moment and leaned back, sipping at the sweet and tart drink.
He glanced at her propped-up feet and then frowned. “Your feet are pretty swollen.”
She lifted one and sighed. “Yeah. Apparently I’m a water-retaining cow.”
“Are they hurting? Want me to rub them?”
“No, I’m fine. They ache a little but right now I don’t want anyone touching them. I’ll just sit like this for the rest of the evening and drink lots of water. The potassium in the OJ will help.”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead just as the buzzer sounded.
“That’ll be our luggage. Be right back.”
She adjusted her position so that some of the tension was relieved in her back. The truth was she was tired of sitting after being on the airplane for so many hours, but neither did she want to be on her feet with swollen and aching ankles.
Deciding to dispense with sitting at all, she turned on her side, stuck a cushion between her legs and let out a sigh at the bliss of being off her behind and her feet.
She stared across the room out the panels of glass that led onto the balcony and watched as a few snowflakes spiraled downward. The weather didn’t seem to be able to make up its mind whether it wanted to rain, sleet or snow; but, at least for now, a few fat flakes were falling.
The flames from the gas fireplace gave the living room a warm, homey feel and as she adjusted her gaze to the fireplace, lethargy stole over her.
She reached for the throw draped on the back of the couch and pulled it over her body, sighing that she finally felt comfortable after traveling for so long.
Her eyelids were drooping and she didn’t fight the urge to sleep. Ryan would wake her in time for dinner.
When Ryan returned to the living room, he found Kelly fast asleep on the couch, her hand tucked under her cheek. He was struck by how young and innocent she looked. Not at all like someone who played brother against brother.
He supposed it was unfair to think such thoughts when they’d both made an effort to get beyond the past, but the dark thoughts always crept in.
What fault did he have that would cause Kelly to seek comfort with his brother? And why had she been vengeful enough to want to ruin his relationship with his only sibling when Jarrod had told her that he was going to confess to Ryan that they’d had sex?
Ryan felt more like a father to Jarrod than a brother. Eight years separated them in age and their father had died when Ryan was barely a teenager. He’d stepped in, assuming the paternal role with Jarrod, who was still a boy.
He’d attended all his baseball games, taken him to sporting events. Taken him to movies. He’d been there for his graduation from high school. Had helped him move when he went off to college and supported his decision to return home and pursue a career in finance.
Nothing should come between brothers. Certainly not a woman. But one had. Kelly had. Not only had it struck a blow to his relationship with Jarrod that he still hadn’t recovered from but it had destroyed his relationship with Kelly as well.
A relationship he was determined to rebuild.
But to go forward, he had to determine what had gone wrong in the past.
No matter what they’d vowed, at some point the past had to be addressed. It couldn’t be ignored forever.
He picked up his phone and quietly walked into the next room to call Devon and Cam.
Thirteen
Ryan took Kelly to the doctor the next day. She’d assumed that she would go to the doctor. As in alone. And that Ryan would go back to work since he’d been out of the office for nearly a week.
But he’d ridden with her, gone into the exam room with her and stuck to her side throughout the entire appointment.
The doctor made noises about the swelling and noted that there was still protein in her urine. He asked her endless questions about how she felt and then issued a stern lecture about taking it easy.
Ryan latched on to every word and by the time they left, Kelly was sure that he’d lock her in her bedroom and not allow her out until the baby was born.
She was prepared to be stir-crazy in advance, but he said nothing. When they arrived back at the apartment, he didn’t make her prop her feet up even though that was precisely what she did as soon as they walked through the door.
“I think as long as you don’t overdue it that there’s no reason you can’t get around in moderation,” Ryan said. “The doctor was in agreement that we just need to watch you closely for any change and be sensitive to when you’re not feeling well to make sure it doesn’t develop into something more serious.”
Thank God he was prepared to be reasonable.
“I thought we could eat out tonight if you feel up to it. It’s cold but it’s not supposed to snow or sleet. I know you like going out.”
Touched that he’d remembered—although she wasn’t sure why he wouldn’t—she smiled and nodded in excitement. She did love the city at night. Loved the lights, the cozy restaurants and little hole-in-the-wall cafés and local eateries.
