Baby On The Way
Page 15
For once she didn’t have to wait the required fifteen minutes. Liz came to the phone immediately. “It’s about time you called,” she said. “I’ve been waiting to hear from you. It wasn’t until I’d gotten off the line the last time that I realized I’d forgotten to get your number at that godforsaken place.”
“I’ll give it to you in a minute,” Libby promised. She twisted the cord around her finger. “But what I really called to tell you is that I had the baby.”
The silence at the other end of the line stretched for a full ten seconds. “I’m speechless,” Liz finally declared. “That has to have been the shortest pregnancy on record. I get a call to tell me you’re pregnant and a few weeks later, you’ve had the baby.”
“I was already almost full-term,” Libby said, stating the obvious.
“Are you all right?” Liz’s voice held a familiar peevish note. Obviously she didn’t appreciate her daughter’s tardy revelations.
“I’m fine—and so is the baby. It’s a girl. We—I named her Nicole, after Dad, and Elizabeth, after you.”
“Why, Libby, that’s so sweet.” Genuine pleasure rang in her mother’s voice. Then she added more prosaically, “Of course, Elizabeth Nicole might be even better…”
A reluctant smile curved Libby’s lips. Trust Liz to think of something like that. “I think two women with the first name of Elizabeth are enough for one family,” she said gently.
Liz sighed. “Well, it’s your decision—and the father’s, I suppose. Is he still around?”
Libby gripped the phone a little tighter, the unexpected question causing a tightness in her throat. “No,” she said huskily.
Another silence. “Darling, I’m so sorry. So I guess he didn’t propose.”
“Oh, he proposed. I said no.”
“But why?”
“Because he wasn’t going to stay around. His job involves traveling about ten months a year.”
“Oh, darling, that’s so sad. He should have told you.”
Libby frowned, fiddling with the phone cord. “Actually, he did tell me about it.”
“After you became involved.”
Libby shifted uneasily. “Well, no. He told me before.”
“Oh.” If for a moment Liz sounded nonplussed, she recovered quickly. “Well, he should have given up his job,” she declared stoutly. “He should have stayed with you and the baby. Men can be so selfish.”
She then launched into a recital of the events in her own life. Libby barely listened, shifting uneasily again. She’d thought the same thing about Del. Yet, somehow it sounded different when Liz said it. She interrupted her mother’s monologue on her newest movie role. “He’s not really selfish, Mother,” she felt compelled to explain. “He stayed as long as he could. He was here for the birth, in fact. And he’s providing for us financially.”
But Liz had lost interest in the unknown father. “That’s the least he should do. Anyway,” she added briskly, “when are you coming home? I can’t wait to see my namesake.”
She’d planned to go home when she’d picked up the phone—but now Libby wasn’t sure that was the answer. “I don’t know,” she said hesitantly. “Nikki’s a little young to be traveling.”
“Just let me know when you decide. And don’t take too long, darling. I…I miss you.”
Libby hung up the phone, confused emotions roiling inside her. She heard a noise at the door and glanced up. Dorrie Jean was standing there, holding a fussing Nikki in her arms. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Dorrie said apologetically, “but I thought I’d better take Nikki from Mom. She’s getting irritable with hunger.”
“But she just ate less than an hour ago!” Libby said, taking her baby.
Dorrie looked surprised. “Oh, I didn’t mean Nikki—Mother’s the one who’s ready for lunch.”
Both women looked at each other a moment, then Dorrie Jean smiled—a surprisingly rueful grin. “Mothers can be such a pain.”
“You’re so right,” Libby agreed wryly, thinking of Liz.
“But we still love them,” Dorrie added. “After all, nobody’s perfect.” With a small pat on Nikki’s leg, she left the room.
Libby remained in the study, rocking her baby in her arms. Dorrie was right—Liz could be a pain. Their relationship wasn’t the closest, nor did they often agree. She often became annoyed or hurt by Liz’s theatrics, and the make-believe world her mother perpetuated frustrated her no end. But still, when all was said and done, she loved her mother, and knew that in her own way Liz loved her, too.
And maybe Liz wasn’t the only Sinclair who expected to have everything her way—who expected everyone to be perfect. Libby shifted uneasily, thinking about their conversation. Had she really expected Del to give up his job, just because she wanted him to? She squirmed a little. He loved his work. Besides, Del didn’t have the luxury of a mother to run home to. He’d been taking care of himself-and for a while his mother and Christine—since he was sixteen years old.
It wasn’t his fault that Libby hadn’t listened to him. As she’d just admitted to her mother, he’d been honest with her all along. She simply hadn’t been honest with herself.
Libby winced. She’d always blamed her mother for living in an illusionary world, but hadn’t she been doing the same thing? Constantly dreaming about a perfect place—with perfect people—to live in, instead of being thankful for the mother and home she had? When all was said and done, Lone Oak wasn’t perfect. It was just a town—with good points and bad pointsnot some magical place where nothing ever went wrong. Her idea of the town had been no more real than her mother’s idea of her career.
So maybe it was time to discover what was real in her life.
Libby frowned. Rocking the baby gently, she pondered the problem and suddenly the realization hit her. Love—that’s what was real. The answer was so simple—and yet so complex. As simple as her overwhelming, protective love for the baby in her arms, and as complex as her love for the baby’s father, with all the hopes, disappointments, sorrows and joys the emotion brought.
Simply because her relationship with Del hadn’t been the fairy-tale romance she’d always dreamed of, she’d told herself her feelings for him didn’t exist. But they did. She loved Del. She had from the first. That was the reason she hadn’t moved out when he’d left. She’d known he’d be back.and she’d also known, whether she’d admitted it to herself or not, that he would never turn his back on his own child. This wonderful house somehow wasn’t quite so wonderful without Del in it. It wasn’t her love for the house or town that had kept her there. It was her love for him.
