Recipe For Seduction (A Madewood Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (23 page)

He turned and laid her on the blanket in the middle of the living room.

The baby had caused such a ruckus he’d almost forgotten why he’d come here in the first place.
Later
. Right now wasn’t the time to bring up the future. They had a baby to change.

“Are you just going to watch?” Evil woman. She seemed delighted he was flustered. And that she was right, and he had been wrong about the ease of caring for an infant. It definitely wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns.

“That was my plan.”

“Get your sweet ass over here before I find a spatula.”

Her breath caught, and there was no mistaking the heat in her eyes at the reminder of their first kinky scene together. But now was not the time for indulging in sexual fantasies. Unfortunately.

She slipped off the couch and crawled over to where he was kneeling above the baby. She licked her lips, a tiny knowing smile curved at the side of her mouth. “Watching you with a baby is sexy.” She licked his earlobe. “You’re so sexy.”

What the hell. When she’d left him in the cabin, she’d sworn never to pick up where they had left off.
Hmm
. Maybe babies were an aphrodisiac.

His dick twitched in his pants, but the mood was ruined by a waft of nasty stench. They both eyed the baby. They stared a few beats, then looked at each other.

With a nod, they silently agreed. They were going in.

He reached down and undid the tabs of the diaper. He pulled back the front and they both recoiled at the sight.

“Sweet baby Jesus. That’s disgusting.” He turned his head aside as Kylie kicked her legs up and down.

Veronica gagged and covered her mouth and nose with a hand, but she reached for the diaper bag and pulled out a new one, along with a container of wipes, setting them at his knees. “Go for it,” she said in a nasally voice, obviously trying not to breathe through her nose.

“I thought we were doing this together?”

“I’ve already done one. Your turn.” She rested on her heels and stood, walking away into the kitchen. “Besides, this will be great practice for the houseful of babies you want, remember?”

He looked down at the baby. “Yeah, but…”

She stopped in the doorway and turned to face him. “But…?”

“That’s different. This is…” He frowned, anxiety washing over his face.

“I thought you were the baby whisperer.” She hiked a brow. “You just need to get rid of the dirty diaper, wipe her down, and put on a new one.”

Right. How hard could it be?

He reached for the plastic container of wipes and tackled the worst of it, but the baby didn’t make it easy. She squealed and kicked as he held her tiny legs, making it difficult.

Minutes later, he sank down on his haunches and took a deep breath. He cooked for hundreds of people every day. He’d taught children how to wield sharp utensils without killing themselves or each other. Surely, he could change a baby’s diaper and live to tell the tale.

He wiped his brow with his arm. He’d worked up a sweat from the hard work. Or maybe from nerves.

“Aren’t you done yet?” Veronica stood in the doorway to the living room with a beer in one hand, her shoulder resting against the frame and a smile on her face.

“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” he grumbled.

She held up her hand and squeezed her thumb and forefinger together. “Like, this much.”

She sauntered to his spot on the floor and knelt beside him. “All right. I have an idea.” She rummaged through the baby bag.

Kylie screamed with her sudden movements. Trying to soothe her, he rocked her body back and forth. “Whatever it is, hurry.”

She pulled out a squeeze bottle. “Bring the baby.” She skipped out of the room.

“Where are you going?”

Before she stepped through the doorway she turned. “To run a bath for her.”

A bath? Brilliant. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

He wrapped the baby in a towel and followed Veronica to the kitchen. Warm water flowed out of the tap into one side of the double sink.

“Take off the rest of her clothes.”

He did as she asked while Kylie continued to scream like she was being tortured by the Russian Mafia.

“How long is she going to cry?” he yelled over the baby’s wailing.

Veronica shrugged. “Maybe this will help.” She took the sprayer, tested the water temperature on her wrist, and hosed off the baby’s backside over the empty sink, then motioned Finn to put her into the soothingly warm water filling the other side.

He lowered Kylie into the bath and held her carefully, while Veronica gently washed her skin. The baby squirmed for a minute, then she settled and he heard her quiet sigh, followed by Veronica’s.

They both hunched over the counter while the baby cooed and splashed in the water.