“I sent Jansen out for warmer clothing and a coat for you. Just until you feel up to shopping for yourself,” he said. “I’ll go with you when you want to. Just say the word.”
Knowing how much Ryan hated shopping, she was touched and idiotically emotional over the fact that he’d offered to go with her.
“We should also think about going shopping for the baby very soon,” Ryan said in a husky voice.
She blinked in surprise. But then she stared down at her belly and realized that he was right. She only had a short time—weeks—until the baby would arrive. Six weeks? But babies often came early. And she was horribly unprepared.
In Houston she’d lived from paycheck to paycheck, just praying to be able to make rent and save money for when she had to take time off when the baby was born. There hadn’t been money for all the things people bought in preparation for a baby, so she’d never even thought about it.
Panicked now that she realized how unprepared she was, she stared in dismay at Ryan.
“Hey,” he said as he scooted over next to her. “I didn’t mean to stress you out. I thought you’d be excited to shop for the baby.”
“I don’t have anything,” she confessed. “No baby clothing. No crib. Diapers. Oh God, I don’t even know what-all I need. I was always happy to just make it through another day in Houston. I never looked ahead. It was too overwhelming.”
He gathered her in his arms and held her as he ran his hand soothingly over her hair. “There’s no hurry, okay? I’ll send out for some parenting books and magazines and for the next few days, I want you to rest, put your feet up and do as much reading as you like. Make a list. We’ll look at stuff together. It’ll be fun. We still have plenty of time before she gets here.”
She squeezed him in a tight hug. “Thank you. I think you just prevented a meltdown. I feel so awful. I don’t even have any cute baby booties. What kind of mother am I going to be?” she asked mournfully.
He squeezed her back. “You’ll be a wonderful mom. You’ve had a lot to deal with. Cut yourself some slack, okay? Now why don’t you go take a long soaking bath and get ready for dinner?”
She reached up and pulled him down to kiss him. It was on the tip of her tongue to say she loved him, but she swallowed the words and kissed him again instead.
He kissed her back, lingering over her lips, savoring the taste and feel of her.
It shouldn’t make her feel so sad that she still loved him. But she couldn’t shake the heaviness from her chest as she pulled away and then got up and headed for the bathroom.
“I got a call from Rafael today,” Ryan said over dinner.
Kelly frowned. “How is he doing? I still can’t believe he got into a plane crash, lost his memory and then fell in love with a woman he completely screwed over for land.”
Ryan winced. “You make it sound so…”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Awful? I know he’s your friend, but he’s always been arrogant
and a bit of a jerk. Especially toward women. He never liked me.”
“Rafe has changed. I know it sounds weird, but after his accident he did a one-eighty. Anyway, he and Bryony are back from their honeymoon and they’re coming into town in a few days to put his apartment on the market.”
“He’s moving?”
That shocked Kelly. Rafael was an urbanite through and through. He loved the city. Loved to travel. She couldn’t imagine him anywhere else.
“Yeah, he and Bryony are going to maintain a residence on Moon Island.”
“Wow. Rafael must really be in love.”
“Amazing what men in love will do for the women they love,” Ryan said softly.
Kelly didn’t meet his gaze and concentrated instead on her soup. Lobster bisque. After six months of bland diner food, she savored every bite. Her taste buds were all simultaneously orgasming.
She’d eaten more in the past week than she had in all those months in Houston, and she was going to balloon like a blowfish if she kept this up. She’d even closed her eyes when they’d weighed her at her doctor’s appointment the previous day, not wanting to know how much weight she’d gained.
“He wants us all to get together.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Define us.”
“Me, you, Dev and Cam and, of course, Rafael and Bryony. I also thought it would be good to invite Mom so you’d have the buffer of other people. We can get it over with in one clean sweep.”
It sounded like an evening from hell, not that she’d admit that to him. She couldn’t imagine anything worse than being surrounded by Ryan’s closest friends, who of course all had been told that she’d cheated on Ryan with Jarrod. She nearly bared her teeth in response to that thought. And then there was his darling mother. All the evening lacked was…Jarrod.
“And Jarrod?” she asked icily.
“He won’t be invited. I wouldn’t do that to you, Kell,” Ryan said quietly.
“When is this supposed to take place?”