Nobody's Baby

by Carol Burnside

  “Take her downstairs, dear,” Margaret said before Kate could recover. “She needs a snack and something to drink.”

  Kate found her voice and protested them waiting on her, but Rio wouldn’t be swayed and Margaret backed him up all the way downstairs. By the time he’d deposited her with care on the sofa and pushed the lever to transform the section into a recliner, Kate had to admit defeat for the moment. The man was beyond stubborn, with a well-developed protective side.

  She couldn’t fault him for the latter, especially since that protectiveness extended to his mother. He shooed Margaret upstairs to rest and prepared Kate a tray with more than enough cheese, fruit, crackers and herbal tea. Kate thought he’d leave her then.

  Instead, he tuned the TV to a music station, handed her the remote and sank into one of the plush chairs angled toward a massive formal fireplace. “Chose what you like.”

  “What you picked is fine. Restful, but not so much that I’ll be tempted to nap.” Before her belly had gotten so round, she’d often chosen a faster beat like they played at the gym. But this was nice. She plopped a grape into her mouth, suddenly ravenous, and for the next two songs, was content to listen and eat. Rio didn’t seem to mind the dearth of conversation and occasionally munched on aged cheddar.

  “This is an old Paul Simon tune. Has a definite African feel,” he said, as another song started.

  “Do you miss it?”

  “Not as much as I thought. Africa never felt like home.” He fell silent again, staring at the plush carpet as if it held the answers to life’s mysteries.

  “Where’s home for you?” She shouldn’t ask, but somehow, knowing Allie’s baby had a place to call home was important to her. “Here?”

  His gaze roved around the room. “Sometimes. It’s nice, but doesn’t suit me for long periods of time. I prefer things on a more modest scale.”

  That didn’t answer her question, but she decided to let it go for now. “According to your brother, Allie designed the Taj Mahal of nurseries for your nephew. I’m sure it’s properly outfitted, should you choose to stay here for awhile, I mean.”

  Rio pushed to his feet and peered through plantation shutters toward the entrance gate. “I’ve been thinking it might be best if we all left here. Those reporters don’t show any sign of letting up, especially now that folks are coming forward wanting to adopt ‘nobody’s baby.’” He gave the term air quotes. “This is a hell of a thing. Not exactly something you’d make note of in a baby book, is it?”

  “Nobody’s Baby? That’s what they’re calling him?” It felt surreal, hearing the same term she’d used in the attorney’s offices. She finished off her tea and returned the cup to the serving tray.

  “Mom thinks it’s because I haven’t formally claimed him. She says I should hold a press conference.” He turned to her and canted his head to one side. “You think it would make them back off?”

  “I don’t know, but it would lessen the impression that this child is coming into the world without anyone to care for him. A formal press conference implies you’d take questions, doesn’t it? Most of the ones lobbed at me are ridiculous and pure sensationalism. You could probably walk out to the gate, make a statement and leave it at that.”

  “Maybe.” He resumed his watch on the front gate. “I suppose this kid could read about all this one day on the internet. He’ll see what the press said about him, see the pictures.”

  “Oh. I hadn’t thought about the pictures.” Inside Kate, her cargo stirred and pushed outward, forming a lump on her belly. Pictures weren’t part of the deal. The child was never supposed to know or see her. “You’ll explain it to him, won’t you? My role, I mean. Don’t let him romanticize my part in his birth.”

  Now would be a good time to segue into those boundaries.

  “I guess I’ll have to.” Rio pivoted to face her again and pointed at her stomach. “Aw, man. What’s ... that?”

  The half-disgusted, half-fascinated look on his face forced her to cough into her fist to cover a laugh. “I believe your nephew is stretching his muscles. He’s probably getting pretty cramped in there these days.”

  “Holy … that’s a foot.” He crossed to stand beside her, reached toward the area above her navel where the faint outline of a tiny foot showed through the thin T-shirt knit of her maternity top. His hand hovered inches above the area. “Does it hurt?”

  “Not really. It’s more a feeling of pressure, except when he pushes on my bladder or crowds my lungs. That’s somewhat uncomfortable.” When Rio eased his hand away, Kate caught it in hers and placed it over the foot outline.

  So much for those boundaries. She couldn’t exactly lecture him on setting parameters while instigating close contact, but Rio was worse than her about calling his nephew “it” or “that.” He needed to connect with this child. All at once her cargo pulled back, then pushed out again. “He’s pretty active this afternoon.”

  “I’ll say.” Rio’s throat worked as he swallowed, but he didn’t take his hand away. The warmth of it penetrated her clothing and her skin. His thumb slid over the protrusion and the baby’s foot fluttered. “Did that tickle?”

  “Not me. Can’t speak for A.J.” No, a tickle wasn’t exactly the sensation Rio’s touch made her feel.

  “A.J.?”

  “That’s what Allie called him, short for Albert James. She used to get close and talk to him, hoping he’d recognize her voice after he was born.”

  “Hey, A.J.” Rio spoke to her tummy with a self-conscious glance in her direction, then took a deep breath. With him concentrating on her cargo, she closed her eyes, letting the sweetness of the moment imprint on her memory. She might never feel this again. This wasn’t her child, her joy to cherish. But just for one second, Kate needed to experience the wonder of being pregnant and sharing the miracle of it with a man, even if the scenario was far from a fairy tale.

