Beginnings Read online

  Ben caught the hint of annoyance at Susan's glance, and he knew that the boys and men weren't quite welcome in the kitchen.

  "Lucas, where's your mom?" Ben asked as Lucas moved back and forth behind him to hide from the single twin boy, whom he wasn't sure was Zane.

  "Getting her hair done," he said, gripping Ben's pants.

  About that time, the other twin came toward them, this one at a much slower pace. Was that the secret? He'd met Zane in a full out race with a car. His brother, however, had been quieter, he remembered.

  "Mom wants us to go outside," the other boy said. "And don't get dirty."

  The boy which Ben had decided was Zane, halted his pursuit of Lucas with a grunt. "Fine," he scoffed. "Can he come too?"

  Nichole moved through the kitchen, and again Ben found that when he looked at her, he was speechless. She was dressed in a dark dress with those little straps that went over well-sculpted shoulders. Her dark hair was done up, and he could swear it glistened. Today, she didn't have on her pink and black glasses, and when she looked at him with dark eyes, he felt that hitch in his chest that he often got when he saw her.

  "Ben, can you keep the boys occupied for a bit. I don't have anyone to watch them while I finish Audrey's hair. Chelsea could use a friend for Lucas, too, if you don't mind."

  He wanted to groan as Zane had earlier, but he refrained. "Sure. We'll go find something to do outside."

  Nichole reached her hand to his and squeezed it. "You're a lifesaver. I owe you one." Then she turned her focus to the boys with matching eyes and haircuts. "If you cause Mr. Walker any problems you're going to have to answer to me, and you don't want to do that, do you?"

  Both boys shook their heads.

  "Good." Nichole then tilted her head to look at Lucas. "You too. You do what your uncle says and be good. Or you'll have to deal with me, too."

  A stunned Lucas simply stared at her.

  "You don't want to see her mad face," Zane's twin said.

  "Wyatt, you set the example. Show him what I expect."

  Wyatt! The kid had a name.

  Wyatt nodded in agreement, and Nichole gave them all one more smile before she hurried away.

  Once she was out of sight, Ben felt the stare of three sets of eyes on him. What had he gotten himself into? He was a young boy once. What would he do to stay out of trouble?

  "Ben." He heard his father call from the other room.

  With the three boys nearly attached to him, he walked out into the living room where his brothers Eric and Russell each sat with their daughters in their arms, feeding them bottles. What a sight, he thought.

  "These two have their hands full, and your mother wants me to load up the truck with the gifts people brought." He pointed to the stack in the corner of the room. "Get them in the Escalade. Have them help you," he directed the comment to the boys.

  Ben figured that would keep them all out of trouble for five more minutes. He glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. They'd need to kill another half hour before the wedding out in his mother's garden. Whatever happened to churches, he wondered, as Lucas nudged him toward the gifts.

  Ben walked over to the pile that had amassed in the corner. He picked up each gift and decided if it was too heavy, or perhaps breakable, then handed it to a boy. His father had taken one box and headed out the front door with it. Each boy followed, and Ben at the back. They repeated the process until all the gifts had been stacked in the truck and the door shut.

  "Well, that killed five minutes. Now, what do I do with them?" Ben asked his father as he watched them run in circles around the truck. Lucas seemed to enjoy the two older boys' attention. Ben figured he'd been that way with his brothers at one time. Eric was too much older to enjoy a good chase around a car, but he'd done it with his other brothers. Maybe he'd find some joy in it now if he wasn't too worried about what Nichole would think if she saw him chasing her sons around.

  As if the thought of her magically made her appear, she stood in the doorway watching her sons. When he caught her eye, she smiled at him. She sure had a way of turning his insides to goo.

  "Boys, come on in now. We're going to wash up before the wedding."

  Zane and Wyatt grumbled, but dutifully headed toward their mother with Lucas in tow.

  "She has a lot of baggage," his father said as he crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back against the truck.

  "Yeah, so?"

  "So, you have an eye for her."

  "She's a good-looking woman. And nice, too," he added because he felt that the first comment made him sound like a sexist pig. "The kids are nice, too," he continued, to give her the credit she deserved.

  "Hey, I'm not one to balk at a woman with kids. Your mom took Eric on, and me."

  That was true, he thought, though he often forgot that Eric was only his half-brother. "She's just a nice person, Dad. I don't have any plans other than friends. She did give me a haircut in exchange for a dance."

  The comment had his father slapping him on the shoulder with a laugh as he stepped away from the truck. "Well, maybe you don't have eyes for her, but maybe she has them for you."

  As his father headed back to the house, Ben contemplated what he said. There was no way a single mother of three could have an interest in him. He was nothing. But she needed friends. He understood that. He guessed he was as good a pick for a friend as anyone.

  He watched as his brother Russell walked out the front door with Lucas and headed toward their truck to grab the diaper bag from the back seat. Russell had taken on a kid too, and to watch them, no one would ever know Lucas wasn't his.

  Ben shook the thought from his head. He could hardly take care of himself. He wasn't even going to think about taking on Nichole's kids. Besides, they weren't a thing. She was a beautiful woman who made her customers feel good about themselves. That meant she was good at her job.

