Love You, Baby Page 12

  Across from them were his aunt and uncle and grandparents, and his dad sat kitty-corner to Janine at the head of the table. Mae had a split second of Holy, shit, I’m sitting two chairs away from the senator who’s going to be my baby’s grandfather! She’d met the man a few times, and he’d been super nice, but it was still surreal.

  She shot Honor a forlorn glance at the opposite end, and her friend offered an I’m sorry grimace as food plates started to pass. Mae smiled back and squared her shoulders. It wasn’t like she was a little kid who needed her hand held. She was a grown, capable woman—a single mother to boot—who ran her own damn construction company. She could handle brunch with Merit’s family, Senator and all.

  She put a few pieces of fruit on her plate, then added a lone slice of bacon and small scoop of scrambled eggs. Merit took the eggs, spooned some onto his own plate, then passed the dish on. A second later, his hand landed on her knee under the table and squeezed. She jerked her gaze to his as she automatically reached to cover his hand. He flipped to thread his fingers with hers, and her pulse sped up at the warmth in his brown eyes.

  Okay, so maybe someone to hold her hand wasn’t a bad thing.

  “You good?” he asked under his breath.

  A hint of tension in his tone had her tightening her grip for a moment. “Of course.”

  “Mae?” Janine asked from her left. “Juice?”

  She jerked her hand free of Merit’s, her face heating as she turned to his mom to accept a carafe of orange juice. “Thank you.”

  After that, she mostly listened to the surrounding conversation as she picked at the food on her plate. Beside her, Merit was equally quiet as he ate his food as if he hadn’t had four pancakes at her house only a couple of hours earlier.

  Her mind wandered further back to the moment she’d opened her eyes that morning. After more than seven years sleeping alone, it had been a very weird sensation waking up with a man in her bed. A mostly naked one at that. She vaguely recalled him spooning close when he first slipped beneath the covers, but when she woke, he was sprawled over three quarters of the mattress, as if he was used to having the bed all to himself.

  She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse. Better because he didn’t share a bed with anyone, worse because did that just mean his sex life was nothing but a string of encounters with no meaning?

  But he’d said there’d been no one since Honor’s bakery opening. No one since he’d found out she was single and available. After all she’d heard about him, could she really believe he’d been pining for her for months before the wedding? And maybe after?

  Maybe pining was too strong a word. Hoping? Wanting? Because, lord knew she’d thought of him often enough since their first meeting in November at the night of his father’s election into the Senate. And every time he’d asked her out after the bakery opening, it had been harder and harder to brush him off, until she’d gone all in the night of the wedding.

  With all those crazy thoughts running through her head as she watched him sleep, she’d then run her gaze over his sleep-softened features, the fan of his dark lashes against his cheeks, the scruff on his jaw, and down across the broad expanse of his shoulders. His waist narrowed to trim hips, tight ass under his briefs, and muscled thighs.

  And she’d smiled to herself. Yes, it had been weird waking with him in her bed, but she sure as hell wouldn’t complain about the nice view. And the night before…well that had been a hell of a lot better than nice. From the moment she’d turned around and found him taking up all the space in her bathroom doorway, resisting the pull between them had been impossible. Only this time, Thank God, she didn’t have the fog of alcohol to dull her memory.

  Vivid images of their time in the shower and on the couch had her body heating up, and her breath shortened the tiniest bit.

  “Can I get you something else, Mae?”

  Janine’s question jerked her back to the present. Mortified at where her thoughts had been, not to mention her physical reaction, she dropped her gaze to her plate. “Oh, no, thank you. I, ah, I’m not very hungry this morning.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yes, of course. Everything’s fine.”

  Other than the fact I’m thinking about my night of sex with your youngest son while sitting next to you, his mother.

  And, oh, God, as she was thinking about that, his mother had said something else, and she was too freaked out to listen. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

  Janine extended her knife toward the butter dish, but didn’t actually take any. “Exciting news about the baby. I’m really looking forward to being a grandma.”

