Foolish Expectations

by Alison Bliss

  And it was the same thing she’d already thought.

  She did well enough to take care of herself. How the hell was she going to take care of a baby, too?

  But what he didn’t know was that the moment she’d realized she was pregnant and wasn’t having a miscarriage, the relief and happiness had unexpectedly overwhelmed her. Sometimes a person doesn’t know how much they want something until it’s almost lost.

  The baby was her something.

  Chapter Ten

  Nash followed Bailey into town, waiting for her to pull over so he could apologize for his behavior. Then maybe—just maybe—he could talk some sense into her. But as she pulled into a parking lot, he glanced at the sign on the front of the building he’s seen hundreds of times and nearly side-swiped an oncoming car.

  What the hell?

  Nash drove past and parked in an adjacent lot, hiding his truck behind a row of flowering oleanders. He knew she hadn’t spotted him, otherwise she’d have marched over and told him to buzz off. Instead, she climbed out of her hunk of junk and headed for the entrance to the office building.

  He suspected something was going on, but wasn’t sure exactly what. Maybe she was a professional con artist trying to rake him over the coals. No, that didn’t make any sense. He’d offered her everything he had on a silver platter, and she hadn’t accepted any of it. Medical insurance. Money. Hell, even his house. Bailey didn’t seem to want anything from him. Except for him to give up his rights to...the baby!

  Nash shook his head. Had he been that fucking gullible?

  Sonofabitch. Apparently, he had.

  Any time he was around Bailey, he couldn’t see straight, much less use the proper head for thinking. But why was he surprised? After all, the woman had lied about her own name. Okay, so maybe she hadn’t lied to him directly. But she’d lied to the other guy in the bar without blinking an eye. And she never bothered mentioning her real name to Nash after sleeping with him. She’d spent the entire night in his arms and hadn’t bothered to say a word. But he still had no clue how deceitful she could be…until now.

  His hands clenched the steering wheel as he watched her cross the parking lot and enter the lawyer’s office. Nash read the sign again, hoping he’d read it wrong the first time, though he knew he hadn’t. Douglas J. Smith. Attorney specializing in Family Law. Nope. It wasn’t a mistake. Bailey was in there right now talking to a lawyer to have his parental rights stripped from him. Damn her!

  Anger gripped his insides like an iron fist, twisting his stomach in knots. Here he was trusting she’d come around and they’d eventually get the details figured out together. Meanwhile, she plotted behind his back to take his child away. Although he knew it wouldn’t be an easy task to do, especially without allegations of abuse, he wasn’t about to put anything past her sneaky ass.

  No wonder she kept putting him off, biding her time. Probably had planned this maneuver all along. Well, Nash wouldn’t allow her to get away with it. As the baby’s biological father, he had rights. And as a lawyer, he knew exactly what those rights were. If she wanted a custody battle, then he would damn sure give her one.

  But just as he stepped out of the truck, Bailey walked out of the lawyer’s office, escorted by a gentlemen wearing a blue suit and lugging a black briefcase. Her lawyer, Nash presumed. Then he watched them make their way across the street and disappear inside the Flat Rock courthouse.

  Fuck. Bailey obviously hadn’t wasted any time. Pregnant for all of two minutes and she was already filing a petition against him. And on what grounds? He’d done nothing but try to help her in any way he could.

  Nash gritted his teeth together and quietly seethed as he set out for the courthouse entrance. He’d been inside the old building so many times that he barely noticed the ugly fake plants, the ancient metal detector, or the faded typed-up signs taped to the outside of the receptionist’s office.

  “Hey, Jill. Can I ask you something?”

  The receptionist gave him a flirtatious smile, as she always did. “Sure, Nash. What can I help you with?”

  “Do you know a lawyer by the name of Douglas Smith? He practices family law.”

  “Of course. Doug just came in with one of his clients.”

  Nash clenched his fist. “Which way did they go?”

