The Right Bride: Book Three: The Hunted Series

by Jennifer Ryan

  Cameron winced and rubbed the back of his neck. “You know, you’ve been a very busy boy. Maybe you’ll have two babies just a month or so apart.”

  The thought he’d have two babies within a month took a minute to sink in. He looked at Jenna and shook his head to clear it.

  “You really need to look at this situation with clear eyes. You’re so adamant about marrying Shelly to be a father to her baby, but you love Marti. Now Marti is pregnant and you might be having two babies, or more likely only one, Marti’s.”

  “How did my life get so complicated?” he complained. Luckily, Jenna didn’t answer his rhetorical question. He’d fucked up his own life by being irresponsible.

  “I want to be with Marti. Her and I raising our baby and Emma together would be a dream come true. The thing is, I already promised to marry Shelly. What kind of person does that make me if I go back on my word and make Shelly raise our child on her own and I’m only the weekend dad?”

  “Sue for custody. Shelly isn’t interested in anything more than your money and the lifestyle she wants to live. You can afford to give her that and make her go away. Again, that’s if she’s pregnant.”

  He considered his options and only one appealed to him. Marti and a life with her and his children.

  Jenna broke into his thoughts again. “Figure out all the variables and make the best decision based on the facts, Cameron. Facts are how we make good business decisions for the company. You’re making decisions based on past guilt and anger that Knight didn’t tell you he’s your father. Go home. Make Shelly take that test. Fix your problems.”

  He didn’t know what to do. Everything swirled around in his head and nothing was settled. He thought about what he knew for sure. Marti was pregnant and she loved him. He loved Marti. Emma loved Marti. Shelly may or may not be pregnant. He didn’t know for sure. She hadn’t handed him a pregnancy test she’d taken in front of him.

  No other choice, he certainly wasn’t getting any work done, he needed to go home and find out if Shelly was pregnant and put an end to all the chaos in his life.

  Chapter Forty-One

  * * *

  MARTI WALKED IN the front door and heard the commotion upstairs.

  “Give it back,” Emma screamed.

  “You have to share,” Shelly yelled back.

  Marti took the stairs two at a time, topped them, and wondered if she was at some warped elementary school fight. Shelly sidestepped in circles with Emma jumping up trying to grab the ruby and diamond necklace out of her upraised hand.

  “That doesn’t belong to you,” Marti snapped.

  Marti took a menacing step forward and Shelly started explaining quickly, “I want to wear it for my wedding, and the little brat won’t even let me borrow it, so I can try it on with my dress.”

  “I’ll only tell you once, give it back to her. The necklace was her inheritance from her grandfather.”

  “She got millions. It’s just a necklace. She needs to learn how to share.”

  “Give it back to her,” Marti said emphatically.

  “No. I’m going to be her stepmother and she needs to learn to respect me and do as I say.”

  Marti refused to listen to another childish word. She grabbed the necklace and held her hand out to give it to Emma. With a frustrated growl, Shelly lunged for her, planted her hands on her shoulders, and shoved her backwards down the stairs.

  She hit her shoulder, tumbled, and wrenched her knee. The pain from her shoulder shot up her neck, and her knee felt like it exploded with a pop.

  Emma screamed. Shelly dragged her away from the stairs, pushed her into her room, and bent over her.

  “If you say one word about what happened, I’ll make sure you never see your father again. Not one word,” she said and pointed her finger in Emma’s face.

  Emma ran and hid under her bed. She held the necklace clutched in her fist and cried, thinking only one thing: Marti was dead and it was all her fault.

  Shelly needed to do some damage control. She hadn’t meant to push Marti down the stairs. She just wanted her to butt out. It was worth a fortune and would look so great around her neck in all the wedding pictures.

  She grabbed the phone and called Cameron. “Cameron,” she said breathlessly. “You have to come home quick.”

  “What’s the matter? I’m almost there. Are you okay? Is it Emma?”

  “No. Marti’s gone crazy. She tried to shove me down the stairs. She said she didn’t want me to have your baby and she was going to make sure I didn’t. You have to come home,” she sobbed out.

