Until There Was Us Page 5

  This is good, Megan thought. It was a Friday night, and here she was laughing and hanging out with her cousins and their wives and feeling very relaxed. Happy. She’d survived her first week, and she hadn’t worked beyond five o’clock any of those days. Gabriella had made sure of it. Although now would be as good a time as any to talk about the things she needed to do starting next week.

  “I think I need to look at cars,” she said.

  “What’s the rush?” Summer asked. “You know you can borrow mine anytime.”

  She smiled at her cousin. “And I appreciate that. But this is something I’m going to have to do eventually.”

  “Well, of course it is,” Gabriella commented. “But you’ve only been here a week, and I guess we’re just making sure you’re not overwhelmed by all of us and looking for an excuse to not be with us.”

  Megan laughed. “Guys, don’t be silly! That’s not it at all! I know I’m going to be living in Portland for a while, and I want to start making my own way. I appreciate the hospitality, and I love being here with you. But I’m a practical person, and I don’t like to feel like I’m not pulling my own weight. I don’t want to be a drain on anyone, and honestly, I feel bad enough about the timing of my move.”

  “Why?” Zach asked.

  With a sigh, Megan looked over at Summer and Ethan. “You guys just had a baby and have had people in your house ever since. I would think you’d be looking forward to having the place to yourself by now.”

  Summer waved her off. “This is different. You’re living in the guesthouse, and you’re working. My mom wanted to stay in our guest room so she could help out when Amber woke up at night.”

  “But she was here for a while, right?”

  “Yes, she was,” Summer said with a small laugh before she turned and looked at Zach. “Do you remember how long Mom stayed when Amber was born?”

  “Didn’t she leave like two weeks ago?” he asked.

  “No, more like a month, but she was here for almost two! And don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the help, and I loved how she had time to bond with Amber, and it gave me time to sleep, but…oh my God! It was glorious when we had our first night of it being just the three of us. Right?” she asked Ethan.

  He nodded vigorously. “Your mother is a perfectly delightful woman, but there is something to be said for being able to walk around in my boxers in my own home.” Then he chuckled. “I learned that lesson fast. You do not want your mother-in-law seeing you with morning wood.”

  “Dude,” Zach murmured but then started to laugh. “I can sympathize, and yet…I almost wish I could have seen the look on your face!”

  “It wasn’t so much the look as the scream he let out,” Summer said playfully. “Mom was mortified, of course, but later on she gave a nod of approval.”

  “What?” Ethan cried.

  “Baby, you have an amazing body,” Summer cooed as she leaned over and kissed him. “There’s no shame in it.”

  “There is when your mother-in-law thinks that,” Ethan grumbled. “It’s just…wrong. And gross. And now I’ll never walk out of the bedroom in my boxers again.”

  The look on Summer’s face showed how much she didn’t believe that statement for one minute.

  “Anyway,” Summer went on, “it was great having Mom here—and Aunt Monica and Aunt Eliza—but they were a little exhausting at times.”

  Zach laughed. “I have to admit, I was a little surprised that the aunts came and stayed for as long as they did. Nothing against you, Summer,” he quickly corrected, “but I would have thought they would have waited to come when you had the christening and then stayed for a long weekend with everyone.”

  “I think it was an excuse for them to get away for a bit. There were several days when I didn’t see them at all,” Summer said.

  “They did come over and spend a lot of time with us,” Gabriella said. “They both were so curious to talk to Zach about how he was feeling and about the physical therapy he did after the accident that we finally referred them to Alex.”

  Megan choked on her drink and began to cough. Zach was immediately at her side, patting her gently on the back. “You okay?” he asked.

  Slowly, she nodded and did her best to catch her breath. “Yeah…um…sorry. It went down the wrong way.”

  “You sure?” he asked, and Megan nodded again. He rubbed her back for a moment before returning to his prep work.

