“My sister is an evil genius,” Beth whispered into Nick’s ear.

Nick looked at her in question. “Other than the usual things, is there any particular reason for you to say that tonight?”

Beth cut her eyes to Declan and Ella. Nick looked, and understanding came into his eyes. “Those two? Are you kidding me? Your sister has missed her mark; they have, like, zero in common. I like Declan, but he is . . . way out of her league.”

“I know,” she admitted. “But she really likes him, and he seems to feel something for her. Have you ever known him to have casual conversations with anyone?”

“Nope,” Nick said. “He’s direct and blunt.”

“See, that’s just it. He isn’t like that with her. He seeks her out. He brings her things and it just seems like he’s different with her. I have seen it with my own two eyes or I wouldn’t believe it. She asked him over for dinner last week and he’s been avoiding her ever since.” With a sigh, Beth shrugged. “Maybe he just sees her like a sister.”

Nick chuckled. “I’ve met his sister and he isn’t all warm and fuzzy with her. I can’t imagine he ever was.” He glanced over at Ella and added, “She’s very pretty and it looks like he knows that. Maybe he’s trying to do the right thing and not bring his shitload of baggage to her. He’s been to some bad places in life and it would probably scare Snow White to death if she had seen half of what he has. I think Suzy should leave this one alone, and if Ella is your best friend, then you should tell her to find another guy to wear her heart on her sleeve for. Declan might try not to, but he will crush her.”

Beth followed his gaze and studied the two of them together. Ella looked up at Declan in adoration and he looked down at her with an expression that was clearly torn and conflicted. It was plain to see that he felt something for Ella. Beth had a feeling that Nick was right, and that if she were any kind of friend, she should tell Ella to run and never look back. The bad thing was that Ella probably wouldn’t listen. Maybe at some point in every woman’s life she has to have her heart broken by a bad boy so she can appreciate the good ones when they came along. Looking up at Nick, Beth had to wonder if he was a bad boy or a good guy. She had always assumed he fit neatly into the bad-boy column, but now she wasn’t so sure. Nick had some of the same traits, but deep down she knew he was a good man. Was that also true of Declan, or was he past saving? She also knew that if anyone could save him, Ella could.

* * *

The party lasted until well into the morning, when Suzy finally stood up in front of everyone and said, “Don’t you people know when to go home? It’s my wedding night, and if you would pack it up and leave, I would make my new groom a very happy man.”

Gray stepped forward smoothly and curled his arm around Suzy. “Your new groom is already a very happy man, but I like where you’re going with this.”

Clearing her throat, an emotional Suzy said, “On a serious note, I want to thank you for being here on the happiest day of my life. I know I bust your chops on a regular basis, but I love you all and this has been the perfect night for me because the most important people in my world are here.” With a very un-Suzy-like sniff, she whispered, “I love you guys to the moon and back.”

Gray pulled her deeper into his arms and kissed her tenderly in front of all their guests. Then, with misty eyes of his own, he said, “I agree with Suzy. Each of you here is now family to us. No one here should ever doubt our dedication to each other or to each of you. We hope this is always somewhere you call home.” With a cough, he looked at Nick and added, “We would be happy if some of you didn’t make yourself so much at home.”

Embarrassed, Beth turned her face into Nick’s side and said, “He is never going to get over that whole sex-in-his-house thing, is he?”

Nick’s body shook in laughter. “Nope. When you decided to confess to your sister, you should have told her we had sex at a Howard Johnson or something. Did you have to specifically mention the kitchen counter?”

“Yeah, my bad.” Beth laughed.

Then everyone said good-bye to the newlyweds, and Vicky pulled Beth away from Nick, tucking Beth’s arm through hers. “We are so happy to have our families officially joined now. John and I couldn’t love Suzy more if she were our own daughter.” Then, with a laugh, she admitted, “I would love to raid her closet. Your sister and I seem to have the same taste in clothing.”

Beth smiled, enjoying the easy conversation with Nick’s mother. “Yes, I’ve always admired Suzy’s unique style. No matter what she wears, she looks great. I could never pull off stuff like she does.”

“Are you kidding? Beth, you are gorgeous, and a paper sack would look good on you. I really admire you. I don’t think anything in your life has come easy, and look at you today. You have accomplished so much. I can see why Nick is attracted to you.” Then, with a sly laugh, she added, “We won’t mention the obvious reasons that you turn his head. I have a feeling that you could give my son a run for his money any day of the week and he needs that. I don’t know your plans for the future or even if you and Nick have discussed them, but John and I look forward to you and the babies being a big part of our life always.”

Beth was starting to tear up when Nick and his father walked up. His father pulled her into a warm hug and then put his arm around his wife. “Honey, we need to go. You know my parents will be in first thing tomorrow and we probably both need some sleep for that.”

With a dramatic shudder, Nick’s mother said, “Great, thanks for ruining a perfectly good evening with that reminder.” Turning to Nick and Beth, she said, “Okay, I need to get home and have a stiff drink or four before tomorrow. You two are more than welcome to come for a visit, like right now.”

“Oh, no.” Nick laughed. “Nothing but love for you, Mom, but you are on your own there.”

“I’m going to pretend I don’t hear this conversation about my parents,” Nick’s father said wryly.

As they were getting into their car, Beth saw Declan walking Ella toward her car. She urged Nick to leave quickly to give them some privacy. Maybe this would be the night that Ella’s dreams came true as well. Of course, she also couldn’t deny that the phrase Be careful what you wish for kept running through her mind as she worried about Ella’s situation.