  “Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”

  “Yes, I managed to fight her off, but I’m not feeling well. Help me, Cameron.”

  “I’m not far from the house. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  He shouted to Jimmy, even though he’d probably overheard everything. “Jimmy, you have to hurry. Marti tried to throw Shelly down the stairs.”

  “That doesn’t sound like something Marti would do.” Jimmy put his foot on the gas and hurried to the house.

  A fight between Marti and Shelly couldn’t be good, no matter what the circumstances.

  “Hurry. Shelly said she isn’t feeling well. I hope nothing happened to the baby.”

  They pulled into the driveway and Cameron flew out of the car. He ran into the house. Marti sat on the stairs, leaning against the wall.

  “Cameron.” Marti barely got that much out, she was in so much pain.

  “What the hell did you do?”

  “I . . .”

  “I have to check on Shelly. She called me and told me what you did,” he accused. “How could you?” He ran up the stairs past her.

  “Cameron, please,” she called after him.

  “I don’t have time for you, Marti.” He cleared the last of the stairs and raced to Shelly’s room.

  Jimmy came in and heard and saw everything. Cameron left Marti sitting there on the stairs. One look at her told him she was in bad shape. “Marti, are you okay?”

  “No. Hospital.” She couldn’t move. Every little move hurt.

  “What happened?”

  “She pushed me down the stairs,” Marti whispered. She couldn’t take a full breath, her back hurt so badly. She had no idea how she’d managed to get up to a sitting position.

  “Where do you hurt?”

  “Everywhere. My back is hurt and my knee. I think it exploded. I’m pregnant,” she sobbed. “I can’t lose my baby.”

  “Are you having any cramps?”

  “I can’t tell. The pain in my back is terrible.”

  “I have to get you to the car to get you to the hospital.”

  “Just pick me up, but keep my leg straight. It hurts to try to bend it.”

  He put his arms around her, lifted, and she stifled a scream of pain.

  “I’m sorry,” Jimmy said and rushed her out the door.

  Jimmy put her into her car and threw her purse in the back seat. He got in the driver’s seat, peeled out of the driveway, and raced to the hospital.

  Cameron stood in the bedroom doorway, heard the car leave, and felt torn. He shouldn’t have spoken to Marti that way, but fear for his child overrode his common sense. He hated that she’d left and wanted to go after her, but Shelly needed him and he needed to be sure his baby was okay.

  He lowered himself to sit on the bed. She cried softly into her pillow. Her back to him, he rubbed her lower back and told her it would be okay.

  “Tell me what happened.” He tried to console her, praying she didn’t lose the baby.

  “She attacked me. She doesn’t want me to have our baby. She tried to throw me down the stairs, but I moved away, and she fell instead. She tried to kill our baby.”

  “She fell down the stairs?” Cameron’s heart stopped. He froze in shock. He’d been in such a hurry to get to Shelly, make sure his baby was okay, he hadn’t realized Marti might be hurt. Oh God, their baby.

  “Yes. I got out of the way before she pushed me down. I
couldn’t let her hurt our baby. Oh, Cameron, she’s so jealous you’re marrying me. She tried to hurt us. Our poor baby,” she sobbed.

  She was laying it on thick, but she needed to go for broke. She’d gotten up the night before and heard everything Marti said to Cameron. Marti was pregnant, and she dared Cameron to make her take a pregnancy test. Only a matter of time before he demanded she do it. Now she had him thinking Marti tried to hurt her. He wouldn’t forgive her for trying to hurt his baby. She only had to get to Saturday and through the wedding. Nothing else would matter. She’d be Mrs. Shaw and there would be nothing anyone could do about it, baby or no baby.

  He saw Marti sitting on the stairs. She wanted to say something to him. He didn’t know she’d fallen. She must have been all right to have peeled out of the driveway the way she did. Still, he pulled out his cell and called her. Voicemail.

