Authors: Bella Andre
show, but she hadn’t seemed to care quite as much. Not, he
thought with a satisfied grin of remembrance, when she’d been
too overwhelmed with pleasure to do much thinking—or
worrying—at al before faling into an exhausted sleep in his
arms.
Yet again, he couldn’t keep his hands out of the dark silk
as he moved back to her bed and pressed his mouth to hers in a
good-morning kiss.
“Her name is Emma and he wants us to come meet her.”
Pleasure lit her face at the idea of seeing a new baby. Stil,
she asked, “Us?”
He knew better than to tel her that she was a special
request. “Come with me to meet my niece, Heather. Please.” He
would have wanted her there anyway, but now that Emma’s
birth and his father’s death were forever entwined, he needed
Heather there to keep him grounded.
She slid from his hands and the bed, beautifuly naked.
“Race you to the shower.”
He got under the water just behind her. He loved to wash
her hair, couldn’t get enough of her little gasps and moans of
her hair, couldn’t get enough of her little gasps and moans of
pleasure as he soaped her up and rinsed her off, but despite the
inevitable arousal that built from a few hot kisses neither of them
could resist giving and getting, they quickly rinsed off, toweled
off, and put on their clothes. Heather let the dogs out into his
backyard to take care of business while he poured food and
water into their bowls. She grabbed two bananas from the
kitchen counter and handed him one as they left the house.
* * *
house. It seemed to Heather that everyone inside was talking and
laughing at once and she clutched the teddy bear to her chest
that she’d purchased for the baby.
Showing up with Zach at his brother’s house first thing in
the morning was akin to wearing a T-shirt that said,
Yes, we’re
sleeping together
. Of course, she reminded herself, after drinks
at Lori’s house, they al knew that anyway.
It was just sex. Great sex with a friend. A really good
friend. But nothing more than that.
Heather had reminded herself of this so many times in the
past few days that it had become a mantra in her head. Only, it
was so hard to keep her guard up when Zach was so playful, so
easy to laugh with, so tempting to kiss. And on nights like last
night when he’d been nothing short of her knight in shining
armor...wel, she simply couldn’t get her head—or heart—
armor...wel, she simply couldn’t get her head—or heart—
around the confusing swirl of emotions he inspired.
Hour by hour, she felt him creeping in further and further,
past the thick, strong wals she’d built so many years before, and
she was powerless to stop it.
Fortunately, before she could feel weird about walking into
the middle of a Sulivan family celebration, Lori spotted her and
ran over with open arms.
“Yay, I’m so glad you’re here!”
Heather hugged Zach’s younger sister and smiled at her.
“Congratulations on your new niece.”
Lori was glowing with pride. “She’s gorgeous and
obviously a Sulivan since she couldn’t wait to get to the hospital
to make her big appearance. Good thing they had a fantastic
midwife on cal.”
A brother she hadn’t yet met shook her hand. “I’m
Marcus.” His eyes were warm and she noticed he didn’t let go
of Nicola’s hand. “It’s realy nice to meet you.”
Nicola hugged her with her free arm. “How are the benefits
going?” she whispered into her ear and Heather couldn’t help but
laugh and say, “Good.”
Ryan, Sophie, and Jake came by to say helo again and she
was both glad, and uncomfortable, when Zach moved beside her
again, his hand warm on her lower back.
“Chase had to go take care of a diaper change,” Zach said,
scrunching up his face in disgust, “and then we can see Chloe
and the baby.”
“Even with these two in me,” Sophie said, looking down at
“Even with these two in me,” Sophie said, looking down at
her stomach, “I can’t believe Chase actualy has a baby now.”
She paused before adding, “And that she was born today.”
It didn’t take long for Heather to learn that their father had
died on this very day.
Zach’s hand tightened on hers as Marcus said, “I can’t help
but think he had a part in this, somehow.”
Each of the siblings seemed to pul together more tightly. Al
but Zach, who slipped his hand from hers and moved from the
circle of Sulivans, his expression completely shuttered in a way
she hadn’t seen it before.
Heather wanted to pul him into a quiet corner to ask him if
everything was okay, and to let him know she was there for him
the way he’d been there for her with her parents. Before she
could, Ryan popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and a
beautiful woman with gray hair walked into the room from the
back of the house.
Heather quickly realized the photo she’d seen of Zach’s
mother, while stunning, hadn’t come close to doing her justice.
She loved the way Zach so easily moved to hug his mother,
with soft words said only for her ears, before turning to introduce
them. “Mom, this is Heather. Heather, this is my mom, Mary.”
“Congratulations on your new grandchild, Mary,” Heather
said as Zach’s mother regarded her through warm and inteligent
blue eyes. Heather was mesmerized and more than a little
stunned by the close relationship this woman had with al of her
children.
“Thank you,” Mary said, looking both radiant and sad as
“Thank you,” Mary said, looking both radiant and sad as
she smiled. Was she also thinking about Zach’s father and the
grandchild he would never meet? “I’m so glad you’re here to
share this moment with us.”
A dozen words was al it took for Heather to feel perfectly
welcome in what should have been a family-only event. One day,
when Heather had kids of her own, she vowed to love them the
same way this woman had obviously loved hers, enough to
welcome their friends and lovers into the fold with open arms.
“I’m thriled to be here.”
She took the glass of champagne Zach handed her and
raised her arm in a toast as Sophie’s husband said “Slainte!” the
Irish version of “Cheers.”
