A Family Come True Read online

  Assured that she was as decent as was possible, she pulled herself upright. “Let’s go out back.”

  Xander dragged his understandably blank gaze from the steps to her. She led him to the yard and the picnic table where two summers ago she, Ian and Xander had whiled away long summer evenings with a few beers and a lot of laughs. Maybe the vibrations of that laughter still lingered here. Maybe they would make it possible for her and Xander to get through...whatever...with the same purpose: to do what was best for her—their—daughter.

  Dear God, she hoped she could do a better job of navigating Cady through whatever came next than her own mother had done for her.

  While Xander straddled the bench, Darcy climbed onto the patio table, settling under the shade offered by the bright blue umbrella Ian had added the previous summer. Babies shouldn’t get too much sun, he had said when she’d come home from the hospital with her newborn. And you can’t put sunblock on them, but I know you’ll want to sit outside with her. I thought this might make it easier.

  Maybe she shouldn’t have sent Ian away with Cady. For the past year he had been the one she’d looked to whenever she was sure she was screwing up this parenting gig, which usually happened at least twice a day. Every time he would laugh and tell her she was doing fine, and when she would insist that this time she had really blown it, he would shake his head, grin and say, “Just trust me, Darce.”

  She really wished she could see him now, rolling his crinkly bronze eyes in the way that meant he thought she was being a total dork but he knew she would figure it out.

  “So...” She sandwiched her hands between her bent knees. If she couldn’t see them trembling, she might be less nervous. “I know you must have a lot of questions, but this will probably be easier if you let me talk first, okay?”

  His slow nod was chased by a swifter shake of the head. “Wait. First. I— Is she— That baby. She’s really...?”

  His question hung in the air between them, unfinished but no less decisive. Once she answered him, she knew the life she had built—her and Cady with a big side of Ian—was all going to change. And most of it would depend on Xander. Someone not family. Someone she knew far less than she should.

  It was a feeling she knew all too well, and it was no more welcome now than it had been in the past. Except now it was worse, because it was going to impact Cady.

  She took a deep breath. Facts first. Future later.

  “Yes.” Damnation, her hands were still quivering. Clamping her knees tighter—right, Maguire, now you remember to keep your knees closed—she forced out the words she’d been dreading for the past year and eight months. “Yes, Xander. She’s your daughter.”

  Somewhere nearby a bird let loose with a delighted trill. Talk about surreal. First Xander reappeared, now her life was turning into a frickin’ Disney princess adventure complete with animals performing on cue.

  “Holy...”

  She knew the feeling. On that morning a lifetime ago, when she had finally dragged her gaze away from the test stick in her hand to stare at herself in the bathroom mirror, she had seen that same horror-movie expression now appearing on Xander’s face. Yet when she looked closely, she saw in his eyes that same contradictory hint of amazement that had gripped her, as well. That had to be a good sign. Right?

  “I did try to find you. To tell you,” she added quickly. “But Ian said he hadn’t heard from you since you left, and I—”

  “Wait a minute.” He backed up an inch or so. “We only— It was just that one night. Once.”

  She didn’t need to remind him that one drunken night and one ancient condom didn’t always add up to zero consequences.

  “And you were with what’s-his-name, the jerk who dumped you—”

  “Jonathan.” Thank heaven she could say his name calmly now, as opposed to the way she had shrieked it, cursed it and blubbered it back then. “I thought that myself at first, but I did the math, checked when he had been out of town and the last time he and I— Anyway, there’s no way it could have been him.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive. But you’re more than welcome to have whatever tests done that you would like. I wouldn’t blame you.”

  The lazy grace she had come to associate with Xander that summer had disappeared. “I don’t need— Well, yeah. Maybe I should... Jesus.” Long fingers scrubbed his face. “I don’t know what to say, Darce.”

  “It’s kind of a shocker, I know.”

  “Yeah, I guess you would.”

  His short attempt at a laugh reassured her. At least he wasn’t going to pass out. Nor had he run away screaming or shown more than an understandable uncertainty about his role in Cady’s conception. So far, so good.

