“So, Raina. You have a reality show now,” Bennett asked. He was seated on her left side. They were the only people at the table not talking.
He spoke slowly and Raina noticed that he stumbled and stuttered over several of his words. He was different from the rest of his brothers who all seemed so confident and outgoing. He also looked different than the rest of his family. He was the palest one of them and his brown eyes were lighter with a sprinkling of green through them. He was also the only one who wore glasses. She thought he must have always been the oddball in such a boisterous, loud, confident family.
She liked him immediately.
When he noticed her watching him, he lowered his eyes. A slight blush tinged his cheeks. “S…sorry if we weren’t supposed to ask about it. Mom told us.”
“No, no. It’s okay. It’s public knowledge now. I signed the deal a few weeks ago, so it should air early next year if all goes to plan. I’m really excited about it.”
She looked around at everyone else. There were several conversations going on at once and a heated argument at the end of the table between Mark and Eli about football.
“Sorry if I’m not the best company.”
Bennett glanced at her. “We can be a bit much to take at times. Mom’s not normally this pushy. It’s just that we thought you were a friend of Jackson’s. When we heard you and Nick got married… She just couldn’t take the suspense of waiting to find out. She thought he’d never settle down. Sorry if we bombarded you all at once.”
“It’s okay. I’m just not used to all… this.” She gestured around the table. “I can’t even imagine belonging to a big family.”
Bennett smiled at her. “Well, you’re Nick’s wife, so you belong to one now.”
That, it seemed, was all it took to be accepted.
* * * * *
A MONTH LATER, Raina stood at the window looking out into the backyard of Jackson’s house. Jackson’s sons, Chris and Jase, romped outside, chasing each other through the sprinklers. Every few minutes they would fall to the ground, rolling around in the wet grass. Her sister was going to have a disgusting pile of clothes to launder later, but they were having a great time. Happy shrieks and giggles filled the air.
“Raina, are you okay?”
Ridley stood behind her, putting the finishing touches on the spicy spaghetti casserole dish she was making for that night’s dinner.
She’d started to feel guilty that Nick handled most of their meals on the nights they didn’t order takeout. He was a great cook and didn’t seem to mind, but she’d asked Ridley to teach her to make a simple dish. Once it became clear that Raina was hopeless though, Ridley had abandoned the lesson.
She put a hand against her lower abdomen and turned to face her sister. “I’m okay. I’m just not pregnant.”
It had been a chaotic month, filled with the awkward dance of two individuals set in their ways trying to learn to compromise.
Nick liked the left side of the bed but so did she. He had given in on that one, but since he slept cuddled up to her back, it didn’t really matter anyway. He was kind of a slob and Raina liked things neat. She’d been the one to make concessions there. A stray shoe in the middle of the floor or a shirt hanging over a chair in the bedroom wasn’t the end of the world.
She’d been disappointed upon discovering that their time in Vegas hadn’t yielded the desired results, but not that surprised. Nick had been more than anxious to try again a few weeks later. She blushed remembering just how excited he’d been.
“Oh, Ray. I thought you looked sad.”
Ridley dropped the bag of shredded cheese she held and came from around the kitchen island. “I’m really sorry. I know how much you wanted to be.”
Raina took a deep breath. “Yeah, I did. I’m trying not to hear the doctor’s voice of doom and gloom in my head. But the fact is that every month that goes by where I’m not pregnant means it’ll be that much harder for me to get there.”
“It’ll happen. This was just your second month trying, right?”
“I know. I’m determined to stay positive. Plus everything was kind of chaotic with the whole running off to Vegas thing. Then there was the stress of trying to adjust to living together. This time, I’m ready.”
“I just hope Nick is ready. You have to let the poor guy out of bed at some point.”
“You have an incredibly dirty mind since hooking up with Jackson, you know that? I was referring to the fact that I’m calmer this time. Too much excitement can throw off your ovulation. I should be able to pinpoint my ovulation date with more accuracy this time.”
Ridley wrinkled her nose. “Oh, that doesn’t sound like fun. All that charting and temperature taking and whatever. I like my way better. Just chain my handsome brother-in-law to the bed and have your way with him until the deed is done.”
“Is this what you two talk about when we’re not around?”
They both jumped at the sound of Jackson’s voice. He stood in the doorway that connected the kitchen to the family room. He raised his eyebrows at Ridley’s shocked expression.
“Um, hey baby. How long have you been standing there?”
Jackson came behind her and wrapped her in his arms. “Long enough to know that your version of ‘girl talk’ differs vastly from mine.”
Raina laughed. “She used to blush when I even mentioned sex. Apparently you’ve corrupted my sister, because she never talked like this before. “