by Unknown
Nathalyia looked at the four women surrounding her. She couldn’t recall anyone other than Martin reaching out to her so clearly to be her friend. Except Rafael. Tears filled her eyes.
“They’re the real thing,” Celeste said. “There are good people in the world. You can trust us.”
“I can understand why you’d want to be a part of the baby’s life,” Nathalyia said softly. “Thank you.”
“Yours, too.” Celeste draped her arm around Brianna’s shoulders. “I’m new to the sisterhood of Dunlap women, but they welcomed me with open arms.”
“But you and Alec are getting married.” Nathalyia looked at Brianna. “You’re having Patrick’s baby.”
Brianna’s eyelashes fluttered. “Yes, I am, but not in the way you think. If I didn’t see you loved the stubborn man, hadn’t seen how impatient he was to see you, and feel despite what’s happening now, that you two would end up with each other, I wouldn’t tell you this.”
“Patrick is very touchy on the subject, Brianna,”
Helen warned. Brianna’s tilted her head to one side. “As I said, I know how to put him in a good mood.” Her beautiful face grew serious. “Patrick is not the biological father of our baby. He has always known it, and yet it has never made a difference to him or his family.” Her arms curved protectively around her distended stomach. “This is Patrick’s and my baby.”
Nathalyia stood and gently hugged Brianna. “You didn’t have to tell me your story. The baby is blessed to have such great parents.” She looked at the other women. “My baby is going to have wonderful aunts. Thank you.”
The women hugged, brushed away tears. “Lunch is on me. I’ll have the cook hold the bourbon sauce for you, Brianna.”
“I love desserts,” Brianna said, moving with the other women to the door. “My doctor’s appointment is tomorrow, so please only serve me a small portion or I’ll eat the whole thing.”
“When is your appointment, Nathalyia?” Helen asked.
Nathalyia stopped, moistened her lips. “I haven’t made one yet,” she confessed and waited for them to berate her.
Brianna nodded in understanding. “It’s a shock initially. My best friend made me an appointment.”
Nathalyia felt she had to be just as honest as they were. “Seeing a doctor will make it real.”
Maureen hugged Nathalyia again. “A baby is a huge adjustment. My son is an obstetrician and Brianna’s doctor. If you’d like, I can ask him if he can recommend a doctor in Myrtle Beach.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you.” Nathalyia led the women into the restaurant. She was so pleased and happy that they cared, but she was unable to stop wishing that Rafael did as well.
Rafael was having a miserable day. The endless blue ocean, the cry of the seagulls, the gentle wind as he walked on the beach in back of his house no longer soothed him. He couldn’t put out of his mind Nathalyia’s announcement that she was carrying his child and that she might as well be alone for all the help Theresa would be to her. The calculating woman was all about herself. He’d always known he had family who loved and supported him.
He pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his shorts and called Nathalyia on her cell phone. When he couldn’t reach her, he called the main number of the restaurant. He hung up a short while later. Nathalyia was walking the floor.
He continued down the beach trying to tell himself that she must be all right if she was greeting customers, but it wouldn’t hurt for him to keep checking until he spoke with her.
Exactly sixty-one minutes later Rafael reached her on her cell phone from his house phone.
“Hello.”
Rafael didn’t expect just hearing her voice to make the need to see her almost painful. “Hi.”
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“That’s the question I called to ask you.”
“I’m fine now.”
He tensed. “Now? Were you sick?”
“No. Please don’t worry,” she told him. “I have to go. Thanks for calling.”
Rafael looked at the silent phone in his hand. She hadn’t wanted to talk to him. The restaurant was more important. Even as the thought formed, he knew he was being selfish. She’d taken off more to be with him than she probably had done in all the years since her husband died.
A terrible thought struck him. What if she had told people the same story she’d told him, that her deceased husband was the father?
