You Are My Life: Breathless Book 3

by Samantha Wolfe

  I nodded and managed a wan smile. I was grateful for her discretion and her comforting words, even though I wasn't so sure everything would work out like she seemed to think it would.

  "Come, Natalie," she grinned and took my hand. "We don't want to miss dessert."

  I silently followed her back through the kitchen to the dining room. I schooled my face into as relaxed an expression as I was able, and took my seat next to David again. He smiled warmly at me, his eyes flashing down to my belly for a fraction of a second that only I noticed. David and Baba seemed so unperturbed by my pregnancy that I was starting to wonder if I was losing my mind. I seemed to be the only one not coping with this. Nothing about this situation boded well for my future as a mother. I was starting to feel sorry for my baby, and it hadn't even been born yet.

  ***********

  Mom's housekeeper, Audrey, seemed relieved to see us when she answered the door of my mother's luxurious four-story townhouse just after four o'clock. The reason became quickly apparent when we walked into the foyer on the second floor to the sound of my mother and father arguing. As we walked into the living room, I could see Mom and Dad facing off in the middle of the room, while Ford sat silently on the couch with a blank expression on his face. I think he was trying to block them out.

  I caught Ford's eyes as David and I paused just inside the room. Relief filled his face as he stood up and walked toward us. I absently noticed that Ford wasn't in his walking boot anymore. My parents were so caught up in whatever they were bickering about, that they didn't notice that we had entered the room.

  David cleared his throat loudly, drawing my parent's attention to us, as Ford gave me a brief hug in greeting without saying a word.

  "Natalie," Mom called out as she turned away from Dad, finally noticing us. "David," she gave him a wide smile that faltered when she focused on his face. "Oh my God, what happened to your face?" David was still bruised from where Aiden had punched him in the face on Saturday, and I had gotten used to it over the last few days. I hadn't considered what my mother would make of his injury. Ford and I stiffened, and I saw my father's jaw tighten. None of us wanted Mom to find out that I had been assaulted. She'd freak out and drive us all insane about it.

  "It's nothing, Victoria," David answered calmly without missing a beat. "A patient had a violent outburst, and it got out of hand before we could restrain him properly."

  "I had no idea your job was that dangerous," she said incredulously. "Has this happened before?"

  "Not for a while, but it happens occasionally." David shrugged nonchalantly. "This time I was too slow to keep from getting hit, but I'm fine."

  "I'm just happy he didn't get hurt very badly," I added as I smiled and wrapped my arms around David's waist to give him a hug. I was never more thankful for David's sharp and quick-thinking mind.

  "It's good to see you again, David." My dad stepped forward to shake David's hand with a grateful look in his eyes. I had a feeling that he was most grateful for David distracting Mom from whatever they had been arguing about.

  "I didn't know you were going to be here, Daddy." I smiled and stepped into my father's arms. I planned on making a point of visiting him this weekend, since I didn't think that I was going to see him today.

  "I'm heading out of town tomorrow, and I won't be back until late Sunday night." Dad eyed my mother with a hard glare. "I wanted to make sure I saw you and your brother before I left."

  "Which is why he showed up here uninvited today," my mother said with a glare of her own.

  Dad turned toward Mom and let out an exasperated sigh. "Victoria, I wanted to see my kids for Thanksgiving. Surely you can deal with me for a few hours today."

  "I don't understand why you would plan to be out of town for Thanksgiving weekend," Mom complained as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Then you could have seen Natalie and Ford without crashing my Thanksgiving dinner."

  "Mom, Dad, please," I pleaded, trying to avoid another fight. I couldn't deal with this today. I was already under enough stress with being pregnant, and my own messed up head right now. "I want to have Thanksgiving dinner with both of you. Why can't we eat together like a family today?" My voice broke, and I felt tears start to form in my eyes. Mom immediately noticed.

  "Natalie, honey, you don't understand..."

  "I understand just fine, Mom," I said, my voice turning harsh. "You're incapable of being mature about this, and Dad was too much of a coward to ask if he could come over today. You need to grow up, and Dad needs to grow a pair."

