Just Married (More than Friends) Read online

  Her office door slid open and she turned at the sound. Her assistant clutched a folder to her chest as she stepped into the room. But it was who appeared next that had her reaching for the back of her white leather chair.

  Cal, in tailored wool trousers and a French blue dress shirt, looked as if he’d stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. Or a romance novel. His aura of authority filled the space, the handsome face and athletic body made a sexy combination that always knocked her sideways. Her stomach flipped in a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

  “What are you doing here?” She pulled the chair closer, hiding her midsection. She wasn’t showing, but the instinct to protect her belly grew stronger by the day.

  Her assistant grew pale. “I’m sorry. I know you’re leaving early today so when he arrived I just assumed—”

  “It’s fine, Nadine.” She forced a smile, her palms growing damp. “Just unexpected.”

  “Careful, doll.” Cal spoke as he wheeled a tiny suitcase into her space. “You’re acting like I’m an unwelcome surprise.”

  She opened her mouth, but couldn’t find the words. He had never dropped in unexpectedly. Ever. Hell, he was usually late to events scheduled months in advance. She turned her attention to her assistant, whom she knew how to handle.

  “Nadine, could you buzz Rob and tell him Cal is here?” She needed a buffer, and Rob would just have to cancel whatever he had planned to run interference.

  Her assistant left with a nod and a smile, closing the door behind her. Cal settled onto one of the white leather slipper chairs facing her glass-topped desk. He stretched his arms behind him, lacing his fingers behind his head.

  “Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Kerr.” She put a hand on her hip and pulled her stomach tight. She’d thought she had another week to pretend everything was okay. They’d planned to meet next weekend in Portland where he had a meeting. She had an ultrasound scheduled this afternoon to measure the babies. This one would be more sensitive, and hopefully ease her mind about her pregnancy transgressions.

  “I plan to, Mrs. Kerr.” He winked at her. “I thought you’d be so excited to see me, you’d be on my lap by now.”

  “Did you?” She matched his grin, though her stomach churned. “What are you doing in Seattle? Layover?”

  “Labor Day weekend with the wife. It’s a new month.”

  “Indeed it is. I didn’t know textile moguls bothered with holidays.”

  “I don’t, but I thought you’d have a long weekend and since I shortened ours, you are supposed to be thrilled to let me make it up to you. By the odd look you’re giving me, I’m guessing you had other plans?”

  “It’s not that. I just don’t know what to make of you here, now.” She motioned to her office, neat and orderly. She knew how to handle business here. Her unexpected husband, not so much.

  He rose and made up the distance between them. “I thought surprises were romantic.”

  “Your surprises feel like an ambush.” His scent hit her like an opiate. She took a deep pull of that combination of soap and man, and wished she had a normal pregnancy craving. Pickles and ice cream instead of eau de Cal. “I find proposals and invitations far more romantic.”

  “You know what I find romantic?” He set his hands on her hips.

  “Not a damned thing.”

  Faint lines crinkled around his dark eyes as he laughed. “Too right.”

  She tapped the button in the center of his chest. “Are you staying the night?”

  “I’m here the whole weekend. I sent the plane back, so you’re stuck with me until Tuesday.”

  “Get out.” She leaned back to read his expression.

  “I enjoyed being married so much last weekend, I couldn’t wait to do it again.”

  “I think you’re the only person in the world who uses the term ‘married’ as a euphemism for sex.” She used her fingers to put air quotes around married, and he grabbed her hands. He brought them to his lips for a kiss.

  “Let’s lock the door and dirty up your office. There is too much white in here, just mocking me.”

  She stepped back. “No, no. That’s never going to happen. I don’t slut it up at work.”

  “Come on. You’ve thought about it.”

  “Not once.” It was the honest truth. She kept that part of herself laced in, which was likely why she unleashed it when she was around him.

