Carson leaned back in the settee. "Oh boy. This is one of those situations where I can't offer any advice. I know Ian so well and I know how much this has gutted him. I don't know what to say."
"You married Alice even though she was carrying another man's baby," Ruby said softly, "and you love Mia like your own. Do you think Ian could do that?"
Carson shrugged. "Your situation is vastly different, Ruby. You had a past with Rory. He obviously has a thing for you. You two had consensual sex, even if you don't remember." He tacked on hastily. "He left his wife, you know that?"
Ruby nodded.
"And resigned from the ministry." Carson clasped his hands together. "Rory means business. He wants you back. He would create hell in your lives. Ian would feel resentful. You would feel guilty. That's not a good environment in which to bring up a child."
Ruby sighed.
"Believe it or not, Ian avoiding you right now is best for all concerned."
Ruby's hand trembled as she pulled it through her hair. "I just...I miss him. I wish we could talk. I wish November never happened. I feel really awful and I don't want to wish away this baby because I have always wanted a baby, but not like this."
She stood up before she started to cry in front of Carson and appear even more pathetic than she already was.
"Give me the list," she said gruffly. "I can't believe I am helping Ian to pack himself out of my life."
*****
Ian drove to where his house was being built at five o'clock in the evening. He had an early day and he had taken a leisurely drive along the coastline while coming into Montego Bay, trying to gather his thoughts. The skies had been gray all day and it suited his mood. When Carson had brought him his stuff yesterday, he had wanted to hear how Ruby was doing but he didn't ask. Carson had volunteered anyway that she looked slimmer and that he thought she wasn't eating.
The thought of Ruby miserable and not eating gave him a feeling of something other than pain. He felt concerned. He must be the worst kind of idiot to still feel concerned over the wife who betrayed him, but that niggling worry about her persisted even though he was angry with her—bad habits die hard. He was going to try his level best to cure himself of this habit.
He got out of the car and looked around. His father and the guys had really reached far with the house. He knew his father had stepped up the pace on the site because he thought that he was going to be a grandfather and that they would need the house for their new family. He hadn't had the heart to tell his parents that the child that Ruby carried was not his and that he might never be able to father a child. Instead, he would have to tell them that he was thinking of getting a divorce. It was going to be a cruel shock when they found out.
His father's van was in the front yard, so he assumed he was somewhere in the house.
He gathered his tools from the trunk of his truck and headed inside.
"Yes, we start tiling next week." His father was talking to somebody. "Then the paint, then windows and doors."
"It's gorgeous. I especially love the cut stonework on the living room wall. Carson has something just like that. I think that was Ian's idea."
Ian froze; that was Ruby's voice. What was she doing here? He never saw her car.
He was standing in the hallway like a deer caught in headlights when his father saw him.
"Hi Ian, I was just giving Ruby a tour. Clare and I went to see her and I offered to bring her up here and show her how we are progressing. I am sure you guys can't wait till we are done here so that you can start with the nursery."
Ian nodded. He should have told his parents. His brain screamed. "Is Mom here, too?" he asked, his voice gravelly.
"No, I dropped her off at some fashion meeting thingy," his father said absently. Ruby stepped behind him and smiled shyly. "Hi Ian."
Ian couldn't speak. He looked at her for the longest time.
"What's the matter with you two?" his father asked. "You both are acting like you just met."
"We ah..." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. "We had a disagreement."
His father chuckled. "Oh, one of those. Since Ian is here, I'll leave you two to it then. He can take you home. Don't be a stranger, Ruby. We want to play an active part in our grandchild's life."
He kissed Ruby on the cheeks. "Son, talk to you later. We need to discuss your tiling choices."
"Yes. Sure Dad," Ian said faintly. He had not taken his eyes from Ruby during his father's little speech. She did appear thinner but she was gorgeous and it seemed as if her curls were longer. They were covering her ears and she had a soft look to her. She was dressed in a short red dress. Being pregnant suited her, even if her eyes looked haunted and miserable.
He heard his father's vehicle starting up and then driving down the hill. Only then did he drag his eyes from hers.
"This is awkward," Ruby finally said. She had been staring at him as well.
"I didn't expect to see you here today," Ian said uncomfortably.
"Neither did I," Ruby said, a hitch to her breathing. She folded her hands around herself in a lonely pose. "How've you been?"
"Good," Ian said, and then castigated himself for the lie. He was far from good. The last two weeks had been hell. The anguish that he had gone through he would not wished on his worst enemy. "How have you been?"
"Miserable," Ruby said. "I miss you."
Ian put the toolbox on the floor. "You cheated on me with Rory. You lied to me. You tried to hide it. You are pregnant with his child. I can't believe you have the temerity to say you miss me."
He clenched his fist. "And now you have me lying to my parents. What am I going to tell them now? They think that you are going to have their grandchild. Even this house, which was supposed to be our family house, which my Dad is so lovingly build..."
