Oh, Baby!

by Patricia Kay

  Yes. That must be it.

  But if that was it, why did Dillon have this gut feeling that something was wrong?

  * * *

  Joy decided it would be best to tell Aidan about Sophie putting her house on the market. Otherwise, when he found out she was selling it, he would wonder why Joy hadn’t mentioned it.

  She hated lying to him, but she wouldn’t break her promise to Sophie. So when Aidan asked why Sophie had decided to sell the house, she casually said, “She’s taking a year off work. She said she can afford to, and after I have the baby, she might finally do some traveling.”

  She’d thought Aidan might question that explanation, but he just nodded and said, “Sweet,” then switched the subject to how hard it had been to catch up on what he’d missed at school. If Joy had offered that explanation about Sophie to a girlfriend, the girl would definitely have asked more questions. Like how odd it was that Sophie would want to travel instead of spending time with Joy and the baby. Or how strange it was that Sophie would sell her house just when it looked as if Joy might be coming back to Crandall Lake.

  Men really were from Mars, Joy thought with an inner chuckle. They simply didn’t think the way women did.

  She guessed she should be grateful Aidan had so easily accepted what she’d said. Of course, eventually he would find out the truth—or at least as much of the truth as Sophie was willing to reveal—and then he might be angry with Joy, but Joy doubted it, especially when she explained she’d had no choice.

  Sophie’s pregnancy was a different story, though.

  She couldn’t imagine what Aidan would say when he found out about that. Especially when he discovered who the father was. Would he feel betrayed by Dillon? She hoped not. He and Dillon had just begun to build a good relationship, and she didn’t want to see anything spoil that.

  Nothing will. Everything will be fine. Stop worrying.

  Joy finally managed to quit thinking about Sophie and Dillon and their problems, at least for the remainder of the time Aidan was in San Antonio. But as she kissed him goodbye, she felt guilty all over again and she vowed this was the last time she would keep a secret from him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “She’s what?” Dillon stared at Aidan, sure he’d been mistaken about what he’d just heard.

  “Yeah, I was kind of surprised, too. I mean, I was thinking about it on the way home and I would have thought she’d want to be around after Joy has the baby. But Joy said she’s takin’ a year off work to travel.” Aidan shrugged. “Must be nice.”

  Dillon was flabbergasted. Taking a year off to travel? Sophie, one of the most down-to-earth people he knew, selling her house, quitting a job she supposedly loved, leaving her younger sister and the baby when Joy would need her most? To travel? It didn’t make sense.

  “Was Joy upset by this?” Dillon finally asked.

  “Didn’t seem to be.” Aidan yawned. “I’m beat. I’m gonna go to bed.”

  There were a hundred other questions Dillon wanted to ask his nephew, but he knew Aidan wouldn’t have the answers. Plus, he didn’t want Aidan to wonder why Dillon cared. “Okay. Good night.”

  “’Night.”

  Later, sitting in front of the TV, which was tuned to a basketball game on ESPN, Dillon still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around what Aidan had told him.

  None of it made any sense.

  What the hell was going on? Why was Sophie acting this way?

  The only conclusion Dillon could come up with was that Sophie was punishing him. She had decided that if he was so enthusiastic about Aidan and Joy being together and keeping their baby, he could just have all the responsibility for seeing that it worked out well. She was washing her hands of all of it. Including him.

  He found it hard to believe that Sophie would do something like this simply to get back at him, but what other explanation was there?

  It took him a long time to fall asleep when he finally went to bed. And the last thought he had before he did was that he would seek her out tomorrow, and at the very least, he would make her tell him the truth to his face. He had never once lied to Sophie, and he would make sure she did the same.

  * * *

  Sophie had just finished typing up a set of instructions and notes for Paula Bell, who was coming in that afternoon to meet with Sophie, when there was a knock at her office door. She looked up from her computer, and through the glass, she saw that it was Dillon.

  Her heart skipped, and it took all her willpower to keep her voice normal when she called, “Come in.”

  Why was it that all he had to do was come within two feet of her to cause her hormones to go haywire?

  “Hey, Sophie,” he said. “Can we talk a few minutes?”

  She looked at the wall clock. “I have a meeting at ten-thirty.”

  “This won’t take long.”

  Of course she knew why he was here. She’d been expecting to hear from him ever since last night, when Joy called her to tell her what she’d told Aidan.

  Dillon ignored the chair in front of her and sat on the corner of her desk instead. Sophie wanted to back her own chair up, put more distance between them, but she knew it was better to stand her ground. Putting distance between them would only let him know he intimidated her, and that would give him the advantage.

  “Aidan tells me you’ve quit your job and you’re selling the house.”

  Sophie nodded. Keep it casual. Don’t explain more than you have to. “News travels fast.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “C’mon, Sophie. Don’t play dumb. Why are you doing this? I thought you’d want to be as close to Joy and the baby as possible.”

  “I will be close to Joy and the baby. I’m moving to San Antonio.”

  “Really? Joy told Aidan you planned to take a year off work to travel.”