  “I’ve been here five minutes and it’s all I’ve thought of. Who decorated this firm? The good witch? It’s like an art gallery with all white everything. Convents have more color.” He moved past her and to the bookcases. “Would you look at that gorgeous wedding. That groom is hot. I bet his bride was all over him for the honeymoon.”

  “Can you believe that rat bastard invited her to the wedding? No proposal, no engagement, just an invitation.”

  He turned and mocked a pout. “I proposed, and you accepted. And afterwards we were very engaged. Perhaps you need reminding.”

  She bumped into her desk as she backed away, beyond thankful when Rob slid the door open.

  “What the hell, man?” Rob was definitely more excited than she’d been. The two men shook hands, then pulled into that back-clapping embrace guys invented to show macho affection. “I thought you weren’t coming out until the christening?”

  “That was the premarriage plan. Now, I don’t need an excuse to come to Latteland. We’re bicoastal.”

  “You ought to give in now and move. The sooner you start, the sooner you’re back to soaking up the liquid sunshine and watching the Mariners.” Rob grinned at Cal, then shot Miranda a look that showed he understood his role as distraction. Good thing.

  “You East Coasters can’t rip on my team.” Mira picked up the folder that lay forgotten on her desk and slid it into her black attaché. “Rob, I have an appointment this afternoon. Do you think you could entertain Cal while I’m gone?”

  “Sure thing. Anna’s day care is closing early, so he could spend some time with his goddaughter while she’s still an only child.” Rob was officially her favorite person in all the land.

  Cal coughed. “As tempting as that party sounds, I was thinking I’d get some work done before you finished for the day. If you give me a key, I’ll just wait at the condo.”

  Her heart stalled in her chest. Her condo was a disaster zone, with baby paraphernalia everywhere. Books and magazines were stacked high, not to mention the towers of boxes she’d filled to transition her home office into a nursery. She’d used a pair of corkboards from law school study sessions to develop a network of pediatricians and nannies, lactation consultants and baby-proofers.

  “Come on, man. She can show you the new princess big-girl bed you bought.”

  “I did?” He arched a brow and glanced at her.

  “Anna wasn’t interested in leaving the crib, so her fairy godparents made a magical princess bed appear.” She shrugged, hating how Rob’s eyes widened. No one had an issue with gifts from Cal because he was made of money. Which was why she always said things were from the godparents. It kept their friends from saying it was too much.

  “Did it work?” Cal asked Rob.

  “Perfectly.”

  “Good. Money well spent.” At Cal’s words, the tension on Rob’s face eased. “Listen, I don’t want the boys to think I’m playing favorites. Why don’t we all get together for dinner on Monday. My treat.”

  “Tell you what, why don’t I get everyone together at our place for a barbecue. It’s our last chance to host before the baby comes.”

  Cal clapped his hands together. “Good plan. Have the caterer call me and I’ll cover everything.”

  Rob shook his head. “We’re not penniless law students anymore. I don’t make as much as Mira, but I’m doing well enough to handle a barbecue.”

  “I just meant that because Molly is so pregnant she’s not going to want—”

  “I know you meant well, man. I know we all appreciated the hell out of it when we were in school. But, you don
’t have to take care of us anymore. Just come and play with the kids.”

  “We’ll do that.” Mira moved beside Cal, their arms touching, trying to break the uncomfortable tension. She’d told Cal he didn’t need to bankroll everything years ago, but maybe he’d take it better from a guy.

  “I’ll text you the time,” Rob said before leaving.

  “Well that got awkward,” Cal said when the door slid closed. “Do you really make more than Rob?”

  “I have more time to work, so I’ve moved up a little faster.” Which would change once she had the babies. She wanted to cut back for a few years, though doing that would stall her career. A month ago that would have struck fear in her heart, but now it wasn’t even sigh-worthy.

  “Another reason why our marriage is perfect. No day-to-day relationship drama to get in the way of work.” He wrapped her up in his arms, and she let herself settle there, safe for a moment, wishing she wasn’t about to throw everything into disarray. “Tell me, why were you trying to pawn me off on Rob? Were you leaving early for a hot date or something?”

