Dream Keeper (18 page)

“You never know,” Dench echoed.

Across the bar, determined to garner attention, the three women headed for the pool table and spent a lot of time bent over the table racking up the balls.

“When Rissa came to me with the offer to come to the Atlanta team, I thought it was the perfect thing to support our marriage, but this baby thing seems to be shredding it.”

Propping his elbows on the chair, eyes on the television screen, AJ looked focused on the tail end of the soccer match. “She tell you that she talked to Marlea about it?”

Dench toyed with the lime slice. “No, but I figured she did. Probably talked to Jeannette and Connie, and Yvette and Libby, too.” He sipped from his bottle. “You know my wife. Her mouth won’t hold water.”

“But you know Silk is just the opposite. She’ll take a secret to her grave.”

AJ moved his bottle when the young waitress brought her heavy tray to their table. Smiling, she unloaded wings, fries, and thick sticks of fried mozzarella cheese, along with a bucket of cold Coronas. When she asked if there was anything else needed, both men shook their heads. Dench picked up a celery stick and bit down thoughtfully before he saw the smirk on AJ’s face.

“What?”

“Celery sticks?”

Tossing the last bite into his mouth, Dench took a heavily sauced wing and dug deep into the bleu cheese dressing. Tearing into it, he looked at AJ. “Satisfied?”

Taking one of his own, AJ bit into it and savored. “Oh, yeah.”

Finishing, AJ set the bones aside and looked hard at Dench. “Did Rissa tell you that she’s thinking about using a surrogate?

“Oh, that.” Dench licked his fingers and sighed heavily. “We sort of talked about that today.”

“That’s why you never made it to Flowery Branch.”

“Yeah.” Dench sucked at his beer. “How did you know? About the surrogate thing, I mean?”

“She wants Silk to be the surrogate.”

The double-take would have been funny if the subject had not been so serious. “Where did you get that from?”

“Rissa called today, I guess right after you left. Silk was out and I got the message.” AJ watched Dench close his eyes and tighten his lips. “Rissa needs a surrogate mother. She asked, and Silk wants to do it.”

Eyes open, Dench looked empty. “And you don’t want her to.”

“No.” AJ said the word like it explained everything. “I don’t want her to do it, but she’s made up her mind—just completely dropped me out of the equation.” AJ’s face tightened. “You should have told me, man.”

“Told you what? I didn’t know she was going to take it there. I didn’t know she’d talked to Marlea like that.” Dench’s hand covered his mouth, the fingers working against the tightly drawn skin of his jaw. “Dude, you know, if you were anyone else, I’d call you a bastard for telling me like this and not backing us up. I don’t know if you’re a selfish bastard or just a damned lucky one. You have everything I want, everything Rissa and I ever wanted, and you have the nerve to sit here and be mad about it.”

“It’s not that…it’s…”

“Rissa is your sister, dude.”

“Silk is my wife.”

“Selfish bastard. If Marlea is willing to try…”

“…and it doesn’t work, what next?”

Struggling to breathe, Dench swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”

“It’s not that I don’t want this for you…for both of you.” AJ threw up both hands. “Silk and I have been lucky, blessed, really. I guess I just don’t want to press our luck.” His hands rose again when words failed. The anger in his friend’s face dried up his excuses. “Look, Dench, you’re family, you know that. All that’s missing between us is blood, and Rissa makes up for that. You know I love you both and that just makes this harder all the way around. I’m way the hell selfish and I know that. I’m as wrong as two left shoes, but…damn.”

“I didn’t put her up to it. You know that, right?”

“I know.” AJ dropped his hands and looked hopeless. “I know my sister and my wife.”

Across the room, one of the televisions burped static before the Atlanta Braves game flashed across the screen. Dench’s fingers worked at his jaw again. “She said she wanted us to try again—insisted on it. She never said…”

“Welcome to the Wonderful World of Rissa. Problem is, now she wants my wife to carry your baby. That’s the message she left at my house.”

“And it left you pissed off.”

“Come on, man. Dench, you’ve got to try to see my side. I marry one woman, make a family with her, and now this. It’s not like Rissa asked me for a kidney.” Spreading his hands, AJ looked confused. “How does anybody get over wanting something for their whole life, having it within their grasp and then losing it? I can only imagine how you feel and why she did it.”

