Page 71 of Not Part of the Plan
She took her seat and a flush-faced Rupert scampered over. “I have your soup in the kitchen,” he told Emma. “I didn’t want it to get cold.”
“Thanks, Rupert,” Emma said.
“I’ll go grab it for you, and sorry about… you know… in the closet.” All eyes were on him, and Emma bit back a sigh.
“Soup, Rupert.”
“Yep. Cool. Okay.” He hustled off.
“You’re such a mean boss,” Joey snickered in appreciation.
“Me? I’m sure Reva here could tell us stories about your dictatorship in the stables,” Emma shot back with a grin.
“I plead the fifth,” Reva said, studying her sandwich as the table erupted into laughter.
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They dined and drank and laughed. The kids provided an unexpected level of entertainment to Niko. He didn’t usually run in circles that involved kids of any age. The fact that many of the models he worked with were closer to Reva’s age than his own was enough to make him feel a mild sense of shock. The comparison was interesting. In some ways, world-weary models of eighteen or twenty had miles more life experience than Reva. And in other ways, Reva’s maturity outclassed many of the women in their mid- to late-twenties that he’d photographed.
Blue Moon was proving to be quite the learning experience.
“I’ve got to go take a lap,” Emma announced.
“Make sure no one’s burning down the kitchen,” Jax agreed.
“More like make sure no one’s making out in the supply closet,” Emma said with a head jerk in Rupert’s direction.
She rose, and Niko stood with her. He followed her a few steps away from the table. “Do you need any help in the closet?” Niko whispered.
“Not right now, but maybe after hours,” she said with a slow grin that had his blood pooling south.
“Looking at you and not being able to touch you is driving me insane.”
“I knew you were a masochist,” she teased. She glanced around them and gave a little “what the hell” shrug. When she moved in and rose up on her tiptoes, he was too surprised by the kiss she placed on his cheek to respond. He watched her leave, the chiffon pleats of her black skirt swirling around her spectacular thighs.
“Hey, Romeo, you want the last wing?” Joey called from the table.
“All yours,” he said, returning to his seat.
He liked Joey and her smart mouth, liked watching her with Jax when they put down the boxing gloves and played nice when they thought no one else was watching. More, he liked the rest of the family. It really was something that was lacking in his life. He had no solid circle of friends, no strong family ties that kept him rooted. Until now, he’d preferred casual acquaintances that could be called upon on the rare occasions that he was in the city and not working. Summer had been, and still was, his best friend. And he’d done nothing to replace her since she’d moved.
He thought of the wedding, the joining of families, the interconnectedness they shared as naturally as if they’d all grown up together. It made him think about his own father and how distant he’d allowed that relationship to become.
When his own father had found his second wife, he hadn’t felt an ounce of the joy that the Pierces felt when Phoebe married Franklin. In fact, he hadn’t even been officially invited to the wedding. It was a courthouse deal, and he’d been on a shoot in Paris. His father said he didn’t want Niko to feel obligated. He remembered feeling relieved when he found that his presence hadn’t been necessary.
In some ways, he’d expected his father to always remain faithful to the memory of his mother. But he was beginning to understand that life inevitably carried on and though new beginnings explored undiscovered paths, the past didn’t have to be forgotten.
He was wondering if perhaps he should reestablish a stronger relationship with his father and stepmother when a man with shaggy blond hair peeking out from under a ball cap ambled up to the table.
“Colby,” Jax greeted him cheerfully. “I didn’t know you were here. Pull up a chair.”
“Love to, but I think you guys are gonna want to head to the barn,” he said, taking his hat off and swiping a hand through his hair.
“Why…” Jax began the question, but Joey’s comprehension was faster.
She stood up so fast she knocked her chair over backwards. The other diners quieted and turned to stare. “Calypso?” she whispered.
“We’re havin’ a baby,” Colby nodded.
