Summer Kisses (16 page)

Mrs. Garrison’s stone-cold gaze burned a hole into the hand he had on her daughter. “Tell me again,” she said, “how did the two of you meet?”

“When Derrick was in college,” Jill offered matter-of-factly, “he made a donation to the sperm bank. Eighteen months later, he changed his mind and sent them their money back along with a letter letting them know where he stood on the matter.”

“And where exactly
did
he stand?” her father asked.

Derrick held out a hand, letting them all know he could speak for himself. “Although I needed money at the time,” he said, “I realized I didn’t like the idea of having my biological children out in the world, knowing I wouldn’t be a part of their lives.”

“How did you find Jill?” Mrs. Garrison asked. “Those places are supposed to be discreet about these things.”

“I hired a private investigator.”

“Do you two plan to marry?” her father asked next.

“Not at this time.”

“Why not?” he asked, obviously trying to make Derrick look like the bad guy.

“Because we’ve known one another for less than two weeks.”

“She’s raising your baby. That’s not good enough for you?”

Jill tried to get a word in, but Derrick was too quick. “It’s not good enough for your daughter. She’ll decide when and who she wants to marry when the time comes.”

“Maybe she chooses you,” Mr. Garrison said. “Have you asked her to marry you?”

Derrick looked at Jill and said, “Jill, will you marry me?”

“No, but thanks for asking.”

Derrick looked back at her father and shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re trying to be cute with me?”

“No, sir, I’m not. I was only trying to prove a point.”

“Which is?”

“Your daughter is old enough to make her own decisions. She knows what she does and doesn’t want.”

“And apparently she doesn’t want you.”

“Dad,” Jill said. “That’s enough. If we can’t all sit here and enjoy a nice dinner, then maybe Derrick and I should leave.”

“Thomas still loves you,” her mother said, desperation lining her voice. “He regrets what he did.”

“Did you really try to set him up with Laura?” Jill’s eyes could not conceal the hurt she felt by their betrayal.

“Whether we did or not is neither here nor there,” her father said. “The fact is he only wants you.”

Jill stood and looked at Derrick. “Let’s dance.”

