“Oh.” Chrissie could feel her cheeks warm. She pressed her hands to cool her cheeks.
“Your blush is cute too.” He flashed a teasing smile at her.
Would he still think her blush was cute when he found out she was pregnant? Was he the father of her baby? She hoped he was, but she couldn’t be sure. Her traditional values screamed at her.
How could you? You aren’t even married.
Adding to the puzzle in her brain, she knew she would never have given in before marriage. Trey left because of that very fact. Why would she have given in now?
“You’re the one who’s handsome, wealthy, and mysterious. How did I ever snag someone like you? It just doesn’t make sense to me. Just like everything else … nothing makes sense.” She felt just like a weed in this beautiful garden of Brant’s life.
“Don’t sell yourself short. Your Texan accent is endearing, and you’re a spitfire. Not to mention, you’re crackin’. I’m still waiting to see you in a bikini.” “Ha,” Chrissie snorted. “You wish. It won’t be anytime soon. I wish that was my only problem … which bikini to wear. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“A guy can dream, can’t he?”
“You should have been at the Miss Texas Pageant about six years ago,” she said glumly. “My mom convinced me it was the perfect way to win some scholarship money.”
“I didn’t know you did a pageant.” He sounded amazed. Actually, she was amazed too. It wasn’t her style to strut across a stage, but it paid for a portion of college.
“Yep, got first runner up and paid for a year’s worth of tuition and books. I’d rather be out hunting with my dad, though. Mom wouldn’t let me wear a camo-print bikini.” Chrissie had fought for over a week on that minor detail.
“I knew you were hot in a bikini.”
“Does Valencia look hot in a bikini?” Chrissie’s jealousy got the best of her.
“I guess. Although, I never saw her in one until after her personality had ruined her looks.”
“So, you base your judgment of girls on things other than their looks. You just beat Trey by a mile.” She paused and thought about it for a minute. “Well, I take that back. He did have another criteria. He liked them easy. I don’t know why he dated me for as long as he did—I didn’t give in. I guess it didn’t matter because he was still getting it from somewhere else.”
“He sounds like a winner,” Brant said.
“Oh, the best. I just wish I could’ve shown up at his wedding with you as my date. That would’ve been fun.”
“Yes, and I would’ve played my part well.” Brant chuckled.
“How so?” Chrissie asked.
“Well, we would arrive in a chauffeured Bentley. We would have dressed in the finest clothes, with expensive jewelry—tastefully done, as to avoid tackiness. After all, we want to impress.” Brant kicked off his sandals and stretched out across the grass. “And then I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
“Wow. That really would have been great. This, all from a guy who drives a twenty-year-old delivery truck.” “Well, I don’t like to be flashy, but this would be a special occasion, and I’d take great delight in it.” He laughed. “Especially for the likes of Trey.”
“Ah,” she sighed. “Music to my ears. The only thing he spent money on was ‘pimping’ his truck. I paid for everything. I can see now why my dad never spoke one word to him. At the time, I was so worried he would leave me that I did everything, except sex, to keep him around. Now I see I was wasting my time.”
“So are we all right?” Brant asked hopefully.
“Yeah, we’re good. It’s not like we have a relationship that I can remember. I didn’t think I had baggage, but when Valencia reappeared, it made me think of what Trey did to me. Sorry about that. I guess I have a Trey bag, and then there’s the sick bag, and the no memory bag …” She began to count off her emotional luggage on her fingers. “Okay, I need a U-Haul.”
“That’s a relief.” He exhaled. “I don’t know how to grovel very well. I tend to go overboard. Hence the apartment full of flowers … it gets weird really quickly.”
“If I know myself at all, I think I secretly liked it. I probably just didn’t tell you at the time because I was trying to be mad.” Chrissie laughed. She reached over and squeezed his hand appreciatively that he stuck around even after her stupid girl tantrums.