  “They were scheduled to appear in Judge Barclay’s courtroom fifteen minutes ago, but they were running late.” Jill checked the appointment book on her desk. “They’ll probably have to wait until the other two cases are heard before they can go in front of the judge.”

  Nash blinked in astonishment. Bailey already had a court date? How the hell did she get one so fast? It was only days ago she found out she was pregnant. Even as a fucking lawyer, he couldn’t have made that happen in mere days. Fuck. Who is this woman?

  He had to give it to her, though. It was a smart move, catching him unaware and not allowing him time to build his own case. Unfortunately for her, she’d made one fatal flaw: he was aware of her bullshit plan. And the hell if he’d sit by and let her execute it.

  “Is there a problem?” the receptionist asked, reading the distress on Nash’s face.

  “No, no problem, Jill. I just wanted to stop in and introduce myself.” As the baby’s biological father. “Can I just go up and sit in the back of the room while I wait for them to finish up?”

  “I don’t see why not. It’s an open courtroom.”

  He smiled and winked at her. “Just checking. You know how these judges get a little testy if you break the rules.”

  She giggled. “Don’t I know it.”

  Nash high-tailed it to the elevator, hoping he would make it to the courtroom before Bailey had a chance to talk to the judge. It wasn’t the first time she had screwed him, though he doubted this encounter would be nearly as pleasurable as the last.

  As he stepped into the empty elevator, the memory of that first night with her hit him with such force that he steadied himself against the cold, metal wall before hitting the button for the third floor.

  That night, he’d taken her virginity—it was the only damn thing about her that he knew for sure. The moment he’d shoved into her, she couldn’t have convinced him otherwise. She was so fucking tight, her inner muscles clamping onto him in a way that was most likely painful to her, but nearly caused him to lose control on the spot. Like a damn teenager getting his rocks off for the first time.

  Even after that, he couldn’t get enough of her. He spent the entire night feeding this uncanny craving he had for her responsive body, touching her intimately, thoroughly, and watching the confused yet delighted faces she pulled. She had never been touched that way—in any way—before. He knew that for sure by the way her body betrayed her, stiffening and then relaxing, with each new sensation.

  His eyes closed as the memory of that night drifted over him, and a heaviness crept into his groin with an aching throb. The moment the elevator dinged its arrival on the third floor, his eyes flared open. What the hell is wrong with me? The woman is trying to take off with my kid to some remote corner of the world, and I’m sitting here fantasizing about the little liar. I’m a goddamn fool.

  Disgusted, Nash hauled himself out of the elevator and strode down the hallway to Judge Barclay’s courtroom. He slipped inside, grabbed a seat in the back, and spotted Bailey almost immediately. She sat quietly with her lawyer in the second row on the opposite side of the room, waiting for their moment with the judge.

  She looked nervous, squirming in her seat and touching her fingers to her lips, but Nash didn’t think she’d spied him. If anything, her lawyer had probably warned her about Judge Barclay. Everyone knew he was a hard-ass. Not only was he close to retiring, which lately had made him even surlier than normal, but the old coot was set in his ways. And Barclay liked things his way.

  Nash hadn’t realized he’d come in while the second case was wrapping up until the judge called for Bailey Hobbs to approach the bench. Shit. He had no time to prepare and wasn’t sure what to do.
But he had to do something.

  Well, here goes…something.

  “Excuse me for interrupting, Your Honor.” Nash stood up and everyone, including Bailey, turned to stare at him. Her eyes widened and blinked rapidly, as if she couldn’t believe he was there. “I need a word with Ms. Hobbs before this goes any further.”

  Judge Barclay let out a heavy breath, filled with loathing irritation. “If you need to direct your client, then you should’ve done so before making an appointment with my court.”

  Nash wasn’t surprised the judge recognized him. He’d been in Barclay’s courtroom twice in the last month alone. “Your Honor, Ms. Hobbs isn’t my client.”

  That made Barclay sit up and pay attention. “Then what’s the meaning of this, counselor?”

  “Sir, may I approach the bench?”