He jerked up the phone in the kitchen and pressed in two numbers before sanity returned. She had told him the lie because she hadn’t wanted to trap him. People would talk when her pregnancy became obvious. Nathalyia favored fitted clothes. People could be nosy and cruel. He pressed in the other numbers.
“Hello.”
“What are you going to tell people when you start to show?”
“Frankly, Rafael, I haven’t thought that far. I’m surprised you have.”
“I don’t want people in your face, bothering you,” he told her, just the idea making him angry.
“I learned long ago that you can’t let what people think affect you or dictate how you run your life. I would have thought you had, too.”
He had . . . until the possibility of her being hurt or embarrassed entered the equation. “Maybe we should get married.” The words only marginally stuck in his throat. He wished he could figure out the answer to their problem.
“Trying to escape gossip is no reason to get married,” she told him. “Rafael, I really have to go.”
“What’s so important?” he asked before he caught himself. He wasn’t jealous, he was annoyed—which still was uncalled for. “I’m sorry. Don’t answer that.”
“I didn’t intend to. Goodbye.”
She hung up again, and this time he couldn’t blame her. He’d acted like a jealous kid. She had a business to run that was important to her. He rubbed his hand over his face, silently admitting to himself that despite his best intentions he was beginning to wish he was just as important.
Nathalyia stared at the cell phone on her desk. Rafael’s call had been a complete surprise. She’d cut the conversation short because it had been too painful. She wished he felt love instead of obligation. He cared about them, but he wanted to maintain his distance.
Which might be for the best. Seeing him all the time would be a constant reminder that he was only there because of his responsibility.
The cell phone rang again. She tensed until she saw Maureen’s name. The four Dunlap women—for Celeste the wedding was only a matter of formality—had left a little over an hour ago. They’d had a wonderful lunch in the private dining room so they could talk freely. By the time she waved them off, they’d felt like old friends.
“Hello, Maureen,” Nathalyia said. “Are you still here?”
“Celeste just crossed the city line into Charleston. It’s a wonder we didn’t get a ticket,” Maureen said.
“Radar detector,” Celeste said loud enough for Nathalyia to hear. “Alec has threatened to have it taken out. He worries.”
“So does Patrick. He won’t even let me drive anymore because I’ve gotten so big and was having trouble getting out of my car,” Brianna said with a laugh.
The Dunlap men worried about the women they loved. Nathalyia wouldn’t feel sorry for herself.
“I finally got Adam on the phone,” Maureen went on to say. “Here’s the name of the doctor he recommended. He’s going to call him and let him know to expect your call, and get you in tomorrow.”
Nathalyia, reaching for a pen, went still. “Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow. Adam thought it best for you to get in ASAP. It’s better to have a doctor to call if you start having morning sickness or other normal symptoms,” she explained.
“Oh.” Nathalyia picked up the pen and opened her day planner. She hoped she wouldn’t have to deal with morning sickness. “Ready.” She took down the information. “Thank you again, and please thank your son for me.”
“You’re more tha
n welcome. Call the number as soon as you hang up,” Maureen instructed.
“I will.”
“Goodbye, and call if you need anything or just to talk. You have our phone numbers,” Maureen said.
“Goodbye, Nathalyia,” Celeste said loudly.
“Goodbye, Nathalyia,” Brianna called. “Adam has high standards, so the doctor he’s referred you to will be top-notch.”
“Thanks. Goodbye, Maureen, Celeste, Brianna.” Nathalyia put down the cell phone and reached for the phone on her desk to call the obstetrician. After giving her name, she was immediately given an appointment for one o’ clock the next day, with instructions on what to bring with her.
Hanging up the phone, she leaned back in her chair. The pregnancy was becoming real. She couldn’t stop the spurt of fear that she wouldn’t be a good mother.
The cell phone rang. “Unknown” popped up on the caller ID. She answered. “Hello.”
“Hi, Nathalyia, it’s Helen. You have your appointment yet?”
The Dunlap women made a good team. “Tomorrow at one.”