Chapter 18
Chrissie called her mom when she could, but most of the phone calls were full of static because the satellite phone didn’t get very good reception. Cell towers would probably never come here. It had been four months since she had arrived in Venezuela, and her mom was probably wondering why she didn’t call more often.
“Hello?” Dianne’s voice was music to Chrissie’s ears.
“Mom?” Chrissie choked out.
“Honey! I’ve been waiting for you to call me for so long. I almost gave up and bought a plane ticket to come find you myself.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t have a cell and there isn’t a landline here where I am staying, so I have to borrow a phone when I get the chance.”
“How do you feel?”
“Much better. The experimental treatment they have me on is working great. Best part is that it’s completely natural, with no side effects.” Chrissie stood out on the front step of the mansion because that’s where the reception was best.
“So do you think you can come home now?”
“Probably not for a while. The treatment needs to be fresh and can only be found here. So I need to stay here for a while longer until they give me the thumbs-up to leave.”
The secret about having a baby in four months was another good reason to stay away from her parents. How was she supposed to explain that? She needed more time to figure out what she was going to tell them. “How’s Dad?”
“Oh, he’s good. He’s been putting in a few more hours at work. I think he’s trying to put aside some money to come get you. Actually, I’ve been doing the same. I just haven’t said anything to him.”
“Poor Dad.”
“So, how are things? ”
“That’s easy. Arturo and María have been marvelous. They have a nice garden, and María feeds me six meals a day and lets me sleep in.”
“That sounds like you have a pretty perfect setup.”
“It is, really.” How was Chrissie supposed to explain to her mom about Brant? Mom, there’s this guy here too. He is really cute and we sort of dated before I got sick. Oh, yeah, P.S. he could be the father of my unborn baby, but I really don’t know. Isn’t that great?
“I’ve got to pick up your father from work. His Chevy’s transmission is out again and he’s without wheels. He’s a little bit cranky.” Static filled the line. “Hey, hon, before I lose you. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
“You hurry and get better so you can come home.”
“Bye, Mom.” Chrissie closed Brant’s phone, walked inside, and set it on the desk in the library. Satellite phones were very inconvenient. Even though Brant was loaded, she hated to ask him to use the phone because she didn’t want to be a nuisance.
Her clothes were snug around the middle now, and she had to play Houdini with them to conceal her baby bump. She had stopped puking in the mornings about a month ago and felt like she might survive the pregnancy thing. María had kept true to her word and hadn’t said anything to Arturo and especially Brant.
Brant had been wonderful to her, taking her on weekly dates and trying to spend as much time with her as possible when he wasn’t trying to run his business. Right now was his busiest time of the season, and she hadn’t seen him very much for the last couple of weeks. He was gone before she woke up in the morning and came home after she was in bed. She heard his bedroom door shut every night around midnight.
Chrissie walked into her room and took off her fuzzy pink bathrobe. It did a nice job of hiding things. Her blue cotton shorts and white tank were much cooler to sleep in. She slept like
an overheated furnace at night, with all the covers kicked off and the window wide open. Her ceiling fan could only go so fast.
She tried to go to sleep, but for the last few weeks, every time she closed her eyes, she would see Franco’s face in her mind. Her nightmare began with Franco in a hotel room, staring down at her.
“You know,” Franco said in her dream, “this baby could be mine, for all you know. I was the last one to see you conscious.”
Chrissie bolted up in her bed, sweating, and went to her bathroom to splash water on her face and the back of her neck. She looked over at her clock and saw it was one in the morning. She wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep that night. Her mind flashed back to her first nightmare of Franco, and how Brant comforted her. The dark circles under her eyes told her how to fix this dilemma.
Chrissie pulled on an oversized T-shirt and padded down to Brant’s room. His door was almost closed. She softly knocked. “Brant?”
She could hear his sheets rustling somewhere in the dark, and a dim light turned on. “Yes? Come in.”
Chrissie pushed the door open. “I can’t sleep.”