  Lost in the tender cocoon of fantasy, Kate jolted when Rio moved his hand away.

  “I’m sorry.” His voice was low and full of concern.

  It took Kate several heartbeats to let go of the fantasy. “Why? I placed it there.”

  “But I shouldn’t have kept ... your expression ...”

  “My expression?” She couldn’t seem to string more than a few words together at a time.

  “You looked so sad.”

  “I wasn’t.” She met his searching gaze and held it.

  “It’s understandable. This must be difficult for you.”

  “No. It’s the way I want it. Oh! Not James and Allie being gone. I didn’t mean that.”

  “I didn’t think you did.” He pushed to his feet, his face a carefully controlled mask after her mention of loved ones lost. “Do you need anything else?”

  “No. Thank you.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll get out of your hair for awhile.”

  He took the tray and exited the room. Kate could’ve stopped him and broached the subject of those darned boundaries, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not on the same day Rio had put his brother and sister-in-law to rest.

  This wasn’t the right time, especially not when everything in her wanted to call him back. She enjoyed his company, liked the sound of his voice and didn’t mind his touch the least little bit.

  Staying here was so not a good idea.

  * * * * *

  Kate was half afraid that dinner at Hawthorne House would require a snappier dress code than her wardrobe allowed. She was relieved to see Margaret descending the stairs in jeans and a sweater, her face set in strained lines.

  Delicious smells had been emanating from the rear of the house for the last fifteen minutes, raising Kate’s curiosity. She swung her feet to the floor and levered into an upright position, taking care to avoid sudden movement and accompanying dizziness.

  “Kate, you shouldn’t. Let me call for —”

  “Please don’t. I need to get up.” The last thing she needed was Rio carrying her again, his arms tucked around her, objectivity f
lying out the windows like disturbed bats. “My doctor didn’t say complete bed rest, did she?”

  “Well, no. That’s true.”

  “Then I’ll rest with my feet up as much as possible, but there are certain things a girl has to handle on her own or die of embarrassment. I won’t have Rio carting me around every time nature calls.”

  Margaret smiled. “Down the hall, second door on your right. Join us in the kitchen when you’re through. It smells like Rio has dinner about ready.”

  Kate was a little surprised to hear Rio was cooking and not some servant. The house and neighborhood suggested that kind of lifestyle, though none of the Hawthorne’s seemed inclined to be so extravagant. She found the kitchen again by following her nose and ears. It was as impressive as the rest of the house and had every modern convenience, including two ovens and an additional duo of stainless steel drawers in the lower cabinets. She concluded those must be the latest in automatic dishwashers. What she wouldn’t have given for something like that when her brothers were dirtying every dish in the house on a regular basis.

  Through French doors, Rio entered the kitchen from a patio. “I hope you don’t mind your burger cooked medium. Mom said you aren’t allowed raw meat during pregnancy.”

  “That’s perfect,” Kate answered with a smile of thanks directed toward Margaret. “Can I help with anything?”

  “Absolutely not.”Margaret pointed to a chair opposite hers at the eat-in table. “Sit. Rest.”

  Kate thought of objecting that she could at least carry things to the table but discovered her brief walk had tired her, and a low, persistent ache had settled in her back. “I feel so useless. Good thing I’m not planning on having any children of my own. This inactivity tries my patience.”

  Busy with putting a condiment and relish tray together, Rio shot her a sharp look but didn’t comment.

  “Your journey is almost over, dear. Since you won’t have a baby to care for, I predict you’ll bounce back to your former activities pretty fast.”

  “Mom. That wasn’t very tactful.”

  Before Margaret could apologize, Kate jumped in. “No, it’s fine and she’s right. I’m looking forward to running again and getting back into shape. I’m planning on taking a Pilates class when I get settled at college.”

  “You’re going for your masters?” Margaret asked, making the usual assumption because of Kate’s age.

  “Undergrad degree, actually. With my brothers to raise, I didn’t have the time or financial means to go to college.” Kate wasn’t normally so talkative about herself and her plans, but with her activities gradually curbed over the past few weeks, she craved conversation with others.

  Sitting alone on the sofa earlier, she’d had plenty of time to think what Rio had said about her cargo someday seeing the stories and pictures relating to his birth. He’d likely have questions about the woman who’d been his surrogate, especially now that his biological parents weren’t alive. Allie and James could have supplied the answers. Margaret and Rio knew next to nothing about her.

  “I take it you’re the eldest child.” Margaret fished for answers.

  “Yes. My dad passed away when I was a few months shy of eighteen. Mom wasn’t the maternal type. I would’ve been fine, but Dean and Zach were twelve and fourteen. Someone had to hold things together.”

  Margaret and Rio exchanged a look of understanding, then Margaret reached across the table and patted Kate’s hand. “They’re lucky to have you. That’s a lot for a young girl to take on.”

  She shrugged. “You do what you have to do for family.”