  She glanced toward the back door, hoping against hope that Ian and Cady would be watching from the window. Of course, they weren’t. Ian most likely had Cady in her high chair, zooming spoonfuls of yogurt toward her mouth while she slammed her “practice” spoon on the tray. Or he would be changing her diaper, making up another installment in the Saga of Lulu and Cady that he was forever spinning for her. Normal. Familiar. Comforting.

  Except...oh, that awful blankness on his face when he’d taken Cady from her...

  “So, I don’t know where you were, but you could teach classes in disappearing, because seriously, I couldn’t find you. Ian had no idea, either.” Not that she had told Ian why she’d wanted that information, of course. She had told him she was worried about Lulu.

  Was that why he had looked so hurt? Because she hadn’t told him the truth?

  “I thought about hiring a private investigator, but you know, those guys cost a lot of money and I...well, I had a lot of unexpected expenses, as I’m sure you can understand.” Unexpected expenses coupled with a drastic readjustment of her job. Not that she minded, really. Accompanying her mother around the globe had had its moments, but if Darcy had to spend her life catering to a diva, she would take Cady over her mom any day.

  “Expenses. Right.” Xander’s face grew a couple of shades paler. “Oh, shit. I’m going to have to pay child support. And it’s all retroactive, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t— Look, that’s important, but, believe it or not, it’s not my biggest priority right now, okay? So don’t freak. I’m not going to sic a bunch of lawyers on you.”

  His quivering eased the tiniest bit.

  “What did you— Jesus, I didn’t even catch her name. Katie?”

  “Cady. Short for Cadence. Cadence Joy Maguire.”

  “That’s pretty.”

  “Thanks.”

  She hazarded another glance at the door. Foolish, she knew. Even if Ian wasn’t juggling child and dog, even if she had completely misread him, he would never spy on her.

  But, damn, it would be nice to see his face for a second.

  “So she—Cady— Damn. I don’t even know what I should be asking.”

  Darcy might be swimming in a sea of uncertainty herself at the moment, but talking about Cady was something she could always do.

  “She just turned a year. June seventh. She’s right on target for all her milestones. She has five teeth, and another one is trying to break through, so she’s a little cranky right now, but mostly she’s happy and bouncy. She’s a really amazing little thing, and once we made it past those first few weeks, it’s been the most exhausting and exhilarating rush I’ve ever had.” All true. She had barely ever imagined herself as a mother, let alone a single one, but now life before Cady was a distant memory.

  The drumming of Xander’s fingers on the tabletop came to an abrupt halt.

  “I want to see her again.”

  “Right. Of course.” This was good. Wasn’t it? Every kid deserved to have a dad who wanted to be with her. Some of Darcy’s most cherished memories were of her late father. “We’ll have to work out some kind of schedule,” she said past the lump in her throat. “And I think that while she’s so little, you should visit her here, you know? Until she gets to know you and feels c
omfortable around you.”

  Xander stared at her as if she had spoken in Shakespearean English. “I mean I want to see her right now.”

  “Oh.” Relief made her laugh sound fake even to her. “Of course. I... Jeez, I guess I’ve had a few too many sleepless nights. You know, with that tooth coming in.”

  He wasn’t talking about taking Cady on overnights or trips or any of those other scenarios that had made her wonder, wildly, if it was possible to stuff a one-year-old back in the womb. He simply wanted to see her now. One bullet dodged.

  But not for long, she knew.

  Cady was Xander’s as much as hers. He had rights. Moral ones and legal ones. And she would have to honor them.

  Are you there, God? It’s me, Darcy. I know Xander is entitled to be in Cady’s life, but could we maybe spread things out a bit here? One step at a time, with lots of space between them?

  Inch by slow inch she pushed herself down from the table, amazed that her feet still worked when she stood on them.

  A familiar bark interrupted her worry. Inside the house Lulu pawed at the back door, jumping and whining the way she always did when she spotted the freedom of the yard. Darcy stood a little straighter. Lulu at the door meant that Ian would be right behind her, which meant that Darcy would have someone at her side while she introduced Cady to her father.

