He shook his head. “I’d never.”
“Then who’d you make surf and turf for?” I yanked my hand away.
“Not for Lianne.”
“Right. You’re busted, dude.”
“Let me make it up to you.” The gentle brush of his fingers against my cheek made me shiver. “Those two,” he said with a nod toward the house, “made damn sure to mention you’d planned a visit, and they coerced me into coming for brunch so they could drop the baby bomb. Coincidence?”
I stared at him, floating in a disjointed limbo caused by those gorgeous, soulful eyes.
“Our meeting at the market was my sad attempt at making you jealous.”
No-no-no. The steady drip-drop of my heart melting into a puddle sent me reeling, reaching out to steady myself and bracing my palm against his solid chest. As I opened my mouth, he placed a finger over my lips.
“I’m not done.”
“Jake …”
“Ah!” He added a second finger. “Please join me for dinner. Tonight. At my place.”
I widened my eyes, my head shaking automatically.
“Before you drag out a ton of crazy excuses, Sari will chaperone. Anyway, our good friends are asking for full involvement with their child. That means birthday parties, anniversaries, and other family gatherings. Why not overcome our differences now?” He moved his warm fingers to cover mine; the ones glued to his pec.
Damn the man. How could I fight straightforward logic? Anyway, not much could happen with his baby daughter there. “Just me?”
He nodded. “I doubt those two voyeurs”—his gaze flicked toward the house—“will object.”
Barely moving my head, I peeked at them. Every few seconds, either Dean or Dara stared through the window, then averted their attention to whatever they pretended to be doing. “Not very convincing, are they?”
His low laugh sent a shiver through me. “Not in the least, but they mean well. It’s hard to get angry with them. They’ve been total rocks during the worst of times.”
“Let’s do this, then.” I pulled free and shuffled toward the door with Jake close behind.
The moment we entered the house, Dara perked up, back to her smiling, even-tempered self. “All good?”
I hurried to her straight away, drawing her into an embrace. “I can’t wait to meet this little person,” I said, cupping a hand over the slight rounding of her belly.
“You’ll do it?”
“Of course.” I blinked hard. “I’m honoured.”
Dean was next in line, wrapping his arms around me. “Thank you. It means everything that you agreed.”
“Anything for you two,” Jake said.
“Appreciate it, man.” Dean hauled his friend in, his eyes taking on a suspicious sheen.
Dara pulled me toward the two men, creating a tight circle. “Group hug!”
Being squished in between my friends, especially the feeling of Jake’s arm curling around my back, had me grinning. This. This feeling was everything. I missed us, in a breath-stealing, sharply acute way.
Chapter 19
As I waited on the front porch of Jake’s tidy, though tiny, bungalow, l strained to hear any sound from within, stepping back and taking a cleansing breath as the lock turned.
“Come in.” Jake, looking adorable in dress pants and a burgundy button-down shirt, motioned and moved to the side. “You found the place okay?”
“Dara’s Acura has GPS. Anyway, Halifax hasn’t changed that much.” I slipped into the foyer, cradling the wine I’d purchased along the way in the crook of my elbow.
“Amazing. She barely lets Dean drive her car.”
“It’s a small thing after she asked me to take their kid.”
“Us, you mean.” Jake retrieved the bottle, allowing me to shrug out of my coat. “Don’t forget about me.”
Unlikely, when my heart raced at the very sight of that dimple.
His gaze swept over me as I hung my coat on one of the hooks by the door. “You look nice."
Nice? That’s all the man could muster? His best friend had wolf-whistled and winked when I appeared wearing this sexy number. I’d even paid extra attention to my hair and makeup, adding the diamond earrings Jake had given me on our second Christmas. The man’s bland reaction felt anti-climactic after the hours of angst.
“Make yourself comfortable.” He led me into the living room, the oak hardwood floor creaking. Holding up the bottle of chilled Gewürztraminer, he said, “Thank you. It’s from one of my favourite wineries.”
“Your place is charming.” The lines of the modernized living space were simple, but the patina of the floorboards gave it a classic feel, the furniture sleek, yet comfortable. The bookshelf tucked in the far corner displayed a collection I recognized; the treasured first edition novels Jake’s mother had left him. Electronic sounds echoed down the hall. “Is Sari in her room?”
“Yeah.” He glanced at his watch. “I encourage a few minutes of daily quiet play so I can start dinner.” The man beckoned and headed through an archway at the far end of the living room.
I followed, arriving in the kitchen as he popped the cork on the wine. Though small, the kitchen was neat and functional. I peered through the large window at the brightly lit patio, its furniture draped in blue covers. The only exception was the stainless steel barbecue, waves of heat emanating from the hood into the chill air. Beyond that was an ocean of darkness.
“The yard’s huge. In the spring, I plan to put up a swing for Sari and build her a playhouse.” He handed me a glass of wine.
“She’d love that, I bet.” With a self-conscious smile, I shuffled into the living room, the row of photos on the mantel over the stone fireplace catching my eye. I chose a silver frame—a photo of Jake with Sari—turning my back on Alysa, captured in a sideways profile holding a sign proclaiming Six Weeks! “This is a beautiful photo of you and Sarina.”
He moved behind me, standing a touch too close for my liking. “Sari barely sat still long enough for the poor photographer.”
“She’s not even two. It’s not in her nature to be still.” I returned the photo to its place, averting my burning eyes from Jake and Alysa—him in a sharp
