Unbreakable (35 page)

Gwen's head snapped up, and for a second, the room swam. "I didn't know you heard that."

Audrey cursed the tears that were pooling behind tightly shut lids. "I heard. And so did Enrique." Then, to everyone's surprise, she let out a snort of laughter. "He threw all your coats out into the street."

Katy grinned. "Good for Vice Princ–" Audrey's look of warning stopped her dead in her tracks. "Good for him."

"Mm." Gwen quirked a tiny smile. "I always wondered what happened to them. We all froze on the way home."

Audrey moved back to the love seat and Jacie and Nina quickly made a space between them so she could fit in. "Why were you so ashamed of me, Gwen?" she asked, residual hurt still coloring her voice. "I would never have done something to embarrass you. I knew how the Langtrees' opinions mattered to you."

Gwen swallowed hard and pushed her way onto unsteady feet. "You still don't see?" She set down her glass and headed towards the stairway. At the base of the steps she turned back. "I was never ashamed of you. Of any of you. I loved you all then and I always will."

Gwen felt like crying, but the tears wouldn't come. "I was ashamed of me."

*  *  *

Jacie reached out and curled her hand around Nina's. They were lying in their room's only bed, each facing the other, a thin sheet pulled up to waist level. A gentle rain tapped against the window's glass and the occasional flash of lightning briefly lit the room in an ethereal shade of blue.

Nina was wearing an ancient, soft cotton St. Louis Cardinals jersey and a pair of soft white bikini panties. Jacie had turned her back to allow her friend a moment of privacy while she changed into her pajamas. She was even a little proud of herself for not peeking. But when she turned around and saw Nina, her hair tussled from undressing, smooth legs sticking out from high-cut panties, it took every ounce of Jacie's willpower not to pounce on her and ravage her on the spot. Repeatedly.

Jacie raised herself up onto one elbow and rested her head in her hand. "Do you think Gwen did this on purpose?" Her voice was quiet, and Nina barely heard it above the rain. "The one bed thing?"

Nina fingered the sheets. They were baby-soft and held the fresh, clean scent of detergent. "Maybe. She seems pretty sorry about everything that happened. And I noticed that Audrey and Katy had their own beds. Maybe she's just trying to make up for things." She glanced up at Jacie. "Are you mad about it?"

Jacie grinned. She brushed the back of Nina's hand with her thumb. "Do I seem mad?"

Nina grinned back, her eyes roaming over Jacie's body, which was clad only in a tank top and shorts. "No," she said softly, "what you seem is sexy as hell."

Jacie's smile grew. "Look who's talking?" She flopped onto her back and regarded the ceiling, but didn't let go of Nina's hand. "That kiss tonight, Nina," she let out a breathy sigh and closed her eyes, reliving the moment, "I still haven't recovered!"

Nina fanned herself. "Me neither."

"This is nice." Jacie raised Nina's hand to her lips and gently kissed it. "Just being together."

"It is," Nina agreed wholeheartedly. "I've wanted it for so long and now it's actually happening." She shook her head a little. "It still feels a little like a dream."

"You know how some things aren't as good as you remember them? Or how sometimes over time you build them up in your mind to be better than they were in real life?"

Nina's heart lurched, suddenly fearing that Jacie was going to say that's how she felt about seeing her again. "Yeah?"

"This is nothing like that." The excitement in her voice was obvious. "I can't even explain how wonderful I feel."

Nina laughed softly in relief. "I feel the same way."

Jacie turned her head to look at her friend. She had a million questions, but one had been weighing on her mind even before she saw Nina again. "Tell me about Robbie and…" she paused, knowing she was about to poke her nose into something Nina might not want to discuss. "Well, I guess," Nina lifted her eyebrows in question and Jacie promptly chickened out. "Tell me about him."

Nina squeezed their joined hands. "And his father?"

Jacie winced. "It's not my business, I know but–"

"Shh," Nina soothed. "I want you in my business, Jacie. So it's okay."

Jacie relaxed a little.

"You met Robbie, so you probably saw that he's a handful." She chuckled. "Actually, he reminds me so much of you, Jace. He's brave and a little crazy and an irrepressible dreamer."

