She looked over at the woman who sat across from her. A sweet little Disney princess in flannel pig jammies who wore her emotions on her face like a downtown L.A. billboard. A woman who, at every turn, had offered her friendship and love, even after Hope had ignored her and hit her in the nose and pretty much treated her like a stray dog with fleas.
How could she hate someone like that? Especially when it wasn’t Faith’s fault that Slate fell in love with her. If it was anyone’s fault, it was Hope’s. She was the one who left Slate on his own for five years.
And if she truly loved him, why
had
she left him for so long?
She released her breath in one long huff. “No, I don’t hate you.”
“You don’t?” Faith leaned up on the couch and gave Hope one of those laser stares. “Because sometimes it feels like you…”
“Are an ass,” Hope finished for her. She looked her straight in the eyes, even if it did give her the willies. “Look, I guess I’ve just been feeling sorry for myself, and I took it out on you.”
It was a lame excuse, but once the words were out, Hope realized they were the truth. She had been feeling sorry for herself, and Faith was the easiest scapegoat. A Disney princess scapegoat who wasn’t to blame for a backup plan gone south.
A brilliant smile lit Faith’s face. “So Slate
was
just your backup plan.”
Hope’s gaze snapped over to Shirlene, who was smiling broadly. “Don’t look at me, honey. I didn’t tell her that.”
But if Shirlene hadn’t told her that, then who had?
“And I’m not a Disney princess.”
Hope’s eyes swept back to her sister, and her mouth dropped open. “How did you…?”
“Just a guess,” she said brightly, before she reached for a brownie. “So is it my turn now?”
Shirlene needed no further encouragement to jump back into slumber-party mode. “Truth or Dare, honey?”
Faith looked away from Hope, who was still trying to decide if her sister had just picked her brain as clean as a shucked ear of corn. “Well, since I’d rather not run around the house naked, I guess Truth,” Faith said.
Shirlene looked thoroughly disappointed. “I should’ve gotten y’all chicken pajamas. Especially since Faith doesn’t look like the type to have any good secrets.” She tapped a fingernail to her chin as her devious mind worked. “All right, honey, tell us something you haven’t even told Slate.”
Since Shirlene was right, and Faith wasn’t the type to have any juicy secrets, Hope figured it would be something like she put an extra pinch of salt in Slate’s beef stew. Or used milk on his cereal a day after the expiration date. Or used his razor on her legs.
But her sister surprised her again.
“I think I might be pregnant.” Her entire face lit up like she’d just found the other glass slipper in her pocket. “I mean, it’s only been a few weeks since we kind of forgot to use protection, but I just have this feeling. And I know it’s stupid. I mean, who feels like they’re pregnant after only a couple weeks? And that’s why I haven’t mentioned it to Slate—because it
is
so stupid.” Finally realizing the other two occupants of the room weren’t exactly bubbling over with enthusiasm, her smile wilted. “I guess I should’ve chosen Dare.”
As usual, Shirlene was the first to snap out of it. “Why, honey, that’s wonderful news.” She shot a glance over at Hope. “Isn’t it, Hope?”
“Yeah.” Hope tried for a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her mouth. “Wonderful.”
Shirlene lowered her eyebrows at her before she turned back to Faith. “So, honey, why haven’t you just gone and
gotten one of those tests? Now you can pretty much tell if you’re pregnant as soon as the swimmer hits the pool.”
“I was going to, but I haven’t had a chance to drive to Odessa, and there was no way I could get it here without the entire town knowing. You know how crazy they will get when word gets out.”
“Yeah.” Hope couldn’t help the snide reply.
“Now, Hog.” Shirlene flapped a hand. “That’s all water under the bridge. Although don’t you think it’s rather ironic? I mean, the town thinks you’re pregnant and actually it might be Faith.”
“Real ironic, Shirl.”
But Shirlene chose to ignore her sarcasm as she hopped up from the couch. “Come on, girls. Faith has just given us our next fun activity.”