“I’d like to go with you, if you don’t mind.”
“I would appreciate it,” she said. She hadn’t wanted to go alone. “Rafael called to check on me.”
“As well he should,” Helen said. “I’d be angry with him if I didn’t know he’d eventually come to his senses.”
“He asked me to marry him again so people wouldn’t gossip about me when I began to show.”
“Men! Even the smartest ones can be a bit dense at times. What woman would accept a marriage proposal like that?” She snorted. “He’ll get it right and ask you because he loves you, just like you love him.”
Nathalyia couldn’t deny it. “How do you know I love him and that he doesn’t love me?”
“This might be hard to hear but, for him, it’s easier thinking this was another affair. Making it permanent scares him.”
“Because of the dangerous work he does,” Nathalyia said. “He told me.”
“There’s more. Until he faces it, he won’t see that love is worth any risk,” Helen said.
Nathalyia frowned. “More like what?”
“I’d rather not say for now. Just don’t give up hope. Like I said, he’s a smart man. He’s going to figure out his true feelings. He wants to be there for you. He just has to get his heart and head aligned.”
Nathalyia’s hand flexed on the phone. “It’s hard hearing his voice and not being able to tell him how I really feel. He was upset with me when I had to hang up.”
“Good. He had to work to get you. He’ll have to work to keep you and your child,” Helen said with feeling. “He’ll want to know what is going on, and when he can’t, he won’t be able to stand it.”
“You and the others make this easier.” Nathalyia’s voice trembled. She brushed away tears.
“We’re the sisterhood of Dunlap women. We stick together, and don’t you dare say you’re not included,” Helen said strongly. “Just because Rafael is running from his feelings is no reason for us not to be there for each other. Now, what time should I be there to pick you up?”
Nathalyia felt her lips curve upward. “How about eleven thirty and we can have lunch? Sam is a lucky man.”
“I’m a lucky woman, but it hasn’t been easy getting to where we are today. Relationships are a never-ending work in progress.”
“I wonder if Rafael and I will have the chance one day,” Nathalyia mused.
“One day is already happening.”
TWENTY-ONE
At 11:30 A.M. the next day Rafael parked in Fontaine’s parking lot and shut off the motor. He was going to talk with Nathalyia and make sure she was all right.
Pocketing the keys, he strolled casually to the entrance. He had purposely arrived early so he wouldn’t spend time searching for a parking slot. A good thing. The lot was filling up already.
In his hand he carried a manila envelope with the employee parking placard. He planned to use it as an excuse for being there if Nathalyia questioned why he’d come.
Following a young couple who were holding hands into the restaurant, he waited for his turn to be seated. The man kissed the woman on the cheek.
“This way,” the hostess said to the young couple. They moved to follow her. When they did, Rafael saw that the woman was visibly pregnant. His thoughts immediately went to how Nathalyia would feel when she saw the loving couple.
Betrayed. The word leaped into his mind. His gut twisted. He had never wanted to see her unhappy.
“Good morning, sir. Welcome back. Glad you’re better,” another hostess greeted him.
Rafael turned his gaze from the couple. “Thanks. I’d like a quiet table in the main dining room. I’m expecting a guest.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Certainly, sir. This way.”
Rafael followed her as she wound her way though the tables. He saw them before they saw him. Somehow he wasn’t surprised.
The hostess stopped at the table where he and Nathalyia had first eaten. “Your other guest is here.”
Nathalyia and Helen glanced up. Nathalyia’s beautiful face registered stunned surprise. He was glad to see the smudges beneath her eyes didn’t look so dark.
Helen looked pleased. “Hello, Rafael.”
“Hello, ladies.” He pulled out a chair across from Nathalyia and sat down. He just wanted to look at her, breathe in her scent. If he were lucky, he’d touch her. It was rude not to ask for permission, but he wasn’t taking a chance she’d say no.