Chapter Twenty-two

Beth walked up to the receptionist’s desk on Monday for her usual morning chat with Ella. The depressed expression on her friend’s face told her all she needed to know. Smiling brightly, Beth said, “Hey, girl, how was your weekend?”

Ella gave her a wan smile in return. “It was all right. I really enjoyed the wedding. Do you know where Suzy and Gray went for their honeymoon yet?”

“Nick said they are in Bora Bora.”

“Wow,” Ella gasped, clearly impressed.

“Yep. As long as they have a beach, my sister will be in heaven. You would think she’d get tired of the ocean since she practically lives on top of it. So, how did things go with Declan Saturday night?”

Ella laid her head in her hands and sighed. “The dance was wonderful and we talked, but I felt like he wanted to walk away the whole time. I caught him looking at me funny a few times so I tried to ask if he had something on his mind. He said he was thinking about something at work. I just don’t understand why he suddenly won’t talk to me anymore. I have gone over and over it in my mind and I can’t think of anything I said that would have offended him.”

“Oh, Ella, I don’t think you said or did anything. I saw him looking at you Saturday night and he clearly feels something toward you. What, I don’t know, but there is something there.”

“Well, what should I do?”

Giving her friend a hug, Beth said, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but do nothing. Declan is nervous or scared of something. Give him some time and space. When he does come around, be friendly. See if you can get back to a comfortable relationship with him. Don’t ask him for anything, most of all for a date. You need to see if he will let his guard down again.”

“Geez, maybe life was easier when I was clueless about men. It’s hard to play all these games. I have bought every book and every magazine and I still don’t know what I should be doing,” Ella admitted.

Beth hid a smile behind her hand. “I know it’s hard, and I’m far from an expert. I don’t have much more experience than you do. Nick is my longest relationship ever. Before I met him, I had never been involved with anyone more than a month. I wish I could tell you that it will get easier.”

“It is easier for you now with Nick, right?”

Beth pondered Ella’s question. “Hmmm, well I guess parts of it are. I’m comfortable with him and he’s a straightforward guy. There are times he still puzzles me though, and I know I confuse the hell out of him.”

“Oh, great. When do things get easier, then?”

Beth laughed. “If you’re lucky . . . never!”

* * *

Beth worked her ass off for the two weeks that Suzy was on her honeymoon. She went into the office early and fell exhausted into bed every evening. The one positive was that she had replaced her morning sickness with sex. Since she barely saw Nick in the evening, she made sure she woke him in the morning.

Her hectic workload had also made it easier to manage her eating. Several days, she worked straight through lunch without eating. Her stomach continued to round slightly, but the scales remained stable.

Nick had caught her in a lie the previous evening. Since she was no longer eating in the evening, she hadn’t bothered to check the usual staples in the refrigerator. Nick had come home earlier than usual and had asked if she wanted to go out to dinner. She told him that she had already eaten. When he asked what she’d eaten, she said a ham sandwich because she always kept that for a quick meal. She could still remember his next words, “Hmmm, really? We’ve been out of sandwich makings here for a week.”

She had tried to play it off. “Oh, I know. I have been meaning to get by the store. I just picked a sandwich up on the way home since we didn’t have anything here.” She could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn’t believe her. She had changed the subject, asking when Suzy and Gray were due back and he had let it go. She had noticed his eyes on her a few more times during the evening. She was ashamed to admit it, but that one night she had used sex to distract him.

Chapter Twenty-three

“Oh, God, can’t I even be back at work for a day without being called to a covert meeting?” Suzy complained.

Nick hugged his new sister-in-law, not put off in the least by her abrupt manner. He knew that Suzy was a ton of bark and, luckily, only bit when she had to. “Oh, come on, you love it. It must have been rough being out of the loop for the last couple weeks.” When an unusual blush colored Suzy’s face, he rolled his eyes. “I know how much you like to share, but please spare me whatever you are thinking because the man is my brother.”

“Tsk, tsk, jealousy is so last year, Nicky. Now that you dragged me out of my house early this morning, get to the point. I have a ton of crap lined up at work, so our tea party will have to be fast.”

“It’s Beth.”

“Well, duh. I assumed it was since you didn’t want to invite her and tell her that we were meeting. So, what gives? Did she throw you out? Just suck it up and say you’re sorry.”

“That’s not it. She . . . I don’t think she’s eating, Suzy.”

Giving him an impatient look she said, “Come again?”

“I think she’s skipping meals and lying about it.”

“Why would she do that and how do you know?”

Nick shifted in his seat, wondering where to begin. “I think it all started with the dinner with your parents a few weeks ago, when your mother and father were going on and on about her weight. She acted as if it didn’t bother her, but I think it hit a panic button somewhere inside her. At first she told me she was eating earlier to avoid getting sick in the mornings, which sounded reasonable. Then I noticed that anytime we were together for a meal or snack, she would pick at it, but never really eat more than a few bites. I still just put that down to her not feeling well.

“Suzy, she just doesn’t look healthy now. Last night she told me that she had a sandwich for dinner and then when I mentioned that we were out of sandwich makings, she looked really funny and said she had gotten the sandwich on her way home. When I was going to push it further, she ripped my clothes off to change the subject.”

“Oh, shit, must you go there every time? Can’t I be around you two without having to talk about your sex life?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I was trying to make a point.”