The Baby Bump

by Tara Wylde

  “No,” she snaps.

  “Bitch,” Bruno grunts. Holding the gun so it’s pointed at the middle of Cassie’s forehead, he marches up to Cassie and wraps a beefy hand around her upper arm. He lowers the gun and jams the barrel into the small of Cassie’s back. “I’m going to enjoy shooting you.”

  Cassie’s face goes ghostly white. For a split second, I’m certain she’s going to faint.

  With a loud groan, she pitches forward, twisting slightly from the waist and vomits all over Bruno’s shoes.

  With a shout, Bruno tries to leap backwards, but his shoes slip on the stomach vile and he falls backwards, landing on his ass with so much force his gun flies out of his hand and skitters across the concrete floor.

  For a second no one moves. We hold our positions, too stunned to react. Cassie, both of her arms wrapped tightly around her still heaving stomach, tilts her head and glares at me. Her expression is all I need to jump start my brain.

  I cock my arm back while Lynette continues to stare at her partner in crime and swing it forward with as much force as I can manage, slamming my fist into her shoulder.

  She yells but doesn’t go down. We grapple with her gun.

  As I fight Lynette for control of the gun, men in dark clothing emerge from behind the stacks of boxes and the battered fuselage. It takes a moment to recognize that they’re cops and not part of Lynette’s exotic animal trade.

  They quickly have the entire group of baddies, including Lynette, in cuffs.

  I glance at Cassie, who is sitting on an overturned bucket and talking to a tall, slender female officer.

  Since she’s busy, I turn to the nearest officer. “How come you were here?”

  “I called them.” Aaron, the kid I had pick up Cassie several hours ago, appears from behind the fuselage.

  “You?” I say, surprised.

  “Yeah.” He shifts his weight from one foot to another.

  “But how did you know we were in trouble?”

  “You called me, well you tried to call me. As soon as I answered, you hung up. I was already there and saw you and Ms. Cassie take off on the scooter. A second later Bruno and the rest followed you. I got a funny feeling in my gut, so I called the police and followed everyone. I hid outside until the police showed up.”

  “Thank God for gut feelings.” I slap a hand to Aaron’s shoulder. “I can’t begin to say how glad I am that you followed your instincts. If you hadn’t and if Cassie hadn’t gotten sick all over Bruno, I don’t think she and I would be here right now. Thank you.”

  The officer who’d been speaking to Cassie walks away.

  Giving Aaron’s shoulder a final squeeze, I cover the distance between Cassie and me in a few short strides and crouch beside her.

  “I hate that you’re not feeling well, but I don’t think we could have asked for a better distraction, do you?”

  Cassie sits perfectly still for a second before slowly turning her head towards me. Anger and hurt burn in her dark eyes.

  “You lied to me,” she says. Her voice is so low I can barely make out the words. “You made me believe you were a normal guy.”

  Shit! In all the excitement, I’d completely forgotten that Bruno had outed me.

  I drag a hand through my hair. “Cassie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out like that.”

  I reach for Cassie, but she scrambles to her feet.

  “This whole time, you’ve been asking what I want, pretending to care about me, pretending to understand me, when all you’ve been doing is laughing at me and using me.”

  I stand up. “Cassie, that’s not true. I meant to tell you, I just didn’t know how to explain-”

  Cassie isn’t ready to listen to me. “I don’t give a rat’s ass what you meant to do. You kept asking me what I wanted, and now I know. I want a man I can rely on, a man I can trust, someone who always has my back. I thought that was you, but it’s clearly not.”

  She spins on her heel and storms out of sight.

  I stare in the direction she disappeared in. A chill settles in my gut and quickly spreads outward.

  I really messed up, again. And this time, I don’t think anyone is going to rush to my rescue.

  Cassie

  I curl up on the ratty old couch in the house trailer and stare out the living room window, watching Sally’s chickens peck in the dusty front yard. The largest container of Ben and Jerry’s I could find is balanced on my lap. It turns out that while my stomach has rejected everything else I’ve tried putting in it, ice cream seems to soothe it.

