“Thanks, I will. So the boys are good?”
“Happy as clams,” her sister said, then paused and idly asked, “although, how do we know clams are happy? It’s not like they smile or whistle or something….”
“One of the great mysteries of the universe.”
“Amen.”
In the background, Jenna heard both the television set blaring and at least one baby crying. “Who is that crying?” she asked.
“Jacob,” Maxie told her and her voice was muffled for a minute. “I’m holding Cooper and giving him a bottle and Jake wants his turn. Not exactly rating a ten on the patience scale, that boy.”
“True, Jake is a little less easygoing than Cooper.” Jenna was quiet then as Maxie brought her up to date on the twins’ lives. She smiled as she listened, but her heart ached a little, too. She wanted to be there, holding her sons, soothing them, feeding them. And the fact that she wasn’t literally tore at her.
“Bottom line, everything’s good here,” her sister said finally. “How about you? How did Nick take the news?”
“He doesn’t believe me.”
“Well, there’s a shocker.”
Jenna rolled her eyes. Maxie wasn’t a big fan of Nick Falco. But then, her sister had been wined, dined and then dumped by a rich guy a couple of years before, and ever since then she didn’t have a lot of faith in men in general—and rich men in particular.
“He took the DNA test, though, and was going to have the results faxed to our lab. He should have proof even he can’t deny in the next day or two.”
“Good. Then you’re coming home, right?”
“Yeah.” Jenna plucked at the hem of her shorts with her fingertips. She wouldn’t stay on board ship for the whole cruise. She’d done what she’d come here to do, and staying around Nick any longer than was necessary was only going to make things even more complicated than they already were.
“I love my nephews,” Maxie was saying, “but I think they’re as ready to see you as I am.”
“I miss them so much.” Her heart pinged again as she listened to the angry sound of Jake’s cry.
“Uh-huh, now tell me why you really called.”
Jenna scowled. “I called to check on my sons.”
“Oh, that was part of it. Now let’s hear the rest,” Maxie said.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Hold on, have to switch babies. Cooper’s finished and it’s Jake’s turn.”
Jenna waited and listened to her sister talking to both of the boys, obviously laying Cooper down and picking Jake up as the infant’s cries were now louder and more demanding. She smiled to herself when his crying abruptly shut off and knew that he was occupied with his bottle.
“Okay, I’m back,” Maxie said a moment later. “Now, tell me what happened between you and Nick.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean and the fact that you’re avoiding the question tells me just what happened,” her sister said. “You slept with him again, didn’t you?”
Jenna’s head dropped to the headboard behind her and she stared unseeing up at the ceiling.
“Jenna…”
“There wasn’t a lot of sleeping, but yeah.”
“Damn it, Jenna—”
She sat up. “I already know it was a mistake, so if you don’t mind…”
“A mistake? Forgetting to buy bread at the market is a mistake. Sleeping with a guy who’s already dumped you once is a disaster.”
“Well, thanks so much,” Jenna said drily. “That makes me feel so much better.”
Maxie blew out a breath, whispered, “It’s okay, Jake, I’m not yelling at you. I’m yelling at your mommy.” Then she said louder, “Fine. Sorry for yelling. But Jenna, you know nothing good can come of this.”
“I know.” Hadn’t she awoken in an empty bed, with no sign of the tender lover she’d spent the night with? Nick couldn’t have been more blatant in letting her know just how unimportant she was to him. “God, I know.”
“Come home,” Maxie urged.
“I will. Soon.”
“Now.”
“No,” Jenna said, shaking her head as she swung her legs off the bed and sat up straight. “I have to talk to him.”
“Haven’t you said everything there is to say?”
Probably, Jenna thought. After all, it wasn’t as if she was going to tell him she loved him. And wasn’t that the only piece of information he was missing? Hadn’t she done what she’d come here to do? Hadn’t she accomplished her mission and more?
“Maxie…”
Her sister blew out a breath, and Jenna could almost see her rolling her eyes.
“I just don’t want to see you destroyed again,” Maxie finally said. “He’s not the guy for you, Jenna, and somewhere deep inside, you know it. You’re only asking to get kicked in the teeth again.”
The fact that her sister was right didn’t change anything. Jenna knew she couldn’t leave until she’d seen Nick again. Found out what last night had meant to him, if anything. She had to prove to herself one way or the other that there was no future for them. It was the only way she’d ever be able to let go and make a life for herself and her children.
“If I get hurt again, I’ll recover,” she said, her voice firming as she continued. “I appreciate you worrying about me, Maxie, but I’ve got to see this through. So I’ll call you when I’m on my way home. Are you sure you’re okay to take care of the boys for another couple of days?”
There was a long moment of silence before her sister said, “Yeah. We’re fine.”
“What about work?” Maxie was a medical transcriber. She worked out of her home, which was a big bonus for those times when Jenna needed a babysitter fast. Like now.
“I work around the babies’ nap schedules. I’m keeping up. Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Jenna? Just be careful, okay?”
The door to the suite opened and a maid stepped in. She spotted Jenna, made an apologetic gesture and started to back out again.
“No, wait. It’s okay, you can come in now.” Then to her sister, she said, “The maid’s here, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you soon. And kiss the boys for me, okay?”