Reclaiming His Bride (DiCarlo Brides book 3) (The DiCarlo Brides) (5 page)

Long enough to hear Lana’s weak response, “No.”

But he found her with her head still bowed over the toilet bowl, her face sweaty. Blake pulled back her hair and put a hand on her forehead. It was warm, but not as hot as he’d feared. “Why did you come in this morning if you’re not feeling well?”

“I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” She lifted her head, as if preparing to stand, to prove that all was well.

Stubborn woman.

“You’re not fine. And wait until you’re sure the nausea is past.” He was relieved when she didn’t protest.

After thirty seconds, she nodded. “I’m done.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.” She pushed back from the toilet bowl and he gripped under her arm to help her stand, then led her to the sink to wash up. She rinsed her mouth and dug out a canister of minty mouth spray someone had stashed in one of the drawers.

“You’ve been crying,” Blake said as he noticed the tears that had leaked from the side of her eyes. He wiped them away, then kissed her sweaty forehead. It had been a while since he’d been allowed to be so close to her and the scent of her perfume and the minty spray overpowered the scent of puke still lingering in the air, hitting him like a punch in the gut.

“Not really. I always tear up when I puke. It’s physical, not emotional.” She pulled away, washed her hands, then studied her face in the mirror.

“Feeling better?” he asked, though she was still chalky white.

“Yeah. I’ll be fine now. It was probably just something I ate.” She waved as if she could clear it away and she really didn’t think puking was a big deal.

He didn’t believe it, but calling her a liar wasn’t going to help his cause and it wouldn’t get honest answers. “If you have a flu bug, you should go home. You have to take care of yourself.”

She laughed low and without mirth. “Don’t worry about me. I’m really going to be okay, and I have an appointment in an hour.”

“Baby—” he started to protest.

“What?” Her eyes flashed to his, worry and defensiveness in them.

He held up a hand at her anger and apologized. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want me to call you that. It’s habit.” He pushed hair behind her right ear. “Look, I can take your appointment if you’re not feeling well. Please let me help you.” He felt so useless seeing her like this. He wanted to cradle her close and take care of her, but there was no way she’d let him.

She shook her head. “I‘ll rest in my office for a few minutes and I’ll be right as rain. No temperature, just something I ate that my stomach didn’t like. I’ll have to check the expiration date on the milk at home, I guess.” Her smile was weak, but she pulled away from him, avoiding his gaze.

He fisted his hands by his side. “If you need somewhere to lie down, my suite is always available.” She’d never take it, but he had to offer anyway. It’s where he wanted her, more than anything.

Blake followed her out of the restroom and watched her return to her office before letting the issue go and sitting at his desk. He’d check on her again before her meeting. If she didn’t feel better, he’d badger her into letting him or Cami take her appointment.

Though it had been obvious to the sisters that Sage and Joel were getting serious, no one, least of all Lana, expected the engagement, or the announcement that the wedding would take place in a week’s time. If Cami’s four-month engagement had seemed fast, Sage and Joel’s engagement brought on a whirlwind of activity. The happy couple wanted to keep it simple and fun, but simple wasn’t in Delphi’s vocabulary, and she kept everyone else on task preparing for the small wedding at home.

Jonquil went all out on the flowers, Rosemary spent every free minute—and probably some that weren’t free—working on the cake and directing the food, Cami made sure travel arrangements and reservations at the hotel were set for all of the guests, and Lana worked with Delphi on the other details and making sure everything was in order for the late-October wedding. Sage had her hands full working with Joel to clear things out of his place after a house fire and into a rental while his place was razed and rebuilt.

The night before the wedding, the sisters were all hard at work decorating the living room and kitchen. Most of the guys were doing… whatever it was guys did when they had a wedding the next day and are threatened with bodily harm if they did anything involving strippers or drinking enough to give them hangovers in the morning.

“Can you get me more of that green stuff?” Sage asked as she trailed white toile around an arch in the living room.

“The green stuff.” Delphi grinned and passed it along. “I love that. And maybe when Jonquil hands you your bouquet of white roses and calla lilies you can thank her for those white things.”

“Hey, if it’s not cotton weave, I don’t really know what it is. Ask me about facials or five ways to reduce back pain without pills and I’ll take good care of you, though.” Sage started wrapping the green gauzy fabric with the white, securing it in the back.

Lana watched it all with a smile. The six of them weren’t what you’d call close. Their dad’s secrets and a lifetime of hurt feelings prevented that, but they worked together well most of the time despite the odd mix of personalities. They were trying to get along, anyway, even if they held back confidences.

“I can’t believe Rosemary got out of this,” Cami said as she covered another folding chair with a white slipcover.

“She kind of has her hands full with the food,” Lana reminded her.

“Speaking of—are we ever going to eat?” Delphi double-checked her watch, then returned to her list.

“Rosemary’s bringing it. Hold your horses.” Lana felt her own stomach calling out for dinner, but didn’t think that had anything to do with the lightheadedness she’d been fighting for the past hour. She’d been doing her best to hide it, but hoped they had a chance to sit down soon without her having to clue anyone in on how she felt. Sage had been watching her a little too closely.

The noise of the garage door opening filled her with relief. “Sounds like Rosemary’s here. I’ll get out the plates.” They had opted to order from the hotel restaurant tonight instead of making something themselves. She hurried to the kitchen and started pulling dishes from the cupboard when a wave of dizziness passed over her so strong she slid to her knees and leaned her head against the counter.

