How can she know? "Has he told you he doesn't want kids?"

"He wants children." She covers her face with her hands. "But I don't think he wants them with me."

Addison is clearly shaken and lacks her usual confidence. "Why would you say that?"

"We've been together a year and he hasn't proposed. s.h.i.t, he never even talks about marrying me. The only future we ever discuss is one with him owning his own vineyard. I'm never part of the equation."

Wow. I had no idea. But that doesn't mean he has no plans to marry Addison. I've seen the way he looks at her and I know he's head over heels in love with her. "He's ambitious. I'm sure he's waiting because he'd like to have a way of supporting you and your habits before he makes you his wife. Zac's no fool. He's figured out that you're high maintenance."

She grins but it's halfhearted. "Then we could be years away from him being able to afford me. Or maybe he's years away from being ready to be a husband and father."

"Zac might have a choice on the husband part, but he doesn't on the parent thing. Kids don't wait around for their parents to be ready. They come when they decide they want to." Look at me. It took over twenty years for my parents to finally act like a mother and father. Sort of.

"Maybe he thinks I'm good enough to f.u.c.k but not good enough to be his wife or the mother of his kids."

"There's no way he thinks that. I'd bet money he asks you to marry him as soon as he knows there's a little Zac inside you."

"But don't you see? That's exactly what I don't want. He needs to marry me because he loves me more than anything in this world. Even more than his dream of owning a successful vineyard. I want him to love me the way Jack loves you. I won't settle for less."

That's probably one of the most mature things I've ever heard come out of Addie's mouth. "And you shouldn't have to."

"Oh my G.o.d, Laurie. I'm going to have a sweet little adorable chubby-cheeked ... s.h.i.t machine." She leans over and rests her forehead against her palms. "I'm going to get fat and have stretch marks. And hemorrhoids. You know that has to be a total turn-off. Oh G.o.d. My s.e.x life is over."

And here we go with the exaggerating. "I'm sure there are measures you can take to prevent those things, or at least reduce them. You should do some research so you'll know what to expect."

Her head spins so she can see me. "Let me guess. You're suggesting I read that book about pregnancy expectations."

Addison makes no bones about it. She is no intellect and doesn't claim to be. The world is lucky if she reads stop signs. "It might be a good place to start ... after you tell Zac."

She shakes her head, her face stern. "No way. I'm not ready to do that."

She's being unreasonable. How long does she plan to hide this? This secret has an expiration and it will reveal itself with or without her permission. "You can't keep this from him for long. He's going to figure it out and I can't imagine that going over well."

"I know. It won't take long before he figures out I'm missing my period. G.o.d, he's such a control freak. He keeps up with my cycles better than I do, but I need a little time to sort out how he might take the news."

A control freak is exactly what Addie needs-someone to steer her in the right direction. I know her and I understand what she's saying without hearing the words directly. I'm afraid it won't go over well if she baits Zac to get his reaction. She's not considering the whole picture. It's easy to say what one would do when they're not actually in the situation. No one truly knows how they'll feel about a circ.u.mstance until it happens to them. "Please don't try to make Zac speculate about a proposed pregnancy. Your baby isn't hypothetical. It's real and he deserves to know as soon as possible."

"And I'll tell him but I need to know how he feels about me-minus a baby-first. If he asks me to marry him, I want to know it's because he loves me, Laurie. Not on account of an obligation or because he wants to hang on to me because he's afraid his child will slip away."

Okay. I understand her desire to want to know his true feelings for her before he finds out about the baby. I would feel the same if standing in her shoes. "Be smart about the way you do this. The last thing you need is for him to feel deceived."

A shocked expression comes over her. "What if I've been looking at this the wrong way? I've imagined him asking me to marry him because he wants to do the right thing but what if I'm wrong and he tells me he never wants to see me again? Or wants me to get an abortion? He has so many dreams for the future and I'm afraid he'll think a baby will ruin it all."

I hadn't considered that possibility and I'm not sure why. Isn't that sort of what my dad did to my mom? "If he does, then screw him. He can p.i.s.s off because you have me. I'll always be on your side and will help you raise this baby."

Addison reaches across the table to cup her hand around mine. "You're always the stable one and I'm the loose cannon. It should be you having a baby. Not me."

This is probably the one time Jack Henry would completely agree with Addison. "It will be one day." Hopefully one day very soon.

Jack Henry's sitting at his desk looking at a vineyard map. "Hey, babe." He puts his arms out for me so I go to him. He pulls me onto his lap and nuzzles his nose against my neck. "How did brunch go with Addison?"

He's really asking if I got an explanation out of her regarding why she didn't tell me about Chloe and Ben. "She said it slipped her mind."

He pulls back and looks at me. "And you believe her?"

I put my hand up, indicating that I need to explain. "Not at first, but then she told me about everything going on in her life and I knew it was the truth. She's been preoccupied."