  “Anyway,” Gabriella went on, “we never found out why they had so many questions or were so curious about the whole thing, but they spent a lot of time talking to Alex.” She paused. “Come to think of it, we never asked him what it was all about.”

  “You can ask him tonight,” Zach said. “He should be here any minute.”

  And just like that, Megan started choking again. This time Ethan came over and patted her on the back until she caught her breath.

  He carefully moved her glass away. “Maybe wait a while before you try that again,” he teased. Everyone laughed, and Megan did her best to join in, but inside she felt like she was going to be sick.

  “I’m good,” she said after a moment.

  “You didn’t mention Alex was coming,” Gabriella said as she began putting a salad together.

  “I asked him if he could come help us paint this weekend, and he said yes and even volunteered to help out tonight.”

  “Well, that was nice of him,” Summer said, placing Amber on her shoulder and rubbing her back.

  “He’s bringing beer and dessert,” Zach said with a grin. Then he looked at Ethan. “And I thought we could shoot some hoops before dinner since the rest of the night will be a snooze fest of unscrewing switch plates and taping trim.”

  “Yes!” Ethan said with relief. “I was hoping there was going to be something else to do!”

  “Hey, you volunteered,” Zach reminded him.

  “I know, but that’s because I’m a nice guy and a good friend. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to be bored out of my mind,” he clarified.

  “Megan, did you meet Alex at our wedding?” Gabriella asked.

  Immediately, she felt her cheeks warm and knew she was minutes away from a panic attack. “Um…I don’t think so,” she said and then quickly excused herself. It wasn’t until she was in the bathroom that she finally allowed herself to breathe. She’d known she was going to see Alex eventually; she just wasn’t expecting it to be quite so soon. Looking down at herself, she groaned. Sure, he couldn’t come over after she’d gone shopping?

  It was impossible to do anything about what she was wearing, and as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror, she cursed the fact that she hadn’t even had the good sense to bring a little lip gloss or anything with her. Closing her eyes, she silently counted to ten and forced herself to leave the bathroom.

  The doorbell rang as she was walking by the front door, so when Zach asked her to get it, how could she say no? Letting out a slow breath, Megan reached a shaky hand toward the door and pulled it open.

  And basically forgot how to breathe.

  Yeah, he was everything she remembered and so much more—sandy-brown hair, tall, lean build, and muscles that made her want to reach out and touch them.

  Or lick them. Whatever.

  He was wearing dark sunglasses, so she had no idea if he was as surprised to see her as she was to see him, but he smiled as he softly said, “Hey, Megan.”

  And just like that she was practically a puddle on the floor.

  “Hey,” she said and wanted to curse how breathless she sounded. Stepping aside, she motioned for him to come in.

  “Thanks.”

  Her cheeks heated, and she couldn’t make herself look directly at him. “Everyone’s in the kitchen.” And when she walked past him, she could almost feel him. Swallowing hard, she led the way to where everyone was and quickly took her seat. Then she took a
moment to congratulate herself on not acting like an idiot in front of him.

  “Alex!” Gabriella said with a smile as she walked over and hugged him. “Thanks for coming over.”

  He held up a grocery bag. “And I come bearing gifts! I heard I couldn’t go wrong with anything chocolate, so I found chocolate chocolate-chip ice cream with brownies in it. I hope that will work.”

  Gabriella looked at him before glancing over at Megan and Summer. “Will that work?” she asked with a laugh. “I may have to leave my husband for you! Thank you!” She kissed him on the cheek and immediately put the bag in the freezer. “What else was in there?”

  “I bought some butter pecan and some cookie-dough ice cream in case the guys wanted some,” he teased. Turning, Alex shook hands with Zach and Ethan and then came over to kiss Summer on the cheek. “Good to see you, Summer.”

  “Hey, Alex,” Summer said with a smile.

  He crouched beside her and smiled at Amber. “Look how she’s grown,” he said softly, reaching out to touch the baby’s hand. “Hey, Princess. How are you?”