Hope had had all the fun she could take for one night. Still, she followed Faith and Shirlene down the long hallway and through the master suite to the master bathroom. Though some people might find the room gaudy, it reminded Hope of Shirlene. Bold and beautiful. The walls were covered in golden-hued tile that had been cut and refigured into intricate patterns that ran along the double sinks and into the glassed-in steam shower. On the floor, darker-toned tiles formed a multi-pointed star that encircled a spa-sized tub with a Tuscan chandelier hanging overhead.
“I’m not hopping in the tub with you two,” Hope stated. “It’s big, but it’s not that big.”
“Don’t be silly,” Shirlene said as she opened one of the cabinets next to the vanity. “We’ll get naked in the Jacuzzi later.” She pulled out a small box, then another one, and then another, until eight boxes were lined up on the counter.
“What in the world, Shirl?” Hope walked over and picked one up. It only took a glance to figure out what it was. The physical display of her friend’s desperation brought a lump to her throat, and she set the box back down without saying a word.
“Now stop acting so morbid.” Shirlene waved a hand at her. “Especially when I’m almost an entire year younger than both of you and have plenty of time to get pregnant.”
“You’re trying to get pregnant, Shirlene?” Faith asked, her eyes suddenly wide and concerned as she studied the boxes. “If I had known, I never—”
“Shush up. Just because I can’t get pregnant doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for people who do.” She tore open a box and pulled out the plastic-wrapped device. Using her teeth, she tore open the package and pulled out the flat white stick. “Okay, so here’s how it works. You pee on this lower part, then we wait a few seconds and see if a blue line shows up.”
“That’s it?” Faith accepted the stick from Shirlene.
“That’s it. Of course, the first few times I did it, I wasn’t sure what I was looking for—” She stopped. “In fact,” she grabbed another box and opened it, “it probably would be best if we had something to compare it to. You know, positive versus negative.”
Faith nodded. “I think that would make me feel better.”
While Shirlene opened another package, Hope sat down on the ledge that ran around the tub.
“Don’t go gettin’ all comfortable, honey.” Shirlene tapped the stick on her arm. “You’re up.”
“What?” She jumped up and immediately started shaking her head. “Oh, no, I’m not peeing on some stick for a comparison. After what the town’s put me through,
I refuse to do anything that deals with babies.” And she would’ve stuck to her guns, if the pained look that entered Shirlene’s clear green eyes had only been an act.
“Fine!” Hope grabbed the stick and headed for the toilet, slamming the door behind her. No more than thirty seconds passed before she was back out.
“Here.” She shoved the stick at Shirlene, who shook her head.
“I’m not touchin’ that thang. Put it down on the vanity.” She looked at Faith. “Go on, honey. If grumpy Hope can do it, so can you.”
But suddenly Faith was hesitant.
“What if Slate doesn’t want a baby? I mean, we haven’t really talked about it. I mean, we talked about kids but not about having them so soon. And what if—”
Hope didn’t know why she stepped up. Maybe she just wanted to shut her up. Or maybe she just couldn’t stand to see her sister so upset.
“Are you kidding me? Slate has loved kids ever since I can remember. Just look at how much he loves coaching. Besides, wasn’t he the one who forgot the contraception in the first place?” When Faith nodded, Hope herded her toward the bathroom. “So what makes you think he didn’t plan it? Besides, I didn’t pee on a stick for nothing.”
Once Faith stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, Hope turned to Shirlene, who sent her a soft smile.
“You’re a good person, Hog.”
“Not really.” Hope walked over and sat down on the edge of the tub. “Inside I’m seething with jealousy.”
Sitting down next to her, Shirlene rested her pile of blonde hair on Hope’s shoulder. “Me too, girlfriend. Me too.”
Luckily, Faith took a lot longer than Hope did, which gave them both plenty of time to feel sorry for themselves. By the time she came out, they had ditched the baby blues and were engrossed with the precautions on the back of one box.
“Who would shove this thing up their butt?” Hope asked.