  Mae stiffened at the words. Her body flashed hot, then cold as she stared at Janine. “I-I thought he didn’t tell you yet.” She twisted the other direction to furiously whisper at Merit. “You said you didn’t tell them yet.”

  His gaze darted to his mom, his dad, and back to her. “I didn’t,” he bit out as he leaned closer. “She was talking about Honor.”

  Oh.

  Shit.

  “Yeah,” he agreed, and she realized she’d cursed out loud. “See, I had figured we’d tell them after brunch. In private.”

  She was such an idiot. His mother had been gesturing toward Honor, not reaching for stupid butter.

  “Tell us what?”

  Janine’s close voice and hand on her shoulder made Mae stiffen. She stared at Merit, her pulse pounding hard when she realized the entire table had gone silent and was watching them.

  Waiting.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered to him.

  “Go ahead,” Senator Diamond’s voice boomed. “Since you’ve got our attention, you might as well tell us now.”

  Chapter 17

  Merit watched Mae’s face pale even more. Oh, geezus, was she going to throw up? He wouldn’t blame her. He was feeling pretty nauseous himself with everyone waiting to hear what they had to say. Everyone except Loyal and Roxanna, and Asher and Honor.

  He reached for Mae’s hand while stiffening his spine to meet his dad’s gaze. “Mae and I are going to have a baby.”

  Her fingers clutched his in a death grip as his dad’s jaw went tight.

  His mom gave a soft gasp. “Oh, my. Really? Another grandbaby?”

  Mae smiled even though she still looked ready to puke. His mom grinned before pulling her into a hug as others around the table started talking. He immediately missed the warmth of Mae’s hand in his.

  “Congratulations.” His mom’s gaze met his over Mae’s shoulder, and she reached out to squeeze his hand before sitting back.

  “Thanks, Mom.” She could be counted on for moral support.

  “Was this planned?” His dad’s voice, on the other hand, fully conveyed his disapproval.

  Merit notched his chin up again. “Not exactly.”

  He nodded, as if the answer was exactly what he had expected. “It was only a matter of time.”

  Heat rose in his face as Mae shot him a frowning glance while sitting back in her chair. Not to mention, the table had gone quiet again.

  “Mark,” his mom admonished.

  Merit kept quiet, because he couldn’t really blame his dad for the assumption. He’d played up his rep on purpose the past couple of years, so it was entirely his fault.

  “To be honest, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.” Dad’s gaze narrowed. “I hope you’re not expecting me to release your trust funds.”

  Fuck and double fuck.

  Another wave of heat flashed through him. Why had he thought it was a good idea to have Mae at his side when he told his parents? Had he learned nothing in his twenty-six years?

  Drawing in a steadying breath, he summoned some I don’t give a fuck and pasted on a cool smile. “No, Dad, I wouldn’t even dream of asking.”

  “What do you mean, release his trust funds?” Bells asked from down the table. “Doesn’t he have his weekly allowance?”

  “All right,” Mom cut in. “This is not something
to be discussing right now.”

  Except they were, and it was too late to stuff it all back in the bottle now.

  “Hey, Dad started it, so might as well just get it out there.” Merit turned from his mom to Shelby. “Dad cut me off. That’s why my credit cards wouldn’t work, because he froze everything. I don’t get a single penny more until I’m thirty.”

  Her eyes went wide, and surprise registered in the faces of his other siblings as well. When he turned back to look at his parents, it was Mae’s shocked expression as she silently took everything in that had his gut twisting into a tight mass. What a shit-show this turned out to be. He could just imagine what a loser he looked like to her.

  If only Dad could leave well enough alone.

  If only he could keep his damn mouth shut.

  “Do I have to worry about paying for the clinic renovation?” Shelby asked with a hint of panic. “Are you going to freeze my accounts, too?”

  “Of course not, sweetheart.”