  An hour ago, one of the detectives that had been in the hangar called and said that they’d had a wrangler for a local organization, Bat Conservation International, come in and capture the loose flying foxes. The group is currently working to get the bats healthy and finding places that are willing to take them in since it would be too stressful to ship them back to Australia.

  She went on to say that they’ve found the stolen macaws in San Diego and the monkeys that were taken from the Berlin zoo were sold to someone in Chicago. The Chicago police are in the process of getting the monkeys away from their new owner and hopefully return them to Berlin.

  As happy as I am that the future of the stolen animals looks bright, I can’t stop feeling sorry for myself.

  No matter how hard I try not to, I can’t stop thinking about Ronan. Yesterday, when we were tailing Paul through the airport, the answer to Ronan’s question hit me like a sack full of bricks. I knew exactly what I wanted. I want a man I can depend on, someone who understands that I need my space and respects that, but who also enjoys being with me, someone who will always have my back, no matter what. In other words, I want Ronan, and I want him more than I have ever wanted anything else in my life.

  Right on the heels of that particular revelation came another. I don’t just want Ronan; somehow, I’ve gone and fallen in love with him.

  Only to find out that everything I thought I knew about him was a lie. He isn’t Ronan Smith-nice guy, phenomenal lover, and great pilot. He is Ronan James Smith-playboy and liar.

  He said he loved me, but how can I believe him? How can I believe anything he ever says again?

  Not that it matters. According to the media, he is a playboy who flits from one famous and gorgeous woman to the next. Now that he’s had his fun with me, he’ll go back to that wild and swinging lifestyle. I’ll never see him again.

  Or …

  I look down where the baggy T-shirt I’m wearing hides my still flat tummy from view. I haven’t taken the test yet, partly because it’s still in my flight bag which is still on the plane, and partly because I’m scared of what the results will be, but eventually I’m going to have to. And if it confirms my suspicions that I’m pregnant, I’ll have to decide whether I should tell Ronan and let him be a part of the child’s life.

  I’ll have to think about it later. Right now, I’m too angry and heartbroken to do anything but sit on this couch and stuff myself full of ice cream.

  A low rumble catches my attention.

  Looking up, I spot a familiar red car making its way down the driveway, kicking up a cloud of dust. The Texas sunlight glints of the chipped red paint.

  Surprised, I climb to my feet. My Buick. I’d started thinking I was never going to see it again, assuming that since it was broken down in the parking lot of Northwest’s headquarters that it would be confiscated as police evidence or something. Yet here it is!

  Feeling slightly better, I hurry for the front door, still clinging to the ice cream container, pausing just long enough to slide my bare feet into my favorite pair of flip-flops.

  I throw open the front door just in time to see Ronan climb out of my Buick, my flight bag hanging from one shoulder.

  Ronan

  The sight of Cassie storming out of the house lights up my heart.

  Dressed in a green T-shirt that’s three or four sizes too big, a pair of navy leggings with one knee torn out, face bare of makeup, and her hair caught back i
n an untidy ponytail, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

  I shut her car door and start moving toward her.

  “Bastard!” Cassie spits the word out as she skids to a stop on the trailer’s front porch. The screen door slams shut behind her with a bang that reminds me of gunshots in the hangar yesterday afternoon. “How dare you show up here?”

  Before I have a chance to say a single word in my defense, Cassie lifts her arm, pulling it slightly behind her, before letting the container she’s holding fly. It sails across the distance in a perfect arc that would make any major league pitcher’s heart swell with pride, before connecting with my chest.

  Something cold and wet splashes all over my shirt and face as the container slides down my torso and lands in a heap on top of my feet.

  I kick it off and lick at a glob of stuff that’s stuck to the corner of my mouth. “Mmm, half melted chocolate chip cookie dough. My new favorite.”

