Grace Green - The Pregnancy Plan

Her green eyes, which had been twinkling with laughter, now clouded over. And he got the sense that he’d doused whatever joy she’d been feeling in the day.

Lips compressed, she turned from him, flicked the key in the ignition, and set the car in motion.

Jack appeared to have noticed the clashing vibrations, for he sank, obviously subdued, back in his seat.

And neither he, nor his aunt, spoke one more word to him or to each other for the rest of the journey.

Deerhaven, the Maxwell’s five-bedroom home, stood high on the slopes of West Vancouver. With a panoramic view of the ocean, it sat in parklike grounds, with a swimming pool, a white-painted cabana, and a play area for the children.

Lacey had her own condo a few minutes away, but every chance she got, she visited Deerhaven. Over the years, Felicity had become her closest friend…but there was one secret Lacey kept from Felicity, and it concerned Dermid.

Felicity thought highly of her brother-in-law, and both she and Jordan considered the ongoing thrust-and-parry between him and Lacey to be harmless. What neither of them knew was that in recent months, Dermid’s put-downs had become more cutting.

And Lacey was afraid that if she wasn’t careful she’d let her guard down and he’d see that he was drawing blood.

Today’s snide comment had been particularly hurtful.

“How would you describe your job, Lacey? Maybe 3-2?”

At his sarcastic comment, all her joy in the day had faded. And she’d felt a surge of resentment. He considered a model’s life to be one of glamour and ease; little did he know that sometimes she was so exhausted she almost fell apart. Not only was she constantly traveling, the shoots themselves were extremely stressful, as were the fashion shows in Milan, Paris, London…

Stifling a sigh, she pushed all her negative thoughts aside as she drew her car to a halt in front of Deerhaven. She was not going to let Dermid’s unpleasant jabs dampen her mood; she had planned to have a good time at today’s party and that was exactly what she was going to do.

Jack opened his seat belt buckle. “Dad, can I go around the back and see if my cousins are out there?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

He and Lacey walked toward the front door together. When they reached the stoop, he turned and looked out over the ocean.

“Some view,” he murmured, almost to himself.

Lacey followed his gaze, and saw that seven freighters sat waiting to be loaded with grain, and dozens of yachts dotted the waters, while a few speedboats raced around.

“Yes, it’s fabulous.”

Lacey glanced up at him, and as she did, she could—as always—easily see why her sister had fallen in love with him. With his dark auburn hair, rugged features, and sexy mouth, Dermid McTaggart really was a very attractive man.

It was too bad he didn’t have a personality to match!

Lacey had her own key to Deerhaven, and taking it out, she unlocked the door. He followed her into the foyer.

From upstairs came the fretty cry of a baby.

Lacey moved over to the foot of the stairs. “Fliss, we’re here!”

A few seconds later, Felicity appeared on the landing. She beamed down at them.

“Hi, Dermid, delighted you could make it. Where’s Jack?”

“He went round the back to look for his cousins.”

“Good, they’re playing there with Shauna—my baby-sitter from next door. Jordan called, he’s on his way home. I’m just going to put Verity down for a nap and we’ll have a drink before lunch. We’ve loads of time, the christening’s not till two-thirty.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Lacey asked.

“You’re such a whizz at setting the table, would you mind…?”

“Not at all.”

“And Dermid, could you take Andrew’s high chair from the kitchen and set it up in the dining room?”

“Sure.”

As Felicity went back to the nursery, Dermid ambled off and Lacey went into the dining room.

She set the table, using Felicity’s best linen and silver and crystal, and then taking white linen napkins from the drawer, she fashioned them into intricate swans and set them in the glasses by each place mat, smiling to herself as she stood back to admire her handiwork.

She detested housecleaning and she couldn’t cook but there was no denying she could set a mean table.

Dermid, on the other hand, hadn’t even managed to bring through the high chair!

As she made her way to the kitchen to take him to task, she heard Jordan’s voice.

“…yes of course we can talk about it,” he was saying.

“Later,” Dermid said. “After the party’s over. It’s private, Jordan, and personal. A family matter.”

“But if it has to do with Alice, as you said, shouldn’t Lacey be involved, too?”

“No!” Dermid’s tone was sharp. “She’s the last person whose input I’d want on this. Jordan, I’ve struggled with this situation for far too long and I have to make a decision. At least, I’ve made my decision, and what I need from you is support—”

Lacey became aware of footsteps running down the stairs. And realizing, with dismay, that she’d been eavesdropping, she hurried back to the foyer and arrived there just as Felicity reached the foot of the stairs.

“You’ve set the table?” her sister-in-law asked.

“Mmm. Come along and see my swans!”

But though she managed to put on a cheerful face, Lacey felt edgy and upset.

What was going on in her brother-in-law’s life that required him to ask Jordan for support?

It was clear he didn’t want her to know anything about it. And that made her furious. She was a Maxwell, too, and if it was a family matter concerning Alice, then Dermid McTaggart had no business trying to shut her out!

One way or another, she promised herself, she would get to the bottom of it!

THE christening took place outdoors at Deerhaven, the sunken rose garden made a perfect setting and Jordan and Felicity looked blissfully happy.

“I think,” the minister said later in the afternoon, before he left, “that everything went off rather well.” His eyes twinkled. “Baby Verity is blessed with a remarkable pair of lungs.”

Jordan laughed, saying “She may well be a budding opera singer!” as he walked the minister into the house from the patio, where the adults had enjoyed champagne and tea and a slice of Felicity’s delicious homemade white-chocolate christening cake after the ceremony.

Felicity had gone upstairs to put the baby down for a nap and the other children were having a picnic in the play area…which left Dermid alone on the patio with Lacey.

He noticed that though she’d taken an active part in the conversation while the minister was present, now she lay back in her cushioned lounger and closed her eyes.

Shutting him out.

And he could hardly blame her. Ever since she’d picked him up at the ferry, some perverse impulse had driven him to snipe at her. That comment he’d made, about her job being a “3-2” had been totally uncalled for. So what if she lived an easy glamorous life, one that was shallow and useless? Just because he despised that kind of nonproductive existence was no excuse for taking potshots at her. But what had impelled him into goading her further today had been the fact that she hadn’t responded with her usual acerbity. And what satisfaction was there in needling someone who refused to be needled!

She looked, right now, totally oblivious to him. She also looked as if she were posing for some fashion spread. Elegance personified.

But her silk dress, which she’d changed into before the ceremony—black with a pattern of tiny white flowers—probably cost more than one of his prize alpacas!