try,” Jabarie chuckled as he reached over into a cooler and removed a frosty bottle.

“Debra, you might as well get it over with so you can join us over here,” Brenna said as she reached for the pitcher of iced tea. The caramel beauty was married to Jabarie and was the owner of the Cornerstone Bookstore, located right in the center of Main Street.

“I agree,” Danica said between sips.

Debra turned her head in time for Jaden to stick a rib under her nose.

“Go ahead… try it. And tell me that’s not the best.”

Danica looked curiously from Jabarie to London before accepting the rib and taking a bite. As soon as she tasted the sauce, she started fanning her mouth. “Oh, damn, it’s hot!’ she gasped and her eyes watered. There was no way he’d meant to add that much pepper.

Over her shoulder she heard Danica laughing as she came up behind her and delivered a glass of tea. “I had a feeling you were going to need this.”

Debra barely gave the beautiful woman a glance as she took the glass from her hand and swallowed half its contents.

“I guess that’s your answer,” Jace joked.

Jaden rolled his eyes. “I like it spicy.”

“Yep, but not everyone agrees,” Jabarie muttered, then took a long drink.

Bianca came shuffling over. “Now her mouth’s on fire, how’s she going to finish judging the cook-off?”

“Just give me a moment until my mouth cools,” Debra said, sucking on an ice cube.

“We already know who the winner will be. Me,” London said and pounded his chest.

Jace groaned. “Now who’s full of it? Everybody’s been eating my sauce for years.”

“No, we’ve just didn’t want to hurt your feelings, that’s all,” Jaden shot back as he came around from behind his grill.

“He’s right.” Jabarie added with a smirk. “Mother just didn’t want us to hurt your feelings. Didn’t you get the memo? I was always in the kitchen, adding my spices to the sauce when you weren’t looking.”

Jace managed a short laugh at that. “Whatever, dude.” He put his meat into an aluminum pan. “Debra, we’ll finish this in the kitchen.”

He turned and carried the meat into the house.

Jaden reached for his pan. “I better follow him before he tries to grab a bottle of sauce from the panty and add it to his dry meat.”

“I heard that,” Jace called over his shoulder.

While the men carried the ribs into the house, Debra followed Danica over to the pool and took a seat.

“I warned you it was competitive.”

Debra smiled warmly and took a drink of her tea. Her gaze moved over the four women. “I’ve been around Bianca long enough that I’m used to her brothers.”

Laughing, Bianca shook her head. “They are something else. Especially Jace.”

Sheyna sashayed over. “Yes, he’s the worst. He and I have been competing for years.” There was no missing the love beaming in her eyes. It was amazing how much the two still loved each other after all these years. “We’ve just found other ways to filter that energy.”

The ladies giggled.

Shaking her head, Danica said, “Sorry about the sauce. I should have warned you.”

Debra waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I was hungry.”

Brenna rose. “I guess we can finish this party inside. I’m ready to eat.”

“So am I,” Debra replied as she followed the ladies.

They went in and summoned their children from the game room. Everybody gathered in the sunroom. Sitting around the table, they ate ribs, hot dogs, corn, coleslaw, and London’s amazing baked beans.

Debra had taken a seat at the far end of the table, where she had a breathtaking view of the sandy beach a few feet away. Boats dotted the ocean, and there were people out on jet skis.

“Okay, Debra, what’s the verdict?” Bianca asked, breaking into her thoughts.

“Yes, whose ribs were the best?” London wanted to know.

Her gaze traveled around the table, where she found all eyes on her. “They were all good,” she replied, stalling for time, taking another bite of grilled corn just so she had an excuse not to answer.

London shook his head. “One’s got to be better than the other. C’mon Deb. I’m tryna school these bozos that when it comes to meat, it’s all about the seasoning.”

“True, which is why you need to stick to fish.” Jace’s comment granted him a few chuckles.

The men started bouncing insults off each other until Sheyna finally threw her hands in the air and shouted, “Enough! Debra, please pick a winner before these four drive me crazy.”

The other women agreed.

Her eyes traveled around the table before she finally replied, “Honestly, Jabarie’s was the best when it comes to sauce.”

He sprung from the chair and kept repeating. “Yeah! Yeah! What did I tell you?”

