Second Chance, Baby

by A. C. Arthur

  “I know, and I’m proud of the way all of you are handling things. It’s important that families stand strong and together at times like this.”

  Ty had agreed, yet he’d come away from that visit still worried about his mother. On the exterior she seemed polished and perfect, just like his prized car. But Ty wasn’t quite convinced. And from the concerned glance Malcolm had discreetly passed his way, neither was he.

  Harmon’s death was weighing heavily on her, as he guessed it would for anyone who lost a spouse. He didn’t really know how he was supposed to help her, especially since she acted as if she needed no help at all. Passing the last bend before the road opened up like welcome arms, he’d tried to put it out of his mind. Nothing any of them did from this point on was going to bring his father back. It was best they all kept that little piece of reality in mind.

  Now his foot eased down on the gas petal, and he felt his heart lurch with the power of the engine. This car could go zero to one-twenty in under sixty seconds, but he wasn’t going to push her that fast, not today. Today he was looking for a mediocre amount of speed, enough so that his mind could be allowed free rein to think of how his life was changing.

  Felicia was back in his life and she was pregnant. There weren’t any words that could accurately describe how good that made Ty feel. His plan for adding children to his family didn’t call for the blessed event to take place for another five years, but as he’d laid in his bed last night, he thought that was okay. She was carrying his baby now and she was giving him a second chance to be what she needed. Ty vowed to do just that.

  And despite what Malcolm said, Ty knew he could please his wife and run his business. It was simply a matter of balance. His father had told him that, just before he’d run for Congress. Harmon Braddock had found his balance with work and family life. He’d been there for his children while building a career. And he’d instilled those same values in his son.

  Peeping at his watch, Ty realized he’d been driving for more than an hour. It was close to three now, and there were still some things he needed to do at the office. He was working on a business deal that needed a lot of his attention.

  Brentwood Industries owned a sporting goods conglomerate, Brentwood Sports. Since Ty and TJB Investments, through the TJB Global Fund, the hedge fund he’d opened on his own three years ago, invested primarily in retail entities, Brentwood would be just another feather in his cap. But Christopher Brentwood was a smooth character. Ty was definitely going to have to come at the older man with his A game to prove that, while he was young, he knew what he was doing.

  Taking a hand from the wheel, he retrieved his cell phone and called his assistant, Marsha.

  “Get Brentwood on the phone and see how soon we can meet. Sometime this week, preferably. I don’t care what day or what time, just nail something down,” he said as he circled the car around to head back to his parents’ estate.

  “Yes, sir,” Marsha replied. “Mrs. Braddock called.”

  This announcement brought a smile to Ty’s face. When was the last time Felicia had called him at work? “And?”

  “She wanted to thank you for the flowers and said for you to call her later.”

  “Thanks, Marsha.” Ty disconnected the call and continued to smile. He’d been thinking of Felicia the moment he’d awakened this morning, so calling to order her flowers had come naturally.

  She wanted to be romanced and courted like she had in the beginning. He planned to overwhelm her with flowers and sweet gestures until she had no choice but to come back to their home. As with the business deal with Brentwood, there was no room for negotiating Ty’s bottom line.

  The day had been long, but thoughts of Ty had kept Felicia going. She wondered if she’d see him tonight. That was probably too optimistic, seeing as he’d given her all last night. However, the two dozen peach-colored calla lilies he’d had delivered to her this morning said he was at least thinking about her while he was at work. Of course, when she’d called, he’d been out at a meeting. She’d contemplated calling him on his cell but decided against it.

  They’d been separated for months, and yesterday had been pretty emotional for both of them. Although, to his credit, Ty seemed to take the news of the pregnancy a lot better than she would have anticipated. If she wasn’t mistaken, he actually looked pleased by the notion that they would be starting a family.

