Part 16 (1/2)

”Happy birthday, Nicole! We got you a present today. I helped Daddy pick it out. We shopped all afternoon!” She ran back over to Garret, and I noticed that despite her frilly dress, she still wore her favorite white sneakers over bare feet. ”Can we give it to her now, Daddy? Please?”

”Later, peanut,” he said, touching his daughter's dark head. ”Why don't you go find Rebecca?” I couldn't read his tone.

”Okay!” she cried, jumping up and down, obviously too excited to be disappointed about my not opening the present. She tore down the stairs to the family room. Nova followed her.

”I should check how Ryan's doing with Layla,” she said. ”I'll be back in a minute.” I looked after her longingly, then back to Garret.

He met my gaze, his eyes dark with emotion I couldn't name. He looked incredibly handsome: his hair was slicked back from his chiseled features, and he wore a cream-colored b.u.t.ton-down s.h.i.+rt and khaki shorts. I thought of his lips against mine, the soft touch of his fingers on my face. I anxiously awaited the moment I could pull him aside and explain.

”So. I've met Shane,” he said, lifting his chin almost imperceptibly, a cla.s.sic male gesture of uninterested acknowledgment.

Shane, unused to seeing me with children, had been watching my interaction with Lucy with relative surprise. But when Garret spoke, Shane stepped over to me and put an arm casually around my shoulders, the beer bottle he held cold against my bare skin. ”Nic's mentioned you,” he said. ”She told me Nova watches your little girl.”

Garret kept his eyes on me. ”Really,” he said flatly. ”Is that all she told you about me, then?” The air in the room suddenly turned thick.

”Garret,” I started, warily observing Shane's confused expression. This was not going well.

”You're right,” Garret continued, swinging his gaze to Shane, as though I hadn't spoken. ”Nova watches Lucy while I'm at the restaurant.” He looked back at me, eyes probing.

”So you're a cook?” Shane inquired politely. My face burned hot, embarra.s.sed by the condescension I detected in his words.

”He owns the Beach Basket,” I said quickly. ”It's a very nice restaurant on the strip.” I glanced down the hall to the door that led to the bas.e.m.e.nt. Wasn't anybody going to come and rescue me from this horrid conversation?

”Ah,” Shane mused. ”Have you eaten there, Nic?”

”Not exactly,” I said weakly, looking down to the floor and nervously fingering the soft material of my skirt.

”What's the specialty of the house?” Shane asked Garret. ”Maybe I'll take my girl out for dinner while I'm here.” I suddenly realized I didn't know how long he was planning to stay.

”The champagne chicken is quite good.” Garret's gaze had barely wavered from me. ”The sauce is exceptional. Don't you think, Nicole?” There was a brief pause as the air became audibly thicker, seemingly more difficult to breathe.

”I thought you said you haven't eaten there,” Shane commented, a hint of accusation in his voice.

”Er,” I began.

”Sat.u.r.day night's a busy time for the owner to be away,” Shane went on, interrupting me. He s.h.i.+fted his arm around me farther in order to take a swig from his beer. ”Your wife must be watching the place for you.”

”Shane,” I warned quietly, touching his forearm.

Garret held up his hand to stop me. ”It's okay, Nicole,” he said coolly, looking at Shane with slightly hostile eyes. ”I'm a single parent.”

Shane whistled. ”Then I've got to hand it to you, man. Couldn't do the parenthood thing myself. Not even with the greatest woman in the world.” He squeezed his arm around my neck, kissing my cheek.

Garret looked surprised, then pointedly at me, obviously understanding that I still had yet to tell Shane about my decision to adopt Jenny's baby. He moved toward the kitchen. ”I need a drink,” he said, sounding disgusted.

”Me, too,” I said quickly, extricating myself from Shane's arm.

Shane held up his beer. ”I'm good for now.” He looked down the hall. ”Think I'll go introduce myself to the rest of the party.” He stepped toward the doorway that led to the bas.e.m.e.nt.

I ducked my head as I followed Garret into the kitchen. ”Nice sign,” he commented, glancing over to the table.

I touched his back, and his muscles froze, repelling my fingers. I pulled them away as though they'd been bitten. ”Garret, please,” I started.

He snapped his head around to look at me, reaching out to grip the handle on the refrigerator door. ”There's nothing to explain. I understand completely.”

I reached out to him again, barely brus.h.i.+ng the warmth of his arm. ”No, you don't. I didn't know he was coming. I tried to call and let you know-”

”I'm sure you tried your best.” Sarcasm clung to his words. He grabbed a beer and popped off the cap, taking a long pull on the bottle, then stepped back from me, out of my reach.

I tried again. ”Please don't do this.”

He looked at me, his usually warm eyes suddenly unrecognizable with cold and indifference. ”I haven't done anything.” His tone stung like a whip. He pushed past and left me in the kitchen, alone. I looked at my distorted reflection in the chrome oven door and frowned. ”Happy birthday,” I said ironically. ”May all your wishes come true.”

