The Unexpected Choice (11 page)

“For heaven's sake, Stacey,” he said and couldn't hold it in any longer. He gave a big belly laugh.

Immediately she turned red and turned in the direction of her clothes.

“No no. Do you have any clue why I'm laughing?”

“I suspect it hasn't something to do with whatever is between my hips and my toes.”

“I'm laughing because it's so ridiculous. You find a way to ruin everything I see in you.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be sorry. Just say thank you! Believe that
I
believe you're beautiful! Could I keep it up if I wasn't attracted to you?”

A blush singed her cheeks this time. “Only if you were thinking of Cameron.”

Frustrated, he took her face between his hands. “You are Stacey McCrary. My
wife
. My friend. My lover. Cameron is history because I have you.” He spun her around to face the mirror again. “Tell me what you like about yourself other than your legs.”

“That's about it.”

“Think harder.”

Stacey looked at her body and finally mumbled, “I guess I like my flat stomach.”

“Okay, what else?” Now they were getting somewhere.

“My smile is okay. My parents bought me braces when I was a
younger
.”

“I remember.” He gave her a knowing smile, thinking of the time he'd teased her about not kissing another boy with braces or they'd lock together. She'd been mortified enough she'd believed him. It was how he'd convinced her to try kissing him first
behind the shed
. “Look in the mirror and tell me how beautiful you are.”

“You know I can't, Joey.”

“Do it for me. And because you'll put us both out of our misery, and we can get down to business.”

Slowly, her eyes rose from her feet to her face's reflection. “I'm beautiful,” she said flatly.

“Great start! Now say it like you mean it.”

Stacey eyed him suspiciously. “What's in this for you?”

“Absolutely nothing other than seeing you happy with yourself. Now say it like you mean it.” To get her back in the game, he placed a hot-mouthed kiss on her neck and used his tongue to swirl lazy patterns along her skin. “Say it,” he said against her ear when he was done with her neck.

“I'm beautiful,” she whispered, pushing against him like a cat needing a good rub.

“Again,” he urged, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

“I'm beautiful.”

“God made you beautiful, Stacey. And all this is mine. He gave it to me
on our wedding day
. And to say you're not beautiful is scoffing in God's face. To tell me I'm lying about how I feel is scoffing in my face. One day you're going to wake up and realize how right we are. Maybe not right now, but soon. And when you do, I'm going to take you in my arms,” he turned her to face him, away from the mirror, “and I'm going to look you square in the face and say I told you so.” Joey grinned at Stacey, and he was happy to see she returned his smile just as his lips crashed down on hers, and he proved to her just how beautiful they could be together.

 

 

The day Joey and Stacey brought Rachel home from the hospital was a sunny day. The weather was turning from hot and humid to rainy and comfortable. Stacey had lost her papa in August, and it was now late September. Fall was just around the corner.

With Rachel fast asleep in her car seat, Stacey poured them both a glass of sweet tea and joined him in the living room. Joey didn't want to remove her for fear of waking her up. Stacey still needed to take on the difficult task of holding her and learning how to take care of her. But she imagined it couldn't be much different than taking care of her grandfather…

They sat across from each other in silence in the living room, and Joey eyed her. “Last night was pretty awesome, huh?” he asked with a half grin.

Stacey grinned and focused on wiggling her toes. “Yes.”

“We're both gonna be pretty tired for the next few months. I'm gonna miss having you all to myself.”

She glanced up at him. “But we have Rachel now, and she's a blessing.” Despite her words, she eyed the tiny baby and wondered if she would make or break their marriage. She certainly had Cameron's pretty face and a dimple on her right cheek. Every time Joey looked at her, it would remind him of Cameron and all they had.

But maybe they could get past it. With time. Time could take away everything, even the feelings Joey had for his ex-lover. But would time grant him the love she so longed from him?

Stacey watched as Joey shook his head. “Would you relax? I know what you're thinking.”

“What am I thinking?” she challenged quietly.