Without hesitating, Derrick came to his feet and led her to the dance floor. Billy Joel’s soft ballad “Just The Way You Are” played from the speakers, which was a good thing because his knee was acting up again. The moment they hit the dance floor, Derrick took Jill into his arms and held her close as they swayed to the music. No words were said between them. No words were necessary.

~~~

Seventy-two hours after their dinner from hell, Jill held Ryan in her arms and knocked on the door to Derrick’s apartment. It was Friday, 4pm, and she was excited at the prospect of a night out without Mom and Dad questioning her every move. Once her parents realized Jill was not going to return to New York, they dropped Laura off at the airport, having no idea they wouldn’t be seeing their youngest daughter for a while. Then her parents headed for San Francisco, telling Jill they would be returning next weekend to say goodbye before they returned home. Jill didn’t know what to think about her sister running off with a band, but Laura seemed genuinely happy and that’s all that mattered.

The door came open and, as always, Derrick looked ridiculously crazy, take-your-breath-away handsome. Never mind that he wore a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a clean white T-shirt. Thick dark hair curled around his ears and when his gaze fell on hers, his brown eyes appeared darker than she remembered. The expression on his face was hard to read, and he had a dangerous edge to him that never failed to make her insides quiver.

He took the baby bag out of her hand and gestured for her to come inside.

“I thought I’d bring Ryan to you first and then go back for the portable crib,” she said as she stepped inside.

“No need.” He leaned forward and for a fleeting moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead, he planted his lips on Ryan’s forehead.

Inwardly, Jill scolded herself for thinking that Derrick was going to kiss her. Even more ridiculous was the fact that she was going to let him. He’d been more than gracious at dinner with her uptight parents, handling their rudeness with aplomb, letting their offensive questions and rude comments roll off of his back like water. Derrick had been kind and courteous. And the best part of the night had been when he followed her to the dance floor without question and held her in his arms, calming her nerves and making her feel safe.

And that was the moment she knew she was in big trouble.

She’d never believed women who insisted they fell in love within days of meeting a man. But now Jill knew that it could happen because it was happening to her. She was falling fast and hard for Derrick Baylor.

And she needed to put a stop to it.

Derrick shut the door behind her. “Come with me,” he said. “I have something I want to show you.”

She followed him down the hallway. On the way, she peeked inside his bedroom and noticed he’d fixed his bed frame since she’d been here last. The memory caused her cheeks to burn while her insides fluttered.

When she entered the last room where Derrick waited, her eyes widened in surprise. The guest room had been made into a baby’s room. Two bands of blue lined the wall. There was a blue rug with a choo choo train and white shelves filled with stuffed animals. “It’s beautiful. When did you do this?”

“Today.”

“Is this why Maggie was here earlier? To help you decorate?”

He looked surprised and maybe even uncomfortable.

“I saw her leaving your apartment,” she explained.

“How did you know it was Maggie?”

“I saw you with her in the courtroom when you were on the news.”

“Ahh,” he said. “I designed the room myself, although Maggie did suggest I hang the animal mobile higher so Ryan wouldn’t be able to reach it.”

“You and Maggie have been friends for a while?”

“Practically forever,” he said. “Growing up, she was like one of the boys.”

The Maggie she had seen looked much too serious to play with boys.

“That was years ago. She’s changed since then.” He left it at that and went to the crib. “They call this the four-in-one sleep set. It reassembles to grow with your baby. The mattress has a thick foam layer inside and it’s hypoallergenic. What do you think?”

“It’s stunning. I love the cherry wood.” Jill looked from the matching changing table to the tall dresser and the plush bedding, a mixture of soft suede and cotton. Everything from the window valance to the diaper stacker matched perfectly.

Derrick opened up a dresser drawer. “Everything Ryan could possibly need is right in here.”

Holding Ryan close, she reached out her free hand to touch a sweater. “This is cashmere.”

He nodded. “I liked it because it was soft.”

There were at least three cashmere outfits and then soft cotton one-pieces in every color imaginable. There were also cashmere hats and socks, long-sleeved shirts and short-sleeved shirts, corduroy pants and matching tops. “Ryan is going to be the best dressed baby this side of Los Angeles.”

“You think so?”

She laughed. “I think you got carried away. He’s an infant now, but later on, too much of this sort of thing could spoil a kid rotten.” She looked inside the closet where he’d stacked every baby accessory imaginable. “You must have spent thousands.”

“He’s worth every penny.”

“Of course he is, but that’s not the point.” Derrick was a good man and a naturally good father, too. Earlier today, when she’d heard voices and then glanced out the window, she’d seen Derrick holding Maggie close as they said goodbye. Instantly, she’d felt a wave of resentment and envy. Who Derrick spent his time with should be no concern of hers. She needed to rein in any feelings she felt toward him since he’d made it clear he wanted the two of them to be nothing more than friends.

She placed Ryan on the center of the mattress inside the crib and smiled when he kicked his legs as if he was riding his first tricycle. “Looks like you won’t need the portable crib, so I guess I’ll be on my way.”

Derrick turned on the musical mobile. “Look at that, would you? He likes it.”

She swallowed the knot in her throat. “If there’s anything else you need, you should find it in the diaper bag. My cell phone number is in there, too, in case you have any problems.”

He walked her to the door.

“I’ll be across the way getting ready if you need me before then.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Do what?”

“Go out with this Nate guy.”

She smiled. “Of course I do. He’s been on a shopping bag, remember?”

“That’s a dumb reason to go out with a guy.”

“I’m only teasing. He’s a wonderful man. Besides,” she said over her shoulder as she headed back to her apartment. “Nate Lerner could be the
one
.”

~~~

A little powder on her nose, some lipstick, and she was ready to go. Turning toward the full-length mirror, Jill gave herself one last look. She wore a pair of white stretch pull-on jeans and a Marc Jacobs V-neck black tank. She’d bought the outfit a few weeks before she found out the insemination process had been successful and she was pregnant. She turned to her right and then to her left. Between stress and hormonal changes, she weighed three pounds less than she did before her pregnancy. Even though she wasn’t breastfeeding, she was still almost a cup-size bigger. “Not bad.”

