“Thanks Grandmother but Ian owes me dinner for my help. We’re going to get take out somewhere then I really do need to get to bed. I’m feeling pretty tired.”
“Fine dear, fine. I understand. May I talk to you a second please before you go?” Julia pulled Alex away from Ian so they could speak in private.
“I want you to know young lady that I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all. How are you ever going to make a clean break from this man if you keep encouraging him? Helping him to pick out baby gifts. How absurd! I would think the man could do well enough on his own. He didn’t need your help. It was just an excuse to see you, to get you alone. You make sure you send him off at the door when you get home. Don’t even consider letting him in the door.”
“Grandmother please. I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry.”
“I do worry Alexandra. It’s still fresh in my mind the way I found you just a few months ago and I don’t want a repeat.” “Why wouldn’t Alexandra give that wonderful boy Peter a chance?” Julia lamented to herself.
“I love it that you worry about me Grandmother but really, this time you don’t need to. Is dinner still on at your place Friday night? I’m really craving Maria’s cherry cheesecake if you wouldn’t mind putting a bug in her ear about it.”
“All right dear. I’ll make sure Maria’s cheesecake is on the menu. Be there at 6:30 and we’ll eat at 7:00. Your grandfather is so looking forward to seeing you. You make yourself too scarce.”
“Grandmother may I bring a guest?”
“Why of course dear. Just please don’t tell me...”
“Grandmother behave. Yes, it just might be Ian but maybe not. I have to ask him if he’s available then. I really would like for you and Grandfather to get to know him better. That’s all. Don’t get any ideas beyond that in your head, okay?” Ian was going to be the father of her baby. She may as well start now at trying to bring her family together with him.
“I’ll see you Friday my dear.” Julia cupped Alex’s face in her hands and kissed each cheek. “I love you Alexandra. I’ll do whatever I need to protect you and keep you happy.” Julia and Alex joined Ian again.
“Good day Foster. Feed my granddaughter well and get her back to bed. Alone!” Ian braved a smile and a little wave to Julia as she entered the store.
Alex turned to look at Ian.
“Grandma doesn’t like me much does she?” Ian said.
Alex chuckled.
“Honestly Ian no, she doesn’t, but we can overcome that if you want to. If she spent some time around you she would find out you aren’t such a bad fella. How about dinner at her place Friday night?”
Ian grimaced. “Awww, Alex you’re killing me! I suppose with Grandpa Chester there it won’t be so bad. He will be there won’t he?”
“Yes, he’ll be there so Grandmother should behave herself...somewhat.”
“Gee, that’s reassuring. I feel much better about it. Come on, let’s go eat and then I need to get you back to bed like grandma ordered.” One corner of his mouth curled up as he tried to hold back the grin.
“You are a devil Ian Foster.” Alex smiled and thought that she had never been so happy in her life. Maybe things were finally coming together for her.
Chapter 11
They’d talked at dinner that day but not about anything serious. Not about the future. Ian kept avoiding any kind of serious conversation. He’d taken her home, put her to bed and left with a promise to call her that night. He never called. He never made Friday night’s dinner with her grandparents. In fact, she had not spoken to him since that glorious day they’d shared together. It had already been a week since she had told him she loved him and was carrying his child. She had vowed she would not be the one to call first. If he was really happy about the baby and had any kind of feelings for her at all he was going to have to work them out himself.
The baby furniture had been delivered and she had found space enough in her bedroom but it was pretty cramped. She had asked the apartment complex to put her on the waiting list for a two-bedroom apartment and hopefully something would open up before the baby came. The baby was due at the end of March just about the time her parents were due back from Australia. She hadn’t broken the news about her pregnancy yet to Peter, her parents or her grandparents but she knew she needed to soon. She was already close to four and a half months along and starting to show. Her clothes barely slipped over her tummy any more.
Today was the start of jury selection for the Jacobs trial. She would have to walk into that courtroom and face Ian and act as though nothing was out of the ordinary. When she arrived at the courthouse along with Peter Ian was already there and being bombarded by the press. This case was important to the prosecutor’s office as they were putting themselves on the line by bringing charges against Anthony Jacobs, a very well respected man in the community. Jacobs was the principal for the last thirty years at Jefferson High School taking the job at the age of thirty. He’d been offered jobs several times throughout the years to work in the school corporation’s administration but he had always turned them down in favor of staying on at the high school where he could stay involved with the kids. Jacobs had even been the school’s football coach for several years and lead the team to a state championship. Of course, that was the year he had macho man Ian Foster as his quarterback.
Principal Jacobs was about to go on trial for statutory rape. One of the female students at Jefferson claimed that Jacobs had seduced her in his home. Ian and Alex had never talked about the case at all except professionally as they needed to but Alex could tell that Ian was not comfortable trying this case. She knew that regardless, he would do his job the best that he could to win a conviction. Alex had her own doubts about the case. She had Jacobs’s assurances that he was innocent. He claimed he had been faithful to his wife during their entire marriage and had never even considered touching another woman let alone a student. Marcia Jacobs was standing behind her husband and her presence and support at the trial would be critical to winning this case.