  Yeah, of course not, Bells.

  Dad lifted his napkin from his lap to toss onto his plate. “You’ve got a level head on your shoulders and a solid plan in place. But it was time for Mooch to grow up.”

  A wave of humiliation slammed into Merit’s chest. Shelby had a level head, but he was the screw up. He’d always been the screw up, with no hope of measuring up to any of his siblings in anything.

  He fisted his hands on his thighs as he saw Mae frowning into her lap. He wanted to tell his dad to fuck off, but it was a little different with everyone watching compared to when they were in private last week. Extra fun having Uncle Matt, Aunt Gloria, and his cousins witness all the drama.

  “You get yourself a job yet?” The arch of his dad’s brow was as arrogant as ever. “Babies aren’t cheap, and you damn well better not leave this all on her shoulders.”

  Turns out it wasn’t so hard to tell him to fuck off after all. He opened his mouth to do just that, but his pride lunged forward, unwilling to be completely castrated in front of Mae.

  “Yes, I have a job.”

  “Where?”

  He named one of the two companies he hadn’t heard back from yet. His father eyed him as if he knew he was lying. “They build luxury tree houses, Dad. My degree is being put to good use.”

  All that got was a rude snort.

  Yep, because as he’d known, his dad wouldn’t respect that at all.

  “When is the baby due?” Mom interjected, as if trying to steer the conversation into a cheerier lane.

  “January twenty-third,” Mae said quietly.

  “When’s the wedding?” Grandma Irene chimed in.

  Mae’s head jerked around, her eyes extra wide as they met Merit’s.

  Christ. Could this get any worse? “There is no wedding, Grandma.”

  Grandpa Ira harrumphed next to her. “That baby needs the Diamond last name.”

  He shifted his gaze from his grandparents to his dad. “Too bad you didn’t know that thirty one years ago.”

  Hurt flashed in his dad’s eyes a second before his expression went stone cold.

  “That’s enough.” The sharp warning came from his mother.

  Guilt slammed into him when he took in her rigid expression. He’d wanted to point out his dad’s hypocrisy with a one-night-stand resulting in a pregnancy and secret baby, not upset his mom. Yet another instance where he should’ve kept his mouth shut.

  “You two want to discuss this further, take it to the office.”

  Merit held his dad’s glare while pushing his chair back to stand. Time to leave before he said something else he couldn’t take back. “There’s nothing more to discuss. I’m done here.”

  Mae twisted to look up at him in surprise, then quickly got up to stand beside him. His heart leapt when her hand curled around his as she faced his parents. He was so used to doing this alone, he hadn’t thought about taking her with him. He was such a fucking jerk—he couldn’t believe she wanted to go with him.

  She offered a quiet thank you to his mom for brunch before letting him lead her out the door to the foyer.

  “Merit, wait.”

  He ignored his mother’s voice and kept going to the front door, but Mae pulled on his hand before they stepped outside, making him stop.

  His mom hurried up to them, her expression contrite. “Your father and I only want what’s best for you, honey.”

  And what was best? Him feeling like shit in front of the whole family? He clenched his jaw and didn’t reply. Because really, what else was new?

  She sighed softly as she glanced between them. “I wish you wouldn’t go. I’d love the chance to get to know you better, Mae, especially since I didn’t know the two of you were dating.”

  “We only started about four hours ago, Mom, so ease up.”

  Her eyebrows rose.

  Mae made a sound of disbelief and pulled her hand free from his.

  Fuck.

  “We’re seeing how things go, Mrs. Diamond, but if Merit is going to be an ass about things, it’s not going to go well.”

  That last bit was directed at him with a chin lift and a warning tone that had him fisting his hand on the door handle.

  “I’m not trying to stir things up here,” his mom said. “I just wanted to let you both know I’m happy about your news. Maybe you didn’t plan for it to happen, but I really respect that you’re stepping up to take responsibility. Both of you.” She moved forward and pulled Mae into a hug. “And please, call me Janine. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the future.”

