Her Forever Hero (Unexpected Heroes #3)(22)

“I dropped the salad and almost fell down the stairs. It’s a long and boring story. I’m sorry,” she told him as she gave him a quick squeeze to return his embrace.

“Bummer. I love your salads, but I’m certainly glad you didn’t fall and break something. Of course, with two excellent surgeons here, we would have fixed you up in no time.”

Cam guffawed. “Any chance to brag, huh, brother?”

“Well, of course,” Spence replied, feigning innocence as he kept his arm around Sage.

Sage felt as if she were in a battle of wills, and she wanted no part of it. She shifted on her feet and planned her escape route.

“Grace, you’re acting like a fish out of water. Knock it off. You know everyone here,” Sage said as she joined them.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I guess I’ve just been sort of antisocial the last few months,” Grace said with a laugh, grateful for the interruption.

“It’s about time that ends.” Sage was emphatic.

“I agree. I never see you anymore.” Alyssa Whitman, Jackson’s wife, broke through the crowd and gave Grace a hug. “We haven’t done a girls’ night in what seems like forever.”

“Maybe because you’re about two years pregnant,” Sage replied.

“I know! I think this baby is protesting the whole idea of coming out,” Alyssa said. “I warned my doctor that if she doesn’t enter this world on her due date, I’m leaving her no choice.”

Jackson spoke now. “I want you both safe and healthy, but I have to admit, I’m pretty excited about meeting my new daughter.”

“Wow, Jackson, three girls in one house. You’re getting overrun,” Spence teased.

“And I’m loving every minute of it. Angel is the biggest blessing I could ever imagine, and this new little girl is going to wrap me around her finger, too.” His eyes softened instantly as he talked about his daughters. The world thought Jackson was so hard, but he was a puddle of mush when it came to his family.

“Yeah, she’ll have us all wrapped,” Cam chimed in.

Against her will, Grace felt her heart begin to melt even more at Cam’s confession. One thing she’d always considered pretty amazing about Cam and his brothers was the deep bond they shared with their neighbors, friends, and children. The world didn’t seem to grow men like that anymore.

Shaking her head to clear those thoughts away, Grace tried to tune back in to the conversation again. She didn’t need to be thinking about what a great guy Cam was. Sure, he was wonderful, but their time together was long past. They’d given it a shot when she was a teenager and it hadn’t worked. They’d both be much better off looking ahead and not behind.

“As much as I love my husband,” Alyssa said, “I’ve had enough of his overprotectiveness this last month, so let’s ditch the men for a while and see what treats the neighbors brought.” She took Sage and Grace’s arms and led them away.

“It’s only because I love you!” Jackson called out after them, and the three women grinned at each other.

“I can’t believe how much I adore that man,” Alyssa said with a sigh. “But my back is on fire, and I haven’t seen my feet in two months, so when I do deliver this child, I don’t think I’m going to be loving him so much.”

“At least it’s a healthy pregnancy and this little girl is going to come out chubby and smiling,” Sage replied.

“Amen to that. I have never been so scared as when Angel came too soon. I didn’t even know babies could be that tiny,” Alyssa confessed, her expression somber.

“She’s still a petite little thing,” Grace said, “but with those blond curls and big brown eyes, she’s about the cutest little girl I’ve ever seen.”

“Yes, I agree, but then, I’m pretty dang biased,” Alyssa said with a wink.

“Enough about food and babies. I want to know what the deal is with you and Cam. You guys drove here together?” Sage asked.

“How do you know we didn’t just get here at the same time?” Grace replied, with one eyebrow raised but otherwise giving nothing away with her features.

“Um, pretty obvious when you walked back here hand in hand,” Sage told her with a knowing stare.

“Crap. You would have to notice that,” Grace moaned. “He just showed up at my apartment and told me I was riding with him, then I almost slipped down the stairs, he caught me, and I suddenly found myself in his car. I didn’t plan on riding with him.”

“I almost miss the days when Jackson was chasing me,” Alyssa said with a laugh. “Wait, he still chases me around, so I don’t really know what’s changed except that we sleep in the same bed every night now.”

Sage had to put in her two cents’ worth. “I fought like crazy not to fall in love with Spence all over again. But it was a lost cause from the beginning because I never fell out of love with him. We can put our love on hold, as I’ve told you, Grace, but once you feel true love, you can never push it away again. You might as well just admit defeat now.”

“He just wants to be friends,” Grace insisted, and the other two women rolled their eyes. “Okay, he might want to be ‘friends with benefits.’ But a happily-ever-after is completely out of the question. It’s come and gone.”