by Rhodes, Beth
“Hello.” Maria waved to the woman as David held the door for her. He helped her off with her coat and hung it on the row of hooks on the wall inside the entryway.
Maria moved forward to the desk. She was speaking quietly with the receptionist.
David took a moment to look at her from behind. She was gorgeous. Her hair shone, hanging down her back, slightly curled at the ends. Her rear—damn, that rear. A quick glance around proved Maria could possibly, most likely did, have the finest ass in the room.
“David?” Maria was standing in front of him, her head tilted to one side, a small smile on her lips. “You want to sit?”
There were several available chairs—an eclectic collection. Some big and soft, a few straight-backed and even a set of wingback antiques with claw foot legs. She took one of the straight backs against the wall across from the desk, and he sat next to her.
“By the way,” she started. “Don’t be upset, but Dr. Pelts is out delivering a baby. We’re seeing your mother.”
***
A nurse showed them back.
David stood in the corner as the nurse took Maria’s blood pressure and explained what was going to happen.
“I’ve done this before,” she told the nurse, taking the gown.
“Oh!” The nurse’s smile grew. “This is your second baby?”
“No!” The surprise on Maria’s face made David smile. “I mean, I had a doctor at home in California who I saw at eight weeks. And I’m a nurse.”
“Well, get changed then, and the doctor will be in in a minute.”
She left and silence filled the room.
He wasn’t ready.
For this. A baby.
“You okay, David?”
He looked at her, rubbed a hand over his chest, and blew out a breath. “That obvious?”
“No.” She started taking off her clothes—soft, pink cotton t-shirt first. Her hair fell around her shoulders and covered the good parts. “Maybe I just know you. And I know it’s still hard when your mom gets involved.”
“Actually, it’s getting easier.”
She grinned, and the movement made her hair shift—but not enough. Inwardly, he rolled his eyes. He might as well be a horny teenager. He couldn’t stop thinking about Maria and getting her beneath him again.
The gown went over her shoulders, and she slipped off her boots and jeans then hoisted herself up to the table. Her cute little feet dangled above the short step at the foot of the table.
“You nervous?” he asked her, wondering what she was thinking.
“No. She’s just going to do a quick check up. You’ll get to hear the baby’s heartbeat.”
“Really?” David stepped closer. He brushed a stray hair from her face. “You know what?”
She shook her head.
“As long as you’re with me, I don’t care about anything else.”
The roll of her eyes and her laugh was enough to make his heart pound. She gave him a little shove. “Whatever,” she said, but he could tell she liked the idea. “Go back to your corner, charmer.”
She helped him relax so that when the door opened and his mother walked through, he maintained his calm, collected façade. The more he saw of her, the easier it got. She wasn’t the monster he remembered, not coldhearted, either. Of course, she wanted something, and most people were nice when they wanted something.
Her kindness, the smile that was slightly reserved, she shared with everyone, though. And her light green eyes were lit with anticipation and…he thought, maybe, excitement. Her eyes were like his own. Light enough to charm a leprechaun, she’d always said.
“You must be my little, lucky leprechaun, Davey.”
“No, Mom! I’m a Power Ranger!”
His brain scrambled for reality as his mind took him back, way back to a time he’d left buried. A time of sweet ninja moves and secret power sources. The time before life had blown up in his face.
“Hi. Maria.” His mother hugged Maria. “I’m so glad you came in to see me. I heard about the influenza from Mrs. Kraus. How are you feeling?”
“Fine. Just a little tired.”
And then Colleen turned to him. “David.” She held out her hand as if he should shake it, and a part of him couldn’t get his arm to cooperate. His heart pounded as he forced his hand to obey and take hers. “Mom.”
That wasn’t the word he intended to use, but it just came out, and a tad snarky at that. He reminded himself that he was an adult now.”
“Well, let’s get right to it,” his mom said, all business.
She could have no idea how meaningful it was that she didn’t want to get all heart-to-heart in here. When it came right down to it, that’s what he’d always thought would happen if they’d been stuck in a room for more than thirty minutes.
“Why don’t you give me the date of your last menstrual cycle? We’ll start over with your charting, and later, I’ll send the release forms to your doctor in California.”
“October eighth.”
The week after they’d met, when he’d been fascinated by her. He’d seen her at the diner, arguing with Lucas. And at first, he’d thought they were an item, but it became clear, as he eavesdropped, that they were siblings.
Colleen pulled a little circular chart from her pocket and turned the inside sleeve. “Just about twelve weeks along. As you probably know, there’s always some discrepancy on the due date. No need to rush anything, no need to be worried.”
David looked from his mom to Maria. He was catching most of what they said, yet at the same time he felt horribly inept. He needed a book.
“Are you taking pre-natal vitamins?”
Pre-natal vitamins? Was she taking them?
“Yes, well… let’s say about seventy percent of the time.” Maria glanced his way, a slight blush on her cheeks. “I forget sometimes.”
David frowned.
“Great. Why don’t you lie back, and we’ll have a listen.” Colleen pulled a flat surface from under the table to lengthen it. “You going to stand there frowning the whole time, Dad, or would you like to stand next to your wife?”