The rest of the evening pa.s.sed mostly without event. Shane made polite conversation with Orion, in whom he had found a fellow golf enthusiast. Star and my mother reminisced about the birthday parties they'd thrown for Nova and me over the years, and Garret talked with Ryan, focusing on playing with Lucy and the other children while pretty much ignoring Shane's existence, as well as mine. Jenny watched everyone happily from her vantage point on the couch, her eyes sparkling with content. It wasn't until Nova brought the presents down to the family room that things became tangibly uncomfortable again. Shane stepped up to me and kissed me soundly in front of everyone, then smiled. ”My presence is my present, babe. Happy birthday.”

I laughed hesitantly, as everyone else glanced at each other, unimpressed by this p.r.o.nouncement. I quickly opened my other gifts: a professional cookware set from Nova and Ryan; a set of silver-and-amethyst bangle bracelets made by Star; several pieces of artwork from the children; and a beautiful emerald green cut-velvet scarf from Mom and Jenny. I had mentioned the scarf to my mother the week before when I'd admired it in a local dress shop; I was touched she'd remembered. I thanked everyone profusely. Then Lucy piped up, jumping from her father's lap, where she had been resting. ”What about our present, Nicole? Don't forget ours!” She tilted her elfin face at her father. ”Where is it, Daddy?”

Moving with slow deliberation, Garret reached into his shorts pocket and retrieved a black box that was topped with a small red bow. He handed it to Lucy without even glancing at me. I swallowed hard, watching Shane's face for his reaction. Antic.i.p.ation hung heavy in the air, everyone watching me. Oblivious to the tension in the room, Lucy skipped over to me and held out the box. ”Here! Open it!”

”How about you do it for me?” I offered, my heart pounding a nervous mix of excitement and trepidation. I had no idea what he might have gotten me.

”Okay,” she agreed, pulling the lid off the gift. ”I'll do the first part.” Inside lay a black velvet jewelry box that Lucy pulled out with her tiny fingers and handed to me. ”Now you.”

I rested my fingers on the soft fabric of the box, eyes to my lap. What if it was a ring? I shook my head briefly. That was a ridiculous thought. Garret wouldn't do something like that after our conversation the night before. He knew I was still technically involved with Shane. Then why was he so angry with me for having Shane here? I'd told him I had some things to work out before we could- ”Open it!” Lucy cried out. She jumped up and down with her hands clasped in front of her chest, her dark brown cap of hair swis.h.i.+ng around her freckled face. ”Open it, open it, open it!”

”Lucy Mae,” Garret said softly, reaching over to touch his daughter's small arm. ”Settle down, please.” The tenderness in his voice made my muscles quiver in remembrance of the night before; he had used the same tone with me.

I took a breath and opened the gift. Inside was a delicate silver strand upon which hung two tiny, jewel-studded rings, small enough to look like they might fit around Lucy's littlest finger. I pulled it out, admiring the necklace. ”This is lovely, Lucy,” I said, deliberately thanking the child and not Garret. ”Thank you.”

”One ring has your birthstone and the other has Jenny's,” Lucy said importantly. ”You can add the ba--”

”Birthstones of anyone else you like,” Garret interrupted her. He looked at his daughter, and she quieted, seeming to understand the warning in his words.

It was an incredibly thoughtful gift; I was terribly moved by the meaning behind it. The birthstones of the baby, Jenny, and me, forever linked, to wear around my neck. I longed to thank him, to kiss him the way he'd kissed me the night before. I longed to make this moment happen all over again without Shane in it.

”Nice,” Shane said, reaching over to finger the necklace. He looked at Garret with a hint of challenge in his blue eyes. ”Expensive.”

Garret appeared unruffled. ”Well, we cooks are paid pretty well these days,” he said. Shane responded with a cool look. Garret stood, taking Lucy's hand. ”It's late, honey. Time to go.”

”But I don't want to,” Lucy whined.

Nova stepped up and handed Layla over to Ryan. She prodded her other children toward the stairs. ”It's bedtime here, too, Lucy,” she offered in support of Garret. ”We'll see you tomorrow, okay?”

”I'm beat, too,” Shane said, his eyes still smoldering at Garret. He took my hand. ”Take me back to my hotel, babe?” His voice dripped with suggestion. Something inside me dropped another level. I felt as though I were sinking.

Garret shook hands with Orion and Ryan, then hugged Star and Nova, purposely ignoring Shane. He looked at me, a tinge of sadness shadowing the hurt in his eyes. ”Good-bye, Nicole.” It sounded as though he was saying it for good.

”Bye,” I whispered as I raised my chin, drawing on every ounce of self-control to keep from crying. His voice told me he had made his choice. He wasn't going to listen. No matter what I said, no matter how hard I tried to explain. Rejection oozed from his pores, and in that one moment, I realized we were over before we'd had a real chance to begin.