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“Okay. Have we just slipped into an alternate reality? What the hell? You don’t like Hudson Blackwell. At all.”
Hannah Rose started to whimper, most likely sensing the tension between the two adults, and Rebecca shot daggers at her brother, all the while whispering sweetly into her niece’s ear.
“I don’t have to like him to work with him. Besides, I didn’t invite him. Lily did.”
“What the…” She was confused. “I don’t understand. What kind of project would you and Hudson work on?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I bet.” Her voice rose. She sounded like a shrew but didn’t care.
“Look. You told me the other day you didn’t care that he was back. If I’d known him being here would make you this uncomfortable, I would have happily told Lily to un-invite him. Trust me. I was looking for an excuse.” Mackenzie’s eyes narrowed. “You want me to tell him to leave? Because I have no problem doing that.”
“No.” Feeling like an idiot, she was silent for a few seconds. “I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting to see him is all.”
Mackenzie gave her a quick hug and motioned to the back room. “Let’s go. We’ll fill you in. But Becs, if he makes you uncomfortable in any way, let me know.”
Her brother headed down the hall, and once Rebecca got her heartbeat under control, she followed in his steps, cradling Hannah against her chest. The great room boasted nearly an entire wall of windows that looked out over the lake. To the right, a large stone fireplace was the focal point of the room, and the furniture was both functional, and comfortable. The space was leather and wood and stone, softened by pale gray walls and cream-colored accents.
Her eyes found Hudson right away, and her breath hitched in her chest. Painfully so. She forced herself to swallow. Seriously. Did the man not have a bad hair day? Did his jeans have to fit him like a damn glove? Did the color blue have to be his color?
He was in the far corner, head bent and listening closely to Lily speak. Lily St. Clare, her brother’s wife. Lily, a modern-day Marilyn Monroe, and that was no exaggeration. The woman had curves, looks, intelligence, and wit. Rebecca would have loved to hate her, but she was also the nicest, most genuine woman she knew.
The heat that pulsed in Rebecca’s veins was sharp and fast and fueled by an emotion she wasn’t used to. One she hadn’t felt in a good long while. No, that was wrong. She’d felt it the week before when Shelli Gouthro had been all over Hudson.
Jealousy.
Lily turned just then, pleased to see her. “Rebecca! I see Hannah has managed to find you already.”
Rebecca nodded and attempted a smile. It felt forced and tight, and she hoped like hell it at least looked normal. No way would she give Hudson the satisfaction of knowing his presence was enough to throw her off her game. She jiggled the baby, and Hannah’s laughter eased the tension inside her. Hudson stared across the room, a strange expression on his face, and she looked away, glad to spy Nash a few feet from her.
Nash gave her a hug and a quick kiss to the cheek. “That’s a good look on you,” he whispered.
At first, Rebecca’s mind went blank, but when she realized what Nash was getting at, she shook her head. “Yeah. No. Not gonna happen. I couldn’t imagine being single and pregnant.”
He squeezed her shoulder, a gentle touch. “Hey, I’m just teasing. She looks good in your arms.”
Rebecca glanced down at the baby. Her robin-egg-blue eyes shone, the little bow mouth glistened, and those chubby cheeks were to die for. Hannah reached for her again, her small hand tugging on a piece of Rebecca’s hair, and the gibberish that fell from her lips was adorable.
Something shifted inside her, something sharp and a little bit painful. She turned to her brother. “I think she wants her daddy.” She handed off the baby just as Raine and Jake Edwards walked into the room. Seemed as if Hudson being here wasn’t the only surprise.
“Raine,” Rebecca said, walking over to the woman and offering a congratulatory hug. “I didn’t know…when are you due?”
The small dark-haired woman glowed, and the man at her side looked so damn happy, it brought tears to Rebecca’s eyes.
“We wanted to wait before letting people know. I mean, after the last time.” Raine’s voice wobbled a bit, but her husband, Jake, slid his arm around her waist, and she found strength in that. They’d suffered a stillbirth late into their last pregnancy. It was heartbreaking, having to bury a child Raine had carried nearly to term.
“I’m about five months along, and things are perfect.” Raine trailed her fingers across Jake’s forearm—a simple, intimate gesture. One that tugged at Rebecca’s heart.
She needed to be away from all this happy. It was suffocating.
Drawing in much-needed air, she smiled and congratulated the couple once more, then turned to her brother. “I need wine. Where’s the wine?”
With that, she pushed past him and grabbed a glass off the side table and let Nash fill it. “More,” she said when he would have stopped. Hudson was still on the other side of the room, and he and Lily had resumed their conversation. What the hell was she going on about?
“So,” Nash murmured before he obliged her with a generous amount of vino. “It’s gonna be that kind of night.”
Rebecca took a big gulp and winced as the wine flooded her taste buds and found its way down her throat. The pinot noir was smooth, a Californian, but still, wine wasn’t meant to be gulped.