  A family, she thought as she walked down the steps leading out of the school. She didn’t want to live in the city anymore. The penthouse was too small for a family. Their child would need a yard for a swing, grass to roll and play on. Ty loved their penthouse in the city. Would he be open to moving? Funny how the doubts continued to surface. As much as she wanted to believe that they had a chance, that Ty could be the man she needed him to be, doubts still prickled her mind.

  She was tired and hungry and sleepy. The first trimester of pregnancy was more than she’d anticipated. Her emotions were out of whack, her energy level had reached an all-time low and she was uncomfortable for the duration of the time she wasn’t nauseous or worried. Her mother, who in addition to her father were the only other people who knew about the pregnancy, assured her that this was all the norm. In another couple of weeks, a lot of those symptoms would pass and she’d be on to other issues, like swollen ankles and growing pressure on her bladder.

  She was thinking that she’d gladly endure all of this to stare into the eyes of her and Ty’s child at the end of nine months, when a car horn caught her attention. She looked up then and noticed the sleek black Mercedes Maybach 62 S sedan. She would recognize that car anywhere because there weren’t many people rich enough in Houston to own one. It was Ty’s. Well, it was one of Ty’s. That man loved his cars.

  This one was for his driver, Deuce, whom he used when he was in the city. Ty’s other cars, according to him, needed the open road to test their speed, so driving in the city wasn’t logical. Instead, he had Deuce drive him to and from work and any other meetings he had in the city, or simply to the Braddock estate where he could pick up one of his other cars.

  Her heart danced a little jig as she walked closer, her smile growing with each step. There was a small letdown when Deuce came around to open the back door for her and she realized Ty wasn’t in the car.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Braddock,” Deuce said with his ready smile and deep dimples.

  “Hi, Deuce,” she said, coming up on tiptoe to kiss his weathered cheek. Deuce was a big man, with dark caramel skin, laughing eyes, a bald head and two huge hoop earrings in each ear. “It’s good to see you.”

  “It’s good to see you, ma’am. It’s been far too long,” he said, taking her bags from her arm and helping her into the car.

  When she was settled, she waited for him to get in and asked, “Where’s Ty and where are we going?”

  Deuce only turned to her and smiled. “Just relax. Mr. Braddock told me to take good care of you. There’s some cold water and fruit juice back there and something for you to snack on during the ride.”

  Felicia sat back against the pearl-gray bucket leather seat, knowing it was pointless to ask Deuce anything else. The man was nothing if not loyal, and he’d been with Ty for years, so if Ty told him not to tell her where they were going, he’d walk on nails before divulging the information. She smiled as she slid forward in the seat to the minibar mounted on the back of the front seat. Picking up a bottle of orange juice, she surveyed the array of snacks and selected the caramel popcorn. She’d always had a sweet tooth and preferred that to the rice cakes and granola.

  The ride shouldn’t be too long, Felicia thought. Still, after her snack, she sat back in the seat and quickly fell asleep. When she awoke, it was to someone shaking her gently by the shoulders. Which probably wasn’t a good thing to do since her stomach was rebelling against the popcorn and orange juice.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead,” Ty whispered against her ear.

  When had he arrived? He must have been waiting for her at whatever their
destination was. His voice registered and she struggled to lift her lids. When she’d finally closed them, sleep took her deeply so that it was a chore to wake up. “Hmmm.” She tilted her head just a bit and was pleased to meet his lips.

  The kiss was gentle, just a brushing of lips, but it stirred her blood just the same and she lifted her arms to drape over his shoulders. “Hi,” she said dreamily then pressed her mouth to his again.

  “Mmm, hello yourself,” Ty said, rubbing a thumb across her cheek. “You fell asleep on that short ride from the school to here.”

  “Where’s here?” she asked groggily.

  “We’re at the Galleria. I thought you might like to do a little shopping and get some dinner.”

  He was staring at her as if he hadn’t seen her in a very long time.

  “Shopping?” she asked, trying to sit up. He was leaning over the console and he backed away a little while she got herself situated upright. “You hate shopping.”