  Sudden silence filled the room as everyone, including David, stared at me in shocked disbelief. Mom's eyes started to well with tears, and my father actually looked hurt and a little ashamed of himself. I was filled with guilt over my outburst. I'd never talked to either of my parents like that before. I turned and fled the room before anyone could speak. I rushed up the steps as I heard David calling my name with concern in his voice. I hurried up to the third floor, and just set foot on the first step up to the fourth floor, when David caught up with me.

  "Natalie," he called from behind me, but I ignored him and kept climbing the steps. Halfway up, David gently grabbed my arm and stopped me. I turned to face him, and his eyes softened when he saw the tears in my eyes. "Sweetheart." He reached up toward my face with his free hand.

  "I just want to be alone, David," I blurted out in annoyance. "Can't I have five minutes to myself without you fucking following me around or checking up on me?"

  David jerked his hands away like he had been burned as pain filled his eyes, followed swiftly by anger. "Fine," he said tersely. "By all fucking means, go be by yourself." He motioned stiffly toward the stairs above us.

  "David," I began apologetically, as guilt swamped me.

  "No," he cut me off with a sharp shake of his head. "If you want to be alone, go fucking do it." He gave me a hard stare, his blue eyes glittering with hurt and anger, then he turned abruptly and stormed downstairs without even looking back at me.

  I watched him disappear and let out a deep sigh. What is wrong with me? Why am I acting like such a bitch? I shook my head in defeat as I continued up the steps until I emerged in a small glass-enclosed entryway. I walked up to a pair of French doors, and pushed one of them open then stepped outside onto the roof deck into the crisp late Autumn air. Thankfully, I still had my coat on, so at least I wouldn't freeze out here.

  I wandered dejectedly over to the railing and stared unseeing down at the street below. I placed my palms over my belly and started sobbing for the umpteenth time since finding out I was pregnant. If this baby was a gift like David said it was, then why was my life spiraling out of control right now? What was I doing wrong? I was carrying the baby of the only man I ever loved, and he wanted me and our child. Shouldn't I be happy right now? Was I subconsciously trying to push him away, and if so, why? I didn't know. I didn't know anything right now, but fear and uncertainty.

  I pulled a tissue out of my purse and started dabbing at my eyes, hoping my makeup wasn't completely ruined. I glanced to my right to see a wrought-iron chaise lounge a few feet away. I shuffled over to it, dropped my bag on the cement, and sat down, heedless of the cold that seeped through my jeans from the cold bare iron. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, then buried my face against my knees and wept for a while.

  I heard one of the French doors click open, but didn't look up. It didn't matter who it was. I didn't deserve any comfort from anyone right now. I felt the lounge shift as someone sat down in front of me.

  "Natie?" Ford's deep voice rumbled gently.

  I looked up to meet his worried gaze, but didn't say anything.

  "Please tell me that you told him," he said sternly.

  "I did," I murmured quietly, my voice sounding small and pathetic.

  Ford's eyes narrowed into a scowl. "Is he angry at you about it? Am I going to have to kick his ass? Because I'll do it gladly if he's being a dick to you."

  "Well, he's angry at
me right now, but it has nothing to do with that," I grumbled. "I'm the one that's acting like a dick."

  Ford snorted. "I find that hard to believe."

  "Well, surprise," I said sarcastically. "Your sister is a hormonally challenged bitch."

  "You're not a bitch, Natie." He placed a reassuring hand on one of my knees. "You're just really stressed out right now. Your whole life is changing. Being pregnant is a really big deal."

  A loud gasp drew our attention toward the French doors that Ford must have inadvertently left open.

  "Shit," Ford hissed out as his hand dropped limply from my knee.

  I thought I was stressed before, but I hadn't seen anything yet. My mother, the last person on earth that I wanted to know I was pregnant right now, stood in the open doorway with wide eyes, and a look of complete and utter shock.