“Holy cow, are you all right?” Jonquil asked, crossing to her. “Come on, sit on the sofa.”

Lana took a deep breath and felt her equilibrium start to slid back into place. “I’m fine, really. I can stand again.”

“Forget it.” Jonquil helped her stand and accompanied her to the closest sofa—the only sofa since Vince, Blake and Harrison had carried most of the living room furniture to the downstairs family room for the weekend. “How long have you been feeling sick? Should you be helping us?”

“I’m fine. Really.” Lana tried to convince everyone, as they gathered around her. The fact that she could barely see straight had nothing to do with the issue. Despite Jonquil’s comment, it really was perfectly normal for her to get dizzy. It happened to pregnant women all the time. But they didn’t know about that pertinent fact. “I just need to eat. I think I missed lunch.” Not true, but it was a reasonable-ish explanation.

 “Hey, can I get a hand with this food?” Rosemary asked, pushing into the kitchen. She looked at the tableau and stopped. “What’s going on?” She slid the foil tray of enchiladas onto the counter and crossed the room. “Do we need an ambulance?”

“No! We do not need an ambulance. I just have low blood sugar and need to eat.” Lana waved to a couple of the sisters. “Go help her bring in the food.”

“Just give her a minute, I’m sure she’s fine.” Sage moved to help Rosemary bring in the food. When she looked back over her shoulder at Lana, there was a knowing look in her eyes.

Surely Sage didn’t know. Lana pushed away the thought and sat straighter on the sofa, pleased when the dizziness didn’t return. Encouraged, she stood, and didn’t want to pass out.

With her luck, they would start pushing her to go to the doctor to find out why she was light-headed. She already knew why she was feeling terrible, and she wasn’t about to impart.

Everyone moved into motion, except Cami who stayed with Lana. “Seriously,” Cami said as she unnecessarily helped Lana sit on the sofa again. “You’re working yourself too hard. You’re pale a lot of the time.”

“I’m fine. Really. I feel better already. I just need to eat.” Lana accepted the plate of food from Delphi with thanks and started eating.

When everyone finished their food and Rosemary headed back to the hotel kitchen to put the finishing touches on the cake, Lana felt much better and was able to join the others without worrying that she might fall down. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just Sage watching now.

The late October air was cold as it blew across the snow-swept grounds the next night but Lana appreciated the breeze across her heated skin as she stepped onto the deck and looked up at the stars. The ceremony had been lovely, and Sage was a gorgeous bride as her brother, Harrison had walked her down the aisle. She looked a little like a gypsy with her big brown eyes and dark curls. Even the memory brought a sheen of tears, and more than a little wistful longing into Lana’s heart.

Their dad hadn’t been there to give her away, an impossibility under the circumstances, but Sage’s mom, Darla, was present and a great support, though she didn’t fuss over every detail or harass the photographer into special poses as many mothers did. Delphi, however, had grown adept at that, much to Jeremy’s irritation.

Since there were now far too many sisters to stand in as bridesmaids, they had opted for no attendants—which was just as well. Besides, Joel and Sage hadn’t wanted a lot of fuss. Lana thought they had gotten more than they wanted as it was. Personally, Lana had thought the ceremony was perfect—simple and small with a riot of flowers perfuming the room.

Now, with a little time to look back, she wished she’d had as much fuss when she had married Blake. There hadn’t been much of anything in their spur-of-the-moment nuptials. Even that was fuzzy from the cocktails they’d been drinking. The images strongest in her mind were of walking toward him in her rented dress while he wore a rented black jacket, and of course, after, when they went back to his room to celebrate.

She’d seen both of those images in her head hundreds of times over the past year, wondering what they had been thinking, where they had gone wrong. Had he decided after the fact that the marriage was all a big mistake, or had he been like her father all along, juggling women? What should she believe? Was one option even remotely better than the other? How long had his relationship with Fiona lasted after Lana walked out?

Joel and Sage’s first dance as a married couple had been sweet even if it had been barely more than a little swaying with Joel’s knee banged up and in a brace. It reminded Lana again of what she had missed out on, eloping with Blake.

The pomp and pageantry hadn’t seemed important in that Las Vegas chapel—not compared to the inner drive to make all of the wild emotions that were coursing through her official. The romance of the moment had almost stunned her, even in that cookie-cutter chapel in Vegas. Maybe she had believed marriage would keep him by her side, despite knowing it didn’t matter to some people.

Lana squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath of mountain air, preparing to return inside where she should be mixing with everyone and playing the proud sister. She was happy for Joel and Sage. They were utterly in love and if they could make it through everything that had happened, they were bound to be happy.

The door opened behind Lana and she shivered, pulling her gossamer silver wrap closer around her shoulders. It didn’t help much. “I know I should be inside. I’ll be right there.” It would be one of her half-sisters, come to check on her—they’d been keeping an eye on her all day, as if afraid she’d pass out.

“Don’t rush on my account.” Blake’s voice filled the night air. “You look amazing, by the way. I wanted to be sure I told you before you run away again.”

“Run away? Who’s running?” She had been avoiding him, of course. It had become her MO. It was easier than trying to figure out how to tell him he was going to be a father. She was happy, even a little excited at the thought of being a mom, but overwhelmed.