And Babies Make Five / At Long Last, a Bride: And Babies Make Five. Judy Duarte

glimmered in the candlelight. “That’s a nice family size.”

      He shrugged. “I guess it is.” He’d never thought about his family in terms of the number of siblings he had.

      Was she thinking about having another child down the road, maybe giving her baby a brother or sister?

      He couldn’t blame her for wanting to create a family, but you’d think that she’d consider adding a husband for herself, and a father for the baby. Yet that didn’t seem to be part of her game plan, and he wondered why.

      Had she loved Peter too much to consider replacing him in her life?

      That was hard to imagine. But then again, maybe that was because Hector hadn’t really liked the guy. Either way, it wasn’t any of his business.

      Silence settled over them until the maitre d’ arrived. “Can I start you out with a bottle of wine?” he asked.

      “Not for me,” Samantha said. “I’ll stick with water.”

      Hector ordered a glass of merlot from his favorite California winery.

      “Good choice, sir.” The maitre d’ motioned for one of the other waiters to bring water for the table, then left.

      When they were alone, Samantha leaned forward again and said, “I’m curious about your sister.”

      “What about her?”

      “How’s she feeling? When is she due? Has she taken any childbirth classes?” She gave a little half shrug. “Just that sort of thing.”

      “Oh,” he said. “I get it. Being pregnant means the two of you have a lot in common. And now that I think about it, I’ve noticed that expectant mothers tend to gravitate toward each other at every opportunity.”

      “What makes you say that?”

      “I’ve been with Yolanda at a couple of social events recently, and she’s drawn to any other pregnant woman within fifty feet of her.”

      Samantha chuckled. “I’d probably do that, too. I’m going through so many physical and emotional changes right now. It would sure be nice to have someone to share it all with.”

      But not a husband?

      Why had she gone the sperm-donor route to get pregnant? A woman as beautiful as Samantha shouldn’t have had any trouble finding a man willing to donate his sperm—especially the old-fashioned way.

      Hector certainly would have been tempted.

      “You know,” he said, resting his forearm on the table, “this really isn’t any of my business, but I’m surprised that you went to the Armstrong Fertility Institute.”

      “Why would that surprise you? They’re one of the most reputable and successful fertility clinics around.”

      Fertility? He hadn’t realized that she might not have been able to get pregnant without the help of doctors.

      “So it wasn’t a matter of not finding a suitable man to father your baby?”

      “No.” She lifted her glass of water and took a sip. “Actually, I haven’t dated anyone since Peter died.”

      That struck him as odd, and he couldn’t help saying so. “I would have thought that a woman as attractive as you would have eventually found another man and gotten married.”

      “Thank you.” She lowered her glass and her gaze at the same time, and he wondered if his compliment had somehow surprised or embarrassed her. When she glanced up, she said, “Actually, I never gave dating much thought.”

      “Why not?”

      Hector’s latest question caught Samantha off guard, and she pondered her answer.

      For one thing, she’d been grieving Peter’s loss that first year. Then she’d been so caught up in her mother’s illness, in her suffering, in the failed attempts to beat the cancer, that thoughts of romance had been the last thing on her mind.

      Looking back, she had to admit that she’d never even considered replacing Peter in her life. At least, not right away.

      But then again, she hadn’t been looking for a husband when she’d first met him, either.

      Her experience with marriage had been a dysfunctional relationship between her mother and stepdad, so she hadn’t seen a relationship as a catch-all/end-all. But Peter began to court her, which had slowly worn down her reluctance and proven to her that some relationships could be healthy and happy.

      “There aren’t many men like Peter,” she finally answered. He’d had a kind heart and a gentle touch. He’d also saved her from a life of poverty and shown her that not all men were physically and mentally abusive.

      “You must have really loved him,” Hector said.

      “Yes, I did.” Peter had been a wonderful human being, a good husband, and she would never forget all he’d done for her. Still, she supposed, if she met the right guy, she might be able to love someone again. But with the babies coming … Well, there wouldn’t be any men in her life for a very long time. She couldn’t imagine anyone willing to take on an instant family of triplets.

      “Lucky guy,” Hector said.

      Touched by Hector’s comment, yet doubting it, Samantha smiled. “I was the lucky one.”

      As she glanced across the table and caught Hector eyeing her with an expression she couldn’t read, something stirred deep within her, something she couldn’t quite understand. Something that made her question what she’d actually felt for Peter, which was silly. She’d loved him, of course. How could she not?

      “So you’re not interested in dating anyone?”

      She placed a hand on the upper ledge of her pregnant belly. “Come on, Hector. Who’d be interested in me now? Before you know it, I’ll be bigger than a house. Besides, I have a lot more on my mind than romance.”

      “Like what?”

      “For one thing, I have a nursery to decorate.” And since she’d need three of everything, it was going to take all of her organizational skills to get the kids’ room ready for their homecoming.

      A grin tugged at her lips as she thought about how much fun she was going to have getting ready for her babies.

      The wine steward brought Hector’s merlot, stayed long enough to ask if they needed anything else, then left them alone again.

      “You’re obviously happy to be pregnant,” Hector said. “And that’s great. I’m happy for you.”

      “You have no idea how thrilled I am to be expecting. Unlike you, I was an only child. My dad took off when

      I was a preschooler, and for the first half of my life, it was just my mom and me. So I’m really looking forward to having a family of my own.”

      The pregnancy was also her way of thanking Peter, of saying goodbye to him without ever forgetting him. Of course, she’d never forget how he’d rescued her, how he’d offered her a life of luxury that she’d never even imagined, how he’d loved her in a way no one else ever had.

      Having the babies would also mark a new beginning for her, but Hector didn’t need to know all of that.

      Besides, what would he say if he learned that the father of her babies was her late husband, a man he hadn’t liked? A man who’d been dead for five years?

      No one, especially Hector, would be able to understand her decision. She wasn’t entirely sure she understood the complexities herself.

      “Hey,” a cheerful female voice called out. “What a surprise. Look who’s here, honey.”

      Samantha turned to the woman, a petite Latina who appeared to be about six months’ pregnant. The man with her was tall, lanky, and fair-haired. He, too, seemed