Someone Like Her(40)

 “Maybe I should say, new Aunt Maria.”

 “Oh, my God, Dani had her baby?”

 “Two hours ago. Evan Elijah Kincaid—nine pounds, two ounces, twenty-one and a half inches.”

 Named for Regan’s father and his twin brother. “That sounds really big. Is it? How’s Dani? How’s the baby? How’s Logan?”

 He laughed. “Slow down, Chiquita. Yes, apparently that’s bigger than normal, but no record set. Dani’s doing great. Baby Evan’s doing great, all ten fingers and toes accounted for. Your brother’s in the middle of a nervous breakdown but still sane enough to pass out cigars to all the nurses, doctors, and if they’d let him, to all the babies in the nursery. You’d think he managed having his son single-handedly, but I’ve never seen him happier.”

 Maria squeezed her eyes shut against the burning in them. Her brother was a father, something he’d once thought he’d never be. This was just what she needed to get her mind off Fortunada, and she wanted to be there. “I’m coming home tonight. Tell Dani and Logan I’ll see them in about four hours.”

 “I figured you would. Well, I’d best go see if I can calm down the new dad. Later.”

 Later? That was all? “Jake, wait.”

 “Yeah?”

 She opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say. After all that had happened earlier, she felt the need to tell him how special he was to her. Even over the phone, though, she sensed he’d put his walls back up. “Nothing. See you soon.”

 “Sure,” he said and hung up.

 “What’s his problem?” she muttered, giving the phone a nasty glare. Other students jostled her as they streamed out of the College of Law building, off to start their weekend.

 Jamie moved behind her, protecting her with his bulk. “He’s not a happy camper right now. You’ve got his boxers twisted in knots, and now the boss is sending him on a mission.”

 When she stopped, he put his hands on her shoulders. “Keep moving, or else we’re gonna be stampeded. These people take their TGIF seriously.”

 “That they do,” she said as they walked out into the blinding Florida sun. “What’s this about Jake? Logan’s sending him off? When and where?”

 “Sometime next week.”

 Jamie opened her car door, then came around to his side. “As to the where, I can’t say. If the boss wants you to know, he’ll tell you.”

 She slipped on her sunglasses. “At least tell me if it’s someplace dangerous.” When he didn’t answer, she knew. What if Jake got hurt, or worse? Sweat trickled down the back of her neck. She pulled a band out of her pocket and bound her hair up into a ponytail. “Turn the air up, will you? I’m burning up with this hot wind coming in the window.” He turned the knob to high, and she leaned her face close to the air blasting out of the vent.

 “I guess you want to put off going to your apartment until next week?”

 What she wanted was for Jake to avoid danger. She wanted to turn the clock back a day for Jake to be there instead of Jamie. “Yeah, that can wait. I just need to stop by the house, throw a few clothes into a bag, and put extra food out for Mouse.”

 “No problem. With my window busted in, we’ll need to take your Mustang.”

 The three-hour drive home on I-10 was boring, and one she’d made countless times. It gave her plenty of time to think about Jake. Had she disgusted him? No, she believed him when he said he wasn’t like Jonathan. It was probably her inexperience. Why would he want her when he could crook his finger and have just about any woman who caught his eye?

 Jake wouldn’t blow off Logan’s warnings, but if he really wanted her, that wouldn’t stop him. He’d find a way to make it right with her brother. So, that left . . . what? That he saw her as more than a one-night stand? Well, she hoped so. It was a role she would never agree to play. She wasn’t her mother and had no intention of having a revolving door into her bedroom.

 If he saw her differently from the women he was used to, then it probably scared the hell out of him. What if he thought he couldn’t be faithful? Between not wanting to hurt her and Logan’s threat, Jake would put on the brakes and try to back away, which seemed to be exactly what he was doing.

 “He’s afraid of commitment,” she murmured.

 “Bingo.”

 Had she spoken aloud? She glanced at Jamie. “But aren’t all men?”

 “To one degree or another, I think, but I’d put Buchanan at the top of that scale.”