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She’d been so wrapped up in flirting with Nick, and since the usual gang was present and accounted for, she hadn’t given much thought to who might be at the door.
Before Becca could actually open the door, the person on the other side let himself in. Becca found herself face-to-face with Zane Phillips, a friend of Rob’s and whose own horse-breeding ranch was located about ten miles outside of Celebration. The guy was tall and rich and all kinds of gorgeous.
“Zane, hello. What a surprise. I didn’t realize you were coming over.”
Zane flashed her his trademark rugged, sexy smile. “Hello, Becca. I certainly am glad to see you. I had no idea that you were part of this football party or I would have joined in a lot sooner.”
Last year, Zane had hosted a fund-raiser for the foundation on his ranch. At one time, Becca would have given her eyeteeth for him to ask her out. Today, as she stood there in the foyer with him acting all attentive and flirty, all she could think about was Nick.
“Come in. The guys are in the living room.”
Zane lingered in the foyer. He didn’t seem very worried that he was missing the game.
“How have you been?” he asked. “And why did we never go out after the fund-raiser?”
Wow. Her timing really did stink. Actually, Zane was the one with bad timing.
“If I remember correctly, it’s because you had a girlfriend.”
He held his index finger in the air. “You have a very good memory.”
“It comes in handy sometimes.”
“And, apparently, a good sense of humor, too. I don’t have a girlfriend anymore. Apparently, she didn’t have a very good sense of humor.”
Was he about to ask her out? Right here? In the middle of Kate and Liam’s foyer? Six months ago this would been something from a dream. But now Becca found herself inwardly squirming and backpedaling faster than a unicyclist poised to ride over a cliff.
“Can I get you a beer, Zane?”
Maybe she could buy herself a little time by offering him some liquid refreshment. Then Nick stepped from the living room into the foyer.
“I was just going to get myself one, Becca,” Nick said. “Would you help me find the kitchen?”
* * *
Could the man—Zane someone or the other—not take a hint?
Nick knew he had no right or claim on Becca, even though she was pregnant with his babies.
Still, in his book, when a guy was late to the party and it was clear that a certain woman was there with another guy, the latecomer needed to back the hell up and stop flirting.
Was he jealous?
Was that what this foreign feeling was? Jealousy? He’d never experienced it before—or at least not like this.
Nick tried his best not to let it show as he followed Becca into the kitchen, even though Zane hadn’t seemed to pick up on the subtle hint and trailed along behind them.
“How is the favor making going?”
Becca ducked her head and lowered her voice. “It would be fine if Pepper would stop pushing wine on me.”
“Seriously?” he asked.
She grimaced. “Yes. I can’t tell if she’s just in a generous mood, wanting me to share in the wine she brought back from Italy, or if she’s onto something and trying to force my hand. Know what I mean?”
Nick blew out an audible breath. “Sorry about that.”
“Thanks, but it’s not your fault. She can be a little bulldog when there’s something she wants to know and feels like it’s being kept from her.”
“We can leave anytime you want,” Nick said as they stepped into the kitchen.
Just like the rest of Liam and Kate’s home, the kitchen was traditional and expensive-looking with its marble countertops and stainless-steel appliances. Yet, with pictures and progress reports and notes tacked to the refrigerator and silly messages and reminders scrawled on the chalkboard that hung by the door, it still had a lived-in look that suggested this room was the heart of the Thayer family.
Liam and Kate’s two girls, who had been cheering at the game Friday night, were hanging out with Lily and Cullen’s brood of children, whom the couple had adopted shortly before they got married, Nick had heard. Cullen, who was chief of staff at Celebration Memorial, had been the kids’ godparent before their natural parents had died in a car accident. The older kids were watching A.J. and Shane’s toddler.
Everything about this group seemed to be centered around family. That concept was so foreign to Nick, but in a strange way it almost felt as if he could trust them to be a built-in support system for him and Becca—once they broke the news.
