“All right, and thanks for coming to rescue me.”
That made her snort.
“Remember my offer, Blue,” he said. “I have a spare room if you need it.”
She didn’t answer, just nodded.
Jay studied the beautiful woman before him. He’d seen many versions of Blue Jay McAllister, but this one, the slightly ungroomed, off-balance Blue, tugged at something in his chest, but it was way too soon to examine what, even though he’d been doing just that for days.
He watched her walk away from him and climb into her father’s van. Then she raised a hand as she drove away.
That woman is carrying my child, he thought. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about the entire situation, but one thing he knew for sure was that their baby would know he loved it.
Chapter 20
Blue’s cell phone rang as she drove home.
“I’m not talking to you, shithead,” she said when Lynx’s face appeared on the screen.
“Yeah, well, after the grilling that Mom and Dad just gave us, which they never do, just FYI, we’re not feeling that good either. But that’s not why I’m calling.”
“I do not accept your apology,” Blue said.
“I’m not offering one. He had it coming.”
“I had sex with him willingly!”
“Stop!” Lynx hissed. “We do not talk about the act in regard to ourselves. You know that!”
“So what, you’re celibate and haven’t stuck your?—”
“One more word, Blue Jay McAllister, and I’m going into your room and doing something you will hate.” The words came out a low growl. “Now, if you’ll shut your big mouth for a second, I’ll have time to tell you that Mom is just pouring your old work bosses, or whatever they are, cups of passion fruit wine, and it’s the old stuff that’s really strong.”
“Fuck! Why did you let that happen? We have a coffee machine?—”
“Finch and I were painting the interior of the cottage. Dad said it was penance for being idiots. Not that I agree with him.”
Parents, Blue thought, putting her foot down on the gas pedal. They could still reduce you to a child in seconds, even if you’d left home and were respected and excelled in your chosen field.
“Well, just make sure it’s only a single cup. And get in there and lead the conversation, or Mom will have them in kaftans and aligning their chakras before you know it!”
She cut the call and drove toward her family home. She was soon turning into her driveway and pulling up beside the rental that their unwelcome guests must have arrived in.
She ran inside and found them all seated around the kitchen table.
Sebastian Cavanagh sat beside her father, and beside him was Shannon, her boss at Cavanagh Sale. Wedged between her mother and Finch was Christian, Sebastian’s brother and the company vice president.
All looked as comfortable as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, which was one of her father’s favorite sayings, and fit the situation perfectly.
“Blue!” Sebastian saw her first, and got out of his chair so fast, it rocked backward.
She was used to seeing these three in their natural habitat, and clearly being out of it wasn’t easy on any of them. The tension radiating from them, even considering they were drinking potent wine, was thick in the air.
“Why are you here?” Blue said, crossing her arms.
“Now, Blue, it’s nice of your old work friends to come all this way to pay you a call. It shows they respected you,” her father said.
“Remember what I told you about someone stealing my designs, Dad?”