He turned his head and locked eyes with Veronica. Despite the severe trepidation still pounding in his chest, he was happy they were together. He had shown up here today to talk with her about their future, and he had been given this small taste of heaven—his dream of family come true, complete with a baby.

But on second thought, maybe she had been right all along. Babies were really tough to take care of, not to mention unpredictable. And he had just seen for himself that when push came to shove, he couldn’t hack it.

Maybe it was time to find a new dream.

Eventually, Kylie settled and passed out on the warm, soft blanket Veronica had laid out for her on the floor.

“That was…exhausting.”

Veronica smiled wryly. “And just as awful as I’d always imagined.”

He didn’t comment. Yesterday, his response would have been, “Are you crazy?” but today, after being manhandled by an actual infant, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

“She is cute as a button, but taking care of her is way more trouble than those few moments of peaceful sweetness. Hopefully, it lasts a for a while.”

“I appreciate the help more than I can say. But for the record, you stink with babies.”

He pushed out a shaky breath. “I noticed.”

They enjoyed the blissful silence for a few minutes, then she asked, “Why did you come over, anyway? If you’re not here to see Cal.”

“I came to talk to you.” He sprawled into the corner of the couch. “I wanted to talk to you about—”
Man up, O’Reilly. You want to talk about your future. Together.
“Cal.”

A legitimate excuse to end up on her doorstep, knowing full well the kid would be at work.

He told his inner voice to shut up. “Did he ever give you a reason why he bailed on university?”

“He said it was stupid.” She dropped onto the opposite end of the couch. “That he knew he would never finish, and he didn’t want to waste our money.”

“Ah.” Finn had to give the kid credit. He’d come up with a more than reasonable excuse.

She shrugged. “Sort of valid, right?”

“Yes, but that’s not the real reason.”

“He spoke to you about it?” She looked at him in awe. “He refuses to talk to me or Mark.”

“He probably just needed someone removed from the situation to be a sounding board.”

When Finn didn’t continue, she grew impatient. “Well, what did he say?”

He didn’t relish betraying Cal’s confidence. But she had a right to know—so her family could fix what was broken.

“He’s afraid of being left behind again. He thinks if he leaves, he’ll lose you.”

She blinked. “That’s insane.”

“V, it makes sense. Foster care, Mark leaving. You’re the only person he feels he can count on. He’s terrified if he leaves, you’ll start living your own life and he might lose you, too.”

She shot him her best are-you-crazy? look. “That would never happen.”

“You and I both know that. He doesn’t.”

“But—” Her eyes drifted away as she contemplated his words. “It’s ridiculous.”

“Maybe. But it’s how he feels.”

Her shoulders had slowly crept up toward her ears. “So, you’re the foster child whisperer now. You came here today to tell me I’m wrong, and that I’m raising my own brother incorrectly. Great.”

“Did I
say
that?” Finn ran his hand through his hair. He should have stuck to his original plan to talk about his feelings. About
her
. “Christ. This is exactly why I swore I wouldn’t get involved in your family drama.”

“You’ve made that very clear on many occasions.” She shrugged. “But why now?”

“I—” He’d come here to tell her he wanted to take the next step. With
them
. To try a real relationship.

So much for that idea.

Kylie stirred and started to scream from her nest on the floor. His cue to leave.

He shook his head sadly. “How did we manage to get through weeks of kinky sex and continue a lifelong friendship, only to have our parenting philosophies torpedo it all?”

“We knew from the beginning we had different philosophies.” Veronica studied the carpet. “It was inevitable, I guess.”

She watched as he walked across the living room. Just before he got to the doorway, she said, “Thanks for telling me. About Cal.”

He nodded, then walked out the front door.

This was definitely the end. He’d been too afraid to man up and tell her he loved her, and instead he’d betrayed the confidence of a teenager because he was a chickenshit. He only hoped their twenty-year friendship could still come out unscathed. And if it didn’t, at least he opened her eyes to the reasoning behind Cal’s behavior. At the end of the day, he only wanted her to be happy. For Cal to be happy.

