“Why would you say that?”
I hold my hands up in surrender, but inside, I’m laughing. “I didn’t know you had an issue with grammar questions.”
“Stop being ridiculous.” Not when it brings that pretty smile of hers to the surface. She’s still laughing when she says, “I meant, why would I be familiar with jealousy?”
Finishing the amber liquid, I ask a passing waiter for another and then return my attention to the stunner sitting across from me. “No reason. No reason at all.” My words contradict my true emotions. I was so fucking jealous of Jackson, but I’ll never let her know that. Maybe I hid it as well as she did at the bar with those two women. Basically, not at all.
Flirting also seems to challenge our earlier agreement, but maybe we’re just those kinds of friends as well. Who says you can’t have it all?
As we eat, I keep catching the warmth of her gaze on me. She plays it off and is quick to look away most of the time, but she locks her brown eyes on mine every once in a while without apology.
Natalie stands after our plates are cleared, her glow filling the garden with the pure joy written across her face. She gently taps her spoon against the side of her crystal water glass. “We’re having such a lovely evening with you that Nick and I felt tonight would be a good time to . . . well, I want to say something to my dearest friend.” Her gaze slides to Tatum. “You’re my sister and my best friend. I don’t need an answer now, but I’d love for you to consider being our baby’s godparent.”
From the other end of the table, Camille Devreux barks with laughter until she realizes no one else has joined in. My eyes, like everyone else’s, dart from her back to Tatum, who appears mortified by how she’s shrinking in her chair. I’m not sure how to save her the humiliation, but if I could, I’d take it away completely.
I do what comes naturally and stretch a leg across the divide under the table until my shoe touches the tip of hers, wishing it was our hands. Staring into the eyes that remind me of the Catalina cliffs at sunset, I try hard to decipher what’s going on in her head. The strength I hoped to give her can’t compete with the plea shaping her expression.
The uncomfortable silence grows until Natalie reaches across her mother’s place setting without a second thought and takes Tatum’s hand in hers. “There’s no pressure, but we want you to know that we trust you and love you.”
Tatum swallows so hard that I can hear it sitting across from her.
“I love you, too,” she whispers.
Nick doesn’t stand, but he does say, “Harrison, Natalie and I would be honored if you’d consider also being our kid’s godparent.”
“What? Me?” I don’t make a scene like Mrs. Devreux, but I swear I don’t hear him correctly. “You want me to take care of your kid in case of an emergency?”
“You and Tatum,” Nick says. “Something for you to consider.”
What the fuck is he thinking? This is insane.
Tatum scoots her chair back from the table. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“Would you like me to come with you?” Natalie asks.
“No. Enjoy the party.”
As forks clang against china and the low rumble of conversation picks up again, Tatum walks up the steps of the deck and into the house. I look at Nick and then Natalie. “Thank you.” Nick nods once, and I add, “I think I’m going to check on her.”
I cross the deck and am inside just as the waiters begin bustling around the table again. “Tatum?” I look toward the kitchen and peek into the front room where the bar is stationed. When I don’t find her, I check the downstairs bathroom, which is empty.
Taking the steps by two, I rush up to the second floor and find her in the nursery. I knock lightly on the door, not wanting to sneak up on her. Tatum whips her head to the side, her arms crossed over her chest, and tears in her eyes. “My mom is right. What would I do with a baby? I can barely take care of my own life.”
I understand her shock. “Andrew’s the most responsible person I know. Why the fuck would Nick think I’m more suited for the job?” Just inside the door, I add, “But they know us. They know we’d love their baby like it was our own. I’d raise this kid to know everything about Nick, and you’d teach them everything about Natalie while giving them enough love to hopefully fill any voids.”
She gently swipes under her eyes before the tears fall. “Did you know about this?”
“No. I didn’t see this godparent thing coming.” I chuckle humorlessly. “I’m not sure what to think, but what I do know is that our best friends trust us with their kids.” When I smile, I feel the honor bestowed upon me mixed with the disbelief of the situation.