When They Weren't Looking: Wardham Book #3 (26 page)

“Liam!” She turned toward him, flushed and glowing. “Look who I found. This is Evan. Ev, this is Liam.”

The other man extended his hand. Liam recognized his grip as practiced, professional. Smooth, like his smile. But his eyes crinkled as he looked back at Evie, and there was no challenge in his posture. “Nice to meet you. Evie’s told me…well, not a lot, but what she’s said has been good.”

“Same. Except she’s told me a lot.”

Evan lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
That’s right, dude. I know all about you and I’m not threatened, either.
Liam could lie with the best of them. At the moment, he was feeling a bit threatened, but not really by Evan. By the weeks ticking by, the impending arrival of their baby, and the fact they were just starting to date now. “Good, then. And you’ve met with Ty a few times.”

Liam slid a glance in Evie’s direction before responding. “Hopefully I can help you guys out with your expansion next year.”

“That would be great. And you guys will come out to the winery for New Year’s Eve?”

Evie shook her head. “Probably not this year, Ev.” She tugged Liam closer and leaned her head against his chest, and he fought back a stupid grin. “I think we might stay in.”

Evan pulled out his phone and shot off a quick text message before nodding. “Well, hopefully we’ll catch up again real soon. Nice to meet you, Liam.”

As her ex-boyfriend dodged his way through the line of customers, Evie snaked her arms around Liam’s waist. “You’re going to help them out, eh?”

“I might be useful to them.”

“You’re useful to me.”

“That so?”

“Mmm-hmmm. Want to come over tonight and we can talk more about that?”

“Hell, yes.”

From the other side of the raised bar, Carrie cleared her throat. He looked up, expecting a chastisement, but she was beaming at them. “I’d ask if you two need a room, but I’m seven months too late, aren’t I?”

Evie screeched her friend’s name, and Liam hooted with laughter. God, he loved this town. Had it really been seven months since he caught sight of Evie on that barstool and lost his mind? Or found it, maybe? She’d changed his life so much, and she had no idea.

He didn’t want to rush into the next proposal, but it was time to go ring shopping. So he’d be prepared, when the time was right.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“What are you doing here?” Evie looked at Karen with suspicion.

Her friend shrugged out of her winter coat, still coated with fat, fluffy flakes. “I come to classes from time to time.”

“Only when you want to gossip.”

“So sue me, I don’t have the grocery store mainline option anymore. Anyway, today I’m really here for Stella.”

Evie grinned. Her unexpected disciple was teaching her first set of classes today, and as an early Christmas present, they’d made them free to the community. “She’s going to rock this. She might look meek and mild, but underneath that innocent farm girl exterior is the spirit of a jailhouse guard.”

Karen glanced to the door. “Too late for me to leave?”

“Don’t even think about it.”

They laid out their mats at the back of the room. Evie wanted to stay out of Stella’s way as much as possible. Eighteen other people joined them, including Carrie and Mari, Eleanor Nixon, and Beth Stewart, the marketing manager at Go West Winery, who waved at Karen.

“Is Beth a friend of Stella’s?” Evie asked.

“I don’t think so,” said Karen. “She’s closer to our age.”

“She’s never come out before. That’s awesome, I’m going to say hi.” Evie did a loop of the room to greet people, ending at Beth’s mat. “Welcome to our studio, Beth!”

“Thank you. Karen was raving about the classes, and I’ve been doing a ton of overtime lately, so I thought I’d reward myself with an extra-long lunch hour.”

“Good, you should do that more often. I can hook you up with a multi-class pass at a great discount.”

Beth smiled. “No wonder this place is such a success, you really know what you’re doing.”

“That’s high praise, coming from you. I hope you enjoy Stella’s class.”

Evie padded back to her mat as Stella clapped twice and introduced herself. She outlined what the goals were for the session, reminded everyone that it wasn’t a competition with anyone but themselves, and promised to get them all sweaty. Everyone smiled at that except Karen.