  “I have a doctor’s appointment.” She drew in his scent, as deep as she could before looking up at him. Guilt ripped at her. If any other woman were to have trapped him with a pregnancy he didn’t want, she would have shredded them. But someone else would have had an agenda she did not. She was so accustomed to being his defender it felt foreign to stand up for herself.

  He wrinkled his nose. “You should cancel. You’re perfectly fit. No need to waste time confirming it.”

  “Come sit.” She released him and walked to the white slipper chairs facing her desk, turning one closer to the other. She sat, folding her hands neatly in her lap. She tried for a reassuring smile, but his scowl showed she missed the mark.

  “You’re not ill.” A statement, not a question.

  She motioned for the chair. A weighty silence thickened the air. He stood there, stoic and regal. She supposed in another time he would have been royalty, responsible for villages and towns. Willing to battle back anything that looked like bad news. Which this wasn’t. At least not to her. “Cal, please.”

  He folded into the chair and leaned toward her, propping his forearms on his muscular thighs. “We’ll fix it, whatever it is.”

  “Nothing’s broken.” She smiled, wishing there was some way the news wouldn’t be so jarring.

  “Then why the buildup?”

  “I don’t know how to tell you this. It was a shock to me, so I can only imagine how it will be for you. I just ask that you’re careful in what you say.”

  “Doll, out with it.”

  Every nerve in her body vibrated with apprehension. Her stomach pitched and her mouth watered like she was about to vomit. She reached out and took his hands, wanting to hold on to their former life.

  Miranda took a deep breath and met his gaze. “Cal, I’m pregnant. We’re having twins.”

  10

  Cal’s colorful world went black-and-white. And heavy. He released her hand and rested his palms on his thighs, needing some kind of solid ground. He kept his mouth shut tight, trapping the censure inside. His skin felt too tight, a hurricane of thoughts and accusations, fear and ramifications.

  What the actual hell?

  He stuffed down the emotions battling for attention. There was one good thing his parents had taught him: Feelings had no place in decisions. He needed facts, and nothing more.

  “You’re pregnant?” He sat up straight in the chair and tried to look at her objectively. There was no telltale bump, no outward signs. He’d turned her inside out last weekend—had it happened then?

  “Fourteen weeks.”

  His pulse crashed like thunder in his ears. “You waited three months to tell me?”

  She folded her hands in her lap and spoke as if she were reporting the news. “I had no idea until two weeks ago when I went in for a checkup. When my doctor told me, I thought she had me confused with another patient. I was as stunned as you are.”

  He nodded because he had no frame of reference for how to respond. He’d always been meticulously careful when it came to sex because he’d never wanted to find himself here. But with her, he’d let his guard down. She seemed so vigilant about taking her pills. Had that been to lull him into a false sense of security?

  Her slim shoulders tensed, the heavy silence growing deeper until she shook her head and continued. “I know what you’re thinking. I should have told you last weekend. I’d planned to.”

  “You did mention that we needed to talk, but sex was a higher priority for you.” She slammed her eyes shut at his words, and while he knew better, he couldn’t see past the suspicion of betrayal. She knew exactly how he felt about having children.

  “I went to New York to tell you, and I just couldn’t. You were happy, and I wanted you to have that.” The quiver in her voice reached for him, but he’d lost his ability to respond.

  “Did you plan this?” His entire body went cold, as if somehow the death of the future he wanted had caused him to bleed out.

  “Do you really think I would do that?” Mira stared at him with wide eyes and shook her head. “Wow. I played this out a hundred ways in my mind, and never once did you accuse me of tricking you into this. How would that even work, Cal? I didn’t think I could get pregnant.”

  “So you stopped taking your pills?” He flexed his hands, wanting to strangle himself for being so careless.

  “No, I took them like it was my religion. My OB thinks it might have happened because I took antibiotics the week before I went to New York. But even then, I’d been told there was too much scarring to conceive without intervention. I never thought this could happen.” She lifted her hands to her head, but stopped short of grabbing her hair. How could he know her so well, and yet never see this coming?

