Page 74 of Forever and Other Lies

“You never didn’t say that.”

“Jamie, that sentence doesn’t make sense.”

“Neither do you and Lance,” Jamie shot back.

“What about you and Derek? There seemed to be something going on between the two of you for a hot minute,” Piper questioned.

Jayna exhaled loudly. “We have nothing besides a really bad judgment call in high school and, well, a stupid hot minute last month.” She used Piper’s turn of phrase. “It was over before it even began.”

It was all pretend, just like Derek had told Norm and Earl.

The sound of loud bagpipe music drifted across the street, along with the bang of Ophelia’s front door.

“Can we make requests?” Jayna slapped her knee and then groaned. “Damn it, speak of the devil.”

Derek pulled his truck up at the curb, blocking their view. She really needed to stop saying his name out loud, or even thinking about him.

“Derek!” It was a chorus of annoyed voices.

He stared over the hood. “What?”

“Move that truck!” Leighton yelled.

He glanced over his shoulder, noticing the Shamus and Ophelia show ramping up. Jumping back in his truck, he moved it further down the street.

In jean cutoffs and a chest-hugging T-shirt, he strolled up the sidewalk. His hair was still damp from a recent shower. Wow! Just wow. Jayna tossed more popcorn into her mouth.

“Ladies and Jayna,” he spoke in that low, rumbly voice. “See, I’m just in time for the show.”

He used that old line that he hadn’t used in a long time. Was he letting her know that they had reverted to their less-than-friendly, strictly platonic friendship?

“Now little Nathaniel will have company,” Jayna huffed out.

Derek turned in her direction, a confused eyebrow arched.

“You know, because you both have the same maturity level,” she explained her lame joke. She was losing her edge. A good burn never needed an explanation.

“Ouch,” he moved a hand over his heart. Reaching down, he scooped Nathaniel out of Leighton’s arms.

Watching Derek bring the baby up for a soft kiss and then cradle him so gently in his arms did twisty things to Jayna’s insides.

What the hell was that?

He laid down on the grass, holding the 3-month-old above his head, making cooing sounds, and she lost feeling in her legs. Who knew the ape could be so good with babies?

Not her.

Not that it made a difference.

She didn’t want kids. She didn’t want Derek. She had Lance Romance.

Stop calling him that, she reprimanded herself. Damn, Derek Brennan with that lopsided grin and those muscles and that chest. He had a way with babies that was causing her ovaries to jump to attention. Was that her biological clock she could hear ticking?

No, that was just very loud, very obnoxious bagpipe music mixed with equally loud and equally obnoxious yelling from Ophelia.

Derek brought the baby down and kissed his cheek and lifted him back up when the puppy ran over. “Hey doggie, with the really stupid name.”

Sitting up, he snuggled the baby into the crook of his arm and scratched behind the dog’s ears. He was good with puppies and babies. Was the universe out to get her? Her heart expanded along with her pulsing ovaries. This was just not fair.

---