"I'm very persuasive when I have to be." Sara made a face at him as if to contradict his statement. "Besides, they'll want to see the baby."

So far, so good, Brom thought. Now for the most important part. "And Nik- '

"Yeah?"

"See if you can get Sara to come up with all of you, as well. It's kind of tough for her, being around her father, dealing with old wounds. I think she really needs to get away."

"My sentiments exactly." Nik remembered the questions he wanted to ask Brom about Sara. He hadn't had time to call him before, but he couldn't do it now, with Sara sitting right here. He made a mental note to talk to Brom once he arrived in Tahoe.

He looked directly at Sara as he made his promise.

"Consider it done."

Brom smiled to himself. He knew he could count on Nik.

"Good, I'll have a car come around to pick you up at the airport. Just call me back when you know what flight you'll be taking."

"Will do. " Bye. " Nik replaced the receiver on the cradle and then rotated his neck to get rid of the stiffness.

Sara had pretended to be busy working during the call, but she had listened. They both knew she would.

"Consider what done?" she wanted to know. The look he had given her when he'd said it warned her that something was up.

He dropped the list on the desk. " " Brom wants me to bring you with us when we visit. "

She didn't think she particularly cared for his wording.

"You make me sound like a box of candy you're supposed to pick up at the airport."

He lifted a brow. "Not at all. Candy's sweet. A box of ; dynamite might be more appropriate a comparison," he q corrected. "Will you come with us?" q She shrugged. She certainly wouldn't mind seeing Brom " again, but she didn't care for being backed into a corner. " I might be busy. "

Nik cupped her chin in his hand and turned her head until she was looking up at him. His eyes searched for a difq fe rent response.

"Will you come?" he repeated.

Why did she have this feeling that her whole life might change if she agreed? It was just a weekend. A weekend with a whole entourage of people. And Brom. She had always felt safe around Brom.

So what was the problem?

Nik, a small voice whispered in reply.

She blocked the voice out. Sara leaned back in the chair and dragged her hand through her hair. " " Why not? " she agreed gamely. " " I always like seeing Brom ."

"Good. Unless something unforeseen happens between now and the weekend, we'll be leaving Sat.u.r.day morning: He began to walk out of the room, then hesitated in the doorway, suddenly realizing that there might be an obstacle " "Is your father up to being left alone? "

Sara nodded. Raymond Santangelo was a hard man to keep down. He had already been up and about for short periods of time.

"He can spend a couple of days by himself." She looked at Nik pointedly, just so that he remembered. "He'll have to soon enough, anyway."

Nik nodded, but made no comment as he walked out of the room. Sara thought she saw him frowning, but she might have been mistaken. At any rate, it wouldn't have changed anything. As soon as she felt her father was well enough, she was leaving. She had to.

True to his word, Brom had the limousine waiting for them right at the airport. When his chauffeur, Harold, opened the rear door, Sara was surprised to see that Brom and Julia were seated inside. The baby, drooling and animated , was between them, sitting in her car seat.

Julia laughed, pleased at Sara's expression. "Surprise."

Nik was directly behind Sara, and gently urged her into the car, his hands on her hips. Sara tried not to think about how much she liked having his hands on her. The feelings she was experiencing right now were all wrong. They weren't going to lead anyplace. She couldn't let them.

"Julia couldn't wait for you to arrive," Brom explained to them, "so she decided to hold the reunion in the limo."

Holding Katie's hand, Jennifer followed Nik into the car. "Goodness, she's grown so much," Jennifer cried, looking at the baby. She tickled A. J 's toes. The infant wiggled them and giggled as Jennifer scooted over to let Kane climb in.

qqAnd you haven't," Julia commented as she looked Jennifer over for telltale signs of her pregnancy. Jennifer was still as slender as she ever was.

"Soon," Jennifer promised, mechanically glancing down at her waist.

"All too soon I won't be able to see my feet. Only my stomach."

Julia sighed wistfully. "I'd give anything for that sort of view " But she had A. J. " thanks to Jennifer's selflessness , and she would forever be grateful to her sister.

Katie sidled up to Brom. "Got candy, Uncle Brom?" She looked up at him hopefully.

A charmer, just like her aunt and her mother, Brom thought. "For you, always: Brom dug into his pocket and presented her with a multicolored sucker. Katie accepted it with the same sort of awe that a woman displayed upon receiving her first bouquet of flowers.

Kane watched his daughter eagerly rip off the cellophane wrapper. He took it from her and shoved the sticky wrapper into his pocket.

"She'll get your car dirty," he warned Brom.

Brom wasn't about to let something so mundane as worrying about his car being dirtied interfere with Katie's pleasure.

"So, we'll clean it." Brom ruffled Katie's hair and she grinned up at him, her lips already outlined in bright, sticky pink. "As long as the lady's happy."

The baby squealed and Katie went on licking loudly. Voices melded like an orchestra tuning up for a performance as questions flew back and forth in the car.

Sara suddenly felt overwhelmed by what she felt were the natural sounds of family surrounding her. It took her back across the years, when family outings were a regular event for her family. Any given Sunday a large number of them would converge in someone's backyard, or at a park. Uncles and aunts and numerous cousins as far as the eye could see. Or so it had seemed at the time.

Nostalgia brought with it a pang that tightened around her heart.

Sara looked at Brom. She could see by the look in his eyes that he knew what she was thinking. He gave her a rea.s.suring smile and leaned forward in order to be heard better. "Good to see you again, Sara: '

An amused smile creased her lips. "You saw me two weeks ago. I've only been in Newport Beach for twelve days "

"Is that all?" Nik asked incredulously. Sara gave him a dirty look that only egged him on. "Feels like forever to me."

Sara poked Nik in the ribs with her elbow. Nik had the good grace to wince as everyone else laughed.

"Everybody in?" Brom scanned both sides of the stretch limo. Jennifer and Katie were on his side, while Kane, Nik and Sara sat opposite him.

"Unless you're expecting someone else," Kane answered He tested the door next to him to make sure it was properly closed.