  And right then and there, Megan’s ovaries nearly exploded.

  Taking off his sunglasses, Alex smiled at the baby and made a couple of funny faces before he straightened and took the beer Zach was offering him. “Thanks.”

  “Zach and I were trying to remember, Alex, if you and Megan had met at our wedding,” Gabriella said. “Megan said she didn’t remember, but I feel like I remember seeing you guys dance.”

  Megan averted her eyes, but she could feel Alex staring at her, and she didn’t want to give anything away. So she busied herself with smoothing her sweater and pulling imaginary lint from her pants.

  “We might have,” Alex said casually, “but it was a long time ago, so…who’s to say.”

  “Well, then let me reintroduce you,” Gabriella said, oblivious to how awkward the moment was. “Alex, this is Zach’s cousin Megan. Megan, this is our friend Alex.”

  With no other choice, Megan looked up, smiled at him, and offered a shy hello, and when he returned her smile, she was grateful to be sitting. Without the sunglasses, he was lethal.

  Stepping forward, Alex held out his hand to her. He was close enough that only she could see the amusement in his eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Megan,” he said, and to the casual observer, it was a simple and pleasant greeting. To Megan, it was like a caress.

  Swallowing hard, she put her hand in his. “Thanks,” she said quietly. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

  If his hand lingered a little long, no one seemed to notice.

  But Megan did.

  And just when she was about to sigh dreamily, Zach spoke up.

  “C’mon, we’ve got about thirty minutes until the grill is ready, so let’s go shoot some hoops!”

  Alex let go of Megan’s hand, but his gaze stayed on hers for a heartbeat longer. Then as if they hadn’t just shared a moment, he turned and clapped his hands together. “Let’s go! I’m looking forward to beating you at something else today!”

  Zach kissed Gabriella.

  Ethan kissed Summer and Amber.

  Alex gave Megan a sly wink as he walked out the door.

  * * *

  He played basketball and won.

  He joked with Ethan and Zach as they grilled dinner.

  And he made pleasant conversation with Gabriella and Summer.

  As expected, Alex ended up sitting next to Megan, and when his knee brushed hers under the table, he heard her soft intake of breath.

  He’d missed that sound.

  All through dinner, conversation flowed, and while Megan was polite to him, she also wouldn’t look directly at him. At first, he was amused, but now her avoidance was starting to piss him off.

  “So, Megan,” he began, “Zach mentioned how you moved here from Albany. That’s a pretty drastic move for a job.”

  This time she did glance at him and offered a small—but forced—smile. “My contract with my previous employer ended, and I was trying to find something new. So when my father and uncle mentioned that Zach’s office was looking to change over its computer system, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.”

  Alex nodded. “So it was the job that brought you here then. Nothing else?”

  She looked at him with mild irritation. “Well, the thought of working with family was certainly a perk.”

  “All the Montgomery offices are going to change over to this system, but we’re doing it first because I was smart enough to snag my favorite cousin,” Zach said.

  Everyone laughed, and Alex saw the blush on Megan’s face.

  “I have to admit, the obvious choice was to go to San Diego and be with Christian, but so far I’m pleased with my decision,” she said.

  “Who’s Christian?” Alex asked with a little more aggression than he had intended.

  “Megan’s brother,” Zach said around a mouthful of hamburger. “He’s running the San Diego office my brother Ryder used to run.”

  “And what happened to Ryder? Where is he?” Alex asked, confused by the sheer number of Montgomery family members and where they were all located.

  “Ryder is in North Carolina,” Ethan answered. “He went there for a bit of a sabbatical and ran into an ex-girlfriend, and they reconnected and got married. She has a business there, so Ryder decided to relocate.”

  Nodding, Alex turned toward Megan. “Any other siblings?”

  “I have another brother—Carter. He’s a chef,” she replied.

  “Wow! A Montgomery who isn’t in the finance empire?” Alex asked with amusement. “How did that go over?”