He laughed harshly. "The house will probably have to be sold in the divorce."
Ruby gasped. "Divorce?"
"What did you expect, Ruby?" Ian growled. "Isn't that what you want, anyway? So that you can be with Rory, your high school sweetheart?"
"I love you," Ruby choked. "I really do. Ian please, believe me when I say that last November was a mistake. I can't even remember what happened. I remember kissing him..."
Ian winced. "Stop." He held up his hand.
"But Ian, please... just hear me out for a sec."
"No." Ian shook his head. "Keep the gory details of your adultery to yourself."
"But I..." Ruby leaned on the wall and clutched her belly, a look of pain on her face.
Ian looked at her dispassionately but when she doubled over, he strode to her side and grasped her hand.
"Ruby?"
"I can't do this whole thing without you," she said tearfully. "I can't."
Ian shook her gently. "Are you in pain?"
Ruby swiped her eyes and straightened up. "Just a cramp. I'll be okay."
Ian looked at her. "I am going to take you to the doctor."
"I am fine." Ruby straightened up and winced. "Just take me home."
Ian wanted to argue. Who was she kidding; she was not fine. She was too slim for a woman who was supposed to be fourteen weeks pregnant and she was stressed out. If she was having his baby he would have insisted on carrying her to the doctor and he was going to insist now, whether she liked it or not. She was still his wife.
"We are going to the doctor," he said, taking up his toolbox. "I am not going to be responsible for you losing this baby."
Ruby winced again. "Okay."
Ian felt an urgency to take her there now. Ruby was not arguing and she looked like she was in pain.
*****
Stress was the verdict. Ian glanced at Ruby; she was curled up in the passenger seat. She looked diminished and weary. The doctor had warned her that constant prolonged stress could trigger an inflammatory response and that she could develop all sorts of complications that could affect her baby.
The doctor, assuming that he was the father, had warned him to stay with her tonigh
t and ensure that she slept. He didn't want to do anything of the sort but as much as it was hurting him to think about it, he was all she had right now, unless, of course, she was seeing Rory.
The thought made him grit his teeth. Now he felt stressed. He tried to calm down, at least for Ruby's sake. Confronting her about Rory would surely be considered one of the stressful topics that should be avoided for now. The rain that had threatening all day started to come down in earnest. He turned on the wipers and resigned himself to crawling in traffic.
The silence built between them until Ruby made a little whimpering sound.
"What's wrong?" Ian asked, alarmed.
"Nothing," Ruby said, as she turned her head to the window.
Ian glanced at her. "If you need to go back to the doctor, you need to tell me."
"Do you still love me?" Ruby asked softly.
"Yes," Ian said harshly. "Of course."
He looked at her and then back on the road. "If I didn't love you this betrayal wouldn't feel as terrible."
Ruby's shoulders, which were tense, slumped a little. She licked her lips. "Can't you forgive me?"
"My answer would count as stressful," Ian said gently. "Let's not talk about this now…for your baby's sake."
Ruby whispered, "If my baby is a girl I'll call her Amber."
"And if it's a boy?" Ian struggled to keep his voice even.
"I'd call him Jasper, or maybe Zircon."
"I like the sound of Zircon," Ian said. "Jasper sounds like my father's old friend."
Ruby chuckled.
Ian couldn't believe how pleased he was to hear her laugh.
"Zircon Scott," Ruby said. "That could work."
Ian grunted. "Aren't you going to marry Rory after both your divorces come through? You can't name your baby Scott."
Her shoulders got tense again and he almost kicked himself for putting his foot in his mouth. She huddled even closer to the door, hanging onto it for dear life. "I don't want to divorce you."
Ian didn't want to talk about that right now. He navigated his way through the traffic and then parked in their underground parking lot. He closed his door and came around to Ruby's side of the vehicle.
"I can manage," Ruby hissed at him. "I'll have to manage anyway, since you won't be around."
Ian winced. "Ruby, calm down. Your stress is affecting the baby."
"You are the reason for my stress," Ruby said. She grabbed her bag and headed to the stairs leading to the elevators.
Ian sighed heavily. It had completely missed Ruby that she was the one who had thrown them into this predicament. He followed her at a more sedate pace. He ended up having to wait for another elevator.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rory was almost at his apartment door when he saw Sue-Ann standing impatiently in front of it.
"Who told you where I lived?" he asked her before she could say a word.
"I followed you from work couple of evenings ago," Sue-Ann responded.
"I didn't want you to know where I live," Rory said petulantly. "You and I have nothing left to say to each other."
"Is Ruby living here with you now?" Sue-Ann asked, pointing at the door.
"No," Rory said, "why should she?" He felt irritated at the question. Ruby had gone completely silent on him. She wasn't even answering her phone.
