Chapter 6 6

The words sent a trickle of fear down her spine. What was he up to? Alana said goodbye and hung up, then sat back down and cupped her coffee mug. She'd sulk if she had the time, she thought, feeling a little betrayed by her parents.

"He called your father," Emily said, her eyes wide. Alana nodded. "Oh, gutsy Stefan. That must have been interesting."

A little smile twitched at Alana’s lips, even though she was mad at Stefan for calling her parents without talking to her first. Was that how it was going to be now? "I bet it was." she said.

Emily pushed Juliana's cereal loops within reach. "You know my brother is a great guy, don't you?"

"I plead the Fifth."

"Hey, he hasn't done anything wrong."

Alana sighed. "Except threaten me."

"What?"

"He said he was in my life and I couldn't stop him."

"Well, that is a threat, though weak and understandable." Emily made faces at Juliana and the baby imitated her. "What are you going to do?"

Alana shrugged. When it came to Stefan Maynard, she felt pretty helpless.

"You know, Corey asked me to join him on his next business trip. For a month. I think I will."

Alana arched a brow. "Jumping ship on me?"

"No, I'm trying really hard to preserve what I have. A wonderful friend and a loving brother. I don't want to have to choose."

"Who says you'll have to?" It was Emily's turn to look doubtful. And darn it, Alana could see her friend's point. She didn't want to put Emily in the middle, either. "Okay, go. I can handle Stefan."

Her friend stood and grabbed her purse, hitching it onto her shoulder. Emily kissed the baby and smiled at the mother. "Good luck. You're going to need it with Stefan." She headed to the door.

"Why did you email and tell him?" Alana couldn't help asking.

"Because as much as I love you, I love my brother best."

Her eyes hardened. So like Stefan's, Alana thought.

"What if that night was all we had, Emily?" Alana called when Emily reached the door. She couldn't afford to get her heart crushed again.

Emily looked at Alana, sympathy in her eyes. "You have to give the relationship a chance to find that out, don't you, Alana?"

Before Alana could argue that she had to risk an already bruised heart to do that, Emily slipped out. Turning to her daughter, Alana picked bits of cereal out of her hair and watched her bang her pudgy palms on the high-chair tray. There was no mistaking that Juliana was Stefan's baby. She had his eyes. Intelligent, probing blue eyes.

"Hey, Jules," Alana said, and the baby looked at her, smiled brightly and offered a fistful of squishy cereal loops. Smiling, Alana leaned down for a pretend bite. "I love you, munchkin. God, I love you."

Alana blinked back tears and wondered what would become of them. She'd had it all figured out till Stefan showed up. She liked things neat and in order. To know the outcome of events. That way you don't get cheated on while you are selecting china and bridesmaids. You didn't have anyone leave you with the pitying gazes of everyone you had to tell about the broken engagement. Twice.

She wondered what was wrong with her that men left so easily. She was nice. She had a good sense of humor. She wasn't a supermodel, but she wasn't ugly. What was it about her that sent men running to someone more interesting?

Stefan's face loomed in her mind as she gathered up her baby. She held Juliana closely and prayed Stefan would just leave. Go back to his job. Anything. She'd handled Craig's betrayal with his old love. She handled Andy's with his bimbo secretary. But with Stefan? If he got her hopes up and dumped her, well, she'd never recover. She was certain of that. And she'd have his daughter to look at every day to remind herself of her failure. No, it was better her way. No chance, no heartache. Right?

She looked at the baby. "Right?"

Juliana didn't answer. It was just as well. There wasn't one, she thought. There just wasn't.

__

Juliana was fussing for her dinner, Alana was trying to get a load of laundry collected and into the washer before she started the evening phase of her day. Her day off, too, she thought. A heavy knock shook the door and for a split second, Juliana stopped whining and looked with Alana at the door.

"I wonder who that is now," she said to her daughter, and crossed the living room. Propping the laundry basket on one hip, she opened the door, "Stefan."

"Good, you didn't forget me."

Like that would ever happen, she thought. Just looking at him made her insides turn to mush. "Why are you here?" Her voice sounded steady, right?

''Emily and Corey took off and I was alone and hungry."

"Good that you have a houseful of food, because Emily is a great cook."

Stefan's gaze slipped over Alana. She filled out those jeans better than any woman he'd known, but her face showed signs of fatigue.

"Then I guess you aren't up for takeout?"

He held up the pints of food. Alana inhaled the delicious scent and smothered a groan. He fights dirty, she thought, and she was still pretty upset about the thing with her parents. "No thank you, we're fine." Juliana took that moment to exercise her lungs and Alana glanced at her daughter. "Hey, be patient. It's warming."

"What's warming?"

"Her dinner, her bottle, followed by a bath, quiet time, then sleep."

"Then you get to do what, Alana? Sit here alone and watch TV."

She made a rude sound. "I get to keep cleaning, working. Ironing my clothes for work. Then I get to rest."

"It's tough alone, isn't it?"

Her spine stiffened. She walked right into that one, she thought. "I manage. And will continue to do so, without your help."

'Hey, I'm not taking over, darling, I'm just bringing chow." She arched a brow. He calmly gazed back, then smiled. "You going to keep me standing out here all night for the neighbors to see or what?'' When she just stared, he swung the boxes. "It's hot. And I'm starving."