Then again, even if he had been brave, tonight had proven he was not the man he’d thought he was. A baby whisperer he was not. He had been defeated by a diaper. If he couldn’t do that simple task, how was he going to deal with the really important stuff? And why would any woman choose a man who couldn’t even take care of his own child?

Maybe he needed to seriously rethink this whole family thing.

In any case, having blown it with Veronica, now he could move on. And so could she.

Second best was out there somewhere. For both of them.

Chapter Fourteen

Finn powered through his inventory list. If he was quick about it, he’d be able to leave early and go home to drink and brood, which is what he’d been doing for the past three days.

“I was told I could find you here.” Mark’s voice carried to the back of the storeroom.

Without turning around, Finn acknowledged him while continuing to go through the list. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to talk to Penn.”

At his blatant lie, Finn turned around. “You already know she works out of Bistro. You’re a little far from your destination.”

“So, maybe I thought I would stop by here first and—” Mark lowered his gaze. “Hell, I’m sorry I freaked out on you the other day.”

Finn sighed and held his clipboard to his chest. “I appreciate the apology, but you had every right to be angry.”

“I saw red. The thought of you and—” Mark shivered. “I just really can’t think about it.”

Finn didn’t really blame him. There was a time when he’d thought of Veronica just as Mark did—as a little sister. But that perception had disappeared long ago.

“I was wrong about Veronica,” Mark admitted. “And Cal. The last few days have been rough. We haven’t spoken to each other since the wedding.”

“Why don’t you go home, then? Out west, I mean,” Finn suggested evenly. He knew Cal would love that. Although Finn would much rather they work out their differences first.

“This
is
my home.” Mark’s sad eyes cut him deeply. “That job out there was only a means to an end. If I could go back in time, if I knew then how much damage my leaving would cause, I wouldn’t have taken the damn job. But at the time, I thought it was the best thing I could do for Ali and Cal. We were going to need a lot more money than I could make here. And I didn’t mind leaving, knowing I was investing in their future. But it all went horribly wrong.”

Mark walked farther into the storeroom and Finn just allowed him to talk.

“Cal thinks I abandoned him. And she might not say it out loud, but I know I left Veronica with a lot of responsibility to handle all on her own.”

“Cal knows why you left.”

Mark shook his head wearily. “If he does, he doesn’t act like it. And what about Veronica?”

“You’re right…she’d never say it out loud.”

Silence fell between them. Finn didn’t know what to say about his part in it all. Where to start. If he should even say anything. The man standing in front of him had been his best friend for many years, but the shell of the man staring back at him was a stranger.

“Do you love her?” Mark asked.

He should have seen that one coming. But how to answer?

“It doesn’t really matter if I love her or not. Our feelings aren’t the issue.”

Mark finally made eye contact. “So, you do love her.”

There was no point in lying. Hiding his true feelings was part of the reason why everything in his life had fallen apart. He nodded. “Yeah.”

Mark cursed under his breath. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Not a damn thing.” He pushed past his friend and set his clipboard on the desk. “It was fun, but we both knew from the start it was only temporary.”

“Veronica has spent her entire adult life as a substitute mother. She sees that as a negative now, but she’s done a fantastic job raising those kids. She deserves a family, one of her own. Kids of her own. She just doesn’t know it yet. You have to show her.”

“Even if she wanted that, it turns out I’m not the right man for the job.”

That baby had schooled him in the art of caregiving. He’d never thought taking care of a baby would be so…chaotic. Even with both him and Veronica there, the job had been too much to handle. The idea of being a father, of being responsible for a tiny little life, honestly terrified him now.

“You’re exactly the right man,” Mark assured him.

“Did she tell you about babysitting the kid? I was pathetic. No idea what the hell I was doing.”

“Who has? Why do you think so many kids end up in foster care? Parents give up.”

Very sad, but true. He knew that firsthand.

“Just don’t repeat our parents’ mistakes. You don’t give up. No matter what.” He took a step closer. “That’s what kids care about. They won’t remember how poorly you changed their diaper or how much frozen food they ate. They’ll remember you were always there when they needed you.” Clapping a hand on his shoulder, Mark smiled. “And the same goes for Veronica. You can’t give up on her, either.”