  “I don’t hate it,” he said with a smirk. “I just don’t see why somebody else can’t do it for you.”

  “You were not brought up to be that uppity. Ms. Evelyn only has housekeepers because your father insisted and because Sarona is too ornery to leave. Otherwise she would still be scrubbing her own floors.” She reached for her purse, opening it to grab her compact. If she looked like she felt, there was no way she was walking around in public without a little patchwork.

  “And Ms. Lydia didn’t bring you up to be so vain,” he said, reaching for her compact.

  She moved it out of his reach and lifted the sponge to dab concealer beneath her eyes. “I look like I haven’t slept in ages. My mother would have a fit if I went out in public like this.” Finished with the concealer, she pulled out her lip gloss and swiped the stick over her lips. “It’s not for glamour, but for normalcy. You have no idea all the changes pregnant women go through.”

  Ty nodded. “Are you sick much? My secretary says she was ill the entire pregnancy.”

  Felicia’s head snapped in his direction. “You told your secretary about the baby?”

  Ty blinked as if confused. “Of course I did. Why? Is it a secret?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I just didn’t think we were announcing it yet.”

  “Well, I didn’t really announce it. I mean, nobody in the family knows, except Malcolm. I figured we could tell the others after church on Sunday.”

  Felicia had forgotten about the Sundays she and Ty had attended church with his parents. It seemed so long ago. “Oh.” Unsure of what to say next, she placed all her things back in her purse and zipped it shut. His fingers gripped her wrists and her gaze was jerked back to his.

  “You’re beautiful without lipstick and whatever that other stuff was.”

  She smiled. “You’re biased.”

  “I love you.”

  Deuce, as astute as always, picked that moment to open the car door. “If you’re ready now,” he said and reached inside to take Felicia’s hand.

  She gave it to him and stepped out into the slightly cooler evening air. Ty stepped out of the car behind her, reaching for her hand the moment he was at her side. “If you’re too tired, we can just go home.”

  Home.

  How badly she wanted to call the penthouse her home, with him, again. But she wasn’t ready for that yet.

  “No. I’ll be fine. The walking is good for me, and you did interrupt my shopping yesterday.”

  They hadn’t bought much, just half of the furniture for the nursery in Neiman Marcus and, because they didn’t know the sex of the baby yet, a couple bags of basic baby wear. Felicia hadn’t intended to get much as it was still early in the pregnancy. Some believed it was bad luck to shop too soon. However, Ty was convinced that their lives were changing for the better and wanted to buy whatever she liked.

  Her feet were hurting a bit and she was hungry. Ty must have noticed she was getting tired because he chose a quick dinner over a fancy restaurant. They were back in the car after only two and a half hours.

  “Let’s get you home to bed,” he said once she was fastened in with the seat belt.

  That sounded like a great idea to her.

  Ty watched her in awe as she let her head rest on the back of the seat. She was, just as he’d said, beautiful. More beautiful than he’d ever remembered seeing her. It must have been that baby glow his secretary was telling him about. When he’d planned this evening, he’d wanted to buy anything and everything that would make her smile. Instead, she’d smiled even before they’d gotten into the mall.

  That was one of the things he loved about Felicia. She’d never been impressed by material things. Her wants were basic, her needs obtainable. On paper it seemed he was more than capable of pleasing her. But he wanted to do so much more than that. He wanted to take care of her, to make it so that there was never anything that she wanted or needed.

  She was tired now, barely keeping her eyes open. As he’d been about to direct Deuce to take her to the penthouse, she’d given him an address just at the city limits. She’d not only moved out, she’d moved a good distance away from him.

  Ty refused to think of that now. This evening had been good. They had been together and things seemed to be on the right path. He wouldn’t let anything stop that.

  He walked her to her door, noting that the apartment building was not the best. Felicia was in no way out of money. Even leaving him, she would still be comfortable financially. So the apartment wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t good enough for her.

