She had Nick’s full attention now as he slapped the newspaper on the table. “Why even bother telling me, Beth? It seems like you have everything all figured out.” Standing up, Nick bent over until they were face-to-face. “Well, you know what, princess? I’m not going anywhere. You aren’t pushing me away from my child. Maybe I’m not who you envisioned in this role, but I’m who you’ve got and you better learn to deal with it.”
With one final glare at her, Nick stalked off. Beth heard the front door slam and she slumped back against her chair. What just happened? He wants to get married? Could he still be drunk this morning? Boy, was he pissed off. What had he expected her to say? Sure, every girl dreams of such a romantic proposal. Hey, little woman, let’s get hitched this weekend. I want you barefoot and pregnant and in my home by nightfall. Ohhh, stop, Nick, you smooth-talking sex god, I can’t take any more! Okay, so the sex god part is accurate. But down, girl. Don’t get distracted by the countless orgasms he has given you. Focus on the big picture. He is not forever-after material. There is nothing there but heartache.
Nick was sadly mistaken if he thought he was pushing her into marrying him. With a glint in her eyes, she picked up her cell phone and checked her missed calls. She had twenty-nine. A few were from Suzy and Ella, but the rest were from men who actually were marriage material, at least their profiles said they were. She had signed up with a dating service before she met Nick and recently reactivated her profile—now seemed like a good time to put some distance between herself and Nick. She needed to show Nick that, although she was carrying his child, she was still an independent person who made her own decisions. He had better call a halt on purchasing a new house or a minivan because she wasn’t marrying him. She was moving on with her life.
She ruthlessly shushed the voice in her head that asked, “What in the hell are you thinking? Pregnant women shouldn’t be making dates for every night this week.” She needed to focus on the future.
* * *
When Nick roared into the parking lot at Danvers a short time later, he spotted his brother leaning against his car waiting for him. He wanted to keep driving. He really didn’t want to hear the lecture that Gray was no doubt about to unleash on him. He parked and jumped out of his car. Might as well get it over with. At least Gray wasn’t as likely to kick him in the balls as Suzy.
“Hey, bro, what’s up?”
Gray studied him as if debating whether to say something or not. Finally, he asked, “Anything you want to talk about?”
With a resigned sigh, Nick said, “Just go ahead and spit it out. I know that everyone probably already heard that Beth’s pregnant.”
“Yeah. Suzy told me in a pretty colorful way.” Gray laughed.
Clapping Gray on the shoulder, Nick said, “Sorry about that, man. I bet that was rough. I’m sure she plans to rip me a new one before the day is over.”
“She was pissed, but she realizes that you aren’t completely to blame. I think having to deal with the mental image of you and Beth on our kitchen counter was much harder for her than finding out that her sister was pregnant.”
“Shit, how much did Beth tell you guys? Women really do share everything, don’t they?”
Gray laughed at Nick’s obvious embarrassment. It wasn’t often that his confident brother looked uncomfortable where a woman was concerned. “Oddly enough, she was just trying to defend you. She basically said that you tried to resist, but she was determined to override you.” As if realizing what he had said, Gray added, “Maybe override wasn’t a good word to use.”
Nick chuckled at Gray’s poor choice of words. Then, taking pity on him, he decided to change the subject. “I told Beth this morning that we were going to get married and find a house. That seemed to really piss her off.”
Grinning, Gray said, “Well, if you said it just like that I can’t imagine why she wasn’t jumping for joy. I’m constantly wondering why people think you are the smooth talker in the family.”
“What the hell is this, Pick on Nick Day? What should I have said, man? It’s not as if she was going to believe a big declaration of undying love. I care about her too much to lie to her. I don’t think either one of us saw this coming, but now that it has we need to make some plans.”
Gray studied him quietly for a few minutes before asking, “You do understand that you are going to be a father, right? I was expecting a different reaction from you this morning. Maybe more pacing, profanity, and less calm acceptance. You’ve realized that marriage means monogamy?”