Nate wasn’t due to pick her up until six thirty, which gave her another ten minutes. She had dropped Ryan off early since she’d wanted enough time to take a nap and a long hot shower. Her skin was glowing, and she felt rejuvenated. Satisfied with her hair, she went into the bathroom and unplugged the flat iron. Another swipe of Burt’s Bees Super Shiny lip gloss and she was ready to go.

A knock at the door told her he was early. It was date time. She was nervous and yet excited to spend some time with Nate so that she could begin to get Derrick Baylor out of her head for good. She didn’t waste any time getting to the door.

Only it wasn’t Nate.

“Great. I’m glad you haven’t left yet,” Derrick said. “I had to show you this.”

He held Ryan upward and outward.

Her poor baby was covered from head to toe in some sort of weird looking fur.

“What is he supposed to be?”

Derrick made a tsking sound. “A porcupine, what else? Look at how the fur actually sticks up in spikes.” To demonstrate, he fluffed up the fur around Ryan’s head.

“I don’t know if that will fit him by the time Halloween rolls around.”

“You don’t think so?”

She slipped the spikey hood off of Ryan’s head so she could read the tag. “This costume is for infants. He’ll be wearing big boy clothes in five months.”

“Well, either way it’s awfully cute, don’t you think?”

“It’s adorable,” she agreed, “but I really need to go now. I need to finish getting ready before Nate gets here.”

“That outfit you have on is a little on the revealing side, don’t you think?”

“Not at all.”

“All I can see is cleavage.” His gaze traveled lower. “I also see that you borrowed your sister’s leather pants.”

“These are jeans, not leather. They’re white, not black. Nice try.”

“The truth is,” he went on, “Ryan and I were just talking and we both think it’s too early for you to be out gallivanting around town. You just had a baby, for God’s sake.”

“You’re not my father or my brother or my boyfriend. In fact, I’m having a difficult time having you as a friend. So knock it off. I refuse to let you ruin my first night out.”

“You enjoyed a nice dinner two nights ago.”

She laughed. “It was three nights ago and if that’s your idea of a good time, then you need to have your head examined.”

“The guy is late, isn’t he?” Derrick asked. “Maybe he stood you up. I knew there was something fishy about that guy.”

Looking over Derrick’s shoulder, Jill waved. “Hi Nate.”

Nate looked absolutely dashing in dark slacks and a striped button-down shirt that fit him like a glove.

Trying not to laugh at the annoyed expression scrawled across Derrick’s face, she moved around him so she could greet Nate properly.

“Look at that,” Nate said after she gave him a hug. “A porcupine.” He touched the tip of Ryan’s nose. “A little early for Halloween, isn’t it?”

“So we’ve been told,” Derrick said. “Don’t keep her out too late. She’s got a magazine to run and a baby to take care of.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Jill said as she grabbed Nate’s hand and pulled him inside her apartment. Recognition hit Nate, and he snapped his fingers. “He plays for the Condors, doesn’t he?”

“That’s right,” Jill said. “He’s a football player.”

“Ahh,” Nate said. “I thought I recognized him the other day.”

When Jill turned about and saw Derrick still standing there, she shooed him away and then gently shut the door in his face.

~~~

Derrick heard another noise and peeked through the curtains. He looked toward Jill’s apartment but nobody was there. The plastic clock hanging on the kitchen wall mocked him with its tick tock, tick tock. It was only nine o’clock. Jill wouldn’t be back for hours.

He took a seat on the couch, picked up the remote, and did a little channel surfing. Ryan had fallen asleep over an hour ago. He was bored out of his skull. But then he heard keys jangling outside and this time he knew he wasn’t hearing things. Jumping to his feet, he went to the door and opened it.

Jill had returned, and she was unlocking her door.

“Back so soon?” he asked.

“Are you keeping tabs on me?”

“No, of course not. I was just sitting here watching a little television and I heard a noise. So where’s pretty boy?”

“He was called to the hospital for an emergency.”

“How rude,” Derrick teased.

“He’s a doctor,” she reminded him. She looked at Derrick for a moment longer. “Is everything all right? Is Ryan okay?”