He had even gone to her workplace and spied out her apartment, which was in the other building, across from his. Since her pregnancy she had gone missing, and he had all but given up on his campaign. He knew it was hopeless anyway. Ruby would not leave her husband to be with him, not with a baby on the way.
He stood at the door. He didn't want Sue-Ann inside, tainting the place with her presence.
"I know about you and Ruby," Sue-Ann said, pausing until somebody came off the elevator and passed them in the hallway. "You slept with Ruby last November and who knows whenever else. I heard her husband over the phone saying that she was three months pregnant and I put two and two together. Let me tell you, I am not sending Jade to stay with you and this new baby of yours! I would rather die first!"
Rory stared at Sue-Ann as if she had two heads. "Don't be ridiculous, Sue. Ruby is..."
"I don't want to hear about how good a mother Ruby will be," Sue-Ann said, an anguished tone to her voice. "And this little set-up where you pretend to live here while she lives nearby is not fooling anyone. Both of you are still married to other people, even though her husband may have left her and you left me. This is a travesty, especially for you, Mr. Ex-Pastor."
Rory opened the door to the apartment hurriedly. Sue-Ann was raising her voice and he didn't want curious ears to hear his business.
He almost dragged her inside. "What are you talking about, Sue-Ann? Ruby's husband left her?"
"Stop acting as if you don't know," Sue-Ann said, looking around the apartment curiously. "This place has a nice view." She headed for the balcony.
Rory ran his fingers through his hair and then sat on the nearest hard surface, a bar stool.
He almost laughed at the irony of the situation. He didn't know that Ian had left Ruby. He had to visit Ruby this minute and make things right.
"Don't go anywhere," Rory said to Sue. "I'll be back shortly."
"What do you have to eat?" Sue-Ann asked.
Rory shrugged. "I bought groceries yesterday. You can have a go at the kitchen."
Sue-Ann smiled. Progress. Rory wasn't looking at her with abject hatred and he wasn't throwing her out of the apartment.
*****
Ian reached the apartment door at the same time as Rory.
He scowled at him darkly. "What are you doing here, Panton? Haven't I told you to stay away from my wife?"
Rory grimaced. "I should have known that Sue-Ann had gotten her information wrong. She told me you guys were not living together."
Ian took a step toward Rory, threateningly.
"Hold on a minute," Rory said, holding up his hands. "I came to tell Ruby the truth about Trelawny. Sue-Ann told me that Ruby is pregnant and she seems to think that the baby is mine." Rory chuckled dryly. "That couldn't be because we never had sex."
Ian was tightening his fists but the anger that was boiling up within him cooled.
"What are you saying?" He asked because he didn't think he had heard correctly.
"I ..." Rory ran his hand through his hair. "Can we, like, go inside? I seem to be broadcasting my business in the hallway this evening."
Ian opened the door and held it for him to walk through.
When he looked inside Ruby was lying on the settee, her hand over her head.
He locked the door behind him and leaned against the wall, a weak feeling in his limbs.
Ruby looked up and then her eyes widened when she saw both men.
"Don't you dare upset my wife," Ian said to Rory possessively.
"I won't," Rory swallowed. "Ruby, I had no idea that you thought your baby was mine."
Ruby sat up in the settee slowly, a frown on her face.
"I mean, I never touched you, except to undress you, of course, and tuck you into bed. You were out like a light by the time I opened the door to the cottage. You practically fainted on me."
He cleared his throat. Ian was looking at him with a laser-like gaze.
"I got into bed with you, I must admit. At the time I was tired too, and I thought that when we woke up we could talk."
"You led me to believe that we had sex," Ruby gasped. "How could you, Rory?"
Ian's eyes found Ruby's. She looked agitated.
"Ruby," he said, remembering that she shouldn't be stressing out herself. An overpowering relief was taking over his body. The baby was his and he wasn't infertile.
"I have been feeling guilty and rotten for three whole months," Ruby said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I almost lost my husband and my friends. You and Sue-Ann deserve each other. You are underhanded and sneaky."
Rory lowered his eyes. "I am sorry."
"You should be," Ian said, o
pening the door. "And stay far away from my wife," he added for good measure.
Rory nodded.
*****
When he left, Ian went over to Ruby and hugged her. She was crying softly. "I can't believe that Rory deceived me like that. I just didn't know he had it in him."
"Hush, my darling." Ian wiped the tears from her eyes. "I am really happy he was honest enough to come forward and tell us the truth, sparing us months of despair. I have some damage control to do with my friends."
Ruby snuggled in his neck. "They all think that I am an adulteress, don't they?"
"Yes." Ian laughed softly. "And that I am infertile. Obviously, I am not."
"Obviously, you are not." Ruby pulled away from his neck. "And even though you thought I was pregnant with another man's child, you were concerned enough for me to take me to the doctor. I think you love me, golden eyes."
Ian kissed her. "I know I love you, my favorite gem."
The End
Author's Notes
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