She sighed, cuddling the baby closer. So maybe it was time to quit playing games, time to stand on her own two feet like she kept telling Del she wanted to do. She’d move to Vicksville, or the nearby town of Cauldron. Close enough for him to see Nikki when he could, yet far enough for Libby to keep things in perspective. Because she couldn’t stay here, not if he didn’t love her, too. She refused to torture herself any longer with make-believe.
Nikki made a snuffling sound, beginning to whimper again. Libby pressed her lips against the baby’s hair. “It’s past time, sweetie,” she said softly, “that your mother finally grew up.”
The door opened. Libby was proud that this time she didn’t hope. She didn’t even glance around as she said huskily, “I think Nikki and I might be moving, Chris. Something’s come up.”
The silence stretched behind her. Libby turned around to explain further and froze, her eyes widening. Del was standing in the doorway.
Del shut the door and took a step toward her, but paused when Libby didn’t move or speak. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She looked pale and scared, staring at him with wide eyes, her hair a little messy, a towel that Nikki had burped up on thrown over her shoulder. She’d never looked more appealing.and he’d never been more afraid of losing her. He swallowed. “Please don’t leave, Libby,” he said. “Not right when I’ve come home.”
She still didn�
��t move, and his heart sank. Had he waited too long to discover what was really important in his life? “I love you,” he added slowly. “I should have told you before I left—I definitely should have told you the first night we made love. Because from the moment I first saw you, I knew my life had changed.”
She swallowed. “Oh, Del.” Sudden tears welled in her eyes. She sniffed. “Do you mean it? You aren’t just saying that to make me feel better?”
“No—but you’d sure make me feel better if you told me that you loved me, too,” he said truthfully. He tried to smile, but couldn’t quite manage it. “I’m dying here.”
A smile trembled on her lips. “I do. You know I do.”
He did know it. Her love was shining on her face in a soft glow. He strode over to her and slid his hands along her jaw into her hair, tilting her face up to his. He kissed her—long and tenderly—ignoring the indignant kicking of the baby caught between them.
Finally, he lifted his mouth. Libby sighed, relaxing against him for a moment. But Nikki was having none of that. She gave a loud wail.
Libby glanced down at her little daughter. “Oh, dear.”
“‘Oh, dear’ is right,” Del agreed, carefully taking Nikki away from her. He looked down into his baby’s crumpled-up face. “Stop that,” he scolded gently. “Can’t you see I’m proposing to your mom?”
Abruptly, Nikki stopped crying, blinking up at him with her pansy eyes. Obviously she was as startled to see him as her mother had been. “I love you,” he told Nikki, walking with her to the door, “but right now you’re just a little pest. So let me find another pest to take care of you.”
He opened the door. “Christine!”
“You bellowed, brother?” his sister asked, popping her head around the kitchen door.
“Yeah. Here take Nikki for a while. I need to talk with Libby.” He put the baby in his sister’s willing arms. He started to close the door, then paused. “Oh, and by the way.”
Christine, busy making faces at the baby, looked up inquiringly.
“…I’m Nikki’s real father—and you’re an aunt.”
“Wah!” Chris squawked.
He shut the door in her face and locked it.
“That wasn’t very nice,” Libby said reprovingly, trying not to smile.
Del’s smile was wide, white and satisfied. “Yeah, I know.”
He strode back to Libby, anxious to have her in his arms again. He pulled her close and bent to kiss her, ignoring the pounding on the door and Christine’s muffled threats.
By the time he lifted his head again, Chris had apparently given up and gone away.
Del put his lips against the soft skin of Libby’s temple. “Oh, sweetheart,” he breathed. “I love you so much. I never want to leave you again.”
“I don’t want you to.” But she frowned, giving a slight push to hold him away. “But I don’t want you to lose your job. I was wrong—”
“No, you were right.” He hugged her to him again. “As for my work, I told them I wanted to cut back on the fieldwork—take a desk job. I may have to travel a little, but nothing like I did before.”
She clutched his sleeve, her eyes troubled. “Oh, Del. Do you mind?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s the work I enjoy—not the traveling. And now I have the best of both worlds. I’ll be doing what I enjoy—yet will still be here with you and Nikki,” he said in satisfaction. He gave her a squeeze. “I don’t ever want you to get accustomed to not having me in your life.”
“That would never happen.” She laid her head against his shoulder. “And you’re sure you want to stay in Lone Oak?”
His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Don’t you? I like this old house and town—Chris and I had a lot of fun growing up here. Can you think of a better place to raise our kids?”
She smiled mistily. “No, I can’t.” She held him tighter and laid her head against his shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re here, you want to stay—and that you love me.”
“Believe it.” He rocked her gently, resting his cheek against her hair. She felt so good, smelled so sweet. Like baby powder, sour milk and Libby.
She pressed a kiss against his throat, and his arms tightened around her. He could feel her smiling against his skin as she drawled, “Of course, there’s one way you can make me believe it all…”
“What’s that?”
“Tell me your real name.”
He glanced down at her. She was watching him from beneath her lashes, a teasing smile on her face. His body tightened with desire. “Libby,” he said thickly, “if you’ll marry me, I’ll tell the world.”
Announcing the Marriage of Elizabeth Anne Sinclair to Adelbertus Delaney on Saturday, the Twenty-second of November at the Lone Oak, Oregon, Congregational Church “To Love and to Cherish, Forever and Ever”
* * * * *
eISBN 978-14592-7412-9
BABY ON THE WAY
Copyright © 1997 by Sandra Novy Chvostal
All rights reserved Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books S.A, used under license Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
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Cover Page
Excerpt
Dear Reader
Title Page
Dedication
A Letter From the Author
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