  “Yeah. Whether you’re ready or not.” Rio placed a platter of burger fixings in the center of the table, his gaze directed at Kate with more warmth and respect than she’d ever seen in his eyes before. “A.J. still break dancing in there?”

  “He’s napping at the moment.” She flushed under Margaret’s sudden scrutiny, though Kate had nothing to be embarrassed about. More and more when around Rio, she felt like a teenager with a first crush. With him close her palms dampened, she blushed more easily around him, and she had an acute awareness of where he was in the room.

  How utterly silly.

  He only carried her around like a pampered princess because her doctor had decreed it. She was housing his familial obligation inside her and everything he did was directed at keeping that child safe. Just like with Allie and James, once she delivered her cargo, he and his nephew would be out of her life for good. Just the way she wanted it.

  “What’s wrong, dear? Aren’t you hungry?”

  Margaret’s questions snapped Kate back into the moment. She blinked at the plate in front of her. When had that appeared? The steaming burger, thick, baked home fries and a broccoli slaw smelled like heaven. “Yes, of course I am. This looks delicious.”

  “Dig in.” Rio nodded at the fixings tray. He’d kept the preparations simple, placing the squeeze containers on the tray instead of putting them in small bowls with spreaders. Not that Kate minded. She and her brothers certainly hadn’t stood on ceremony at mealtimes.

  Rio reached for the mustard as her hand closed around it. His fingers grazed her knuckles while veering toward the ketchup, and they laughed, though there wasn’t anything particularly funny. She finished with the mustard and offered it to Rio, holding out her other hand for the ketchup. More glances were exchanged between the building of their burgers, and despite the repeated cautions in her head, Kate could swear Rio’s held a flirtatious gleam.

  Did the last stages of pregnancy make a woman hallucinate? Another question to ask her doctor on Monday.

  * * * * *

  With the delectable scent of Kate still filling his head, Rio eased her door closed so as not to disturb her reading. He was startled by a tap on his shoulder. “Geez, Mom. You ‘bout gave me a heart attack.”

  “What do you think you’re doing?” She pulled him down the hallway away from Kate’s door.

  Even at thirty, he still felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar when his mom used that tone. “Uh ...what do you mean? I was carrying Kate to —”

  “A fool with one eye and half-sense could see you’re flirting with disaster, but do you?” She poked him in the chest with a nicely manicured finger.

  “Ouch.”

  “That girl has worked hard to insulate herself from hurt. Harder than you know. James and Allie shielded her too, for her own good. Don’t mess with her head.” That same finger shook in his face.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Allie was like a daughter to me. We talked every week, sometimes more. Months ago, she told me all about the woman they’d selected to carry my grandchild. I’d forgotten until Kate mentioned her background.

  “She wasn’t kidding when she said she raised her brothers. Their mother — though she doesn’t deserve the title — stuck around until Kate turned eighteen, then left them to fend for themselves. That girl had to prove to social services that she was committed to supporting and raising those boys and then stick with it though she was hardly old enough to take care of herself.”

  “Okay, so she had it rough. I still don’t see how I’m messing with her head.”

  “You really don’t, do you? Rio, you’re committed to raising a child she’s desperately trying to keep at an emotional distance. It’s likely she’s never had much of a dating life, so you flirting with her can only lead to her dreaming of a you-and-her-and-baby-makes-three scenario. She deserves to finish her education and have a life of her own.”

  “You’re overreacting, Mom. I’ve no intentions of stopping her from doing any of that. We were just having fun.” He shrugged, understanding now why that might not have been the smartest move. “But, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking about anything but indulging in something that felt good. I see your point.”

  His mom’s gaze turned sharp. “That’s not like you. Is there more interest on your part than you’re letting on?”

  “Of course not.” His denial had com
e so fast that he felt led to back it up. “Kate’s the kind of woman you take home to meet the family. She’s not my type at all.”

  Rio could see his mom wasn’t convinced, but she nodded and heaved a sigh. He crossed his arms over his chest and groaned. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

  “Well ...” She pursed her lips. “I hope what you say is true, dear. Please be more careful because I won’t be here to remind you or to act as a buffer.”

  “What do you mean? Where are you going?”

  “Don’t sound so panicked. I’m due to fly back home on Tuesday. A friend of mine is having surgery, and I promised to help her out until she’s back on her feet.”

  “I thought you’d be here until after the baby is born. Mom, I need you here.”

  “No, you don’t. Not really. But don’t worry. I’ll be back for the birth if everything goes according to plan. That baby will come when he’s ready, regardless of who is here to welcome him.”

  “Hire a nurse for your friend. Stay here.”

  “I can’t do that to her. She’s having heart surgery and is understandably nervous about it. She’s all alone and needs a friend.” Her voice was firm and determined. There would be no persuading his mom to change her plans.

  He and Kate would soon be on their own.

  Chapter Five

  Nearly a full weekend of life had passed at Hawthorne House, and Kate was about ready to blow a gasket. Never in her life had she been so sedentary or had people waiting on her. Neither had she ever felt so restless and bored.

  Since that first evening, Rio had maintained a polite distance without her having to say anything about boundaries. Though her feelings made no sense and she couldn’t find fault with his behavior, it made her irritable.