Awakened By A Kiss (Once Upon A Romance) (11 page)

“No, he’d be over the excitement the moment the baby pooped on him.”

Grabbing a napkin, she dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

It wasn’t just that anymore. A baby, any baby, would complete Peg’s to-do list. But now, Evelyn saw it differently.

Watching her friends with their husbands and kids, she knew the missing piece. It was just so hard to accept the fact.

Evelyn wouldn’t settle for half a life. Compromise may work for some people. She realized that’s what her mother had done because she had to, or so she’d thought at the time. But it wouldn’t work for Evelyn.

She wanted it all. The relationship with a man, the ups and downs, the fights and make-ups, the hand to comfort her, a shoulder to lean on, a voice to guide her, a friend to share her life with, and a heart to be open and loving. She needed that special someone.
Just like her friends had.

Her hypothetical baby needed a real dad, too. A dad who would be there for every little step, for every fall, every triumph and letdown, and, like the Professor, to walk his daughter down the aisle.

There was so much more to raising a baby than what she’d always thought.

Her mom had made her life easy, smoothing out the wrinkles and providing her with the necessities. The father she barely remembered had dropped off the face of the earth. He couldn’t handle a child—Austin or her. He wasn’t cut out for fatherhood, her mother had explained. It had nothing to do with them; it was his problem, not theirs. And so Evelyn had never missed a man who would have never been there anyway.

There was no hole, no void. It was the three of them. They couldn’t have imagined a better life.

And, when Evelyn received the news of a one-year deadline, she didn’t think twice about going it alone. Getting a man first or at all hadn’t factored into her choice.

Now, she knew and felt different; she was head over heels in love.

It was just too bad Shane Weston didn’t want her.

***

Shane tugged at the noose around his neck or so he thought of the bow tie. “Dex, hurry up, buddy.”

“Coming,” his voice squeaked. “Be right out.”

Leaving him in the men’s room, Shane welcomed the cool breeze in the lobby. He shoved his hands in his pockets and paced back and forth.

“Admit it, Weston, you’re hiding.” He’d stayed away from the main rooms, knowing Evelyn would be there. How could he face her when he’d ditched her last night?

He groaned. He couldn’t even figure out why he’d bolted.
Scared
.

Candace in curlers and a pink robe rushed to him. “Where’s Dex?”

Pointing a thumb behind him, Shane gave her the answer.

“Don’t try to stop us,” she hissed. Grabbing something out of her robe pocket, she shoved it at him. “Your Evelyn’s been hiding things from you.” Her voice grated. “Look at it.”

Carefully, Shane opened the familiar-looking wrinkled envelope and slid the paper out.

“Here, let me.” She plucked it from his hands and snapped it open. “Right here,” she pointed. “It says mumbo jumbo, but farther down under summary, ‘patient has very little hope of conceiving. One-year window of opportunity is the best she can hope for.’”

Frowning, he scanned the lab results. “Is this yours, Candace? Is that why you’re rushing into marriage with Dex?”

She tapped the top of the paper. “Read. Patient’s name.”

“Evelyn…” Something kicked him, hard and sharp, in his gut. “Where did you get this from?” He turned it over and back again.
It looked real
.

Her cheeks turned a bright red. “Her tote bag. She always has so much stuffed in there. It…fell out.” She shrugged.

More like she’d pulled it out, he realized when she couldn’t meet his stare.

Lowering her voice, she said, “See. She’s using you. Just to, you know, have a kid. It all makes sense why she’s seeing you.”

His mind reeled. It did make sense. Evelyn wanted to be a single mom.
No man to interfere.

Who better to get to make her a baby than a guy who stayed away from marriage like the plague because he feared the inevitable divorce?

Maybe he’d been completely wrong about her
.

***

“Son, there you are,” His father’s voice brought him up short. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Dad.” He stuck out his hand, still stunned at the lab results he’d stuffed in his pocket. He frowned. “I thought you were arriving two days ago.” His father had failed to text him back.

The older man brushed back his flyaway hair. “Slipped my mind.”

“Oh, honey, did you forget something?” Shane’s mother asked, coming up beside his father. She slipped her arm through his. “You naughty boy.”