  Not the answer she’d expected to her semi-serious prayer, but she would take it.

  “Just so you know, I wasn’t trying to avoid you guys after I left,” Xander said.

  Ian appeared, slightly stooped so he could hold Cady’s upraised hands while she walked. He nudged open the door. Lulu bounded forward, leaping and yipping and rolling in the grass at Darcy’s feet.

  “You’ll find out anyway, but I’d rather you hear it from me. It sounds worse than it really is.”

  Xander was nattering on and she knew she should be listening, but she had to watch Ian. Because he wasn’t coming outside, and he wasn’t looking at her. In fact, if the heaviness in her stomach could be believed, he was doing his best to avoid her gaze.

  She edged Lulu out of the way and moved toward the door. She could be strong and get through the next half hour, but not until she’d held Cady, not until she’d seen Ian’s smile that always made her feel she could handle whatever lay ahead.

  “The thing is, Darce, you couldn’t find me because I was in jail.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  XANDER AND I need to talk.

  Xander and I.

  The words had pounded through Ian as he’d carried Cady into the house, leaving Darcy and Xander alone in the driveway. Alone together.

  Xander and Darcy.

  He had walked blindly into the kitchen, where he’d come to a sudden stop. Cady had grabbed his chin and Lulu whined at his feet. A distant corner of his brain had whispered reminders about food, water and diapers, but another, more urgent voice had had him perching Cady on the edge of the counter, where he’d held her tight around the waist and stared at her.

  Xander.

  He could see Xander in her now. The pale blond hair pulled into one ponytail on top of her head like a platinum exclamation point above her rosy cheeks. Legs that were starting to shed their baby fat in favor of lean length. That crooked twist to her lips that he and Darcy had laughed over, calling it her Elvis impersonation. How many times had he picked her up and touched that mouth and sung “Heartbreak Hotel” to her? Her first real laugh had happened during one of those moments.

  Turns out the laugh was on him.

  “Mum mum mum.” Cady wriggled within his grasp, a familiar unhappy edge creeping into her voice. He shook his head.

  The best way to cure your worries is by helping someone else. His grandmother’s voice was so clear in his head he almost expected to see her walk through the door. She’d drilled those words into him all his life. He had to admit, she had a point. Doing things for Darcy, especially once he had figured out she was pregnant—well, he’d certainly felt better after shoveling her driveway than he had after time spent mulling the mess his life had been.

  Though even Grandma Moxie probably would cut him some slack right now.

  “Come on, Cady Bug. I bet you’re hungry. How about something to eat?”

  He ran Cady’s hands under the faucet, making her squeal, then strapped her into the high chair and raided the refrigerator for cheese cubes and tiny cooked pasta, all while maintaining a nonstop monologue. The words didn’t matter. As long as he kept talking, she would be distracted enough to stay happy.

  “Looks like everything has changed, right, cutie? That’s the truth. I always thought that Jonathan the rat bastard was the one who did your mama wrong—oops, don’t cry, I won’t say the M word again—but I guess I blew that one. And you know how I feel? I feel like a goddamned idiot, that’s what I feel like. There’s some words to toss out sometime when M-word isn’t expecting them. Goddamn. Yeah, that should get a reaction out of her. Maybe even an honest one. Wouldn’t that be a change?”

  He was overreacting, but so what? Darcy was his friend. Nothing more—but nothing less, either. He would have thought that as her friend, as the person who had brought Xander into the picture, as the one who had fallen in love with Cady the moment she’d arrived—

  “Guess I thought wrong. No surprise there, right, kiddo? That’s right, shove the cheese into your mouth. Nom nom. Eat with your fists while you can. Those days will be gone before you know it.”

  He dropped into the chair beside the table, his arms, legs and spirits crossed. Lulu sniffed his knee and let loose with a noise that was somewhere between a whine and a moan. He laced his fingers through her silky fur and scratched behind her ears.