  Frustrated, he rubbed the back of his neck and let out a frustrated breath. Unable to reach Marti, he focused on the woman beside him. He ran his hand over her hair and down her arm. “Can I get you anything? Maybe we should go to the emergency room and make sure everything is all right with the baby.”

  “No, darling. I just need to rest. I’m feeling better and the shock is wearing off. All this stress can’t be good for the baby.” She took his hand and held tight. Her eyes found his and he read the desperation. “She can’t live here with us, Cameron. It just won’t work. What if she tries to hurt me and the baby again?”

  “She won’t. I won’t let that happen.”

  “Lie down with me. When you’re with me, I feel safe. I’ll be able to rest and that will be best for the baby.”

  Unable to deny her such a simple thing, he lay down on the bed behind her and pulled her to his chest and held her. She needed to remain calm. Stress during pregnancy could be detrimental to her health and the baby’s.

  His mind wandered to Marti as it always did.

  Where is she? Are she and the baby okay?

  He had a fleeting thought of Marti falling down the stairs, but he forgot it the moment Shelly moaned and complained about not feeling well. He held her tighter and hoped his baby was safe.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  * * *

  MARTI WAS LYING in the hospital bed in agonizing pain. She’d dislocated her shoulder, severely bruised her back, and twisted her knee quite badly.

  Her leg was in a brace suspended above the bed keeping it straight. The throbbing through her leg kept pace with her heartbeat. Her whole body tensed, wound tight as a spring just waiting to be let go. She held herself rigid, trying to fight the pain. The medication they were giving her didn’t even touch it.

  The doctor did an ultrasound and checked on the baby, reassuring her he was safe and sound. She was so relieved by the news she’d cried and watched the monitor and her baby’s heartbeat with such wonder.

  Because of the trauma of the fall and the pain she was in, she spotted blood. The doctor told her it was okay and nothing to be concerned about, yet. She’d have to wait and see, hope the minimal bleeding stopped and she didn’t develop any cramping.

  She spent the very early morning concentrating on breathing normally and deeply and trying to relax her body. It was a supreme act of will to relax her muscles and not fight the pain. She was also fighting the horrible pain in her heart after Cameron dismissed her completely when he came home.

  Jimmy had told her about the call from Shelly and she was even more despondent. He’d believed Shelly. He actually thought she’d try to hurt Shelly and her imaginary baby.

  Sometime in the night she’d become numb to the pain in her heart and soul over Cameron’s betrayal and began concentrating on keeping the pain in her body under control.

  “Marti, can we come in?” Sam stood in the doorway with Elizabeth behind him. Jenna and Jack were with them.

  “Yes,” Marti said and tried desperately not to move.

  They all came in and Marti lay as still as stone.

  “Jimmy called this morning and told us what happened.” Sam came to her bedside and took her hand. The moment he raised it, she went completely white and squealed in pain. He dropped her hand.

  “Don’t move anything. Too much pain.” She closed her eyes and tears ran down her face.

  “Oh, Marti. What happened?” Elizabeth wanted to cry for her. She looked like death.

  “Shelly. Emma. Tried to take necklace,” she said breathlessly. “Pushed me down the stairs.”

  “Shelly pushed you down the stairs because of Emma’s necklace. Shelly tried to take Emma’s necklace?” Jack was surprised. He knew the woman was obsessed with all things expensive, but to take a little girl’s necklace was low.

  “They were arguing at the top of the stairs. Shelly was holding the necklace up over her head and yelling at Emma.”

  “Take it easy, Marti. You don’t have to talk if it hurts too much,” Sam said and wiped a tear away.

  She wanted to tell someone. She needed someone to believe her. “I told her to give it back to Emma. She wouldn’t and I grabbed it. She shoved me down the stairs backwards. I dislocated my shoulder and twisted my knee.”

  “Where the hell was Cameron? I sent him home early,” Jenna said, outraged. “How could he let this happen?”

  “He came in after I went down the stairs. I tried to tell him, but he ignored me and went to her.”

  “Jimmy told us he left you on the stairs and why.”