  As his mother began calling out to everyone to gather in the garden, Ben thought about the dance he'd promised Nichole. It was just a dance. He'd survive it and go on with his life tomorrow.

  3

  With her daughter on her lap and a son on each side of her, Nichole watched as Audrey's family was seated in the chairs in the garden. The groom, such a stunning man, stood at the altar with the minister. His brother Scott and Audrey's brothers Jake and Todd stood to his side.

  Audrey's dearest friend, and the owner of the building in which she'd opened her salon, Lydia walked down the aisle first. Nichole had been in town enough to know that when the beautiful and strong Lydia was present, that meant Officer Phillip Smythe was nearby. She spotted him two rows in front of her. His eyes were affixed to the woman, who never sent a look his way. It was sad, she thought. Their dynamic was interesting, to say the least. The man pined for her, and she wanted nothing to do with him.

  Next down the aisle was Gregory's sister Kate. Gregory had been blessed with the looks of a god, and it must have run through the family, Nichole thought, as she watched Kate walk down the aisle with such confidence. Perhaps that was what the military gave her, and it resonated with everyone around her.

  Pearl, Audrey's sister, the bridal shop owner, was next to walk down the aisle. Her name fit her, Nichole considered. She was as elegant as the pearls that adorned her neck. Nichole had never known someone who exuded such class.

  The music changed, and the guests stood. Zane moved around Nichole to get a better look at Audrey who walked, on the arm of her father, toward her husband-to-be.

  Audrey had been adamant that she wouldn't have him walk her down the aisle. He wasn't someone Audrey particularly cared for, and Nichole had learned very quickly that the man escorting her wasn't the best father material. However, he must have had a change of heart a month ago, because he'd asked Audrey to be part of her wedding. She hadn't given in right away, in fact, she'd made him wait nearly three weeks before giving him an answer. She wasn't about to make the wrong decision for her wedding day. In the end, she gave in to his request.
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  Nichole smiled at Audrey as she passed by them, and Laura, whom Nichole had stood on the chair, waved. Audrey glowed as she neared the man of her dreams. She was truly happy, and it showed.

  Nichole felt the sinking sensation that she'd been warding off all day hit her stomach. Once she had been that glowing bride. She'd been full of optimism and hope. That was all shattered now.

  No, she wasn't going to think that way. Not today. Today belonged to Audrey.

  Nichole looked at her children all dressed in their suits and dresses that her mother had sent them for the occasion. Even though things hadn't worked out as she thought they would, she had her children, and they were her life. That was all she had to remember to make the joy in her heart return.

  As the minister spoke, she noticed Ben turn his head from the front row. He caught her eye and panic struck his expression. But he smiled and turned back. What was it that she did to him, she wondered. She'd been nothing but nice to him, but he always had that look of fear in his eyes when he looked at her. Oh, she knew she was a strong woman with an intimidating personality. No one walked over Nichole Lewis. No one made her feel inferior either. Sometimes that came across as bitchy. Was that what he thought?

  He looked back again, and this time he smiled when she caught his eye. Okay, now she was staring, but she couldn't help it. There was something about Ben Walker that attracted her to him.

  Maybe she'd feel that out when she danced with him, because he'd promised her a dance.

  The thought brought a smile to her lips as she picked up Laura and they all sat back down as the minister instructed them to.

  For the next hour, she wouldn't think about the marriage she missed out on, or on why she made Ben Walker so nervous. She would enjoy watching Audrey marry the sexy movie star who was head over heels in love with her. There was no doubt in Nichole's mind that this was a marriage that would withstand anything. But even though she tried to push the thought out of her mind, she couldn't help but wish for that for herself someday.

  * * *

  Ben didn't dare to turn around again. Each time he had looked at Nichole during the ceremony, she was looking at him. Obviously a coincidence, but nevertheless, nerve-wracking.

  As his cousin kissed her new husband, Ben felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He rubbed his hand over them and shook off the feeling that something was about to happen. This wasn't his wedding. He wasn't the one locked into forever, so why was he bugging out?

  Then, as Audrey and Gregory passed him walking back down the aisle hand in hand, he realized the wedding was over, and the reception would commence. A party at Lydia's reception hall was always a good time, but this time, he had to dance. There would be no standing in the dark corner, or sneaking out the side door. He had a debt to pay and that had him itching.

  His father's hand clamped down on his shoulder as the guests began to move from their chairs and wander back toward the house.

  "This is a great garden for a wedding," his father said as if he were making a note of it to Ben. "All the Walker girls are married off. Just a few more Walker men to go."

  When his father laughed as they exited the garden, Ben could feel the tie around his neck begin to choke him. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and loosened the tie.

  "I think you'd better not make too many plans, Dad. Todd, Gerald, and I don't have any aspirations to follow in anyone's footsteps. You have grandkids to worry about now," he offered. "No need to think we all need to hurry off and get married."

  His father laughed. "You need to get out more. You're almost thirty."

  "And Eric was forty before he got married and had a kid. I'll be fine."

  God must have felt his discomfort with the conversation, as someone called for his father and drew him away.