They were al drinking when Chase walked out, looking
exhausted and rumpled...and beside himself with happiness.
Zach grabbed her hand and puled her through the crowd. Okay,
so not only did she love the way he clearly cared about his
mother and siblings, but the fact that he was in a rush to go meet
his new niece?
Unbelievable.
Especialy considering her opinion of him that first day
they’d met. She couldn’t believe how wrong she’d been.
“Hi, Heather,” Chase said. “It’s great to see you again.”
Even though she’d barely met him for thirty seconds at
Zach’s garage, she had to hug him. “I’m so happy for you and
Chloe.”
“Thanks, we’re thriled. Want to meet Emma?”
Zach was already halfway down the hal to their bedroom
and she could hear Chloe laughing at something he said as he
pushed open the bedroom door. A few seconds later Chase held
the door for her, but Heather didn’t walk through it.
How could she, when she was utterly mesmerized by the
sight of Zach holding baby Emma, staring down at her pretty little
face in absolute wonder.
Heather’s heart—and her soul—were captured as she
watched Zach slip one finger into the little fist and raise it to his
lips.
He looked up at Heather, his eyes utterly intense and ful of
love. “You’ve got to come see her. She’s a freaking miracle.”
The pul of his low voice was the only thing that could
possibly have gotten her stuck feet moving again. But she
couldn’t breathe quite right as she moved closer and she felt her
legs shaking as he shifted the baby in his arms.
Emma was perfect, and so beautiful, that Heather knew she
didn’t have a prayer of stopping the tears that were coming. She
hadn’t cried since she was a teenager, but the sight of the baby in
Zach’s arms puled at a part of her that was supposed to be shut
down, closed off, impenetrable.
Suddenly realizing just how deep she was in the quicksand,
she yanked her gaze from Zach and the baby to hand Chloe the
teddy bear.
“I’m sorry, I should have said helo and congratulations
first.”
“Thanks, Heather. It’s great to see you again,” Chloe said
“Thanks, Heather. It’s great to see you again,” Chloe said
in a tired, but happy, voice.
As Chase sat down on the edge of the bed beside his wife
and brushed her hair back from her face, Heather was amazed
by the incredible intimacy—and unconditional joy—between the
two of them.
She should have left, knew she didn’t have any right to be a
part of this family for even a few more seconds, but when the
baby gave a sweet little yawn in Zach’s arms, the yearning was
too strong for Heather to leave just yet. “Could I hold her?”
Chloe smiled. “Of course.”
Handling the baby with surprising ease, Zach slid the warm,
blanket-wrapped bundle into Heather’s arms.
The little girl opened her eyes and blinked up at Heather
with perfect innocence.
“Oh my,” she said, “aren’t you pretty?”
“You’re in big trouble with this one,” Zach told his brother.
“I know,” Chase replied. “And I wouldn’t have it any other
way.”
The baby immediately turned her head at the sound of her
father’s voice and even though Heather wanted to nuzzle
Emma’s cheek and keep breathing in her fresh baby smel, she
forced herself to move across the room to give her back to
Chase and Chloe.
“Congratulations,” she said again, tears close enough again
that she knew she had to get out of there. Not just from their
bedroom, but out of the house, away from the rest of the
Sulivans and everything she’d told herself she never wanted, but
Sulivans and everything she’d told herself she never wanted, but
so desperately did.
“I need to get back to the dogs. Zach, you should stay. I’l
watch Cuddles as long as you need me to.”
She practicaly broke into a run as she fled the bedroom.
She thought she heard his siblings, maybe even his mother, say
her name as she made a beeline for the front door, but apart
from blurting out something uninteligible about needing to get
back to the dogs, she didn’t stop to acknowledge them.
She couldn’t let Lori tel her how great Zach was again.
She couldn’t let Sophie look at her so sweetly and say they
were al realy hoping for a normal sister-in-law.
She couldn’t let herself fal deeper into the quicksand that
she should have been smart enough to keep out of in the first
place.
Zach had driven them here in one of the dozen cars he
seemed to have in his underground garage, but a walk would do
her good, would help her clear her head and figure out what the
heck was wrong with her.
Only, she already knew she could walk al day and al night
for the next year and never be able to erase the picture of Zach
with the baby in his arms.
Heather loved kids enough that, despite not wanting to do it
the traditional way, she had always planned to have children of
her own. Not only because she wouldn’t dare risk trusting a man
enough to pledge a lifetime to him, but also because she couldn’t
possibly risk her children’s hearts either, the way her mother had
risked hers.
risked hers.
But as soon as she’d seen Zach and the baby, when she’d
witnessed the complete adoration, the pure, unconditional love in
his eyes...she’d stupidly
wanted
that dream family. With him.
Because she’d falen in l—
No.
God, no.
Horrified by what she’d almost admitted to herself, she was
startled by Zach’s strong hands on her waist, puling her against
him out on the sidewalk. Of course, her body had to betray her
by instinctively curling into his heat.
She felt his mouth in her hair, and then his kiss on the top of
her head before he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t do this.” Knowing she needed to be strong, that
she should have faced him head-on rather than running, she
forced herself to turn around and look him in the eye. “This thing
we’re doing—” She sucked in a shaky breath to get it out. “—
it’s a mistake.”
How she wished she’d never laid eyes on the man who had
turned her world completely upside down. But that was a lie,