  “Well, I sure as hell don’t mean for you to yell at me across the room,” the judge said, eyeballing Nash as he made his way up the aisle and stopped next to Bailey. “This better be good, Sutherland.”

  Bailey looked frightened, her eyes flashing back and forth between the judge and Nash. “W-what are you doing?” she whispered.

  “What I have to.” He turned to face the glaring judge. “I came to stop Ms. Hobbs from trying to revoke my rights.” Her head snapped up to look at him, but he continued. “She’s carrying my—”

  “Nash, wait!”

  “No, you wait. Damn it, Bailey, that’s my baby!”

  She gasped and looked back at her lawyer, who glared angrily at her, as a low hum of voices settled over the courtroom. The judge beat his gavel on the desk several times, drawing everyone’s attention.

  “Order! I want order in this court!” Judge Barclay set down his gavel and squinted at them as the room became silent. “I was under the impression that this young woman was here for a dissolution of marriage. What’s this about a baby, counselor?”

  “The baby that Bailey…er, Ms. Hobbs, is carrying.” Everyone’s mouth, including Bailey’s lawyer dropped open. Then Nash realized what the judge had said. “Wait…dissolution of marriage?” Christ. She isn’t here about parental rights. She’s divorcing her fucking husband.

  “That’s right,” Bailey said, crossing her arms. “Not everything is about you, Nash.”

  Damn. He ran a hand over his face. She’d been so close-mouthed about her spouse that Nash hadn’t considered divorce as a remote possibility. She’d said she loved her husband. Had that been a lie, too?

  Bailey’s lawyer turned to her with an open mouthed, wide-eyed glare. “You’re pregnant?”

  “Doug, I was going to tell you after—”

  “You lying bitch!”

  Without thinking, Nash lunged at her lawyer, grabbed him by the collar of his crisp, pressed shirt, and hauled him up on his tiptoes. “What’d you say to her, jackass?”

  Bailey gasped, everyone in the courtroom jumped out of their seats, and the bailiff rushed forward to intervene. Judge Barclay put up his hand to stop him. The bailiff looked almost as surprised as Doug did.

  The lawyer tried to free himself from Nash’s grip. “Let go, you lunatic, or I…I’ll sue your ass.”

  Nash got even more in his face. “I’d love to see you try, dipshit.”

  Bailey pulled on his bicep, though it had no effect. “Nash, stop. It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. He has no business talking to you like that. Not only because you’re a woman, but he should never talk to a client that way.”

  Bailey looked again toward the judge, then back to Nash, her eyes glistening with tears. “Please, stop.”

  It angered him that she was protecting her dickhead lawyer, but he didn’t want to cause her any more stress than she was already under. He took a slow, calming breath, and although he didn’t want to, he let go of the man.

  The lawyer stepped back, smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt, and straightened his tie and jacket. “She’s not my client, you moron. Bailey’s my wife.”

  Nash stared at both of them, blinking, not sure what to say. It was a punch in the gut to hear another man say those words. But why? He knew there was a man out there tied by marriage to the mother of his child.

  Then it hit him. Nash was not only jealous, but feeling territorial. He’d always hated the idea of another man laying claim to something he wanted. With Bailey, it was no different. No matter how many times he tried to reason with himself and talk himself out of it, he wanted her…in his bed and out.

  Judge Barclay leaned back in his chair and ran his hand through his full head of gray hair. “So, let me get this straight, Ms. Hobbs. You’re married to this yahoo over here,” he said, pointing his gavel at Doug until Bailey nodded silently. “But you’re pregnant with Bozo’s baby,” he said, swinging the gavel in Nash’s direction. Again, she nodded. “So you’re admitting that you committed adultery?”

  “No, I…well, I guess, but I don’t consider Doug my husband.” Bailey’s cheeks reddened and she lowered her head. “The day of our wedding, I caught him…with another woman.”

  Doug stepped forward defensively. “She doesn’t have any proof. It’s just her word against—”

  “Oh, shut up, Doug!” Bailey lifted her head and her nostrils flared with anger. “There were over fifty guests at our wedding reception who saw me slap you and walk out while you were still trying to pull up your pants.”