  “After her baby’s born, yes, I did think I might do some traveling.”

  He frowned.

  Sophie’s heart thumped painfully as their gazes locked. She forced herself not to look away.

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

  “Excuse me?” She managed just the right amount of indignation.

  His eyes narrowed. “It doesn’t, and you know it. There’s something else going on, and I think it has to do with me. What are you trying to prove? That I’m wrong and you’re right and you’re washing your hands of the kids and their problems?”

  Sophie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She couldn’t believe he’d actually come up with this ridiculous theory. “Hard as it may be for you to believe, Dillon, everything is not always about you.”

  He stood, glaring down at her. “What the hell is it about, then?”

  Sophie looked at him for a long moment, and then she stood, too. It wasn’t as effective as she’d have liked—he was too tall—but she certainly felt better than she would have if she were still sitting down with him towering over her. “You know, Dillon, I have a perfect right to do whatever I want to do with my own life. And I don’t have to explain my reasons to you or to anyone, for that matter. That said, I think we’re finished here, so I’ll thank you to leave my office and to stop bothering me.”

  She could see how much he wanted to lash out at her. In fact, he looked as if he wanted to shake her. She squared her shoulders and stood as tall as she possibly could. Ignoring her heart, which was now doing some kind of crazy jig, she told herself not to even blink. All she wanted was for him to go away before she said something stupid.

  And then suddenly all the anger disappeared from his face, and his eyes softened with regret. Nodding slowly, he said, “Okay, Sophie, I’ll go. But before I do, I want to say one other thing. If the reason you’re leaving is to get away from me, you don’t have to do that. I’ll go instead.
My agent thinks I’ll be getting an offer from the University of Houston, and if I do, I’ll take it.” He smiled crookedly. “I’m sorry about everything, and I wish you only the best.”

  Sophie managed not to fall apart until after he shut the door behind him. Even then, she couldn’t let herself cry or scream or do any of the things she wanted to do, because there was no privacy at the school and someone was bound to hear her.

  All she could do was sink back into her chair and put her head in her hands and will herself to stop shaking.

  * * *

  The house sold in less than a week. And the buyers wanted to take possession as fast as possible. When Sophie told them she could be out by the end of the month, they were delighted. She figured even if they couldn’t close on the deal by then, she could easily drive in from San Antonio to finalize everything whenever she needed to. She should be ecstatic—her plans were working out even better than she’d hoped—but all she felt was a deep regret and sadness for all she would never have.

  Yes, she had her baby to look forward to, which meant she’d always have a part of Dillon, but they would never know the happiness of raising their child together.

  Ever since Dillon had told her about the job in Houston, and that he would take it if it were offered to him, she wrestled with her conscience. Did she have the right to let him do that without telling him about their baby? Wouldn’t he hate her for deceiving him when he did find out? And yet...if she told him...and then he felt obligated to her...no, that wouldn’t work.

  If only he loved her.

  If only he’d begged her not to leave Crandall Lake.

  If only.

  But all the “if onlys” in the world couldn’t change the truth. Dillon did not love her. If he did, he would have spoken up that day in her office. His silence told her everything she needed to know.

  * * *

  Ten days after confronting Sophie in her office, Dillon bumped into Beth at the supermarket. Literally. He came round a corner and nearly collided with her grocery cart.

  “Hey, Dillon,” she said, giving him a big smile.

  “Hey, Beth.” He smiled back, noticing how rosy her cheeks were and how her eyes sparkled. Then he remembered. She was pregnant. “You’re looking good.”

  “Thank you.” She looked pleased at the compliment. “How’re you doing? I haven’t seen you since New Year’s Eve.”

  “I’m okay. Chuggin’ along.” He hesitated, then said, “How’s Sophie doing? Sell her house yet?”

  “Actually, yes, she has. In fact, she’ll be moving in two weeks.”

  Although Dillon had expected this news—he didn’t think his offer to leave town would change Sophie’s plans—he wasn’t prepared for how the actual knowledge would make him feel. He started to say really, that’s great, but the words stuck in his throat. Something of what he was thinking must have shown in his face, because Beth gave him an odd look. “I...she must be happy about that,” he finally managed.

  Beth nodded, her gaze speculative. “Are you happy about it?”

  He frowned. “I...what do you mean?”

  “It’s a simple question. Are you happy about her leaving?”

  “I—don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”

  At that, she cocked her head. Looked at him for a long moment. “Really? You haven’t thought about it.”

  He swallowed. “I—”

  “Never mind, Dillon. You don’t have to explain. And I just have one more thing to say. You are, without a doubt, the most clueless, blind and stupid man I’ve ever known.”

  And with that, she wheeled her cart around him and walked off without a backward glance.

  * * *

  Dillon thought about what Beth had said for two days. Oh, he was in no doubt about what had prompted her outburst. She thought he was nuts for not snapping Sophie up before some other man claimed her.

  She’s right. You are nuts!

