by Noelle Hart
Putting down the phone, Kim's face regressed to a white sheet of horror. “We're not out of the woods yet. They're running more tests. Big Bart said they're keeping him hospitalized until they have the results.”
Will handed Kim his drink and wished he had the words that would alleviate things, but none came to mind. He wasn't one to placate, but he wasn't going to allow the man to beat himself to a pulp over something that had been out of his control; an accident.
“Take a load off, Kim.” He guided him to the sofa. “Deep breaths. Whatever happens, you have my full support. If some kind of legal action comes out of this, we'll face it together, head on.”
Words failing him, Kim nodded miserably.
Having put the baby down to sleep, Carrie sat next to Kim and they hugged each other fiercely while Will looked on. Their love for each other filled the room, hell, it filled the house, their world. Strength and unity. It was what made a family stick and hold.
He left them to their mutual commiseration and prowled the house, discovering Jolene in the kitchen loading the dishwasher. Upstairs he found Kylie sitting on a chair between the twins' beds reading them a story. Realizing the boys were asleep, she quietly rose. Will beckoned to her.
Out in the hallway he murmured, “Everything you've done here today is a gift. Not only are you a good friend, but it looks like you'll make a good mother some day too.”
Kylie felt her center fill with an unexpected warmth, especially in light of her current condition. “Thanks.”
“I know this is probably inappropriate right now, but you do remember we have a date tomorrow at my house, right?”
She flashed him a quick smirk. “It's not a date. I'm merely giving you some gardening advice.”
He gave her a two finger salute. “Duly noted.” And we'll see about that.
By the time Kylie drove Jolene back to their apartment she was bone tired. It worried her that after talking to Will, she no longer had the desire to try round two with Drew in the slightest.
She called him on his cell and filled him in on the day's events, the extent of the tragedy yet to be determined.
“The kid's parents should have kept a better eye on him.”
“None of us imagined this kind of thing could happen.”
“Shit happens all the time, Kylie. You can't be expected to coddle everyone involved. I've been waiting for you all day.” The whine in his voice rankled.
“It sucked the juice out of me, Drew,” she explained, a half truth because she couldn't help but compare how deeply Will had cared, and how absolutely Drew did not. “I just want to go to bed and sleep.”
“Come over,” he demanded rather than asked. “I'll take your mind off it.”
She sincerely wished for a sign from her own mind and body to be comforted by Drew. And came up blank.
“Another time. Sweet dreams, Drew.”
It occurred to her that he hadn't asked if Bartholomew Mayer was going to be okay. As though it didn't matter.
* * * *
CHAPTER SIX
Joe Lambert held out a chair for Kylie's mother, Rita, as they joined their daughter for Sunday brunch. A weekly tradition, they enjoyed the scrumptious buffet whilst catching up on their only child's life.
Kylie was nervous and exhausted. She'd tossed and turned all night as dreams of wicked clowns with bursting balloons had assaulted her, and then when those had finally abated, other more sensual dreams had taken their place. Horny, indeed.
Problem was, it had been Will Delaney holding her in a sweaty embrace and not Drew. She'd woken both aroused and vaguely upset. She guessed raging hormones were at the base of it and realized that her choice of dream lovers was something she couldn't control.
Bigger problem: how were her parents going to take the news of her pregnancy?
Rita, a mature, slightly plump version of her daughter, laid a hand over Kylie's. Her motherly radar was in perfect working order. “What's wrong, baby? Something's troubling you. No, don't try to pretend I'm not right.”
Joe, mild-mannered but nobody's fool, accepted coffee from a meandering waitress and chimed in, “I see it too, angel. Something on your mind?”
Kylie put her hands up. “Got me. No sliding anything past the two of you.”
They gazed at her patiently.
“It's best if I cut to the heart of the matter. Mom, Dad, I'm pregnant.”
Joe's cup clattered into its saucer while Rita's eyes went wide. She was the first to recover. “You just dropped a bomb!”
