“My dear sister.” Finn’s voice dripped sarcasm. “I believe there’s a phrase about payback you should keep in mind.”
His rebellious sister added, “And did Finn mention that Laurie was the nanny for Branson Knight’s stepdaughter? The one with CF?”
Susan gasped. “Are you having a laugh?”
“No, Mum. It’s true.”
“I can’t believe it.” Susan blinked her suddenly watery eyes at Laurie. “You’re like a dream come true.”
Finn looked like he wanted to crawl under the table, and Laurie was ready to join him. With his mom and sister ganging up on him, he didn’t stand a chance. Not only did Laurie find herself feeling sorry for him, but she also realized her fate for the night hung in the balance. She had to help Finn prove they weren’t compatible or, before the night was over, someone might be proposing… his mother.
Dinner was served, and Finn reluctantly allowed Katie to tuck Lucy into her carrier, teasing that she was taking his favorite niece away.
“She’s also his only niece,” Katie explained to Laurie. “I’ve got two boys, and my sister has three.”
“But maybe Finn will have daughters someday,” his mum hinted as she tasted her salmon and made an I’ve-died-and-gone-to-Heaven face. “Oh, this is delicious.”
He had to put a stop to her meddling. And as he feared, his sister was hurting his cause, rather than helping as she’d promised. He was surprised Laurie hadn’t already run screaming from the restaurant.
“Let me state, once again, for the record, what I’ve repeatedly told everyone in the family.” He scrunched the napkin in his lap, hating to be this
open in front of Laurie. “I’m never getting married, and I’m not having children.”
“Mum, would you pass the salt?” Katie’s gaze never left her plate.
“I mean it,” Finn said, frustrated when they ignored him.
“I’m sure you do,” Katie remarked as she sliced a piece of sirloin. “But you could change your mind.”
“I won’t,” he growled. “I can’t.”
“Why can’t you?” Laurie’s infinite brown eyes searched his, their sadness almost too much to bear.
“It’s no big deal.” Careful to pretend it wasn’t a raw subject, he hurried to explain. “It’s just the CF. I’ve always known I’d be infertile.”
“There’re ways around it.” Katie buttered a dinner roll and took a bite.
“Expensive ways, and they don’t always work,” Finn countered.
“I’m guessing you don’t really want to have kids,” Laurie said, as she pushed her food around on her plate. As demonstrated at lunch the previous day, she didn’t eat much when she was anxious. He had to find some way to turn this evening around so she could at least enjoy the food. He owed her that much.
“Excellent guess,” he replied, since it would be a lie to claim he had no such desire. He simply didn’t believe it was a good idea. “You see, Mum… Laurie and I barely know each other, and she already understands me better than my own family.”
Katie’s only comment was to lift her gaze to the ceiling, but his mother’s downturned lips told him he’d struck a chord with her.
“That’s what I thought,” Laurie said. “Otherwise, you’d be considering adoption.”
“I suggested adoption.” Katie pointed an accusing fork at him.
He was ready to detail all the reasons he couldn’t adopt. To explain why he would never saddle a woman he loved with a future as a widow and a single mother, when Laurie spoke again.
“There are so many kids out there with no one to love them, I plan to adopt as soon as I can. I’ll probably adopt kids with special needs. I’ve checked into it, and in some cases, they’ll let a single mom adopt, especially with older kids.”
“That’s awesome, Laurie.” Katie had mastered the art of looking innocent, though she could be quite diabolical. “So you’re saying you want to adopt kids and raise them, even if you don’t have a husband to help you?”
“Obviously, it would be easier with a husband, but I doubt I’ll ever meet a guy who feels like I do. Most guys are like Finn—they either want their own flesh-and-blood kids or none at all.”
Katie’s lips twitched at the corners, her eyes crinkling in suppressed merriment. “That’s really interesting, isn’t it Finn? It’s like I always told you, some women are strong enough to handle being a single mom.”