Page 59 of California Sunsets

He laughed and pulled her to him. “You know what I love about this conversation? We’re not arguing about whether we’re going to have children together, but how many.”

She twinkled at him. “That’s true.”

But, he hadn’t made his living brokering great deals for his clients for nothing. “I’d just like to remind you that your parents have six, and it’s worked out pretty well for them.”

She kissed him on the nose. “To be negotiated.”

He had been itching to leap out of bed, drop to one knee, and ask her to marry him right there, but something stopped him. The time wasn’t right. When he and Erin announced their engagement, he wanted every single person in the Davenport family thumping him on the back and offering congratulations. He definitely did not want her brothers glaring at him the way they had at breakfast last week. Not only for his sake, but for Erin’s. She was the nicest person he’d ever known and she deserved the full support of her family when she took that momentous step.

It was a momentous step for him too, but he was ready. He had a feeling that Erin had gotten under his skin a lotearlier than he’d realized. Well, Betsy had seen it, but he’d been too busy thinking he needed to prove himself by showing off the women on his arm like they were trophies. His behavior embarrassed him now, but, as in every decent romantic comedy, he had to accept that loving Erin had made him a better man.

He stood for a moment at the water’s edge, watching the dogs splash along the shore, and came to a sudden decision. He couldn’t move forward and ask Erin the question he was burning to ask her without clearing the air with Archer and the others. Archer was not only his client, they’d all but made each other, and for more than a dozen years had been close friends as well as respected colleagues. It had to start with Arch.

Leaving a note for Erin, who was still enjoying her Saturday morning sleep-in, he left the dogs at the house and then headed straight along Scenic Drive to Archer’s home. He walked deep in thought, his mind working a mile a minute, trying to figure out a way to convince his friend that he was the right man for Erin, and she the right woman for him.

By the time he rang the bell, he knew what he was going to say. He also knew perfectly well there was a video camera at the door. So he wasn’t all that surprised when he got a text from Archer.

You’re not wanted here. Go away.

Jay shook his head and then stared up at the camera. Was Arch really going to play this game? They weren’t children. Arch couldn’t just hide away. While Jay stood there, trying to decide whether he should go around the back and try to find a window he could shimmy through, the front door swung open and Tessa Taylor-Davenport stood there. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, and whether she meant to chide him or her husband or, as he suspected, the pair of them, she gestured for him to step inside.

In her soft voice, she said, “You need to work this out.”

“I agree,” Jay replied and followed her into the great room. He watched, a little bemused, as Tessa got busy texting someone whom Jay had to assume was her husband. After a minute or so, Archer stomped in wearing workout shorts and a sweat-stained T-shirt.

“I don’t want him here,” he repeated, close to sticking out his bottom lip like a petulant child.

Tessa calmly smoothed back her dark hair. “Yes, you made that clear. And I’m telling you, you need to work this out. Also, I just texted your brothers and told them to come over right now.”

Arch looked incredulous. “You didwhat?”

“You guys need to sort this out and deal with it. I am going to have coffee with Mila and I’ve asked Erin to join us.” Then she shook her finger at the pair of them. “And when I get back, there’d better not be anything broken—not an arm, not a head, and not so much as avasein my house. Do I make myself clear?”

The pair of them nodded mutely. Jay had never seen Tessa so tough. He’d always assumed Arch was joking when he said she was a hard taskmaster when she made him do his workouts. Now he realized Archer hadn’t been joking at all. Tessa had a core of steel in her and he admired it enormously. He was also grateful, because if there was anyone other than Betsy who could help sort this mess out, it was Tessa.

Archer didn’t look happy, but with a grumpy shrug, said, “You’d better sit down.” He trudged into the living room with its grand view of the ocean.

Tessa stretched up and kissed Jay on the cheek. Quietly she said, “I really like you and Erin together, and I believe in you. Make this right.”

He whispered back, “I intend to. And if it doesn’t work out with Erin, I am going to steal you away from Arch and run away with you.”

She laughed, delighted, patted him on the cheek, and then left.

Despite his host’s invitation, they didn’t sit. Arch stood glaring, his arms crossed over a chest even more formidable since he’d been bulking up forShock Tactics. Jay was no slouch in the workout department, but if Archer decided to take him down, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Tessa left us a pot of coffee,” Arch said, and begrudgingly walked to the kitchen to pour Jay a cup.

He gulped the hot stuff down as if it were Dutch courage and then took a seat on Arch’s leather couch. Neither of them spoke, just watched the glorious waves through the panoramic window. Jay recalled watching Erin out there on the surf alone, so brave and beautiful. He had just opened his mouth to deliver his speech to Arch when the door opened and in walked Nick and Finn, Damien right behind them.

How had he never noticed how built all the Davenport brothers were? If they decided to gang up on him, what was he going to do? Still, they were also decent men and he doubted very much they intended him physical harm. They barely acknowledged Jay as they joined Arch on the couch.

Jay took a deep breath. It was better they all heard this together.

He had to stand. He’d pitched tougher men than these four in his life, but never, ever had his pitch been more important. He didn’t have notes or a prepared speech. All he had were his feelings.

“First of all, I get that I’m not the guy you’d have chosen for Erin. I wouldn’t have chosen myself for Erin either. I absolutely agree with you that she deserves better. But you know what? She loves me and I love her. And maybe at breakfast the other day I felt like I really wasn’t good enough, and maybe I was willing to walk away, but Erin has convinced me not to. And I’ll tellyou what—I would not do one single thing that would make Erin Davenport unhappy. If my walking away makes her unhappy, then that is non-negotiable.”

The four brothers looked at each other. Obviously, they figured it was Arch who should do the talking, since he and Jay had always been so close.

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