  “You know something’s wrong, don’t you, girl? Don’t worry. I won’t let him take you.”

  “Ru! Ru!” Cady slapped her palms on the tray and threw a piece of cheese to the floor. Lulu snapped it up. Cady broke into the chortles that always accompanied the game. Ian was supposed to make sure the food made it into the proper mouth, but at the moment he didn’t have the heart.

  “Laugh now, sweetie.” Despite himself, he angled his head so he could sneak a peek through the lace curtains at the kitchen window. He should have saved himself the effort. All he could see was a fringe of cinnamon—the top curls of Darcy’s hair. Curls that Xander had laced his fingers through while—

  Ian jumped from his chair and forced his feet toward the hall, the refrigerator, the small pantry stocked with baby food and diet pop. Anyplace where he wouldn’t be tempted to watch what was happening in the backyard.

  But when he narrowly avoided stepping on Lulu, trailing him with her nose to the ground, he forced his itchy feet to halt. He fell back onto the hard wooden chair. He tipped his head toward the ceiling, where the white blades of the fan stirred the air and his thoughts.

  He had to get a grip.

  So Darcy and Xander had...whatever. So they had made a baby together. It was none of his business. It had happened almost two years ago. It had nothing to do with him.

  Except it felt as though it did.

  “I frickin’ hate secrets.” Good thing his only audience was a dog and a baby. Neither of them could point out the irony that he, Mr. Honest-and-Aboveboard, had been keeping a hell of a whopper from Darcy for God only knew how long.

  “But that’s different.” He patted his thigh. Lulu, who had been gnawing on his shoe, jumped at the invitation and rested her paws on his knee. “It’s biology. That’s all. I’ve been alone awhile. Darcy is right here and cute and single... It’s good that I’ve started noticing her. Proof that I’m really over Taylor. That’s all. Saying anything to her would have been stupid. Pointless.”

  Despite himself, he glanced at the window again.

  “Too late.”

  * * *

  IF EVER IAN had doubted that life had a sick sense of humor, it would have been confirmed by the fact that as soon as Cady finished cramming her mouth full of everything within reach, she gifted him with th
e Diaper of the Decade.

  “I think this is the definition of redundant, kiddo.” He tossed wipes into the trash while using his elbow to restrain the sumo wrestler formerly known as Cady. “You couldn’t have waited a bit longer? Maybe let your shiny new dad do the honors?”

  She let loose with a wail of protest.

  “My sentiments exactly,” he said, though he was well aware that her only concern was her inability to wriggle free. “I know, I know. You want to move.”

  Come to think of it, that sounded like a fine idea. He’d given Darcy plenty of time to...whatever...with Xander.

  “Let’s crash the party, Bug.”

  Lulu barked her agreement and raced into the hall while Ian grabbed Cady. After a fast detour to the bathroom to wash his hands, they clattered down the stairs.

  And there he stopped.

  Lulu bounded ahead but Ian stayed out of sight of the back door. The dog yipped and Cady pushed at his shoulders, but still he didn’t move.

  What if what he felt for Darcy was more than biology?

  No sooner had the thought brought him to a standstill than he walked away from it double time.

  “Get a grip, North.”

  For one thing, he’d been feeling this...whatever...around Darce for a while. Months, at least. If it really was something more than basic instinct, surely it would have grown or changed or something by now.

  For another, he and Darcy and Cady had a good thing going. Yeah, he was pissed right now, but when he looked back on it, they’d done a damned fine job with this friendship. He babysat her kid, she walked his dog, they made each other laugh and had each other’s backs. Only an idiot would want to mess up what they had.

  Lulu dropped down from the door and gave him a look that could only be described as get over here and let me out, you useless human. Cady lunged forward in apparent sympathy.

  “Fine. I’m coming, okay?”

  So. Biology. Biology stirred with some kind of...oh, call it confusion...that Darcy hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him the truth. A bruised ego, a hell of a surprise, some understandable jealousy revolving around the bundle of drool and giggles squirming in his arms.