  Zach was the one to respond. “I think everyone would have been a lot more upset if Carter wasn’t a genius in the kitchen. He’s got restaurants in LA, Vegas, and New Orleans, and he’s looking to expand in the next couple of years. After the success of the first place, no one brought up his straying from the family business again.”

  Megan laughed. “Carter’s lucky the whole chef–restaurateur thing worked out because my parents thought he was crazy. Even after the first place succeeded, they still thought it was a phase,” she said. “When he started appearing on the morning talk shows and showing up in the tabloids as a ‘celebrity chef,’ they finally accepted his choice of career.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Summer interjected. “Ethan and I went to Carter’s place in New Orleans last year while we were on vacation, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a meal like that.”

  “He knew we were coming in,” Ethan explained, “and when we arrived, the servers were instructed not to give us a menu. Carter prepared a special meal for us, and it was…it was…I’m telling you, it was spectacular.”

  “I still don’t know where he got his talent,” Megan said. “My mother was never creative in the kitchen. I mean, she always cooked perfectly fine meals for us, but nothing on the scale of what Carter does.”

  “What about you?” Alex asked. “Do you cook like your brother?”

  Megan’s eyes went wide, and then she laughed out loud. “Oh God no,” she said. “I am not someone who cooks. I know the basics, but I end up getting takeout or microwave meals way more than I should.”

  “You can’t be that bad at cooking,” Summer said. “I remember staying with you one summer during college, and we didn’t eat out all that much.”

  “Sandwiches and salads,” Megan said. “I make a mean sandwich, and I am practically a gourmet with salads, but if it has to be cooked? I can’t do it.”

  “Oh, come on,” Gabriella said. “You have to be exaggerating.”

  Megan gave her a look. “Are you willing to test that theory and let me make dinner one night?”

  “Um…maybe we could…I mean…I’m sure we could try…” Gabriella stammered.

  “What my wife is trying to say,” Zach interrupted, “is she takes
her meals very seriously these days, and maybe sometime after the baby comes and if she wants to lose weight, she’ll consider it.”

  Megan laughed at her cousin’s attempt at patting her on the head. “Oh, I can guarantee you’ll lose weight, Gabs, if it’s up to me to prepare meals. No worries. I’m your girl.”

  Conversation veered away from her brother and cooking skills and moved on to the plans for what they wanted to accomplish tonight and what they were going to try to finish the next day.

  “We can move some of the furniture tonight too,” Zach said. “I think between the three of us we can get it all done.”

  “We can help,” Summer volunteered. “Well, I mean, Megan and I can. Amber’s asleep, and if we all lend a hand, you’ll get done faster and then we can have dessert!”

  “Oh, sweetie,” Gabriella said, “we are having dessert even if the guys aren’t done. I’m already thinking of the ice cream Alex brought. All of the ice cream.”

  “But Megan and I can do stuff like take pictures down or strip the bedding in the guest room…you know, nothing major.”

  “I don’t mind helping,” Megan said.

  “If you’re sure,” Zach said.

  Everyone was in agreement, and once dinner was completed, Summer and Gabriella started cleaning up the kitchen while Megan went to help with the little stuff so the guys could start moving furniture. Alex waited a minute to see how everyone was going to disperse, and when he watched Megan walk in one direction and Zach and Ethan in another, he saw his opportunity and grabbed it.

  “Why don’t I start moving stuff out of the guest room while you get the tools and whatnot?” he suggested.

  “Good plan,” Zach said. “Megan can take down the pictures and put any of the knickknacks into drawers. And if you can get some of the stuff moved—we’re going to try to put as much as we can in the office—I’ll get Ethan started on taking stuff down in the bathroom, and I’ll do the nursery.”

  With a nod of agreement, everyone sprang into action, and as Alex headed toward the guest room, he had to remember to breathe. He didn’t miss the fact that she had practically dashed from the dinner table—no doubt to get away from him—but she couldn’t avoid him forever.