  Chapter Four

  David

  "Thanks for saving all of our asses back there." Natalie's father reached across the wet bar and handed me the glass of scotch he had just poured. It wasn't my favorite, but if John wanted to drink scotch with me, I wasn't going to turn him down.

  "You're welcome." I took the glass with a nod. "The less Victoria knows about last weekend the better off the rest of us are."

  "Hear, hear," he agreed with a small smile as we clinked our glasses together. I took a sip of the scotch, which was actually quite good, as I watched him take a large gulp of his.

  John and I were alone in the living room. Victoria was still in the kitchen where she had fled in tears right after Natalie's outburst and subsequent escape upstairs. Ford had gone after his mother, while I had followed Natalie up the steps. I hadn't expected the hurtful words she flung at me. My sudden angry reaction wasn't something I was proud of, but I was just trying to take care of her. She'd been so out of sorts and emotional since finding out she was pregnant, that I was worried about her. I didn't think she was coping well, and someone needed to look out for her and the baby. I was the father, for God's sake, wasn't that my job? I knew I should go upstairs to check on her, since she'd been gone for a while now, but I was still feeling hurt and angry with her. I didn't want to make things worse if I ended up acted like an asshole again.

  "Victoria has always been a handful," John said with resignation, his dark-blue eyes staring into his glass as he swished the amber fluid around. "Natalie got that from her mother, and a heaping dose of stubborn from me. Luckily, she's not anywhere near as over-dramatic as her mother."

  "You raised a strong-willed woman with a mind of her own." My lips twisted into a smile. "Those are two of the things I love most about your daughter."

  "Me too," John nodded with an affectionate gleam in his eyes.

  Movement caught my eye, and I looked toward the other end of the room to see Ford pause next to the steps, just before entering the living room. He eyed me with a hard stare for a beat. Then he shook his head as he snorted in disgust and turned to head upstairs, probably to check on his sister. A pang of guilt hit me. Natalie was upstairs all alone, pregnant and probably crying, and here I was standing around drinking scotch when I should be taking care of her. I let out a deep sigh and shook my head at my own inadequacies. I turned back to face John.

  "I'd better go check on Natalie." I held the glass out to him, but he pushed it back toward me.

  "Finish it first," he told me with a wry smile. "If you pissed off my daughter, you're going to need it." He must have noticed the angry look on my face when I came back downstairs after storming away from Natalie.

  "Is that how you dealt with her mother?" I asked curiously. I still couldn't figure out why the two of them had ever gotten married in the first place.

  "Among other things," he said as he shrugged one shoulder. He looked over my shoulder suddenly, and I followed his gaze to see Victoria glaring at him in the doorway. She glanced down at the drink in his hand, then shook her head and went upstairs. "Here's to one big happy family," John said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I turned back to watch him drain the rest of his scotch in one swallow.

  "Here, you need this more than I do." I held my glass out to him. "I'm going to go talk to Natalie and save her from her mother."

  "You really love her, don't you?" he asked as he smiled softly.

  "I do, sir," I said with absolute certainty. "I really do."

  "Then you won't need that at all." His smile widened as he took the glass from me. I nodded once and hurried upstairs after Natalie's mother.

  When I came off the stairs on the fourth floor, I saw a set of French doors with one door wide open. I could hear Victoria's shrill voice coming from outside.

  "And when exactly were you going to tell me that you were pregnant?!"

  Oh, fuck! This was the last thing that Natalie needed right now. I rushed to the open doorway to see her several yards away. She was sitting next to her brother on a chaise lounge with wide eyes, and it was obvious that she had been crying.

  "Mom," she pleaded. "I was going to tell you when I was ready."

  "So your own mother has to wait, but Ford gets to know now?" Victoria's voice rose in indignation.

  "I just found out and I was freaking out," Natalie said in exasperation. "I told Ford because I needed someone to talk to."

  "I'm your mother." She put her hands on her hips. "Why couldn't you talk to me?"

  Natalie's mouth tightened into a flat line as anger ignited in her eyes. She was about to explode, and I knew she'd regret whatever she was about to say to her mother.

