Million Dollar Marriage

by Maggie Shayne

  “Nothing quite that mystical,” her father replied. “It was your, uh, husband.”

  Lucy felt the blood drain from her face. “Holden brought you here?”

  Her father nodded. “Tracked me down, and bought my plane ticket. Right now, Lucy, I have to say, I’m glad he did.”

  Lucy couldn’t answer. That Holden would do this…reunite her with her father, in spite of everything…

  “And where is Holden?” Mary Ellen asked.

  That question brought Lucy up short. She didn’t have an answer that would fool her mother-in-law. But she gave it a try anyway. “Um…he had a lot of work at the office. I think he said he might be staying at the apartment tonight.”

  Mary Ellen’s smile seemed to freeze in place, but worry showed in her eyes. She shook it off, though, recovering quickly and turning as Sally, one of the maids, came into the room. “Well, Mr. Brightwater, I’m sure you’d like to freshen up. Sally, will you show Mr. Brightwater to the guest room?”

  “It’s John,” Lucy’s father said. “I’ll go to the car and get my bags.”

  “Not necessary, John, I’ll have them brought right up.” She glanced at Sally, who nodded, smiled at John, and led him away. “I do hope you’ll join me in an hour or so for a nightcap, John,” Mary Ellen called as he left.

  He nodded back at her, and then obediently followed Sally up the broad staircase.

  When Mary Ellen’s gaze returned to Lucy’s, her smile was gone. She took Lucy by the hand and pulled her into the smaller sitting room, closing the door behind them.

  “What’s happened between you and my son, Lucy?” she asked.

  With a sigh, Lucy sank onto the ottoman nearest her. “I don’t know. Everything went wrong, Mary Ellen.”

  “Such as?”

  Lucy swallowed hard.

  “Come, Lucy, out with it. We have enough troubles in this family without adding the breakup of a brand-new marriage to the list. Did you tell him about the baby?”

  “No. But I told him the truth. That I’d planned to get pregnant, and how I’d changed my mind once I saw the man he truly was.”

  Nodding slowly, Mary Ellen paced a few steps away. “And he was angry.”

  “At first, yes. But he got past it. I think he was willing to forgive me for scheming that way. But then…then he said…” Her throat swelled, and Lucy lowered her head, pressed her fingers to her lips to prevent the sob from escaping.

  Mary Ellen crouched beside her instantly, hands to Lucy’s shoulders. “There. It’s all right. Tell me, what did he say?”

  Sniffling, Lucy lifted her head. “He said…he was glad I didn’t go through with it. That he didn’t…didn’t want a baby…and…and—”

  “Oh, Lucy.” Mary Ellen’s arms went around her, and she held Lucy gently as she cried. Soft, strong hands smoothing her hair. “Poor darling. That was the last thing you needed to hear.”

  “I don’t know what to do. If he doesn’t want a child, then—”

  “Come now, Lucy, he didn’t tell you he didn’t want a child, did he?”

  Taking a deep breath, Lucy shook her head. “No. He just said not now.” Her eyes squeezed shut. “But, Mary Ellen, I may not get another chance. I only have one ovary, and I need to have it removed soon. And yet, I love Holden. I don’t want to lose him.”

  Mary Ellen softened, her breath escaping her in a rush. “If you love him, Lucy, then give him a fair chance. He doesn’t know the entire situation, don’t you see? He doesn’t know this may be your only chance to have his child. He doesn’t know how desperately you want this baby. And, unless I’m mistaken, he doesn’t know you love him. Does he?”

  Closing her eyes again, Lucy shook her head.

  “Now don’t you think you should tell him all these things before you condemn him? Lucy, you’ve spent time with my son. You’ve come to see the goodness inside him just as I always have. You must know, somewhere inside you, that he would cherish this child as much as you do.”

  Lucy shook her head. “I don’t know. I just don’t know…”

  “He said the wrong thing at the worst possible time for you, Lucy. But he didn’t know the whole situation. Please, darling, give him another chance.”

  “It…would feel like I was trying to…to trap him.”

  “Oh, no. Lucy, Holden Fortune is not a man who would let himself be trapped. Do you know how many women have tried?”

  Again, Lucy lowered her head. “Maybe…”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, daughter.” Mary Ellen gripped Lucy’s arms, and pulled her straight to her feet. “You are a glorious female. You are life-giving woman, in all her splendor. Now act like one. Stiffen up that spine, haul your tail over to that apartment, and fight for your man.” Lucy stood a little straighter, and Mary Ellen smoothed her hair. “Fight for your baby’s father, Lucy. If you truly love him, it’s worth the effort. Believe me.”

  Slowly, Lucy nodded. “All right. All right, I—I can do this.”

  “You can do this.”

  “My father—”

  “Don’t you worry about your father. He and I will have a lovely visit while you’re gone.”

  “He…doesn’t know about the baby.”