  “He always chooses her.” She closed her eyes and waited for the nausea to pass and to get control over the pain again. She took several slow breaths.

  “Marti, what did the doctor say about the baby?” Jenna asked, concerned.

  “You know.” She hadn’t told anyone but Cameron. He must have told one or all of them. Maybe he was happy about the baby. If he was, maybe they had a chance to work things out.

  “Elizabeth and I knew when you ate your bizarre lunch the other day. Cameron confirmed it yesterday. Nice job proving it to him. Pretty direct.”

  “Cameron doesn’t give me the benefit of the doubt. She lies and he believes her without a doubt.”

  “We all think he’s an idiot.”

  “The baby is fine, so far.” She glanced from Sam to Jack with her eyes only. She’d already learned turning her head wasn’t an option. She hated to talk about woman things with them there, but what the hell. These four were the only friends she had and they cared about her.

  “I’ve been spotting a little blood, but the doctor thinks it will stop if I rest. There haven’t been any cramps, so far.” She looked at Jenna and Elizabeth and tried to smile. “I got to see the ultrasound of the baby. I saw his heart beating.”

  “There you go. You concentrate on that. The baby is going to be just fine.”

  “I hope so. I couldn’t bear to lose my baby. Would one of you stay with me for a while today?”

  Sam knew she didn’t have anyone and Cameron couldn’t be counted on. They’d already called him this morning and told him to meet them at the hospital. He had no idea Marti was hurt. He hadn’t taken the time to find out before going to Shelly. “One of us will stay with you for as long as you need us.”

  “Thank you, Sam. I hate to be a baby about it, but I don’t want to be alone. Too much time to think.”

  “I know what you mean. Thinking is overrated. It’s too bad they can’t just knock you out.”

  “The medication they gave me doesn’t work, and it’s the best they have without risking the baby’s health.”

  “You must be in terrible pain,” Elizabeth said. She and Jenna had been through a lot. They’d at least had the benefit of good drugs.

  “It only hurts when I breathe or move.” She smiled and cringed at the same time.

  “Believe it or not, it’s hard to keep still. Isn’t it?” Sam knew just what she was going through. He’d been shot in the back. His bulletproof vest had saved him, but his muscles had gone into spasm. Even the slightest twitch twisted the muscles into massive pain.

&nb
sp; “Yes. Every little shift sends shockwaves of pain through me.”

  They all sat with her for a while and talked amongst themselves when she quieted.

  “You need to check on Emma and make sure she’s all right.”

  “Don’t worry, Marti, we’ll do everything possible to make sure she’s taken care of and Shelly gets what she deserves. We’ll set Cameron straight,” Sam promised.

  “Give it up. He went too far when he left me on the stairs.”

  “You don’t mean that,” Jenna said.

  “I can’t do it anymore. How many times does he have to prove he intends to marry her, no matter what.”

  “What about the baby?” Elizabeth asked. “Now that he knows you’re pregnant, he’ll change his mind.”

  “He hasn’t yet. I don’t think he ever will. Not after yesterday.”

  CAMERON EXITED THE elevator on a tear. Sam called and told him to meet him at Marti’s hospital room. He gave him the room number and nothing else. He hadn’t even said how bad she was hurt. Jimmy arrived in Marti’s car just as he was leaving the house. Without a word, and giving him the silent treatment all the way, he’d switched cars and drove him to the hospital.

  Worse than anything, Cameron felt worse than guilty he didn’t even know she was hurt in the first place.

  Steps away from the door, he overheard the doctor outside her room saying, “. . . she lost it.” Those words tore his heart to shreds.

  Marti lost the baby. His baby.

  He’d spent the night consoling Shelly, lying in bed with her. She was completely traumatized by Marti’s attack.

  Now, to find out Marti hurt herself in the fall and lost his baby because of her jealousy over Shelly. It was too much to bear.

  He may have just found out about the baby, but he’d wanted it more than anything because it was a piece of Marti too and their love.

  Consumed with anger and hurt, he burst into her room. Jack, Sam, Elizabeth, and Jenna sat around Marti’s bed.