Kylie waited for the explosion and wasn't disappointed.
“Who's the father?” demanded Joe, turning red in the face.
Kylie braced herself for a possibly heartbreaking conversation. “His name is Drew Hammond. He works for an accounting firm.”
“You mean Hammond, Chase and Waters? They do our accounting.”
That shook her a little. She hadn't known that. “He's Stanley Hammond's son.”
“I know of Stanley Hammond,” said Joe, his color diffusing back to normal. “He's the senior partner. It's a reputable firm or we wouldn't let them touch our books. I wasn't even aware he had a son.”
Rita tapped her water glass with her fork. “Hello? Are you two through discussing accounting yet? Can we move on to something a little more titillating, like say, the fact that our daughter is pregnant?”
“Take it easy, Rita. Kylie, how long have you been seeing this young man?”
“About four months. He's...”
“That's all?” interrupted Rita. “That's not long enough to really know a person. How did this happen?”
Kylie rolled her eyes. “The usual way, Mom.”
Joe stared above her head as his mind went there and then quickly diverted.
Rita soldiered on. “Didn't you use protection? I thought you were on the pill.”
“I went off it, Mom. Had to give my body a break.”
“This was an accident. Oh sweetie, have you told him yet? What was his reaction?”
“He wants to marry me.”
Another bomb. It had its effect as they both sat back in their chairs as though the situation might contaminate them.
Rita found her voice while Joe gaped. “What did you say?”
Kylie shrugged. “I told him I would think about it.”
Joe fixed her with an intense stare. “Let's look at the facts. You got pregnant by way of an accident, and the father wants to take responsibility. He's got a decent job and you obviously like him or you wouldn't be in this particular predicament. The real question is, are you going to give him the opportunity to do right by the child?” When she made a face, “Now Kylie, life is full of twists and turns and we raised you to roll with them. A baby is a big deal. A child needs family, and we can provide this child with just that. Your mother and I will pay for the wedding.”
Kylie had let him rally but now she took back control. “I said I need time to get know Drew better. I'm not even sure if I love him. There will be no wedding just yet and regardless of how this turns out I'll do the right thing for the baby. One thing's for sure; I'm keeping it no matter what. Not the kid's fault if it was created haphazardly, so the kid will have a good life. Everyone deserves a fair chance.”
Her parents held hands as they always did, a unit, a solid alliance. Tight lipped, Joe nodded resignedly. “Okay, baby. We'll help you raise the child no matter the outcome.”
Rita reached across to smooth Kylie's hair in a gesture of pure affection. “I'm going to be a Grandma. Have you been to a doctor? I can recommend a good obstetrician. I'll go with you to the appointment.”
Relieved that they'd made it so easy for her, Kylie smiled. “That will be great, Mom. Let's eat. I'm starving!”
Rita couldn't help herself. “Well it's no wonder. You're eating for two now.”
*
Will clicked off his cell and let out a long sigh. He paced to his living room window and gazed out at the snow-capped purple mountains across the strait, not
really seeing them.
In his mind's eye was the image of his ten year old son, Max, and the boy's mother, Julia McMillan. Their relationship had been forged when they'd been young and throughout the years had grown solid and strong. They'd parted on friendly terms, she moving to the mainland whereas he'd opted to stay on the island. He sent money every month like clockwork and rode the ferry over every chance he got for a visit. On school breaks the boy came to stay with him, spending summers generally getting under his feet and digging ever deeper into his heart and soul. Max was a firecracker, full of life and curiosity and vim. This summer their visit would be cut short; he'd gone to summer camp for the first time in his ten years, leaving Will with an unexpected emotional gap. He missed him, and looked forward to spending what would be left of summer with him once camp time ran out.
Julia had informed him that Max was cooking up a new scheme, and while he himself was up for it, he wasn't sure if it would be good for his son.
Max wanted to come and live with him.