Alex caught Ian’s eye when she walked into the courthouse. He tried to answer the questions presented to him by reporters but had a hard time blocking Alex out of his mind. How was she feeling? Was she still having such terrible sickness? She looked tired and worn out. She hadn’t been sleeping well he could tell. She was beautiful.
Foster you idiot! You would know all this if you hadn’t been such a chicken and called her...seen her. How was the baby? His baby. The child he’d created with the woman he loved. He was a selfish fool who would set things right with Alex once this damn trial was over. There was no reason he couldn’t be a family man and cut back on his workload and still be County Prosecutor. John Marshall had done it hadn’t he? But Marshall had been County prosecutor now for twenty-five years and never was considered even once for a judgeship. Ian was set to announce his candidacy for head prosecutor at the completion of this trial. He really needed a victory in the Jacobs case to boost support for his campaign. But Ian hated the thought of gaining an advantage at the expense of Coach Jacobs. Everyone still called Principal Jacobs ‘Coach’ even though he hadn’t coached now in ten years. Ian, like everyone else in town, admired and respected Coach Jacobs but circumstancial evidence did appear to show that Jacobs had had sex with the girl, one week shy of her turning eighteen and becoming a legal, consenting adult.
The student claimed that she had gone to Jacobs’s house, at his invitation, to discuss the detention he ordered for her skipping school. She was hoping to make him reconsider because she was afraid of the repercussions at home. She claimed that Jacobs was drunk and while she was a willing participant at first Jacobs began to force her into sexual acts she did not want to do. She accused Jacobs of forcing her to perform oral sex on him and sodomizing her. It was not the sexual experience she had hoped for and she decided she couldn’t allow him to do this to any other girls at Jefferson, even if it meant that she had to tell what he had done to her and that she had i
nitially wanted the sexual attention from him.
In Ian’s opinion Coach Jacobs was sixty years old but was still very virile and physically fit and considered a very attractive man for his age. According to many of the staff at Jefferson, some of the more daring female students were often seen flirting with him. Many staff members recall that word around school had been that this particular student had thrown herself at Jacobs and he had rebuffed her advances and she had told several of her classmates that he would be sorry. The staff members also claim that it was always Jacobs’ policy never to have a student in his home for fear that in this day and age; he might be accused of such unscrupulous behavior.
Ian really didn’t know what to believe and while there was no DNA evidence to prove that Jacobs had had sexual relations with the girl, the girl’s physical exam two days after she reported the alleged incident had proven that she had recently been sodomized. The student’s best friend said that her friend had arrived at her house immediately after the incident in tears from the pain of the acts Jacobs allegedly performed on her. The girls’ stories were that they both decided it would be worthless to turn him in since no one would believe them. There would be testimony from several of the girl’s friends who stated that she had confided in them about what had occurred at Jacobs home and how she had been surprised at the violent side of Coach.
Jacobs admitted that the student had appeared at his house on that day and that he was a bit tipsy from drinking beer. He’d had a fight with his wife and she had left town to visit their daughter for a few days and he was upset. He denied that he invited the girl to his house and claimed that he had sent her home the minute she had arrived at his door.
The defense really had nothing to prove Jacobs’s innocence. They were relying on a barrage of character witnesses and Jacobs’ until now, unblemished reputation. Ian had felt that there really wasn’t enough evidence to take this case to trial but it hadn’t been his call. It would basically be a he said-she said kind of case with no hard convincing evidence. Ian had argued that by charging Coach without hard evidence, they were tarnishing the reputation of a man that even if he was found innocent, would ruin his career and possibly the rest of his life and his family’s lives. Unfortunately, Marshall had disagreed and assigned Ian to the case. And of course there had been no question about who would be the attorney for the defense.
The reporters had spotted Alex now and made a beeline straight for her. He had hoped to get a chance to speak to her privately before the jury selection began but it didn’t look as though he’d get that chance. “Well, if you’d really wanted to talk to her you would have by now you idiot,” Ian berated himself. “You’ve had every opportunity in the world to speak to her but chose not to. If she never talks to you again you deserve it.”
Ian watched Alex enter the courtroom and sheepishly smiled her way. Alex simply nodded at him. She was cold as ice. He’d have a hard time melting the shield she had up.
***
Three hours later the jury had been chosen and news cameras jumped both Ian and Alex again as they left the courthouse. Ian had not gotten the chance to speak to Alex and it was killing him. Watching her work as a team with Peter had been a nightmare. Peter leaning close to her, putting his arm around her and whispering in her ear as they conferred on what to ask the potential jurors. Grainger had been hot after Alex ever since he’d moved to town during high school and the son-of-a-bitch still hadn’t given up. Would he give up once he knew about the baby? Maybe he did already know and it didn’t matter to him. Well, it damn well mattered to Ian. He was not going to let his child be raised by Peter Grainger. So what was he going to do about it?
Chapter 12
Alex and Peter returned to the office after the jury selection and Alexandra McKinney Morgan was madder than hell. Peter tried to soothe her yet it was kind of hard to do when he really didn’t know what she was so furious about.
“Alex, would you please tell me what has you in such a mood?” Peter pleaded.