  Any other woman would have already stormed into the house and locked the door, but not Cassie. She’ll never retreat until she’s absolutely certain that there’s nothing to fight for.

  Her fingers curl around the weathered railing and she rocks forward and glares down at me. “You’re lucky it was only ice cream. A brick to your head would be more appropriate.”

  Dripping ice cream, I slowly move towards her. “Cassie, I know you’re angry at me, and I get it. You have every right to be.”

  “You lied to me,” she hisses. “You told me you were nothing more than a pilot, just like me, a perfectly normal guy, when you’re really Ronan James Smith. Billionaire and jackass.”

  Technically I didn’t. She simply assumed that I was normal, and she never asked about my family or my background, but I decide to not point that out to her.

  “Cassie, you can’t believe how sorry I am about how you found out.”

  Cassie’s eyes widen and her knuckles gleam white against the weathered wood. “You’re sorry? That’s not nearly good enough.”

  “You’re right.” I climb the stairs and stop beside her. “Ronan James Smith isn’t good enough for you, but I think that Ronan Smith is.”

  Cassie frowns. “What are you talking about? You are-”

  “They aren’t the same person,” I interrupt. “Not really. Ronan James Smith, or James Smith as the media calls me, is a public persona. Half of the news stories are nothing more than rumors that for the most part have no basis in reality. Ronan Smith is who I really am. A guy who lives to fly planes, and …” I draw a really deep breath and brace myself to figuratively give Cassie my entire heart. “…who loves you with everything he has and is.”

  Cassie looks confused. “But—”

  Sensing that she’s softening, I reach out and take her hand in mine. “Cassie, can you do me a favor? For just a few minutes put yourself in my shoes.”

  She doesn’t pull away, which I take as a sign of agreement.

  “When I signed on to fly planes for Northwest, I deliberately did what I could to hide my identity. I already knew the company was up to something shady, and I wanted to find out what, and I knew that it would be nearly impossible if they knew who I really was. Then this gorgeous and sassy woman walked into my life, and everything turned upside down. I wanted to tell her my real identity—she’ll never know how many times I nearly did—but this was the first time I’ve ever had an opportunity to let someone get to know the real me, and not have to worry about whether or not they were with me because of my family’s influence, my wealth, or because they’re working their own agenda. Being with you as plain old Ronan Smith represented the first time in my life I was free to be truly me.”

  “But you lied to me,” Cassie insists. Something in her voice tells me that she’s wavering, that some of her anger is softening.

  “I did. I won’t deny that, but if it helps, I was racked with guilt the entire time.” I catch hold of her other hand. “And I didn’t see it as a lie, though I understand why you do. In my mind I wasn’t lying to you, but rather keeping a secret.”

  The word secret has a profound impact on Cassie. The line of her body softens and her shoulders sag. It’s like all the fury and fight have melted right out of her.

  “How long did you plan on keeping this secret from me?”

  “Honestly, if Bruno hadn’t dropped the news in the hangar, I would have told you last night. You have no idea how much it was eating away at me.”

  Stomach churning, I say the words I’ve been itching to say for the longest time. “Cassie Mayers, when I first met you, I asked if you believed in love at first sight. I wasn’t sure I loved you then, it was more a heady infatuation, but now I know. I love you more than I love anything else. The fact that I haven’t told you how I feel was driving me insane.” I release both of Cassie’s hands and step back. “You’re free to tell me to stay or to go to hell. And if you do tell me to hit the road, I promise I’ll do it.” I cast a rueful grin at her Buick. “Though it’ll take a while, since I drove your car here.”

  Cassie drops her head and stares at the straps of her flip-flops. “You’re not the only one with a secret.” Cassie’s toes curl. “I’m holding onto a pretty big one myself.”

  “You’re a secret heiress who owns controlling stocks in all of the world’s oil wells,” I guess.

  Cassie snorts with laughter and for the first time since she walked away from me yesterday, I let myself feel a glimmer of hope that she won’t kick me out of her life.