Jacie let go of Nina's hand and lifted her arm. She held her breath, hoping Nina would accept the unspoken invitation.
I want to be closer to you.

She needn't have worried. Nina snuggled tightly to Jacie and curled a possessive arm around her chest, never wanting to let go. She let out a deep breath. "I met Robbie's father in Hawaii about ten years ago."

"Why were you in Hawaii?"

"I had just ended a two-year relationship with Carol, a woman who I worked with at the Detroit Historical Museum. I'd tried so hard to make things work and was sure that this time I'd found someone I could settle down with permanently. But…" she hesitated as she mulled over the right words. "But she wasn't a ‘permanent' sort of a woman, I guess. One day she told me that she wanted us to see other people. We were living together by then."

"She's a moron."

Nina chuckled softly, her breath warming Jacie's shoulder. "I held my ground and said no. Monogamy is important to me. And she left me the next morning."

"Make that a moronic bitch."

Nina's chuckle turned into an outright laugh. "Always sticking up for me, eh?"

Jacie let out a soft grunt of agreement. "Through thick and thin, Nina."

"Anyway, I sulked around Detroit for about six months after that, not doing much more than feeling sorry for myself, and one day, while I was walking downtown, I passed a travel agency. In the window was a beautiful photograph of a waterfall not far from Kaneohe Bay on Oahu. I needed… something. And so I took some of the vacation I had saved up and flew to Hawaii the next week."

Nina slipped her hand beneath Jacie's tank top, feeling Jacie's ribs expand sharply when she began to gently stroke her belly. "I took a hike to the waterfall I'd seen in the photo, and at the falls I met another hiker named Tim. He was recently divorced and he was in Hawaii trying to make a new start for himself. Just like me."

"And you fell in love with him?" A tiny sting of jealousy accompanied Jacie's words, fading only with the gentle reminder that Nina was in her arms right now.

Nina resituated herself so that she was mostly on top of Jacie and could look her in the eye. The position was so intimate the women were breathing the same air. "No," she whispered seriously. "It wasn't like that at all. We each needed something from the other, and we didn't do anything to put the brakes on the attraction we felt. I was still questioning my sexuality. I found men physically attractive but never really thought of making a life with one. The pull that a woman has on me…" She dipped her head quickly and brushed her lips against Jacie's. "Well, nothing about my time with Tim changed that.

"He was interesting and funny and made me feel wanted. And I helped him forget about his ex-wife, if only for a little while. We danced till dawn, drank pina coladas, made love on the beach, and only lived for the moment. And when our vacations were over, we kissed each other on the cheek and said goodbye. Tim went home to Pennsylvania, I think, to try and reconcile with his ex. I went home to Detroit with a tan… and pregnant with Robbie."

"Wow." Concern shown in Jacie's eyes. "Were you okay?"

Nina nodded, scattering her hair across her shoulders. "I really was. It was a little scary, knowing I'd have to parent all on my own. But I'd always wanted a child, and even though it would have been easier to do with someone I loved, I wouldn't take back what happened even if I could. I love Robbie with everything that I am."

Jacie reached up and played with a lock of Nina's hair, the silken strands falling around her fingers. "Does Tim know about Robbie?"

"We didn't even tell each other our last names, Jacie. We were living some sort of island fantasy and there was no place in that for real life. So no, Tim with the pretty brown eyes, who I hope dearly is happy at home with his wife somewhere tonight, has no idea. I wouldn't know how to find him even if I wanted to."

Jacie leaned up and bussed Nina's chin. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"Will you tell me about Emily?"

The words were far easier than Jacie thought they'd be. "She's beautiful and smart and nothing like me."

"From your description of her so far, I can see that."

"Ha. Ha." Jacie tickled Nina's ribs, enjoying the feeling of the other woman shaking with laughter. "That's not what I meant. She loves to read and is mature for her age, something I never was. She's a great kid and I can't wait for you to meet her."

Nina felt a thrill as Jacie's words skittered down her spine.

Jacie settled into her pillow as Nina retook her spot on her shoulder. "I met Emily's mother, Alison, about ten years ago. Things were good between us. Then they were bad. Then they were good. A damn yoyo had fewer ups and downs than our relationship did."

