Instead, she was quite normal looking. Her long, dark hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. She wore casual black pants and a pink shirt. Jacey knew Holly had injured her leg in a car accident, but she couldn’t detect a limp.
Her husband, Brax, was gorgeous. He had that whole cowboy thing going on, even though Derrick said he was in construction. His gray gaze didn’t miss much, but his eyes were warm when he looked at his wife.
Derrick walked into the room behind them. Brax led Holly over to the sofa opposite the one Jacey was sitting on.
“I just asked the lady in the store to give me the best of everything that I needed,” Derrick said as he poured sparkling water into wine glasses and handed one first to Holly then to Jacey. As her fingers brushed his, she shivered.
Things had been strained between them since her refusal to tell him anything about Stephan.
Telling him would only place him in danger. He would insist on doing something about it and that would bring him into Stephan’s line of fire.
What if Stephan does find me, what then?
She pushed away the disturbing thought, tuning in to the conversation as Holly told Derrick off for buying all the nursery gear. Brax watched on with amusement, taking the beer Derrick offered him.
Derrick then sat next to her on sofa. She smiled over at him.
“So how did the two of you meet?” Holly asked in a friendly voice.
“Oh, well, we actually met when Cece had crashed her car a few weeks ago,” Jacey replied.
“Oh.” Holly’s eyes widened as she stared over at Derrick and Jacey frowned slightly in puzzlement at her reaction. Was there something significant about Cece’s accident?
Derrick reached over and grabbed her free hand and gave it a squeeze. “I told Holly about meeting this amazing woman at Cece’s accident and how I couldn’t get her out of my head.”
“Oh.” Jacey blushed at the idea that he’d wanted her even then.
“I advised him to try and find you. I’ve never seen Derrick so taken with anyone,” Holly told her. “I’m glad he found you.”
“Thanks.”
Jacey started to relax. She’d been nervous about meeting Holly and Brax, scared about what they might think about her, but so far things were going pretty smoothly.
“So, Jacey, where do you work?”
“Umm, well, I just got laid off, unfortunately.”
“Oh no, that’s terrible,” Holly said. “The economy is terrible at the moment. I can’t imagine how hard it must be searching for a new job.”
“Jacey’s not worrying about that at the moment,” Derrick interjected. “She’s been ill. So she’s taking it easy and just concentrating on looking after herself and her baby.”
“Oh, you have a child?”
“No, umm, I’m pregnant.” She could kick Derrick. She shot him a look out of the corner of her eye. What would they think of her now?
“How far along are you? Is it yours?” She directed the last question to Derrick.
Derrick let out a snort of laughter. “I’d have to be a pretty fast worker. Jacey is about fourteen weeks now and her ex is the biological father.”
“Wow, seriously. I’m in shock,” Holly said. “This seemed to happen very quickly. And you don’t even look like you’re showing; while here I am at eleven weeks, already bulging out of my clothes like a fat piggy.”
“Holly,” Brax reprimanded sharply, while Derrick frowned at his sister-in-law.
Brax gently grabbed his wife chin, turning her so she was looking at him. “We’ve talked about you putting yourself down like this before,” he said in a soft voice that was nevertheless filled with command.
“Sorry, Sir,” she whispered. Jacey sucked in a deep breath. Brax was a Dom, she was sure of it. She stared at Holly, the other woman certainly seemed happy enough. Even now, with all of Brax’s focus on her as he reprimanded her, she looked back at him with love.
“Good girl.” He kissed her cheek.