“Agreed.” Tuck kissed the back of her hand. “I wanted to be sure we were partners in this. I didn’t want you feeling like my money should give me more say in the operation of this ship than I already had as captain. You were so worried about the Rapid that I didn’t want to make you any more uncomfortable than I already was.”
“You still should have told me sooner.”
“Did you trust me?”
“No. Not at first.”
He lifted her chin with the crook of his finger looking deeply in her eyes. “I didn’t trust you at first, either, but I sure as hell found you attractive.”
“And now?”
“Now I’d trust you with anything.”
He held her close, the stubble of his chin against her temple softer now that it had grown out a few days. Bella lay, her leg across his hip, her body curled against his and his arms cradling her. It felt not just good, it felt right, perfect even, if there was such a thing. Bliss. That was a better word. She closed her eyes and inhaled the unique blend of sun, sea salt, and man that was Tucker. “I love you,” she said as she exhaled.
He tenderly brushed his hand over her hair and kissed her forehead. “You mean the world to me.”
It wasn’t I love you, but Bella would take it anyway. Tuck had proven himself to her in so many different ways, looking out for her, protecting her, sharing his secrets with her. Perhaps, given his childhood, it was something he didn’t ever say. She let contentment wash over her as they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
In the middle of the night, Bella woke to the soft sound of Tuck breathing in and out next to her. The waves beat in a languid rhythm against the hull of the ship, a soothing sound that should have helped her fall back to sleep. But it didn’t.
She hadn’t told Tuck about her suspicions, although she’d debated about it. Hell, what was there to tell him? She didn’t even know for certain herself. All she knew was that her period was late. It wasn’t as if there was a corner drugstore aboard the Discovery to go get a pregnancy test. She needed to know for certain before she said anything to him. If it were a glitch from too much stress, or too much physical labor, telling him and then rescinding the claim would only alienate him. She was sure of that.
No. Until she took a test, she wasn’t going to say a word.
Chapter Twelve
Bella stood with her arms crossed looking at the wall of full multiplex boxes she and Rory had constructed with the help of the crew as items had come up from the Rapid. The large plastic totes took up one whole wall in the conservation lab. “You see what I mean,” she said to Tuck, gesturing to the boxes. “Our holding area is almost full. We need to take some of this back to Fontanel & Company.”
He nodded. “I’ll have some of it shipped back and call a helicopter to come get you and some of the more fragile pieces.”
“It’ll be a quick trip. I’ll make sure they’re logged in at the company and be back by dinner.” After almost three months aboard the ship with only one or two breaks, Bella was ready to head ashore. As much as she appreciated and liked Tuck’s crew, and Tuck, there was just too much testosterone on board.
Then there was the pregnancy test. Until she got back ashore, she was still playing a guessing game. She needed to know, and, if it was positive, then he’d need to know.
Two hours later, the helicopter was loaded and ready to leave. Another ship had been called out to load up the multiplex totes and ferry them back to Fontanel & Company, but it would take it another hour to get there and three hours to get back to New Orleans. That meant that once they touched down, she’d have the afternoon to take care of her personal affairs before seeing to the logging of the crates.
“You should stop by and see your aunt,” Tuck said. “I’m sure she misses you.”
Bella smiled. Exactly what she’d had in mind. “Good idea. I’ll do that.”
The minute the helicopter touched down, Bella started the clock ticking in her head. She had only a few hours to get everything done she needed to. She’d called ahead, and lab assistants from Fontanel & Company met them to help unload the more fragile items that had come with her.
Once those items were secure, she took her car that was parked at the docks and drove to the drugstore, grabbed a test and the biggest bottle of water she could find, and made a beeline for her aunt’s shop. If anyone could help her make sense of all the jumbled-up mishmash of feelings and thoughts in her head, it was Aunt Min.
The wind chimes over the door made a familiar tinkling sound as she entered the shop. Aunt Min was talking with a customer, deep in a discussion about some ink from the sketch paper she had spread out on the countertop.