  Sophie was perfect for him. She was everything he admired in a woman, everything any man could possibly want. And she knew all about him. All his faults. All his fears. All the things he’d wanted and all the things he’d accomplished and hadn’t accomplished. She made his heart beat faster and she made him happy. He loved being around her. She made him laugh. He missed her when she wasn’t around, and he thought about her all the time. How could he even consider letting her move right out of his life?

  Christ, you really are clueless. You’re in love with her!

  Why hadn’t he seen it before? Why had it taken Beth’s parting shot to wake him up to the truth?

  Damn. Is it too late? Have I screwed up my chances completely by being such an idiot?

  The only way he’d know was by asking. And there was no time like the present. But when Dillon looked at his watch, he realized it was already ten o’clock, and Sophie could be in bed. Not a good way to begin. Besides, wouldn’t it be smarter to be more prepared to see her? To go with something in hand that would show her how serious he was? Would she say no?

  If she did, initially, well, then, he’d beg. He’d get down on his knees and tell her over and over how sorry he was for being such a fool and how much he loved her.

  Surely then she’d say yes. Because she loved him. He knew she did. She had to. She wasn’t the sort of woman to behave the way she had unless he meant something to her.

  He’d go see her tomorrow, after making a few stops at the florist’s and at the jewelry store.

  And pray in the meantime that it wouldn’t be too little, too late.

  * * *

  Sophie left early in the morning for San Antonio. She had to meet with her future landlord to sign the lease on the little garden apartment she was renting and she had an appointment with Dr. Kelsey right after lunch. The lease signing went smoothly and after lunch with Joy, she left for the doctor’s office.

  Lying on the examining table, Sophie tried not to think about anything negative. She was just superstitious enough to believe good thoughts would help her have a happy baby. She wriggled a bit as the doctor moved the fetal Doppler around her tummy. Today’s exam seemed to be taking much longer than the last one had.

  “Is something wrong?” Sophie finally asked.

  “No. Everything’s fine,” Dr. Kelsey answered. She moved back a bit and smiled down at Sophie, then helped her sit up. “I just wanted to be sure about what I was hearing before I told you.”

  “Told me what?”

  “I hear two heartbeats.”

  For a moment, what the doctor had said didn’t really register. And when it did, Sophie gasped. “You mean?”

  Dr. Kelsey nodded. “Yes. I believe you’re carrying twins.”

  Sophie’s mind spun. Twins! Her fraternal grandmother had been a twin, but Sophie had never even entertained the possibility. Twins! Wow.

  “I know this news might not be what you wanted to hear,” Dr. Kelsey said. “Since you’re essentially going to be a single mother. Or has that changed?”

  “No,” Sophie said slowly, “that hasn’t changed.”

  “You probably need some time to get used to this news.”

  An understatement if she’d ever heard one. She still could hardly believe it. Twins. But really, was that so different from what she’d originally thought she’d be doing? Hadn’t she planned to raise both her baby and Joy’s baby? The only difference now was that both babies would be hers.

  Hers and Dillon’s.

  Don’t think about Dillon. Not now.

  “Will I need to be doing anything different throughout my pregnancy?” Sophie asked, pushing all thoughts of Dillon away. “Now that I’m having twins?”

  “No. We’ll watch you more closely, of course. But everything looks good. Next month, we’ll do an ultrasound. And then we’ll be able to see them as well as hear t
hem. Would you like to hear them today?”

  “Yes.” Sophie nodded. “Yes, I would.”

  So Dr. Kelsey had her lie down again, and this time when she was able to hear both heartbeats, she took the earbuds out of her ears and put them in Sophie’s. Sophie’s eyes filled with tears as she listened. Those heartbeats were the most miraculous and beautiful sound she’d ever heard. And once again, her thoughts turned to Dillon.

  He should be here.

  It was wrong of her to deny him this.

  Somehow...she had to find the strength to tell him.

  * * *

  When Dillon got to Sophie’s house, no one answered the door. He hadn’t called first because he hadn’t wanted her to tell him not to come. Could she be home and simply pretending she wasn’t because she didn’t want to see him? She’d done that once before.

  He decided to walk around the house and peer through the windows. There wasn’t a sign of life. And looking through the back door, he could see that the kitchen was spotless and quiet.

  She wasn’t home.

  Damn. What should he do?

  I’ll wait. I’ll get in the truck and I’ll sit there and I’ll wait.

  What if she doesn’t come home?

  She has to come home. She still lives here.

  She probably just went out shopping or something. She’d be home soon. Dillon checked his watch. It was one-thirty. It had taken him longer than he’d thought to get the things he planned, especially since he’d had to drive into San Marcos to find the Neil Lane ring he wanted.

  By three o’clock, he was wondering if he should leave and try again later. But no, if he left he might miss her.

  Better to just wait.

  At four o’clock his patience was rewarded, and her car came up the street. He wasn’t sure if she’d seen him or not, because she pulled into her driveway and into the garage without looking behind her. It wasn’t until she’d stepped out that she acknowledged him walking up the driveway toward her.