“You could sneak out, you know.” Evie whispered. “I’d judge you, but no one else would.”

Karen laughed as they rolled backwards onto their mats. “I’ve got my reasons for being here.”

Evie bit back a retort about exercise needing to be a constant part of one’s daily life. She was just a student today, time to turn it off. “That was nice, my little chat with Beth just then.”

“Mmmm?” Karen pulled one knee against her chest and stretched, then the other, half listening to Evie as they followed Stella’s directions.

“She didn’t comment on the giant belly or talk about the pregnancy at all. It was just business. I’m not getting a lot of that lately.”

“That’s because business talk is boring.”

“Says the woman who is dying to get knocked up.”

Karen grinned. “It’s so much fun trying.”

“This is a place of business, let’s keep it clean, okay?” Evie stuck her tongue out at her friend. “So how do you know Beth?”

“Oh, you know, the winery.”

They moved into leg lifts, and Evie reached for a pillow she used to alter some of the conditioning exercises to be more pregnancy-friendly.

Karen dropped her legs to the mat. “I was out there yesterday, talking to her about New Year’s Eve.”

“Bah. New Year’s Eve. Who in their right mind wants to stay up until midnight?”

A stricken look dropped onto Karen’s face. “Not you?”

“Not any pregnant woman, honey. Bed time is nine thirty, if I’m lucky.”

“Even with Liam, you know…?”

She laughed. “Poor guy. We finally start dating, and it turns out that his girlfriend isn’t up for much after the kids go to bed.” She lowered her voice. “The afternoon sex makes up for that, though.”

“So even though you’re getting bigger, it’s still…good?”

Evie nodded. “It’s different, but still good. Great, actually.” She breathed through the next set of exercises. “The way Paul looks at you, I’m sure you’ll be boinking like bunnies right up until your due date.”

“Well, I’m not pregnant yet. And actually…you’re serious about not coming out on New Year’s Eve?”

“Yes. Why?”

Karen muttered something between heavy breaths, but Evie didn’t catch it.

“What?” She pressed the stretch a little deeper.

“Vegas.”

Evie let out a wheezing laugh. “No, if I’m not willing to drive the ten minutes to the winery, I’m definitely not going to Vegas. I don’t even think I can fly right now.”

“No, not Vegas.
Vegas
.”

Evie looked at her friend like she was insane. “What are you talking about?” Vegas. When was the last time they’d talked about that? A flashback to a wing night at Danny’s in September brought a dawning realization. She whipped her head around to her friend. “Really?”

“It’s a secret.”

“We didn’t even make a code word!”

“I didn’t know I’d need one, this just sort of happened.”

“You excited?”

Karen grinned. “Uh huh.”

“Does Carrie know?” Evie glanced at their friend on the other side of the room.

“I told her this morning, I need her to bake a cake.”

“So this secret…”

“Probably won’t last long, but I hope it does. I had to tell Chase, because otherwise there would be no way he’d show up, and Audrey because if I didn’t let her help me pick out my dress, she’d probably disown me.” Karen laughed. “My mom guilted Davis into coming once she heard that the rest of us were going together. That was handy.”

“Well, I’ll be there.” Evie winced. “Although I don’t have anything to wear.”

“You’ve got two weeks to find something. And schedule a nap for that afternoon.”

It only took six days. On Christmas Eve, Laney and Kyle arrived with their dog Buddy, bearing presents for the boys and three dry-cleaner bags full of dresses that Laney thought might fit her sister.

“I tried these on with a pillow undeneath,” she told Evie in a conspiratorial whisper when they were alone. “I think one of them should work for you.”

Evie hadn’t told her sister why she was getting dressed to the nines for New Year’s. Laney probably assumed it was a hot date, and maybe it would be. She hadn’t spoiled herself with any pampering since she found out she was pregnant, but at the beginning of December, Liam had presented her with a basic child support agreement and a stack of post-dated cheques, plus one that covered to the beginning of her pregnancy. She’d tried to refuse it, but he’d kissed the arguments right out of her. And she’d let him, because she was done making life harder than it needed to be.

