Stranger in my Arms

by Rochelle Alers

  Alex walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. She didn’t want to think about the possibility that there was a new life growing inside her—not now, not when she’d just started her career.

  The thunderstorm continued unabated as torrents of rain lashed the roof and windows. Alex stepped off the last stair and followed the mouthwatering smell.

  She stood under the entrance to the kitchen watching Merrick as he placed a cover on a wok. If she’d changed in the short time they’d been apart, so had he. He’d cut his hair again, the dark reddish-brown strands hugging his scalp. There was no doubt he’d spent a lot of time outdoors as evidenced by the rich mahogany brown of his face and arms. Without warning, he looked up and smiled, his silver-gray eyes shimmering like newly minted quarters in his dark face.

  “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

  “How long was I asleep?” The first time she’d come to Merrick’s house she couldn’t find a clock. It was only when she set the clock on his microwave with the time on her watch that she was able to discern the hour.

  “About six hours. You must have been exhausted.”

  Walking into the kitchen, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. She smiled. “Exhausted and hungry. What did you cook?”

  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her to his length. “London broil, garlic roasted potatoes and stir-fried green beans.”

  Alex rested her head against his shoulder. “I think I’ll keep you.”

  He pressed a kiss on her damp hair. “You better, because we’re stuck with each other.”

  She closed her eyes for several seconds. “Speaking of being stuck with each other, we took a risk this morning when we made love without using protection.”

  Merrick let out an audible sigh. While Alex slept he’d agonized over what they’d done. It wasn’t his intent to make love to her without a condom, but at that moment it was as if he’d taken leave of whatever common sense he had.

  “I’m sorry, Ali, I didn’t—”

  She stopped his apology when she placed her fingertips over his mouth. “Don’t apologize, Merrick. I should’ve stopped you.”

  Grasping her wrist, he pulled her hand down. There was a lethal calmness in his eyes that made it impossible for her look away. “Why didn’t you, Ali?”

  Lowering her gaze, she stared at the stark-white T-shirt stretched across his solid chest. “I don’t know.”

  “Whatever happens I don’t ever want you to forget that I’m in this with you.”

  She nodded, closing her eyes. “I suppose you’ll remind me if I ever forget, won’t you?”

  “Hell, yeah,” he said, smiling. “Let me feed you before you faint on me.”

  He dropped his arms and steered her to the table in the corner of the large kitchen that had been set with place settings for two. He pulled out a chair and seated her. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to the column of her neck.

  A knowing smile softened Alex’s face as Merrick placed a bowl of avocado salad on the table. Merrick would fit in perfectly with the men in her family. He could cook, and he was secure enough with his masculinity to serve his woman.

  Alex took a glance at her watch for the umpteenth time. The meeting of the northeast Trust’s Waterfront Historic Action League in New Bedford, Massachusetts, was running late. As liaison for the National Trust, she had come to support the WHALE project, whose focus was the rehabilitation of a fire-damaged commercial building in the historic whaling community, but the queasiness persisted. And she didn’t have to see a doctor to know the source of the nausea.

  She was pregnant!

  What she’d hoped for in the future had become a reality—now. She would marry Merrick and make David and Serena grandparents.

  Mercifully, the meeting ended and Alex gathered her notes. She would decipher them during the flight back to Virginia; she would then type them and forward copies to her supervisor.

  Alex liked her position as a liaison because she was like a doctor on call. She didn’t have to go into an office, except for monthly meetings, and she worked independently on the projects to which she’d been assigned. Not knowing where she would be sent was the only drawback. It could be Delaware one week, then two weeks later Rhode Island or New York. She refused to think about being stranded in an airport in Vermont or Maine during a snowstorm.

  Not waiting to confer with the members of the board, she rushed out of the building to the lot where she’d parked her rental car. By the time she maneuvered into a strip mall, the nausea had stopped. A quarter of an hour later, she was back in her car, driving in the direction of her hotel.

  Alex lay across the bed in the darkened room, staring up at the ceiling. She’d pulled the drapes, shutting out the strong autumn sunlight. The home pregnancy test had confirmed her suspicions. She was pregnant with Merrick Grayslake’s baby, and by her estimate she would deliver a son or daughter early May of the following year. They’d made love countless times after that time, but had always used protection.

  Rolling over on her side, she reached for her cell phone on the bedside table. Merrick answered after the third ring.

  “Hey, baby.”

  She smiled at his sensual greeting. Whenever he called her baby it came out in a deep, sexy growl. “Hey, you,” she countered.

  “How are you?”

  “Pregnant.” The sound of heavy breathing echoed in her ear. “Did you hear what I said, Merrick?”

  “Yes, I did. When are you coming home?”

  “I’ll be home in a couple of days, but I’m not going to stay,” she said.

  “Where the hell are you going? And to do what?”

  Alex heard the rage and panic in his voice. She decided to ignore his query as to her whereabouts. This was not the time to fight with him. “I’m going to see my mother. I’m going to need her help in planning our wedding.”

  There was a beat of silence. “Ali?” His voice was softer, calmer.

