Right, she wanted to say. The same way I bought the gold medals. Her hand slid over her flat tummy. “I want you to go,” she said evenly. “I want you to process. When you know how you feel about me, about us, about this little seed, you let me know. You’ll get more thinking done on your own. Besides, I’m not lying naked in bed with someone who isn’t sure. That’s too much to ask.”

“Gracie, I love you,” he said.

“Great. Thanks. Doesn’t sound like that’s going to do me much good right now. So let’s take a break while you decide whether this is all too complicated for you. I have to take care of myself, my little seed, my mother, my shop. I don’t have any extra energy to take care of you right now.”

“Are you sure that’s the way you want it?”

“I’m sure,” she said.

Twenty

Early Thursday morning, Peyton stood in the doorway locked in a passionate kiss with Scott while her sister, Adele, waited in the car. When the kiss wouldn’t stop, Adele tooted the horn. Peyton laughed against Scott’s lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” she promised. “And you’ll bring my honeymoon suitcase.”

“And you have your wedding dress and will pick up my tux.”

“And you’ll take the kids to the grandmothers.”

“They want to stay at the farm, which is going to hurt the grandmothers’ feelings.”

“Talk to them about that on your drive up, okay? They’ll get plenty of time at the farm, but they do have to visit all the grandparents and take turns and be fair. They know how to share and be fair.”

“I’ll talk to them,” he promised. “But I want to stay at the farm, too. With you.”

“Starting Saturday night we will always stay together and I won’t have to sleep in your mother’s craft room anymore,” she said.

“I never understood that,” Scott said. “She doesn’t do crafts. Not really.”

“I love you, Scott. I’m going to marry you.”

“I can’t believe it. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Are you?”

“I was sure the day you walked into my office. The only reason I didn’t make a pass right away was because I thought you were a lesbian. Lesbian hearts are breaking all over the world and I got you.”

She laughed. “You got me all right. My breasts are actually getting sore already.”

He grinned at her. “Then they’re going to get big.”

Adele gave the horn another toot.

“Think I’d better hit the road?” she asked.

“Call me when you reach the farm. I’ll get to my mom’s tomorrow. I’ll help her with the groom’s dinner if she needs it.”

“Grace is bringing the centerpieces.”

Another quick kiss and Peyton was in the car with her sister. Adele’s baby girl was in the car seat in the back. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to go back in there and maybe have a little more sex before you leave?” Adele asked.

“I’ve had all the sex I can take for a while.”

“Ah. Spoken like a wife!”

“And a mother?” Peyton asked.

“Oh, my God, you’re pregnant?”

“Just a little,” she said. “I wasn’t going to tell anyone, but you’re not just anyone.”

“This is fabulous! I’ll be counting the days! Our kids will be so close to the same age! Have a girl, will you?”

“I’ll see what I can do. Now don’t tell anyone, all right? Because we should concentrate on the wedding, not the pregnancy.”

“Everyone will know the second you say no thank you to a glass of wine.”

“It’s not like I drink that much wine,” Peyton said. “You didn’t notice last night.”

“You appeared to have wine!”

“No, that was citrus green tea in a wineglass.” She grinned. “I can fake my way through this.”

“Oh, this is going to be so fun! Thank you for getting rid of that ass Ted and finding adorable Scott. I love him. What ever happened to Ted?”

“Last time I talked to his daughter, she said they had a very nice housekeeper and he was playing grandfather. Apparently he’s better with her little one than he ever was with his kids. A transformation, it sounds like. Good for him.”

“No regrets?”

“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “Scott is my dream man.”

The drive to the farm, near Portland, was four hours from Thunder Point. Adele lived in San Francisco and had arrived two days ago; her husband would be driving up on Friday morning in a catering truck stocked with prepared dishes—he was a restaurateur and would be catering much of the reception, but not all—Peyton’s mother, sisters, aunts, grandmother and cousins would not be held back from sharing their special Basque dishes. But Lucas was an amazing chef and wanted to do this for Peyton. He would follow Adele back to the city on Sunday.

Peyton and her youngest sister were best friends. It was odd in a large family how the siblings paired up and there was no formula to it. Peyton was always there for Adele and vice versa. They talked all the way to the farm—about their men, their jobs, the wedding, the other siblings, their parents.

When they arrived, all was as expected. There were vans, RVs, trailers and trucks with camper shells everywhere. The kitchen was full of women, talking, laughing, some arguing here and there. Adele walked in ahead of Peyton, carrying baby Rose, named for her great-grandmother and at least three women on Lucas’s side of the family. Peyton followed with her wedding dress hidden by a garment bag so that Scott wouldn’t see it.

“We’re here,” Adele said. “Peyton’s pregnant.”

Peyton gasped but the women shrieked and came running, fussing over her, hugging her, laughing and shouting, “Way to go, Adele,” Peyton said when the din died down.

“It’s an icebreaker. They’re going to find out within twenty-four hours anyway. It’s not like you’re a virgin bride. And besides, they’re Basque women. They have a couple of pregnant brides every year. We have the passion,” she added with a heavy accent.

“Now I’ll have to call Scott so he can tell the grandmothers. I’m never telling you another secret.”

“Yes, you will,” Adele said with a grin. “I’m very responsible. Most of the time.”

* * *

Grace and Ginger were under way with the flowers by seven on Friday morning. Grace was so glad to be leaving town.

Troy had texted her once in the past twenty-four hours— Are you okay? She texted back one word. Fine. Was she angry? Damn straight. This was all so familiar. Her mother had furs and jewelry, so that made her life simple? Easy? The reverse was also not true—there was family money and that made her tragic, evil and doomed? No. It made her an individual. We’re all very different with our own challenges and joys.

What could Troy give her since she had everything? Well, she didn’t have a father for her baby. My mistake, she mused. I thought he could love me no matter what.

She didn’t betray her feelings, something she’d become an expert at. She’d done it for years, starting when she was a young girl. She could be terrified and her heart breaking, but she could smile for the judges like she had the world on a string. She knew how to cope. Or cover.