Secret Love - Brenda Jackson [80]
Jake nodded. Diamond had shared information with him about her marriage with Samuel Tate and how insensitive he was.
“But I go along with Kyle, Jake. You should not dismiss those calls you’ve received. If you don’t feel comfortable about taking this to the police just yet, then you need to consider hiring a private detective to look into it. Maybe this guy is nothing but a crank, as you seem to think, but you don’t know that for sure.”
“And I agree,” Kyle added.
Before Jake could respond there came a soft knock on the door. Moments later, Sterling’s very pregnant wife Colby stuck her head in. “All right, you guys, the birthday party is outside and not in here.” She chuckled. “Nicholas is beginning to panic being surrounded by so many kids.”
Sterling shook his head, smiling. His half brother, Nicholas Chenault, was a bachelor and was not used to being around children. Sterling had talked Nicholas into dressing up as a clown for the party. “We’ll be out in a minute.”
Colby nodded and closed the door behind her.
“So, Jake, what do you plan to do?”
Jake raked his hand down his face, feeling disgusted with the entire turn of events. “I’m going to do as the two of you suggested and hire a private detective to check into those calls. I’m just hoping there’s nothing to them.”
A half hour later, Jake settled onto a bench on Sterling’s patio and watched Diamond. She was helping Colby, Colby’s sister-in-law, Cynthia, and Kimara coordinate the activities for the children. He looked around at everything, all the expenses Sterling had spent on his fourth godchild, and personally thought this was a bit much to celebrate the kid’s first birthday. But what a cute kid she was, he thought, seeing Kyle walk around holding his daughter, Kamry, who had not yet begun walking. The little tyke was the spittin’ image of her mom, which Jake thought was about time since their first three children looked so much like Kyle. Not far away, resting in outdoor cribs, were the newest members of the Garwood household, eight-week-old twins, Kellum and Keenan. Born on Christmas Day, they were both sleeping peacefully through all the noise.
Jake held his breath when he watched as Cynthia handed Diamond her son to hold. In talking earlier with the little boy’s father, James Wingate, who was Colby’s brother, Jake knew that the baby was five months old. Diamond was smiling and cooing to the little boy as he smiled back at her and tried to reach for a lock of her hair.
Jake thought she looked so beautiful standing there with the baby in her arms. She was such a natural. In his mind, he could see her holding their child that very same way.
“Wishful thinking, Jake?”
Jake didn’t bother to look up when Sterling came and sat down beside him. “Yes. Diamond and I want a baby. I’m sure she’s told you that she wants to stop acting for a while.”
Sterling lifted his brow. “For a while? She gave me the distinct impression that she was ready to leave Hollywood permanently.”
“Yes, she thinks that’s what she wants.”
“And you don’t believe her?”
“I believes she wants to spend more time at the ranch, but Diamond’s heart is in acting. She’s very good at what she does.” What he didn’t say to Sterling was his deep inner fear was that although he knew how much Whispering Pines meant to Diamond, he was afraid that there would come a time when she would want to move away back to the West Coast.
Sterling nodded. “Yes, but people can be very good at a lot of things, not just at one thing. Now Diamond wants to be very good at being a wife to you and a mother to your kids. Give her that chance, Jake. Believe that she knows what she’s doing.”
“I just don’t want her to feel like she has to give up anything because of me.”
“Knowing Diamond, whatever she’s giving up she’s doing willingly. I’m going to miss