Dench dropped his hand and reached for his beer. He drained the bottle and reached for another. Swallowing fast, he stopped halfway through. “I should have known that there was more to it when she said she wanted to try again. I thought that meant we should…”

AJ hunched his shoulders.

“How am I supposed to compete with that?”

“My thought, exactly, but every man has to find his own way.”

“That’s a nice greeting card sentiment, dude.” Finishing the beer, Dench set the empty bottle on the table and pushed it away with two stiff fingers.

“One out of four is not bad. I was wondering if you were ever going to finish a bottle.”

“I got thirsty. But that doesn’t solve the problem.”

AJ winced and sighed. “I thought she was coming around to the idea of adoption.”

“For a minute, I thought so, too. Dude, I’m not trying to drag Marlea into anything, but it looks like I thought wrong.”

“I know that, besides, you didn’t have to drag Silk into anything. She ran into it on her own two feet.” AJ’s eyes went to the television in front of them and he drew a deep breath. “Look, maybe I shouldn’t have…”

Dench raised a hand and shook his head heavily from side to side. “No. If the situation was reversed, I would probably feel the same way.”

AJ’s eyes touched Dench, then bounced back to the game. “Too bad you can’t just run off somewhere, get relaxed, and make a baby right quick.”

“You know, that could work…” Dench looked thoughtful. “Do you think Marlea could kind of slow her roll? Just for a little while?”

“You have an idea?”

“Maybe before all that testing and the implantation process happens, I could sweep Rissa up for a second honeymoon, kind of romantic getaway. Take a chance that we can work this out.”

“A second honeymoon is one thing, but a baby-making holiday is something else altogether.” AJ snickered.

“Dude, just because you…”

“Sorry. I was wrong for that.” AJ finished his beer and set the empty bottle next to Dench’s. Leaning, he propped his elbows on the table. “Maybe a second honeymoon is not a bad idea—if you can sell her on it.”

“Looks like I’m going to have to.” Watching AJ open another beer, Dench ran a hand over his bald head. “I’m not trying to shave anything else.”

“But what if it doesn’t work out? If she doesn’t instantly get pregnant, then what?” AJ took a deep swallow from his bottle and shook his head. “Hell of a thing to be sitting here discussing my sister.”

“Do it, don’t do it. She’s your sister, she’s my wife…” Dench bit into one of the mozzarella sticks. “Careful you don’t get chafed trying to straddle that fence, dude. I’m going to take it one step at a time.” Thinking, he chewed. “I’ll take her back to Negril—back to Tensing Penn, where we got married. It’ll be romantic; she’ll eat it up.”

“It could work, if a hurricane or something doesn’t come along.”

“You got anything better?” When AJ shook his head, Dench nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

AJ broke a chicken wing and pointed a section at Dench. “Man, I’ve got to give it to you. Rissa always did like heroes.”

“Don’t cheer yet. I’ve still got to talk her into it.”

“I don’t see that as a problem.” AJ concentrated on his wing. “I kind of think she likes you.”

“Huh. That was before our last conversation. Before I got The Loud Sigh.”

“Negril might be your last hope.”

“Dude, isn’t that what I just said? She loved it at Tensing Penn.”

“Except for that night at Rick’s.” AJ grinned.

“You won’t be there this time, we’re already married, and I’ll promise not to go off the cliff again.” Leaning back in his chair, Dench turned to check out the nearest television when the Alphas cheered. The Braves had closed out the final inning of their game with a home run. “Maybe that’s a good sign.”

“For your sake, I hope so.” AJ pushed the wings away and wiped at his fingers with a napkin. “So what’s your plan for tonight? Still going up to Flowery Branch, or back home?”

“Flowery Branch, I think.” Dench tapped his fingertips on the tabletop. “Bet I could hit the internet while I’m up there, make the plans and surprise her with them. She’ll like that.”

“Then I guess we solved your problem, huh?” AJ checked his watch, then turned to look at the television screen where the Braves’ postgame review was showing.

“Guess I’d better get you back home before Marlea starts thinking you’ve been kidnapped or something.”

“Nah, I’ll catch a cab. There’s usually one in the parking lot.” AJ looked at his friend. “You gonna be okay?”