  “Shall we go now?” He stood and went to his bag. When he turned around she stared at him with wide eyes.

  “We need to talk about this. I know it’s a shock. I couldn’t believe it myself at first.” Her forced smile only served to annoy him. “If I’d known I was pregnant I wouldn’t have been drinking at our wedding. Or having sushi, or going to hot yoga, or drinking coffee, or a dozen of the other things I’m sure I’ve done wrong. I mean, if I’d known don’t you think that would have been at the top of my list when I was trying to convince you not to get married?”

  He nodded, but it didn’t stop the heavy gnawing sensation threatening to shred him from the inside out. “I’m trying to be careful with what I say, as you asked. So it’s best if I say very little right now. What time is your appointment?”

  “In an hour. I was going to first stop at home and pack a bag so I could take the ferry out to Whidbey Island for the weekend. Unless you’d rather stay in the city.”

  Funny that she’d consult him on weekend plans, but not having children. Which she had told him more than once she wasn’t going to do. Children shouldn’t be assigned their future at birth. One of his godsons wanted to be a fireman, and the other a pterodactyl. He’d never been able to dream such dreams. He’d never known a time when too many people were depending on him.

  He slid open her office door. “We don’t want to be late.”

  Miranda slung her duffel over her shoulder and walked into her living room. Cal stood there, hands on hips, judging her place and shaking his head. She couldn’t blame him about the clutter, but trying to empty her office to make room for a nursery was a bigger process than she anticipated. Her crash course in pregnancy took over the dining room table and walls, nursery catalogs and newborn necessities perched on every flat surface in the living room. If she’d known anyone might see the mess she’d have made sure her condo was its usual clean and clutter-free.

  “I’m glad to see you’re packing. This place will not do.”

  “It’s an organized chaos. Imagine having only a few weeks to prepare for boards. I’m studying all things pregnancy and baby, while packing up my office and making room for a nursery.”

&
nbsp; “You’re not staying here.”

  “Once I get organized it will be perfect.” She met his gaze. While she empathized with his shock, he had no vote in dictating her life.

  “You’re not thinking clearly. Children need more space than this. Where will the nanny sleep?”

  “I’m not having a live-in nanny, and I grew up in an apartment half this size.” She blew out a breath and went to the kitchen. He could rant while she packed a few groceries. Yogurt and granola, fruit and almonds, salad greens and cheese. She was trying to eat what the books said, but she missed brie and sashimi with a vengeance.

  “You can’t be serious.” He leaned against the counter.

  “I know it looks like rabbit food, but it’s what the books say to eat. I can’t even have a ham sandwich.” With her fridge practically empty, she found the herbal tea and tossed it in the bag. “Or coffee. Though some studies say it’s okay to have one cup a day. I need to ask about that today because my mornings would be so much easier caffeinated.”

  “Miranda.”

  The iciness of his tone chilled her to the bone. She couldn’t recall when he’d last used her whole name. Mira this, doll that. And here it was, where the end began.

  “Look at me.”

  She straightened her posture and pulled her belly in tight before meeting his gaze. She wanted these babies enough for both of them. She had the means to care for them if he chose to use the door.

  “You’ll move into my mother’s penthouse. I’ll fly a decorator out to meet with you, and everything will be as you want it within the month.” His lips stretched, but it looked nothing like a smile.

  “No, thank you.” She looped the handles of the grocery bag over her arm and started for the door.

  “It isn’t a request.” He caught her arm and took the bag.

  “That’s for sure.” She lifted her chin, reminding herself to be brave.

  “You are my wife, and unless these babies aren’t—”

  The slap startled even her, hard enough to turn his head. Her palm stung as she clenched her hand at her side. She’d had nightmares about this moment. Anger and disappointment vibrating through her like a tuning fork. She shook off his arm and marched past him into the living room.