Min made eye contact with her, smiled, and gave a nod of greeting. Bella knew she’d get to her when she could. In the meantime, she headed for the back room where the stairs up to Min’s office, the employee bathroom, and kitchen area were located.
She’d managed to drink three quarters of the bottle of water on the way over. Considering it was a pee test, she wanted to make sure she had plenty of answers. Bella hurried into the bathroom and pulled out the package, the scientist in her slowing down long enough to read all the directions twice, then took the test, and set a timer on her phone. All there was left to do was wait.
A knock sounded on the bathroom door. “Bella, you okay, cher?”
“Yeah, just needed the bathroom. I’ll be right out.” In five minutes.
Four minutes later Min knocked again. “You sure you’re okay?”
No. She was not. Bella opened the bathroom door, and the minute her aunt saw her face, she was enveloped in a big hug. “Bella, what’s wrong?”
She glanced at the pregnancy test sitting on the tank of the toilet. Aunt Min followed her gaze, and then her eyes got wide. “Are you?”
She nodded, because she was still a little too surprised to speak. Sure she’d missed her period, but deep down she hadn’t believed it until she’d taken the test. Now there was no denying it. She’d have to tell Tuck.
Min hugged her again, this time even harder, then pulled back, and with a mother’s touch tucked a strand of hair back behind Bella’s ear. “Who’s the father?”
Bella tipped her head to one side and pricked up a brow. “I’ll give you one guess, and Jackson Palmer doesn’t count.”
Min pulled her over to a chair in the connecting kitchenette. Her eyes narrowed. “Does he know?”
Bella shrugged. “How could he? I found out a minute before you did.”
“Well?”
“Well what?”
Min rolled her hand. “Do you think he’ll be happy about it?”
“Knowing Tucker, no. He’s not the white picket fence type of guy. And his childhood was messed up enough. He probably has a phobia about being a father.”
“But he’s been good to you?”
Bella grabbed hold of her aunt’s hand. “Yes. God, yes. He’s an amazing guy. And we didn’t plan for this to happen, any of this.”
“But you couldn’t fight it, either,” Min said.
Bella blushed.
“He’s that good, huh?” Min teased. “Kind of thought he might be. When are you going to tell him?”
“When I get back, the moment I get back.”
“And what if he doesn’t want it?”
Bella pulled back her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Then I’ll figure it out.”
Downstairs the chimes sounded as someone entered the shop. “I’ve got to go downstairs. You take as much time as you need. There are chamomile and peppermint teas up in the cupboard.”
Her aunt hurried downstairs. You had to love Aunt Min. She was a free spirit, willing to go wherever the wind blew her. For her it was always an adventure. Bella put her hand on the flat of her stomach. Hard to believe soon she’d be a mom. Not that she’d hadn’t thought about it before. It was just that without her own mom or her grand-mère around, she wasn’t sure who to ask the questions she’d need answers for. Bella shook her head, he
r hand falling away from her stomach.
If worse came to worst, she’d raise her child in her family home. There was more than enough treasure from the wreck to pay off what they owed and set them up nicely for years to come. Hell, if she really wanted to, she could quit her job at Fontanel & Company and stay home to raise the baby herself.
So it didn’t matter what Tuck thought. Either he’d want the baby or he wouldn’t, and no matter which it was, she’d sink down roots here in the city and raise her baby in the same place generations of the Dupré family had.
After she and Aunt Min had shared dinner over some of the most divine chicken and rice she’d tasted in ages, she took the helicopter back to the Discovery.
There were lights and music and even some of the crew dancing, drunkenly, of course, but still dancing. Tucker helped her out of the helicopter, a million-watt smile on his face.
“Boy, do I have news for you!”
Likewise, Bella thought.
“We found it! This afternoon, we did some additional excavation and found the remains of a safe of sorts.”