Jace gave him a dismissive wave.

“Whatever,” London mumbled and went back to eating.

Jace just looked at his wife and shook his head.

“You men are so competitive,” Brenna said with a grin. “I don’t know how your parents dealt with you.”

Bianca gave a rude snort. “Father was just as bad.”

“Who was just as bad?”

Debra looked up to find Roger Beaumont standing in the doorway, hugging his oldest granddaughter Arianna close to his side. The nine-year-old was the splitting image of her mother Brenna.

Bianca gave him an adoring look. “Father, I was telling the ladies how competitive it was growing up.”

“Oh, I can tell you some stories,” her father began with a chuckle, and then moved to take a seat at the end of the table next to Jace.

“Pops, remember that time you took us target shooting in the woods?” Jace asked between chews.

The devastatingly handsome elderly gentleman chuckled and took the liberty of explaining how they’d each shot the windows out of one of his old warehouses.

Debra had always admired Roger Beaumont, the man behind the Beaumont Hotels. He was a stern, no-nonsense kind of guy, but over the years he had softened, and now seemed to warm up to people without being pretentious, making it hard to believe the man was a millionaire.

Debra leaned back in the chair and watched the family, the way they were so close. She loved being around the Beaumonts. One man in particular.

She sighed. There was no point in wasting her time dreaming about something that was never going to happen. But no matter what, her baby was going to be a part of this family, surrounded by so much love. Knowing that caused her to smile.

“I hear you’re now the new owner of Kona Donuts,” Roger announced.

Goodness! Were there ever any secrets around town?

Debra nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“Good for you,” he said with sincerity.

It was still hard to believe. After all those years of hoping and praying, she was finally going to be on Main Street.

Bianca started dancing in her chair. “I’m so happy for her. Her business is really going to expand.”

She was grateful that Bianca had not said anything about Rance buying the space for her. That would really give the townspeople something to gossip about.

Jabarie rose. “Well, it’s almost time to go downstairs and watch the game.”

Debra looked over at Bianca. “Game?”

She met her intense stare. “Rance is playing tonight.”

Just the thought of seeing him, even if it was only on the television, had her heart racing like crazy.

“Sixers are playing the Knicks tonight. They’re about to get that behind spanked!” Jace howled.

“Traitor,” Jabarie muttered as he started clearing the table.

By the time the table had been cleared and the kids had all gone back to playing, the grownups had moved to the media room, where a projector screen covered the majority of the wall. There was theatre seating and even a popcorn and soda machine.

“You want something stronger to drink? Beer? A wine cooler?”

Debra immediately shook her head. “Oh, no, nothing like that. A bottle of water would be great.”

As soon as the game highlights began, her heart started pounding. And the second the camera captured Rance, her entire body heated and quivered. As she continued to watch him running up and down the court, she brought a protective hand to her stomach.

That man was the father of her unborn child.

“You okay?”

She looked over at the concerned look on Bianca’s face and nodded. “I’m fine. Why?”

“Because I swore I just heard you moan.”

She swatted her arm playfully, “Whatever.”

Bianca giggled and leaned over, and said low enough for her ears only, “You miss him, don’t you?”

There was no denying it. Her entire body craved him. “Very much.”

“Have you told him?”

Her head whipped around and for a second she thought Bianca was talking about the baby. “No. It’s the playoffs, and he doesn’t like distractions.”

“Is that what that idiot told you?” Bianca shook her head. “I don’t understand the men in this family.”

Neither did she. She wasn’t sure what he was going to say when he found out about her pregnancy. Either way, she was going to have to find a way to tell him.

 
*

Later that evening, Debra lay in bed staring at the ceiling and thinking about Rance and the baby growing inside her. She had an appointment with her obstetrician on Thursday to confirm what she already knew. Her heart clenched as she thought about her feelings for Rance.

“You got it bad,” she said aloud as she lay there preparing for another restless night. Memories of him crowded her brain, making her edgy and difficult to relax. She lay there a little longer before she finally reached for her phone. Rance had been calling her all afternoon and she had yet to return his call. She decided to send a text instead.

I saw you play tonite.

She had barely lowered her head to the pillow when her phone rang. She smiled when she glanced down to see his number flash across her screen.