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Thursday at dinner, Brooke told them that Melinda was coming. She would be arriving tomorrow afternoon. “She offered to come,” Brooke explained. “She’ll stay the weekend. With all the stress of the party, I need my friends round me.”
Melinda came by car. When she drove up to the family entrance at five Friday afternoon, Brooke ran out to meet her, crying glad greetings. The two hugged as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.
Genny watched them from the doorway, annoyed with both of them. It was Geoffrey’s birthday tomorrow, but as usual he would be lost in the shuffle of Brooke’s plans and Brooke’s friends. She only hoped they could make it through the party without Brooke staging one of her big, emotional scenes.
Fiona arrived a half an hour later—minus the twins and the banker husband. At dinner, she announced that her driver would bring the boys for the party tomorrow.
Dinner was at eight that night. Geoffrey didn’t join them. He’d eaten earlier.
“And besides,” Brooke said, “it’s nice now and then to have just the grown-ups, to take our time, enjoy our wine...” Melinda and Fiona both made eager noises of agreement.
Later, when Genny and Rafe were alone, she couldn’t resist remarking snidely, “I’ve been meaning to ask. Is the party for Geoffrey—or Brooke?”
“Do you really need to ask?” He smoothed her hair to the side.
She let out a slow sigh. “But Geoffrey does seem to be holding up all right, don’t you think?”
“So far, so good.” He brushed a trail of kisses out from her nape, along her bare shoulder.
She turned in his arms and settled herself against the pillows, sliding a hand up to finger comb his unruly hair. “Once I had to admit that Melinda wasn’t out to seduce you, I started to like her....”
“Why do I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere?”
“I don’t know. Tonight, she seemed as bad a Fiona, seconding everything Brooke said. Laughing too much about things that aren’t even funny.”
“I think they’d all three had too much wine.”
“I think they all three always have too much wine—and I sound like a bitter old witch, don’t I?”
“You’re not the least—”
“Don’t you dare say it. And I just had a horrible thought. Do you think the twins will be staying over tomorrow night? I hope not. Geoffrey will be scarred for life.”
He frowned in thought. “It’s entirely possible. But then again, Fiona will probably send them home after the party. If they stay, she’ll have to look after them. She doesn’t ever seem up for that.”
Genny laughed. “Now you sound like the spiteful one. Good. At least I’m not alone. And you know, I haven’t seen much of the boys yet this year—just a quick hello at the County Show. Are they still as awful as Geoffrey says?”
He kissed the tip of her chin. “Worse, I’m afraid.”
“Dennis and Dexter. Seriously? Remember Dennis the Menace? And Dexter, the serial killer. Who names their sons after a menace and a serial killer?”
“Fiona, apparently.” He buried his face against her throat and chuckled. “And have you met the twins?”
“Ha-ha.”
“And wait a minute. I don’t think the Dexter series started until after the twins were born.”
“Well, that’s reassuring—although not a whole lot.”
“Stop thinking about the twins.”
“I can’t. They’re too scary.”
He started kissing his way down her body, slowly. “I have something to show you....”
She put on her bored voice. “Is it the same thing as last night?”
He lifted his head from kissing her breast. She gasped at the wonderful gleam in his eyes. “I’m afraid so.”
She fisted her hands in his hair and pulled him closer again. “Show me, then. Show me...everything. And do it for a long, long time....”
He made a rough noise of agreement. And then he got busy giving her just what she’d asked for.
Much later, as he slept in her arms, she thought about how much she loved him. She really did need to tell him so.
Life went by and anything could happen. She could live to regret not having said what was in her heart.
Even if he didn’t say it back to her, she wanted him to know.
Maybe after the weekend, when things had settled down a little. Yes. After the party.
That would be soon enough....
He stirred in her arms.
She kissed his cheek. I love you. She said it in her head. With all her heart.
But she failed to say it out loud.
Because she still couldn’t stand to think he might not feel as strongly as she did, that she loved him more and that put her at a disadvantage somehow. As long as she didn’t say the words, she could always imagine he felt the same....