He leans back in his chair, taking me with him. "What has little Miss Self-Absorbed gotten herself into this time?"

"She's pregnant."

He lifts his brows. "Is it Zac's?"

I slap my hand against his chest because I can't believe he's asked. "Of course it is. She's not a wh.o.r.e."

"Did she do it on purpose so he'd marry her?"

Wow. His opinion of Addison is even worse than I thought. "No. She hasn't even told him yet because she's terrified he'll tell her to get lost."

"Zac's not in the best place to take on a baby right now, but he'd be a motherf.u.c.ker to turn her away. You think he'd do that?"

I'll kill him if he does. "I don't believe so because I know he loves Addison."

"Haven't they discussed marriage?" he asks.

"She says they never talk about it and it's eating at her. That's another reason she hasn't told him. She wants to figure out his thoughts about marrying her without a baby in the equation."

Jack Henry shakes his head. "s.h.i.t. Those two are in a d.a.m.n mess. So glad that's not us."

"I know."

"Did you tell her we've decided to have a baby?"

I wanted to so badly but it was the wrong time. "No. I couldn't after she told me she was knocked up."

"Don't worry about it, love. It'll all work out for them." I know. My best friend and I will be pregnant together if all works out the way I hope. Our babies will be born close together. It may not seem like it now but it's actually pretty perfect.

"You're right. Zac's crazy in love with her and he'll drop on his knee as soon as he hears her say the word baby."

It's only been a few weeks since we were in Sydney to celebrate Jack Henry's birthday, but now it's time to return to my in-laws for mine, although my actual birthday isn't for a few more days. The best part is that I get out of doing the cooking this time and Chloe, a professional chef, is preparing dinner. Another plus? Margaret is baking my cake of choice. Chocolate-yes, sweet baby Jesus-definitely chocolate. I could easily become hooked.

I finish packing early and go out to Jack Henry's office to see how much longer he'll be. I'd like to get to Henry and Margaret's early so I can talk one on one with Chloe since I'm certain she'll be inviting Ben tonight. I'd like for that to go a little smoother this time around.

Jack Henry isn't over the whole Ben thing and I don't suspect he will be any time soon. He still hates him for pursuing what he considered his. Too bad he failed to inform me that I belonged to him. It would've saved us a lot of grief and time apart, but I know in my heart that everything happens for a reason.

I tap on Jack Henry's half-opened door. "Hey, handsome. I wanted to see how much longer you'd be." I stop dead in my tracks when I see the leggy brunette in a short skirt reaching across his desk-across him. Her blouse is so low cut, I expect a nipple to jump out if she stretches any harder.

He appears oblivious to what she's doing-of course he would with me standing right here-but how can he be? It's so blatantly apparent that she's trying to make him notice her great rack. h.e.l.l, they're so nice, they catch my attention.

"This is Bianca, the intern I hired for the semester." I remember him saying he took on an intern but he never mentioned it was a female and he d.a.m.n sure didn't tell me she was hot. "This is my wife, Laurelyn."

I smile and offer my hand. "It's a pleasure."

"I've heard a lot about you." Hmm ... funny. I haven't heard a single word about her.

"I hope all good."

"Absolutely."

"I'm finishing up, babe." Jack Henry uses a red pen to circle an area on the map they're looking at. "This entire section needs to be scouted for downy mildew. I've seen a few suspicious areas and it's imperative to head it off early. You'll be looking for yellow oil spots on the leaves. The infected ones are usually on the outside of the canopy but not always. You can find it on the top too."

I understand very little of what he's just said but she does. He's speaking vineyard, and she understands it perfectly.

"Got it, Jack." She's calling him Jack? I don't like that. With the exception of Mrs. Porcelli, all of his employees call him Mr. McLachlan. This woman's not even a paid employee; she's an intern.

"I'm finished here if you're ready to go."

Oh boy, am I ever.

We're not fifteen minutes into the drive when I can stand it no longer. I have to ask. "You've not mentioned Bianca. When did she come to work for you?"

"December."

Oh h.e.l.l. He's been working with this woman for two months and hasn't mentioned her once? What gives? "Why haven't I seen her before today?"

"She's rotating through the vineyards. This is her first week at Avalon." A beautiful woman has been roaming around my home vineyard for a week and I didn't know? What kind of dumb-a.s.s wife isn't aware of that?

"I find it a little strange she was dressed in a short skirt and low-cut blouse for intern work. Wouldn't that be a little inappropriate for scouting?"

"She was dressed like that because she had an appointment in town this morning. She won't go out scouting in that." He glances at me and then back at the road. "Where are you going with this, L?"

I recall the way her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were thrust in his face. "She looked like she was trying to breastfeed you when I walked into your office."

"You're being ridiculous. I've known that girl since she was a child. She's Mr. Brees's granddaughter. You remember him, right? One of my very good clients who gave us the tickets to Madama b.u.t.terfly. Accepting her as an intern is a favor to him."