  “May I?” Cassie reaches for her flight bag.

  “Oh yeah. Of course.” I slide the strap off my shoulder and hand it to her. “I forgot I had it.”

  Cassie props it on the railing she was gripping just a few minutes ago and unzips the bag. She reaches deep inside of it and pulls out her purse. After a split second’s hesitation, she opens her purse and withdraws a box.

  My heart leaps into my throat as the words written in bold type across the box penetrate my shocked mind. “You’re pregnant?”

  “I don’t know; that’s why I bought the test. My stomach has been so upset lately, and we failed to use protection in Florence.”

  “I remember.” I’ll never forget a single moment of that night. “It’s the only time I’ve ever forgotten to protect myself when I’ve been with a woman. And that was just one of the reasons I consider it the best night of my life.”

  Cassie nervously taps the side of the box. “I need to find out one way or another, but I’m scared. Will you wait here while I-” She gestures at the trailer.

  I catch her left hand in mine and lift it to my mouth. I smile and place a light kiss on the back of it. “I’ll wait here for as long as you’ll let me.”

  Cassie flashes me an uncertain smile before darting into the trailer.

  A minute later, she steps back out on the porch. The plastic stick is balanced on a wad of toilet paper. She sets it on the railing.

  “The instructions say that it takes a few minutes before we’ll know the answer.”

  I nod and stare at the stick. It’s hard to believe that my entire future depends on that cheap-looking piece of plastic.

  “Ronan?” Cassie reaches out and touches my chest. “I have another secret.”

  “Another secret?” My eyes widen. “You’re going to have a hard time topping the last one.”

  Cassie gnaws on her lower lip for a second.

  “I’m still a little angry with you,” she starts, “but even last night, when I never wanted to see you again, I knew that I am completely and totally in love with you.”

  “Oh, Cassie.”

  I grab her waist and pull her in for a kiss that goes on and on, by the time the alarm goes off, signaling that the test has had enough time to generate results, we’re both breathless.

  Cassie reaches for the stick. “Here goes nothing.”

  Together we look at the little built-in window, where a small plus sign is clearly visible. My hands flex on Cassie’s waist as she covers her mouth with her free hand.
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  “Well, darlin’,” I say. “Looks like you and I are going to be parents.”

  Cassie nods silently.

  I slide a hand under Cassie’s baggy T-shirt and flatten it over her lower belly. It might be my imagination, but I swear I feel the slightest of baby bumps already starting to form.

  I chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?” Cassie demands.

  “I was just thinking about how this little baby bump not only managed to save both of our lives, but has also just completely changed our futures.”

  Cassie’s laughter mingles with mine. “Kind of scary to think what it will be able to do when it’s a baby and not just a baby bump, isn’t it?”

  Epilogue

  Cassie

  The soft, warm breeze blowing off the Gulf of Mexico feels almost as good as the warm sand I’ve buried my bare toes in.

  Ronan’s thumb glides back and forth along the back of my hand as he stares intently into his. I do my best to make my eyes sparkle with happiness. If he even suspects the amount of discomfort I’m currently in, he’ll freak out.

  My free hand rests against my baby bump. For the bulk of my pregnancy, I had the cutest little bump. It was so small that most people didn’t have a clue I was pregnant until I mentioned it, but these past two months it’s swelled to epic proportions. It is the real reason I am currently barefoot instead of wearing the stunning pair of white sandals I had picked out for today.

  I bite the inside of my cheek as a sharp pain arrows through me. Now, if the baby would only wait patiently for a just a little bit longer,

  Ronan has embraced every single aspect of his pending fatherhood. He has handled the bulk of prep work that goes into welcoming a baby, even planning the baby shower. As much as he’s enjoyed the entire experience, his absolute favorite part is telling everyone, and I do mean every single person, he meets how my little baby bump triggered my upset stomach which allowed us to get free of the exotic animal smugglers who are currently waiting to be sentenced for their crimes.