The hostess’s smile faded at Nathalyia’s continued silence. “Is this all right, Mrs. Fontaine?”
“Certainly, Marcie.” Nathalyia finally smiled. “Please ask James to bring an iced tea.”
Marcie looked uncertain, then gave him a menu. “Enjoy your meal.”
“I definitely will.” He held up the manila envelope. “The parking placard. I’d like to keep it for the time being, if you don’t mind.”
She was caught off guard again. She glanced at Helen, who sipped her strawberry lemonade. No help there.
“If you need me, I want to be able to be here quickly and not have to worry about a parking space,” he told her, letting her know that he had no intention of fading from the picture. He still didn’t have all the answers to how they were going to work this out given his stance on serious relationships and marriage. He just knew not being there with them wasn’t an option.
“I suppose it’s all right.”
She really knew how to deflate a man’s ego. He wasn’t giving up. “Thank you.”
“Here’s your tea, sir.” The waiter placed the tea and flatware setup rolled in a white cloth napkin on the table. “Anything else?”
“Please give me a minute,” Rafael requested. Nathalyia had looked panicky when the waiter posed the question.
“Certainly.” The waiter moved away.
“I’d like to stay, but if it’s going to make you uncomfortable or have you not eat, then I’ll leave.”
“Excuse me.” Helen picked up her purse and headed toward the ladies’ room.
Rafael moved to the seat next to Nathalyia. “This didn’t work out the way either of us planned. I might not have been at my finest when you told me, but I’m trying the best way I know to be there for both of you.”
She looked at him. He thought he saw a glint of tears in her eyes.
“Please, if you cry again, I’m not sure I can take it,” he said. Not caring who might be looking, he tenderly touched her cheek, then took her hand in his, felt it tremble. “Don’t shut me out.”
She blinked, then slid her hand from beneath his. Now he was the one who was panicky. There was no easy solution for them, but he knew he wanted her to trust him, wanted her to know that he would be there for her and their baby. “Tell me what it is I’m doing wrong.”
“Answer one question,” she finally said.
“Anything.” At least she was talking to him.
“Are you here because you see this as your re
sponsibility or are you genuinely concerned?” she asked, her lips trembling. “Please be as truthful as you’ve always been with me.”
He took her hand again. “Responsibility wouldn’t have kept me up most of last night. I was prepared to wait here all day until you made rounds to see you.”
She bit her lip, glanced away.
He searched his mind for something to say, some way to persuade her even as some part of him whispered that it might be better if he didn’t. If you were apart or estranged it would be better for her.
Rafael looked into Nathalyia’s sad brown eyes and dismissed the voice. She was hurting. The thought that he had caused that hurt and was unable to fix it cut deep.
“You can always depend on me.”
She kept looking over his shoulder. Almost before he turned to follow the direction of her gaze, he knew he’d see the pregnant woman. She came from the back of the restaurant where the restrooms were located and retook her seat. The man with her leaned over and kissed her.
When Nathalyia looked back at him, he saw the yearning in her eyes. She wanted a family. She wanted a man she could count on. “You will never be alone or have to wonder where I am,” the words were out before he could stop them. At that moment he hadn’t wanted to.
“All I have to do is call, right?”
“Right,” he answered, hoping the shadows would leave her eyes. They didn’t. He thought of what Sam and his brothers had said about needing to be there in person and not on the phone. He was fighting for his family. His family. The words echoed in his head, his heart. “Even if you don’t call, I’ll be there. Just trust me again.”
She picked up her glass of water and took a sip. “We’ve probably given my staff enough to talk about. Please move your chair back.”
He wanted to shake her. Kiss her. This cool woman wasn’t Nathalyia. He wanted the passionate, fun-filled Nathalyia back. He’d worry about the consequences later. It scared him spitless that he might have lost her. He moved his chair back.
Helen returned and took her seat. “I took the liberty of ordering for you, Rafael.” The waiter must have been standing nearby because he began serving the table.