Brant pulled back the edges of the covers and motioned for Chrissie to slide into his bed. “Did you have another nightmare?”
Chrissie nodded “Franco.”
“Well, I’m glad you came to find me.” Brant smiled. His eyes looked tired, and his hair was messy.
He looked really cute at that moment. Chrissie laid down her head on his large down pillow. He turned off the light and settled himself back into bed. Pretty soon, Chrissie could hear his soft snore, and it soothed her to sleep in no time.
In the morning, the light tried to peek through the cracks of the heavy drapes hanging in Brant’s room. Brant’s arm draped around Chrissie as she slept snuggled into him.
Chrissie yawned and stretched. She could tell by Brant’s breathing pattern that he was semi-awake too. “You’re late for work.”
“It can wait. Besides, I’m done with all the deliveries, and I’ve got a pretty girl in my arms.” He pulled her tighter into the embrace.
Chrissie’s belly jumped. She could feel the baby inside roll over and kick.
“Chrissie.” Brant’s voice sounded an octave higher. “What was that?”
Chrissie froze.
“Uh . . .” Chrissie jumped out of bed like there was a snake in it. Her eyes were wide with fear and embarrassment. Sometime during the night, she had gotten hot and taken off her oversized T-shirt. Her tank revealed a nice round midriff poking out over the top of her tiny shorts.
Brant stared at her belly as she tried to pull her tank over her swollen abdomen.
“Blast! You’re pregnant,” he breathed.
Chapter 19
Chrissie turned and dashed out of his room. Her body felt heavy as she tried to push it down the hall. She ran all the way to her room and slammed the door shut, locking it behind her. Kneeling down to look under her bed, she found her suitcase and pulled it out. Her hands flew as she began stuffing her suitcase with all her belongings. She had to force the suitcase to zip shut from everything being stuffed into it. Good thing it had rollers so she could drag it behind her.
The handle pulled up with a quick jerk, and she threw open the bedroom door. Her flip-flops were the quickest shoes she could find to put on her feet, but they made her clumsier than she already was as she tried to run down the hall. Down the stairs she dragged the suitcase, clunking down each step. Every sound seemed to echo through the mansion.
All of the vehicle keys were kept in the kitchen on hooks by the back door. She recognized the Datsun’s and retrieved them.
Good thing Daddy taught me to drive a stick.
She could hear Brant’s hurried footsteps run around the top floor as she escaped out the back door. Not bothering to close it, she ran to the garage.
The suitcase was hard to stuff in the backseat. She jammed the key into the ignition and felt the engine purr to life. Her haste to escape, coupled with the baby taking room inside of her made breathing difficult. She needed all the air she could get in her panicked dash away from Brant.
Brant bolted out the large French doors in his drawstring pajamas. He ran across the gravel in his bare feet to reach the car before it took off. Chrissie saw him and pushed on the gas to peel out of the garage. He launched himself onto the hood of the blue Datsun.
His knuckles were white as he grasped the hood of the car. “Stop, Chrissie!”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. How could she face him now that he knew? He would never want her now. How ashamed she was of herself. How foolish she looked for not telling him sooner.
“Stop, Chrissie!” he yelled.
She shook her head and continued speeding out to the only road off the property. Hormone crazed autopilot had taken over driving the Datsun.
“Damn it! Stop!” His body slid from side-to-side across the hood as Chrissie swerved, trying to look around him. “I’m not letting go until you stop!”
He should never yell at a crying pregnant woman. Didn’t he know it just made things worse? Her crying amped up another notch, and now she was hysterical as she tried to see around him to drive. By the looks of things, he was going to hold on all the way to the airport.
“Please,” Brant tried to yell over the revved-up engine and past the glass windshield. “Don’t take our baby away from me.”
“What?” Chrissie stomped on the brakes.