“The same thing you were thinking last night. But I'm not going to go back to Cameron and forget all about you. Have you ever realized when things get bad, you're the first person I always come to?”

Stacey tried to take it as the compliment it was meant to be. “Yes, I've noticed.”

“I trust you, Stace. More than anyone. And I hope you know how much I trust you to raise my daughter with me. I might have loved Cameron, but I don't think I would have given such blind trust to her.
She has
a lot to prove to me after the things she put me through.”

“I'm glad you feel that way about me,” she murmured. She
was
glad. In her world, trust did equal love. Love wasn't some overpowering emotion he seemed to be looking for. It was quiet, steady and always there. Maybe she'd been looking at things from all the wrong angles. A surge of happiness swept through her. It would just take him time. She thought of all the summer days they'd spent together in their youth, building their relationship and their friendship. Even as young kids, there had been something between them that always seemed to bring them back together.

Maybe it was up to her to show him what love really was. And real love didn't play games like Cameron had.

Standing, she walked over to him and sat in his lap. Surprise registered on his handsome face, but he placed his glass of tea on the table next to him and put his arms around her, pulling her close. She kissed him slowly, loving the way he responded to her. His soft exhale told her all she needed to know.

“We have a baby,” she whispered as she pulled away. A smile crept across her face, the awe of God's little miracle finally hitting her full force.

Joey studied her for a moment, like he didn't believe her. But then a full-fledged smile caught her, and she couldn't look away. “We do have a baby. A beautiful one. And one day? Lord willing, it'll be you giving birth. But right now, I want to focus on our marriage and making sure we stay on the right path. There's just something about this… about you… it feels right. I can't explain it. If you'd have asked me six months ago where I'd be today, I probably would have shrugged.”

Stacey kissed his cheek and ran her fingers through his dark hair. “We'll have fun or die trying.”

Joey didn't smile. Instead, his steady gaze gave her the distinct impression he was about to say something monumental.

“I'm so happy with you, Stacey. My heart is full of it.”

Yes, Stacey was right to start looking at things from a different angle. Joey's eyes shone with love and joy. Now it was just waiting for him to realize something that was already a part of him. She'd wait forever if she had to.

Right in front of her, his eyes grew bright and watery, another testament to how strong his emotions were. Stacey didn't want to wait for any more words. She leaned in and kissed him deeply. She held nothing back, but instead gave him everything, resolving to herself and to God she wouldn't feel sorry for her situation anymore or give him a reason to wish for Cameron. It would take some time to get over being so shy around him and looking at him in a different light, but she
would
do it. It couldn't be fun hanging around someone who was constantly putting herself down.
S
he
even
got tired of hearing herself.

Joey pulled her closer, his hands squeezing and roaming over her body. Beneath her, he squirmed and adjusted so she straddled him. Stacey was pretty sure she was about to implode when a tiny squeak caused her to go rigid and pull away. Joey followed her, his eyes glazed with passion as he continued kissing her neck and moving against her.

“Joey,” she whispered. She shot a glance over her shoulder and confirmed that, indeed, Rachel was awake. Two dark blue orbs stared straight ahead as she wiggled and squeaked again.

“She's awake,” she said again, this time a little louder.

“Mmm,” Joey murmured, pulling her mouth down for another hot kiss.

When a cry pierced the room, Stacey jerked back again. “Joey, I think she's hungry.”

“I'm hungry, too,” he growled in her ear.

“No. The baby. Rachel is hungry. Your daughter!” Desperation filled her when she realized she had no willpower to move away from him.

“Just a second,” he whispered and put his hot lips on her bare stomach. He'd lifted her shirt at some point and now her focus was everywhere but on the squirming, fussing baby.

How did people do this? It amazed her the population wasn't triple what it was. If Joey continued, he'd have her pregnant with a single one of his lusty looks.

“Okay, Joey, I'm pulling the plug.” Gathering all of her wits, she stood away from him, grabbed his hands, and placed them in his lap.