  He couldn’t hold his thoughts in any longer. “Why don’t we just get your stuff and head back to the penthouse?” he said.

  She’d unlocked the door and was just stepping inside when she glanced at him over her shoulder. “I like it here,” she said. “For now.”

  The furniture, he noted as she turned on the lights, was in her customary style of “less is more.” Not big pieces but the necessities. A couch, a recliner, a coffee table, a television stand. She had plants all around because she loved flowers and taking care of things that way. On a table in the corner, she had stacks of books, another one of her great loves. Felicia read anything and everything, all the time. He’d met her coming from the library, and since that time he could personally vouch for her having read over a million books.

  “I’m going to get ready for bed, Ty. I have to get up early in the morning,” she said, breaking his study of her apartment.

  “How long are you planning to work?” he asked.

  “As long as I can.”

  Ty nodded, her answer being what he’d expected to hear. “And how long do you plan on staying away from me?”

  “I’m not staying away from you. We just spent another pleasant evening together. One I have to admit I am surprised by.”

  “Surprised? Why?”

  “You haven’t had a lot of evenings for me in a long while, Ty.”

  He nodded. “I know. Things have been hectic.”

  “So you said.”

  “I’m trying, Felicia,” he said when it seemed like their conversation was headed down the wrong path.

  She stepped to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. “I know you are, and that’s all I can ask.”

  He cupped her face in his hands. “You can ask me for anything, Felicia. You’ve always had that power over me. Whatever I can do to make things right between us, I will do.” He pulled her closer and rubbed his cheek against the top of her head.

  “Just pay attention. That’s all I ask,” she whispered.

  Because he loved the feel of her in his arms and because his baser needs for her were growing out of control, Ty lifted her face to his, dropping his lips down to hers, taking her mouth hungrily.

  She opened to him willingly, stroking her tongue over his with need to match his own. The kiss grew deeper instantaneously, his hands raking through her hair as hers twined tightly around his neck.

  Before he could stop himself, he was backing her toward the couch. When
her legs hit the target, he lowered her down, covering her body with his own. He found her lips again, his teeth nipping along their line, his tongue seeking and tangling with hers.

  They were so perfectly in sync, so one with their needs, that Ty had always been amazed. Felicia hadn’t been as outgoing and extroverted as many of the girls they’d gone to school with, but she was well-known and liked for her quiet demeanor and pretty smile. Ty had figured there was more to her than what everyone was seeing. And he’d found it. He’d tapped into that sensual woman that could drive him wild with one kiss.

  His body roared with need, blood thrumming through his system to rest painfully at his groin. As if she sensed his desire, her legs spread as much as could be allowed on the couch and he slipped between them. Rubbing his erection against her mound was like icing on the cake; hearing her moan his name, like heaven.

  Cupping her breasts in his palms was another act he’d cherished. Felicia was petite but curved in all the right places. Her breasts, which used to fit perfectly in his palms, now overflowed with heaviness. He thrust between her legs again, wanting, needing to be inside of her quickly.

  Beneath him she was panting, her head turning from side to side on one of the couch pillows. He loved when she was hungry for him, when she begged him to make her scream. She was holding on to that request, he could tell. She wanted to be stronger, to tell him to go and feel like she’d conquered some personal rule she’d made for herself. But Ty wanted something else.

  The buttons on her shirt popped as he pulled the material apart. Her breasts, just as he’d felt in his hands, fairly exploded from her bra. They were so round and so full that his mouth watered simply at the sight. With shaking fingers, he thanked God for the front clasp on her bra and released it. Now that they were free, there was no reason why his mouth couldn’t feast on those delicious mounds. Her areolas were huge and dark and round and his arousal grew harder than he thought he could stand.

  “Ty,” she moaned and arched, offering herself to him.

  “Damn,” was all he could manage to say before grasping both breasts, bending his head and taking one stiff nipple between his teeth. She hissed then cursed, and every muscle in his body tightened.