His father actually blushed. “Ah…Shane,” he stuttered.

“Mom, when did you get into town?”

Silence greeted him. His parents looked sheepishly at each other.

“Here’s the thing, son.” His father reached out and straightened Shane’s lapel. “Your mom and I—”

“Are doing the wild thing.”

Shane winced.

“We’re together again.” His father gentled patted his mother’s hand now holding his arm in a death grip.

“You’re not mad, are you, Shaney? I swear it wasn’t planned. We met in New York, waiting on the same plane to arrive.” Only his mother could get away with calling him that.

“It was delayed.” His father gazed at his mother and smiled. “It was fate. After all these years, we couldn’t put you in the middle, the go-between. We had to talk it out.”

“Or duke it out.” She giggled. “So we got a lot off our chests, didn’t we, snookums?”

“Yes, sweetie, we did.” He sighed. “It took a lot of booze, I tell you, and a lot of honesty. But we’re at a good place.”

“First time since you were little,” his mother agreed. “Oh, here’s the groom. Look, Dexter, how handsome are you?”

Shane turned just in time to see Dex hold up a hand and rush back into the bathroom.

“Eww! That’s not good.” His mother grimaced. “Come on, honey, let’s get another one of those drinks you like while Shane sees to Dexter.”

He watched them leave, cuddled close, and witnessed his father grab his mother’s butt. Not a pretty sight for a child to see. Shivering in disgust, Shane shook his head at his parents and wondered what the hell all the wasted years were about.

They were his example. His role models, if you will, for not marrying. Their divorce ripped his heart out. He’d learned his lesson that day.

Marriage could be grand, but the divorce chewed you up and spit you out, especially for the kids involved. The aftershocks lasted for years. Hadn’t his father just admitted they’d used him as their referee?

That’s why he’d never risked the marriage part.

But then again, his heart had never been in love either.

“Evelyn,” he whispered, looking up and catching a glimpse of her in the distance. The green gown she wore fit her like a glove. He wanted to take the pins out of her elegantly styled updo and watch her dark hair tumble down around her shoulders. He bit back on a groan.

Shane still couldn’t believe that, all this time, she’d kept the news from him. The memory of her seeing the kids, all seven of them, rocked him now. They loved her just as much as she loved them.

If she’d wanted to, she could have easily gotten him into bed and tried to conceive. But, she hadn’t. She’d even told him up front about wanting to be a single mother.

She deserved to be a mother, to have her own child.

His heart turned over. “Weston, my friend, you have no idea what you’ve just gotten yourself into.”

***

The wedding march played. The orchestra struck up the chords again.

Evelyn stood in the shadows, keeping count. The fourth time they’d hesitated, but continued as the conductor tapped his stick on the podium.

Looking over her shoulder, she spied Candace in the alcove, plucking at her neckline. She scowled.

The gorgeous high-society guests murmured. The sun was sinking fast. The chill in the air grew.

“Where’s Dex?” Evelyn wondered aloud, turning back. She’d wait a few more seconds.

“You haven’t seen him?” Shane walked toward her.

She gulped hard, avoiding his stare. “No. I thought he was with you.” Halting herself from patting her updo to make sure it was still in place, she clasped her hands in front of her.

“I was getting him a glass of water, turned around, and he was gone.” He waited.

Looking up and meeting his worried gaze, she swore her bones melted. “Shane?”

“Ev, honey. I can’t believe I’m going to say this here and now.” He pulled out something from his top pocket.

The envelope, wrinkled even more and the cellophane window torn, came into view. The mind-boggling words ran through her head. She swore the color drained from her body. “How did you get that?”

He handed it over. His grim look only ticked her off.

“You took it from my bag?” She clutched it close to her chest.

“No.” He pulled back. “Candace gave it to me. The point is, you kept this from me.”

“It wasn’t a sharing kinda thing.”

“With me?”

She gulped hard.

“I see.” The pain in his baby blues ripped through her.

“Shane,” Dex interrupted them, coming up from behind Shane. “I need you.”

“Dex, sure, anything.” His attention went to his cousin’s pale face. “You sick?”

“I’m better now. Can you come with me?”