“One way or another.” Dench shrugged. “How about you?”

“You know Silk. She’s stubborn as they come, but she doesn’t hold a grudge.”

“Wives. What are we supposed to do with them?”

“Keep on loving them, I guess.” Standing, AJ pulled cash from his wallet and waited while Dench did the same. Dropping the bills on the table, he smiled. “With a tip like that, that’s going to be a happy little waitress.”

“Don’t be condescending, dude. You’ve got a wife and a daughter.”

“And a mother, and a sister.” He dropped another bill on the table as penance.

The Alphas were still cheering and toasting when AJ and Dench raised their hands for a final farewell. In the parking lot, standing next to Dench’s truck, AJ tried to read his friend’s face. “You really think she’ll go for a second honeymoon?”

“I think I have to at least give it a shot.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Then I’ll have to try to convince her that adoption is the way to go, if I’m not enough for her.” Dench jiggled his keys and sighed. “Just for the record, I don’t think the surrogate thing is right for us, but I’m grateful that Marlea would even consider putting herself through that for Rissa and me.”

“Yeah, well, she’s special like that.” AJ jammed his hands in his pockets and looked up just as a taxi rolled into the parking lot. Raising his arm to hail it, he was surprised to feel the odd warmth in his heart. “She’s real special.”

He was still thinking about how special his wife was when the cab pulled away from First Down.

AJ stopped the driver at the foot of his driveway. Dench was on his mind when he paid the fare.
Every man has to find his own way,
he thought, adding a tip.
My dad used to say that, and mad as the old man could make me, he was right. Tonight I heard myself say the same thing to Den
ch. Aww, man…please don’t let me be turning into my old man.

He watched the cab turn and drive out of the gated community before turning toward his house. The silence surrounding his home was pleasant and reassuring as he walked the rest of the way to his house.

Letting himself in, he noticed that though the house was quiet, Marlea had not armed the alarm system. She’d also left lights on in several rooms.
She didn’t want me to break my neck
, he thought fondly.

Turning the lights out as he walked toward the master suite, he couldn’t help hearing Dench’s words.
‘I don’t know if you’re a selfish bastard or just a damned lucky one. You have everything I want, everything Rissa and I ever wanted, and you have the nerve to be mad about it.’ For sure, that was the kind of thing that only a friend could get away with saying,
and damn it, he was right.

AJ set the alarm system and continued down the hall. Seeing the subtle glow of nightlights coming from his children’s rooms, he couldn’t resist the urge to look in on them. He used his fingertips to press Jabari’s door open and moved silently into the room.

His son, dressed in little blue and white striped pajamas, lay on his back with his arms and legs flung wide. Snoring like a trucker, he had given himself fully over to sleep. Listening to his son’s snoring, AJ bent to look into his face and found him smiling. Touching a finger to the child’s hand, he smiled when the boy’s fingers curled around his. Dropping a light kiss to his son’s cheek, he tipped from the room.

Nia’s door, directly across the short hallway, was similarly open. Moving like a shadow, AJ entered his daughter’s pink and white room. Lying in a swath of moonlight, Nia slept in the exact center of her small bed wearing a tiny white ruffled nightshirt and a glittering tiara.

My baby is a princess, for real.

Reaching, careful not to wake her, AJ lifted the miniature silver crown from her hair. Tenderly, he untangled a few errant stands and smoothed them gently back into place. Her lashes fluttered against her cheek and he froze, not daring to breathe. Suddenly, she sat straight up, looked at him and smiled. Before he could speak, she plopped her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes—sound asleep again. Marveling, he watched her easy breathing and wondered how she did it.

Lucky
, he thought.
Next time I see Dench, I’ll have to tell him that I am one damned lucky man. This all came so easily that I never fully appreciated it.
Nia sighed and rocked in her sleep.
Dreaming,
AJ guessed.

Charmed by his daughter, AJ was startled to feel Marlea at his side. Looking down at her, he couldn’t help being pleased. She wore only the top of his pajamas, with the sleeves rolled to her elbows.
She missed me…
When his lips parted, she touched them with a silencing finger.

“I think we’d have to set off a bomb to wake her,” he whispered, sliding a long arm around her shoulders. When she leaned against him, he closed the circle of his embrace.