He's wrong. That child is all grown up and, outfit aside, I saw something in the way she maneuvered her body around him. She wanted him to want her. I know because a woman has the gift of intuition and mine is screaming at me, Beware of this woman, Laurelyn. She wants your husband.

He doesn't see it, or maybe he just refuses to admit it to me, but my radar is on high alert. I won't be taking my eyes off her any time soon. "Of course I remember who Mr. Brees is. He's responsible for my first opera house o.r.g.a.s.m."

"Really, L? You're giving Randall Brees, a man who very much resembles a Keebler elf, credit for that o.r.g.a.s.m?"

"You know what I mean. He's the reason I met your family. If he hadn't sent you those tickets, I wouldn't have been with you in Sydney on the night Henry was taken to the hospital. Meeting the McLachlans set our whole arrangement into a different motion-it changed everything. Mr. Brees has no idea but he may very well be behind me becoming your wife."

"Wow. Here I was thinking all this time that I was the reason you became my wife."

I roll my eyes. "Ha ha."

"All joking aside. You have no reason to worry about Bianca. She knows you're my wife and I'm not interested in her."

I hate looking like the jealous wife. It's not an attractive look for anyone, but I'd choose it over the naive, played wife any day. "I'll cool my jets because I trust you but let's be clear about one thing. She makes one false move-one-and she's gone."

He grasps my hand and brings it to his mouth for a kiss. "Anything you say, babe."

We arrive at Henry and Margaret's a couple hours before my party. Jack Henry plants himself in the living room with his dad so he can check out the score of some game on TV. Suits me. I want to talk to Chloe about Ben, so I go into the kitchen. I see my chocolate cake on the counter and have an incredible urge to grab a fork. "Someone is eyeing that dessert very intently."

"I've been craving this cake since the last time we were here. I almost called to beg you for one last week. I was willing to drive four hours to pick it up."

"You should've called me. I would've made one and brought it to you." Margaret's grinning. I'm sure she's a.s.suming I have this special craving for a particular reason, but I don't. I think it's just a delicious cake and I didn't get enough of it before.

I can tell Chloe is processing this conversation. "I've seen that same reaction from some of the people at the restaurant and they're always pregnant. Think you could be?"

Margaret knows we're trying but I'm not ready to go there with the rest of the family. And yet I don't want to lie to Chloe. She's my sister-in-law, and also a good friend, but I don't want to say anything to spur more questions. I shrug, attempting to appear nonchalant. "Not that I'm aware of." I walk over to take a look at what she's preparing-and change the subject. "What did you decide to go with?"

The birthday girl, or boy, always get to choose the meal. I couldn't come up with anything that sounded great so I told Chloe to choose for me. "My version of chicken and biscuits. I thought you might like it since it's sort of similar to your southern cuisine."

"That sounds so good. I need a huge gla.s.s of sweet tea to go with it."

"Done. Jack told me you'd want that rather than wine so I gave it a try." Smooth one, McLachlan. You got me out of having to refuse alcohol.

She takes out a pitcher from the fridge and pours some over ice. "Try this and tell me if it's sweet enough for you."

It's really good. "You nailed it. Tastes just like Nanna's."

"It tastes like syrup to me but Jack said it had to be really sweet."

"He knows me well."

Margaret leaves the kitchen saying she wants to check on the game's score. She gave me a wink when she said it so I'm certain she has an agenda-to quiz Jack Henry on how the baby-making efforts are going since she can't ask me in front of Chloe.

"How are things with Ben?"

"Really good. I know Jack hates him but I like Ben a lot. He treats me well-better than any of the other losers I've dated lately." She gets a giddy look on her face. "It's crazy, Laurelyn. It's only been a little over a month since we started dating but I think ... I think he could be the one."

I never thought Ben was a bad guy. He just got a little zealous when Jack Henry started swinging his weight around. Honestly, I think he liked the challenge Jack Henry presented more than he liked me. "It's not crazy at all. I knew very soon after I started dating your brother that Jack Henry was the only man I'd ever love."

"Ben's perfect for me, although I never thought I'd want to be with someone in the business. They don't make the best family men." She looks up at me and scrunches her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Jack has changed because of you and he'd never be absent like Dad."

"It's fine. I know what you mean ... but you should probably be prepared for your brother to cause problems. He's not happy about your relationship."

"I don't care. His approval isn't a requirement for me to be happy."

"I'll work on him."

Chloe comes over to give me a hug. "I'd appreciate that. I say I don't care if he approves, but that's not the truth. I want him to accept Ben."

"I think he will in time. All of this is still fresh. Be patient with him."

She puts a baking dish in the oven, sets the timer, and then comes back to sit with me at the bar. A huge grin spreads across her face. "This isn't something I could say to Addison but I've been dying to tell someone." She giggles before leaning over to whisper, "Ben is supremely f.u.c.klicious." She groans. "Mmm ... the man is d.a.m.n good at what he does."