“What did you think of Pastor’s sermon this morning, Nick?” Nana added another dollop of jelly to her toast.
Stopping at the Pioneer Room after church for breakfast had somehow become a regular event, and despite his initial reluctance, Nick found himself looking forward to the Sunday tradition.
He paused and took a sip of coffee, contemplating his response. Technically, the minister was an excellent orator. He interspersed humor into his message, used vocal variation and gestures to full advantage and made good eye contact with his audience. But somehow Nick had the feeling that Nana referred to today’s topic, the one that centered around the message of forgiveness. “Excellent sermon.”
“What’d you think about it, Taylor?” Nana shifted her attention to her granddaughter.
Taylor sat her glass of milk down. The morning light filtered through the stained glass window and fell softly on her hair, emphasizing the rich red highlights.
“Forgiveness is a hard one.” Her brow furrowed in concentration. “I still find myself not always wanting to forgive easily. I think it’s because I feel forgiveness sometimes excuses bad behavior.”
“I know what you mean.” Nana nodded thoughtfully. “That’s what I like about Pastor’s sermons. They really make you think.”
They made you think too much, Nick thought. During the first few weeks he’d attended services with Taylor and her grandparents, he’d been able to tune the minister out. But lately the words had been getting through. It was the oddest thing. No matter how much he tried to concentrate on other things, his thoughts kept straying to the sermon.
And it wasn’t enough that he was hit right between the eyes in church, they had to discuss it again over breakfast. It was enough to kill a guy’s appetite.
“Nick?”
He glanced up guiltily to find the three of them staring at him expectantly.
Bill smiled knowingly. “I think Nick left us for a while.”
“Nana wanted to know if you found it hard to forgive.”
Back on the hot seat again, Nick shifted uncomfortably. Hard to forgive? He’d never been a person to hold a grudge. Except when it came to Sylvia.
“Not usually. No.” He smiled at Taylor and took a bite of egg. “In fact I’ve even forgiven your grandfather for beating me at golf Friday.”
“You should have seen the look on his face when we tallied up the scores.” Bill chuckled. “Taylor, I don’t think your fiancé is accustomed to losing to a senior citizen.”
“Senior citizen?” Tony Karelli’s voice sounded behind Nick. “No way.”
“Tony!” Genuine pleasure filled Grandpa Bill’s voice. He rose to his feet and clasped the younger man’s hand. “And Miss Waters, what a pleasure to see you again.”
The eggs Nick had just eaten turned to rocks in his stomach. He pushed back his chair and stood.
“Pull up a couple of chairs. We’d love to have you join us,” Bill urged.
“You’re so kind,” Claire said, almost purring. “And please—” she batted her dark lashes at Bill “—call me Claire.”
“Well, Claire.” Bill held the chair for the woman. “What brings you and Tony out today? I didn’t think I saw you in church.”
“Church?” Claire started to laugh, then stopped and waved a careless hand. “Tony wanted to go on some nature walk at sunrise. He caught me at a weak moment and I agreed.”
“When we lived in D.C., Taylor and I used to walk almost every Saturday.” Tony smiled at Taylor. “Remember?”
“Of course I remember.” Taylor returned his smile. “Every week for almost a year is hard to forget.”
Nick narrowed his gaze. He’d known the two had been friends, but he’d never guessed they’d been that close.
“Almost a year.” Claire’s eyes widened innocently. “Why, after all that talking, I bet you know more about Taylor than Nick does.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Tony appeared to discount the notion, but the smug look in his eyes told Nick differently.
“People change.” Nick took another sip of coffee.
“Do they?” Claire gave a dainty shrug.
Nick glanced at his watch.
“We all change over time,” Nana said and offered Nick a smile.
“I know, let’s do a little test.” Claire flashed a beguiling smile, and Nick’s unease increased. He’d seen that smile in the past, and it always spelled trouble. “We’ll see how much Tony remembers from those long intimate walks.”
“They weren’t intimate,” Taylor said sharply.
“We were friends, Claire,” Tony added.
“Okay, friends. But you knew Taylor pretty well, right?”
Tony nodded.
“Okay, question number one.” Claire cast Nick a sideways glance to make sure he was listening. He forced a bored look. “Tony, how many children did Taylor want to have?”
One, Nick thought, maybe two.
“Now keep in mind she may have changed her mind.” Tony paused. “But back then she wanted six.”
“Six!” The word burst from Nick’s lips like a bullet.
Grandpa Bill and Nana smiled. Taylor reddened. Claire laughed.
“I’m afraid he’s right,” Taylor said with a self-effacing smile. “Growing up as a ‘lonely only,’ I’d decided long ago that, God willing, I wanted a whole house full of children.”
But six? Nick could only stare in amazement. Who would ever want that many children?
“So, Taylor, tell me.” Claire raised a finger to her lips and studied the other woman. “Where do you think you’re going to find a nanny for that many children?”
“I won’t have a nanny.” Taylor met Claire’s disbelieving gaze head-on. “I plan to be a stay-at-home mom. My family will be my priority.”
“What do you think of that, Nick?” One dark brow raised, Claire narrowed her eyes. “I seem to remember that at one time you weren’t sure if you wanted any children.”
All eyes shifted to Nick, and he resisted the urge to run a finger inside his suddenly tight collar. He settled for reaching across the table to take Taylor’s hand and bring it to his lips. “You forget, Claire. That was before I met Taylor.”
“When were you going to spring it on me that you wanted six kids?” Nick’s hands clenched the steering wheel, and he kept his gaze focused straight ahead.
“How ’bout after the wedding that’s never going to take place?” Taylor said sweetly.
Nick blew a harsh breath, knowing he was being unreasonable but somehow unable to stop. “Who in this day and age wants a half a dozen kids?”
She lifted her gaze, and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. “I do.”
“Well, I don’t.” He shoved aside an image of little boys with his dark hair and Taylor’s green eyes.
“What does it matter?” Taylor said with a shrug. “Pretend you do.”
“Pretend? How do you pretend to want six kids?”
“I don’t know.” Taylor’s lips quirked upward, and she leaned back in her seat as if she didn’t care that she’d made him look like a child hater in front of her grandparents. “You’re a smart guy. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Nick raked his hand through his hair. Clearly he was getting nowhere with this conversation. His foot hit the accelerator, and he pushed the troubling topic to the back of his mind, desperately hoping the subject wouldn’t come up again.
The next day, after they’d played a round of golf, Bill Rollins stopped him on the way to the clubhouse and waved the others on. “Six children is a big family, and a big responsibility.”
Nick stifled a groan. He ran an honest business. He didn’t cheat at golf. Why couldn’t he get a break?
“I know Taylor has always been willing to make that commitment, but you have to be willing to make it, too,” Bill continued when Nick didn’t answer. “Children need both a mother and a father around when they’re growing up.”
Nick knew this was Bill’s tactful way of saying he’d noticed how much time Nick spent at the office. But that wouldn’t change. Whether he had a wife and children at home or not.
“Are you sure that’s what you want, Nick?” The older man’s face was filled with concern.
Of course it wasn’t what he wanted. But how would Bill react to the truth? Probably by worrying that his granddaughter had chosen the wrong man to marry.
Pretend you do.
Nick pulled on all those drama classes he’d taken and forced a chuckle. He slapped Bill on the back.
“Call me crazy,” he said with what he hoped was a convincing grin, “but I really do.”