Finn smiled wryly. “Why the change in opinion? You squirted raspberry in my face, for fuck’s sake. Now you want us together.”

“Now that I know you love her, hell yes. You are the best, nicest guy I know. And although it was a little…upsetting…to hear you were defiling my sister, I know you. And I know you would never do anything deliberately to hurt her.”

Finn looked his friend in the eye and hoped he saw just how sorry Finn was about the entire situation. “What if I can’t convince her?”

“You will.” Mark squeezed his shoulder then let his arm fall to his side. “Because you love her.”

There was a reason they were best friends. Mark knew him better than any other person on the planet. Except Veronica…

“Besides”—Mark punched him lightly in the biceps—“I’ve known she’s been in love with you forever.”

His stomach tensed in surprise. “What?”

“Seriously, man?” Mark rolled his eyes. “The whole time growing up, she was doodling your name inside a heart on her school binder. She had an honest-to-God schoolgirl crush on you.”

Finn actually felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment. “She did not. I would have seen it.”

Mark chuckled. “To this day, she still stares at you like a little puppy just waiting for you to throw her a bone.”

Finn scowled. “Why didn’t you say something? Maybe—” Maybe they wouldn’t have wasted so many years tiptoeing around each other.

“Dude. She’s my
sister
. And you’re…a guy.”

Point taken. Still. All those years. All those years he’d pushed aside his feelings because he’d thought they were inappropriate. He could have acted upon them. Should have acted upon them. Then again, it could have ended badly.

Hell, it had ended badly anyway.

Mark’s expression turned serious. “Just think about what I said. There’s still hope. Don’t give up on her.” He turned to leave, but halted at the door. “But no matter what, you’re still my best friend. I’m not giving up on that.” And with that, he walked away.

Finn had some serious thinking to do.

His relationship with Mark was even stronger, and he’d built a bond with Cal he’d never expected. But what to do about Veronica?

Somehow, some way, he needed to make it work with her. Because Mark was right. Finn couldn’t give up. He needed to fight for what he wanted.

And what he wanted was Veronica.

…

Veronica walked down the stairs to the aroma of bacon and toast. It smelled wonderful…and completely unexpected, considering her breakfast usually consisted of frozen pancakes or waffles.

She followed the scent, breathing more deeply the closer she got to the kitchen. She heard the sizzle of the frying pan before she turned the corner, but stopped short when she saw Cal at the stove.

“What’s going on?”

He whirled around with a smile on his face. “Breakfast.” He placed his spatula on the counter and headed to the coffeemaker. He poured her a cup of coffee and set it on the table. The table that was already set for three.

“Is this a dream?” Mark wandered into the kitchen, scratching his neck. She heard the scrape of his overnight scruff from four feet away. “This can’t be my house.”

She looked over at Cal, expecting a snarky response. But he merely smiled and poured him a cup of coffee.

“I’ve entered the Twilight Zone,” she muttered. “Who are you, and what have you done with Calum?”

“This is the new and improved Calum.”

Mark’s eyes widened. This was going to be an interesting morning.

When Cal had finished cooking, he brought the food to the kitchen table and they all dug in. For the first few minutes they ate in silence. At least with words. But the unspoken words that hung in the air around them was deafening.

“This is my apology breakfast,” Cal said at length.

Both she and Mark looked up from their plates in shock.

“I’m not good at saying the sorry words, so I thought I would cook them.” He grimaced. “You know what I mean. I’m sorry I’ve been a jackass. I just want you to be proud of me, V.”

Tears immediately stung her eyes with his apology. If she had known this was going to be a heartfelt discussion she would have come equipped with a box of tissues.

“Honey, I
am
proud of you. Always. I just wish…” She cleared her throat. “I wish I hadn’t screwed up with you. I’ve been a bad sister. A worse mother. I’m sorry.”

“Fuck, no, you haven’t!” Cal’s fork dropped to his plate.

Mark jumped. “Language, buddy.”