  "Victoria," I interjected in as calm a voice as I could muster. All eyes turned toward me as I walked outside toward them. "We were going to tell you at Christmas. It was my idea, so please don't be upset with Natalie. This was unexpected for all of us, and I wanted some time to prove to you that I'm good enough for your daughter and the baby, and that I'm not going anywhere." I hoped my explanation sounded reasonable enough to calm her down and pull her focus off of Natalie. "I'm sorry."

  "Oh..." She blinked rapidly in startled confusion. "I...well...that's okay."

  "Natalie, sweetheart," I focused on Natalie to see a grateful look in her eyes. I almost sighed in relief. She didn't look like she was still angry with me. "Are you feeling okay? If you're not feeling well, I can take you home." I wanted to give her the option of leaving before her mother got too worked up about the baby.

  "I'm...I'm really tired, David," she said in a subdued tone that she wasn't feigning at all. "I'd like to go home and lay down for a while." She looked so tired, the dark circles under her eyes appearing deeper than they were this morning. It made me think about the nightmares about losing her and the baby that I'd been having every night. I felt a surge of panicked fear and tamped it down. The last thing Natalie needed was me losing it.

  "But we haven't even had dinner yet," Victoria said in indignation.

  "I apologize, Victoria." I faced Natalie's mother again. "Natalie has been waking up really early with morning sickness all week, and she hasn't been getting enough rest. I think it's best for her and the baby if I take her home right now."

  "I'm sorry, Mom," Natalie said in quavering voice. She looked like she might cry again.

  "Well, I guess that's okay," Victoria agreed reluctantly. She looked intently at her daughter's face for a moment, and her face turned sympathetic. "You do look very tired, honey."

  "Come on, Mom," Ford announced as he stood abruptly and started ushering his mother toward the door back inside. "Why don't you get Audrey to send some food home with them? That way, Natalie can have her Thanksgiving dinner when she's feeling better." He gave me a slight nod over Victoria's head as he led her away.

  I took the spot on the lounge that Ford had just vacated, and met Natalie's eyes. I reached up and caressed her cheek. "How did she find out?"

  "She overheard Ford and me talking," she grumbled out in annoyance. "She's going to drive me insane now." Her voice broke and the threatening tears finally escaped. "What am I going to do?"

  "Shh, sweetheart." I p
ulled her into my arms. "We'll worry about that later. Let's get you home first."

  "Okay," she blurted out with a sob.

  I picked her bag up off the ground then stood and helped her up off the lounge. I put an arm around her shoulders, and we went back downstairs to the living room. Her father was drinking another scotch and staring out a window when we walked in. He turned and eyed his daughter closely.

  "Natie?" he asked with concern. "You look pale. Are you sick?"

  I felt her stiffen, and she pursed her lips in thought. I kept my mouth shut. It was her decision if she told her father about the baby.

  "I'm not sick, Daddy," she told him in resignation. "I'm pregnant."

  John's eyes hardened and focused on me. Shit, there went staying on her father's good side. Apparently, knocking his daughter up was crossing the line.

  "Don't you dare glare at David," Natalie snapped out as she gave her father a stern look. "This is just as much my fault as his, and it's not like I'm a damn teenage mom." John's face turned sheepish as Natalie continued glaring at him.

  "I'm sorry, Natie." He put his glass down and approached his daughter. He held his arms out to her. "Come here, baby girl," he said in a soft affectionate tone.

  Natalie's eyes glittered with emotion, and she fell into her father's embrace with a small sob. "I'm scared, Daddy," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

  "Of course, you are Natie," he said reassuringly. "But you'll be fine. You're not alone." He gave me a hard pointed look with raised brows over his daughter's shoulder. I met his eyes fearlessly and nodded sharply. He needed to know that I was here for his daughter, and that I wasn't going anywhere.

  I turned as Ford and Victoria came into the room. Victoria was carrying several containers, which I assume held our dinner.

  "Here you go, baby," Victoria announced. "Audrey made sure that you got some of everything and extra dessert."