  “And he won’t, not until you and Holden announce the news to him together, side by side, just as you should be. Now go.”

  Brushing at her still damp eyes, but feeling suddenly empowered, Lucy nodded harder this time. “I will.”

  Holden couldn’t believe what he was reading. But it was all here in black and white. Lucy’s history. He didn’t understand most of the medical terminology, but her doctors, several of them over the years, had made notations that explained it all. And one of them, dated on the day after the doomed christening party, shook him to the marrow.

  “Due to the presence of precancerous cysts, and given the patient’s family history, I’ve recommended the immediate removal of the remaining ovary. Patient extremely reluctant to consent.”

  “My God,” Holden whispered. “My God, no wonder she so desperately wanted a baby.” But why the hell hadn’t she told him?

  His buzzer sounded. He sent it an irritated glance and ignored it. And in spite of that, a few seconds later, someone was knocking at his apartment door.

  Setting the folder aside, he went to the door and flung it open.

  Becky Sue Monohan stood on the other side, cleavage spilling out of the lowcut neckline of the dress she wore, big blond Texas hair spilling over her shoulders, and legs damn near up to her neck. He’d dated her not too long ago. Looking at her, now, he couldn’t see a thing that might have appealed to him then. “How the hell did you get up here? I didn’t buzz you in.”

  She shrugged. “Someone else came in, and I just followed. I’ve been calling you for days, Holden,” she said with a pout. “Where have you been?” As she spoke, she shouldered past him and closed the door.

  “On my honeymoon.” He said it clearly, quickly, leaving no room for misunderstandings. He didn’t have time for this.

  “Your… B-but… You got married?”

  “Yes. I got married. And I’m kind of busy right now, so if you don’t mind…”

  “Oh, no. You’re not getting rid of me that easily. If you’re married, then where is your wife? Hmm?”

  “At the house. Now will you please go, so I can—”

  “If she’s at the house, why are you here?” She looked around the place, smiled smugly. “Humph. It’s one of those marriages, isn’t it? She’s cold, but socially acceptable. Not like me.” She slid her palms up the front of his shirt. “It’s all right, Holden. We can still—”

  “No, Becky Sue, we can’t. I happen to be in love with my wife.”

  She blinked, and stuck her lower lip out further. But seeing he wasn’t going to give in, she finally turned and flounced out the door, slamming it behind her.

  Sighing in relief, Holden started back for the file folder lying open on the coffee table. But then he paused, and a slow smile spread across his
lips. “I love my wife,” he said very softly. And it was suddenly so perfectly clear to him. He hadn’t been tempted by Becky Sue in the least. He only wanted Lucy. “I’m a one-woman man. Hell, I’m nothing like my father.”

  Lucy used the keycard Holden’s mother had given her to enter the building, and took the elevator up to the tenth floor. All the way, she was chanting a mental mantra. Telling herself she could do this—she could face Holden with the truth and deal with the consequences. It was her only choice, really. Mary Ellen had made her see that. She couldn’t just give up everything she had without at least trying to make things right.

  She could do this.

  The elevator doors slid open and Lucy stepped out of them just in time to see a blond bimbo who looked like a former swimsuit model, exiting Holden’s apartment.

  “Oh, my God,” Lucy whispered. Her heart squeezed tight in her chest and tears sprang to her eyes as the woman strode past her, not even giving her a glance as she stepped into the elevator and jabbed a button. The doors slid closed.

  Lucy stood there for a full minute. She should leave. She should just leave. It was pretty clear now where Holden stood. His first night without her, and already he was…he was…

  She bit her lip, and turned in search of a stairway. She didn’t want to wait for the elevator’s return.

  A door stood at the far end of the hall with the word Stairs painted on its face in unattractive yellow block letters. But then, unbidden, Mary Ellen’s voice filled Lucy’s mind.

  Stiffen up that spine, haul your tail over to that apartment, and fight for your man!

  Clenching her teeth, Lucy turned and walked slowly to Holden’s door. At the very least, she would tell him what she thought of his little tryst with the blond bombshell.

  She lifted her chin, wiped at her tears with an angry hand, and knocked hard on the door.

  Holden’s voice, raised and impatient, came from the other side. “Dammit to hell, Becky Sue, I told you, I’m not interested!”

  Lucy stood stock-still. She blinked, as her mind processed his words. He hadn’t been playing around with that…that woman. Battling a small, relieved, even hopeful smile, she lifted her hand and knocked again.

  “Get this through your head,” Holden all but growled. The doorknob turned and the door was flung open as he said, “I am in love with my…” Then he saw her standing there. “Wife,” he finished, but the word was almost a whisper.

  “Hello, Holden.”

  “Lucy….” He pulled her into his arms, held her hard to his chest, and stroked her hair. “Lucy, God I’m so glad it’s you. Baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I just didn’t know….”

  “Didn’t…didn’t know what?”