Hesitant, he came to stand beside Maria, and she took his hand as the doctor laid a blanket over her lap and then lifted the gown to reveal her stomach. His hand went out to touch it. It looked so smooth, so soft, and the baby bump fit in the palm of his hand.
Maria laid her hand on top of his, and he turned his hand over to take it.
Colleen pulled a small device from her pocket. Like a radio with a microphone on it. She squeezed gel on the top of the microphone and set it on Maria’s belly.
Immediately, the sound of a heart beat filled the room. “That beat is Maria.”
His hand tightened on hers as he watched the little sonar move over the baby bump. He held his breath, not even realizing, not even knowing how badly he’d wanted to feel connected.
“There it is!” His mom grinned and turned up the volume.
“Oh.” Maria spoke first. She was so beautiful, lying there on the table. Her eyes bright with wonder. “It’s perfect.”
“It’s so fast,” he whispered. That was his baby in there. His. Holy shit. What the hell did he know about babies? Nothing. Failure was likely. He cleared his throat and, finding her eyes on him, tried to smile.
She reached up and patted his shoulder.
Colleen wiped Maria’s belly and measured it with a tape.
“Why are you doing that?” he asked.
“We doctors get bored and need to feel important, especially this early in the pregnancy. Isn’t much to do except watch it grow.” His mom looked at him. “There’s a norm for everything. We track it all, note it in the chart. This measures the belly, the uterus actually. It helps us gauge how big the baby is.”
Mom put a gentle hand on Maria’s shoulder. “I run a natural practice here. I don’t do invasive. I can do an ultrasound if you have concerns but otherwise, I wait until much later in your pregnancy. And even then, unless there are othe
r complications, I try to keep things simple. You two need to decide if this is okay with you.” Her glance went from Maria to him. “Pregnancy is the most natural thing in the world.”
His mom’s fingers ran through the length of hair on Maria’s shoulder, and he thought perhaps she surprised herself because she suddenly withdrew, and patted Maria’s shoulder.
“Now, if you have any questions or anything comes up, you call this number. Any time of day or night.” She handed Maria a business card and then opened the door to leave. “My answering service will get a hold of me.”
“Thank you.”
And then his mom was gone.
Maria took his hand. “Okay?”
“I guess. It wasn’t what I expected, especially after the full-court press she’s been giving me since last year.”
Maria was dressing—too bad, and she paused as her shirt came down over her head.
“I should be glad. She was professional and caring, leaving all emotional baggage at the door.” So why did he feel as if there was so much left unsaid?
“You’re like her,” Maria said absently as she pulled her boots back on.
“No way,” he answered abruptly, sharply even, her observation making the panic rise in him. “I would never be like her.”
“I mean, good at what she does, and like you said, a real professional.” Maria smiled and squeezed his arm. “For what it’s worth, maybe you need to go clear the air up with her. She’s only been trying for years. Don’t you want to know why she left?”
“She liked women, Maria. Why would she stay with my Dad?”
Maria went quiet, and he feared he offended her. “I’m sorry.”
She turned back to him with a frown on her face. “Divorce rarely means the kid will never get to see his mother again. There are usually holidays, weekends, summers.”
“She chose herself.”
“Why?” she asked with a scowl.
He could only shrug. He didn’t know.
Maybe that was partly his fault.
18
Maria finally made it to Henry’s coffee shop.
The exposed wood of the place reminded her of the other establishments in town. Not that it wasn’t nice, but she decided if she were to ever start a business—which she wouldn’t—her business would show off every flare of California Spanish design. The quaint, small-town, turn-of-the-century feel could be overdone, couldn’t it?
Maybe it was merely that the last time she’d seen David here, he’d been with Tammy. Maybe it was that he’d hardly said anything since they left his mom’s office—silent and brooding. No matter what caused it, Maria was cranky. And tired.
And uncertain…It was the uncertainty that drove the irritability, though.
She knew herself well enough to deduce that much.
David brought her tea to the table and set down a plate with a sandwich in front of her.
“I didn’t order anything.”
“I ordered for you,” he said calmly.
“I told you I couldn’t have lunch meat.”
“I asked them to microwave it.”
Oh. Dang it. She blew out a breath, and then her stomach rumbled.
“Thought you were hungry,” he said with a satisfied grin.
She scowled. “Maybe a little.”
“Besides, even if you’re not, Craig probably is.”
“What?”
“The baby.”
She stared at him for a long moment. “Uh uh. No.”
“It’s a nice a name.”
“It’s…eastern and boring.” What was she doing, bickering? Now that he’d been to a doctor’s appointment, he was just going to take over her entire life? Name their baby? Buy her lunch? He was taking care of her, and as much as she should be all melty and happy, it stuck in her craw.
She would never be a kept woman, not now and not ever. Especially by a man who was merely financially responsible for her. No matter how well he kissed. Her irritability couldn’t disguise the longing.
Picking up her tea a little too violently, she sloshed the liquid over the edge of the mug. Tea burned her hand, and she set the cup back down with a thud. “Dang it.”
