“Spaghetti!” Ian bounced in Jack’s arms as he shouted out the word, and all of them chuckled, the boy’s happiness contagious.
A short while later, Mary cut the pasta she’d rolled out into thin slices and dropped them into the water already boiling on the stove. Max sat down to give his wife a foot massage. Even though she looked as if she was in heaven, Claudia said, “Are you sure you don’t need any help with dinner, Mary?”
“I love to cook. It’s one of those things I didn’t get to do enough of, bouncing around from hotel room to hotel room over the years.”
Mary started on a simple sauce by quickly cutting up the fresh tomatoes Claudia had brought over. Jack’s sister-in-law asked, “Do you have any exciting projects lined up after your campaign with Jack comes to an end?”
“Actually,” Mary said as she lifted her gaze to Jack’s, “I’m trying to figure that out as we speak. I’ve been on the move for so long that I'd like to set down some roots for a while.”
“The exotic destinations. The clothes. The shoes.” Claudia sighed with just the slightest bit of envy. “It sounds so glamorous.”
“Yes, I have been really lucky to have seen the world and to have worked with some truly amazing photographers and designers and makeup artists. It was what I always wanted.”
Jack could see that Mary didn’t want to disappoint Claudia with the truth that he saw more of every time he watched her work. The hours were long, the lights were bright and hot, and she had to be beautiful on command every single day without fail, regardless of what was going on in the rest of her life. So while her job had more glitz and glamour than most, that didn’t mean it wasn’t hard work.
Knowing she’d never say any of that, he told his family, “Mary is so good at what she does that she makes it look deceptively easy.” Never having been in a TV studio before, Jack had been fascinated by the process, the machines, and the people who ran them, and he explained what he’d seen to his family.
Blushing from his compliment, Mary turned her attention to the sauce simmering on the stovetop. Jack could tell that his siblings were blown away by her. Not only because of her stunning beauty—he still lost his breath every time he looked at her and had come to realize he always would—but also because she was as comfortable in couture as she was playing with a child and making dinner for a group of people she’d only just met.
Even more amazing, she didn’t seem to notice the effect she had on people. There was no vanity. No efforts to impress. She was simply being herself.
And he was in love with her.
Jack squeezed Ian a little too tightly as the realization hit him hard in the solar plexus. The little boy tugged on his hair to get his attention.
“Uncle Jack-Jack okay?”
He pressed a kiss to the little boy’s cheek, then shifted his gaze to Mary, who had looked over at them when Ian asked his question. “I’ve never felt better.”
“Hey, Jack,” Ethan said as he got up from the kitchen table, “come help me set the table in the dining room.”
Jack passed Ian to Max, and when they were in the dining room with the door closed, Ethan handed him a stack of plates. “I'm still trying to work out how my engineer brother who’s had his head stuck to a motherboard his whole life has landed one of the foxiest models on the planet.”
Jack shot his brother a warning look, his fingers curling hard around the edges of the plates. “Mary is a hell of a lot more than just a foxy model.”
“Sure she is,” Ethan quickly agreed, “but the fact is, she’s way out of your league. You might have gotten lucky catching her eye, but you’re going to have to count on more than luck to keep her.”
Nothing like family to rub in the truth, was there? “Nice to know you’re on my side,” Jack muttered.
When he looked up, Ethan was grinning at him. “Does she have any sisters?”
“No.” Thinking of the young models living with Mary, he added, “And before you ask, I’m not going to introduce you to any of her friends, either.”
“Times like this make me wonder why I ever bothered to cover for you with Mom when we were kids,” Ethan said as he dropped silverware beside the plates Jack had laid out on the table.
But even as they continued to razz each other, Jack could read the subtext of their conversation loud and clear: Even if Ethan couldn’t understand how the engineer and the model could fit so well together, his brother was happy Jack had found Mary…and he hoped things would work out for the two of them.
* * *
Spending time with his family had always been Jack’s favorite pastime, especially when, as adults, his brothers’ jobs and moves around the country meant they didn’t get to see each other nearly enough. But tonight, while he’d enjoyed catching up with everyone, Jack realized he was looking for excuses to leave so that he and Mary could be alone. And when she tried to hide a yawn behind her hand and he realized how beat she must be from her long day in front of the TV camera, not to mention making dinner for all of them, he pushed back from the table.
“Time to call it a night, folks.”
Ethan looked around at his once-pristine home in dismay. Between the meal and Ian’s fort made out of the cushions on his couch, his place was a mess.
“What am I supposed to do with all of these dirty pots and pans and dishes? My cleaning lady won’t be back for another few days.”
Max grinned at him. “We’ll stack them real neat by the sink for you.”
A while earlier, Claudia had tucked Ian into the middle of Ethan’s big king bed with pillows propped up on each side of him so that he couldn’t roll off and hurt himself. Claudia began to slowly stand to go get him, but when Mary offered to rouse him instead, Claudia nodded sleepily and tucked herself in tighter against Max.
From where Jack was standing in the living room, he could see Mary get to the master bedroom doorway then stop in her tracks. Wondering what had her halting, he moved down the hall.
“Mary?”
She held her finger to her lips, then pointed to the bed. Ian was sprawled on his back, three of his four chubby little limbs spread wide. His thumb had found its way into his mouth, and his cheeks were pink from drying spaghetti sauce and the exertions of sleep.
Jack had been careful all night long to keep what was between them private. He hadn’t touched Mary. Hadn’t dragged her against him for a kiss. Now, he threaded his fingers through hers and lifted her hand to his lips.