  Ben ran his hand over his newly-cut hair. He thought women were the only ones who got stupid over weddings. Every female he knew wanted to be the next bride, but men didn't think that way. A man knew that a wedding had a reception, and that meant a nice cold beer. And he happened to know for a fact that Lydia carried his favorite kind.

  He could hear the first cars driving away and down the long dirt road that led back to town. If he could manage his way out the front door before getting stopped by someone who wanted to talk, he'd be having that beer sooner.

  As he managed his way out the door unnoticed, he saw Nichole buckling her daughter into her seat as the two boys ran in circles around the car.

  How did she remain calm while they did that? It was making him anxious just to watch. A moment later, he heard the calm snap, and the boys came to attention, then climbed into the car.

  As she lifted her head from the back, she caught his glance, and her eyes glazed over with a panic. Why was that? She'd smiled earlier.

  A smile formed on her lips and he could tell she was putting on that calm for everyone around, but irritation shook underneath. She raised her hand and gave him a wave before she slid into her car and drove off without a word.

  Perhaps she wasn't the only one rattled over being at a wedding. It was then he appreciated his cousin Pearl's approach to weddings. Pearl, the bridal shop owner, had eloped. There was no pressure on anyone to attend a wedding. During her reception, which was held after they returned from their elopement/honeymoon, they'd had beer, too.

  That thought shifted his focus, and he hurried to his truck to head to town and get that beer that was calling his name.

  4

  The parking lot at the reception hall was already filled. Nichole let out a grumble as she turned the corner to find a parking space. She was going to have to walk at least two blocks. Normally, that wouldn't faze her at all, but with all three kids, it was annoying her. Not to mention that it would be dark when they walked back to their car. And, if the past were any indicator, she'd be carrying at least two of them.

  Their behavior during the wedding had pleased her. If she been able to find a sitter, she would have gone alone. But that wasn't her life. And as she took a slow calming breath, she reminded herself this was the life she chose.

  She noticed a spot just down the street from the salon. Managing to parallel park, just as her grandfather had taught her to do, she slid the car into the space. It was then she realized her mind must have been a million miles away, as Laura's scream pierced her ears.

  Nichole quickly turned in her seat to see the three children in the back. The scream had been from delight, as Wyatt pulled a toy from Zane's hands. The boys were laughing. Laura was laughing. But Nichole felt the surge of irritation burst into her chest as she screamed, "Stop it! Stop it this minute!"

  All three of her children stared at her wide-eyed. She knew she had crossed the line, but she couldn't help herself. She saw the hint of tears welling in Wyatt's eyes. Zane, the coolest of all three of them, handed the toy back to Wyatt and looked his mother square in the eye.

  "We were just messing around," he said calmly. "We didn't mean to make you mad, Mom. We promise to be good at the party."

  Nichole squeezed her eyes shut and let the calm from her son take over her own body. Someday, she knew he'd be a negotiator for something.

  She opened her eyes and looked back at her children. "I'm sorry I yelled. I'm a little emotional."

  Zane tucked the toy next to him in the seat. "Are you sad because Miss Audrey is getting married?"

  Nichole chuckled and shook her head. "No, I'm very happy for her. Weddings are wonderful things. Marriages are wonderful, too." And that was the part stung. She did believe in marriage. Well, she wanted to believe in marriage. It was no one else's fault that hers hadn't worked—or so her ex always reminded her. A good wife would work through the hard times. Obviously, she was a horrible wife. However, she was a fantastic mother. That's all that mattered.

  She took another deep cleansing breath, then smiled at her children. "You may each have one soda, and one slice of cake. Mrs. Susan has prepared a wonderful dinner, and each of you are going to eat it."

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nbsp; "Yes ma'am," the answer came back to her in unison.

  "And if I haven't told you already, you look mighty nice."

  Zane wiggled in his seat. "When can we take these off?" he asked as he fidgeted with his tie and then yanked on his jacket.

  "When we go home, before bath time."

  He groaned. "We took a bath last night."

  "And you will take another tonight," she demanded with her calm mother voice now intact.

  Wyatt straightened his tie. "I like our clothes. Grandma is going to love the picture we took of all of us."

  Oh, he knew how to win her over. "She sure will. Now, let's all go inside and find a table. There's going to be music, so you can dance all night long."

  Zane unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in toward her. "Are you going to dance, Mom?"

  Nichole could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. "Of course, because you're going to dance with me."

  "No way," Zane protested. "Maybe that Ben guy will dance with you."

  "Why him?"

  Zane shrugged. "Because he hung out with us. He seemed cool."

  Nichole chuckled to herself as she opened her door and climbed out of the car. Yeah, he did seem cool.

  * * *

  Ben figured Lydia was eager to buy the building behind the reception hall. Though she usually filled any vacancy with a new business, she seriously needed more parking.

  He had parked two blocks over, and more cars were arriving. There were a few fancy cars and a few limos that had arrived as well. Sometimes he forgot that his cousin had married one of Hollywood's elite. The thought crossed his mind as he walked down the street, who might be at this reception? Was he about to rub elbows with famous actors and actresses? That might make the afternoon worthwhile, he decided.