“Oh, those damn reporters!” Alex shouted. “Did they or did they not ask the most idiotic questions? For gods sake I can’t wait to have this trial over. I am so ready to be lying on the beach in the sun with no reporters in my face, no pitiful clients, and no damn egotistical prosecutors!”
Peter winced. He’d hate to see her ever this angry with him. But it was obvious it wasn’t the reporters that really had stirred up Alex’s ire.
“Lex honey. I’m not stupid. I know you as well as anyone possibly could and I would like you to tell me what is really bothering you.”
Alex saw the genuine concern on Peter’s face. Well this was as good a time as any. He had given her the opening. She desperately needed to breathe again so she would be showing up to work tomorrow in maternity clothes. She took a deep breath, which was not an easy thing to do, and broke the news to Peter.
“Peter, I’m pregnant.”
Alex watched Peter’s face but it didn’t show surprise. He actually looked...relieved...not surprised.
“You already knew didn’t you? How did you know Peter?”
“You just confirmed what I’d already suspected Alex. You’ve come into work every morning for a while now looking pale and worn out. And of course there was the time you fainted. You’ve been kind of grumpy for the past few weeks and then this morning,” he nodded his head towards her belly, “for the first time I noticed the little pooch you’re carrying now. I didn’t ask because I wanted you to tell me when you were ready. So tell me, what now?”
“Oh, Peter. I wish I knew what now!” Alex sat behind her desk and buried her face in her hands. Peter sat next to Alex on the corner of her desk and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. It was killing him to see her so miserable and he knew damn well who was responsible once again. God how he wished that he was her baby’s father.
“It’ll be okay Lex. Don’t worry. Everything will be okay,” he said softly as she raised her head to gaze up at him.
“You’re not alone honey. You’re not alone. Have you told Ian?”
“Yes. I told him. I told him and I thought things were going to be fine. He seemed very happy and we even went shopping together for baby things.”
“So, that’s what you were really up to when Don saw you at Babies ‘R Us. I had my suspicions then.”
“I haven’t seen or talked to him in over a week Peter. Does that sound like a man who’s thrilled he’s going to be a father? I don’t think so. That sounds to me like a man who is sorry he knocked up his girlfriend and he spends his free time trying to figure out how he’s going to get out of this one. Or maybe he’s thrilled about the baby but isn’t too keen on the mother that comes with it. I just don’t know what to think. And then today when we finally see each other for the first time since I made the big announcement to him and he doesn’t even try to talk to me.”
“Alex you know I’m no fan of Ian’s but you can’t keep speculating why he’s acting like an ass. You’ve got to talk to him and find out. I’m not telling you what to do but I know that all this guessing will drive you crazy and Lex, there’s no way that Ian isn’t thrilled about the mother who comes with his baby. He may be a bastard sometimes but he’s not stupid either. He knows what a wonderful woman you are. Think about it Alex. Did he really have the opportunity to talk to you today? I am so damn envious of him right now. I wish you were carrying my baby Alex. I’d be the happiest man in the world and you’d have no doubt about it.”
“Oh Peter! I just don’t deserve your friendship and your loyalty. I truly wish things could be different between us but you deserve someone truly devoted to you. Ian would always be there between us.”
“Regardless of what happens with you and Ian Alex you will not go through this alone. Call me old-fashioned Alex but your baby needs a father and if Ian isn’t man enough to take on that responsibility I will. I’ll marry you Alex. It won’t be any hardship on my part Alex because it’s what I’ve wanted for years now. And I’m not too proud to
have you as my wife any way that I can get you.”
Alex stood up and wrapped her arms around Peter and hugged him tight. What a dear man. He was right. She needed to find out where she stood with Ian and if he was going to continue to avoid her then she needed to badger him until she found out what she needed to know. She had a wonderful man who was willing to take on the huge responsibility of raising a child that wasn’t his and be tied to a woman who quite possibly would never learn to love him. But could she ask Peter to make such a sacrifice for her? She knew for a fact that the very attractive deputy prosecutor Angela Harrison had been very interested in Peter for quite some time. Alex had had lunch with Angela several months ago to discuss one of their upcoming cases together and she had barraged Alex with questions about Peter. Alex smiled as she remembered how she had felt she was being interrogated on the witness stand. She had told Peter about that lunch but he hadn’t seemed to be interested in pursuing the gorgeous red head. No, she couldn’t ask Peter to give up a chance at real happiness for her. Single mothers with careers were making it on their own fine nowadays. First things first. She needed to get inside Ian Foster’s head and find out what he was thinking before she could plan her future.
Chapter 13
Alex woke up the next morning refreshed and ready to take on whatever Ian threw her way. She had made up her mind last night that she would show up at his office and demand that he speak to her so she could make plans and get on with the rest of her life, with or without him. She hated to do this at his office instead of at one of their apartments but she felt a neutral place would be best so that the likelihood of them ending up in bed instead of talking would not be as great. But Ian had never been shy about initiating sex, no matter where they were. She smiled and laughed to herself as she remembered how crazy they’d been over the last ten years and some of the interesting places they’d made love. She only wished she had realized sooner that she was crazy in love. Then maybe she would have been over him years ago.
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