Part 33 (2/2)

True to his word, Brom had the limousine waiting for them right at the airport. When his chauffeur, Harold, opened the rear door, Sara was surprised to see that Brom and Julia were seated inside. The baby, drooling and animated , was between them, sitting in her car seat.

Julia laughed, pleased at Sara's expression. ”Surprise.”

Nik was directly behind Sara, and gently urged her into the car, his hands on her hips. Sara tried not to think about how much she liked having his hands on her. The feelings she was experiencing right now were all wrong. They weren't going to lead anyplace. She couldn't let them.

”Julia couldn't wait for you to arrive,” Brom explained to them, ”so she decided to hold the reunion in the limo.”

Holding Katie's hand, Jennifer followed Nik into the car. ”Goodness, she's grown so much,” Jennifer cried, looking at the baby. She tickled A. J 's toes. The infant wiggled them and giggled as Jennifer scooted over to let Kane climb in.

qqAnd you haven't,” Julia commented as she looked Jennifer over for telltale signs of her pregnancy. Jennifer was still as slender as she ever was.

”Soon,” Jennifer promised, mechanically glancing down at her waist.

”All too soon I won't be able to see my feet. Only my stomach.”

Julia sighed wistfully. ”I'd give anything for that sort of view ” But she had A. J. ” thanks to Jennifer's selflessness , and she would forever be grateful to her sister.

Katie sidled up to Brom. ”Got candy, Uncle Brom?” She looked up at him hopefully.

A charmer, just like her aunt and her mother, Brom thought. ”For you, always: Brom dug into his pocket and presented her with a multicolored sucker. Katie accepted it with the same sort of awe that a woman displayed upon receiving her first bouquet of flowers.

Kane watched his daughter eagerly rip off the cellophane wrapper. He took it from her and shoved the sticky wrapper into his pocket.

”She'll get your car dirty,” he warned Brom.

Brom wasn't about to let something so mundane as worrying about his car being dirtied interfere with Katie's pleasure.

”So, we'll clean it.” Brom ruffled Katie's hair and she grinned up at him, her lips already outlined in bright, sticky pink. ”As long as the lady's happy.”

The baby squealed and Katie went on licking loudly. Voices melded like an orchestra tuning up for a performance as questions flew back and forth in the car.

Sara suddenly felt overwhelmed by what she felt were the natural sounds of family surrounding her. It took her back across the years, when family outings were a regular event for her family. Any given Sunday a large number of them would converge in someone's backyard, or at a park. Uncles and aunts and numerous cousins as far as the eye could see. Or so it had seemed at the time.

Nostalgia brought with it a pang that tightened around her heart.

Sara looked at Brom. She could see by the look in his eyes that he knew what she was thinking. He gave her a rea.s.suring smile and leaned forward in order to be heard better. ”Good to see you again, Sara: '

An amused smile creased her lips. ”You saw me two weeks ago. I've only been in Newport Beach for twelve days ”

”Is that all?” Nik asked incredulously. Sara gave him a dirty look that only egged him on. ”Feels like forever to me.”

Sara poked Nik in the ribs with her elbow. Nik had the good grace to wince as everyone else laughed.

”Everybody in?” Brom scanned both sides of the stretch limo. Jennifer and Katie were on his side, while Kane, Nik and Sara sat opposite him.

”Unless you're expecting someone else,” Kane answered He tested the door next to him to make sure it was properly closed.

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