Nina hugged her and Jacie greedily absorbed the warmth and caring, allowing it to act as a buffer between her heart and old wounds. "She wanted children and I didn't. And she was angry with me all the time because of it. Finally, I let her convince me that my hesitancy with regard to starting a family was the real dilemma in our relationship and that if I'd just get over whatever my problem was, things would be wonderful between us."

Inwardly, Nina cringed.

"I was so tired of the fighting and even though I felt like I was jumping off a cliff, I-I guess I just wanted to be happy for once. So I gave in. We used a sperm bank and a few tries later Alison got pregnant. I don't know what the hell I was thinking, Nina. Things were always so volatile between us. Having a baby only made our relationship problems worse. The bad times started overwhelming the good. And then the good times pretty much disappeared. But Emily," her voice held a note of true awe, "she was so tiny and so perfect. It didn't seem to matter to my heart that Alison was the one who actually gave birth to her. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her, and she was my daughter. Thank God, we did a second-parent adoption right after she was born."

The rain intensified and a far-off clap of thunder punctuated Jacie's words.

"I knew you'd be a wonderful mother someday, Jacie."

Jacie gave her playful pinch. "I used to pull the heads off your Barbies."

"But you always taped them back on," Nina reminded. "You have so much love to give... I always thought you'd be great with kids."

Jacie snorted softly. "You were the only one then. I did my best to stay with Alison, but in the end, the fighting got to be too much for me. But true to form, we weren't finished fighting. We ended up in court duking it out over custody." She swallowed thickly. "That bitch Alison told the judge that I never wanted Emily to be born. And my daughter was sitting right next to her when she said it."

Nina closed her eyes. "God, Jacie."

Jacie had to clear her throat to speak. "Yeah. Anyway, we ended up with joint custody, but Alison seems hell bent on making that arrangement as painful as possible. If you want any relationship with me, Nina, you have to know that she's going to make trouble. She hates me and–"

"Honey, you can stop worrying about that right now. Nobody can come between us unless we let them." She tightened her grip on Jacie. "Just let her try," she warned darkly.

Jacie buried her face in Nina's hair. "I've been falling in love with you again every five minutes since I saw you again. You know that, right?"

Nina sniffed, her heart near bursting. "I love you, too."

"Nina?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are your feet always so cold?"

Nina burst out laughing, glad when the intensity of their conversation took a sharp turn downward.

Jacie suddenly rolled them over and gently pinned Nina to the bed. There would, she knew, be time for more heart-to-heart talks later. For now, she wanted to revel in being so near to someone who could make her heart beat double-time with little more than a smile in her direction. "You should wear socks!"

Nina intentionally rubbed her feet up and down Jacie's calves, causing her to howl. "You should kiss me, woman!"

Jacie stopped all movement and looked down into Nina's eyes. "I should?"

"Oh, yeah," Nina breathed. "All night long."

"But I was going to get up and wash my hair. And do my nails. And... um… read. Yeah, that's it. Read a good book," Jacie teased, delighting at the evil glint that invaded Nina's eyes.

Nina raised a slender eyebrow. "The offer will only be good for the next 50 years, Jacie Ann."

Jacie's eyes widened. "Forget my nails." She began kissing Nina. "I need to make up for lost time," she muttered against soft lips.

An hour later, both women were on their backs, panting softly. A thin sheen of perspiration coated Jacie's skin and Nina had her arm thrown over her eyes. Their emotions had been running high to start, and that only served to add fuel to flames that wanted to burst out of control.

"I can't take it anymore," Nina moaned unevenly. "I'm about to self-destruct from needing you." Then she gathered her courage and spoke her heart's desire. "I want to make love to you. I don't want to wait until we have a bunch of dates. I don't want to wait until we're more secure in our relationship. I want my mouth all over you. Now."

Jacie whimpered. Loudly. "You don't think I'm turned on?" she countered raggedly. "I can't just kiss you all night long and still live."

"Good." Nina rolled half onto Jacie and ran her hands up under Jacie's tank top.

"Nina!" Reluctantly, Jacie captured Nina's hands. "Nina."

"What?" Nina chuckled ruefully at her own lack of control as she hung her head and whimpered.

"I want to do this right. I don't want to screw things up by moving too fast. I've had 20 years to dream about this and I don't want to risk blowing it."