David took her hand and dried the offending spill. She tried to pull away, but he didn’t let her go. “What’s with you?” His face was filled with concern, he watched her, made her feel vulnerable.
She’d wanted to break away from those binding strings of family, of being babied. His idea of an arrangement seemed perfect, in a way. But it had been weeks, and she was starting to think she might have been wrong. She shrugged. “Nothing. Just…pregnant.”
“Today was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he replied, weaving his fingers through hers so they were like…holding hands, in public, in town, in front of all these freaking people!
“Was holding hands part of the contract? I wouldn’t want you to be in breach. And what the hell do you mean? The best thing that’s ever happened to me.” She took a bite of the sandwich as her temper rose. He was the one who wanted to keep thing from getting messy. And why was she freaking out that he’d crossed a line, his own damn line. Ugh. “We heard the kid’s heartbeat. So what? That hasn’t changed anything.” But what if it had?
David looked around as if his image was in jeopardy, but then he spoke in a very serious tone that had her temper reining in and her heart turning over. “It changed everything.”
Did it? Did it make him love her? Or did it just make him…see the baby as more than a pawn? She sighed, sorry for being so out-of-sorts. “It was great, wasn’t it? And I know you’re still a little uncertain about your mom, but she’s been so wonderful.”
“Yeah. Well, it’s been a long road coming.” He rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. “She’s trying. Actually, she’s always tried. Now, I’m trying. Maybe she gets a second chance.”
Her face brightened. “You mean that? It’s good, David. Second chances, you know?”
David leaned forward and touched his finger to her nose. “You want the truth?”
She nodded.
“After she left, I stopped thinking about it.”
“That easy?”
He shook his head. “I was a stupid kid. I didn’t understand until later—her switching teams. My dad wouldn’t let her stick around. He was angry—of course. Pride—”
“It’s an awful thing.”
David fingered the hair that hung over her shoulder. She loved when he did that, so absentmindedly.
“There are worse things than pride.”
“No,” Maria said, shaking her head, feeling the slight tug of his hold on her. “It’s the root of selfishness. It’s one of the greatest of the seven sins—” She cut herself off and gasped, her gaze flew to his, but he was smirking, amused. “Oh, my. Sorry. Just old lessons coming back to haunt me.”
“Actually, you’re right. Pride kept my dad from showing any compassion, admitting any wrong in their relationship. A little humility could have gone a long way.”
“But she contacted you.” The sandwich sat untouched as Maria sipped her tea. David gently pushed the plate closer to her. She picked it up, turkey and swiss, one of her favorites.
“Not until I was eighteen.” He furrowed his brow and picked at his napkin. “Eighteen…”
“What are you thinking?”
When he looked at her, a cloud cleared from his eyes. “I don’t know. It’s just…interesting, I think.”
He shoved his chair back, stretched out his legs, and crossed his arms.
And she knew he was thinking about his dad. They were similar in many ways. Very business minded, responsible in that way. “You think your dad had something to do with her leaving.”
“It makes sense, doesn’t it?”
She laughed. “Well, in all honesty, the entire scenario seems fit for afternoon television. No offense, of course,” she added with a grimace. “In my world things are done on a very basic level. Even divorce.” Her stomach growled. “I’m
sorry.” The hunger she’d been feeling had morphed after that first bite and she wolfed half of her sandwich.
David laughed, pulled her toward him over the small table to kiss her lips. “I like watching you eat.”
The words were seductive, meant to pull her out of grumpiness, and the gleam in his eye promised the physical release to match that seduction. She swallowed hard, shook off the pleasant feelings coursing through her, and ignored his teasing. “And, I’m glad things seem like they’re turning around for you.”
She’d never encountered a truly dysfunctional family. Her sheltered life hadn’t included that kind of exposure. Sad, but true. Or maybe not sad—life. She hadn’t chosen her life, at least not until last October when she’d fallen head over heels for this guy.
“Maybe.” He toyed with her fingers. And his touch sent an electric shock of need straight to her womb. Damn it. She finished her sandwich and picked up her tea. But the simple task of eating had been replaced by him, by that promise.
Wiping her lips, she set the napkin down and picked up her purse. “Ready?”
“Good idea,” he answered, standing behind her and helping her out of her chair. He took her elbow as she stood then turned to clean up their mess.
The bell over the door chimed.
And in walked Tammy.
“Oh, great,” Maria groaned. Just what she needed on what was becoming an incredibly cranky afternoon. She was tired, fed up, and just plain not in the mood to deal with the woman who would make David feel ashamed about who he was, who would dare put her hands on a man who didn’t belong to her. Her frown increased and pressure built behind her eyes.
She sighed as David tensed next to her, his fist tightened on the napkins in his hand.
He really did have a time of it in Florida. He wasn’t one to let those emotions get to him.
Maria might have felt unworthy, frumpy, short and fat. In her current state of mind, she wouldn’t have been surprised. Especially with Tammy all dressed in her weekday best, yet the look on Tammy’s face was pure ugly mean.