Brant flew off the hood of the car and rolled across the dirt road and into the grass. Luckily, Chrissie’s speed hadn’t reached maximum speeds but it didn’t stop her from screaming and hopping out of the car, leaving it in idle as she ran to him.
“I killed him.” Her face still dripped unceasingly with tears. She stood over him as he lay completely still. Okay, maybe she didn’t kill him he couldn’t die very easily, but what if he was hurt.
“No, you didn’t.” He rolled over and propped himself up on an elbow. His eyebrow arched as he looked up at her. “I’m harder to get rid of than that. I drank the water, remember?” He stood up and dusted the grass and dirt off his bare chest and pajama bottoms. “But I still may be beastly sore tomorrow. What in the hell are you doing, anyway?” He raised his voice. “You are not in your right mind!”
“You shouldn’t have jumped onto the hood of the car!” Chrissie cringed and buried her face in her hands. She cried harder, rocking back and forth as she knelt.
“Don’t yell at me.” Her shoulders began to shake as her crying regained intensity.
“Well, what am I supposed to do? You took off out of here like a bat out of hell. Where do you think you were going?” Brant stared down at her.
“I don’t know—away!” Chrissie yelled back through her tears. “To Texas or something.”
“Why?” Brant’s face softened as he helped her off the ground and wrapped his arms around her. “Why?” His eyes looked moist.
“I knew you wouldn’t want me anymore if you found out. I don’t even know who this baby belongs to. I’m damaged goods now.” Chrissie buried her face in his chest.
“No, you are not.” He tilted up her chin and looked her in the eye. “You are not damaged goods. This is our baby.” He placed a large, warm hand affectionately on her belly.
“How do you know that?” Chrissie sniffled. “I certainly don’t remember the deed that got me in this condition.”
“Because we’re married.” Brant dropped a bomb on Chrissie.
“Married?” Chrissie hiccupped.
“For one night before you took ill. We eloped. You’re not damaged at all. Besides, it doesn’t matter.” Brant shook his head. “I would love this baby no matter what.”
“You would?” Chrissie said between hiccups.
“Yes, I would. Don’t doubt it. I’m sorry—I didn’t react very well. I was so shocked that something was moving inside you.” Brant rubbed Chrissie’s back up and down in an effort to calm her. “Besides, you would have fought with all you had i
f someone forced himself on you, and there were no signs of physical trauma. They were just looking for your vials. He got what he had come for and left.” Brant released Chrissie from his embrace.
“What happened in that hotel room?” Chrissie wiped her tears away with the back of her hands.
“I wish I knew the details. Only you and Franco know exactly.” Brant walked over to the car, turned it off, and guided Chrissie back along the road to the mansion. Early morning light streamed into the kitchen windows as they came in. He sat Chrissie at the table and poured her a cup of peppermint tea. He sat down across from her. “Again, sorry for my reaction. I was just so surprised.”
“Yeah, you did look a bit shocked.” Chrissie hiccupped again.
“Well, give a guy some credit. I looked over and saw this frail girl with a perfectly round belly that I had no clue about. How did I miss that?” He pointed to her small bulge.
“You’ve been busy lately, and I tried to hide it.” Chrissie stirred some honey into her tea.
“You shouldn’t have hidden something that important,” Brant softly scolded.
Chrissie cleared her throat. “Um-hum, Mister. You hid the fact that we’re married.”
“Well, you needed to make the choice to stay, since you don’t remember any of our courtship,” Brant defended. “The only way I was able to get you here in the first place is when Arturo put me on the phone with your mom. I told her I thought you were being followed, I was positive I had a cure, and I loved you.”
“Whatever. I still think you should’ve told me from the beginning.” It stung Chrissie that her mom knew more than she let on. Then logic set into her mind—she was probably just doing her best to protect Chrissie.
“Remember what happened when you found out I drank the water? You fainted.” Brant sipped his tea. “Stress is no bueno for Chrissie.”
“I guess you’re right. If you told me we’re married, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
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