Nick, who’d been lean and wiry, of medium height, Seth was a tall man, imposing, built broad and tough. Not as handsome as Nick, but a good-looking man if you liked them strong-jawed and dripping testosterone. He was one of those guys who looked like a cop in or out of his uniform, as if he’d been born to protect and serve and would do so whether you wanted him to or not. He wore his brown hair clipped short and his posture was ramrod-straight.
His anger with her? It came off him in waves.
Yes, she should have told him about the baby earlier. She supposed. In hindsight. But she found him so...forbidding. At the funeral, when she’d offered her condolences, he’d narrowed his eyes at her and muttered a grudging thank you. She’d read his attitude loud and clear; he couldn’t wait for her to move on. So, yeah, she’d kept putting off telling him, kept asking herself why it even mattered if the step-uncle knew about Nick’s baby or not? At the same time, she’d had some vague plan to go see him, have a little talk with him, eventually, when the moment felt right.
But the moment never felt right. Also, she really had wondered if he knew about the baby already and simply didn’t care. So, yeah, she’d been struggling with a powerful desire never to have to deal with the guy in any way, shape or form.
But right now she just felt sorry for him. So what if he was acting like a first-class douche canoe with his judgmental attitude and insensitive accusations?
The man missed his baby brother. And he was hurt that Nick hadn’t confided in him.
As for the marriage question, she didn’t even want to get into that with him. But still. He was here and clearly he cared. She gave him the truth. “Nick did ask me to marry him. I turned him down.”
“Why?”
She did know what he meant by the curtly uttered question, but she was feeling just snarky enough to ask for clarification anyway. “Why did he ask me, you mean?”
“Why did you turn him down?” He barked that one at her.
Stay calm, she reminded herself. “Nick was a wonderful guy. He deserved a woman who loved him with all of her heart.”
His lip curled in a sneer. “And you didn’t.”
“You should stop talking,” she said with excruciating sweetness. “Because I have to tell you, Seth. Every time you open your mouth, you give me a new reason not to be nice to you. I’m sorry Nick didn’t tell you. But I was only three months pregnant when he died. I’m sure he thought he had plenty of time.”
“Plenty of time. My God. Plenty of...” Seth shook his head. His upper lip was sweating.
Again, her exasperation with him faded.
Nick had told her all about the big brother he admired so much. He’d said Seth was the kind of man you wanted at your back in a tough situation, always cool and even-tempered, a man who kept command of himself and his emotions no matter how bad things got.
But right now, Seth Yancy was far from cool. He stared at a point somewhere beyond her left shoulder. It seemed to her he hovered on the brink of losing it completely.
Jody stepped forward and wrapped her fingers around his rock-hard forearm. “Seth.”
He flinched and blinked down at her hand. “What?”
“It’s okay.”
“I don’t...”
“Shh. Come on.” She pulled him to a bentwood chair by the window, an old one she’d decorated by painting it with twining vines and little flowers. “Sit right here. Let me get you some water...” She gently pushed him down.
He resisted. “No. No, I’m all right.”
“Humor me?” she coaxed.
Slowly, he sank into the chair. She let go of his arm—and he grabbed her hand. “Look. Honestly. I don’t know what my problem is. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you...”
“It’s okay,” she soothed.
“I apologize. I didn’t know you were having Nicky’s baby. I really didn’t know.”
“It’s okay...”
He blinked and frowned up at her. “You keep saying that.”
“Because I have this feeling that you’re not hearing me.”
He kept hold of her fingers with one hand and scrubbed the other one down his face. “I heard you.”
Gently, she pulled free of his grip. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
* * *
Seth did what she asked of him. He sat there in that spindly chair until she returned with a bottled water. “Here you go. Drink.” She pressed it into his hand.
He stared up at her, at her worried eyes and her serious mouth. “I’m not usually such a jackass.”
Her mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile she didn’t quite let happen. “I really do understand. I’m sure it’s a shock.”
“I...”
She tapped the sweating water bottle. “It’s nice and cold. Drink.”
It wasn’t a bad suggestion, especially given that his mouth felt like he’d just swallowed a bucket of sand. So he unscrewed the lid and put the bottle to his lips. He drank it down in one go.
“Better?” she asked.
“Yeah. Thanks—and I am sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
“You’re forgiven.” She spoke softly. Her eyes were kind now.
He had a thousand questions to ask her. He hardly knew where to start. But what he did know was that he would be a part of Nick’s baby’s life. “I want to help. Any way I can.”
“Well, thank you...” The words were right. Her expression wasn’t. She bit the corner of her lip and fell back a step.
He wanted to grab her arm and pull her in close again. “What’s wrong with my wanting to help?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. It’s very kind of you, and I appreciate the offer. Right now, though, there’s nothing to help me with. I’m all set.”
“Set? How’s that?”
“Honestly, there’s nothing more to do at this point. I’ve got everything handled. I have excellent insurance and I’m getting great prenatal care. I’m watching my diet, taking my vitamins. The baby and I are both in good health. The baby’s room is ready. My sisters are all three helping out, planning to be with me through labor and delivery. I have full-time backup here at the store for those first weeks after the birth. My due date is a month and a half away, and I’m all ready to go.”
“Well, great,” he replied, though to him it was anything but. He needed to help her, and how could he do that if she had everything under control?