“I guess someone who thought they were going to have a butthead for a kid,” Shirlene replied, and they both fell against each other laughing as Faith stood holding the test like it was a lit stick of dynamite.
“Just set it on the counter, honey,” Shirlene directed, after she caught her breath. “It doesn’t take more than a few seconds.”
Faith bent over the vanity. “So what am I looking for again?”
“A blue line,” Shirlene said before pointing to the next warning and giggling against Hope’s shoulder.
“So if there is a blue line, I’m not pregnant?” She leaned closer.
“No, that means you
are
pregnant.”
“Does it start with a blue line and then fade out if you’re not?”
Sending Hope a look that said Faith might be a few eggs short of a dozen, Shirlene got up and walked over to the vanity.
“See that blue line?” Shirlene pointed down to the stick on the counter, and Faith nodded. “That means you’re knocked up. Congratulations, honey.”
“But that’s not mine.” Faith lifted the stick she still held in her hand with an identical bright blue line. “This is.”
S
TAYING AWAY FROM
the main house wasn’t easy. Not when one slumber party fantasy after another kept popping into Colt’s brain. The only thing that kept him from becoming a Peeping Tom was his sister. There was no way he wanted to catch her doing anything kinky. That was the nice thing about fantasies. You could invite whomever you wanted to the party. And at his sleepover, all he wanted was a matched set of twins. Twins wearing nothing but tiny see-through panties and a few strategically placed down feathers from their pillow fight. Of course, both twins looked exactly alike, right down to their butt-length hair.
With his hands tucked beneath his head, he stared up at the ceiling in Shirlene’s guesthouse and let the fantasy play out.
Ooops! One twin took a direct hit from the other one’s pillow and bounced down to the bed, sweet breasts jiggling. Thrown off balance, the other twin fell on top of her in a tangle of tanned limbs and silky hair. Amid girlish giggles and fun, bare skin brushes bare skin and lips
might… accidentally collide. And once that happens, an innocent curiosity might get the best of them and they might—
A knock on the door jerked his attention back to reality, although it did nothing to soften the raging hard-on that stretched out the black cotton of his boxer briefs. Nothing short of a dip in Lake Michigan in late winter would do that. Rolling to his feet, he searched around for his jeans, wondering why someone was knocking at his door at one o’clock in the morning—and not knocking as much as pounding.
“Hold on,” he called as he pulled up his jeans and hurried to the door, zipping them as he went. As he crossed the small sitting room, he banged his big toe on a chair leg and was still cussing when he opened the door. But the f-bomb fizzled when he saw who it was.
Hope stood in the darkened doorway with straggly pieces of hair framing her face and a tiara perched lopsided on her head. The flannel pajamas with the scary flying pigs were as far from see-though panties as a person could get, although the prospect of getting his hands on a flesh-and-blood woman made up for his disappointment in attire. Unfortunately, before the spider could welcome the fly into his web, she hauled off and punched him right in the nose.
“Damn it!” He pulled back and covered his throbbing nose with one hand. “What the hell was that for?” While he checked for blood and broken cartilage, she shoved her way past him and started ranting and raving in her hog-calling voice.
“How about for being a good-for-nothing, incompetent idiot!” She waved her hands around as she paced. “Don’t
worry about a thing, honey! I’ve got everything under control, sweetheart! I’m all suited up!”
Having worked herself up into a frenzy, Hope whirled around and came back at him with clenched fists.
But he wasn’t about to be a punching bag without an explanation.
“Hold up there, wildcat.” Colt grabbed her wrists and held her back. It wasn’t easy. She was as mad as a hornet. But he couldn’t figure out why. There was no way she could’ve tuned in to his twin fantasies. Although when she stopped struggling, he read more fear in those blue eyes than anger. And since fear wasn’t something he’d seen in Hope’s eyes often, he started to get worried. His worry tripled when those pretty blue eyes blinked as if fighting back tears.
His grip on her wrists loosened. “What happened, honey? Is Shirlene hurt? Faith?”