* *
“AT LEAST you’re not lonely,” Kelly said, grinning at Capri as she put a beautiful Christmas-themed bouquet of flowers on the dresser in Capri’s room. “If you think about it, matters could be a lot worse. I would love to have a hunky man hanging out in my bedroom.”
Capri looked at her highly energetic friend. “I still say you only have to ask Jack and you’d probably get your wish.”
Kelly sat down in the chair Seagal had dragged into the room yesterday, making himself at home in her room between visits and calls from his buddies and her friends who continuously dropped off food. He hadn’t yet let anybody past the front door.
“I think Jack’s got his eyes on someone else.”
Capri looked at her friend. Kelly’s hair was pulled up on top of her head in a flaming-red knot of bouncy fun. Dangling Christmas ornaments hung from her ears, shiny red-striped balls that screamed festive. Capri did not feel festive. “Jack never dated much. Who do you think it is?”
“I think Daisy Donovan.” Kelly’s face grew downcast, a counterpoint to the happy ornaments bobbing at her cheeks. “I saw them hanging out at the burger joint last night.”
Capri wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think Jack would date a woman that Seagal was once very serious about.”
“Serious until he fell for you,” Kelly reminded her.
Capri always felt pain at the mention of Daisy. “What happened was that they dated for a year. It got too serious, and Daisy decided she wanted to date other people. I jumped on the chance to ask Seagal out.” She shrugged. “We went out, and I’m not ashamed to say we had a very good time. I wasn’t trying to steal him from Daisy, but I wasn’t about to leave him in the pond if she’d decided to cast him back.”
“Point being, he fell for you.” Kelly grinned. “You’re lying in this bed because he’s crazy about you.”
“That’s the thing,” Capri said, “I’ve always felt like I did steal him from Daisy. And I think Seagal secretly was still in love with her, but she kept dating Ryder Holland, and so there I was.”
“Yes,” Kelly said, “there you were. Warm and willing. Always a smart woman. Valedictorian of our class for a reason.”
Capri moved restlessly, pulling her sheets over her huge stomach. The babies kicked and she put a hand on them to try to calm them. They stayed active almost all the time now, trying to claim space, she supposed. “They would have gotten back together if I hadn’t jumped on Seagal.”
“So?” Kelly laughed. “If is the biggest, most dramatic word in the English language. Anytime you hear someone say if, hang on. There’s a story coming.”
“It’s true. Not that I feel guilty about it. I just feel that I never had Seagal in the first place.”
“Because you didn’t date that long before he led you to the altar.” Kelly nodded. “Everybody was amazed at how quick Seagal was to jump to say ‘I do.’”
“And then he said ‘I don’t.’” Capri frowned, remembering. “We didn’t think things through before we got married.”
Kelly leaned back in the toile chair, wagging a finger at Capri. “He’s a man of action. You’re the thinker in the relationship. You want to plan everything to death. Just for once in your life you let yourself get swept, and now you want to overthink it. You’re going to have to accept that Seagal’s approach to dating was how you won a very handsome husband. And now you’re having his twins. Nothing like sweet babies to make a man love a woman even more.”
She wasn’t sure love was what guided Seagal. “He’s been an absolute general ever since he got back in the house. If he hadn’t needed to make a run, you wouldn’t even be allowed in here.”
“I bribed him.” Kelly grinned. “I told him I wanted to spend time with Jack. So here I am.”
“Jack isn’t here.”
“Jack’s skulking around somewhere. He’s your bodyguard, for the moment.” Kelly waved a languid hand. “Lying low, protecting his best friend’s girl.”
“This is ridiculous. Nothing’s going to happen to me!” Capri leaned back against the pillows, annoyed. “I don’t appreciate Seagal taking over my life like this. He’s going to hear about it, too.” If she had to lock him out to convince him that no one was coming in and no one was going out—and that included him—that was what she was going to do. “Go find Jack. Drag him off for some alone time. Get him out of my bushes or out of my driveway. Seduce him, if necessary. Please, for my sake.”
Kelly considered this advice. “If I lure Jack away, Seagal will never allow me to be his stand-in to help you. It was everything I could do to convince him that you’d be fine with me sitting with you.”
“Help me up. I’ll tell Jack there’s fresh apple pie in the kitchen. Then the two of you can at least sit in the kitchen and chitchat instead of you wilting at my bedside. How do you expect to lure him away from Daisy if you’re not setting your lures out?”
“I don’t know,” Kelly said, “I’m not much for baiting. Lie down!” She glanced at the door, then got up. “I’ll go see if I can find Jack, if you promise not to move. I’ll only be gone five minutes.”
Capri warily settled back against the pillows. “If you find him, stay gone as long as you want. Nothing can happen to me while I’m lying in bed, for heaven’s sake. Don’t make me regret trusting you on this mission. I need relief from Seagal in my life.”
Kelly shot out of the room to find Jack. Capri grabbed the phone from under her pillow and dialed her husband. “Seagal. It’s Capri.”
“What’s wrong? Is everything all right? I can be home in five minutes—”
She sighed. “I don’t want Jack posted as lookout outside and Kelly as sentry at my bedside. I want my house back. Can you understand that?”
“You’re on complete bed rest,” Seagal said, aggravatingly sure of his stringent application of Dr. Blankenship’s orders. “You need help. We all want to help.”
“I know,” Capri said, “but this is driving me crazy. I just need to spend these last few days thinking about the beautiful children I’m about to have.”
Seagal came walking down the hall, holding his cell phone to his ear. When he saw Capri alone in the bedroom, he clicked his phone off, shoving it into his jeans. “Where’s Kelly?”
“In the powder room, I think.” She didn’t worry about the fib; Seagal’s face was creased with lines of worry. “You seriously need to relax, Seagal. I took care of myself before you showed up—”
“But I’m here now and will be here until the end.” He sank into the chair, looking a bit dazed. “You scared me. I thought you were having more pains.”
“That’s the problem. You shouldn’t be scared. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” She glared at him. “Where were you just now when I called you?”
Seagal looked sheepish. “Mrs. Penny called me over
