“Hey, little girl,” Nicole said softly, stroking a hand down the baby’s chubby cheek.
Without warning, the front door opened. “We made it,” Sam said, stepping into the house, Cara behind him.
Nicole’s stomach tightened at the sight of the man she couldn’t get out of her head, looking handsome in a sport jacket—obviously he’d been at work—and his gaze took in the room, settling on her, his surprise evident.
She swallowed hard.
“Sam! I didn’t expect you tonight,” Erin said.
He shot her a strange look. “I told you I’d get things wrapped up early today.”
Mike rose to greet his wife.
Ella clapped her hands, obviously thrilled to have her whole family together.
“Come pour yourself a drink,” Simon said to his son.
And Erin busied herself with a nonexistent thread on her shirt, refusing to meet Nicole’s gaze. She’d obviously lied to get Nicole to come, knowing her brother would show up.
Though she wanted to be mad at Erin, she couldn’t be. Erin obviously had her brother’s best interest at heart.
Sam said hello to his parents and siblings, kissed his mom and sister, and slapped Mike and Cole on the back, and she couldn’t help comparing her own family’s stilted dinner parties with this one. No jokes or kidding with the others, no hugs or kisses, no genuine concern over how each person’s day had gone.
Lost in thought, she didn’t hear Sam approach, but she smelled his cologne and her skin tingled as he kissed her cheek, his lips lingering a hint longer than they had with his relatives.
She trembled at the light touch, acknowledging her body’s immediate recognition and desire for a more thorough, more tactile hello.
“This is a surprise,” he said to her.
“Same for me.” She didn’t want him thinking she’d come here expecting to see him. “Erin said you’d be working.”
“Now that she’s happily married, my sister’s a busy little matchmaker,” Sam muttered. But he couldn’t deny he was pleased to see Nicole here; at the same time, her presence at a family gathering was a little too close for comfort. Sam didn’t bring women home to the family, and he definitely didn’t invite them to Sunday night dinners. “But I’m glad you’re here.”
She tipped her head to one side. “Are you? I don’t want to invade your home territory. I know we agreed—”
He reached for her hand. “I said I’m glad, and I meant it. As for the rest . . .” He trailed off, unsure of what to say.
“I want to talk about it. Maybe not here and now, but later. I need to clarify a few things between us.” She raised her chin in what he took to be a gesture of defiance.
She wanted to change the rules. He felt it in every pulse of tension vibrating off her body.
“Dinner,” his mother said, before they could get into details of what Nicole meant.
Leave it to his mother to have impeccable timing, Sam thought.
“Ready?” he asked Nicole, knowing he wouldn’t taste a bite of his mother’s delicious cooking. Not while he wondered just what Nicole wanted to discuss. Or why he felt like he was at war with himself and the things he always knew to be true about who he was and what he wanted.
Nicole discovered Ella Marsden was a fantastic cook. Her daughter, she learned, could barely crack an egg. Cole did most of the cooking in their house, a fact Nicole could barely reconcile, but she found it endearing that the gruff man clearly doted on his wife and child. Sam too knew how to fend for himself in the kitchen, and so could Mike. Since Nicole had a slew of recipes of her own, she and Ella hit it off well and discussed everything from basic cooking to Nicole’s favorite subject, desserts.
“Tell Mom about your shop,” Erin said. “She already knows you bake, but fill her in on the details.”
Nicole patted her mouth, and placed her napkin in her lap. “Well, Lulu Donovan and I have an appointment at the bank this week to discuss our business loan request,” Nicole said, excited at how quickly things were moving along. “Nick Mancini offered us a very fair rental for the old bakery next to Consign and Design. Other than aesthetics, the infrastructure is already there. And Faith Barron is going to help decorate. My head is spinning,” Nicole said, laughing.
“When did you make all these decisions?” Sam asked.
“All weekend, while moving in, discussions came up, and Aunt Lulu is so prepared, she’s hard to say no to—she makes so much business sense, I don’t want to.”
Erin went on to fill everyone in on her new job as an attorney at Nash Barron’s firm. He had flexible work-from-home hours, and she was happier than she’d ever been.