Dread turned to a fizzing of excitement. “You found it? Did you find the crystal ball?”
He picked her up by the waist and swung her around and laughed. “Yes! We found it! It’s beautiful. Do you want to see it?”
She beat a fist on his shoulder. “Of course I want to see it! Are you going to put me down or carry me there?”
He chuckled and let her slide down the length of him, then kissed her. It was warm and full of happiness and excitement. For a moment she could have almost believed the curse was broken, but then she hadn’t told him her news yet. Bella didn’t want to spoil his mood.
“Come on, this way!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her along at a jog to the conference room where a tub of water sat on the table on top of a towel. At first it looked like there was nothing in the water, but Tuck put his hand in, and as he lifted it, the curve of the crystal ball rose above the surface, gleaming and sparkling in the overhead lights.
Far from being a perfectly smooth sphere as she’d thought it would be, it was an orb created from a thousand different facets. It looked round, but it glittered and threw rainbows all around the room. She sucked in an awed breath. Whoever had crafted it had to have skills far beyond their time. It was exquisite.
Tuck held the orb out to her. “This, Bella, is for you.”
She stretched out her hands, and he let the weight of it fall into her palms. It was heavier than she’d imagined, a true piece of stone. While very clear, she could see minute inclusions in the stone as she turned it in the light. She wouldn’t know until she looked at it under a microscope for sure. She breathed on it, and when it didn’t fog, like quartz would with warm breath, she knew the fairy tale was real. There was a good chance it was a diamond.
“It’s incredible!”
“Are you happy?”
She grinned at him. “Deliriously happy.”
“Good. Then mission accomplished.” He kissed her on the mouth, and the crew made catcalls and wolf whistles. For the second time that day Bella blushed. If they only knew.
Bella gingerly placed the orb back in the water container. Whether it was diamond or not, there was sure to be salt residue on it after being in the sea for so long. She turned to Tuck and placed her hands on his chest, as he pulled her into him, his arms around her waist.
“Any chance we can take this party somewhere more private?” she asked, her voice low enough the others wouldn’t hear.
His grin got wider if that were even possible. “Sure.” He grabbed her hand and led her up the teak stairs to the lounge area where they’d danced what seemed like a lifetime ago.
She went to the railing and leaned on it, looking at the clouds coming in that were playing hide-and-seek with the moon. Tuck came up beside her, his shoulder and arm brushing hers.
“So were you surprised?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Why don’t we order up some champagne? We just found a legendary lost item.”
She dropped her head, staring at the waves churning around the boat. “I’d better not.”
“Afraid I’ll take advantage of you?” Then his tone changed. “You don’t seem very excited about this. Is something wrong, Bella? Are you worried about me leaving when this is all done?”
She locked gazes with him. There was no time left. She had to tell him. “I’m pregnant.”
“How?”
She speared him with an incredulous look. “Really? Do I have to explain it to you?”
Tuck ran his fingers through his hair, making the already awkward angles even more disarrayed. “No. I mean, I get it. It’s just that we used protection almost every time. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Bella nodded. “There’s a reason they don’t say 100 percent effective as a marketing slogan. They can’t.”
The thought of a baby was horrifying and short-circuited his brain. A baby? That was the ultimate tie, the one that couldn’t be broken.
He often wondered if his mother had deliberately gotten pregnant with him to ensure that, as the mistress, she wouldn’t lose her hold on his father. Just the thought of being a family man twisted him up inside. The problem was he didn’t know how to be one. His own upbringing did absolutely nothing to prepare him for raising another human being.
It also brought into question his relationship with Bella. In a nanosecond it had gone from a fun fling to something he couldn’t walk away from even if he wanted to. There was only one thing he knew for certain right now—he wouldn’t walk away. Even if he was a lousy father, at least he’d be present in his kid’s life and provide for both him and his mother.