  She pulled away from him, searching his eyes and seeing them dampen even as she did. Then she looked past him and spotted the familiar-looking file folder lying open on the table. She gaped at him. “Holden? Are those my medical records?”

  He lowered his head. “I’m sorry. I know it was wrong, but when your father told me what really happened all those years ago… God, Lucy, you lost an ovary—and a baby—because of me.” He pulled her close again, rocking her slowly in his arms. “And now those cysts, and they want to remove the other one. Honey, if you’d told me…if you’d only told me why you were so determined to get pregnant…”

  She let herself be held, comforted in his arms. All the while wondering what his motives might be now. Did he know? Did he know everything?

  “If I’d told you…” she prompted.

  He framed her face with both hands, gazing down into her eyes. “I don’t know. If the ovary has to come out, Doc, then it has to. It’s your life we’re talking about here. And God knows, we can adopt a baby. I don’t want to risk losing you.”

  She tried to keep a lid on her emotions, but they were damn near swamping her. “It wouldn’t be a risk to have a baby,” she said. “It only takes nine months, and I could have the ovariectomy right after the birth. With close monitoring, I could have a perfectly normal pregnancy.”

  He searched her face. “Are…are you sure?”

  She nodded.

  “Then…” He took a breath, bit his lip. “Then let’s do it. Let’s have a baby.”

  She lowered her head. “I thought you said you didn’t want one right now.”

  “That was before I knew it might be our only chance.”

  “My only chance, Holden. Not yours.”

  He stared down at her, his eyes intense and wide. “Doc, haven’t you figured things out yet? Lucy, I’m in love with you. I don’t want anyone else, much less a child with anyone else. Not now, not a year from now…not ever. Just you. I love you, Lucy.”

  She didn’t reply. Just stared up at him, wanting with everything in her to believe him—to believe he wasn’t just saying this because he knew she was already pregnant. “I—I just need to know one thing,” she whispered, unable to speak any louder.

  “What?”

  Her lips trembled. She bit them to still the motion. “How much of that file did you read?”

  His frown seemed perplexed. God, she hoped it was perplexed. He glanced at the file folder. “I… About all of it, I guess.” Then his face paled, and his brows rose. “Why, Lucy? Is there something I don’t know. Something wrong? Did they find—”

  She pressed a finger to his lips. If he’d read the entire file, then he must know she was already pregnant…and all of this was…

  Then, slowly, her mind cleared. She looked again at the file. One file, and if it had all the information about her ovarian problems in it, then it had come from Karen Flemming’s office.

  Not Susan Martinez’s.

  Karen had no idea she was pregnant.

  “Honey? Lucy, tell me. If something’s wrong, then I—”

  Lucy smiled through a new flood of tears. “Nothing’s wrong. Nothing’s wrong at all, Holden. In fact, for the first time, I think everything is right.”

  “Then what…”

  “I love you, too, you know,” she told him. “I always have.”

  He bent toward her, kissed her long and slow. When he lifted his head again, he said, “Thank God for that. Lucy, sweetheart, I do want a baby. I—the idea scared me, I admit that, but having a child with you is the most incredible gift I can imagine. And if you’re sure it’s safe for you…” He smiled, a sexy little smile she loved more than life. “Then I think we ought to get started right away.”

  “Maybe sooner than you think.” He tilted his head. “Come sit with me for a minute, Holden. There really is something you ought to know.”

  His expression puzzled, he stepped away, taking her hand in his and pulling her with him to the sofa. They sat, side by side, and Lucy reached for the file, flipped over the pages he’d already read, skimming them just to be sure.

  “I wanted to get some birth control,” she told him, closing the file at last. “But I knew my regular doctor would ask too many questions. She knew how much I wanted a child, you see. So I went to see another doctor, Susan Martinez, and she insisted on running a pregnancy test before she’d write me a prescription.”

  Holden looked at her, looked at the file folder again, looked back at her. “Lucy?”

  “The results of that test wouldn’t be in this file. I’m glad because I thought for a while there, you were only saying all these things because you knew.”

  “Because I knew… Does this mean…what I think it means?”

  She nodded. “If you think it means you’re going to be a father, then, yes, Holden. It does. I’m pregnant.”

  His smile was blinding, and the tear that slid from his eye to roll slowly down his cheek touched her very soul. In wonder, he laid his palm gently across her belly. Closing his eyes, he pulled her close, tenderly, gently, he held her. “I love you, Lucy Fortune. I was empty before, but you…you’ve filled me. You are my heart and my soul. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work. We’ll build your clinic, we’ll do whatever you want. Together. I swear I wi
ll make you and this baby so happy…”

  “Oh, Holden,” she whispered, stroking his hair. “You already have.”

  Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Maggie Shayne for her contribution to THE FORTUNES OF TEXAS series.

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-1135-6

  MILLION DOLLAR MARRIAGE

  Copyright © 1999 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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