His brief touch on her arm made her shiver. “Bye, Evelyn.”

Somehow she realized it encompassed not only the moment, but a great deal more. Yep, her heart just skipped another beat.
He’s gone. Poof.

Dex walked to the front of the crowd. “Attention, everyone.” The music died.

Leaning close, Shane whispered something to his cousin. There seemed to be a furious exchange and then silence.

“Thank you,” Dex’s voice cracked. “I’m sorry to say—”

“No, Dexter, you can’t do this to me!” Candace cried, rushing down the aisle, grasping her long skirts in her hands. Her parents trailed behind her.

Before she reached him, he winced. “Candy, I can’t do this.”

A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

“I’m not right for you.” He sucked in a deep breath. “And you’re not right for me. It’s over. Well.” His laugh was short and harsh. “It never really was on, was it? We barely ever kissed or held hands.”

“Stop!” she shouted, covering her ears.

“I was doing you a favor. I can’t pretend anymore.”

“Candace, honey,” her father and mother said in unison, trying to hold her as she collapsed in tears.

“I’m…I’m pregnant,” she announced.

Evelyn’s stomach dropped and she hurried down the aisle.
Fiasco on the wedding aisle!

“I don’t…know who the father is.”

Gasps and loud murmurs raced through the crowd.

Candace’s wails cut Evelyn in two. With all she had in her, Evelyn brushed aside the fact that it was Candace who stole the lab results and gave them to Shane. And that had led to Shane turning his back on her.

Ev reached her, gathered her up, and swept her away. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted Shane’s ashen face. He hadn’t known about the pregnancy.

Shane watched as his cousin, holding a bottle of whiskey, spread his arms wide and twirled around. “I’m free,” Dex cried out.

“Whoa, buddy,” Shane said, grabbing him as he tripped and nearly toppled over. “Easy. You can celebrate sitting down.”

He plopped down in the chair Evelyn sat in when she was here. Shane had a vision of her at the wedding. Stunned wonder may have been written all over her face, but she’d saved the day, directing and calming everyone. His one job was to get Dex away from Candace and off the premises.

The shock he’d felt at Candace’s confession still reverberated. Dex had admitted all in the car ride home. He’d known. Being gallant and smitten, he’d offered to marry her. She readily agreed and sworn him to secrecy, thus the lies and deception from even Shane.

Now, he realized why Candace had first tried to get him to commit and then pressured Dex into it.

Loud noises came from overhead. He groaned. His parents were staying with him. Now, their lustful reunion went on and on. “Oh God, just kill me,” he muttered, raking a hand through his hair.

Dex laughed and couldn’t stop. He pointed to the ceiling. “Them two. Cats and dogs.”

“At least one of us is having fun.” He glanced at his watch, wishing his cousin would pass out soon so he could go to Evelyn. He had to explain. He had to find out some things.

“They are, too.”

“Yep. Never-ending pain and suffering,” he said. “Tired?”

“Heck no. I’m wide awake. Oh, Shane, I was almost a goner. But, I got smart. You know how?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “You and Ev. Kissy kissy.” He made smacking sounds. “She was just as into you as you were into her. I want that.”

Shane swallowed hard. “You think?” He wasn’t just imagining it then? “How long can something like that last?”

A crash upstairs shook the ceiling, making them both jump. “Them?” Dex lifted the bottle. “They’ve always had it.”

“My folks?” He frowned. “Come on.”

“Passion. Fire. All went in the wrong direction.”

He looked at his drunken cousin and shook his head. How could he say such a brilliant thing when he was barely coherent? “They channeled it in anger,” he said slowly, dawning sinking in.

For years they pitted him against each other, but both of them were intensely interested in the other. How many questions did he have to answer? How many times did they ask—how’s your mother, how’s your father? Every time.

“They’re going to break…” Dex trailed off, his head rolling to the side.

Shane jumped up and grabbed the bottle before he dropped it. He eased the whiskey away and placed it out of reach.

“More,” Dex mumbled. The noises returned. “Like bunnies…”

Shane thought of Evelyn and her adorable stuffed bunny. It brought a smile to his lips. Her seven little charges came to mind.