“We’ll see, honey.” Maura looked at Fee, her expression glowing.
“Another baby?” Kelsey’s dad shook his head, smiling. “Bill, you’re keeping busy.”
Maura slapped her dad’s shoulder. “Dad, the kids!”
Kelsey finally offered heartfelt congratulations and managed to maintain a bright smile, but her insides were wrung tight. Maura was having her third child, her home becoming richer with family, while Kelsey’s life stagnated. Big paychecks, real estate investments, and fancy trips to Mexico wouldn’t fill up the hole in her heart or make her more lovable, no matter how much she hoped they might.
Lively chatter about the pregnancy carried on around her while Kelsey picked at her food. At one point, she glanced across the table and saw a private moment between her sister and Bill, in which he placed his hand over Maura’s belly. The intimacy and love Kelsey witnessed plunged her once more into the depths of her own thoughts, doubts, and fears of never being loved, never being needed, never being any man’s “someone special.”
Fee crawled onto her lap and hugged her. “Aunt Kelsey, when can I have a sleepover at your house?”
Kelsey snuggled with Fee, uncaring that sticky little fingers tugged at her hair. “Soon, peanut. I promise.”
She loved Fee, and, moreover, she loved the way Fee loved her. If she never found her own true love, could this be enough? She clung to her niece and kissed her head. Their special bond filled Kelsey’s heart with emotion she couldn’t even put to words. And yet that void remained—one she believed would only be filled when she fell in love with someone who returned her feelings and, together, they created their own family.
For the next thirty minutes, Kelsey celebrated the happy news with her family, but deep down she wanted to escape.
That chance came after cake. Kelsey helped her mom load the dishwasher and dry the pots, making excuses about being exhausted from a long day. She gave Bill another congratulatory kiss, then grabbed Maura and hugged her. “I love you, sis. I can’t wait to meet my next niece or nephew.”
She meant every word, too, despite her self-absorption.
“Thanks, Kels.” Maura’s eyes glistened, and Kelsey knew right then that, despite her attempts to hide her private sorrow, she’d failed. “Call me tomorrow.”
Kelsey grabbed her keys, jogged to her car, and drove home, letting her tears flow. If she’d moved from Sterling Canyon to a bigger city years ago, might she have increased her chances of finding someone? At the time, she couldn’t have imagined ever wanting to leave her family and closest friends.
Yet tonight the ridges of the San Juan mountain range encircling town felt claustrophobic rather than majestic. Familiar town streets cluttered with antique buildings seemed stagnant instead of charming. Perhaps she needed to take more drastic steps toward happiness than just playing secret sex games with Trip Lexington.
Two minutes later, she parked her car in the alley behind her building. A quick glance in the mirror reflected self-pity. Scowling, she slapped her cheek to snap herself out of her funk. Maura’s pregnancy was great news for their family. And it would give Kelsey another infant to love.
As she made her way between her building and her neighbors’, focused on those positive thoughts, her phone rang. She dug into her bag and saw Trip’s name on the display. She stopped. Bit her lower lip. The last thing she could handle at that moment was talking to Trip, who, despite his appeal, personified the opposite of the kind of man she really needed. Tossing the phone back into her purse, she rounded the bend toward the front door.
When a man appeared out of the shadows, her heart skittered and her limbs went numb. “Oh!”
“Ignoring my call?” Trip asked, clearly insulted, as he caught her by the elbow before she stumbled.
“Trip! You scared me.” Despite her attempt to stifle her emotions, she sniffled.
“Sorry.” He tipped her chin up toward the glow from the porch light and studied her face with concern. As his thumb brushed away her last tear, his tone shifted to something fierce. “Okay, whose ass do I need to kick?”
“What?” Kelsey felt her forehead crease in confusion.
“You’ve been crying. Who upset you?” He loomed above her, chest puffed out. “I’ll make him pay, just give me a name.”
Utterly unexpected. Trip wanted to defend her. For some ridiculous reason, his concern made her happy. God, what a screwed-up pair they were.
“Not a he, and there are no asses that need to be kicked, so stand down.” She raised one hand. “But I don’t want to talk about it.”