His heart contracted painfully in his chest. What if Bella didn’t want to be with him? What if she’d already accepted that they were something short term or that she wanted someone who could be a homebody, which wasn’t him? Could he handle letting some other guy raise his kid? No. Wasn’t an option. Bella would be stuck with him, regardless. Hell, they’d both be stuck with each other.
She waved her hand in front of his face. “Earth to Tuck. Come in, Tuck.”
He blinked a few times and stared at her. “Sorry. What?”
“Sometimes condoms fail.”
“Yeah. I think we’ve established that.”
She nibbled at her bottom lip, worry clouding the clear green of her eyes. “So now what?”
“I guess we have a baby,” he said simply.
“There are other opt—”
“No. There aren’t. If you’re pregnant, I’m taking care of you and my kid. End of story. I’m not going to be an absent father like I had. Not now, not ever.”
Bella nodded, her hand grasping and holding on to his forearm. “Thank you, Tuck.”
“For what? Finding your crystal ball or getting you pregnant?”
“For sticking by me instead of running for the hills.”
Tuck pulled her close and kissed her. “If anyone was going to have my baby, I’d want it to be you. I’m not saying this will be easy, but it’s doable. Look, if we can find a treasure that’s been hidden for over a hundred years in the middle of some vast piece of ocean, we can raise a kid together.”
He noticed the dark smudges below her eyes. “Let’s get you into bed.”
She grinned. “Are you always going to say that?”
“As long as you’ll let me.”
Tuck woke to find the captain’s berth filled with the rosy glow of sunrise. He glanced down at Bella still asleep beside him, her dark hair cascading in silky waves across her pillow and down the glorious smooth skin of her naked back.
As tempted as he was to spoon up against her soft body and go back to sleep, he knew he needed to get his day going. He slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake her, pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top, and headed up to the bridge.
Toneau was there already, a steaming cup cradled in his big hands. A second mug for Tuck sat waiting for him. He wa
sn’t sure how, but Toneau always seemed to know when he was coming and had straight-up dark coffee waiting for him.
“Red sky at morning, sailors take warning,” Toneau said, repeating the nautical nursery rhyme and taking a sip of coffee.
“No shit.” Tuck picked up his mug, the warmth of it seeping into his hands, and looked out at the thickening bank of clouds painted hues of red, orange, and gold by the sunrise. Beautiful, yes, but a bad omen. Those clouds were the front edge of a tropical storm system headed in from the southeast toward the Gulf. Williams had been tracking it through the night.
“What’s the word from NOAA and NHC?”
“Tropical Storm Henri turned hurricane about five hours ago. Now up to a category two. Tracking right now to pass south of Cuba and head up the coast of Mexico.”
Good for them. Not so good for Mexico. With any luck they would just catch the edge of it, and their dive work would only have to take a brief hiatus.
“How far out is it?”
Toneau shrugged. “Anywhere from six to twelve hours depending on how strong it gets.”
Tuck wasn’t willing to take the chance it might change course and rob them of their find. “Get everyone up and moving. I want the wreck tagged with GPS transponders and floats in the next four hours. That way even if it moves in the storm surge, we’ll know where it went.”
“Still kind of risky, Cap.”
“But a calculated risk. That’s something I can work with.” Tuck took a sip of his black coffee letting the bitter, burnt taste of it wake him up. “I’m not losing the Rapid when we’ve only just found her.”
After making the necessary arrangements, Tuck headed back down below with a cup of coffee with cream and shot of vanilla syrup for Bella and a second cup of straight-up coffee for himself. He opened the door to his berth quietly. Bella was still curled up asleep in the tangled sheets.
“Time to rise, sweetheart.”
She mumbled something unintelligible, snuffled a bit then rolled over, pulling a pillow over her head. He grinned. Bella was not a morning person. Normally a great thing, since it gave him ample opportunity to enjoy her being in his bed before he had to get up. But today it wasn’t an option.
Her Sworn Enemy (Men of the Zodiac) Page 14