“They’ll be better off at Penley than here with me. And they’ll be able to visit their mother if they’re back at school. Tiff’s housekeeper will cart them back and forth.”
She tried to imagine it and failed.
And Jake obviously read her expression all too accurately. “Tiffany’s the one who enrolled them. She wants them near her, now,” he said. “And there’s nothing wrong with a boarding school. I went.”
“Did you like it even when you weren’t grieving?”
The arrow seemed to find its mark and his face tightened. “At least they won’t be pulling more stunts like this.”
“They’re upset and acting out.”
“They always act out,” he returned. “Upset or not.”
“Don’t you wonder why that is?”
“Yeah.” He looked annoyed. “And when you have kids of your own, maybe we’ll sit down and solve all the mysteries that come with them.”
She swallowed. Hard. What did she know about raising a child? Her nerves jangled and she brushed her hands down her dusty jeans. “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry that I didn’t realize they were in the back of my truck right away. I don’t know why I didn’t.” Yes, she did. She was too busy thinking about her own particular problem than to notice anything else. She flushed even hotter under his steady gaze.
“And I’m sorry they inconvenienced you. Come in the house.”
“No, really.” She tried to pull the door shut again. “I should be getting home.”
“Plans?”
Her lips flapped uselessly. She couldn’t seem to come up with a lie to save her soul. “Not…really.”
His gaze went past her to the spent Chinese-food containers. “Connor said they ate your dinner. The least I can do is feed you in return.” He reached right in and pulled her keys from the ignition and took her elbow. He tugged her inexorably out of the cab and weak-willed woman that she was, she went.
But when her boots clomped on the marble steps, she held back again. “I smell like stable.” The last—and only time—she’d been inside the mansion had been two weeks ago. And she’d made darn sure she hadn’t smelled like horse sweat and manure first. She wasn’t a beauty-queen type by any stretch. But even she had her pride.
Then she wished she’d just kept her mouth shut, because Jake lowered his head until she could practically feel his soft inhalation.
“Smell okay to me,” he murmured. His gaze—much too close—caught hers. “So, what’s the problem?”
She swallowed hard and carefully took a step away from him. “No problem. No problem at all.”
Of course that was one big, fat lie considering she was nearly eight weeks pregnant.
With his child.
Chapter Four
Eating dinner in the mansion wasn’t anything like J.D. had expected it to be.
They were seated in the formal dining room around a linen-draped table that could have sat a football team, but there was nothing formal about the meal.
Jake had a stack of papers next to his plate and seemed content to split his attention between them and J.D.
Of his sons’ actions that afternoon, he was evidently not planning to make any more comment. At least not in front of her.
Zach and Connor sat at the table, too, but since her Chinese food had taken the edge off their appetites, they paid more attention to the electronic hand-held games they were playing than they did to the meal. And that was set on the table by Jake’s aunt.
Her legs felt unsteady and she sank down into her chair again looking from Jake to his boys and back again.
Would he show as little interest in their child as he seemed to show for his twins? Would he have his secretary make arrangements to pack her off to boarding school when she inevitably got up to mischief? Would he practically ignore her every time they sat down together for a meal?
The thoughts made J.D. a little dizzy and she quickly reached for the crystal water goblet, inelegantly sucking down half of its contents.
Of all things, that Jake seemed to notice. “Are you all right? You look pale.”
Heat streamed through her cheeks, right on up to the tips of her ears. “Fine. It’s just been a long day.”
His lips twisted. “That it has been.”
Her gaze flicked to the boys. Neither one looked up from their hand-held games, despite the plate of food their aunt set in front of them.
Susan took the seat next to J.D.
“Put your papers aside, Jake. What sort of example are you setting?” Her gaze went to the boys. They’d stopped playing their games in favor of pulling ghastly faces at each other.
“Zach, Con, put the games away,” he said. Though he didn’t set aside his papers at all, J.D. noticed. She also noticed just how tired and drawn he really looked. It seemed plain that the past few weeks had taken a toll on him.
Then Jake’s gaze encountered hers and try though she might, she couldn’t quite make herself look away.
Susan’s intentionally cheerful attempts at conversation with the boys faded into the background.
J.D.’s field of vision seemed to narrow and pinpoint on the quizzical lift of Jake’s eyebrow.
Even the air seemed to thicken until her lungs struggled for oxygen.
“Whoa.” Jake suddenly bolted from his chair, catching her before she slid sideways off her chair.
“Dude,” she heard one of the boys—probably Connor—breathe.
“Take it easy.” Jake’s voice came close to her ear and she frowned, focusing with an effort.
Her head was swimming. “What?”
“You looked about ready to faint,” Jake said.
His hands were on her shoulders, she realized. She could feel the press of his fingertips through her T-shirt and much too easily she remembered that night.
The night they’d conceived a baby that she’d believed she’d never have.
Her stomach clutched. “I’m sorry.”
“Here.” Susan was nudging a water goblet toward them. “Give her some water.”
Jake lifted the glass to J.D.’s lips and it was just easier to succumb than to fight. She sipped at the water, and gradually, the room seemed to straighten.
The line between his brows had deepened even more. This close, she could see his eyes were bloodshot.
How long had it been since he’d slept?
She straightened in her chair, pressing her shaking hands along the sides of the upholstered seat. “I’m fine.”
“We can all see that.” Jake didn’t smile.
“Here you go, dear.” Susan had managed to fill a plate with food and she set it in front of J.D. “A little food and you’ll be good as new.”
There was nothing unappetizing about the juicy pot roast and roasted vegetables, but J.D.’s stomach lurched horribly anyway. “Actually, if I could just freshen up for a moment?” Still feeling dizzy around the edges, nausea forced her rapidly to her feet and she practically ran out of the room when Susan pointed out the directions.
J.D. barely made it to the fancy powder room near the marble foyer before she lost her lunch.
After,