  “Thank you, Janine.”

  “I’m now twice as excited about being a grandma.”

  She genuinely sounded like it, too. They shared a smile when Mae stepped back, and then his mom turned to him and reached to take his hands, tugging a bit to get him to let go of the door. “Your dad will come around. And if you need anything”—she squeezed his hands as her voice lowered—“anything at all, just let me know. Okay?”

  Anything meant money. Perfect. As if he hadn’t been humiliated enough already, now his mom was offering to carry his sorry ass right in front of Mae. He couldn’t look like more of a loser if he tried.

  “Thanks, Mom, but I’m good.” He gave her a brief hug and swung the door wider for Mae to go first. “See you later.”

  On the drive to Mae’s house, he kept his attention focused straight ahead on the road. She sat over there in the passenger seat, staring out the window without saying a word. The knot in his stomach wound tighter and tighter the longer she remained silent. After the scene at brunch, he could just imagine what she was thinking.

  Loser.

  Mooch.

  Not only that, but she’d told his mom it wasn’t going well. She might as well have just said it was over before it truly started. And like everything else, that was his fault, too.

  When he pulled into the driveway, he put the SUV in park, but didn’t turn it off or make a move to get out.

  Mae twisted slightly toward him. “I’m sorry I screwed that up,” she said quietly.

  “It’s not your fault.” He kept one hand on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. “I should’ve expected it.”

  “I don’t think anyone really expected that. Your dad…”

  “Actually, I did, but I had hoped for better with you there.”

  “I completely misunderstood your mom—”

  “Don’t. It’s not your fault,” he insisted. He reached to squeeze her hand, but kept his gaze downcast. “My dad’s an ass sometimes. Today more so than usual.”

  “Well, I’m still sorry.” She tilted her head slightly. “You want to come in and talk about it?”

  Oh, hell no. She might ask him about his job—the one that didn’t exist—and he didn’t want to lie again. “I have to get going. After being gone all day yesterday, I have a few things to get done this afternoon.”

  Thought you didn’t want to lie again?

  “Oh. Okay.” She hesitated a moment, then opened the doo
r and slipped out of the vehicle. “So…I’ll see you Tuesday?”

  Guilt gnawed at his gut as he said, “I’ll call you.”

  Her gaze narrowed slightly, and her chin lifted as she gave him a cool smile. “Yeah, okay, you do that, Merit.”

  She stepped back and shut the door, then strode to the house without looking back. He gripped the steering wheel so hard his hands hurt. He wanted to go after her, try to explain why he was being a cowardly prick, but his body wouldn’t move. Besides, he didn’t even fully understand why himself, so what the fuck could he say to Mae?

  Chapter 18

  Mae shut her front door and leaned against it, her breath tight in her chest as she hoped to hear the SUV shut off. The slam of his door. The sound of his footsteps…his knock on—

  The motor revved, and then faded as he drove away.

  She closed her eyes against the sting of those damn hormonal tears, took a deep breath, and pushed off the door to go change. She’d certainly been right about one thing—he had no clue how a relationship worked. And judging by the last half-hour, it definitely wasn’t going well. Hell, it wasn’t going at all.

  The sight of the rumpled bed drew her up short. A wave of memories shortened her breath. Last night seemed like forever ago. What had happened between now and then—or even between this morning and now?

  In the middle of stripping her sheets, her phone rang. She ran to the kitchen where she’d left her purse and then hated herself for hoping it was him. It was too soon anyway.

  When she saw Honor’s name on the screen, she swiped aside her disappointment at the same time she swiped to answer. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Her best friend’s voice was thick with sympathy. “You okay?”

  Now the tears welled up again as she crossed over to the living room. “No, not really.”

  “I’m sorry, Mae. It seems like the senator’s been harder on Merit than usual lately. Asher didn’t even know about the money stuff. I don’t think anyone did. You just got caught in the middle.”