  “Yes, Merrick?”

  “Do you want me with you when you tell your parents?”

  “No, mi amor. I have to handle this by myself. As soon as the arrangements are finalized I’ll let you know when you should come to Florida.”

  “Ali…baby, I…I don’t know what to say.”

  She smiled. “How about congratulations?”

  “Congratulations to you…and to me!”

  “You’re silly, Merrick Grayslake.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m going to become a daddy.”

  “After I check out tomorrow I’m going down to the Cape to see my brother Gabriel. I’ll spend the night with him, then fly out of Logan Saturday morning. I’ll call you as soon as I touch down.”

  “Please don’t make me worry about you, Ali.”

  “I won’t. I love you, Merrick.”

  There was a pause. “I love you, too.”

  Alex ended the call. Picking up the receiver for the hotel phone, she ordered room service. Afterward she thought about calling Gabriel to let him know she was coming, but decided to surprise him. And no doubt he would be very surprised when she told him he was going to be an uncle.

  Chapter 20

  Alex maneuvered her midsize rental car into the driveway leading to her brother’s house, coming to a stop in front of the two-car garage. It was nine forty-five at night, and she prayed Gabriel was home, and if he was, that he hadn’t gone to bed. She got out of the car. She was in luck. Gabriel bounded off the porch, arms outstretched.

  “Hey! What are you doing here?”

  Alex kissed her brother’s cheek. “I had to see you and give you my good news.”

  Cradling her face between his palms, Gabriel smiled at the same time he shook his head. “You could’ve used the telephone, Alex.”

  “I was already in Boston for a meeting.”

  His hands came down, and he held her at arm’s length. “Look at you, Miss Corporate. You look wonderful.”

  An attractive blush suffused her face under a deep summer tan. She’d tra
ded her jeans and T-shirts for a black wool crepe suit, ivory silk blouse, black leather pumps and a strand of perfectly matched pearls with matching studs in her pierced lobes.

  “Thank you.”

  Gabriel reached for her hand. “Come inside and we’ll talk.”

  Alex followed him up to a wraparound porch and into a spacious entryway. A formal living room held two facing gleaming black Steinway concert pianos.

  “So much for your little place,” she murmured. “This house is enormous.” Bleached pine floors, French doors and pale walls projected an atmosphere of openness.

  “It’ll do,” Gabriel said with a hint of pride. He led the way to the family room. He indicated a love seat. Alex sat, Gabriel taking the cushion next to her. “Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

  “No, thank you. I ate dinner at the hotel before I left.” She glanced around the meticulously furnished room. “I really like what Aunt Parris has done here.” Martin Cole’s wife, Parris, was a highly trained interior decorator. “Your house looks like a home. All you need is a wife and a few kids to make it look completely lived in.”

  Deliberately ignoring her reference to a wife and children, Gabriel peered closely at his sister. “Tell me your good news.”

  A mysterious smile curved Alex’s lush mouth. “I’m getting married.”

  A muscle tensed in Gabriel’s jaw. “Who is he?” The three words were squeezed out between clenched teeth.

  Alex stood up and walked over to the French doors overlooking the rear of the house. Strategically placed floodlights illuminated the backyard. She so wanted her brother to be happy for her.

  “Please, Gabe.”

  He stood up and walked over to her. “Please what?”

  Her hands closed into tight fists, her nails biting into the tender flesh of her palms. “Don’t say it like that.”

  “How else can I say it, Alex? You come to me in the middle of the night with the news that you’re engaged. I’m shocked, stunned and surprised.”

  Turning around, she stared up at Gabriel. Her heart sank when she saw his expression. “I thought you would be happy for me.”

  “I am, Alex. But…but it’s so unexpected. You never said you were seeing anyone.” He hesitated when she smiled. “Do I know him?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  His eyes narrowed. “A name, Alexandra.”

  “Merrick Grayslake.”

  Gabriel went completely still. “Michael’s friend?”

  Alex lifted her chin and placed her hands on her hips. “Do you know another Merrick Grayslake?” she spat out.

  Gabriel threw up his hands at the same time mumbling a savage expletive. “How the hell did you hook up with him?” he shouted in Spanish.

  “Don’t you dare yell at me!” she warned in the same language.

  Running a hand over his face, Gabriel counted slowly to ten. He’d run interference more times than he could remember to scare away men who’d considered his sisters fair game; he’d heard a few refer to Alex and Ana as “fresh meat.”

  He knew Merrick Grayslake was his first cousin Michael Kirkland’s friend. He’d met him at Michael’s wedding, and had found the man mysterious and somewhat sinister looking.

  Why was it, he thought, that his sister was drawn to men who were the complete opposite of her? If they weren’t walking on the wild side, then they were on the edge. He didn’t know much about Merrick except that he lived somewhere in West Virginia and had at one time worked for the CIA.

  Grasping her hand, Gabriel led Alex back to the love seat, sitting and pulling her down next to him. “Talk to me, Alex.”

  “Where do you want me to start?”

  “From the beginning.”