Veronica shook her head. She wasn’t blame-free where their relationship was concerned. “I was being selfish, and didn’t listen to you.”

“No. You’ve been perfect. Sometimes…too perfect. You never fuc…make bad choices. Or think about yourself. That morning when I saw you with Finn, I used it against you.” He peeked over at Mark, expecting him to freak out. And so did she. But he surprised them both and didn’t comment. His face didn’t even waver.

Cal looked at her earnestly. “You need to be selfish. To have your own life. I may not act like it, but I’m old enough to take care of myself. You don’t have to do it anymore.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but Cal cut her off.

“No!” He held up his hand. “Let me finish.” He took a deep breath and regrouped. “I talked to Finn, and… I realize now that I was afraid. I
am
afraid. That you’ll leave me. That if I leave for school and you get your own life, I won’t have a home to come back to.”

God, Finn had been right all along. She owed him a huge apology.

Cal took another deep breath and turned his attention to Mark. “I hated you for leaving us. I thought you were just like Mom. I felt abandoned. I didn’t understand you were doing it
for
us, not
to
us.” He looked back and forth between Mark and Veronica. “I get how childish it was. How stupid it all is, now.”

“Feelings aren’t stupid, bud.” She leaned over and wrapped her arms tight around her little brother. “And I’m not going anywhere. Ever. No matter where I live, or you live. I will always be there for you. And so will Mark. Don’t you ever think otherwise.”

They should have had this conversation years ago. But who knew? Other than Finn… The man’s insight into the inner workings of her little brother’s brain was surprising.

Still, she had done her best. Cal was a good kid. And now, maybe he would have the courage to fly out on his own.

And just maybe…she would, too.

She kissed his forehead, wiped her eyes, and returned to her breakfast. “Cal, this is so good. I should have sent you to work for Finn years ago. All this time we’ve had a gourmet chef living with us and we didn’t even know it.”

“He loves you.”

She straightened in her chair.
Damn
. She shouldn’t ever have mentioned the man’s name. She did
not
want to talk about Finn O’Reilly. “And how do you know that, hotshot?” she said lightly.

“Because he took me under his wing.”

“Cal, you’re practically family to him. That had nothing to do with me.”

“Stop making excuses,” Cal told her steadily. “You love him, too.”

She gasped and froze in her seat with a forkful of eggs halfway to her mouth. “I… I most certainly—” She couldn’t make herself deny it. She covered her face with one hand. “Do. God, I’m such an idiot.” Tears filled her eyes again. “I’ve loved him since I was eleven years old.
Eleven
. That’s a long fucking time.”

“Language.” Cal smirked.

She squeezed her eyes shut. “I think it’s time I accept we are never going to happen, and get over it.”

“Why do you say that?” Cal raised an eyebrow and he held up a hand to prevent her from answering. “I know. Kids. You’ve done your bit. Yada, yada, yada.” The he frowned, his eyes clouding over with regret. “I’m sorry, Sis. We would never have come to live with you if we’d known it was going to mess up your life.” He studied the table.

“Whoa. Who said anything about messing up my life? I have loved every minute spent with you and Ali. Every. Single. Minute.”

“Even the time I got suspended for pulling the fire alarm?”

“Maybe not those minutes.”

Mark laughed. “Don’t you see how much we love you, Cal? We wouldn’t have changed a thing. Not ever.”

“What about Finn?” Cal asked her, a hint of hope in his gaze. “I know you and he—”

“Will still be friends.”
Not
. She didn’t think they could ever go back to the way they were. “But the affair is over.”

“But you love him.”

She squirmed in her seat. “Sometimes that’s just not enough.”

“Just as well,” Mark said casually. “He thinks he’s not good enough for you.”

His words sent a dagger to her heart. This was a new development and most certainly not the reason why she and Finn had agreed to part.

“Not good enough? What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded.

“I talked to him yesterday.” Mark helped himself to more bacon and pressed it onto a piece of toast before he folded it and chomped down on it. With his mouth half full, he continued, “He thinks he’ll be a bad parent. That no woman would pick a man who can’t take care of his own kids. Especially you, since you’re so good at it.”