He'd had a two hour discussion with Julia on the phone, both weighing the pros, the cons, trying to decipher what was going on in their son's mind to have arrived to this twist in the plot of their lives. Neither had been comfortable making a snap decision but time was running out. Before they knew it school would start and if he was to make the move, Max needed to be registered at a local school.
Staring out the window, Will focused on the arrival of an SUV. It was Kylie. Pushing his dilemma to a corner of his brain he felt a wave of pleasure wash over him at the sight of her. She slid out of the vehicle, walked to his front door and rang the bell.
He opened the door. “Hey you.”
“Hey back at ya. Ready to take that peek at your plants I promised.”
She wore a casual sun dress that echoed the violet hues of her eyes and she smelled like... potted herbs. She shoved the box in her hand at him. “Just got finished having brunch with my folks. I brought some of these for my mother from work. Thought you might enjoy some too.”
He took the box and inhaled the heavenly aroma of rosemary and thyme. Oh yeah. Tantalizing. A great adjective for her too.
He waved her inside. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No thanks. Full up. Shall we head out to the yard?” she prompted.
“Right down to business, huh.”
The day of the barbeque she'd been ushered through this space quickly. She wandered into his living room, a large open space that flowed into a sizable kitchen boasting high-end brushed stainless steel appliances, ivory quartz counter tops and cherry wood cabinets.
Amusement infusing her eyes, she coveted his home. “You're living in my dream house. Your hardwood floors are exactly the right shade of red oak. Did it come this way or did you remodel?”
“My folks got tired of maintaining it so I bought them out. They handed me the key and retired in Uruguay of all places. Apparently it's a retiree's paradise. The winter rain up here was playing havoc on my Dad's arthritis. Place is mine now. Did some remodeling.”
An understatement at best. He'd ripped out the entire interior and started over from scratch. Done most of the work himself with Lyle helping.
Kylie allowed herself twenty seconds of wallowing in envy, then got over it. She walked through the kitchen and out the back door onto the deck, forcing Will to follow.
Outside the yard looked pristine. “You have a gardener, Will?” she asked.
“Planted the beds myself, but Buster does the maintenance stuff, both here and at the diner.”
She recalled the elderly man with a glint in his eyes for Eileen, the mature receptionist. Kylie had marveled at how they'd flirted with one another despite their years. No age limit on love.
“He strikes me as a hardy soul with a healthy appetite for your hostess.”
“Eileen. You've got a sharp eye. He's been widowed for over ten years. Wife passed from cancer and it broke him. Ended up a homeless man. We took him in.”
Kylie mentally penciled that onto her list of Will's attributes but merely nodded her approval.
They made their way down the garden path to the greenhouse. Stepping inside she immediately noticed a rise in temperature typical of such structures, but here it was highly humid. That could be both good and bad for plants, and there was something amiss here as the ones Will had going were struggling.
She fingered a tomato leaf, turned it over. “Ah. Here we go. You've got mildew. A common scourge. Easily managed.”
Will peered at the leaf. She turned over more leaves, exposing the powdery looking white mildew stains.
“What's the cure?”
“Mix baking soda with water, squirt in a little liquid dish soap, spray it on. Should do the trick.”
He nodded. “Gotcha. I'll take care of it.”
She moved over to the basil plants. “See this? You've got yourself an epidemic. You'll need to spray all the plants, even if you don't see any mildew present.”
“Okay, got it.”
“You'll need to ventilate a little better, create air flow. But this is pretty decent, Will. You may grow a green thumb yet.”
His grin was wide and sincere. “I couldn't ask for more.” Well, yes he could. But he sensed this wasn't the time or place.
Oh what the hell, he decided, and surprising them both took her hand, swirled her around so she faced him and pulled her in close. His lips melded with hers and he felt her immediate protest as she pulled away. She stared and chewed on her bottom lip. Eyes still locked, she acted on instinct and gently engaged the kiss again, tasting, nibbling. Devouring.