  “I met Merrick at Michael’s wedding. We shared a few dances, and he asked me for my number. I gave him my cell phone because I was between the States and Mexico. I must confess that I felt uncomfortable around him for a while, and then one day it disappeared and I saw him in a whole new light.” She didn’t reveal the whole new light was when they went from being friends to lovers. “At first I was impressed with his intelligence, but once I got past that I saw him as a lonely man.”

  Gabriel shot her an incredulous look. “You’re marrying him because you feel sorry for him?”

  “Of course not. I’m marrying Merrick because I love him. I also want to tell you that I’m…”

  “You’re what?” he asked when she did not complete her statement.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Gabriel’s expression of shock and annoyance gave way to a brilliant smile. “Hot damn! I’m going to be an uncle.”

  Alex put her arms around his neck. “Thank you for being happy for me.”

  He kissed her forehead. “How can I not be happy for you? When’s the wedding?”

  Pulling back, her eyes sparkling like multifaceted citrines, Alex blinked back tears of joy. “Soon.”

  “Does Grayslake know he’s going to be a father?”

  Alex nodded. “Yes. I told him last night.”

  “How far along are you?”

  “Probably about six weeks.”

  “Have you seen a doctor?”

  “Not yet. I have an appointment for Tuesday morning. You’re the first one to know—other than Merrick of course.”

  “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were dating him?”

  “I didn’t want to say anything until I was certain he was the one. Our relationship changed after he called, asking me to join him in Italy after I’d graduated. Of course I’d been there before as an art student, but I saw it differently because I realized then that I had fallen in love with Merrick.”

  Gabriel’s smile was tender. His sister was in love. “You’re really happy, aren’t you?”

  She nodded. “So much so that I’m frightened.”

  “Have you guys set a date?”

  “No. But I don’t want to wait too long. Looking like someone who swallowed a melon isn’t too cool for a bride. I know you’re teaching, but when are you off?”

  “We’re off Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and of course winter recess.”

  Alex shook her head. It was the second week in September. “That’s too far off. It looks as if you’re going to have to fly down to Florida for a weekend. I want you to sing at my wedding.”

  “Let me know and I’ll be there.” He angled his head. “What about your position with the Trust?”

  “If there’s an opening in the southern region, then I’ll request a transfer.”

  “And if there isn’t?”

  “Then I’ll sit home knitting booties and piecing quilts until the baby comes.”

  “What do you want?” he asked. “Boy? Girl?”

  “I don’t care as long as it’s healthy.”

  Gabriel ruffled her coiffed hair. “Will I be able to find you in the hills of West Virginnie?”

  “We’re going to use the house in West Virginia for weekends and vacations. We plan to live at my place until we find something bigger in a D.C. suburb.”

  “Do you have to live near D.C.?”

  “Merrick is going back to the CIA as an intelligence training specialist, so living in or around D.C. would be a lot more practical.”

  “That sounds like a good plan. You, Michael and Jolene can raise your kids together.”

  “What’s nice is that our children will get to see one another more than we saw Michael and Emily.”

  “You’re right,” Gabriel agreed. Michael and Emily Kirkland had grown up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and they usually saw them at family gatherings once or twice a year. Emily still lived in New Mexico with her husband and three children, but her brother had moved to the D.C. area after having been assigned to the Pentagon as a captain in the U.S. Army. Michael met his future wife, Jolene, in Georgetown.

  “When do you plan to tell Mom and Dad?”

  “I’m going to try and see them before next weekend.”

  Gabriel glanced at the watch strapped to his
wrist. “I hope you know you’re spending the night here.”

  She nodded. “I don’t think I could make it back to Boston without falling asleep behind the wheel.”

  “Did you bring luggage?”

  “I have a bag in the trunk of the car.”

  “Go upstairs and get ready for bed. I’ll bring your bag in. You can take the bedroom at the top of the stairs on the left.”

  Alex stared lovingly at her older brother. “Thank you, Gabe.”

  “For what?”

  “For being you.”

  He cradled her to his chest, kissing her cheek. “Love you, sis.”

  “Love you back, bro.”

  She handed Gabriel the keys to the rental, then made her way up the staircase. A wave of fatigue swept over her. If it wasn’t the nausea, it was fatigue.

  Alex stayed on her feet long enough to wash her face, brush her teeth and take a quick shower. When she returned to the bedroom she found her bag by the closet door. She took out a nightgown, slipped it over her body, and as soon as her head touched the pillow she fell asleep.

  Chapter 21

  A bright rising sun and the tangy smell of salt water greeted Alex when she woke up in the strange bed. Then, she remembered. She was at her brother’s house on Cotuit. Gabriel had begun vacationing off-season on the Cape, but she’d never expected him to settle down in New England.

  Pushing back the sheet, she moved off the bed and made her way to an adjoining bathroom. The gnawing feeling in her belly had intensified. She had two options: eat or faint.

  Gabriel was in the kitchen when she walked in. His long damp hair hung down his T-shirt-covered back like satin ribbons. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted into her nostrils. “Now that smells wonderful.”

  Gabriel turned and smiled at Alex. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”