“Stace, c'mon. She's fine.”

Stacey smiled. “But in about two seconds, she won't be. Why don't you fix her bottle, and I'll hold her. I haven't made it a point yet, and I'd like to get to know her.”

His vision sharpening, he looked at her with a little bit of doubt. “Are you sure?”

She didn't have to think twice. With a nod, she walked over and unbuckled Rachel. As she pulled the baby out, she arched her back and her tiny fists came up next to her cheeks as she stretched. Stacey smiled and folded her arms around her. The feel of the baby in her arms was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. This was
her
baby to raise with the man she loved. Rachel was
hers
.

Cradling Rachel, Stacey rubbed her palm over her downy hair. She could see the pulsing spot on her head and awed over God's creation. Rachel looked up at her with those big blue eyes and smacked her mouth. Turning her head to the side, she rooted toward Stacey's arm. When she found nothing, her face crumpled.

Stacey looked up to see what was taking Joey so long but found him standing in the doorway watching her with a warm look across his features.

“I didn't think I could get any happier, Stace. You're gonna be a great mother.”

With that, he turned around and disappeared into the kitchen. Stacey smiled and looked down at Rachel. It was one thing she didn't have to worry about. She
would
be a great mother.

****

It was on the tip of his tongue.
I love you
. Three simple words that meant so much. Three simple words that could destroy her if he was wrong and only caught up in the emotions of the moment. Three simple words he didn't understand and was afraid to figure out.

Because it meant inevitable pain. Just look at where it had gotten him with Cameron. But would lightning really strike twice? Could two women who were so completely different break his heart the same way? Surely if this feeling was love, it wouldn't go away. That's why he'd held himself back. He wanted to make sure it wasn't just him being in the moment.

Something had changed between them today. He wasn't sure what it was… maybe the fact she'd initiated physical contact first or seemed happier with Rachel home, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had his best friend, now his lover, and a wonderful woman to call his wife. There was no doubt in his mind Cameron would have fallen pathetically short at domestic bliss. She wasn't the type to settle down and stay in one place for long.

Then there was Stacey. Sweet, predictable Stacey who was always there for him no matter what. Always bailing him out of his problems. Only this time, it was something he could never repay. He could certainly try, but it would never be enough.

As he shook the bottle of milk, he couldn't help but smile. He hadn't lied when he said he was happy. It wasn't just the happiness either. He was content. If nothing ever changed for him again, he'd never have a reason to be unhappy. He had everything he'd ever wanted.

A piercing wail snapped him out of his reverie, and he hurried to Stacey with the bottle. The crying baby didn't even seem to rattle her. She already had a burp cloth slung over her shoulder and Rachel poised to eat. She might be shy and awkward but with a baby in her arms, she was beautiful and perfect. A total natural.

Beaming down at Rachel, Stacey slipped the bottle into the baby's mouth and smiled. It was one of those moments Joey wanted to remember forever. Silently moving back to the chair across the room, he worked his cell phone out of his pocket and took a picture of the moment he'd remember the rest of his life.

The fake cha-chink of the shutter on the phone caused Stacey to look up.

“What are you doing?” she asked with a grin.

“Remembering how special the two women in my life are.”

Stacey's eyes seemed to involuntarily go back to Rachel's face. “She's so beautiful,” she murmured.

“I know.” But he wasn't looking at his baby.

Rachel held Stacey's pinky as she slurped down the bottle. After a few moments, she put the bottle on the table and held her up against her shoulder and patted her back.

For a moment, she simply inhaled Rachel's baby smell, her eyes closed and a soft look relaxing her features. Then Stacey rubbed her cheek against her downy head. It was almost enough to make a grown man cry. Joey shifted in his seat and swallowed past the lump in his throat.

When Stacey's gaze focused on him, her eyes were sparkling. “I think I already love her,” she whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Joey swallowed again, knowing in his heart Stacey was the only woman for him. “Me, too.”