Page 22 of Reunion With Benefits

Six

The next two weeks passed in a blur. The office was on fire with work and party details. Derrick came in and out, looking and sounding grumpy and tired. The only thing that made him smile were the calls from Ellie. Spence seriously considered setting up a video system where Derrick could watch Ellie all day and maybe relax a little. Jackson told him no because he was pretty sure that crossed a line.

But Ellie had come through the weeks with little pain and no bleeding. The pregnancy was still considered high-risk and would be until the end, but Ellie had just moved into week ten and found some comfort in that, even though twelve seemed to be some sort of magic number for her.

Derrick hadn’t found any peace. Spence was pretty sure Derrick would never be calm and not panic where Ellie was concerned.

At least the party had started. Spence looked over the green lawn that stretched out behind the family’s Virginia estate. Set in the country, it consisted of acres of rolling hills outlined by tall trees for privacy. A rectangular pool that no one had been in for years lay perpendicular to the house. The pristine water glistened, as did the intricate inlay of stone surrounding it.

He grew up here but hadn’t been back for more than a year. Walking inside required that he exorcise more than one ghost, so he stayed outside.

His father hated anyone stepping on the lawn. The house rules were pretty strict. No one in his locked office. No one could eat dinner until he did. No noise in the house once he got home. Feet off the furniture. No running in the house. And those were the easy ones. He could go on for hours about how his property must be respected.

With that history, Spence couldn’t help but smile when he saw how Derrick had set up tall tables in the grass and all along the brick pathways that led from the house to the pool, then branched off to the pool house and over to the guesthouse. People mingled and servers passed food and drinks. Soft music blasted from the outdoor speakers and lights that had been strewn above him twinkled even though the sun had not gone down.

The place had a festive air. For the first time, in what had to be more than a decade, laughter floated around the property. People smiled and looked at ease. Everyone seemed to be having fun, including the mother-and wife-to-be who sat in her light blue dress at a table closest to the back patio area with Derrick hovering over her shoulder. She wore her hair back and greeted guests. If an internet gossip site hadn’t announced her pregnancy prematurely, people likely wouldn’t guess.

Everything looked perfect. The party took place in the backyard, which consisted of acres of rolling hills and a perfectly manicured green lawn. From where Spence stood in the rear of the soaring three-story redbrick main house, he could watch people bustle in and out of the four sets of French doors outlined by columns, leading into what his father always called the great room.

Ivy covered most of the first floor’s exterior walls. And there, standing on the second-floor balcony overhang above the house’s back entrance stood Abby. She wore a purple cocktail dress. Sort of a lacy material that slipped over her impressive curves, highlighting each one. Her brown hair down fell unbound and free. When she turned to point out something on the far lawn to Jameson Industries’ head of sales, the sun caught the strands, turning them a lighter caramel color.

A second later, she leaned in and the older man on the other side of her said something that made her laugh. That open, genuine smile stole his breath. He put his hand against his stomach without thinking. Her body made him ache to settle the anger that lingered between them and move on to touching.

“Is it wrong that I want this over?” Jackson asked as he joined Spence at one of the high tables.

Spence forced his gaze off the woman who snagged every thought out of his head and onto the friend he’d missed as he traveled around, away from DC. “Not having fun?”

“Your father is coming. Carter is supposed to finally breeze into town. Derrick is a damn mess and there is no way Ellie is going to sit for her own engagement party.” Jackson shrugged. “So, yeah. Everything is about normal around here.”

“When you put it like that, I’m wondering why the two of us didn’t go on an impromptu vacation and skip this.” Spence saw a flash of purple and looked up again. Abby was talking to a business associate now. Someone Spence considered forgettable. But her? No. She stood out in any crowd.

Her memory lingered. Seeing her here, out of the office, lighter and not bogged down by their arguments or a stack of work, eased some of the tightness in his chest. She put in almost as many hours as Derrick usually did, but now she looked relaxed. Or she did until she started talking to this new guy.

“Well, you’re in love and fighting it. I’m guessing that’s your excuse.”

Spence barely heard what Jackson said but he could tell from Jackson’s amused expression that he needed to. He shook his head and focused in on the conversation in front of him. “What?”

“Unless you’re okay with the idea of Abby dating...” Jackson spun around and pointed at a random blond-haired guy Spence had never seen before “...that guy. He was sniffing around her earlier.”

The words came together in Spence’s head and his insides froze. Heat washed through him, a kind of fighting preparation where his body switched to high alert and his brain kicked into gear.

“You seem pretty protective. Are you interested in her?” Because Spence had no idea what he would do then. He’d walked away from her and she was a grown-up. Next to his brothers, Jackson was his closest friend. They all considered him family. But damn.

“Hold up.” Jackson put up a hand and looked like he was trying to swallow a smile. “Don’t start swinging. I care about Abby as a friend. Only a friend.”

Spence felt the tension ease out of him. “Oh, right.”

“A friend who will beat you to death if you hurt her again.”

Spence fumbled with his drink, almost dropping it before setting it down. “I didn’t see that coming.”

Jackson moved the glass out of spilling range. “You know Abby and I hang out all the time, right?”

“Well...no. You...you do?” Spence stammered his way through the response but his mind went blank. He didn’t even remember Jackson and Abby talking all that much before he left town.

“That will teach you to go away and not visit.”

Another apology Spence needed to make. He just wasn’t sure how to admit that he had to go away because seeing her chipped away at him until he couldn’t think straight. That he stayed gone until Derrick called because that’s how he’d learned to deal with personal conflict: he stepped away from it.

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