  Nash blinked. So that’s why she was a married virgin.

  A bead of sweat broke out on Doug’s forehead and he flapped his arms. “If you keep spouting this nonsense, I’ll sue you for slander. I’ve got a reputation to uphold and—”

  “Save it,” Judge Barclay told him. “Tammy with the county clerk’s office already let it slip that you two have been porking each other for months. When it comes to gossip, this damn courthouse is worse than a women’s bathroom.”

  “But, Your Honor—”

  “Counselor, I’m warning you. Sit down somewhere and shut up unless you want to find yourself held in contempt.” Doug found the nearest seat and sank into it. Nash would’ve smiled if Judge Barclay hadn’t given him the evil eye. “So, Mr. Sutherland,” the judge asked. “Where exactly do you fit into this picture?”

  Nash cleared his throat. “I met Ms. Hobbs on the night in question. She entered the venue at around—”

  “Son, I don’t need to hear a long-winded opening statement. Just spit it out already.”

  “I picked her up in a bar on her wedding night and then drove her back to my place where we…uh…”

  “Consummated the marriage?” the judge asked, finishing Nash’s sentence with a grin on his face. “And that was the start of your relationship, I take it?”

  “Yes,” Nash said, catching a glimpse of Doug shaking his head and eyeing Bailey with disgust. That guy was really asking for it. “Except that was the only relationship we’ve had for the past six weeks. It was just days ago when I found out her real name and made contact with her once again. That’s when I…er, we realized she was pregnant.”

  The judge blew out a disapproving breath. “Ms. Hobbs, would you care to explain all of this nonsense?”

  Bailey hesitated, but then spoke softly. “Yes.”

  She prattled out the details, blushing and stuttering her way through all of it. Every pair of eyes in the room was on her, all of them hanging on her every word, wanting to hear the juicy details about their relationship.

  When she reached the part where Nash offered to marry her, the women in the room sighed. Even the bailiff gave him a nod of approval for being a stand-up guy. But Nash didn’t care about any of that.

  He only wanted to save Bailey from the embarrassment of prying eyes and tuned-up ears, yet there was nothing he could do. The judge wanted a clear-cut picture of the events as they unfolded, no matter how private they were. Even when she purposely left something out, the judge asked questions until he got at the truth. Now Judge Barclay knew everything about their situation. And so did everyone else in the room, including Bailey’s dumbf
uck husband.

  “Okay, Mr. Smith,” the judge said. “Do you have medical insurance that would cover your spouse during the length of her pregnancy?”

  Doug stood up. “Yes, but I’m not sure what that has to do with—”

  “That’s all I need to know. Sit back down.” As soon as Doug took his seat, Barclay turned to Bailey. “I get that your circumstances are unusual, but I have to do what I feel is in the best interest of you and your child. Come see me after the baby is born. Divorce denied.”

  Nash heard her intake of breath from several feet away. “Wait, Judge Barclay!” She stepped toward the bench. “Please. I need this divorce. I can’t stay married to Doug.”

  “Believe it or not, Ms. Hobbs, I’m doing you a favor. You need medical care for you and your child and, as his spouse, you are entitled to it under his insurance. I won’t grant a divorce just to watch a young pregnant woman end up without medical coverage.”

  “But it’s not Doug’s child!”

  “Doesn’t matter. Unless the child’s biological father has medical insurance and still wants to marry you, then there’s nothing else I can do.” The judge looked directly at Nash, as if offering him a cue, and then snickered. “Seems to me, you’re more his wife than Mr. Smith’s anyway…in every sense of the word.”

  Nash grinned. “And I do have insurance.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Bailey knew the chance of the judge granting her divorce was slim to none the moment Nash opened his big mouth. By law, she was legally bound to disclose her pregnancy in a divorce case, but she wasn’t showing yet, and most likely the judge wouldn’t have asked her if she was pregnant. The divorce would’ve been finalized, and she would’ve been free from Doug forever.