Liam showed up while Laney and Kyle took a quick visit out to the Nixon farm, where they’d leave Buddy to have a holiday meal with Kyle’s parents’ dogs, and where they’d return later to spend the night.

Liam had gone into Windsor on a secret mission, and from the giant toy store bag he immediately stashed in the basement, she knew what it had been. “Honey, they’re going to be spoiled by Dale’s family tonight. I don’t want to get caught up in that cycle.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, pressing her against the kitchen counter, and that’s where Laney and Kyle found them, tangled up and a little breathless. The men shook hands, and Laney gave Liam a big hug.

“Welcome to the family,” she said, and Evie blushed. They had slipped into a family-esque routine, but that conversation about how much he meant to her still hadn’t happened. Something always interrupted them. The kids. Sex. Her ridiculous habit of falling asleep as soon as she was horizontal. Work, and not just hers. Liam had offered his tenants a cut in their rent to move into the smaller but newly renovated flat below his, and now he was mad at work turning the other half of the house into two more units to rent out. He had someone moving in January first.

She was so proud of how he’d buckled down and done what he’d set out to do. It pained her that she was the only one in his corner. She’d curved her body around his earlier today, pressing their daughter into his back as he had a stilted conversation with his mother. She thought it was bizarre that he didn’t want to visit with his family for the holidays, but he just kissed her hard and promised that he was spending it with the family that mattered.

“Okay, Ted should be bringing your mom by any minute, how about we get some dinner going?” Liam pushed Evie toward the living room. “Don’t you have a Christmas present to wrap for me or something?”

“Should I be concerned with what you’re planning?”

“Absolutely.” He winked and pointed at Kyle. “Beer, man?”

Kyle shrugged and patted Laney on the ass. “Sounds about right.”

Her sister rolled her eyes, but sauntered over to the couch. “Well, if they’re going to cook, I’m going to get comfy.”

“I can’t believe you’re only here for three days this year, you’re going to miss…” Evie wasn’t sure how far the secret-sharing circle extended, but… “Can you keep a secret? For reals?”

“Evie! I’m a doctor. Of course I can keep a secret.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

“Well, you asked.” Laney stuck her tongue out.

“I regret it already. So…New Year’s, at the winery? This year, it’s going to double as a secret wedding for Karen and Paul.”

“Wow.” Laney’s jaw dropped. “That’s freakin’ brilliant. I wish we’d thought of that!”

“Have you guys come to a decision about what you want to do?”

Laney shook her head. “Kyle’s adamant about wanting to go somewhere, just the two of us. And then let the moms throw another party or whatever next summer.”

“But…” Evie felt a pang of sadness at the thought of missing her sister’s wedding.

“Yeah, I know. I’ve suggested that we do a city hall service here, so our families can come, and then immediately drive to the airport. We’ll see. We’re not in any rush.”

“Really?” Evie shook her head. “I’m not judging that, at all.” She pointed to her belly. “Hell, I’m obviously not the poster girl for how to do relationships.”

“I don’t know, it seems to be working itself out now.” Laney snuggled closer and wrapped an arm around the baby bump. “Maybe getting married is overrated.”

“Oh, I definitely want to—”
Oh, shit
. Evie blinked at her sister.

“Does he know that?” Laney asked in a whisper.

“I don’t know.” Man, what a mess she’d made. “We’re in a really good place, Lane. I don’t want to upset the cart again.”

“Oh, sweetie. From what I’ve seen and what you’ve told me, I don’t think you’re going to upset anything.”

Evie pursed her lips. Yeah, that would need to get talked about. But not at Christmas. “How about you guys? Still not sure about doing this yourself?” She pressed Laney’s hand into her belly, right where Little Girl McIntosh’s butt was.