Sensations crowded in, heat infusing Will's entire body as it came alive. It was instant and fierce, the clawing need for more testing his willpower. He had plenty, normally. A gift of sorts. But beneath her exploratory venture into his mouth, he'd picked up a strong vibe of taboo.
Kylie pressed her length against his and felt his insistent arousal. This had to stop. Now. Abruptly she pulled away and stepped out into the hard sunlight. She'd tasted sweetness and yearning with a hint of tempered impatience. It was exactly what she'd expected and a laugh erupted as she realized she'd been inadvertently leading him to exactly this moment all along.
Shame on her. Although the temptation had been right there, ripe for the taking. Choices had been to analyze or act. Her hormones had decided for her.
He came out behind her looking confused.
“I shouldn't have done that, Will. There's something you need to know.”
“If you're going to hand me a line about being a lesbian, I beg to differ.”
“I'm pregnant.” There, she'd said it. Out loud. And felt a strong measure of regret that they hadn't met under different circumstances.
“Jolene told me you're single,” he sputtered. “Hell, Kylie, I wouldn't have touched you had I known you have someone. I don't know what to say. You sure don't look pregnant.”
“I just found out recently.”
He looked like he'd just sucked on a lemon. “Who's the lucky guy?”
“No one you know. I'm considering his marriage proposal.”
This was too sad. For her sake he needed to shake it off. “The fact that you're not jumping at it seems like an area of concern. What's the deal?”
Kylie began to stroll the path back to the house and he fell in step. “The deal is...” she hesitated. Should she tell it to him straight? Somehow she felt comfortable with the idea. “I'm not sure if I even love him, and for me that's an important ingredient for marriage. Does that sound lame?”
“Not to me. When I get married I want it to be for keeps, and love is not only an option but a requirement. I know that's a common sentiment but I really mean it. Guess that particular ideal complicates things for you, doesn't it?”
“Being pregnant just doesn't seem like a good enough premise for marriage. Not in this era anyway.” She shook her head. “As you can see, I'm one confused girl.”
Woman. All woman, he thought. He admired h
er honesty and the fact that she wasn't jumping into something foolishly.
He guided her to the deck and said, “Sit for a while. I've got something to tell you that might help.”
Curious, she laid back on a lounger while he sat on one opposite. Sunlight dappled across his lightly tanned skin and tripped into his blue eyes, picking out flecks of gold. She felt... safe.
He took her hand, played absently with her fingers as he began to speak. There was something intimate yet noncommittal about the gesture.
“Ten years ago I had a son with my high school friend. Now, I say friend because that's what we are, nothing more, nothing less. We were young and foolish and we thought we could beat the odds of getting pregnant while we both learned how to be lovers. I admit we had a physical thing for each other. But we both knew getting hitched would never work for either of us.”
Kylie was surprised. It had never occurred to her that Will was a father, let alone to a ten year old boy.
“Her name is Julia McMillan and his name is Max. Julia and I live very different lives. The one thing we do have in common is our love for our boy. We make it work. I'm a big part of Max's life and it would never come into her mind to deny me that. We share the expense of raising him as well as time spent with him.”
He took a moment to sort out his thoughts. “I won't tell you it's been easy. There have been bumps in the road and we've just hit one because they live on the mainland and Max has put it in his head to come and live with me. Julia's getting married early next year and says that Max likes the dude well enough but he doesn't want him to be his Dad. Try explaining to a ten year old that it doesn't work that way. That I'll always be his Dad no matter what.”
Kylie's fingers were still linked with his and it felt entirely natural. “Crazy world. New age principles and all.”
Will's laugh was a wheeze. “I'm surprising myself by saying this, but old world values are still some of the best ones. I've got to make the right call here. But hey, it's not your problem and not my point. I'm telling you this because I want you to know that having a child out of wedlock is do-able.”